Devouring TV: Parks and Recreation OR My growing acceptance of Adam Scott, and my undying love for Leslie Knope

I finished watching all the Parks and Recreation there is to see about a week ago, and now my life is so empty and sad. My history with the show went something like this: Watched the first season (of six episodes)- wasn't really impressed. BBC4 started showing the first two seasons earlier this year, so I watched Season Two and it was basically THE BEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN EVER EVER, so that was pretty awesome. Then, twas a long long wait from the end of Parks and Rec on BBC4 to moving into my new house and gaining access to US Netflix and watching ALL THE PARKS AND REC in mere weeks. Ah, it's been pretty great.

I don't even know where to begin, though, because there literally isn't a character I dislike, a situation I didn't find real and moving and amazing, or a relationship that I haven't wanted to happen. I honestly can't think of a TV show where I've been more in love with the characters- I mean, you all know I love Breaking Bad like nobody's business, and I love a good TV drama, but for pure happiness in watching, I can't think of any programme that's done better than Parks and Recreation.

Here's a quick synopsis if you've never seen or even heard of it before (how is it living under that rock? Warm enough for you?): Leslie Knope is both the greatest woman in the world and deputy director of the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, Indiana. Her colleagues range from the libertarian Ron Swanson (who is amazing), to the deadpan and potentially evil April Ludgate, swagger-filled yet kind of wimpy Tom Haverford, AMAZING Donna, and Jerry, everyone's favourite punching bag. Combined with Leslie's best friend Ann Perkins, Ann's ex-boyfriend Andy, and later on in the series, ROB LOWE and Adam Scott, the Parks and Recreation department do things ranging from mundane to slightly interesting, but fuelled by Leslie's infectious enthusiasm, and basically the best script ever, everything about every episode is basically the best.

Just, in case you hadn't got that point yet. I like this show a lot.

Rather than going through everything I like about everyone and also everything, I'm baaasically going to focus on my title right up there, because, you know, we all have lives to get along with and I can't sit here writing about Parks and Rec all day (that's a lie because OF COURSE I CAN). So things are about to get spoilery, so you can leave if you don't want to know things, but before you go, let me just say that April Ludgate is my actual spirit animal and I love her and also sort of want to be her and also I LOVE HER. Ok, you can go now.

SPOILERY PART.
Just give me a minute, cause I need to think about how cute Ben and Leslie are together.

Ok, are we... Yeah, that's amazing.

Anyway! So! Yes. Before Parks and Rec, all I'd seen Adam Scott in was Friends With Kids. I didn't really like that film, I watched it while I was feeling ill anyway (bad idea) but I really found Adam Scott's character very very annoying. I never ever expected to fancy him in any way (I don't know, his face ON IT'S OWN isn't that great) and even though I guess I vaguely knew he was in Parks and Rec, I cared a lot more about the fact that ROB LOWE was in it. (I like Rob Lowe's face quite a lot. It's a pretty magnificent face.)

But then! The bastard grew on me! I think the thing was this- in the first season, the show was set up so that Leslie was meant to be kind of unlucky in love, because, I think her enthusiasm was supposed to be offputting (RIDICULOUS), at least to men. And so, even though she had a couple of boyfriends even in season 2, in my brain there was still a sense of 'these men are RIDICULOUS, they should ALL want to marry Leslie.' And then Ben came along, and, well, obviously he did want to marry her, but also saw exactly how amazing she was and that was just perfect, plus that little smile whenever she did something incredible that showed how he was falling in love with her and eeeeeeeee!

There are, of course, other reasons to love Ben Wyatt that aren't 'because he loves Leslie Knope' (although that is obviously the best one, and shows his exquisite taste) and, you know, there's the nerd thing and the faces at the camera when we're all thinking 'huh?' about the madness in Pawnee, and the fact that he sacrificed his job so his girlfriend could keep hers and GOD has that ever even happened on TV before? Adam Scott now, to me, has the kind of face that I LOVE because I think of all the things he's done and he's just perfect. Basically I want to marry Ben Wyatt, if that's cool.

That is, if I can't marry Leslie Knope. Actually, that's crazy, basically I want to be Leslie Knope. I mean, I am essentially April, which is cool because I think Andy is way hot, but really and truly, I'd rather be Leslie. To wake up every morning inside her positive, can-do, thinking of everyone else all the time brain must be so amazing, and people just flock to her because she's the best person. In the world. Ever. I love her and I like her and I don't know what more I can say.

Except, oh, everything. Like, Leslie is a politician who actually cares about making people's lives better. Like, remember how she made Ron worried that she was going to throw a huge party for his birthday but actually she knew what he wanted so well that he got a steak in front of the TV by himself? Like, The Pawnee Goddesses. Oh yeah. I literally can't think of a TV character who's a better role model, not just for women but for every human being ever, AND even though this is the case, she's still so funny! She's magnificent! She's Leslie. And I love her. Obviously.

And who knew that the woman I used to know only as the weird mum from Mean Girls would turn out to have been so amazing all along? Amy Poehler, I salute you. And your incredible awesomeness and OH MAN can I just watch the whole thing all over again? I can? Well... Ok then. I shall.