I told you this one was coming. We’ve looked at Leslie, we’ve looked at Ben, now let’s look at them both together (Leslie-Ben-related spoilers.)
The very initial setup of Leslie and Ben’s relationship might at first appear to be a love/hate kind of thing – he’s the penny-pinching hardass from the state budget office, she’s the optimistic deputy director of the parks department who just wants to make people happy, regardless of what it costs – but even that shortlived dynamic is subverted pretty much from the start. While Leslie comes in hot, determined to crusade against Ben the evil budget-slasher that she believes is champing at the bit to fire everyone, Ben is just a guy doing his job, one who demonstrates a surprisingly-high tolerance for her manic steamroller tendencies from the jump. It isn’t long before they start to get to know each other and immediately develop a friendlier relationship.
Leslie and Ben, delightfully, are simpatico and complementary at the same time. They’re both hardworking policy wonks with a devotion to government who pay great attention to detail. With Ben, we see that come out in his love for budget minutiae, and nothing makes Leslie happier than filling an enormous binder with every last scrap of information about a planned project. They also share a similar dorky glee for a job well done, a tendency to spiral out when they’re stressed, and a fondness for Model UN. Meanwhile, Leslie is a sunshiny dreamer who uses hyperbole like it’s going out of style and brings an Energizer-Bunny-like determination to the proceedings, while Ben thrives on logic and pragmatism, responding dryly to Leslie’s over-the-top enthusiasm.
In other words? They make a great team. They bring similar skill sets to the table, but each has their own personal areas of expertise, and they lean on one another’s strengths and talents. It’s a combo that serves them well as colleagues, and as as workplace companionability blossoms into attraction, it helps them succeed as a couple.
My brother was the person who finally got me to check out Parks and Rec, so I periodically texted him updates on where I was at when I watched the series. At some point during season 3, I texted him out of the blue to say, “I can’t remember the last time I shipped two people harder than Leslie and Ben.” And it’s true. Man, this pairing just owns me. It helps that we see them develop a good working relationship and become friends first, but it goes a lot further than that.
More than anything, my love for Leslie and Ben’s relationship comes down to this: they talk. The first signs of their mutual attraction are the earnest compliments they give one another at work, personal remarks recognizing their skills and qualities. We see how they get along, and what’s more, we really see how they like and admire each other. Yes, they’re both physically-attractive people and that’s part of their attraction to one another (over time, we learn how much Leslie loves Ben’s butt,) but that’s never presented as the reason why they like each other. Instead, first and foremost, they like one another as people, and the love is born out of that. After seeing way too many “instant chemistry” or “love at first sight” TV romances that boil down to “they’re hot,” this relationship is like a balm for my soul. (Seriously, what do Leonard and Penny on The Big Bang Theory even talk about?)
This quality continues throughout their relationship. In their will-they-won’t-they stage, external forces keep them apart (a rule against coworkers dating,) and instead of denying their feelings or taking turns dating other people/pining for one another, they talk about their feelings and the dilemma they’re in. They decide what to do about it, and when they ultimately get together, they discuss their problems, talking through small disagreements, big life choices, and personal crises with one another. This might just be the asexual in me talking, but honestly, I think their conversations are just dreamy.
Also, I known I’ve brought this up before, but it bears repeating: Ben isn’t threatened by Leslie’s ambition, outspokenness, or power. If you read any of my Other Doctor Lives reviews from The Crown, you know how much it sticks in my craw when insecure men can’t handle being in relationships with powerful women, but Ben and Leslie are the polar opposite of Philip and Elizabeth. Theirs is a true partnership, in which they work together and each advises, bolsters, consoles, and redirects the other as needed. They’re one another’s biggest believers, and they support one another’s careers and goals in such an honest, genuine way. Leslie’s accomplishments aren’t any sort of “knock” on Ben’s masculinity, and he loves her for everything she wants to make of herself. And in the last season, when Ben is running for Congress and Leslie attracts some bad press for not doing typical “candidate’s wife” things, what do they do? That’s right, they talk about it. They make a plan, they execute it, and they fight the patriarchy – together.
Bestill my heart.
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