In that sense, Erin has been a great addition to the Dunder-Mifflin gang this season. "Date" Mike was obnoxious, but Steve Carell infuses the character with a fair share of nice moments to keep him from (I liked his giddyness at the prospect of fifteen minutes of local news fame in the cold open). The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.I feel similarly about Michael at this point, though I'm more ambivalent. Want more stories like this? Become a subscriber and support the site! I love Leslie, who’s in turn allowed me to love my own at times annoying nature. Women are more than just one trait, and Leslie is that to a T. I want more women like Leslie, who aren’t always likable but who are still heroic characters in the same way male protagonists can be frustrating heroes. Too often, women must be paragons of virtue and, at worst, just likable. If Leslie is allowed to be a multi-faceted person, we should allow ourselves to be both perfect and imperfect too.īesides, it’s refreshing to have a female character who is both identifiable and annoying, fierce and frustrating. If we’ll forgive Leslie her frustrating at times ferocity, we can maybe forgive messes in others and in ourselves. She’s allowed to be frustrating at times, because real people are also frustrating at times. She is not always in the right, or personable. And they need to be complicated like Leslie. They need to be crass like Abbi and Ilana from Broad City, or messy like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. In a world full of imperfect asshole male characters, I live for a female character who can be imperfect and still someone we can all aspire to be.įemale characters in all genres need to be allowed to occupy different boxes. She doesn’t care that people might find her annoying, she just cares about doing the right thing and getting the job done. I love that I can call Leslie frustrating and still be inspired by her. Knope, but please don’t let my word choice fool you. Sometimes the people who are upset are being defensive or are in the wrong, and other times Leslie has made a mistake. When she frustrates us or the characters, it’s not the end of the world. She wants to do the right thing and push people to be better. Sometimes, she gets angry and overly passionate and upsets those around her. Leslie’s drive doesn’t always match that of those around her, from disaffected intern April to her libertarian co-worker Ron. When she went against the government shutdown to organize the Freddy Spaghetti concert for the kids of Pawnee, she captured not only Ben’s heart but audiences’ hearts as well. It was only when Leslie was written as a smart, take-no-prisoners beacon of ideas and positivity that the show began to flow. Originally, she was supposed to be the goofy, clueless boss like Michael Scott on The Office. Women in comedy have always been growing, from The Mary Tyler Moore Show to Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. We need more characters like Leslie Knope out there. I love that she’s not a saint, or a perfect person. I love that she fails, and I love when she succeeds even more. I love that occasionally people get mad at her, and that sometimes she has to take a step back and realize she’s gone too far. I love that Leslie’s determination can be grating. She pushes people to be the best they can be, and she works tirelessly, and she can be frustrating at times in her determination and drive. I’m talking about how she’s so passionate that, as her husband Ben Wyatt says, it’s like arguing with the sun. I’m not talking about her first season misadventure into being the female Michael Scott. Let’s open this article with a controversial statement: Leslie Knope can be annoying at times.
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