Like all of the shows created by Michael Schur, Parks and Rec is full of brightness, joy, and a relentless optimism that insists on seeing the bright side of the world. Of course, one of the foremost sources of that optimism is none other than Leslie Knope, that profoundly dedicated public servant who really does give her all to the people of Pawnee.
While she is a tremendously likable character with lots of redeeming qualities (particularly after the first season), there are also a few things about her that many fans, even those that like her quite a lot, start to hate after a while.
Redeeming: Loyalty
One of Leslie’s most redeeming qualities is her loyalty to her friends and her coworkers. From the very beginning of the show, she makes it clear that she loves them dearly, and she will do anything she can to help them.
This includes Ron, even though, as he makes clear time and again, his entire philosophy of work and government and life is diametrically opposed to hers. Leslie never lets that get in the way of her loyalty to him, however, and that makes her a truly great character.
Hate: Steamrolling Everyone Into Doing What She Wants
Unfortunately, Leslie isn’t always great about listening to others. In fact, sometimes she can be more than a little rude as she steamrolls over other people in pursuit of what she believes to be the right thing. Obviously, she’s doing this from a place of what she thinks is right, but it has to be said that there are more than a few times when she can be a little bit insufferable when she gets something into her head and refuses to let it go until she sees it through to the end.
Redeeming: Love For Her Mother
Leslie’s mother isn’t exactly what one would call nurturing. Time and again during the show she indicates that she has a bit of a hard edge to her, and she clearly loves Leslie dearly, it sometimes means that she can be a bit brusque (and then of course there was the time she hit on Ben, before realizing he was dating Leslie). However, Leslie loves her mother fiercely and ionately and, just as importantly, she really seems to look up to her.
Hate: Refusal To Accept Her Own Limitations
There’s a lot to be said for someone who gives their all to their job, and Leslie certainly does go the extra mile when it comes to the Parks Department. Unfortunately, there’s a bit of a flip side to this phenomenon, as it leads her to sometimes refuse to see her own limitations.
As a result of this, she sometimes puts others at risk, such as when she came to work despite the fact that she had the flu. One might have wished that she could have seen her way clear to acting in everyone’s best interest.
Redeeming: Problem-Solving Abilities
Some people just seem to have a knack for problem-solving, and Leslie Knope is one of those people. Among other things, she was the one who helped the people of Eagleton when their town plunged into bankruptcy (even though they ended up stabbing her in the back the first chance that they got). Leslie sees problems not as something to be complained about, but as opportunities, and one can’t help but ire such a person and her willingness to take charge.
Hate: Over-Enthusiasm
Obviously, part of what makes Leslie Knope such a lovable character is the fact that she is so enthusiastic and optimistic about life. She does genuinely seem to think that the world is a great place. The flip side of this equation, of course, is that she can sometimes be a bit too enthusiastic. While this can be charming at times, there are also more than a few instances where the fans, and probably the characters, would like her to just tone it down a bit.
Redeeming: Resilience
For all that she is a born problem-solver, Leslie has had her fair share of setbacks, not least when she suffered a recall at the hands of her constituents in Pawnee. Someone who didn’t have her grit and determination would have let this get her down, but not Leslie.
Instead, she went right back to doing what she always does, fighting for the people of Pawnee to have the best life that they possibly can (even if the city is quite absurd at times). She’s truly one of a kind.
Hate: Inability To Face Reality Sometimes
It's irable when someone always relentlessly looks on the bright side of life. At the same time, however, there are more than a few times when Leslie’s optimism can get a little frustrating, since it blinds her to the realities that she’s facing.
An important part of being an optimist is to be sure to temper it with a little bit of common sense about the way that the world works, and it’s hard not to think that Leslie might be a better public servant if she could it to those realities sometimes.
Redeeming: Genuine Love For Pawnee And Its Ungrateful Residents
Anyone who has seen just a few episodes of this show knows that the residents of Pawnee can be tremendously ungrateful, and often downright rude. They don’t seem to understand even the most basic pieces of information, and unfortunately they take it out on Leslie. For all of that, time and again Leslie shows that, without a doubt, she loves the people of Pawnee, regardless of what their feelings about her might be.
Hate: Always Has To Be Right
When you're Leslie Knope, it’s hard not to feel a sense of superiority. After all, she is the one responsible for some of the biggest (and best) changes in the town of Pawnee. However, this has the unfortunate side effect that she far too frequently thinks that she always has to be in the right and that, if someone disagrees with her, they must be wrong. This gets her into trouble more than a few times, and fans find it rather irritating.