Up to this point, the show has explored and illustrated the town of Pawnee so well. It's almost like we have visited the fictional town ourselves. If you are as invested in the show as I am, you might even find yourself to be a member of the town just like all the characters. We stand by their, at times, crude and brash behavior, because we know in the end, they are passionate about their town and the things they love. When the show introduces a new town; a much more wealthy and superior town, we resent them just as much as the people of Pawnee do. That town is of course Eagleton, and this episode is all about the Pawnee-Eagleton rivalry that will become a major focal point for the rest of the series.
So, Eagleton has built a tall fence in the shared Lafayette Park to keep Pawnee residents out of their side. Leslie meets with their Parks and Recreation director, Lindsay (played by the always great Parker Posey), to come to some sort of a rational agreement on what to do with the fence. This storyline is a brilliant look at social class in our country. The show has not shied away from focusing on important issues in our country in comedic ways, and "Eagleton" is one of the best examples of this. Social class is one of the biggest reasons why we have so much conflict and separation in this country, so it is very cool to see the show focus on this in a satirical kind of way.
I think "Eagleton" falls in the category of episodes that after seeing the entire series, becomes even a better episode knowing how impactful it was to the show. This episode not only introduces the town of Eagleton but also shines light on arguably the one relationship that is the heart of the entire series: Ron Swanson and Leslie Knope.
This entire episode depicts conflict and bigotry between the upper and lower class towns (in a comedic way of course), but the last scene in this episode showcases that two people, despite their political differences, can come together and see the good in one another and be supportive. Leslie's birthday present (a private steak dinner and a movie), for Ron is so thoughtful and giving because she has grown to learn truly what Ron loves and is empathetic enough to give him a birthday present that is perfect for what he enjoys. It's an incredible scene and one of my favorites in the entire series.
It show's the very best of Leslie Knope with just how caring and thoughtful she is, and it also represents Ron's loyalty for Leslie as well. When Leslie asks Ron if she remembered the advice he gave her when she was offered a job at Eagleton, after some thinking Ron eventually says: "I believe I said that I thought we worked well together, and that I might disagree with your philosophy but I respected you. And I said that you'll get a lot of job offers in your life but you only have one hometown." I think this quote best represents what is so great about their relationship and the show in general. If everyone could learn to behave like these two do towards each other, the world would be a much better place to live.
So, Eagleton has built a tall fence in the shared Lafayette Park to keep Pawnee residents out of their side. Leslie meets with their Parks and Recreation director, Lindsay (played by the always great Parker Posey), to come to some sort of a rational agreement on what to do with the fence. This storyline is a brilliant look at social class in our country. The show has not shied away from focusing on important issues in our country in comedic ways, and "Eagleton" is one of the best examples of this. Social class is one of the biggest reasons why we have so much conflict and separation in this country, so it is very cool to see the show focus on this in a satirical kind of way.
I think "Eagleton" falls in the category of episodes that after seeing the entire series, becomes even a better episode knowing how impactful it was to the show. This episode not only introduces the town of Eagleton but also shines light on arguably the one relationship that is the heart of the entire series: Ron Swanson and Leslie Knope.
This entire episode depicts conflict and bigotry between the upper and lower class towns (in a comedic way of course), but the last scene in this episode showcases that two people, despite their political differences, can come together and see the good in one another and be supportive. Leslie's birthday present (a private steak dinner and a movie), for Ron is so thoughtful and giving because she has grown to learn truly what Ron loves and is empathetic enough to give him a birthday present that is perfect for what he enjoys. It's an incredible scene and one of my favorites in the entire series.
It show's the very best of Leslie Knope with just how caring and thoughtful she is, and it also represents Ron's loyalty for Leslie as well. When Leslie asks Ron if she remembered the advice he gave her when she was offered a job at Eagleton, after some thinking Ron eventually says: "I believe I said that I thought we worked well together, and that I might disagree with your philosophy but I respected you. And I said that you'll get a lot of job offers in your life but you only have one hometown." I think this quote best represents what is so great about their relationship and the show in general. If everyone could learn to behave like these two do towards each other, the world would be a much better place to live.
