Parks and Recreation/Heartwarming

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


  • After Leslie tears up the Venezuelans' check in "Sister City", Tom secretly takes all the tips he earned making himself the Venezuelans' errand-boy and donates it all toward the park fund.
  • The entire ending of "Christmas Scandal", from the department waiting for Leslie to light to tree to them welcoming her back to work.
  • April and Andy's surprise wedding in "Fancy Party". Also Leslie, who initially thought they were moving too fast and tried to stop it, changing her mind when she saw how right it was.

April: I guess I kind of hate most things but I never really seem to hate you…so I wanna spend the rest of my life with you, is that cool?
Andy: Yes. Is it my turn? April, you’re the most awesome person I have ever known in my entire life. I vow to protect you from danger. I don’t care if I have to fight an ultimate fighter or a bear or him [referring to the female justice of peace], your mom, I would take ‘em down. I’m getting mad right now even thinking about it. I’m telling you. I wanna spend the rest of my life, every minute, with you. And I’m the luckiest man in the galaxy.

  • Chris Treager's life story, which is basically the epitome of the optimism and positive energy he is always channeling: "I was born with a blood disorder and my parents were told that I had 3 weeks to live and here I still am, some two thousand odd weeks later and I have enjoyed every one of them."
  • In "Harvest Festival", the scenes near the end of everyone simply enjoying the festival to Tom Petty's "American Girl" followed by Leslie having Ben's curse removed and the two having their first strong embrace.
  • Despite their antagonization of each other in the season's first few episodes, there's Ron defending Tom by standing up to Tammy at the end of "Ron and Tammy 2" and then carrying him away like a wounded soldier.
    • More like a little child!
  • The end of 'Christmas Scandal' as the whole cast lights up the Christmas Tree in Lot 48, April gets a hug from Andy, and Leslie gets a gift from Ron.
  • Ron, who hates government and opposes all that Leslie stands for, telling the Ben and Chris in the second season finale that they couldn't fire her and insisting that they fire him instead:

Ben: Every department's losing a Leslie Knope.
Ron: No Ben, they're not. No other department has one to begin with.

  • In "Eagleton", Ron, who hates making a fuss on his birthday, dreads the surprise party Leslie says she is planning. When it comes however, Leslie instead reveals that she set up a quiet night alone for Ron to eat his favorite food, steak and watch his favorite movies(Bridge On The River Kwai, The Dirty Dozen). Then Leslie asks Ron if he remembered what he said to get her to stay at Pawnee's P&R department instead of taking the job in the wealthier nearby town Eagleton five years earlier.

Ron: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 you'll get a lot of job offers in your life but you only have one home town."
Leslie: (smiles)Yes, that's how I remember it.

  • From The Fight:
    • Ann and Leslie's apologies to each other after their first big spat.
    • Before that, Ben's attempt to reconcile Leslie and Ann.

Ben: All I know is, Leslie's always talking about how lucky she is to have you as a friend. And...I just wanted you to know that.
Ann: You're nice. I can see why she likes you.

    • And then Ben trying to act casual but completely unable to hide his giant grin, even while Ann is teasing him for it.
  • From Road Trip:
    • April singing "The Pit" with Mouse Rat for Andy, complete with her attempt at his singing voice and everything, and she bought back his guitar for him (okay, stole).

Andy: I got the greatest wife in the world! We're married! We're totally gonna do it later!

    • Ben's speech to the Indiana State Athletic Commission--some months after telling Leslie in Freddy Spaghetti that "Pawnee is not special", he tells the Indiana state board:

"I’ve been to 40 some-odd towns in Indiana. Pawnee is special."

    • Four words: Ben and Leslie kiss. Finally.
  • Ben's gift for Leslie in the season 3 premier.
  • In "Pawnee Rangers" During a camping trip, Ron's whole troop of young Pawnee Rangers including his assistant Andy defect to Leslie's girls club, the "Pawnee Goddesses" because they have candy and "puppy parties" and all the boys have been doing with Ron is sit around eating beans from a can. Leslie, who all day wanted to prove her club was better tells Ron that he's not a chauvenist jerk like the people who run the Rangers he's a good troop leader. Ron admits to Leslie that he doesn't understand kids today and they don't understand him. He wistfully asks "When did kids start getting interested in fun?" A week later Ron discovers a group of kids including some from the Pawnee Goddesses, waiting in his office that came for the new club. He discovers that Leslie put out an ad in the paper asking both boys and girls interested in a club for extreme outdoorsmen called the "Swansons". Ron sees Leslie in his office who gives him a salute and then he tells his new club that they're going to start by digging a trench and to not expect any "fun".
  • April actually doing something nice for Jerry, whom she's always mean to, by stealing Chris' keys after the Halloween party at her house so he won't be able take Jerry's daughter back to his place to have sex.
  • The entire ending to "End of the World," between Lucy giving Tom the one last thing he needed for his party to be perfect, Leslie apologizing to Ben about her reaction to him and Shauna Mulnae-Tweep, and--last but not least--April and Andy arriving at the Grand Canyon.
  • Ron giving Tom his old job back after his company went bankrupt and doing it in a way that wouldn't hurt Tom's pride.
  • At the end of the "Trial of Leslie Knope" Chris asks court stenographer Ethel Beavers to read what Ben said at his hearing to Leslie. Ethel reads the transcript where Chris asks Ben if Leslie was worth the sneaking around, the scandal and losing his job. Ben replied yes, because he loves Leslie and wants to be with her. That night Leslie goes to Ben's house bringing Ethel who reads what Leslie said at her trial, that she "loves Ben Wyatt with all her heart."
  • The entire office becoming Leslie's new campaign managers.
  • April offering the movie tickets and hug to Chris after Millicent breaks up with him at the end of "Bowling For Votes".
  • At the end of "Lucky", the Pawnee airport loses an unscrupulous interviewer's baggage, along with a tape of an embarrassing interview in which Leslie was drunk. Leslie comments to the camera at the end of the episode that they were really lucky that that happened, but as she's talking, a clip reveals that one of the baggage handlers, who was a friend of Leslie's, surreptitiously tossed the bag containing the tape in the trash while loading the plane.
  • Leslie's closing argument in the Debate episode.

I’m very angry. I’m angry that Bobby Newport would hold this town hostage and threaten to leave if you don’t give him what he wants. It’s despicable. Corporations are not allowed to dictate what a city needs. That power belongs to the ponies. Bobby Newport and his daddy would like you to think it belongs to them. I love this town, and when you love something you don’t threaten it. You don’t punish it. You fight for it, you take care of it, you put it first. As your City Councilor, I’ll make sure that no one takes advantage of Pawnee. If I seem too passionate, it’s because I care. If I come on strong, it’s because I feel strongly, and if I push too hard, it’s because things aren’t moving fast enough. This is my home, you are my family, and I promise you, I’m not going anywhere.

    • And of course, Bobby Newport's reaction to it is just great.

Holy ---- Leslie, that was awesome.

    • In the same episode, the fact that rather than being played for Cringe Comedy, Andy's attempt to entertain donors by acting out scenes from his favorite movies actually worked. It's kind of reminiscent of an also heartwarming scene in an earlier episode where Donna is entranced by Jerry's methodical envelope stuffing- in both cases, there's this idea that a character is so dedicated and earnest that you can't help but root for them.
  • In "Win, Lose, or Draw," Leslie talking to Ben just before giving her victory speech.

Leslie: Someday, when I'm more emotionally stable, I want to read the concession speech you wrote for me.
Ben: (looks at her and smiles) I never wrote it.