Has Parks and Recreation written itself into a corner?

Last week's episode was meant to be a possible series finale. And yet, the show goes on

At last...
(Image credit: Tyler Golden/NBC)

"Leslie and Ben," the first of two episodes that NBC's Parks and Recreation aired last week, might have been the perfect way to end the beloved comedy series. After a tumultuous, multi-season courtship, protagonist Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) finally married Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott) — the geeky, supportive love of her life — after she stopped the devious Councilman Jamm (Jon Glaser) from turning her beloved Lot 48 into a fast food restaurant. The rest of her allies in the Parks Department also seemed to be on the path to fulfillment, from Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari) and his Rent-A-Swag business to Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones) and her impending motherhood. Everything seemed perfect — until "The Correspondents' Lunch," the second episode of the evening, began with Ben and Leslie returning from their honeymoon and the craziness of life in Pawnee continuing.

In fact, "Leslie & Ben" was the third perfect ending Parks has had, along with season three's "Lil' Sebastian" and season four's "Win, Lose, Or Draw." Each of those episodes was originally designed as a potential series finale.

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Eric has written about TV, music, and books for The A.V. Club, Jewcy, and This Was TV. He is a third-year undergrad at the University of Chicago majoring in philosophy, where he is one of the Arts & Culture editors for the Political Review. Follow him on Twitter to learn how big a Futurama binge has to be to be lethal.