Amy Poehler is a very popular comedian, actress, director, and producer and writer. She moved to NYC in 1996 to start working for Comedy Central as she had comedy in her sights starting when she attended Boston College and participated in an improv comedy troupe called My Mother's Fleabag.
She is well known for her works in Saturday Night Live (2001-2008) making a hit in various sketches and making strides for female comedians along side with her friend and colleague, Tina Fey. Poehler's work on SNL earned her two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
Parks and Recreation, an American sitcom written, directed and produced by Amy Poehler, began it's journey in 2009. We are introduced to Leslie Knope, a Deputy Parks Director of Pawnee's parks and recreation department, a mid-level bureaucratic position, as well as being a member of the city council. She constantly lives in her mother's shadows, as her mother is a highly respected council member with many achievements that Leslie hopes to one day achieve as well.
Although Leslie makes a great effort in making the city of Pawnee a better place, she runs into many difficulties as a woman, and as someone who is honest and just (not common in her field, which she learns throughout the series but does not let that affect her or her decisions). In Season 1 Episode 5, Leslie is encouraged by her mother to resort to blackmailing a distant council member, however Leslie fails to go through with it for it was against her morals. We see the physical struggle that Leslie goes through trying to blackmail this woman as she stutters and makes a fool of herself.
Throughout the series, Leslie makes a great deal of effort to stand up for what she believes in and fight the odds of an male-dominated council. She believes very strongly in her responsibilities as the Deputy Parks Director, and won't let anything get in her way of achieving her goals.
Although comedic and satirical, Leslie is praised to be one of the most feminist characters on TV. It is refreshing to see the efforts of women in developing characters that are inspirational and funny, almost as if she is a real person.
Amy Poehler allowed for one more relatable and respectable character on TV and that allows me to hope for many more to come.
No comments:
Post a Comment