Parks & Recreation: 10 Great Moments From 100 Great Episodes

6. When Ben Proposed

During this entire episode (Halloween Surprise), the audience is being led to believe that Ben and Leslie are headed for another breakup. After successfully running Leslie's campaign, Ben is working in Washington with Jen Barkley, who sees a lot of potential in him, and sets him up for another job running a gubernatorial campaign in Florida. It's a great opportunity for Ben, and both he and Leslie know as much. And so do the audience. But in a genius move, it's ultimately a fake-out, and the episode ends not with Ben moving to Florida, but with him proposing. Brilliantly, the show clearly isn't afraid to let the characters be happy. So many other series would have pulled a Ross and Rachel and kept the pair in will they-won't they limbo for years, never resolving it until the very end for a cheap ratings hook, but not Parks & Rec. Ben and Leslie are soul mates. Fact. End of discussion. So Ben thinks about his future and chooses Leslie, because of course he does.