23 Kick-Ass, Girl Power Moments From Parks And Recreation

Tonight is the series finale of one of our favorite shows of all time. Over the past seven seasons, the writers and creators of Parks and Recreation have carefully crafted a fictional world for the town of Pawnee, Indiana, that's become near and dear to the hearts of millions of viewers. The eccentric characters that populate the tiny Midwestern haven ("First in friendship; fourth in obesity") feel like friends, and we'll miss their exploits dearly when they go.  

What we'll miss most about Pawnee and Parks, though, is the amazing feats of female empowerment the show portrayed and inspired. With Amy Poehler leading the cast as Leslie Knope, there was no way this would be anything other than a show about a can-do female with rock-star optimism in spades. Season 1 got off to a bit of a rocky start when it wavered in that belief; however, as soon as the show course-corrected to make Leslie the competent one in a sea of doubting townsfolk, NBC had a hit.

From Leslie's wonderfully odd terms of endearment for her best friend, Ann ("you poetic, noble land mermaid"), to Andy's discovery of Women's Studies, here are 23 times Parks and Recreation demonstrated how to kick ass and take names, girl-power-style.