Leslie Knope is one of the best and brightest of the Pawnee Parks and Rec. Department. In fact, one could say that she carries the entire department on her back throughout Parks and Rec. Ron hates the government and lets Leslie do whatever she wants, April follows in Ron’s footsteps, and Tom is so focused on his personal brand that his allegiance to Leslie wilts as the series goes on.

Likewise, Leslie is so consumed with her work as a government employee that she doesn’t listen to Tom’s ideas or supports him when he’s in need. These two may work in close quarters but a friendship was not gained during their time at the Pawnee Parks and Recreation Department.

10 Leslie Was Disgusted At The Thought Of Dating Tom

In the episode “Soulmates,” Leslie tries to get over her crush on Ben and joins a dating website with the help of Ann. After answering some questions, she reached a soulmate-level match with drum roll please, Tom! With Tom and Leslie sharing an office, Leslie was disturbed at the thought of dating Tom. She took him out to lunch to get to know him better and it ended just as she thought — they were completely different people. She eventually found out that Tom created a fake profile but one thing was certain: these two were not soulmates in any way.

9 Tom Ditches Leslie Whenever Work Gets Too Hard

We see this a lot in the first two seasons before Tom completely checks out from the parks and rec. department but whenever work became too tough, Tom headed for the hills. We saw this when it was Easter in Pawnee. Tom’s job was to put candy in all the eggs for the annual Easter egg hunt but he “forgot.”

Then, when Leslie needed help hunting the possum on the golf course, Tom ran away at the thought of handling a wild animal. There are not too many episodes where Tom worked hard to help Leslie. He only worked harder when it benefited himself.

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8 Leslie Wanted Ann To Date Anyone Else But Tom

Ann doesn’t find herself single very often but when Valentine’s Day rolled around, Ann was feeling left out in the love department. Leslie decided to throw a Valentine’s Day gathering with all of Pawnee’s singles so she could have a chance at meeting someone new. However, the event was a bust and Ann ended up leaving the meet-and-greet with the only guy who made her laugh — Tom! Leslie was pissed when she found out Ann escaped to be with Tom. She didn’t think Tom and Ann were a match in the making and didn’t support the relationship when there were other qualified guys out there. If Leslie and Tom were real friends, she wouldn’t have been so opposed to this relationship.

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7 Tom Totally Undermines Leslie

Before Tom created Tom’s Bistro, Entertainment 720, and Rent-A-Swag, he was a simple administrator at the Pawnee Parks and Recreation Department. He worked under Leslie and the two shared an office. However, whenever we saw Tom “working” at the parks and rec department, he wasn’t really working.

He plays Scrabble against Ron, he plays Solitare when he’s bored, and he’s typically brainstorming ‘get rich’ quick schemes. The only time he works hard for Leslie or pays attention to the things she needs is done is when it benefits him and his brand.

6 But Leslie Steamrolls Tom

Tom may undermine Leslie and not take the work she assigns him seriously but she also steamrolls him. One could say the two cancel each other out because they’re both essentially ignoring each other. Leslie is a strong and powerful woman but she doesn’t necessarily realize when she’s taking over. It took an argument with Ann for Leslie to realize she does this to everyone around her. The only difference between Ann and Tom is that Tom doesn’t take Leslie’s steamrolling so seriously.

5 Tom Outshines Leslie When She Needs Him Most

In the episode “Meet ‘N’ Greet,” Leslie hired Tom’s company Entertainment 720 to promote a meet and greet that would benefit her candidacy for city council. Hiring Entertainment 720 was the perfect way to bring together their two worlds. However, when it came time to talk about how great Leslie was to numerous Pawnee business owners, Tom took over and began promoting his own business. The entire ordeal complicated the meet and greet and confused the business owners. Leslie was annoyed with Tom and the two had a confrontation at the end of the night. Tom’s company may have been financially struggling but tanking Leslie’s event didn’t look good for either of them.

4 Leslie Put Tom In Charge Of  Lil Sebastian (And Lost him)

In the third season, Leslie’s Harvest Festival came to life and was a raging success. The entire parks and recreation department came together for this event and was one of the best in Pawnee history. And while Pawnee isn’t known for having many celebrities, their biggest celebrity is a miniature horse named Lil Sebastian. To make sure the day went off without a hitch, Leslie put Tom in charge of keeping an eye on Lil Sebastian but when Tom became “busy,” he told Jerry to keep an eye on the horse for him. But in a classic Tom and Jerry move (pun intended), no one ended up watching Lil Sebastian and he escaped!

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3 Tom Made Up Names For The Herb Garden To Get Leslie Off His Back

In the second season, the parks and rec department put together a community herb garden in the abandoned lot behind Ann’s house. The idea was actually a great way to use the empty space. But in “The Steakout,” Leslie is seen tending the garden while Tom is chilling to the side, sunbathing and drinking a Snapple. And even though Leslie is doing all the work, she credits Tom for knowing the names of all the herbs. The problem is Tom literally made up all the names just to get Leslie off his back. He called them “Souljaboy Tellems,” “Diddies,” and “Ludacrises.” And adorably, Leslie had no idea.

2 Leslie Forced Tom To Spy On The Community Garden (And He Got Arrested)

When someone starts growing marijuana in the community garden, Leslie and Tom hide in a non-disclosed white van so they can catch the person responsible. Their plan goes awry when Leslie sees Ann coming back from her date with Mark and she becomes too distracted to focus on the garden. But when a police officer shows up and finds Tom hiding out in a white van, they arrest him and take him to the station. Leslie then spends the rest of the night trying to clear Tom’s name but had it not been for Leslie’s outlandish idea, Tom wouldn’t have been arrested to begin with.

1 And Had The Venezuela Government Treat Tom Like A Servant

In the episode “Sister City,” the Venezuelan government comes to Pawnee. The parks and rec department has to show the Venezuelans around Pawnee and make them feel comfortable. Leslie was expecting the Venezuelans to be wowed by their culture but they actually reacted differently. They thought Pawnee was a dump and thought Tom was a servent. They asked him to fetch their bags for them and instead of defending Tom, Leslie made Tom go along with it and do their dirty work. The Venezuelans gave Tom a tip for the trouble but in no way was that behavior acceptable.

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Lynn Gibbs
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Lynn is a nomad who travels the globe on the hunt for her next adventure with her husband. A lover of being outside (and finding the best latte in town), Lynn is typically hiking, walking, or jogging when she’s not focusing on her love of writing. When it comes to shows streaming on Netflix or anything Bravo-related, Lynn’s your gal.

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