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Marlene Griggs-Knope (born March 6, 1953[1]) is the mother of Leslie Knope and a long-time fixture in the local politics of Pawnee. Marlene is widely regarded as unsympathetic and is known (fondly, according to her daughter) as "the Iron Cock-Shredder of Pawnee," a nickname given to her in 1994 by Ron Swanson.[2]

Background[]

Marlene was raised by unknown parents, presumably in or around Wamapoke County. She is noted for being a particularly striking woman when she was younger, as well as a gifted athlete in track & field.

The series depicts Marlene as being a romantic from a young age, beginning with the brief affair she had as a teenager. Shortly after this, she meets and marries Robert Knope; they shared a daughter, until he passed away.

Although a longtime resident of the city of Pawnee, its hospital was overrun with raccoons on the day Leslie was born. Marlene was taken to the next nearest hospital, in Eagleton; a secret she kept from her daughter for decades.

Storyline[]

Season 1[]

Marlene's first appearance establishes her as coldly distant from her daughter, focused primarily on her own career and making a seemingly begrudging appearance at her daughter's first town hall session.

In "The Banquet," Marlene receives a Tellenson Award for Pawnee Public Service. She knows a great deal about the other winners and honorees, and shrewdly tells Leslie to blackmail the head of the zoning board.

Season 2[]

In "Galentine's Day", Leslie and her current boyfriend Justin attempt to set Marlene up with Frank Beckerson, the lifeguard at the beach who saved her life in 1968 when she was trapped in a current. They had an affair for two weeks, but when Frank proposed, she had to decline as her parents believed her too young. Marlene is initially excited to see Frank again, but her interest quickly dwindles as he describes the failures he's experienced in life. Marlene eventually rejects his proposal to restart their affair.

Season 3[]

In "The Bubble", Ben Wyatt has a meeting scheduled with Marlene about the school district's budget. Leslie initially lies about her relationship to her "ball-busting" mother, but fretfully comes clean and tells Ben that her mother is cold, and "makes snap judgements about people" seconds before Ben's scheduled meeting. When it inevitably goes poorly, Marlene capitalizes on Ben's weakness and more than doubles her demands in the budget.

As her relationship with Ben becomes more cordial (due in large part to her daughter's interference), she spends their next meeting flirting with him and making casual suggestions about sex. In a panic, Ben later explains to Marlene that he and Leslie have been keeping quiet about their romantic relationship to avoid punitive action. Marlene finds the blunder extremely funny, and lets it go with a firm reminder of her budget request.

Appearances[]

References[]

  1. In Galentine's Day (season 6), it is revealed that the newspaper headline on the day of Marlene Griggs-Knope's birth was "Josef Stalin Dies." Since Josef Stalin died on March 5, 1953, Marlene Griggs-Knope was born on March 6.
  2. https://twitter.com/azizansari/status/1748243968
Characters

LeslieRonTomAnnBenChrisMarkAprilAndyDonnaJerryMore

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