Just a few episodes later, in 413, we see Leslie freaking out over one negative assessment from a possible voter, just completely unable to accept it and let it go. And once again, the story is drawing on qualities of Leslie that we've known all along, her obsessiveness, drive and competitiveness, but now for the first time the show is really spotlighting those qualities as flaws to be explored.
Over time, most shows develops their own kind of blind spots. They no longer quite see certain aspects of their characters. It's the challenge of something becoming familiar. You miss stuff. Or the show is just so in love with certain characters they lose perspective. It's totally naturally.
Some blind spots can become a real problem. Some, like Leslie's obsessiveness or Chris' intense positivity and obsession with health, the audience just goes along with, so much so that a show might never need to adjust.
But even if they're benign, it's always worth looking for the blind spots in your show, the things about your characters that you've accepted without digging into them. Because they are a huge untapped mine for story. And not only that, exploring a blind spot after years of ignoring it is often enormously delightful for the audience. If it's something that's been bugging them, they get the satisfaction of you finally contending with it. (For some reason as I'm writing this I keep thinking of Jack on LOST, what a mess of a character he was, and how I got so tired of him being treated as The Hero in those early seasons, and then as the series went into its later seasons they finally accepted that and how much better things around him seemed to flow.)
And if it's something the audience themselves hasn't really noticed, it's often even more delightful because it comes as such a surprise. I've been with you all this time and I never even saw that. Episode 502 of PARKS, where they finally interrogate why Chris is so desperately positive and we learn (and even better, so does he) that it all comes from the fact he's afraid of dying, which sends him down a real and hilarious rabbit hole of doom, is a great example of this.
Similarly in episode 504, we dig into the fact that Ann always changes who she is to be more like whoever she's dating. It's a very funny idea that's been present the whole run of the show, and yet I never once noticed it, and the show never called attention to it. To have it finally brought into the light and realize wow, that's been there the whole time, how did I miss that, is again an endless source of delight.
Blind spots: every show's got them. And yeah, they can get in the way. But they're such a great opportunity as well.
