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In Parks and Recreation (2009-2015), Mark Brendanawicz (Paul Schneider) And Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott) both portray the straight man trope in contrast to the other character’s antics. The straight man trope is often described as the logical character, especially in a comedic duo. They set up the joke for their goofy counterpart while maintaining their composure as the bit plays out. Mark and Ben specifically, are both a direct comedic foil to Leslie Knope’s character (played by Amy Poehler) throughout their respective times on the show. While the portrayer of the straight man trope “rarely gets the funny lines, [they must] have impeccable timing and delivery so that the comic (the other half of a comedy duo) can hit it out of the park.” (( TV Tropes. “Straight Man.” 5 March 2022. )) In short, Mark and Ben both had massively essential roles on the show, especially from a comedic standpoint.
The straight man trope always comes in the form of a comedic duo, like Mark or Ben in relation to Leslie. At their core, they are opposites to their outwardly comedic counterpart. Usually, they provide a serious and, especially, in this case, professional quality that their humorous foil can play on.
“Traditionally the Straight Man brings up a serious topic and the Wise Guy riffs on it, but sometimes the Wise Guy brings up a loony topic, the Straight Man objects to its lunacy, and the Wise Guy riffs on that.”
TV Tropes. “Straight Man and wise guy.” 28 April 2022.
With a show filled with such big personalities those who fulfill the straight man trope supply a much-needed contrast to cut through the otherwise goofy antics; they help ground the show in some reality.
Due to the role’s importance, it makes sense why the show’s executives would replace Mark with Ben when Mark’s character left after season two. While they share similar roles on the show and even certain attributes, their personalities and character relationships are very different. Moreover, as those who fulfill the straight man trope are reliant on their ability to engage with their comedic foil in a successful manner their differences in character relations would be a key element in how successful they were or were not in that role. Ultimately, the outcome of Ben and Mark’s respective relationships with Leslie would be the deciding factor in how well they were able to perform their role in the straight man trope.
Mark: Off To A Good Start
Mark’s character was originally written and intended to be Leslie’s comedic foil and love interest. We see this play out in season one; though it is made apparent that while Mark is a love interest for Leslie, on his own he portrays the Cassanova or lady-killer trope. So ensues the comical song and dance that is Leslie pining after Mark, which does work for the show relatively well in season one.
Keep in mind that Mark was one of the few main characters in season one who didn’t work in the parks department. This attribute helps to establish his role as the straight man; being an outsider to the parks department makes for a logical explanation of his external, often dry, and, even judgmental perspective. Additionally, his relationship with Leslie is what allowed him to fulfill the role of the straight man trope ( i.e. Leslie is his primary tie to the parks department) and successively would have a major impact on his ability to perform that role. Mark almost immediately can be ruled out as a realistic romantic option for Leslie as they are so fundamentally different. They seem to have a spark a few times (usually when they’ve both been drinking) but they have different interests and values and most importantly personalities.
Leslie is a goofball go-getter and Mark is a deadpan, sometimes cynical realist, and the way they perceive each other’s traits makes them an unlikely pairing. Mark doesn’t view these traits in Leslie as endearing or noteworthy instead he views Leslie as silly, gullible, and often unrealistic. Moreover, in his portrayal of the straight man trope, Mark displays very dry humor and doesn’t portray any sense of vulnerability or charm like the other characters do, especially Leslie.
As it is established in the season one finale when Mark makes a drunken pass at Leslie, she turns him down and he subsequently falls in the pit, the idea of Mark and Leslie’s romantic storyline was dead. Unfortunately for Mark, the flirtation with their character’s chances of getting together or hooking up was one of the strongest attributes of his portrayal of the straight man trope. Therefore, going forward their work relationship was important to keep interaction time up and provide opportunities for Mark to portray the straight man trope.
Though as Leslie’s character develops she finds herself needing Mark’s advice less often and after the government shut down their work relationship ends completely. This is what one would consider the start of the end for Mark Brendanawicz, as he, from this point on, is primarily detached from his comedic foil. Season one was Mark’s peak portrayal of the straight man trope, and unfortunately, his succeeding character relationships would rob him of any real objective on the show.
What Went Wrong
Early in season two of Parks and Recreation Mark and Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones), Leslie’s best friend, begin dating. Prior to this point, Mark is doing a good job at portraying the straight man trope alongside Leslie his goofy partner. He consistently offered a serious, cynical, even verging on generic personality to oppose the blatant displays of absurdity around him. Though, Mark is slowly phased out as Leslie’s comedic foil when he leaves the local government to work for Norton Construction. Thus leaving Ann as his only remaining source of relevancy to the show.
To continue his embodiment of the straight man trope he would have to either somehow continue to set up situations for Leslie to joke about or adapt his relationship with Ann to include this dynamic. Unfortunately for Mark, the characters’ great amount of similarities would render them an objectively uninteresting couple on screen. Mark couldn’t set up a situation for Ann to joke about because her character wasn’t as outwardly comedic as a character like Leslie.
Primarily, Mark’s objective in fulfilling the straight man trope, and being a part of the cast as a whole, was to provide a more dry personality to the cast. A personality that would be able to ground the show in some reality and give the comics someone to bounce their jokes off. By the season two finale of Parks and Recreation Mark ultimately had nothing left to provide the show as a character in terms of comedic partnership and romantic relations and would not return for season three.
Why Ben Succeeds
Mark and Ben’s characters have fairly similar storylines. Ben and Mark are both realists which props up their position as the straight man. They are also both realists due to their dreams in government manifesting at a young age and, in turn, having to face the unrealistic nature of their goals. It is how they react to their situation that makes the characters themselves fundamentally different, giving them different trajectories in the show. Ben’s young mayorship ends early on due to the financial troubles that would come with ‘Ice Town’, the winter sports complex. While Ben retains shameful feelings concerning this event for years to come, he also uses it as a wake-up call. He gets inspired to become extremely financially literate so he can be taken seriously enough to run for mayor again.
Meanwhile, Mark admits that he had ambitions to build beautiful cities in college. Yet, after years as a city planner, he feels pessimistic regarding his abilities to do more than regulate an addition to a fellow Pawneean’s house. Ben gets inspired following the ‘Ice Town’ incident, while Mark grows so jaded with his experiences in government that he would eventually move on and take a job at Norton Construction. Mark, as aforementioned, fulfills the role of the average guy. While Ben is able to portray the straight man trope, he also possesses similar qualities to Leslie like her passion for government work and their quirky fan behavior.
Picture Mark, logical, composed in silly situations, and admitted by (Ann, herself) kind of a bore. Now picture Ben, logical, composed in silly situations, and, un-ironically is willing to spend “big money”(( “Pawnee Rangers.” Parks and Recreation, season 4, episode 4, NBC, 13 Oct. 2011. Peacock. )) on a Batman costume just to make himself feel better. The writer’s choices for Ben’s personality traits and choices were simply a better fit for the show, and more particularly for Leslie. The chemistry was stronger, giving them a long-standing relationship and in turn a larger window for comedic growth.
Embracing The Ubsurtity
Ben starts season 3 as Mark’s replacement, he’s a cynical guy who also sees Leslie as unrealistic and goofy. Though, his perspective changes in the “Flu Season” episode where he sees her intelligence in action; Ben, while portraying the same trope, along the way demonstrates a willingness to change and appreciate the chaos that surrounds him, making him a much better match for the Parks and Recreation cast.
The “Flu Season” episode indicates Ben now being able to embrace Leslie, and similarly the rest of the parks department, as more than just employees. Unlike the first go-around with Mark, there is now a real chance at Leslie and Ben having a successful romantic storyline and friendships beyond surface level with the rest of the cast. A great example would be April — after he eventually embraces the chaos a bit he moves in with April and Andy and over time cultivates a great friendship with the two. Thus, giving the viewer far more engaging content, like ben’s failed dye pack prank in the episode “New Beginnings.”
Simply put, the steady growth in Ben’s relationship with Leslie is why he prevails in portraying the lead straight man trope. Why Ben’s character was capable of long-term success in this role when others — like Mark — were not comes down to the way the characters were written.
Fundamental Differences
Ultimately, Ben’s quirky traits alongside his serious attitude in otherwise comedic settings result in him having an optimal outcome in portraying the straight man trope.
The leading straight man in a comedy duo has to be able to deliver the setup to their counterpart’s punchline continually. Having ample chemistry and comedic timing will set you up for success. In a comedy show running for seven seasons, being the comedic foil to the main character takes a relationship that can withstand that longevity. Ben’s character was written as an objectively superior match for Leslie on a basis of chemistry alone. This would directly lead to his ability to match Leslie’s energy in a way that wouldn’t make sense for Mark to do. Mark was not a bad portrayal of the straight man trope; he was just not written with the same intent for a long-standing comedic partnership on the show.