Parks and Recreation Episode 4.09 The Trial of Leslie Knope

April introduces Ron to the scary world of Internet cookies and Google Earth, where Ron's privacy is a thing of the past. Understandably, Ron reacts by tossing his computer in the garbage dumpster outside.

After finding out that Leslie and Ben have been dating on the job, Chris has no choice but to launch a full investigation into the extent of their wrongdoing. An ethics hearing is Chris' only option. Before the hearing, Ben gives Leslie a plush Li'l Sebastian doll to keep her spirits up. When Chris arrives, he seems upbeat but it's clear he's secretly upset about having to put Leslie in this position. He's doubling up on St. John's Wort to help perk up his mood.

Leslie freely admits to her relationship with Ben, however she claims she never received any work-related perks and didn't break any laws. Chris counters that romantic relationships between superiors and employees always lead to fraud and corruption. Hurt, Leslie assigns all of her colleagues to help clear her name. She's going to fight this.

Leslie invites Ann to the ethics trial. Ann shows the judge an email Leslie sent her just after a trip to Indianapolis. This was the first time Leslie and Ben kissed, and the excited email (and the accompanying iMovie video) details their burgeoning romance. Later, Chris interrogates Tom. Chris says he spotted Leslie and Tom kissing, proof that Leslie has a history of hooking up with her colleagues. Tom explains it was a silly kiss; they were laughing at the fact that a dating site randomly paired them together.

Ron Swanson takes the stand, but he rushes out in a panic when he senses the arrival of Tammy Two! It's true - Chris has invited her. Tammy Two searches for evidence of Leslie's wrongdoing but quickly realizes she has zero proof. She rushes out absentmindedly. Leslie beams: she says with confidence that dating Ben was the rule she broke. That's when Chris calls his last witness to the stand: George Williams, a maintenance worker Leslie once bribed in order to keep her relationship with Ben quiet!

George Williams says that Leslie and Ben gave George a $50 gift certificate to a spa in order to keep Leslie's relationship secret. That's right: Leslie Knope bribed a city employee. Upset, Leslie asks her colleagues to find some loophole that might clear her name. After a talk with Ron, Leslie learns she has to accept the truth. She made a mistake, but she's a good person so she's going to own up to it. She walks into court where she's suspended for two weeks with pay. But why did she get off so easy?

Leslie asks Chris why she wasn't fired for her indiscretion. Chris says that Ben met with the committee privately and took full responsibility for the bribe. He resigned, effective immediately. Later, Ethel reads the transcript from Ben's meeting. In it, Ben confesses his love for Leslie and says he doesn't regret any of it. Leslie's eyes well up. "I'm in love with Leslie Knope," Ethel reads. Leslie says she loves Ben too, and later that night, gives him a kiss just to prove it.