In case you were wondering…
As you can see, we’ve had a bit of a tapering off since Season 3, but just seeing that one data point way up at the top gives me hope of new horizons in plaid.
Also, for anyone who cares (No one? Oh, okay), the exponential trendline here fits better than a linear one, but still only has an R2 value of less than 0.25. So it’s a pretty terrible fit, but I like it there anyway. Deal with it, nerds. (Still just me? Got it.)
Parks and Plaid in Review: Season 4 (Part 2)
And now for this season’s Plaid Superlatives, chosen not by numbers, but by my plaid-loving heart.
Greatest Plaid Ascendance: Chris Traeger
Chris has started to embrace the plaid just a little bit, so ”greatest” here is relative. And unfortunately, he seems to only be embracing this one tie. You can do better than this, Chris. Who knows, maybe they make plaid Bumbleflex.
Worst Plaid Plunge: Andy Dwyer
This one really breaks my heart. I still can’t believe Andy only wore plaid a dozen times this season. Look, I love Andy and April together and apart, but I can’t ignore the fact that their wardrobes have changed for the worse since they got married. Maybe it’s not my place to say, but I think they desperately need couples plaid counseling before the plaid disappears altogether. Anyway, I’m blaming Jerry.
Individual Achievement in Plaid: Tom Haverford and Jean-Ralphio Saperstein
Entertainment 720 gave us iPads, DJ Bluntz, and more Detlef Schrempf, but its greatest contribution to the world was definitely this.
Plaid MVP: Ben Wyatt
Even though he failed to wear plaid in three episodes, Ben again takes the highest prize simply for wearing four plaids in a single episode, a feat never before achieved. And he did this twice! (4x13 and 4x16) Plus, look at those colors! And that coat!
Most Tear-Inducing Plaid: Andy Dwyer
The setting, the emotions, the embrace…all of them get the eyes misty, but it’s the plaid that really makes this shot.
The “You May Have a Problem” Award: Leslie Knope
Of course by problem, I mean an amazing collection of plaid blazers. Can you really have too many? I imagine Leslie has an entire closet just for them; she is a hoarder after all.
Parks and Plaid in Review: Season 4 (Part 1)
Remember that time I said I’d get back to you next week and then I didn’t update for a month? Yeah…we can’t all be Leslie Knope, I guess…
While Season 3 was the pinnacle of plaidliness, Season 4 has been much more erratic, with not just the highest per episode high—by a wide margin, too—but the lowest lows since Season 1. It was like Pawnee all got on the same laundry cycle, where they’d run out of clean plaid at the same time and be stuck with only the miserable solids and stripes at the bottom of their dresser drawers. Let’s hope in Season 5 we get more stability, and just more plaid in general.
Alright, on to the stats (although you guys have had this data for a month, so I’m sure you’ve done your own analysis by now, right?):
Total Plaid Appearances (worn/accessorized by our regulars): 135
Average Plaid Appearances Per Episode: 6.14 (a 19% decrease from last season)
Plaidest Pawneean: Jerry - Andy’s reign as Plaid King finally came to an end with a devastating plummet to fifth place, while Ben and Jerry had another photo finish. Jerry surged ahead in the final episodes to win by just a single plaid.
Plaidest Episode: 4x01 - Giving us all false hopes of a plaid high we’d never come down from, the season opener featured a whopping 17 plaids.
Largest Plaid Spread: 4x16 - “Sweet Sixteen” featured eight of the ten regulars in plaid. Everyone but Ann and Leslie celebrated Jerry’s birthday with his favorite fabric.
Smallest Plaid Spread: 4x09 & 4x21 - Twice in Season 4 the plaid duties fell on just one main character. In 4x09, Ben kept hope alive with a single plaid shirt, and in 4x21 it was Jerry’s turn to pull everyone else’s dead weight.
Longest Plaid Streak: Ben’s perfect plaid attendance that began when he came to Pawnee was ruined in 4x04. But despite missing two other episodes, he still had the season’s longest streak—9 episodes—from 4x12 to 4x20.
Overall Season 2 Plaid Saturation (episode-wise): 100%, but with many close calls. The show’s holding on to its post-Season 1 streak by a very thin plaid thread. Thank plaid for Jerry and Ben.
Overall Season 3 Plaid Saturation (outfit-wise): Once again, this is only an estimate, but assuming each main character wears an average of two outfits per episode, that’s 440 total ensembles this season. Almost 31% of them contained plaid (last season was 6% higher).
CONCLUSIONS: A roller coaster of plaid sounds way more fun than it is.
| Season 1 in Review | Season 2 in Review | Season 3 in Review |
![Full Season 4 data.
[Season 3] / [Season 2]](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m8iqfxS0ID1ryp0q0o1_r1_500.jpg)
Parks and Plaid in Review: Season 3 (Part 2)
It’s time for Plaid Superlatives, y’all!
Greatest Plaid Ascendance: Tom Haverford
Between Seasons 2 and 3, Tom jumped from 7th place overall to 4th. And to think our little Tommy didn’t even wear plaid in Season 1. Now they call him Plaid-Tie Tom.
Worst Plaid Plunge: April Ludgate
Meanwhile, April fell from 4th place to 8th. She only wore plaid twice all season. And once it wasn’t even her shirt. Ann’s plaid-wearing also fell off quite a bit. She and April seem to have moved on to stripes (someone make an Ann Perkins and Stripes tumblr to go along with this).
Individual Achievement in Plaid: Leslie Knope
Tom came close with his garish orange tie, and Ann wore some lovely plaid as well, but once again, it’s Leslie Knope in a plaid blazer that really hits the bulls-eye.
Plaid MVP: Ben Wyatt
After Mark Brendanawicz left us, it was unclear what would happen to the plaid level, but thankfully Ben was able to step up and fill Mark’s plaid shoes in a big way. And though he got caught in a three-way tie for first, I have to give him a special commendation for his high dedication (no, he really wore plaid every episode).
The “Your Plaid is Showing” Award: Lindsay Carlisle Shay
Despite denying her Pawnee roots, Lindsay wore plaid three times in her only episode.
The “Well, You Tried” Award: Chris Traeger
Well, Chris. You tried. But one subtle plaid showing is not enough. Donna can get away with not wearing plaid because it clashes with her Mercedes. But you have no excuse. You live in Pawnee now. That means you also live in plaid.
Parks and Plaid in Review: Season 3 (Part 1)
Yeah, yeah, pictures of plaid how nice whatever. I know why you’re really here: cold, plaid facts. So let’s get to it.
Last season, plaid was plentiful, but Pawnee’s proclivity for plaid really became apparent in Season 3. This season was just 7.5 plaids shy of Season 2’s total, despite being only two-thirds as long.
Total Plaid Appearances (worn/accessorized by our regulars): 121
Average Plaid Appearances Per Episode: 7.56 (a 41.2% increase over last season)
Plaidest Pawneean: I didn’t expect this back when I reported that Andy, Ben, and Jerry were all tied after 3x11, but it actually held true. They each wore 24 plaids, or 1.5 per episode. And it was a last minute outcome, as Andy suffered only his second plaidless episode all season in the finale, just as Ben pulled a double-plaid buzzer shot. Tough loss (tie), Andy.
Plaidest Episode: 3x08 - “Camping”. I knew it!
Largest Plaid Spread: Goes to the episode with the most regulars in plaid. Technically a tie between 3x03 and 3x15 with 7 each, but the tie goes to Chris’s tie.
Longest Plaid Streak: Andy fell short twice this season, but I’m proud to announce that Mr. Ben Wyatt had perfect plaid attendance. That’s right, he’s worn plaid in every single episode he’s appeared in, going back to Season 2. That’s 18 episodes in a row.
Overall Season 2 Plaid Saturation (episode-wise): 100%. As if we expected any less.
Overall Season 3 Plaid Saturation (outfit-wise): This is only an estimate, but assuming each main character wears an average of two outfits per episode, that’s 320 total ensembles this season. Over 37% of them featured plaid in some way.
CONCLUSIONS: It’s raining plaid! Hallelujah!
