Starring: Steve Carell, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, Rainn Wilson, Ed Helms, B.J. Novak, Mindy Kaling, Craig Robinson, Angela Kinsey, Oscar Nunez, Leslie David Baker, Brian Baumgartner, Phyllis Smith, Kate Flannery, Creed Bratton, Paul Lieberstein, and Ellie Kemper, with Zach Woods, James Spader, Catherine Tate, Clark Duke and Jake Lacy
Grade: A
The American version of The Office is superior, and I don’t think it’s particularly close.
When I was walking into this series, I wondered how it would compare to the cringe comedy of the British series. The original show was funny, but it tended to drag more often than not. Now, the first season is quite like the British one in terms of humor, the style and look of the show, and how the characters act. Though I still think the first season is funny and interesting, it’s nothing compared to the second season. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times, you have to give a show a season or two to work out the kinks. This couldn’t be truer than with The Office. Seriously, talk about the first season with any fan of the show, and they will immediately respond with, “It’s great! You just have to get past the first season”. It’s not that it’s a bad season per say, but it’s much more negative and feels a little too close to the U.K. original. You can remake a show like this, but sometimes you have to put your own spin on it to improve it. Once Season Two kicks in, you can see it. It’s a whole different show. The lights are brighter, the colors are clearer, and the tone of the show becomes much more cheerful and warm. It may be Americanizing things, but it’s just what it needed to catch fire. As a result, this fire stays lit from Season Two to Season Seven. The last two seasons are solid too (more on that later), but the prime is (obviously) when Steve Carell is leading the pack.
The Office is sidesplitting funny and seeing these characters evolve from the first episode to the last is such an entertaining ride, you never want it to end. The writing is incredible. How they’re able to constantly adapt and evolve story and character arcs while still being consistently funny is impressive. You get so invested in everyone’s lives, you’ll find yourself tearing up at some of the biggest and most emotional moments of the show too. The Office hits from every angle. I can see why it’s one of the most binge-watched shows ever.
The show is about a documentary crew capturing the day-to-day operations of a paper company named Dunder Mifflin in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Though the intention is supposed to be an exposé on the American workplace, the show is basically about the madhouse of paper selling led by regional manager Michael Scott (Carell). If you want to see Steve Carell at his funniest, look no further. Just like Ricky Gervais’s David Brent in the U.K. Office, Michael Scott wants to be the fun boss everyone likes. Though he doesn’t necessarily want to be famous like how David was, Michael still loves being the center of attention and the funniest guy in the room. Michael will always go out of his way to make a joke or say an inappropriate comment to try and get a laugh. More often than not, he doesn’t get a reaction from his employees, and they react accordingly to some of the outlandish stuff he says, or the shenanigans he brings to the table as the man in charge. He’ll make fun of his own employees and will regularly say demeaning or unintentionally racist things to them, passing it off as locker room banter and such. Funnily enough, he’s very sensitive. Though he dishes it out, he can’t take it and will react poorly if he’s the butt of the joke (Koi Pond, Stress Relief). There’s a lot of good about Michael too. In general, he means well. He’s a good-hearted person that just wants to be loved by others. He looks at his employees like his family and will try to fix any problem himself. It does not matter if it doesn’t involve him or the workplace. He’ll bend over backwards to keep his “friendships” alive, even though others may not initially feel the same about him.
One of the earliest, heartfelt, character-building moments for Michael comes to us in “Business School“. Here, Michael is given shit by Ryan’s (Novak) business class because they talk to him about how paper is a dying industry, and he responds angrily. Though he storms out, he still goes out of his way at the end of the night to Pam’s (Fischer) art show to support her. The only other people to come from work were Oscar (Nunez) and her boyfriend Roy (David Denman). Sadly, Oscar trashed the art privately to his partner, and Pam overheard it. Additionally, Roy was never interested to begin with, and you can see it with how he responds to her. He was just there because he had an obligation as a boyfriend. However, when Michael walks in, he’s genuinely happy to see the work Pam put into everything. He smiles from ear to ear and is actually impressed, showing how much it means to him and as a result, her. Being on the verge of tears, she hugs Michael after he mentions how proud he is of her, and it’s one of the most heartfelt, best acted scenes in the earlier seasons of the show. You’re already invested in the show at this point in the series, so you know how much this means for the shy Pam. She’s not stupid either. She knows why Roy was there, and her confidence was shattered because of Oscar. However, the authentic response from Michael, telling her how proud he is, and her immediate response could bring a tear to any eye. This is where we see Michael at his best. He even doubles down, buys one of the pictures she drew of the office itself, and hung it by his office for the rest of the show’s seasons.
What a beautiful gesture by such a goofball!
This is a boss that cares and loves his employees. Though they don’t always give him the same energy back, moments like these show our growing appreciation for who he is as a person. If anything, they’re lucky to have him. Most of the time, the employees don’t want him to get involved in their personal lives because they don’t share the same opinions as Michael does, but he forces himself into their lives anyway (The Delivery). Also, he has a penchant for saying the wrong thing at almost any given chance, but it’s always funny. I don’t know if the writing is that much better than the original show or what, but the stuff he says is so much funnier than David Brent. His instinctual response to be a goofy, lovable, unintentional shit-starter is what makes him one of television’s best characters.
There are two major things that differentiate Michael Scott from David Brent and why it makes him the better character. One thing is how good Michael is at heart, even with all the comments and jokes he makes. It’s not that David was a bad person, but Michael’s intentions are much clearer, and he’s more of an outright good guy compared to the mixed-up priorities of David. Secondly, he’s actually a good boss. Besides the obvious positives of the series (pure hilarity on a consistent basis, unforgettable episodes, character development), one of my favorite elements of the series is when they showcase how good of a boss Michael actually is. Though he plays stupid a lot of the time, and he kind of is, he knows the paper business and was put in his position as regional manager because he’s the best salesman in the area. All the higher ups know how ridiculous Michael is as a person too. They are aware of him dating his direct superior in Jan Levinson (Melora Hardin) and being caught in the middle of a lawsuit with the company and her and having to choose between them, they’re aware of his issues with Ryan Howard (Novak) when he became the youngest vice president in the company’s history, and they are aware how unusual Michael can be with his general behavior, but the Scranton branch always outperforms the others and he’s a major reason why.
In “The Duel“, CFO David Wallace (Andy Buckley) calls him all the way to corporate to have a private meeting. All signs point to it being bad news, but the reason turns out to be that Wallace just wants to know how Michael has managed to make the Scranton branch as good as it is. He’s astounded by the fact that Scranton still performs with strong numbers when everyone else is down, and he doesn’t understand it because of how wild Michael is. Though Michael has no real answer as to why this is and gives Wallace an unprepared response that makes no sense at all, we know why. Wallace does too. Michael is unconventional, but he’s a good man and a better boss. He makes personal connections with the people he meets (The Client), has tactics that seem outrageous but work for him (Lecture Circuit: Part 1), and he makes sales. He knows paper! When they need the big guns to make a deal, they still look to the master (The Sting), despite his buffoonery on a constant day-to-day basis.
By far, my favorite moments in the series come when Michael gets dead serious and jumps into business mode. You can see the secret genius behind the layers of Michael, as he proves why he’s the man in charge. This isn’t just his way of refusing to fire Ryan in “Business School” and choosing instead to move him to the annex with Kelly Kapoor (Kaling) to teach him a lesson (saying a good manager doesn’t fire people, he “hires people”). No, the best of Michael comes within the fantastic “Michael Scott Paper Company” arc. I know everyone’s fondest memories of Michael consist of him being a goofball maniac, but he’s at his best when he proves his worth in storylines like this one. In this arc, after quitting Dunder Mifflin and being disrespected on the way out, Michael starts his own paper selling company from the ground up and rounds up a misfit team of Pam (who decides to leave with him because she wants a shot at being a salesman) and the ex-communicated Ryan who found himself working at a bowling alley at this point of the show. Michael does so well in such a short amount of time, David Wallace actually comes to the office to speak with Michael’s replacement Charles Miner (Idris Elba), Jim, and Dwight about how they should approach the whole thing because Michael actually made a dent in Dunder Mifflin’s sales. The Scranton branch was consistently the best performing branch of Dunder Mifflin as a whole, but they’ve started to bleed without Michael and Michael’s work with his own company. When the two sides meet for a potential buyout, and Michael shows Wallace and Miner he’s not one to fuck with in “Broke“, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was an iconic, goosebump-filled moment that showed us who Michael Scott actually is. He may be fun-loving, but he’s a lot smarter than people give him credit for.
The buildup and payoff to this specific arc is easily the best in the show’s run. It made me love him as a character that much more. John Krasinki’s Jim was also fantastic during this arc too, but it’s crazy how much of a newfound respect you get for the character of Michael so late into the show.
Another excellent, and less talked about, presentation of Michael’s ability as a boss comes in “WUPHF.com“. Watching him give Ryan every chance to prove himself when everyone gives up on him and still letting Ryan make the final decision on his own without flipping out shows how much trust he has in others and how much he loves the people he works with (no matter how many times they screw him over). He’s a standup guy in a business world with very few of them.
Carell embodies the Michael Scott character in every way. Though David Brent gave the character a blueprint, and we see it a lot in Season One, the infectious energy, outrageousness, and unpredictability of Carell’s Michael Scott starting in Season Two is what makes him the iconic character we know and love him for today. Even when he tries his cringe comedy and his “That’s what she said” catchphrase that is as lowbrow as it gets, it’s hysterical because of Carell’s commitment to the role and how well we get to know Michael Scott over the years.
Following Michael are two of his favorite employees in the laidback, cool, funny salesman Jim Halpert (Krasinski) and receptionist Pam Beesley (Fischer). Jim initially isn’t a fan of his job, probably not on the level of Tim Canterbury of the U.K. Office, but he’s bored with it and has no interest in making this his career, despite his growing talents as a salesman. Since he doesn’t take things very seriously and doesn’t plan on making his job as a paper salesman his life, he tends to mess around a lot in the office. In fact, he tends to direct more of his attention to being the “life” of the workplace and coming up with fun distractions for the others to be involved in because he doesn’t take things too seriously (The Client, Office Olympics). This is a stark contrast from his desk mate Dwight (Wilson) and that’s why they don’t get along. Jim is the most likable person amongst all the personalities in the office and his facial expressions regarding the awkwardness of what transpires are laugh-out-loud worthy in itself. A lot of times, he doesn’t even have to say anything, the perfectly timed glances that Krasinski gives the camera have me in stiches in every repeat viewing of an episode. Many fans of the show talk about how when something ridiculous happens in real life, we tend to “look” at an imaginary camera like we’re in The Office. This is a direct result of how great Jim is in each episode. It’s funny every time, especially when he gives that worried look like something bad is going to happen.
Though Jim still gets his work done, a lot of the day is devoted to messing with fellow salesman Dwight Schrute. Though Dwight deserves it most of the time because he’s a total nutjob, a lot of the time it’s because Jim enjoys entertaining Pam with his antics. Pam even joins in on the jokes to mess with Dwight. To the surprise of no one, Jim is in love with Pam. He tries to hide it earlier on, but their chemistry is evident from the beginning. This puts him in a lot of terribly awkward situations, especially when Pam’s warehouse worker boyfriend Roy comes up to greet her. Jim is the underdog, and we want the love story to work out for him very badly. Seeing him fail early on becomes tough because we know Pam feels something too. She just can’t do anything because she’s been with Roy for so long. This love story subplot of Jim and Pam, amidst the antics of Michael, is as fruitful and show-defining as the comedy. Watching these two from the beginning and seeing the sparks fly, you want to see them get together immediately. It’s reminiscent of Ross and Rachel in Friends, or Nick and Jess in New Girl. Their chemistry, to see how much fun they have when they’re around each other, and how much they enjoy each other’s company, you just want to scream at Pam to open her eyes to Jim. We see the signs early on that Pam has thought about it too.
They drop hints like when she falls asleep on Jim’s shoulder in “Diversity Day“, or when she kisses Jim in a drunken celebration in “The Dundies“. Jim plays the long game but continues to flirt, and their interactions are always fun to watch.
Then, things start to get problematic.
One of the most uncomfortable scenes in the show comes in “The Fight“. At the martial arts dojo, where Michael takes the entire office staff to a dojo to prove he can beat Dwight in a fight, Jim and Pam continue to flirt and joke around, resulting in Jim picking up Pam in a joking manner. When some of the other workers look and notice, Pam’s expression completely changes. She immediately shuts Jim down and tells him to stop. It’s awful. In real life, this would be hard to recover from. I can’t imagine a worse situation in a workplace with a co-worker you see every day. Though it takes a bit, Jim does eventually recover, and the flirting continues. Eventually, Jim lays it all on the line much like how Tim Canterbury did, and it’s a heartbreaker. Pam insists they’re just friends and she’s engaged to Roy, but her eyes tell a different story. A broken Jim leaves but to end Season Two in “Casino Night“, he goes in for the kiss when she’s alone in the office. At this point, we don’t know what’s going to happen next, and we don’t care. It just feels like all is right in the world, especially because she kisses him back. It’s a powerful moment in the show that is an important chapter in American television’s greatest love story in Jim and Pam. It always takes two though, and how Pam evolves helps carry the show.
She starts off as this shy, quiet, and regularly uncomfortable receptionist that has to field unwanted compliments and jokes from Michael. At the same time, she has to navigate her personal life like if she’s actually going to get married to Roy (who she’s been engaged to for three years) and if she will ever get to pursue her skills as an artist. Much like Jim, she toys with the idea of this job being a temporary one. She doesn’t play along with Michael’s craziness and looks as if she doesn’t want to be there. This is what makes her so perfect for Jim, especially early on. They brighten each other’s lives and their personalities blossom when they’re together. When she’s not with Jim, she tends to hide in the corner so to speak. She tries to dance around uncomfortable conversations and moments and has trouble speaking her mind. Thankfully, the camera catches her telling responses at every turn through her expressions and sad eyes that tell a story more than the writing does at times. We see this a lot in Season Three when Jim transfers back with the Stamford branch and starts dating Karen Filippeli (Rashida Jones). The energy is different in the room with Karen in the way and though there’s nothing wrong with Karen, we know one thing: she isn’t Pam. Karen’s problem is that she’s stopping all of us from getting what we want. This forces Pam to grow up and air out her grievances in “Beach Games” in a character-defining moment. Now, she is the one laying everything out on the line, and Jim doesn’t know how to respond. We know he still harbors feelings for Pam, but things are going great with Karen.
This, along with Jim’s personal goodbye to Michael in “Goodbye, Michael” leads to one of my all-time favorite moments in the entire series with the closing minutes of “The Job“. It’s heartfelt, genuine, and probably the best acted moment in the series thanks to the incredible performance of Jenna Fischer. She’s got a lot of great moments throughout the series, but this scene in particular was acting at its finest. Jim and Pam never felt more real than in this exact moment. I can’t stress this enough when I say that the Jim/Pam love story is one of the best in the history of American television.
Then, there’s Dwight Schrute, played by the incomparable Rainn Wilson. Let me start off by saying, the original Office‘s Gareth Keenan doesn’t hold a candle to the pure hilarity of Dwight Schrute. He’s the no-nonsense salesman who may or may not have family ties to the Nazis based off the information he tells us in the confessionals. Dwight regularly surprises us viewers with a quote every episode about how insane his family traditions are, and each one is funnier than the last. Most of the crazy shit he says with a straight face becomes some of the most quotable lines of the show. Sure, it may stray away from the realism, but at that point, does it really matter? He’s fucking hilarious! The traditionalist beat farmer loves and craves authority too. If given any chance to show his authority to the rest of the uncaring office, he will do so, which makes him the much-needed prank target of Jim. A lot of his hobbies and interests revolve around fighting and war-based concepts like martial arts, paintball, and shows like Battlestar Galactica or Game of Thrones. He even has a collection of outlandish weapons that he carries on himself and hides in the office. He’s quick to react, and is unpredictable and aggressive in nature, but he becomes the most entertaining character in the show, despite being the “bad guy” at times.
His attachment to Michael, being the assistant to the regional manager, is very funny, but it gets even better when he becomes his own man, regularly playing the antagonist to the rest of the office. It’s not like he’s a bad person, but his refusal to engage in the fun that occurs makes him the bad guy by default. Because of how funny Wilson’s performance is throughout the show, you don’t even hate him either. You accept him for who he is. Jim is still the one we love, but we don’t hate Dwight as much as we should. This is because when you become a major fan of The Office, and you start to rewatch the show over and over again (like we all do), Dwight becomes more and more likable despite his efforts to curtail everyone’s momentum to make himself look like the “leader” in the workplace. One underrated aspect of the show is the burgeoning friendship between him, and Pam. Jim is basically Dwight’s mortal enemy, despite Jim giving Dwight credit on several occasions throughout the show (proving he isn’t just there to mess with him but actually acknowledges his contributions from time to time), so it’s so fun to see him bond with Pam of all people. When they give us moments in the later seasons where Dwight loosens up around Pam’s easygoingness and positive energy, it’s great for the layers of both characters and helps in making Dwight more important to the show’s evolution.
I don’t see people talking a lot about Dwight and Pam’s friendship in retrospective reviews, but it’s one of my favorite aspects of the show.
Eventually, Jim and Dwight loosen up on each other two, though it takes nearly the entire show’s run to do it, but it’s so happy to see things come together by the end. When it comes to Dwight and his ever-changing friendship with Jim and Pam, it consists of love, hate, and everything in-between. Sure, sometimes he deserved the hate, but his quirky personality, hilarious thoughts on life, and his insights into his family and culture make him one of the most endearing characters on television.
Outside of the core three, the rest of the office consists of equally quirky co-workers. There’s the accounting department consisting of lovable, overweight idiot Kevin (Baumgartner), the intelligent but pretentious Oscar who regularly becomes a joke target for Michael once he’s outed as gay, and the diminutive and shrewish cat-lover Angela (Kinsey). Angela’s relationship to Dwight gets more outlandish by each passing season once more details are revealed, but it’s crazy entertaining. On top of this, there’s the increasingly obnoxious Ryan Howard, who’s rise and fall in Dunder Mifflin will actually impress you. Ryan isn’t the most interesting character early on but as the series progresses and they give him more to do, the character gets more fleshed out and becomes detestable as a result. It makes for some great story arcs within the show, but I never wanted to punch someone in the face more. Additionally, the annoying Kelly Kapoor (Kaling) is the customer service representative who talks way too much and gets more screentime than she deserves. However, late addition Erin Hannon (Ellie Kemper) makes up for it with her own idiotic traits, lovable personality, and naive nature. Her insertion in the cast midway through the show’s run was exactly what The Office needed during that time, fitting in like a glove.
Stanley (Baker) and Phyllis (Smith) are two of the elder salesmen other than Jim and Dwight. Stanley is as grumpy as they come and doesn’t like to be bothered by anyone. He feels inconvenienced not only if he has to do more than what’s asked of him, but if he has to do anything at all. Phyllis is his sweet desk mate who’s a slow-talker and is arguably the most normal of her office mates. Playing her exact opposite of personalities is Creed Bratton, playing himself as the eccentric quality insurance representative. His role on the show is woefully underrated. His cluelessness with the day-to-day operations of the workplace and general insanity is hysterical. Following Creed, there’s the whorish supply relations representative Meredith (Flannery), warehouse foreman Darryl (Robinson), and the HR Rep Michael can’t stand in Toby (Lieberstein). Toby doesn’t do anything bad, but anytime he tries to say something to do his job, Michael sees it as him stepping on his toes and will yell at or embarrass him on every single occasion. Tobey is the only person that can enrage Michael in the office just by existing, and it gives us some of the funniest moments on the show.
Lastly, there’s the polarizing figure in Andy Bernard (Helms), AKA “The Nard Dog”. One major issue I did have with The Office is the complete mishandling of the Andy character. In the earlier seasons, I couldn’t stand him. I like Ed Helms in movies, but him as Andy was so next-level annoying, I would just stand there and stare in disgust every time he would try to randomly sing. He tries the brown-noser thing with Michael and pisses off everyone with his infuriating personality, including the viewer. Things did change however, when Michael leaves the show. Everyone moved up in importance because of the hole left, and Andy started to hit his stride as a result. He started to become so much more likable (which seemed impossible based off how he was earlier in the show). Honestly, I still think he deserved to stay in the management position once he got it. It grounded him, and he started to learn and become much more normal. For the first time since he joined the cast, you finally start to enjoy his presence. Then, they decided to go in this outrageous direction where they have him lose his mind for whatever reason, despite finally having everything he wanted. It’s not like he’s an asshole that deserved it (Ryan is the only one who deserved to be screwed. He earned it). Andy evolved and matured to the point where it would logically make sense that he started to put his life together, but they just throw him off the deep end for comedic purposes. It was horrible. I know in real life Ed Helms had to film stuff for The Hangover movies and other projects, so he had to be written out and back in a few times, but the writers’ “solutions” to these problems completely ruined the Andy character.
It took a long ass time for me to like him and when they finally got there, they decided to screw up every last bit of progress they made!
He should’ve ended up with Erin. It’s as simple as that. Plop (Lacey) was a nice guy, but it seemed like he was just put there to take Erin away. Plop didn’t deserve her. The main cast needs to be treated well first, as they’re the people that everyone cared about it and have watched for after all these seasons. Giving a late series addition the girl? That’s just unfair. Come on! I never thought I would like Andy after his introduction to the show in Season Three. After all that time they try (and succeed) in changing my mind, they manage to completely ruin him by him wanting to become an actor/singer and leaving his job for a faux American Idol. It didn’t feel right. It felt like a bullshit plot development to give the burgeoning star in Helms his own storyline despite his character being ruined as a result, all in the name of “wacky” humor. It was unnecessary. Everyone else in the final season and series finale have these sweet, emotional endings where they happily move on to the next chapter in their lives. On the other hand, Andy became a worldwide embarrassment because of his meltdown after failing at the singing audition. On top of that, they give him one of the most emotional final lines of the show when he realizes the best times of his life were the ones he had in the office. However, since he threw it all away, it made him look like he was on the verge of going into a depression. What an awful way to end his story! I HATED the handling of his character. It never sat right with me.
Nellie (Catherine Tate) was an evil bitch too. I hated her insertion into the regular cast. She should’ve stayed in Florida. That should’ve been the end of her character. They tried to garner sympathy for her by her wanting to adopt a child (Work Bus), but Andy refuses because you know, she ruined his fucking life! We’re supposed to forgive Nellie and get mad at Andy now because she wants to adopt? No, that’s bullshit! Nellie should’ve been fired and her inclusion by just showing up one day and taking Andy’s office because he wasn’t there one day (Get the Girl) was INFURIATING. That was the first time I hated Robert California (Spader). You’re going to talk all this game, but the one time someone’s persistent you just give up and listen? Then, when Andy tries to stand up for himself and use the exact same tactic Nellie just pulled, you refuse to back him up? Fuck all of them! All of these horrible moments just contributed to Andy’s psyche declining, adding another nail into the character’s coffin. They had so many chances to rectify everything and they completely ruined it by moronic situations and decision-making, ruining the man mentally and then acting like it’s all on him. I’d want to punch a wall too after what they did to him!
Regardless, if you want to see a glimpse of how everyone is in action, how involved and witty the writing is, and how everyone manages to play an important role in moments where the whole cast is present, I’ll leave you with this scene my friend showed me when he was trying to convince me to watch the show. Now, I’ll do the same for you. This one scene completely changed my perspective on what I thought The Office was about. Maybe, it will change your mind as well.
The American version of The Office can be broken into three parts: Season One, Seasons Two through Seven (with Michael Scott), and Seasons Eight and Nine (without Michael Scott). Usually, for the main star to leave the show, a show becomes dead in the water (think That ’70s Show). However, assuming that you have been watching since Season One, when the time comes for those final two seasons, you’re fully invested. By that point, the characters are strong enough by themselves that they don’t need Scott to make the show work. Would it be better? Probably, but is it bad without him? Honestly no, it’s still pretty damn good. It’s definitely a different show without him, but the characters are so well developed at that point, they don’t need Michael to carry the load anymore.
I will say that the transition was rough. The four-episode arc with Will Ferrell guest starring as Deangelo Vickers was horrible. He was the worst canon character introduced by far. I legitimately considered stopping the show altogether because he was so terribly unpleasant and the story developments involving him were worse. Once his guest spot was over, and James Spader was brought in as the philosophizing, sex-obsessed CEO Robert California though, he squashes any initial scared thoughts on if the show could survive without Carell. The character is quirky and different enough to grace The Office with a new energy, giving everyone else something different to play off of. At that point in the show, it’s welcomed. It was the shakeup they needed to keep things going. He was well written too. You wanted to get to know him because of how odd he is regarding his interests. Him intimidating everyone with his presence and confidence was very funny. When Jim explains in the opening of “The List” that Robert talked himself into taking Jo Bennett’s (Kathy Bates) job as CEO, it actually makes sense, despite how crazy it sounds. We only get to know him for a short time, but it’s totally on brand for the orator and person Robert is. He’s supremely underrated when talking about the show as a whole.
As I’m now a huge fan of The Office (something I’d never thought I’d say), there are a crazy amount of memorable and hilarious episodes, but since I always name drop a handful in my “TV Shows” posts, I will name some. Besides anything revolving around the “Michael Scott Paper Company” arc or when Michael and Jim become co-managers (and we actually see Jim learn from Michael), there’s the emotional send off for Michael (Goodbye, Michael), the chaotic mess of Michael and Jan having everyone over for dinner (Dinner Party), and the two-parter episode with the hilarious CPR scene that is shared on my social media at least once a day (Stress Relief). This same episode also includes the fire drill, and the “Boom! Roasted” scene giving it a strong argument for “best” episode. There’s a myriad of others such as Michael’s Willy Wonky idea costing the company money (Golden Ticket), Todd Packer’s arrival causing an issue (Sexual Harassment), the search for a new boss (Search Committee), the introduction of Holly (Goodbye, Toby), Michael learning Oscar is gay (Gay Witch Hunt), and Michael at his worst, giving us one of the funniest “what’s going to happen next” moments in the series (Scott’s Tots).
Additionally, there’s the first “Dundie” awards show (The Dundies), Dwight being the manager you’d expect him to be (Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager), Michael dealing with the backlash of having sex with Jan (Performance Review), Dwight getting a concussion (The Injury), Andy losing it (The Return), Everyone’s reaction to Michael dating Pam’s mother (The Lover), Dwight to the rescue (The Negotiation), Dwight finding himself in a situation where he has to sell to Jan (The Whale), Michael, Jim, and Dwight infiltrating the Utica branch (Branch Wars), and Michael getting screwed at the deposition while trying to defend Jan (The Deposition). When they pulled up his diary, I was dying.
I already mentioned “Lecture Circuit: Part 1” and “Lecture Circuit: Part 2” earlier in the review, but the side plot of Jim and Dwight planning Kelly’s birthday party had to have been one of my favorite Jim/Dwight moments ever. This along with the two teaming up against Todd Packer (Todd Packer) were great.
There’s also the Jim/Pam centered episodes like the beautiful two-part episode Niagra, Jim admitting his love (Casino Night), Jim making his decision on whether to take the promotion or stay in Scranton (The Job), and of course the two-parter that gave us the most romantic proposal of them all (Weight Loss). Jim and Pam’s relationship is the IDEAL relationship. People look back on Martin/Gina (Martin) and Ross/Rachel (Friends) like they’re the ideal television relationship, but it’s a no contest. Jim/Pam is the actual relationship everyone should aspire to have. In all honesty, Martin/Gina and Ross/Rachel were kind of toxic. With Jim and Pam, it was just pure love. It’s the only reason they lasted that long and they rarely, if ever, faltered. Besides a shoehorning of a problem in the final season, no serious problems arose from Jim and Pam once they finally get together. With that being said, I did think it was very selfish on Pam’s part for not being able to handle life without Jim when he was chasing his dream in Philadelphia. That was the only time where I was legitimately angered with her because of how immature it was in that stage of the relationship, especially because he bent over backwards for her to try and fail at the art school stuff.
Nevertheless, I’m glad they weren’t given typical sitcom problems like Jim cheating or Pam considering leaving. It’s as if they were too likable together for the writers to consider it. They even teased the Jim thing in “After Hours“, but Jim refuses. The mere thought of Jim cheating felt scandalous and wrong. Thankfully, he NEVER considered entertaining the flirtatious attempts of Cathy (Lindsey Broad) in the highly entertaining “Tallahassee” story arc. Jim and Pam are too strong in their relationship and that’s why we love them. It never felt sappy. It always felt natural.
I will ask, what was up with Pam and the sound guy after he saves Pam from being attacked? They tease something happening and then completely drop it. What the hell was that about? Maybe the writers felt dirty by fucking with Jim and Pam like that. I would understand this.
“The Finale” was phenomenal as well. Seeing how everyone turned out after the time passed and who they’ve become, seeing the positive outlooks of everyone and how we can sleep happily knowing where they are going in the future (with the aforementioned exception of Andy), the comedy still being there, the emotions running at an all-time high, and a cameo that put all of our minds at ease, I couldn’t have been happier in seeing the conclusion of this show. This two-part ending was worth the nine seasons of madness, hilarity, and the rollercoaster of emotions we had to get through to get to the finish line. By the time we get the final shot at Pam’s picture of the office, you can’t help but smile as you say goodbye. Sitting there with a tear in your eye, you start to realize how much fun you had watching these guys over the years.
Without a doubt, the American version of The Office is one of the funniest shows I’ve ever seen. Though there are certain issues regarding characters and certain stories, the writing is hysterical, and the cast was put together perfectly. Despite major casting changes here and there, they are still able to keep things fresh, funny, and consistently captivating to the very end. Losing Michael Scott in Season Seven was heartbreaking, but the fact that the show is still pretty entertaining after him proves the talents of everyone involved. It’s not perfect, but it’s damn close. If you want another show to binge watch and laugh your ass off from start to finish, definitely check out The Office.
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