“The Office” is a shining example of cringe comedy done right
By Justin Veimau, ‘20
On March 24, 2005, NBC aired the pilot episode to “The Office.” The sitcom would run for nine seasons with the finale airing on May 16, 2013.
Based on a British show of the same title, the American spinoff retained more than just the British version’s name. Star and writer for the British version, Ricky Gervais, took on the role of writing and producing the American show.
The show follows employees of a fictional paper company called Dunder Mifflin. It delves into their personal and professional lives, daily activities, and love affairs.
It is shot in the unique form of a “mockumentary,” with the characters aware of the fact that they are being filmed. The camera is used in different ways (shaky camera, interviews with the characters, different kinds of zooming in and out to catch supposedly candid reactions) to shape the way the story is told.
I recently watched the entirety of “The Office'' in under two months. The series spans over nine seasons and 201 episodes, making the total watch time 99.5 hours, equivalent to four days, three hours and 30 minutes. I started in the middle of Winter Break, and finished on Feb. 18.
As someone who doesn’t have much experience bingeing television, I wanted to share my experience by writing a review of parts of this show. I’m going to analyze and rate two different aspects of the show: character development and likability and memorable moments. Obviously, there are spoilers!
Character Development and Likeability
The main cast experiences many changes over the course of the show. A few of these are due to “flanderization,” a television trope (the name comes from Ned Flanders on “The Simpsons”) in which over time a singular characteristic is exaggerated to such an extent that all other characteristics are overtaken or set to the side. We see this with Kevin, as well as to an extent Meredith (although it could be argued she never really had many defining characteristics other than being a party animal).
Jim Halpert, Dwight Schrute, Andy Bernard, and Michael Scott all have pretty large character shifts from Episode 1 to Episode 201.
Catlin Gabel School (CGS) sophomore Hunter Farnham sums up Jim’s gradual transformation very well.
“Jim sort of goes from being that 20-year-old who just messes with people to being a husband and eventually a father and a really good friend to Dwight,” he said.
By the end of the series, Jim is a responsible adult who is willing to put everything on the line, including his dream job, to keep his family happy.
Michael, the self proclaimed “friend first, boss second… probably entertainer third,” starts out as a huge jerk. He is delusional in the way he views his interactions and relationships with his coworkers, as well as the world around him. However, Michael slowly matures as the show progresses, acting more kindly to his co-workers, and like Jim, giving up his job in order to be with the one he loves.
Andy starts out as an abrasive suck-up who has a serious anger issue and appears to be completely unaware of how he affects his coworkers. He starts off as a very unlikable character, but is sent to anger management and his personality is completely changed. He becomes more sincere and more vulnerable.
The show reveals a lot more about Andy, sometimes not even through his perspective. We see how hard his family is on him and can infer that this is why he feels such a need to prove himself. We learn that he is a serious musician. We see his softer side during relationship moments with Angela and Erin. All of this makes him seem more like a human, changing the narrative created for him before anger management. (I’ll touch on “Season 9 Andy” later.)
Dwight is introduced as an extremely intense and talented salesman, as well as a beet farmer. He lacks basic social skills and knowledge of how to interact with other people. He reveals his first bit of humanity after his breakup with Angela and unsuccessful attempts to restart their relationship.
He has a gradual transition and his fierce persona is softened. This is best exemplified in the final episode, when Jim and Pam announce they will be leaving the company. Dwight doesn’t let them, but instead fires them, to give them severance packages.
A lot of the characters can be pretty bland. However, the writers hit gold with these four and a few others. The characters are what make the show special, from the normal Jim Halpert to the crazy boss Michael Scott. These special characters are what drove the show to nine seasons of success.
Memorable Moments
“The Office,” while a comedy, still has a number of emotional and sentimental moments. This is a major part of the show’s success. By the end, we are rooting for almost every character on the show due to their development over time. Here is a list of some of the most memorable, funny, and emotional moments from the show.
“The stress of my modern office has made me depressed.”- “Safety Training,” Season 3, Episode 8.
“What about the [episode] where Michael fake-commits suicide?” CGS senior Truman McNeil recalls. In this episode, Michael claims to be depressed and nearly fake-commits suicide to teach the staff about the dangers of depression.
This scene is great because it shows just how crazy Micahel is and the unbelievable lengths he will go to prove his point, or get what he wants. For the same reasons, this scene is memorable. It is one of the better examples of the over-the-top humor from this show.
“Tuition is very valuable, but do you know what is invaluable? Intuition.” - “Scott’s Tots,” Season 6, Episode 12.
“‘Scott’s Tots,’ I just couldn’t watch it,” said CGS ninth grader Ben Rosenfeld. This episode was remembered for its extreme cringe-inducing plot line. CGS senior Eamon Walsh agrees with Rosenfeld’s assessment, saying, “‘Scott’s Tots’ is really hard to watch.” This episode reveals a promise Michael made 10 years ago to a class of third graders, promising to pay their college tuition if they graduated high school.
Ten years later, he is unable to pay for their college tuition, and instead buys them computer batteries to power their computers so they can take online courses. It was memorable because of the way the tension escalates and the stakes continue to increase for Michael. The students even put on a “thank you” performance for Michael, who knows he cannot keep his promise.
“Season 9 Andy”
This season’s version of Andy lives in infamy for a lot of fans. Farnham shared his frustration with the writers’ treatment of Andy’s character.
“I was furious with how [the writers] did Andy dirty,” he said. “He really likes Erin, and then eventually Erin likes him, and it’s a really cool thing. Then he sort of just gets on a boat and leaves … It’s like, why are you doing this? Then he comes back and tries out for the [talent] show, and gets destroyed and starts crying in front of everyone.”
This one’s pretty simple. To put it delicately, the writers threw Andy’s character in the dumpster.
“Whenever you come into the office, I want you to think about this.” - “Gay Witch Hunt,” Season 3, Episode 1
This is quite possibly the most awkward kiss scene in television history. Michael reveals that accountant Oscar Martinez is gay to the rest of the office, and in his determination to show just how accepting he is of Oscar’s sexuality, forces an extremely drawn out and uncomfortable kiss in front of the staff. This scene is really hard to watch.
“Best prank ever.” - “Finale,” Season 9, Episode 27
Dwight makes Jim the best man for his wedding. With very little time left before the ceremony, Jim stops Dwight and backs out of the role, claiming he heard that it’s tradition for the best man to be older than the groom. With tears welling up in his eyes, Jim looks in the corner, and the camera rapidly shifts to reveal Michael standing in a doorway. Michael, who had left the show two seasons ago, comes back for the final episode. The scene even ends with one last, “That’s what she said.”
Honorable Mentions for “Memorable Moments”:
Pam and Michael’s silent final goodbye in the airport
Wedding on the boat at Niagara Falls
Jim’s proposal
Takeaways:
It’s really hard to capture the entirety of this nine-season show in two categories. The biggest piece of evidence to the genius of “The Office” is how long it’s managed to stay relevant.
Jenna Fischer, the actress who portrayed Pam, said on “Ellen” that the show seems to be even more popular now than it was while it was running. Perhaps this is due to the rise of streaming services such as Netflix, or because it now has a new generation of people who will watch it and appreciate its humor.
Different generations may appreciate the show because of how different the world was at the time of filming. One thing I noticed was how technology kept advancing over the span of the show. In the beginning, there weren’t really mobile phones. In the middle, there were flip phones, and by the end, there were full-on touch screen phones.
Overall, “The Office” definitely has its share of lulls and low points, but the well-written characters and storylines make this show well worth your while. If you haven’t seen this show yet, definitely give it a whirl. Once you get past the first season, it becomes hard to stop watching.