*pretty long post, you have been warned.
The Office.
My favorite TV comedy series, ever.
And also one of the most secular shows I’ve ever seen.
I’m on Season Seven of this long running comedy show and I’ve enjoyed it enough that it’s about time I post about it, even though I wouldn’t recommend it to a lot of you–my old Baptist friends would actually be quite appalled if they tried watching this show, so, to all my dear old friends–or all with super high standards or can get offended very very easily— just skip this one altogether, okay, just take my word for it. And yes, my Mom knows we’re watching this, and yes, I do really like this show.
Confusing? I suppose so, so expect a super long, rambling/picture filled post here with my disclaimers and then favorite things about the US’s version of The Office (and yes, I’m going to give the British version a try because it’s the original and Martin Freeman is in it—moving on.)
The show follows the lives of a unique and bizarre group of coworkers and their fun loving boss Micheal Scott, who all work for a paper company called Dunder Mifflin, while being filmed ‘documentary’ style. Micheal enjoys being in the camera’s light and the main characters are ‘sat down’ and asked questions by the never seen documentary camera crew as the day goes by to get their point of view or to explain some of the whacky situations that constantly crop up. This is a fun and clever way for a comedy to be filmed. And in many ways it makes it feel more real, as though the characters are actually looking right at you. Even though situations can be exaggerated (it needs to be, so that it’s funny), this is also a very real picture of the typical Americana work life and ethic.
I’m going to go through my disclaimers now so I can move on to the fun stuff; as I said above, this is a very secular show. None of these characters are Christians, so most of them display behavior as any unbeliever would, some worse then others. Because this is secular show, there are often crude jokes or sexual innuendos that are often untasteful (I’ve watched every episode before re-watching them with Kayla and there have been two that I didn’t let her watch period.) I would not recommend this for anyone under sixteen years old. And, depending on your families standards, you may find this show just completely offensive, which I can understand.
However, Kayla and I enjoy the show and a lot of things just slide off our backs; we eat the meat and spit out the bones. We laugh our heads off, we bond and make inside jokes with each other related to the show, we adore the characters and then we just shrug away the off-colored jokes, or that one line or that really kissy scene and move on. We know, “that’s inappropriate” or “yeah, never do that” and “now we know how to avoid a situation like that” ect because we’re mature. In a scary sense, there are lots of people in the world who are just like Michael and Packer and Ryan and Creed ect and I actually feel better prepared for going into my adult years having a taste of how many actual adults will act and behave. I also have hope that there are also people like Pam and Jim out there who will treat you decently and will act tastefully and are playful and also trustworthy.
So, the world isn’t completely lost.
Now, it would take weeks to try to correct or point out all the negative things I’ve come across, so I’ve just given you a large general warning. So I can say, I told you so.
Now it’s time to explain why I’m even watching this show. Because, yes, for me it’s been worth it.
As most of you already know, my whole family has been going through a pretty traumatic family experience the past three years that has left me and my sister and Mom all exhausted, used up and feeling pretty dead. And one of the best medicines in the world is laughter. I knew we needed something funny to watch really badly, so I started borrowing The Office from the library because I knew it was a great comedy show. While my mom couldn’t stand Micheal after the first two episodes (and believe me, he does get nicer as the series continues), she let me and Kayla continue watching it.
And it’s served it’s purpose; I’ve laughed so hard, you wouldn’t believe. Kayla and I have eaten many of our dinners in our parents’ room on their bed watching four or five episodes at a time while giggling and laughing; I think we’ve been able to bond over the characters very well. I also can text her saying, “Pam! Pam! Pam! Pam!” or “Wassup, big tuna?” and she’s totally able to get my references. It’s really helped lift our spirits in many ways.
I think what I enjoy best about the show is the unique characters and how they interact with each other; watching their growing, shifting relationships, and the messes that happen when different personalities clash and the whacky things that often spiral out of the control. The thing about these characters is that they are very real; everybody knows a Dwight or a Micheal or a Jim or a Stanley, ect. You will recognize or identify with somebody in this cast of characters, and that’s often what makes it so fun.
So, I’m going to now give quick recaps on the four main characters who are my favorites; Michael, Dwight, Jim and Pam.
First person to talk about is, of course, Michael Scott, the regional manager.
Micheal’s a real jerk in the first season or two (first season only has six episodes) but he becomes a nicer and just a tad bit more sensitive as the seasons go by. He can be annoying and self-filled (you can tell by how self conscious he is around the cameras), procrastinates and often distracts others from their work and often has the maturity level of a nine year old (this is where some of the hilarity comes in). He also thinks he’s absolutely hilarious and desperately needs everyone’s approval and friendship. He’s the character that makes you really wince but at the same time learn to love dearly. the whole show glides with this character up until Season Seven, and he honestly has some of the best lines of the entire series. I personally like Michael, he’s grown on me, even though he can be really annoying.
Ahhhh, Dwight Schrute, Assistant to the Regional Manager. Dwight is a very serious character, very serious at his sales, very serious about being Michael’s right hand man, very serious about pretty much everything. He owns a beet farm, loves Battlestar Galactica and Lord of the Rings, loves his weapons and volunteer deputy’s job very seriously, is a dorkish but confident salesman who’s enduring loyalty to Michael is often times touching to see. I’ve pretty much come to the conclusion that Dwight is my favorite character. Outside of Jim and Pam, I would love to spend a day with Dwight, I think we would be good friends. He can very sweet when he wants to be, in two of the halloween episodes he dressed as a Sith and as the Joker. So, yeah, we would be good friends. I’d go paintballing with him any day.
Jim Halpert is charming, fun, stays on top of his game, has had a long lasting crush on Pam Beasley forever and likes to prank Dwight. The two are pretty much enemies because they are so different from on another. Some of the best scenes of the entire show is the conversations and pranks that fire between Jim and Dwight. Jim was my first favorite character but during the third season he was cold to Pam for a while and that’s when Dwight stole the show for me. I was glad when Jim got back to his old self, though. The facial expressions he gives the camera as reactions to the weird stuff going on around him are priceless. Jim is pretty much my second favorite character.
The most Christ-like character out of the lot would e Pam Beasley, as she is very sweet and long suffering with her coworkers and especially with her boss, Micheal. She eventually falls in love with Jim and, I’m serious, they are the cutest couple ever. She likes to help Jim with his pranks on Dwight, she’s one of the few in the Office who’s learned how to communicate to Michael in a way that he’s able to understand, and she and Dwight have even had their precious moments. I really like Pam, and I’m pretty sure she’s Kayla’s favorite character.
Seeing these four characters interacting in and out of the workplace is hilariously awesome. You basically can’t have Michael without Dwight and you can’t have Dwight without Jim and you can’t have Jim without Pam… and you can’t have Pam without Jim and you can’t have Jim without Dwight….
You’re seeing where I’m going.
When you have them alongside characters like Andy, Angela, Ryan, Kelly, Creed, Meridith, Stanley, Phyllis, Oscar and Kevin, you have the making for some of the best moments in comedy.
The show also has some very touching, emotional moments, which helps add depth to the characters. It’s been lots of fun watching them all grow.
So, to wrap this post up, what are some things I’ve learned or was reminded of because of The Office?
Never judge someone before you’ve met them, you might end up marrying them.
Real friends are more than just friends. They are family.
True love is worth waiting for.
And laughter is a very good thing.
~Jamie
