In 2005, America was introduced to an eclectic crew of ragamuffins working in an office. The mockumentary style show had mixed reviews when it first aired. Some people loved it, but many more were unsure of what the show was attempting to accomplish. "The Office" eventually dug its way into viewers' hearts -- and it has permanently found a home with me.
I don't honestly remember when I was first introduced to the show, whether it was shortly after it started airing or a few years into the series, but all I can say is that I immediately fell in love with it. I'm only slightly embarrassed to admit that I have a yearly ritual of watching through all nine seasons. Sometimes one binge-watch viewing turns into two -- in a row.
Needless to say, the show holds a special place in my heart. I was shocked to learn recently that the show almost wasn't a show. For me, the characters have always truly felt like family members. Time and time again -- even though I have watched the full series through multiple times -- I find myself emotional at so many episodes: Jim and Pam's wedding; Michael's final day in the office; Andy's downfall and heroic return in the finale. There are far too many moments that mean so much to me as a viewer and avid lover of the show. I also couldn't help but think of all the lessons that I would have missed out on had "The Office" never come to fruition. Here are what I consider five of the most important:
1. Even the odd person out can find love and friendship
Anyone who has seen this show knows that there are many quirky characters. If you consider yourself an outsider, you may relate to a few of these characters. I know I do! But as the "goofballs" of the office, will they ever find love? More importantly, if they don't, will I?
Personally, I find myself most infatuated with Michael Scott. I can't really tell you what makes him one of my favorites, but I think it is his genuine need to be loved -- not only a romantic love, but also friend love. The main problem Michael suffers from is an inability to understand his own flaws. Michael often takes jokes too far and alienates the people that he loves the most. It almost becomes an endearing quality that his employees come to love. His employees become friends, and finally become his family. He even meets his eventual wife, Holly, at work. One of my favorite episodes is when the employees get together to watch "Glee." Erin is in desperate need of Michael's approval of her boyfriend. The idea that the office employees are a family comes full circle with her view of Michael as a father figure.
One of the other true-blue nerds of the show is Dwight. His office romance with Angela spans a majority of the series and often leads to massive problems. She is so disheartened when he kills her cat -- an act that he views as loving since the cat is suffering -- and she ends up dating Andy instead. I have to admit that I was full of grief for Dwight when he dueled for her hand and realized that she had been playing the two men against each other. But -- as most comedic shows go -- they of course end up marrying each other in the show's finale.
2. The importance of teamwork
It just needs to be said -- no one at Dunder Mifflin is a perfect employee. Andy is one of the worst salesmen in history; Kevin makes up "numbers" to balance his accounts; Michael is not the greatest manager; Toby can't seem to resolve any human resources issues; and Creed can't even remember his job title of quality assurance, which leads to an obscene watermark on the company's paper. Despite having so many oddballs who are terrible at their jobs, the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin leads in sales time and time again. How on earth does this happen? They work together. Even though Michael often alienates his employees, he works very well with customers. He's often acquiring new clients for the company and gaining their trust. While Andy is unable to close sales, he does know how to bring them together because he truly is a people person. When he becomes manager of the branch, he succeeds in bringing his employees together. Even though none of the workers are perfect, their strengths bring them together and make their branch of the company one of the best.
3. Building relationships is vital - even when you don't get along
What is my favorite part of "The Office?" Without a doubt, it's the relationships. Despite all the differences, fights and inappropriate jokes, those co-workers become some of the greatest friends that TV has ever seen.
The rivalry between Dwight and Jim is one of my favorite relationships in the series. Jim pranks Dwight relentlessly and Dwight often tries to get him fired in response. At the start of the series, it's quite clear that these two do not get along -- it's possible that they may even hate each other. Jim's brilliant pranks often end with Dwight letting out an exasperated, "Michael!" and storming into his boss' office. By the end of the series, the relationship has evolved. Dwight actually asks Jim to be the best man at his wedding. In the final episode, Dwight has finally become the manager at the Scranton branch -- a feat he has been trying to accomplish since the beginning of the series. He fires Pam and Jim who have just tried to quit -- so that he can get them severance packages.
The relationships in this show are meaningful not only to the characters, but also to viewers and clearly the actors. I recently watched a documentary in the bonus features of the final season. I willingly admit I bawled as these actors said goodbye to their characters -- people who some of them had grown to know for over nine years. It's no wonder I cry when I see some of those episodes!
In the end, the show results in three inner-office marriages, at least 10 other inner-office romantic relationships, and countless friendships. It's quite clear that one of the most important aspects of this show is the relationships.
4. Even seemingly perfect relationships have their own flaws
The greatest love story in this comedy has to be Pam and Jim's. Jim loves Pam, who is engaged to Roy. He reveals his love to her and is shot down. He gets a new girlfriend. Pam reveals her love to him and is shot down -- at least momentarily. Finally, Jim and Pam date. From that moment in the office where Jim asks Pam to dinner, things seem to go perfectly. They date, he proposes, she accepts -- life is peachy.
It's not really until the last two seasons that problems in this fairy tale relationship are shown. I think one of the biggest things I love about seeing these issues is that it shows how relationships are in the real world. I think so often we assume that when we get married to our soul mate, everything will be perfect. The truth is, marriage is work. And sometimes, it's hard work. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices and compromises. Occasionally you have to have a night out with your friends to complain about the stupid thing your spouse did that week. But in the end, when you're with the right person, it's worth all of that.
From the moment you first see those two characters look at each other, you know they're meant to be. Another episode that falls in my favorites is the episode where Pam's parents decide to get divorced. Jim tells her father that every time Pam walks into a room, he knows that she's the person he wants to spend the rest of his life with. Pam mentions that as children, we assume our parents are soulmates. She says that even though that wasn't true for her, her kids will be right.
Do Pam and Jim appear perfect? For most of their relationship. Are they? Absolutely not. But their imperfections strengthen their relationship. And isn't that something we should all strive for?
5. It's OK to fail
I truly believe that in their own way, each character shows us that it's OK to fail -- but I think the character that this lesson really resonates with is Pam. I have always fancied myself a "real life" Pam, but instead of wanting to pursue art, my passion is writing. I've never believed that my passion would lead me anywhere, but you never know until you actually try. During my last annual viewing of the show, my husband pointed out that there was an episode in the final season that he loved because of the message. I feel terrible admitting that I had never fully let the message sink in as I watched it, but this time was completely different. In the episode, Pam is stalling on starting her mural in the warehouse of the company. She is so afraid of failing that she doesn't even want to begin the painting. As the episode progresses, we see the upstairs office workers building a tower out of customer complaint cards -- cards that each of the employees (minus Pam) had filled out about them. The tower is one card away from the ceiling and Pam (who has never had a customer complaint) decides to give it a go. In the end, she is able to get the customer complaint and realizes that failure isn't such a bad thing. She finally starts her mural, not caring what others may think of her work.
While I believe these are some of the most important lessons we can learn from "The Office," it's important to remember that it also provides many other useful and insightful nuggets of advice for viewers. The Dunder Mifflin employees also teach us the importance of integrity, doing what you love, and standing up for what is right. If you haven't binge-watched it recently, I highly recommend you add it to your Netflix queue.
