" The Office" remains my favorite show of all time. The humor, story line, and characters are all memorable in ways most shows can't even touch. Moments like Jim's Asian life switch prank or Dwight's salesmen initiation of Ryan come to mind, but they only make up a small portion of the fantastic array of comedic genius found throughout the show. Here are my top 15 episodes of a show I've watched far too many times. Spoiler alert!
15. Stress Relief: Part 2
This episode encompasses Michael's self-inflicted roast and subsequent depression. Michael thought he could take the abuse from his workers but runs off stage nearly in tears. The following day, Michael wanders a Scranton playground, questioning his life. He comes back to the office and has two words for his employees.
14. The Dundies
Michael throws an awards show for his employees every year called The Dundies. He makes up trophies with clever names like the "Busiest Beaver" or the "Whitest Sneakers" to the dismay of the office. I love this episode because it highlights how the office cares about Michael, encouraging him to continue the show after some men disrupt it by throwing food at him. It also contains an early tender moment between Pam and Jim that sets the tone for their relationship through the show.
13. The Merger
Two words: Lazy Scranton.
12. Nepotism
In this episode, Michael hires his nephew to be the office assistant. The nephew is played by Evan Peters, who is one of a few guest stars on the show. Michael does his best to get the office to like his nephew, even going so far as to discipline him by spanking him in front of everyone.
11. Finale
I think it's cheesy to have a finale in your top 10, but it really was a fantastic way to round off the show. Each character was resolved in a very satisfying way, whether it was Jim and Pam selling their house and moving for Jim's job, or Creed being arrested for his involvement in an underground smuggling ring. Then, of course, the icing on the cake was Dwight and Angela's wedding.
10. The Farm
Starting off the top 10 is an episode that introduces Dwight's siblings and tells more about his home life. Dwight's Aunt Shirley has passed away and leaves her massive beet farm to Dwight and his siblings. Dwight also begins courting a girl from a neighboring farm while he and his family sing "Sons & Daughters" by The Decemberists. 
9. Dwight Christmas
Continuing with the Dwight love-in is the fantastic episode that features a Western German Christmas tradition, including a crotchety Santa Claus and whipping branches. This is a top ten episode for me because Dwight finally accepts that Jim is one of his closest friends, becoming upset when Jim leaves the party early, only to hug him in elation when he decides to come back.
8. Company Picnic
This episode involves Michael and the love of his life, Holly Flax. Staged at a picnic for all the branches of Dunder Mifflin, Michael and Holly perform a skit that tells the history of the companies founders. They also inadvertently inform one of the branches that they're shutting down. The episode ends with the foreshadowing of Pam and Jim's first child.
7. Local Ad
The office get the opportunity to star in a commercial for Dunder Mifflin that will be aired all over the Scranton area. Michael ends up making his own commercial after a disagreement with the producers corporate sends. He enlists the whole office for acting, singing, narrating and animation. His commercial doesn't make the air, but Jim brings a tape to show the office.
6. Classy Christmas: Part 2
Part 1 encompasses Toby's leave of absence for jury duty on the Scranton Strangler case, which leads to Holly making a return to Scranton. This episode is the Christmas party Michael throws to try and impress Holly. The real meat of this one comes in the form of Dwight and Jim's snowball fight. Jim gets Dwight when he's unaware and Dwight gets his revenge by torturing Jim with snowballs the whole day. He even goes so far as to disguise himself as an employee and fill the parking lot with snowmen.
5. Niagara: Part 2
Jim and Pam's wedding is a big affair in the show. Its build-up lasts several episodes and involves the whole office taking a weekend to travel up to Niagara. Choosing between Part 1, which involves the party the night before, and the wedding itself was difficult. But the scenes showing the love between Jim and Pam, from Jim cutting his tie to their spur of the moment dash to elope at Niagara Falls, outway Andy tearing his scrotum.
4. Stairmageddon
One of the few later season episodes that make the list, Stanley's involvement with Dwight and Clark had me rolling the whole episode. Dwight needs to bring Stanley on a sales call, but Stanley refuses to go. Dwight then sees fit to tranquilize Stanley and drag him, with Clark, to the client. Drugged Stanley manages to close the sale with Dwight, giving me one of my favorite moments of the show.
3. Basketball
This is the first episode that really attracted me to the show. The offices basketball game with the warehouse was hilarious but poignant with big story line hints that would settle throughout the show. Michael challenges the warehouse to a basketball game, with the loser having to work on Saturday. Michael tries to get a cheap win by calling the game when he gets "intentionally personally flagrant" fouled. He's forced to back down after getting intimidated by the warehouse workers, but gives the office Saturday off anyways.
2. Scott's Tots
This is one of my all time favorite cringe-fest episodes. When Michael was a salesman at Dunder Mifflin, he pledged to pay college tuition for a whole class of elementary school children. The day has come where he must pay this debt, and he cannot. Michael is forced to go the school and witness the children and their caretakers celebrate him, only to tell them he can't pay for any one of them and trying to leverage this by offering them free laptop batteries.
1. Garage Sale
Finally, we've come to number one. Garage Sale is a very important episode in the series. It begins with the office having a garage sale to get rid of junk and put money into the party fund. Jim plays a prank on Dwight throughout the episode, placing a small bag of legumes on his table and tricking Dwight into thinking they're magic. Dwight eventually trades a telescope for them. The big part of the episode is Michael finally proposing to Holly. His original plan to propose with gasoline and fire in the parking lot get shot down by Pam, so Michael fills the annex with candles and proposes Yoda-style. Holly says yes and Michael then announces they are moving to Colorado. This episode, though it isn't Michael's last, is the one that signals his departure from the office he so loved.
Picking just fifteen episodes of this amazing show was extremely challenging. I love The Office for its laughs, but the way it still is able to grip you into the lives of its characters is something very few mockumentaries are able to do.
