The Office

As every time a show ends, I always post the theme song, so the post is like an episode, kind of, but not really. I also thought it would be fitting to schedule this at 9:00 and that this is the only post that I post today. For every episode this season, I've done a list of my thoughts with bullets. This time, it's going to be a VERY LONG post, so don't read it if you don't want to. I plan on going at this with summaries of the episode as a whole, each character's send-off and my farewell to my favorite show ever.

*SPOILERS*

I think that The Office had a great final cold open. It featured the final conference room scene. It was very humorous and shocking. Dwight driving in the car was funny and I was totally surprised when he said, "I haven't seen Kevin since we had to let him go." Although, it makes sense that Kevin should have been fired. I'm surprised that Michael didn't fire Toby a long time ago. It seems that Dwight wasn't planning on firing Toby, but when Toby tried to block Kevin's firing, Dwight just gave him the cake. I'm glad Stanley retired to Florida. It's what he's always wanted. Jim biking to work is a callback in its own, but then he said, "cheaper than a vasectomy." Snip snap! I got chills when Pam talked to Angela during Dwight's exercises, probably because we saw it in the retrospective.

Ah, yes, the retrospective. It was very good and I'm extremely happy with the way it turned out. The intro was cool and the Goodbye Michael script gave me goosebumps. Every aspect was pretty awesome and it was neat to see audition videos. You can view it here:

Back to what's what, Devon has been rehired! Remember when he was fired in the first Halloween episode and then he smashed a pumpkin on Michael's car? I'm glad that, back then, he was fired over Creed. Speaking of Creed, nice mention to his real life guy from The Grass Roots. "Stole weapons-grade LSD from the military." Oh my god. I'm surprised that Jim was Dwight's bestisch mensch and not Mose, but it made for some nice guten pranken. "Now we have three hours to fill!" The viral video of Andy bit went on a bit long, but it was still funny. Nice autotune, The Office. "A mistake plus Keleven gets you home by eleven." Nellie might as well stay in Poland. Good idea Jim, getting Darryl and Andy to be able to come to the panel and  the documentary. I don't understand why it's now Athleap, but it worked for some humor. I liked how Oscar said, "Wazzzuuup!" Nice callback to the Pilot. Dwight seemed to be at perfectenschlag once he fired that bazooka. The return of Rolf! Dwight must remember Elizabeth the stripper, from Ben Franklin and Fun Run, how could he be so oblivious? Made for a good last bunch of Jim faces, though. I wonder if they ever got their onion loaf. Same actor played Meredith's son, Jake. Looks like Dwight was right about him. Awh, Kevin and Dwight hug. Mose was hilariously creepy when he kidnapped Angela. "If you want your bride, buy us a drink!" Nine years of filming and I thought the panel would be nothing. The lack of people, at first, made for this amazingly scene that brought tears to my eyes:

The panel was a bit odd, but it had some good questions. I'm glad Pam kept the teapot letter a secret. There was a cool cameo from the person who runs the OfficeTally site. Does Meredith really have a PHD? Best lines of the panel? David Wallace: "I didn't want to know any of it." Question: "Do you find that your life feels pointless now that nobody is filming you every day?" Toby: "Yes." And then that shot of Creed crying in the audience. How can no one notice him? Erin finally meets her mother and father! That was tearjerker!

Onto the wedding of Dwight and Angela. Funny that they had a box for cats instead of gifts. Aw, a little Ryan Howard baby! He's grown so much since the Pilot. Or has he? Dwight headbanging in the mirror was funny, especially when Jim calmed him down. Good callback.

My heart started to race when Jim said, "The bestisch mensch has to be older than the groom." Then, that sly look to the camera.

"I can't believe you came!" "That's what she said." "Best prank ever." THAT WAS TELEVISION AT ITS FINEST. Thank you, Steve Carell!

I like the continuity with the standing in their own graves and Dwight and Angela have finally tied the beet! Glad that Phyllis and Angela buried the hatchet between one another. Finally friends. Baby Phillip snacking on that Jell-O! Nice to see one last moment of Bob Vance and then Mose glancing over at the scarecrow. Hahaha.

Yay, thanks Pam for verifying that Michael finally has his family! He has two different phones, that's sweet. Goodbye, Michael was awesome, but this was legendary.

Another tearjerker? Stanley made a Phyllis statue for Phyllis. Would a grump make that? Absolutely not. Then, we tackle Ryan and Kelly. I'm glad that these two finally hooked up. Although, Ryan, I don't think that you have quite mastered commitment. A fitting ending for that duo. Glad they came back.

Then, Pam pulls out all the stops with the ultimate Jim gesture. Carol makes her return as their real estate agent. Yes, Pam is shopping the house and Jim can finally realize his dream. He's been stuck in a rut forever, not working up to his potential, so I'm glad that he finally can do what he's always wanted. Something that can make him happy, not as happy as Pam, but can prove that he can have it all. He's returning to Athlead Athleap.

David Wallace says his final line just before Pam reveals her second mural of the episode, but this one was great. The history of them. It's a very good mural. Then Greg Daniels, not-so-subtly, gets into the picture, but I didn't mind it in the least.

Then, the core group of The Office (Kevin, Angela, Oscar, Meredith, Creed, Toby, Darryl, Phyllis, Stanley, Erin, Pam, Jim and Dwight (sorry Ryan, Kelly, Michael, Clark, Pete and Nellie...NOT! That only applies for Nellie though.)) looks around knowingly at each other. They know they need to go back to the office one last time.

We all knew what Pam would do when that phone at reception rang. "Dunder Mifflin this is Pam. I'm sorry, Jim Halpert doesn't work here anymore." One last moment for the road for Pam at reception. Then she made a great speech about how people should follow their dreams, because Jim was five feet from her desk and it took her four years to get to him. It was nice. It's only human natural. Jim is so thankful for the gift of re-watching his life. Who knew that Oscar did origami? Creed had a very nice song and he also still has his medal from Flonkerton. Pam rested her head on Jim's shoulder one last time. Soon after, The Office had ended and my life went into shambles. But before that, let me wrap up each character.



Nellie Bertram. She's off in Europe with Ryan's baby. I won't say anything bad about her. Final line: "We'll be somewhere in Europe, won't we?"

Pete Miller. Still with Erin, it seems. Not much had to be done with his character in the finale. He's the new Jim at Dunder Mifflin, I presume. Clark and Erin fall into place, as well. Final line: "No one recognizes me, but all my friends call me Plop. So, thanks PBS."

Clark Green. The new Dwight at Dunder Mifflin. He was a funny character at times and fit well into the mold. Didn't play a big role in the finale. Final line: "Dwight, for the last time, she's not a waitress!"

Michael Scott. I'm very glad he returned. It made sense for him to do so for Dwight's wedding. He didn't overshadow the other goodbyes, but his That's What She Said was perfect and so was everything else he did. I'm very glad that he finally has his family with Holly. It's all Michael ever wanted. Final line: "It's like all my kids grew up. And then they married each other. It's every parent's dream."

Kelly Kapoor. I always liked her better with Ryan than Ravi, but that's probably because that's all I knew. She got the ending she always deserved and needed though. Running off into the sunset, with Ryan. Final line: "We're running off into the sunset!"

Ryan Howard. He started out as the young temp and closed out with an abandoned child and the girl he's always wanted, even if he thought he didn't. Ryan was always a douche, but I'll still miss him. Final line: "I finally mastered commitment!"

Toby Flenderson. Toby has always been hated and it was great to see that boil over with his response at the panel and what he said to Pam. Pam: "What's wrong? Is it Nellie?" Toby: "It's everything!" He finally felt some love, though, when everyone wanted him to come to the after party. It's all Toby ever really needed. Final line: "Yeah, I'll stop by."

Stanley Hudson. I'm surprised he didn't get a bigger send-off, but all he needed was a retirement home in Florida. That's Stanley's dream in a nutshell. Plus, the bird Phyllis was so goddamned sweet. Final line: "Ok, I need a drink."

Angela Martin. Surprisingly, Angela really changed throughout the run of the show. Also surprisingly, she got a happy ending. I assume her final talking head that Greg Daniels wrote so her other talking head wouldn't be her last line got cut and is now a deleted scene, but that's okay because her kiss for Dwight was sweet enough. Final line: "Do you even have a mattress?"

Erin Hannon. Who would have thought that Erin would make it this far? She went through Andy, Gabe, Andy again and ended up with Pete, like Michael suggested inadvertently. She grew into her own eventually and really just had fun in the finale. It was so great to see her so happy by meeting her mother who sounds like Jessie from Toy Story and her father who looks like Ed Begley Jr. Final line: "How did you do it? How do you capture how it was really like? How we laughed, how we felt and how we got through the day? Also, how do cameras work?"

Oscar Martinez. I thought his last line would be the origami spiel. "You take something ordinary like a piece of paper and if you see it in the right light...and that's what you did with this documentary. But seriously, you made a nine-year documentary and you couldn't once show me doing my origami." He's running for the Senate seat now. That wasn't his last line, instead he concludes his story, still consoling confused heterosexuals. Final line: "No, you're not gay."

Kevin Malone. I thought that his last line would be, "If you film someone long enough, they're going to do something stupid. It's only human natural." But just like Oscar it turned out to be something else. Kevin finally realizes that his true calling is not as an accountant, but instead as a bartender who owns his own bar. Farewell, Kevin. Final line: "It's just that I'm so emotional."

Darryl Philbin. Darryl finally made it big, thanks to Athleap. He rode in a limo away from the airport. He's truly livin' the dream. Darryl wasn't a family man, he was focused on his career. He had a nice goodbye with Andy. He also wasn't very emotional, but his last line killed me. Final line: "Every day when I came into work, all I wanted to do was leave. So why in the world does it feel so hard to leave right now?"

Meredith Palmer. Meredith seemed to get her act together. The same can't be said for her son, but she actually had a PHD and even though she had alcohol in her bottom drawer, she wore sports bras and changed her appearance and she seemed back on track. Subtly and surprisingly fitting. Final line: "I just feel lucky that I got to share my crummy story with anyone out there who thinks they're the only one to take a dump in a paper shredder. You're not alone, sister. Let's get a beer sometime."

Creed Bratton. What a fitting ending for Creed Bratton. All of his crimes and history are uncovered by the documentary and then he goes into hiding, but his only disguise is a beard. He then makes his triumphant Dunder Mifflin return, shirtless and brushing his teeth. The gang then decides to let him have a few more minutes of freedom before turning him into the police after all he did. His song was beautiful. Ah, Creed, I'll miss ye. Final line: "It all seems so very arbitrary. I applied for a job at this company because they were hiring. I took a desk in the back because it was empty. But no matter how you get there or where you end up, human beings have this miraculous gift to make that place home. Let's do this."

Phyllis Lapin-Vance. Phyllis is still working at Dunder Mifflin and she's set to try to turn Stanley's replacement into Stanley. She's still happily with Bob Vance and she shed many tears in the episode from Stanley's statue, to Erin's parental reconciliation. Then, finally she closed out her story. Final line: "I'm happy that this was all filmed so we can remember what we did. I worked at a paper company for all these years and I never wrote anything down."

Andy Bernard. Andy didn't nab the fame that he wanted, but he got his following who can recognize his Rudit-dit-dit-doo! Andy turned out for the best though. He's doing alright from the viral sensation and he actually made the commencement speech at Cornell. "Oh I can so just sit here and cry." Speaking of Cornell, the Nard Dog got his dream job at the admissions office of Cornell. Farewell, Andy. His last line was my favorite of the episodes. I like to think that Andy did his suggestion in the final sentence of his. Final line: "I spent so much of my time at Dunder Mifflin thinking about my old pals, my a capella group. Now, I've moved on, I've got my dream job at Cornell and I'm still just thinking about my old pals. Only now they're the ones that I made here. I wish there was a way to know that you're in the good old days, before you've actually left them. Someone should write a song about that."

Dwight Schrute. Dwight started out as such a jerk, an idiot and he grew into this great character, with famous lines, a huge fan following. He evolved so very much. He fires Jim and Pam for the severance pay. "If you're ever back in Scranton you'll always have a place to stay. In my barn." "There it is." I will miss Dwight and his Schrute-tastic antics. He was a wonderful character, but yet, I'm glad that he didn't follow through on The Farm spin-off. Dwight has finally married Angela and become regional manager and fired a bazooka. He's at perfectenschlag. You know what? I'll let Dwight sum it up best. His line about Pam really gets me. "Do I get along with my co-workers? First of all, I don't have co-workers anymore, I have subordinates. So, have I gotten along with my subordinates? Well, let's see. My supplier relations rep, Meredith Palmer, is the only person I know who knows how to properly head bang to Motorhead. Oscar Martinez, my accountant, is now godfather to my son. Angela Schrute, my former accountant, is now my wife. My top salesman, Jim Halpert, was best man at my wedding. And office administrator, Pamela Beesly Halpert, is my best friend. So, yes, I'd say I have gotten along with my subordinates."

Jim Halpert. My all-time favorite Office character and it kills to see him go. He's all good with Pam now and he's reached all his dreams. He's made his very own perfectenschlag. No more Jim faces or pranks now, just pure Halpert. In the end, Phillip eating Jell-O was better than Jim pranking with Jell-O, because it's shown that Jim has really grown throughout the run of the show heavily. What a great guy he turned out to be. Jim had two very good lines, so instead of final line, I'll do final lines: "Imagine going back and watching a tape of your life. You could you see yourself change and make mistakes and grow up. You could watch yourself falling in love, watch yourself become a husband, become a father. You guys gave that to me. And that's an amazing gift." Then that callback to the pilot. "I sold paper at this company for twelve years. My job was to speak to clients, about quantities and types of copier paper. Even if I didn't love every minute of it, everything I have, I owe to this job. This stupid, wonderful, boring, amazing job."

Pam Beesly...Halpert. Pam finally did all that she wanted to do. She achieved her artistic dreams and truly did gain courage as she pulled off one of the best Jim gestures. She is, far and way, the most dynamic character on the show and when you watch her as a receptionist in the early days, by god, she's changed so much. She takes her painting of the building off the wall and takes it with her to Austin so she can remember. I think that it's truly fitting, then, that she gets the last line of the entire series, The Office. While Jim and Pam were the heart of the show, if you gotta go singularly. Pam is the true heart of the show. Final line: "I thought it was weird when you picked us to make a documentary. All in all, I think an ordinary paper company like Dunder Mifflin was a great subject for a documentary. There's a lot of beauty in ordinary things. Isn't that kind of the point?"

Then, we view the building and fade to black. The final scene:



And I have to face life after The Office. Everything hurts and I'm dying. Do I love this episode? Absolutely I do. Every single aspect and part of the 135 minute farewell was so amazing and such a fantastic farewell. The Office changed television forever and it will never be able to ever be replicated. You can never assemble a cast like this again, as well. I love The Office so much. I love it like it's a part of me and that's why it's so incredibly hard to say goodbye to a part of me. A part of my life. Something that I've cherished all my life. Why does it have to end? Why am I so sad? On Thursday, May 16, something that I hold very dear to me had to come to an end and I had to say goodbye. I don't get why I love a stupid, wonderful amazing TV show. It's just a TV show. It's nothing special, but in reality it's everything special and it's almost everything to me. I love it so so much. I don't know why I'm so sad, but it hurts knowing that that is it. No more pranks, Dwight, Nard Dog songs, or Jim and Pam. Or everything about the show. There's no way to say goodbye to The Office and the fact that I loved every second of the show and every aspect of every character. It's the ordinary things that you miss the most. What a great show it turned out to be. I wish I could tell that I was living in the prime of the show and loving how it was still on and instead of wishing the days away, I could cherish them more if I could go back. But, for now, like Jim and Michael, I'm just going to "save the goodbyes for tomorrow...at lunch."

Thank you to and I love you, The Office.