The Office of Every Day Life

The NBC comedy The Office began life as an American adaptation of the classic BBC series of the same name. During its initial six-episode first season, the show established its ensemble cast of characters as well as documentary-style format and introduced viewers to the Scranton branch of the Dunder Mifflin, a fictional paper company anybody who has ever worked in an office environment could easily relate. Despite a small handful of enjoyable episodes, however, it wasn’t until the show’s second season that The Office was able to distance itself from the British original while likewise becoming a comedic masterpiece in its own right.

In many ways it is The Office’s ability to take every day work situations that millions of Americans experience and turn them into comedic fodder that is the show’s greatest strength. Season one, for instance, explored ethnic diversity at the work place, cutbacks in health care benefits and pending layoff anxiety despite its shortened format. Subsequent seasons, meanwhile, tackled such subjects as sexual harassment, downsizing, kitchen cleanliness, performance evaluations, corporate restructuring and even “Take Your Daughter to Work Day.” Not only does The Office address such relevant topics but does so in a way that is familiar to its audience while being hysterically funny as well. Watching events unfold at Dunder Mifflin is not unlike a stress-release therapy session for the millions of American who suffer through similar situations on a daily basis.

Although such relatable subject matter keeps one laughing, it is inevitably the characters of The Office that keep viewers tuning in. While the employees of Dunder Mifflin could easily have turned into mere caricatures, showrunner Greg Daniels and his writing staff have done an excellent job over the years of making the characters not only two dimensional but actual people viewers can care about, root for, feel sympathy towards and connect with.

The regional manager of Dunder Mifflin, Michael Scott (Steve Carell), is a prime example. Based on season one, the character could easily have turned into the epitome of a jack-ass boss: obnoxious, oblivious, insensitive and uncaring. But thanks in no small part to Steve Carell’s performance, Michael transformed into someone sympathetic rather than mere jerk. Yes, he still often exhibits the characteristics listed above but they are due more to a deep-rooted cluelessness than anything else.

It was the second season of The Office that cemented Michael Scott as someone benevolent rather than repulsively vile. In the first episode, for instance, the employees of Dunder Mifflin gather at the local Chili’s for the office’s annual awards ceremony, the Dundees. “You know what they say about a car wreck where it’s so awful you can’t look away?” receptionist Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) remarks. “The Dundees are like a car wreck that you want to look away but you have to stare at it because your boss is making you.”

Sure enough, Michael Scott exhibits his obnoxious, oblivious, insensitive and uncaring traits—his impression as Mr. Ping is ethnically-insensitive to Orientals and awarding Kelly Kapoor the “Spicy Curry Award” simply because she is of Indian descent is equally insulting. But when a dejected Michael cuts short the ceremony after being heckled by some random drinkers at the bar, Pam leads the other employees into a hand-clapping demonstration of support for their misunderstood boss.

In the episode “Email Surveillance,” meanwhile, salesman Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) throws a barbeque at his house but intentionally does not invite Michael Scott. “I’ve got three cases of imported beer, a karaoke machine and I didn’t invite Michael, so three ingredients for a great party,” Jim confides. “And it’s nothing personal, I just think if he were there people wouldn’t be able to relax and have fun.” Michael finds out about the gathering anyhow and inevitably crashes the party. With the fun of the event indeed turned to dread, he hijacks the karaoke machine for a rendition of “Islands in the Stream” but no one offers to join in on the duet. As Jim watches, however, he feels sorry for his boss and ends up singing the Dolly Parton part along side Michael’s Kenny Rogers.

Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson), meanwhile, is the butt-kissing “assistant to the regional manager” who considers himself superior to his fellow co-workers. Although a proven and valuable salesman, Dwight’s personality quirks often make him a social outcast and his self-perceived competition with Jim Halpert often results in Jim pulling a series of pranks on his annoying co-worker. Although constructing a bowl of jello containing Dwight’s stapler inside is still considered to be an unequaled classic, Jim’s continual attempts to put Dwight in his place—including re-locating his desk to the men’s room and placing personal objects inside a vending machine—are textbook examples of workplace pranks.

Dunder Mifflin is not the lone setting, however, as The Office also explores the personal lives of its characters, most notably their social and romantic interests. Jim Halpert, for instance, had a crush on the engaged Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) from the very first episode. Over the years, viewers have been able to witness the growth of those romantic feelings as well as the trials and tribulations of the made-for-each-other couple. From Jim leaving Scranton because of Pam’s pending marriage to his inevitable return after she calls off the wedding to their own eventual engagement and marriage, the Jim/Pam love story has been a cornerstone of The Office.

Other characters on the series have also experienced the triumphs and tragedies of dating. Michael Scott has let the desperation of his internal loneliness interfere with a number of potential romantic partners, and his true “soul mate,” human resources representative Holly Flax (Amy Ryan), was inexplicably transferred to another branch. Dwight Schrute, meanwhile, eventually lost his love interest, accountant Angela Martin (Angela Kinsey), to fellow salesman Andy Bernard (Ed Helms) only to later have an affair with her that ended badly for everyone involved. Even minor characters like Kelly Kapoor (Mindy Kaling), Kevin Malone (Brian Baumgartner) and the gay Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nuñez) have had romantic entanglements that again reflect the realities of every day life regardless if one exists on a television sitcom or resides in the world at large.

Despite such honest portrayals of life both in-and-out of the work environment, The Office has been accused of being too “dumb” at times. Even in this regards, however, there is often an underlying brilliance to that dumbness, although the series has indeed stepped over the line on more than one occasion. In season three, for example, Jim hires a Ben Franklin impersonator instead of a male stripper for a bridal shower. Dwight is later convinced that this impersonator is the actual Ben Franklin, and while amusing it is also a little too farfetched for the series. Thankfully such lapses in judgment are rare as more often than not The Office is a spot-on satire of the numerous struggles that the majority of Americans face while trying to make a living in a white-collar work environment.

“We can relate to The Office because, at least to an extent, we’re all living The Office, depressing as that may sound,” the hosts of The Office Alliance Podcast remarked 2008. “It’s such an accurate reflection of reality. It makes us feel better about our own office jobs (because) it lets us know we’re not alone.”

Who wouldn’t, after all, want the likes of Michael Scott, Jim and Pam Halpert, Dwight Schrute and the rest of the gang at Dunder Mifflin as companions?

Anthony Letizia (April 5, 2010)