Beardable.

The Office - Goodbye, Dunder Mifflin

The Office ends tonight.

I remember when I started watching the show. I watched the pilot episode when it was broadcast on NBC and thought, “Eh, this is not for me.” It was slow, it was quiet, it was awkward. I decided that The Office would not have me as a viewer.

A few years later, I kept hearing about the show and I got the itch to give it another try. Since Hulu and Netflix did not exist yet, I bought seasons 1 and 2 on iTunes and absorbed every episode, watching on my computer. My roommate at the time had purchased season 3 on his computer, and I absorbed all of those episodes as well. I could not stop. The Office had become like a drug. The documentary style filming, the use of “confessionals” where the actors talk to the camera, the awkwardness of exaggerated real life situations…the entire production of the show was nothing short of magical.

I was hooked. I quickly fell in love with the awkward Michael Scott, the adorable Pam Beesley, the cool Jim Halpert, the bumbling Dwight Schrute, and the rest of the often dysfunctional crew at Dunder Mifflin. Once I caught up on iTunes, I was able to start watching the show as it aired on TV. Despite steady changes to the characters and their relationships, The Office remained a masterpiece, and Dunder Mifflin remained a place I wanted to visit every week.

When Steve Carell left the show, I was obviously concerned about its future and felt like The Office should have been put to sleep with the departure of Michael Scott. When Robert California took the helm of Dunder Mifflin Sabre, I sat through cringe-inducing conversations, watched characters do things they never would have done before, and felt like one of my favorite TV shows was spiraling out of control. Despite wishing that NBC would go ahead and put the show out of its misery, I kept watching.

When California left the show, it tightened back up. In its farewell season, The Office has been brought back to its roots, despite Michael Scott not being in charge. The show became about people again. It focused on the good people at Dunder Mifflin and their relationships with each other. The writing remained tight, the acting was exemplary and the show had righted itself.

During all this time, I fell in love with another show: Parks and Recreation. It quickly took the place of being my favorite series on TV. I fell even harder for the citizens of Pawnee than I had those from Scranton. I mention Parks only to draw one conclusion about The Office. With each show bundled up, from the first episode to the final episode (and of course Parks has not ended yet), I believe Parks is better a show. However, at each show’s best, I think that award goes to The Office.

With Netflix, my wife and I are in a constant state of watching The Office. We watch it as we fall asleep, as we fold laundry, as we clean our house. When we finish the latest episode that is on Netflix, we point it right back to the pilot and start over. The show is like a good friend or a loyal dog: you feel comfortable just being around them. That is what The Office became to me. Even though other shows may come and move The Office down my list of favorites, it will always hold a special place in my heart as one of the funniest, most comfortable television shows that has ever existed. I do not think I will ever get tired of watching each episode over and over again.

Farewell, The Office. Farewell, Dunder Mifflin.

My heart is very full at this moment.