OT: The Office series finale thread (may contain spoilers)

Submitted by Real Tackles Wear 77 on
Hey all,

So the episode has finished airing and I'd like to hear your thoughts. I think it was a huge departure from what the series has been, but they pulled off the Michael Scott angle perfectly...involving him without making it about him. It always kind of felt like his story was incomplete and now his story has come full circle. Overall the episode was a good one and a dignified ending to one of the best comedies of this millennium.

Your thoughts/comments?

stankoniaks

May 16th, 2013 at 10:59 PM ^

Used to love the show when it started and the first couple of years. I still watched it, but it sould have ended a few years ago.

Kind of indicative about our attention spans these days. Hard to make it so long through a show so long w/o getting bored and distinterested with it.

bacon1431

May 16th, 2013 at 11:00 PM ^

If you wanted the sentimental angle, I think it worked. But I didn't think it was very funny. Though it's hard to balance the two, I'm sure. Finales are hard to pull off in general. Seinfeld even had a mediocre ending and it was one of the rare shows to go out while it was still running strong. That said, I'm not the biggest Office fan and haven't watched faithfully since season 5. 

alum96

May 17th, 2013 at 9:35 PM ^

Seinfeld was my favorite comedy of all time but I thought the last episode was horrid.  The Office was an excellent show in the Michael Scott era but really fell lately; that said I didnt need to laugh at the finale; I liked how it closed the loose ends and it was sentimental.  I thought it exceeded the Seinfeld finale by a long shot but that's one episode only.  I wish Michael Scott had a bigger role in the finale myself but that's me.  Looking back Carrell was really genius for the role and a perfect fit.  He made a character who was a goofball, weird, funny, but still someone you rooted for due to his lonliness.  The Ed Helms character never did it for me, and I could see if someone like him was cast as the lead it would not have been a successful show.  

Creed was hilarious - he did the most with the least; I think he got 1-2 lines most episodes and they always made me laugh.  He got the most airtime in this episode than any hah.  

justingoblue

May 16th, 2013 at 11:00 PM ^

I didn't like where her character was going at all this season, but her exit interview and the surprise for Jim brought her back around, I thought. Still upstaged by Jim's last interview, although that could very well just be gender differences and ease of identification talking.

Agree on Michael. Creed and Erin were perfect for the finale, and for some reason I loved Dwight's line about allowing Jim and Pam to stay in his barn.

All in all, it was a finale, and wasn't as good as Michael's sendoff after the Dundies, but then again that was one of the better sendoffs I can think of. They seemed to promise nothing more or less than "satisfying" and I thought they hit that, for sure.

WMUgoblue

May 16th, 2013 at 11:02 PM ^

I really checked out after season 5 but I managed to watch the finale tonight and thought it was pretty well done, like it has already been pointed out earlier it's hard to pull off a good finale that's both humorous and heartfelt, but I thought it was a good note to end on.

champswest

May 16th, 2013 at 11:06 PM ^

but it has not been the same since Steve left the show. Like most finals, it couldn't match the show's standards. The series retrospective that aired prior to the final, was actually better than the final.

Cville Blue

May 16th, 2013 at 11:13 PM ^

I thought the finale was okay. They at least did a nice job of making the series feel complete. The real question is... Who's ready for the Arrested Decelopment episodes?

WolvinLA2

May 17th, 2013 at 2:41 AM ^

Same here. I loved the show and thought the finale was great. Really bummed it's over, but you can't keep a show great forever. I don't think there has ever been a sitcom I've liked as much as The Office in its peak.

Y0ST

May 17th, 2013 at 12:25 AM ^

I thought it spoke well to how our work relationships really are - temporary yet cherished in retrospect. I will miss the show. Part of me always wanted a boss like Michael Scott.

MGoBender

May 17th, 2013 at 12:36 AM ^

I'm pretty surprised so many people are crapping on the finale here.

It was perfect for this show.  It really was.  Everything came together - Pam's arc finished nicely with the entire theme of the documentary, Andy, Michael, Dwight had great resolutions.

And it was pretty funny if you ask me.  Maybe you need to really know the show to get some of the jokes... Meredith's son was the same actor that played him when he was like 12 years old in the second season.  Dwight re-hired Devin?!  Classic first season reference.  Moes looking at the scarecrow after all the couples were looking into each others eyes?!

Lot's of subtle, smart humor in this one, I thought. 

Also, I was surprised at some of the social commentary: The Andy story was kind of a commentary on how the Internet/media can take advantage of and potentially harm innocent people and those people are not always compensated (the Kevin line about Andy not getting paid for his song in the jukebox was definitely not a throwaway line - the writers were making a point).  Of course, that is juxtaposed with the entire idea of creating a documentary - and creating stars - out of ordinary people living ordinary lives.

Yes, seasons 7 and 8 were very, very subpar and I blame NBC for milking the cow.  But this final season had a clear vision, clear direction, and pulled everything together.  It was a great "sitcom," revolutionary even.  We won't see something like it for a long time, if ever.

j.o.s.e maizenblue

May 17th, 2013 at 12:42 AM ^

Big fan of the show and sad to see it end. They ended the show well, not really leaving you with any questions and everyone had a chance to make it their own... agree it wasnt all that funny, but felt like in order to get closure on everyone it  was necessary to play the sentimental approach... 

get-on-my-lawn

May 17th, 2013 at 12:42 AM ^

Days of my life! I watched this show from episode 1 and never missed an episode. Loved this show it was hilarious as hell and had so many great story lines that were fun to watch for 9 years now.



Also, GREAT to see a michael scott appearsnce! Missed that guy! And what greater of an entrance than with a casual "that's what she said"? It was too bad he ever left that show.



A great ending though. It's crazy to think that I have been watching that show since i was 13 years old, and now im almost 21 and just watched the finale. I've been watching that show for newrly half of my life!

chatster

May 17th, 2013 at 1:06 AM ^

Hadn't watched much of The Office in recent seasons, but caught last week's episode and this week's one-hour retrospective and the finale.

I liked how they wrapped it up, but I might've liked a scene added at the end where they'd show Stephen Root as Milton Waddams, seated at a desk in a basement storage area in the Dunder Mifflin office building, talking on the phone and complaining that if he doesn’t get his stapler back, he’s going to burn the place down. Cut to Dwight’s desk where a red Swingline stapler is seen resting under a stack of papers. 

Good-Bye to new epsiodes of The Office . . . and now on to the return of Arrested Development

BlueDragon

May 17th, 2013 at 2:44 AM ^

I'm glad we still repackage British shows for an American mass audience. See also: House of Cards, produced by Netflix. Original is good, remake is good. The Prisoner. Original is towering genius, remake lives up to the original.

ken725

May 17th, 2013 at 4:32 AM ^

Hard for me to say anything bad about the show becuase it is one of my favorite shows.   I guess I'm just a homer for The Office. 

I plan on making a full run of it on Netflix again.  It will be my 5th time around.  I'm sad to see it end, but I'm glad that a show like this existed.  

swalburn

May 17th, 2013 at 5:01 AM ^

I really enjoyed the finale.  I haven't watched the show for a couple years, but for a while it was one of the best on TV.  I thought the finale was very sentimental and I still love the characters after all the years.

Doc Brown

May 17th, 2013 at 6:56 AM ^

I enjoyed the finale. It was a perfect send off for this series. They wrapped up every character's story (except for Clark...who I suspect is the new assistant to the regional manager). Michael's appearance was perfect and they didn't milk it. This season was much better than the last two. It speaks to the meeting prior to beginning of the season between the cast, producers, and writers to end the show their way and not NBC's.

Yeah, it wasn't the funniest episode. I just wanted closure. With Seinfeld's finale there was no closure at all. The only closure you get with Seinfeld was a reunion on Curb Your Enthusiasm. 

MichFan1997

May 17th, 2013 at 8:18 AM ^

That camera cut around to Michael standing in the doorway, I almost lost it. His return was so perfect. He was kept to a minimum, but you still knew he was there. And he had to be. Andy's line about the good old days was incredible. And the final scene, cutting away from Pam talking to show an ordinary building full of extraordinary characters was just the perfect finish for me. I loved every second of this episode.

gmoney41

May 17th, 2013 at 9:15 AM ^

I thought the finale was ok.  This show was really good for the first few years, then the quality really dropped off.  This show is the opposite of Parks and Rec.  Parks and rec started really badly and picked up to the point that every season seems to get better than the last.  The office started great and once Michael Scott was gone, the show really lost a lot of steam.

ryanlove12

May 17th, 2013 at 9:38 AM ^

Enjoyed this show. I thought it was always funny. I know that most people didn't like the later seasons, but I still enjoyed it. I even liked the train of different bosses and the stupid over the top stuff. I'm glad the last season went how it did though. I liked the closure on all of the characters, and I thought it was a very solid finale. Ustmy take

icegoalie1

May 17th, 2013 at 5:44 PM ^

Because I used to be a pretty regular fan of the show but lost interest a couple years ago. It got really boring when the British chick came on board. Overall it was ok and had its moments.