The Office Season 7 - - Part 2

[ThePhantasm]

Not sure what to think of the finale. Carrell showing up after having been gone was a bit surreal. There weren't a lot of laughs in the finale (the funniest bits were Mose and Kelly / Ryan), and all the sappy stuff at the end with the characters thanking the filmmaker's made the finale seem really self-absorbed and self-congratulatory. Pam finally realizing the huge opportunity she forced Jim to give up because of her selfishness just made her character look even worse - what an awkwardly executed romance arc that all was.

It almost wrapped things up too perfectly. No characters really had any conflict. Everyone was suddenly old chums. All the "it was just a job but so much more" talk seemed silly to me. The show was no longer about an everyday workplace, but rather one big happy family. I know the last season has been building to this at an accelerating pace, but it just didn't feel like the Office.

That all sounds negative, but the finale wasn't awful. I enjoyed watching it. But it was like a syrupy mess - not something I'll be hungry for again anytime soon. The show should have really ended two or three seasons ago.

I'd give it about a 6.5 / 10.

 

[Spidey-Bat]

 

[Sawyer]

Pretty much, yeah.

 

[BatLobster]

All the "it was just a job but so much more" talk seemed silly to me. The show was no longer about an everyday workplace, but rather one big happy family.

That's exactly what was so beautiful about it to me. I don't know, I bought it. The show has peppered in plenty of sweet and caring moments with the characters over the course of the 9 years that I always felt they cared for one another deep down. It's not normal for people to invite their entire office to their weddings, but that kind of stuff was always happening on this show. And Jim has every reason to say those things- without Dunder Mifflin he'd have never met Pam. Honestly, this show has been more about the character's lives and less about the workplace since Season 2-3. Take away the Jim/Pam storyline, this show might have never had legs in the first place.

Creed's quote summed it and struck a chord with me. "No matter how you get there or where you end up, human beings have this miraculous gift to make this place home."

And then "Let's do this" got a HUGE laugh out of me and a few friends I was watching with.

 

[ThePhantasm]

Pretty much, yeah.

Tell it to mah avvy, boys.

I guess my criticism of the finale really applies to the whole season. I thought they butchered both Andy and Pam's characters... both of them took huge steps backward away from all the character development they had built up over previous seasons. I just didn't care that much about either one of them by the finale... I was no longer invested in them. This season felt so hollow and contrived, unlike previous seasons where the stories flowed more naturally.

Glad you all enjoyed it though. Don't let me rain on your parade. Its just my opinion...

 

[Prison Mike]

I would have preferred that Pam come to the realization about Jim's job during last week's eopisode so we could have seen how they were doing a year later. I agree that most of the episode was sappy but I forgive them for it because it was the series finale and they brought Michael Scott back.

 

[LostSon88]

I absolutely loved that everyone and everything ended on such a high note with everyone in a good place in their lives.

Considering this is the last time we'll ever see these characters, this is the lasting impression I want of them.

 

[Dr. Evil]

All of the actors are moving on to better things. I would not be at all surprised if some of the lesser actors on the Office appear on that other Greg Daniels show that takes place in Pawnee, Indiana that also has a cheesy (yet awesome at the same time) theme as different characters.

 

[BatLobster]

I absolutely loved that everyone and everything ended on such a high note with everyone in a good place in their lives.

Considering this is the last time we'll ever see these characters, this is the lasting impression I want of them.

Yeah, I agree. Maybe I'm a sap but I think a degree of closure felt appropriate for the show.

Though it's not like everyone got a fairytale ending. Toby is still miserable. Kevin and Andy have jobs that suit them better now, but there's a sense of emptiness without Dunder Mifflin. Ryan and Kelly deserve each other. Even Jim and Pam leaving still had emotional weight to it, as that truly solidifies that the core of the old Dunder Mifflin family is finally gone and things will never be the same.

It was more bittersweet than anything, but that is an emotion the show had always tended to excel at capturing. Just felt really amplified with it being the farewell episode. The amount of fanservice was definitely appreciated too.

 

[Sawyer]

I really liked Dwight calling Pam his best friend.

 

[RetroNaz]

And it's just hit me.
Regardless of how ordinary the last few seasons were, we will never see a new episode of these guys lives again.

 

[DrDoom]

it was still a baby. Whomever he got it from, it was kind of messed up that he just left it with strangers at a party so he can run off with his ex. If I were the parents of the baby, Id be pissed off if I let Ryan watch him and he did that. That was pretty low

AHH! In the scene Ryan CLEARLY states that he was dating a girl who is the kid's mother. She went out for cigarettes and never came back, abandoning Ryan with her kid. Ryan has absolutely NO connection or responsibility to the child.

Why didn't they answer the greatest question of them all, who is the Scranton Strangler?

(gabe).

The said who the strangler was, Toby thought he convicted the wrong man and went to visit him to tell him. The next scene was Toby walking out of the prison in a neck brace then a "talking head" of him saying "I was wrong, he IS the strangler"

 

[Spider-Gnome]

AHH! In the scene Ryan CLEARLY states that he was dating a girl who is the kid's mother. She went out for cigarettes and never came back, abandoning Ryan with her kid. Ryan has absolutely NO connection or responsibility to the child.

Ah, see I missed that. I thought it was a kid Ryan had with this woman who ran off. Thanks for clearing that up. Still a bit bizarre, but I guess it worked out for Nellie and the baby.


Have to say again, I loved the ending. I'm just a big softie. The one quote that really hit me, I think Andy said it, was I wish someone could tell you when it's the good old days before they're gone.

The Office ranks in my top 10 or top 5 series of all time (despite it being so up and down following Jim & Pam's wedding).

 

[BeserkerHilf]

Yea, that one quote really hit home for me, too. I'm 25 and just moved to CA after living in Philly my whole life. I left a job selling furniture after 2.5 years. I hated it, but was still really good at it ironically and it taught me a lot about myself. The coworkers were the hardest to leave behind because, despite my initial efforts, they became family to me. So now, I'm out here. No job. No one except my girlfriend. And I'm watching my youth come to an end, wishing I were back in high school and college.

 

[DrDoom]

Have to say again, I loved the ending. I'm just a big softie. The one quote that really hit me, I think Andy said it, was I wish someone could tell you when it's the good old days before they're gone.

Damn, cant believe I forgot that. Actually welled up at that line and how he delivered it

 

[Travesty]

I watched it last night, and thought it was really good. I didn't see Michale coming back, so that was a welcome surprise.

Yea, that one quote really hit home for me, too. I'm 25 and just moved to CA after living in Philly my whole life. I left a job selling furniture after 2.5 years. I hated it, but was still really good at it ironically and it taught me a lot about myself. The coworkers were the hardest to leave behind because, despite my initial efforts, they became family to me. So now, I'm out here. No job. No one except my girlfriend. And I'm watching my youth come to an end, wishing I were back in high school and college.

Dude, you're 25, you're still very young.

 

[Brother Jack]

It was a very good and worthy finale. I'm glad the show could end on a high note after the slump it had been in, though I felt season 9 was better than 8. Good to see Michael Scott again though I wish it was in it a little more.

 

[Dr. Evil]

I rewatched the episode on NBC.COM and it was once again fantastic.

 

[LostSon88]

Michaels screentime and lack of lines was perfect. It was enough to know he was there and made an impact but not too much where you feared he would take over the finale.

The writers understood that this final episode is about the rest of the characters. Michael got his storybook ending two years ago.

It was kinda like Steve Carrell came back and had this attitude of, "Yes, I'm here but you know what, this is your show now so I'm just gonna step back and let you do your thing."

Seriously, I can't explain how much I loved this finale.

 

[Dr. Evil]

They also furthered Michael's story a bit without dwelling on it too much.

 

[LostSon88]

And it was the more subtle approach to his appearance that I loved. It was very un Michael Scott-like.

Sitting with Pam showing pictures of his kids, dancing with Dwight, hugging Angela. He was in the latter part of the finale much more than many will recall.

And this is may sound weird but just the way Carrell portrayed Michael this time around was just different. The character just looked at complete ease and relaxed now that he's finally got the life he's always wanted.

 

[Maximus One]

Yea he seemed completely different. In a good way

 

[Sawyer]

I was surprised to hear that he and Holly have had multiple children. Granted, in the show's timeline, he's been gone for 2.5-3 years, but still...

Then again, I guess Holly doesn't have many baby-making years left at her age, so... best to get busy.

 

[Spider-Gnome]

Totally agree how they handled Michael. Perfectly handled, by bringing him back, because you NEEDED him to be in the finale, I mean come on, and not have him overshadow his own finale two years ago or the cast's finale. His only lines were the repeat of his final line from two years ago (his classic) and a summary of his former employees, nee, his "children."

Kudos all around.

 

[Matt]

And it was the more subtle approach to his appearance that I loved. It was very un Michael Scott-like.

Sitting with Pam showing pictures of his kids, dancing with Dwight, hugging Angela. He was in the latter part of the finale much more than many will recall.

And this is may sound weird but just the way Carrell portrayed Michael this time around was just different. The character just looked at complete ease and relaxed now that he's finally got the life he's always wanted.

Bingo. Michael clearly did not care about the documentary anymore. He was no longer "on," trying to be a star or make people laugh. That stuff isn't important to him anymore. Holly and his family are.