Month: September 2018

What’s up everyone! We’re back at it with another blog.  This week, we’re diving into the ladies of the office…

*spoilers may appear from this point forward*

Pam Halpert and Angela Martin, played by Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey, are definitely the two most significant women in the show.  Not only do they end up marrying Jim and Dwight (who you now know are two very important men), but they also have lots of roles in the show, which often leads to them driving the plot forward.  For these reasons – as well as the fact that Fischer and Kinsey are best friends outside of acting – I thought I should group them together for this post.  Let’s start with Pam…

Pam Beesley Halpert goes from being the receptionist, to a salesman of the Michael Scott Paper Company, to a sales rep back at Dunder Mifflin, to the Office Administrator.  Not only that, she went through two (well, kinda three) engagements, art school in New York, a marriage with Jim, and the birth of two children.  So yes, Pam does a lot for the office.

Pam is the “level-headed” one in the office.  When her coworkers start to have crazy ideas (especially Michael), she normally is the one who brings them back down to Earth (yet occasionally, she’ll play along).  A great example of this is when Michael wants to propose to Holly, but has just one-too-many bad ideas (a scene before this one is more convincing). Many of the others call her the office’s “goodie goodie,” poking fun at her never wanting to cause confrontation and always following the rules…which is why when she finally does, everyone is so shocked (See Episode 8 of Season 9, “The Target”).

Pam is also the one who always tries new ways to keep work from being miserable.  Early in the series, Pam helps Jim create the Office Olympics when Michael is away. And, as Office Administrator, she comes up with many new ideas to get everyone involved…however, to no one’s surprise, some don’t go as planned.

Finally, Pam has the final lines of the series. Honestly, she couldn’t have said them any better.

Then we have Angela.  Although Angela is the other main female character in The Office, her personality is practically the opposite to Pam’s.  Angela is stern, cold, irritable, and conservative; many would put her in the “small but mighty” category.  She is an accountant, obsessed with cats, and the Head of the Party Planning Committee.

Angela often snaps at her coworkers, especially when they do things she does not agree with (which is an extensive list).  She is rarely afraid to tell anyone when they are offending her.  This is especially apparent with both Phyllis, her assistant on the Party Planning Committee, and Pam.  Many times, we see Angela bash Phyllis for her decisions on a party, as well as Pam for “getting with everyone in the office” (I had trouble finding specific scenes, so I’ve included these two videos that have many examples).

Yet, with Angela, she has a very soft center to her hard shell.  Throughout the series, we see her in an on-and-off (and sometimes secret) relationship with Dwight, and the audience can clearly tell that she cares deeply for him.  For example, she gifts Dwight his own bobble head for Valentine’s Day and often tries to help him on his quest for office authority.  However, when she feels she needs to “get back” at him, she resorts to hurting him; this is why she gets engaged to Andy and marries Senator Lipton.  As we all know, though, she has a child with Dwight and they end the series getting married.

Pam and Angela may be very different characters, but they both play huge roles in driving The Office’s plot forward.  Without either of them, the show could not be a show.

Thanks for tuning in! Stop by again next week as we look into two more characters who are, as the British say, “hated, adored, but never ignored.”

What’s up everyone?  Welcome back to my blog!

This week, we dive into half of arguably the most famous couple in TV history…

*spoilers may appear from this point forward*

Jim Halpert, played by John Krasinski, is another one of the main characters from The Office, next to Dwight and Michael.  As mentioned in the last blog, Jim is famous for his constant pranks on Dwight.  However, there is more to Jim’s character than just a jokester who has a crush on the receptionist.

Jim, too, has many roles on the show.  He is a salesman, husband, father, an avid sports-fan, and also… well, for a few episodes, that is… both a co-head of the Party Planning Committee  and co-Manager.  When something needs done (that Dwight doesn’t volunteer for), Jim typically is the person who takes it on.  He is a leader in the office, as well as someone who his coworkers look to for help and a few laughs.

With all that said, it wouldn’t do Jim justice to give no mention of his countless pranks on Dwight.  When we meet Jim in “Pilot,” we almost immediately notice how bored Jim is.  He truly hates his job.  Because of this, Jim pranks Dwight to pass the time.  This turns into a huge theme in many episodes, as Jim finds different ways to push Dwight’s buttons, legitimately to his breaking point.  In fact, as the series progresses, Jim is able to include others, including his wife, Pam.  However, what is most impressive about Jim’s abilities is that he was once able to mess with Dwight even when they weren’t working at the same branch.

Even with the many, many pranks, we see a very deep, caring version of Jim as the series progresses; this, in my opinion, is his best trait.  Many people think he only cares for Pam.  However, this is not the case.  When Dwight is struggling through a break up with Angela, Jim does the best he can to let Dwight know that he’ll be alright.

And then there’s Pam. In Seasons 1 through 3, Jim is in love with Pam, who is (painfully) dating a warehouse worker named Roy.  Although he tries to win her over, he fails at first.  However, this does not deter Jim; the thing about Jim is he not only knows what he wants, but he knows his strengths. He understands how he can make the office run smoother and how he can make Pam happy.  Eventually, Pam sees this too.  This leads to Jim’s heartfelt speech at their wedding, and two of the few scenes that (admittedly) always make me cry.

So yes, Jim can be known for his pranks and the many times he glances at the camera during episodes.  However, there is a much deeper, more sentimental side to him as well; if we do not take a moment to appreciate it, then we will totally miss out on who Jim is as a person.

So thank you for reading! Hope to see you all back again next week.

Oh, and for your convenience, some more of Jim’s best pranks can be found here.

Why, hello there! Welcome to “The Office: What They Brought.”  I’m glad you’ve decided to ride this new wave with me.

For those of you who do not know, The Office was a comedy show that aired on NBC for nine seasons, and currently runs its episodes (“re-runs”) on Comedy Central, as well as occasionally on other channels.  Its storyline was based on a small paper supply branch of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, located in Scranton, PA.

My goal of this blog site is to do a few things: first, give you a basic understanding of the characters’ roles in the show…what they do, how they do it, etc.  Secondly, and more importantly, I want to explain how the show’s characters make the show unique; that is, what about their personality adds a whole new dynamic to The Office that is unlike everyone else.  I don’t want to convince you to watch The Office (although I highly recommend it), or why it is better than Parks and Recreation (although my biased opinion agrees), but rather to simply shed light on aspects of each character that people may not have thought about before.  With that said, I plan on including lots of links to scenes, allowing those of you who haven’t watched the show (and those who have) to get a better idea of what I’m referencing.

For me, it is extremely fun to look at every character and find out more reasons why I love the show so much.  I hope you all find it as entertaining as I do

So, let’s dive in.  When dissecting The Office, there is really no better place to start than with the man who drives the story forward all nine seasons…

OH, that reminds me.  As one of the show’s biggest fans, it is my duty to not ruin it for others.  As a curtesy, for those of you who have not seen the show before, I will always give a fair and clear warning as to when spoilers may begin to appear.  If you wish to not be spoiled, then proceed with caution or log off – I will totally understand your decision 🙂

Now, as I was saying…

*spoilers may appear from this point forward*

Dwight K. Schrute is not only Scranton’s top paper salesman, but he is also a beet farmer, Assistant to the Regional Manager, and a man of many talents. Played by Rainn Wilson, Dwight is arguably the biggest character in the show, especially after Michael Scott leaves in Season 7.

Dwight is known for his love for strategy and drive for power.  He is constantly trying to “one-up” his coworkers in order to prove his authority over them.  A great example of this involves his title, Assistant to the Regional Manager.  When he introduces himself, he leaves out the ‘to the’ in order to seem more “important” to the office.

However, this often backfires, as his coworkers know how to push his buttons and pull pranks on him.  The earliest-of-many pranks was pulled by Jim in “Pilot.”

In addition to this, Dwight “wears many hats.”  He is the owner of a 60 acre beet farm, a volunteer sheriffs deputy, a  black belt in karate, and in his mind, safety officer (him and Angela cannot agree on who owns the title, which leads to arguably the best scene of the entire show).

However, beneath the cold, tactical surface of the salesman, one finds a very compassionate person.  Dwight famously becomes manager of the branch not once but twice.  Numerous times, Dwight proves his loyalty to both Michael – his boss – and his coworkers in times of need.  Anytime a job needs to get done or an errand needs to be run, Dwight always volunteers.  He stands up for not only the law, but also for those closest to him.  One of the best examples of this is found in the episode, “Work Bus.”  The office wants to go to the famous pie stand a few miles, yet the work bus that Dwight makes everyone work on is almost out of gas.  When Jim explains to Dwight that his coworkers (whom he often calls “subordinates”) are like his children, Dwight speeds down the highway, arriving just before the stand closes.

Although Dwight can be very cold and calculated, at his roots, he is a man who loves his job, his farm, his coworkers, Angela (who becomes his wife), and their son, Philip.  As we see in Season 9 specifically, Dwight grows into the manager that everyone has been wanting the entire series.  On top of that, he makes his former enemy, Jim, his Best Man at his wedding, showing his maturity and empathy towards those around him.

So thanks for reading!  I promise that starting with the next, my posts won’t be nearly as long.  See you soon!