The Old-Timers

Well, we’re headed into the home stretch of blogs.  I honestly didn’t think I would enjoy writing these as much as I do.  This week is another that will certainly not disappoint, as these two characters really need no introduction…

*spoilers may appear from this point forward*

Creed Bratton and Meredith Palmer are the oldest two in the office.  They are also the most bizarre.  On top of that, neither of their roles in the office are clear to either their coworkers or the audience.  Creed and Meredith are minor in the show, but they have some of the best one-liners, constantly keeping us on our toes.

Creed Bratton, via Google Images

Creed Bratton is actually named after himself, Creed Bratton – Creed Bratton plays himself! Well…kind of.  In real life, Bratton was in the band The Grass Roots, where Bratton sang and played the guitar; in fact, Bratton still creates music today and he wrote the song his character sang in the finale of The Office, which I think is super awesome.  The character of Creed is based off of what Bratton thinks his life would have been like if he “fell off the deep end” after his band split.  I found this video which explains many questions involving his character.

Creed Bratton, via Google Images

Although it seems he never works, Creed is in charge of Quality Assurance for Dunder Mifflin Scranton.  He is known around the office as being a very creepy old guy. No one really knows his past, but he often makes everyone around him uncomfortable.  This is for a few reasons: the first is that he makes it obvious he is involved with drugs, just not obvious how.  The second is that he has an absolutely awful memory. Creed seems to always forget people’s names or simple facts.  For example, one time he tells Jim he wants to set him up with his daughter.  When Jim reminds him that is has been engaged with Pam for months, Creed tells Jim that he thought Jim was gay. This confuses Jim, as well as everyone watching, but it was simply classic Creed. Finally, he is downright weird.  He seems to never have any idea what is going on and always comes up with crazy thoughts.  This is especially seen when he is boss (see “Search Committee”).

Creed making acronyms as manager, via Google Images

However, Creed has his goals straight.  He wants to one day do the perfect cartwheel (which he achieves), go scuba diving, and keep music a constant in his life.  Creed’s creepiness constantly causes we, the audience, to laugh while keeping us on toes – you really don’t know what he’ll do next.  If you need further explanation on Creed, this deleted clip sums him up perfectly.

Meredith Palmer, via Google Images

Meredith Palmer (Kate Flannery) is a single mother and a solitare-extraordinaire who, too, seems to never be working.  Meredith is controversial for her own reasons – to start, she is inappropriate.  She is into sexual activities and the human body which often makes the office uncomfortable, as well as leads her into trouble.  Even though she is a mother, it seems like she has little morals for herself or her son (see “Finale”).  Another reason she makes everyone uncomfortable is that she is an alcoholic.  She always drinks at every Christmas Party, causing the parties to become awkward – or ruined – when she drinks too much.  Yet, Meredith is also one of the most unlucky people in the office.  She gets hit by Michael and his car, rabies, attacked by a bat, and a bad case of lice to name a few.  And also like Creed, she has lots of little lines that go unnoticed but really add a whole new dynamic to the workplace.

Jim signs Meredith’s pelvic cast, via Google Images

And just like that, we only have two more posts left! Thank you all for checking in with “The Office: What They Brought,” and I hope to see you all back again real soon.

3 thoughts on “The Old-Timers”

  1. I remember that scene with Jim and Meredith, I couldn’t stop laughing anymore. They knew how to mesmerize the audience in the scenes they acted out. I also remember that on Jim’s desk there was an arrangement that I would like to know about the flowers names of them. Simply because that type of flower was for a funeral and not to put in an office lol.

  2. It’s good to have a more relaxed work environment in the office, even if some of our co-workers have dubious roles within the company, in the end they all socialize and some even like to place bets with Mcdonalds menu prices when the favorite teams of each one face off, laughter is guaranteed.

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