World’s Best Boss

Well guys, here it is – my last post. I first want to thank you all for reading my blog. If I’m honest, I really didn’t know what to expect going into this… I mean, technically, this is really only a homework assignment. However, I really, really enjoyed writing about my favorite TV show, and so I hope you all enjoyed reading it too… even just a little bit.

So here we go. It would be criminal to not do a post about the World’s Best Boss, Michael Scott. So for the last time…

*spoilers may appear from this point on*

Michael Scott, played by Steve Carell, is arguably the most well-known character among all TV shows.  He drives the plot of The Office for a little over seven seasons before he moves to Colorado and leaves the show. And of course, he makes an appearance on the final episode at Dwight’s wedding.  There are so many places we can start with Michael, so let’s just dive right in.

Michael Scott has many traits and holds many roles.  He is the Regional Manager of Dunder Mifflin Scranton. He is a father. He is a lover. He is the CEO and Founder of the Michael Scott Paper Company. He is a fanatic of a good joke. He thinks he is an amazing salesman – and sometimes he can be.  But most importantly, he is the lead of the show. However, with all of that said, he has many, many downfalls.

To start, Michael tries his best to be the jokester of the office. Sometimes, he succeeds. But other times…a lot of the time, his jokes are not appropriate and/or well-timed. He is most known for his infamous “that’s what she said” zinger, but he also has many up his sleeve. The issue is that often times, he butchers the joke or the punchline, or he simply says a joke when he shouldn’t. This is largely due to the fact that Michael just simply isn’t an intelligent person, so therefore he seems to always dig his own grave. In fact, he constantly is butchering common phrases or trying to do things he simply cannot.

Similarly, Michael is really bad in awkward situations and he is constantly misinterpreting situations. Well, ok, Michael digs his own grave in this regard, too. Michael is just really good at making things awkward, stressful, confusing, or ruining a moment. Because of this, two things happen: number one, it frustrates everyone and causes people to not enjoy his presence. For example, Jim decided to throw a barbecue party without Michael so he doesn’t make everyone super uncomfortable. However, Michael reads Jim’s email, finds the invite, and comes anyway, which causes everyone to be uncomfortable. Shocking, I know. The other thing that comes from Michael’s ability to ruin a moment is Michael constantly embarrassing himself. This is because he is not very good at making good, logical decisions – he normally does the opposite of what everyone else would do. By doing so, he embarrasses himself again and again and again.

Ok, I know what you all are thinking right now – “man, Matt is totally going after Michael right now… Michael doesn’t deserve all this hate.” You’re right, he doesn’t. And he is the best. But he is the best because he just seems to always be doing something wrong. He is extremely funny because of his actions and more importantly, his mistakes. We must remember, though, that Michael is much more than just his mistakes. I would argue he is the most caring person in the office. He would do absolutely anything for his coworkers, the people he often calls his best friends. He loves them so much that he wants to always impress them, and when he fails, he becomes extremely frustrated, leading to some major outbursts. But Michael really just wants to feel loved and appreciated for all of his work, which is really all that everyone wants. This is why we empathize with his character. This is why we suffer with him through his relationship with Jan and get super emotional when he falls for Holly. This is why when he leaves, his coworkers make a touching tribute to him. Which leads me to my interesting fact – Carell didn’t know that the cast had the song prepared, so when they sing it, those are Carell’s real emotions and reactions to leaving, not Michael’s character.

Anyway, the point is that Michael just is always trying to do nice things for his employees and the company. He fights corporate for many things, including a raise for Daryl (and himself); he never forgets a birthday; he stars them in a commercial  and a movie; he tries to be the best boss by having many meetings; he awards them with Dundies; and, he’s there for them during their biggest moments. This is why we love Michael, and this is why he is so important.  Because even when he messes up, makes a fool out of himself, we know he is always doing it with good intentions…because he cares so much about everyone around him.

Yes, he may not have always been the boss that his employees wanted. But he was the boss that both they and American television needed.

So, as I sign off one last time, I just want to thank you again for reading along with me. I hope you all have a bigger appreciation for the show and all of its characters. If you really feel so inclined and have some friends who love the show too, don’t be afraid to pass this along to them…maybe it’ll make them love the show even more as well.

I’ll see you guys around.

-Matt