This is going to be hard. (Insert [You know what] here.)
(Hey, Double “That’s what she said!”)
As you probably already know from NBC’s emotional promos that have been making me tear up with their tinkly piano music, tonight will be Steve Carell’s/Michael Scott’s swan song on “The Office.”
The U.S. version of “The Office” is one of my top 10 favorite shows of all-time (maybe Top 5). And that’s a big part of the reason why I’ve never written a regular column about it: there’s just no way I could ever be completely objective. (A smaller part of the reason is that I don’t think 30-minute comedies lend themselves to as much critical discussion as hour-long dramas…or two-hour long trashy reality shows. I mean, what am I going to say about “The Office” beyond rehashing any given episode’s best lines/moments?)
I can objectively see that the show is not as good as it was in its season 2-3 heyday, but then again I can’t think of a show that hit its creative prime in season 7. All that matters is that I still laugh my ass off watching the show (as I did during the recent “Threat Level Midnight” episode).
I also think the ensemble is among the most talented on TV. They’re obviously hilarious, but I also think they’re sneakily effective at playing little dramatic moments.
And for seven years, that ensemble has been led by Steve Carell. I always believed that “The Office” should end when its leader departed — we do NOT want another “Scrubs: Med School” situation) —but I’d be lying if I said that I’m not going to watch the show without Carell. Yes, I’m interested to see who they bring in as a permanent replacement (no one thinks Will Ferrell is sticking around long-term) but I’m really staying because I love (pretty much) all these characters.
Still, Michael Scott will undoubtedly be missed. In fact, the only thing I’ll miss even more is the talents of Steve Carell, who somehow made us root for a selfish, incompetent, oblivious boss. (Come on Emmys! Do the right thing and finally give this guy his first trophy for playing Michael!)
Condensing my favorite Michael Scott moments into a top 10 list wasn’t easy — I HATED cutting Carell’s work in “The Deposition” and the hilariously brutal “Dinner Party” episode — but I did my best even though I know I’m going to kick myself for leaving something out.
Here’s hoping at least one moment from tonight’s episode — titled, “Goodbye, Michael” — is good enough to make this list.
10. Michael fires Devon on “Halloween”: Right about now, you’re asking yourself “Who the hell is Devon?” and I realize that I’m probably the only person who’d place this moment in their top 10. However, the fifth episode of season 2 was the first time I can remember seeing the pain of Michael Scott and realizing that he was more than a relentless goofball.
Michael is ordered to fire someone by the end of October and goes back and forth between Creed and some guy named Devon. Creed finally convinces Michael to fire Devon. After Michael fires Devon, he blurts out that he hopes they can remain friends. That’s Michael Scott in a nutshell: the boss who wants to be everyone’s friend. Devon angrily rebuffs him, and the last shot we see of Michael is sitting at home by himself, looking extremely distraught…until some trick-or-treaters show up and he perks up.
9. Michael at Improv class: Over the years, the show has alluded to Michael’s love for Improv, but we actually got to see how spectacularly bad he is at it during season 2’s “Email Surveillance.” (It’s especially funny when you consider that Carell is a genius at Improv.) I have a special appreciation for this sequence because I took an Improv class in college and looked on in horror as Michael broke every single rule they taught us. (He didn’t listen to his partner, he denied and dismissed other people’s contributions, etc.)
8. Cheering up Pam at the art gallery: Michael has a lot of faults, but caring about his friends/co-workers isn’t one of them. (The fact that he automatically assumes co-workers and friends are the same thing is probably his biggest flaw.) My favorite moment of him picking up a colleague came during season 3’s “Business School.” Pam had her art show and had to endure Roy bailing on her and snooty comments from Oscar and his boyfriend. Just when she was about to head home, Michael showed up and told her that her drawing of the Dunder Mifflin building was perfect. It’s especially beautiful when you consider that Michael had just come from being humiliated during a seminar at Ryan’s business school. Michael was obviously feeling bummed, but he still had time to be there for a friend.
7. Rabies PSA: This isn’t even technically part of the show. It’s a special feature on the season 4 DVD. (It’s connected to the “Fun Run” episode.) All I know is that I laugh every single time I watch it. Ugh.
6. Prison Mike: Michael created many memorable personas during his time at Dunder Mifflin (RIP Date Mike, Michael Klump), but none of them left as lasting an impression as Prison Mike. In season 3’s “The Convict” Michael took personal offense to the notion that his office was worse than prison. Everything about his conference room display was brilliant: the weird accent, the do-rag, and the fact that Prison Mike “never got caught.”
5. "No, God, No!" / "Why are you the way that you are?" : Michael’s irrational hatred for Toby is one of the show’s best running jokes. I couldn’t possibly pick just one Michael vs. Toby moment, but these two — from season 5’s “Frame Toby” and season 2’s classic “Casino Night” — are my favorite.
4. “That’s What She Said”: Obviously!
3. Lazy Scranton: If there’s a better illustration of the bizarre relationship between Michael and Dwight, then I can’t think of one. Dwight (especially early on) will do ANYTHING for Michael. Michael likes to make movies/videos and is always about six months behind on pop culture trends. So of course the duo starred in a parody of Saturday Night Live’s “Lazy Sunday” Digital Short.
2. Michael kisses Oscar: The fact that the kiss Steve Carell planted on Oscar Nunez during season 3’s “Gay Witch Hunt” was unscripted (so the rest of the casts’ reaction was genuine) pushed this moment into genius territory.
1. Michael proposes to Holly: There have been unconfirmed reports that I was crying my eyes out during the entire sequence when Michael takes Holly on a tour of the office — and of their relationship — before he proposes to her with help from the rest of his candle-holding co-workers. The button on the scene was that after Holly said yes, he announced to the rest of his colleagues that he was moving to Colorado. So, basically, you’re crying and then (even though you’re well aware Carell is leaving the show) you get punched in the stomach.
The fact that this episode — “Garage Sale” — aired just a little more than a month ago gives me confidence that the show’s writers have a little magic left in their pens for Carell’s send-off.
So what’s your favorite Steve Carell moment on “The Office”? Maybe you can’t stand the character and you’re actually excited to see him go. If that’s the case, why are you the way that you are…?
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