Tag: Jim Halpert

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15 Things I Learned from The Office

Is it really over?
Is it really over?

I don’t really know how to say goodbye to one of my favorite shows. I know it’s time for “The Office” to end, but I’m still in denial that I won’t see Jim and Pam all the time.

The last finale I remember being adamant about staying home to watch live was “Full House”. That evening was my third-grade awards night and no amount of reasonable hooky explanations worked for my parents. I had to watch Michelle struggle with her memory and good twin on VHS.

The Office began when I was in college, well before my days earning full-time wages. As I’ve locked away seven solid years in what I thought was “non traditional” office work, I realize that I took a lot of lessons away from the Dunder Mifflin crew because I really do have an “office” job. Here are just a few lessons I’ve learned:

1. Always give honest responses.

“What does this look like to you?” – Michael, pointing to his bubble wrapped foot.

“Mail Boxes, Etc.” – Stanley, Season 2, The Injury

2. You don’t have to be friends with everyone. 

“Why are you the way that you are? Honestly, every time I try to do something fun or exciting, you make it not that way. I hate so much about the things that you choose to be.”  – Michael to Toby, Season 2, Casino Night

3. Don’t settle in too much.

“If I had to, I could clean out my desk in five seconds, and nobody would ever know I had ever been here. And I’d forget, too.” – Ryan, Season 2, The Secret

4. Everyone has distractons that sidetracks the task at hand. 

“So how are we going to energize our office? I mean, I haven’t done anything since Christmas, Pam clearly has just given up trying.” – Michael to office staff. Pam’s wearing glasses. Season 4, Did I Stutter

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“When I discovered YouTube, I didn’t work for five days. I did nothing. I watched Cookie Monster sing Chocolate Rain about a thousand times.” – Michael, Season 5, Business Ethics

5. It’s OK to think about the end of the day, no matter how much you love your job.

“Lord, beer me strength.” -Jim, Season 3, Product Recall

6. Sometimes work makes you irrational and cranky. 

“I want to clamp Michael’s face in a George Foreman grill.” – Jim, Season 2, The Injury

7. Dreams die. Find new ones and move on.

“I’m not a millionaire. I thought I would be by the time I was thirty, but I wasn’t even close. Then I thought maybe by forty, but by forty I had less money than I did when I was thirty.” -Michael, Season 6, Scott’s Tots

8. Just be yourself. 

“It’s like I used to tell my wife. I do not apologize unless I think I’m wrong. And if you don’t like it you can leave. And I say the same thing to my current wife and I’ll say it to my next one too.” -Stanley, Season 4, Did I Stutter

9. You will ALWAYS have to do math. 

“The principal told me that 90 percent of Scott’s Tots are on track to graduate and that’s 35  percent higher than the rest of the school. I think that if you hadn’t made that promise a lot of them would’ve dropped out, which is something to think about, I think.” -Erin, Season 6, Scott’s Tots

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“What an awesome party. The best wedding I’ve ever been to. I got six numbers. One more, would’ve been a complete telephone number.” -Kevin, Season 6, Niagra

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David Wallace: “Can you tell me why you had to cut the face off the dummy?”

Dwight: “I didn’t think it was very realistic in the movie, and it turns out, it’s pretty realistic.”

David: “We had to pay for it. It cost us $3,500.”

Michael: “Five thousand and three hundred dollars for a dummy?”

-Season 5, Stress Relief

10. Performance reviews are arbitrary and subjective to your supervisor’s mood.

“Well, last year my performance started with Michael asking me what my hopes and dreams were, and ended with him telling me he could bench press 190 pounds. So I’m not really sure what to expect.” -Pam, Season 2, Performance Review

11. Don’t skip lunch. It’s your one bright spot in a bad day.

“Now that I’m back to doing the job of a temp again, I find that food is one thing I CAN control.” -Ryan, Season 5, Cafe Disco

12. No one will ever really understand what you do for a living. 

“I think it’s great that the company’s making a commercial because not many people have heard of us. I mean when I tell people I work at Dunder Mifflin, they think that we sell mufflers. Or muffins. Or… mittens. And frankly all those sound better than paper so, I let it slide.” -Jim, Season 4, Local Ad

13. Your boss doesn’t always know what he or she is talking about, especially when it comes to motivating you. 

“They’re wrong, you are creative. You are damn creative. Each and every one of you. You are so much more creative than all the other dry, boring morons that you work with.” -Michael, Season 4, Local Ad

14. Your office is not your home. It is not worth dying for the job…unless your job is saving lives. Get out.

“[evacuating the office] Do you want to die!?” -Dwight to the office, Season 2, The Fire

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“Nobody should have to go to work thinking, oh this is the place that I might die today. That’s what a hospital is for…” -Michael, Season 5, Stress Relief

15. Always have “That’s what she said” ready to go. Yes, it is inappropriate, but it lightens the mood and people have to smile.

I will miss you, Dunder Mifflin.

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When (Season) two is better than one

With the new season of Mad Men just around the corner, I also start my annual “convert everyone to good TV” mission. I have good intentions, really. People still watch 2 1/2 Men and until that ends, my mission will continue.

As I gush about my favorite episodes and my borderline obsession with Peggy, I was reminded that my favorite season is still No. 2. But it isn’t just for Mad Men. A lot of my current and past favorite shows had amazing second seasons. Everyone always touts the freshman standout or loves to name the exact moment a series “jumped the shark.” This post is praise for the shows that hit the sweet spot while still managing to up the stakes for the storyline.

The Office
I am still the loser that watches this every week because of two people – Jim and Pam. I’m not usually one to be a ‘shipper, but they are the reason I stuck it out past the so-so Season 1 and then went into full-on swoon mode by the finale of Season 2.

The writers also had an all-star lineup of classic TV in the making: The Injury [WATCH THIS!], The Dundies, Christmas Party, Booze Cruise, and of course Casino Night. There isn’t an episode in that season that I haven’t rewatched at least five times. The writers also managed to flesh Dwight out as the sympathetic guy who just needed love from the office ninny, Angela. Both the Jim+Pam and Dwight+Angela relationships could have floundered – and did – later in the series. However, the set up made me feel uncomfortable, happy, annoyed, dismayed, and all kinds of other emotions – exactly what good writing and acting should make you feel.

This is still one of my favorite moments from the series:

Mad Men
As I’m trying to convert everyone to this sometimes slow, but always beautiful show, I’m always reminded that most of my favorite episodes come from Season 2. I loved the bookended story of Anna in Don’s life, I love how Peggy and Pete have to deal with their past relationships and I love how Don’s aging starts to catch up with him as the hip, new ’60s generation starts to move in. The only thing I didn’t love was the Bobby Barrett storyline, but I’m not going to lie, I still love the scenes where Don does what he does best – treats a woman like men tend to treat a woman. But the scenes were just so well-played, it’s hard to still hate him.

My favorite moment is from the episode “Maidenform.” By this point, Peggy’s gone through a back-and-forth with her family and her co-workers about if she can still be the cute, nice, Catholic girl with the ponytail, or if she has to shed that in order to become a modern lady. I think knowing how to be a woman in the working world and Peggy’s issues were relatable, even if it was 50 years ago. From the opening montage of all the “Men” ladies getting dressed to the closing sequence of Peggy deciding to play in the boys club, but bringing her assets to the table, too, it was just perfect. Plus, it was soundtracked by The Decemberists. It really doesn’t get much better.

Happy Endings
What I love about this show is that it takes a common saying or TV que – like crickets to a dead statement – and kicks it up a notch – but having an actual cricket infestation in said room where the statement dropped like hot potato.

So much happens in this show so quickly that I can rewatch it and still not catch everything. Some people don’t like that. I say those people aren’t smart.

Part of what made Season 2 great was the writers put the initial draw of Alex and Dave’s break up on the back burner and kicked Penny and Max’s hapless life to the front. Hangout comedies should make you want to be with that group of friends. I’m pretty sure I’m in denial and think that I actually already hang out with these folks.

Ex. 1 of awesomeness: Max is a bear. He literally hibernates in the winter. That’s my life.

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Ex. 2 of awesome: Hold your horses. No, really.

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hold-horses2

Cougar Town
This show has people with botoxed faces. This show is just people drinking wine. This show isn’t about cougars or cougar ladies.

To you, I say shut your face. I would love to live in a world where Laurie Keller was my side kick and I had friends that had a never-ending budget for a never-ending drink supplies.

What made Season 2 amazing was how the show actually dealt with their characters that didn’t really have plans. And the characters that had plans, well they grew up a bit, too. I particularly enjoyed their trek to Hawaii to save the youngest member of the Cul-de-Sac crew, Travis. He had a broken heart, bombed out of college, and was kicked out of the house by his mom. And what great show hasn’t had a Hawaii moment? (Full House, Modern Family, My Wife and Kids….well….maybe not.) But! there are terrific moments where Laurie shows why she’s the best side kick.

Laurie: “I’m gonna say something now that Meredith Baxter Birney has said in every TV movie I have ever seen: “I…will not give up on that boy.”

There’s also Penny Can, Big Carl (May he RIP), and snarky Ellie.

Dummies

Dontbother

Grey’s Anatomy
I don’t even know what this show is these days, but there was once upon a time where this was must watch TV for most college women I knew. Season 2 brought us Addison, Mark “McSteamy” Sloan, Callie + George, and Izzie + Denny.

Other than the overuse of “LVAD,” even pathetic moments like Meredith’s, “Pick me, love me, choose me” speech was gold.

One of my favorite moments was from the “It’s the end of the world episode.” Christina Ricci and Kyle Chandler guest starred in the epic post-Super Bowl episode where a bomb comes into the hospital. Below is a compilation overlaid with the sappy Snow Patrol. Stroll down guilty pleasure memory lane.

Breaking Bad
I don’t know how this show just. gets. better. Season 2 was definitely not the peak for Walter White & Co. However, knowing so many promising series flounder their golden opportunities, Season 2 can be seen as the season that set up the momentum for the rest of the series. The season starts with black and white shots of an eyeball floating in the White’s pool, thus beginning a season of flash backs and loose ends.

There was also another beloved show that did this over 6 seasons – LOST – and they didn’t really deliver on all those loose ends.

Thankfully, Breaking Bad delivered. The eyeball continues to roll around in kitchen drawers and act as a reminder to Walt about a series of events that took away any hint of a good guy.

My favorite episode that season was “Four days out” where Jesse and Walter are out in the desert cooking. It’s one of the last times that RV heads out to the desert with Walt and Jesse on the same team. They’ve always had their issues, but now Jesse works out of fear, not trying to prove he is a better man. There’s also those lovely sweeping visuals of New Mexico.

breakingbad

What are some of your favorite seasons of TV?