Those Days at Dunder Mifflin

A few years back, I was scrolling through my Prime Video recommendations and saw over 9 recommendations for this popular television show in the US. I decided to watch it, I clicked on the module which titled Season 1 and began watching the show.  The show began with the camera panning toward different landmarks of this place called Scranton, a city in Pennsylvania. The mild intro music laying its base on basic piano chords, graced by a fun and simple harmonica melody over it, and later introducing a fiesta of basic drum beats looked amateur in the beginning. The overall White set, with tinges of brown workplace furniture, looked boring. The shaky camera and zoomed shots behind a Venetian blind and faded typing and call sounds made the experience of watching the first episode underwhelming. 

Suddenly a loud character appeared, a famed comedian in Hollywood. A guy, a bit overweight and dressed up like a slob, with a declining hairline and offensive jokes. He along with his eccentric yet loyal assistant (to the) regional manager, who speaks a lot about beets, sales and paper filled pretty much the first episode entirely. Me, as I watched the young temp,  who appeared shy and apprehensive could relate to his emotions and thoughts as I watched first episode. A shy and uninteresting but rather beautiful woman sat in the reception staring at a guy sitting 10 feet away from the table, periodically. This guy had a weird hairstyle, plays pranks on everyone, and looked at the camera way too many times than necessary.

The first season was 6 episodes long. The story wasn't so great, it wasn't really interesting. It just felt like a group of people capturing the lives of another group of people using a 2000s Camcorder. But, despite the first impression, I decided to move forward to the second season. The second season was over 20 episodes long, and the guy, who called himself manager, looked different here. His hairline reappeared and he dressed up in a sharp suit most of the time. He was the Regional Manager of Dunder Mifflin Paper, and he holds a coffee mug in his hands that read- 'World's Best Boss'. They called him Michael Scott. 

By now, I was familiar with the characters in the show. They felt so real and relatable. They weren't just eccentric and heavily fictionalized characters usually shown in other sitcoms but they felt so real and so were their emotions. I often think, how do the writers come up with intelligent script and execution ideas like these?

Every character has an arc, every character undergoes a learning process, every character has human flaws and every character is imperfect just like how it is in the real world. Little did I know, I would love this world. The world between the walls of the Scranton Business Park.  The World of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, Scranton PA, and the lives of their bored employees- The Office US.

The more I see the stupidities carried out by Michael Scott, the more I understand the man. A lonely middle-aged man, seeking love. A man who 'estimates' his capabilities, while others underestimate him. The man longs to have good friends and hang out with them, he gets excited when he is a part of an inside joke, a man who refrains from thinking beyond the walls of Dunder Mifflin, and the employees who he thinks are their family. A man who is incapable of interpreting what others think of him. All these human flaws and problems make Michael Scott one of the greatest sitcom characters of all time.

The eccentricity of Dwight is very fun to watch. Despite being cold-hearted, and stern on the outside, he is a soft person on the inside. He cares dearly for his co-workers/ subordinates. He learns throughout the sitcom and becomes a more approachable and friendly character towards the end. The loyalty of Dwight towards Dunder Mifflin, Michael, and Paper is definitely something the modern world lacks.

The lack of complexity in most parts of Jim Halpert and Pam Beesly's relationship is fascinating, in contrast to the usual love stories of the sitcom. Jim and Pam continue to be each other's fans and best friends even after being in a relationship. They showed me what happens when two boring and self sufficient people get into a relationship. I loved how Pam's self-confidence increased every season and how she emerged as a really attractive and confident person in contrast to the shy, naive, and the reserved person she was back in Season 1. The character of Jim, despite overflowing flaws as a person, aspired to follow his dreams secretly to ensure a better life for his family instead of being stuck as a dead-end paper salesman.

Kevin, Erin, Oscar, and Angela literally elevated the sections, despite being underrated characters, they brought special emotions and comic relief on screen. I'm sure pretty much everyone wants to taste Kevin's Chili at least once in their life. David Wallace, as per the popular opinion, is the most patient man in sitcom history. Man, that guy, just sits still as Michael keeps rolling out nonsense.

Every time Andy plays his Banjo and harmonizes at a higher pitch, I just wonder how talented this guy is. The stunning delivery of 'Roodoo-doot-dadoo' and his smug actions in the beginning and his vulnerability after Angela and his insecurities pop up now and then giving a humane feeling to the great American workplace. We can't deny feeling sorry for Toby Flenderson being the HR at times, but being so mad at him for stopping the wonderful rendition of 'Take Me Home, Country Roads, by Dwight and Andy, and creeping out when he holds Pam in front of Jim. Lol, Weirdo! >.<

Moreover, it was a good thing that Karen came into Jim's life, we got rid of the OG Jim Hairstyle. It's true that Karen was a good influence on Jim, and Jim did her wrong. But it's not like we didn't want PB & J together. It's a dilemma anyways.

Michael Scott, Prison Mike, Date Mike, Michael Klump, and our very own Michael Scarn from the threat level midnight made my days lighter. The numerous memorable conference room meetings. The Off-Beet Stories of Dwight K. Schrute, the adorable relationship of Jim and Pam, and the overwhelming toxicity in Kelly & Ryan's relationship. The way Stanley gives up on everything that happens around him, the different faces of Phyllis, the multi-talented Nard-dog trying to perform and portray his skills every chance he gets. The weird gigs of Meredith Palmer, the hidden genius of Kevin Malone, the intellect of Oscar Martinez, and the 'Meh' face of Angela and the Absolute Lad- Darryl can be kept on one side but the ruthless invisibility of Creed Bratton is the most intelligent part of the show. Creed might have around 40 lines in the whole run of the show, each line is gold.

Other than the main characters, The Patience of David Wallace, the creepy charisma of Robert California, Jan, Mose, and Bob Vance from Vance Refrigeration is some of the characters that ruled the Sitcom. 

It took 3 months to finish the Sitcom, but I still couldn't let go of it even after 2 years. The day I met the Great Scott, and his employees, and the funny incidents that follow. The experience of the entire sitcom can be summarised by what Pam said in her last headshot- "There's a lot of beauty in ordinary things, isn't that kind of the point?"

Even after 2 years, I still rewatch certain seasons and it still feels fresh no matter how many times I've watched it. I've seen a lot of shows, but There's not a single one that satisfied me the way this did-

THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!