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The Office: Final Season |OT| It's better to burn out than it is to rust

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I loved it. There were a lot of great callbacks (bringing back Devin). They handled Michael's cameo right as well. I'm really gonna miss this show. At least we'll always have the re-runs.
 

Hero

Member
The Scranton strangler plot was already resolved when Toby went to see him in prison.

I know they tried to resolve it but it was such a letdown. Nobody liked Gabe, they could've just as easily had him get caught this episode and it would've been fine.
 
Jesus Christ. Deleting a show from a DVR does not qualify as a surreal experience.

Here's a surreal experience: Terrorists flying airplanes into skyscrapers.

I've got to applaud you. It takes a special kind of talent to make such a fuck-witted post. Good job. Now leave.
 

Angry Fork

Member
Much better than I thought it would be, I didn't cry/tear up unfortunately but it was sweet. I wish Michael was in the office with them when they were reminiscing near the end. It felt wrong not having him there, not looking through the blinds of his office. Having him just at the wedding wasn't enough for me.

Ryan/Kelly were great, Andy trying to pry away Phillis made me laugh a lot and also when Phillis said 'he'll get there' in regards to the new guy. I got a sinister impression like every job she's ever been at she attempted to make her nearest co-worker fat with sweets.

But this kind of ending would have been so much more meaningful if it was done 4 or 5 seasons earlier. The 'there is beauty in ordinary' theme and the focus on real relationships doesn't really resonate in the US version compared to the UK imo because the UK one knew when to end, and the main characters (Tim/Dawn) didn't become annoying.

When I think of the US version what I remember most now is great characters leaving with constant replacements, Steve Carell asking for like 400k per episode or whatever it was, each episode becoming some extra unnecessary, completely unbelievable scenarios. It feels so damn cynical, a great show milked dry because advertisements and gotta pay the bills. I mean tons of the episodes post-Pam/Jim woes were funny but the idea of the show being partly about 'real' life, real ordinary people etc. went out the window and the genuine connection, at least for me, was lost.

Whenever I re-watch old episodes I stop after the episode in season 3 (finale maybe?) when Pam is doing an interview, Jim walks in and asks if you want to go out and Pam's face is pure exhilaration. After that their relationship became serious/permanent and their characters became less and less likable. Still the show was fun, I'll miss it, but Arrested Development is back so no need for sadness.

I know they tried to resolve it but it was such a letdown. Nobody liked Gabe, they could've just as easily had him get caught this episode and it would've been fine.

Gabe was one of the best characters on the show, the fact that nobody liked him but he kept drudging on about his obsessions as if people cared is what made him so funny. He was like a cocky Tobey.
 

The Real Abed

Perma-Junior
why are people still saying this? it was resolved long ago. tobey went to visit him in prison and got strangled...the right guy was convicted if it wasn't clear enough...
How did I forget that? I blame Epcott for being confused and spreading it to me.

Guess we were secretly hoping for it to be Gabe.
 
Overall, really good. Better than I expected.

Pam's last line got me misty damn it. So did "That's what she said". I was a little dissapointed that we didn't see more of Michael, but I agree with how they handled it. Like people have said, we got his goodbyes already. I guess I still just wanted to see at least one shot of Michael and Holly with their kids in hand. Although Pam mentioning how happy he is that he needs a family plan now was really sweet, haha.

A no show from Gabe, Jan, Holly, or Packer is a shame, but acceptable.

Goodbye Office :')
 
Fantastic. The episode was good but all the endings were brilliant. Kelly/Ryan running off together, Michael finally has his family, Pam did the right thing, Stanley retiring, Kevin being fired but randomly rich enough to buy a bar, Dwight is manager and married with Angela, Oscar for senator, Andy is somewhat famous, Creed goes to jail, Erin met her parents, Nellie finally has a baby, Toby is alone, and i think that's about it. All satisfying endings. The cameos were neat. They handled Michael perfectly. I'm sure Steve said yes without hesitation. He just didn't want his return to be the main focus of the episode. His finale was perfect anyways.

So yeah, another show bites the dust. Season 8 is a very dark cloud, but i can still enjoy 1-7 and some of 9 once in a blue.
 

RC

Banned
It was a good finale for a show that hasn't been good since the fifth season. It was great to see the characters not be caricatures of themselves in the final few moments.
Still though, I wish the show ended when Micheal left. The Office gained nothing for dragging it out this long.
 
I liked the finale. Suck my dick.

That's what she said.

tumblr_lzx6olw9xS1qbm82f.gif
 

BobDylan

Member
just finished watching it. most people I know gave up on the show but I stuck with it and still enjoyed it for the most part. I thought the finale was done really well. I remember first watching this show back in high school in a computer class where I had a lot of down time. kind of a weird feeling watching it come to an end. it's like saying goodbye to old friends and remembering a lot of great times that were had. bittersweet for sure. I will miss the show
 

AstroLad

Hail to the KING baby
I saw people mentioning Greg Daniels, but don't forget he was Michael's neighbor when Michael and Dwight were checking out Michael's future condo.

Overall I thought it was competent. No big swings but no big whiffs really. The only character I thought was truly worthtless at the end was Daryl. Michael's part was so understated it was almost distracting in its understatedness. I actually liked last week's episode better but this will do. Crazy to think how long it's been and how much has changed since the show started.
 

RangersFan

Member
After the major disappointment of the last two seasons I'll say the finale was well done. It hit all the intended heart strings and I'm really gonna miss it.

I was a lover of The Office UK, and turned my entire dorm building back in college into lovers as they passed around my dvds more than 10 years ago. When there was news of a US version coming I was dismayed like many other fans of the UK series. Like most other US remakes of UK shows (around that time coupling was the one that resonated in the minds of naysayers) it was sure to fail.

I watched the US pilot rehash of the UK pilot and immediately was gonna give up on the show, but by the time Diversity Day and Michael Scott getting slapped aired I convinced myself to give it a chance. As season 1 finished, my mindset was still in the meh, "UK original still better", but I'll continue to watch, the shaky season 1 had it's moments with basketball and diversity day. After the retooling of Michael Scott and the overall improvement of season 2 I was hooked. At the end of season 2 at casino night I found myself cheering as hard if not harder for Jim and Pam than I did Tim and Dawn.

Somewhere in the middle of season 3 probably in between Call of Duty at Stamford or Benihanna Xmas party I was ready to declare the US version better. I couldn't believe it as I was so opposed to the remaking of the show in the beginning. Of course in some ways it's unfair to compare because of the differences in series lengths. But I really appreciated what they had done, they made it their own. Michael Scott was Michael Scott, not a David Brent clone. In many ways that's why Parks and Rec has become the best comedy on TV. Instead of following their initial shaky season 1 path where it tried to be The Office, and Leslie was trying to be the female Michael Scott, when they went their own path it became a great show and is now the best comedy show.

The mark of a great show is how watchable it is in subsequent viewings. I can turn on the tv, and if it's on Fox or TBS I could watch any episode in syndication and enjoy it. Or I could rewatch entire seasons at a time and have it on in the background on netflix. I'll definitely miss it for sure.
 

Niraj

I shot people I like more for less.
Hadn't watched this show since Michael left. Overall, not a terrible finale, though it didn't really feel like the show I remembered, mainly because there were a lot of plot references that I had no idea about (which is my fault, not the show's). A few chuckles here and there, and a lot of smiles. It was nice to see Michael back, though I wish he had a bit more to do (I can understand why he didn't though). Andy's last line was a total gutpunch for me "I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days before you've left them." Ugh. Overall it did a good job of conveying the feeling of nostalgic longing, and the feeling you get when you know you aren't going to see people you know for quite some time, or forever, as in this case. Though I wish it ended sooner than now, it was a decent send-off.
 

Lamel

Banned
Hadn't watched this show since Michael left. Overall, not a terrible finale, though it didn't really feel like the show I remembered, mainly because there were a lot of plot references that I had no idea about (which is my fault, not the show's). A few chuckles here and there, and a lot of smiles. It was nice to see Michael back, though I wish he had a bit more to do (I can understand why he didn't though). Andy's last line was a total gutpunch for me "I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days before you've left them." Ugh. Overall it did a good job of conveying the feeling of nostalgic longing, and the feeling you get when you know you aren't going to see people you know for quite some time, or forever, as in this case. Though I wish it ended sooner than now, it was a decent send-off.

Damn man making me all emotional since I just ended my school year and some peeps are graduating.
 

JABEE

Member
One of my favorite shows ever. It was its time to end. I'm happy it survived and caught on. I can always enjoy the older episodes for years to come. It was a great run.
 
It was a good finale for what it was, it was of course going to end with a "everyone lived happily ever after" kind of vibe.

That was never really The Office for me though. It was always hilarious, but at it's best moments it was always this sad, subdued show. It was about broken dreams and finding happy moments in the dreary monotony of life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dr5wHw3YhAA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRLsZnMHdrE

Those were the best types of scenes. Anyways, I guess the US version of the show hasn't been like that in 7 years. It was a fun ride.
 

wenis

Registered for GAF on September 11, 2001.
It's wild to think that my Thursday night is officially not going to include a new episode of the office...

9 years of routine are done now.

In gunna go rewatch seasons 1-5 for the 21st time now.
 

BobDylan

Member
favorite parts of the episode that really hit the emotions

Andy going out to see the crowd of people cheer for him
Erin taking a moment to realize it was her mom
Panning over to Michael when Jim tells him he is the best man
"I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days, before you've actually left them"
"There's a lot of beauty in ordinary things. Isn't that the point? "
Creed's song
everything Dwight/Jim - I loved how they progressed over the years. a one of a kind friendship
 

Blearth

Banned
He had his finale two years ago. It was called "Goodbye Michael". Watch it. It's what you're looking for. This was for the rest of the people.
I did watch it. I watched every episode until the one where they all drink wine in the new boss's house for the entire episode.

You can have Michael and the rest of the people. An hour is plenty of time.
 

Maximus.

Member
I did watch it. I watched every episode until the one where they all drink wine in the new boss's house for the entire episode.

You can have Michael and the rest of the people. An hour is plenty of time.

Would've happened a few years ago but that time has past.
 

fisheyes

Member
Michael got a moment with Dwight, a 'thats what she said', a weird Michael analogy that simultaneously showed that Michael still views this group as his family, and confirmation he has an actual, real family now. Michael got everything he needed from the finale.

I actually think, if nothing else, the episode did really well in wrapping up each character. They could've done some differently - Andy could've gotten a 'dark' ending, for example - but, if everybody had to get a happy ending, then this was probably the best way to do it.

Its not the best episode of the Office ever created, but, as a finale that really wanted to give every single character an ending, it worked.
 
I really wish they hadn't given Andy's character such a heel-turn this season. His wooing of Erin was sweet and I thought they worked well.

Was Jan brought in any way? I was distracted at parts and thought that she was integral to Michaels development.
 
For a while I thought the only thing Michael would say during the entire episode was "that's what she said",

That would have been amazing.
 
Am I the only one who thought that was Dave Chappelle? I could swear that was Dave Cheppelle...

HA! Me too!


I think this will be one of those episodes that gets better the more I think about it. For some reason I keep recalling Toby's ending. After so much pain and loneliness, it was actually a really touching moment to be surrounded by friends that want to be around him, inviting him to the party. I think it's the first time in the series Toby's gotten any attention like that. You could tell he was really touched.
 
I'm kind of bummed there was no payoff with the Scranton Strangler. I didn't really need to find out someone from the show was the killer, but at least something. It's been talked about way too much to have no kind of payoff. Hell they could have had Toby just saying he was right or something throw away like that.
 
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