The ninth and final season of The Office was largely disappointing. Characters became exaggerated caricatures of their former selves, realistic workplace humor gave way to over-the-top slapstick, and the show really missed Michael Scott. However, the writers surprisingly pulled it together with an almost perfect finale.
While the last couple of seasons of The Office weren’t as good as earlier ones, the series finale was a satisfying conclusion. However, looking back after more than ten years, it’s clear that the finale has some noticeable problems and could have been even better.
It’s Impossible To Watch The Finale Without Crying
Okay, seriously, rewatching the finale of The Office is just brutal. No matter how many times I’ve seen it, I always end up crying. It doesn’t even matter what part it is – whether it’s Andy’s sweet speech about the good old days, Pam taking down her painting, or even Michael showing everyone pictures of his kids, something in that last episode just gets to me and I’m a mess by the time the credits roll. It’s guaranteed tears, every single time!
Many series finales follow a pattern. If a show is generally dark and pessimistic, like Seinfeld or The Sopranos, the finale usually reflects that. But if the show is uplifting and heartwarming, such as The Office, Schitt’s Creek, or The Good Place, the finale often aims for an emotional, tear-jerking conclusion. The Office certainly delivers on that front. Pam’s speech about the documentary crew finding beauty in everyday life is a perfect way to end the series, and if it doesn’t move you to tears, you’re remarkably stoic.
Some Of The Cameos Feel Shoehorned In
Like many series finales, the last episode of The Office features returns from familiar faces. For instance, Michael’s former girlfriend, Carol, shows up as Jim and Pam’s real estate agent. However, some of these appearances feel forced and unnecessary.
The episode ends with two quick scenes of lap dances that serve only to unexpectedly bring back two minor characters. Dwight receives a dance from Elizabeth, the entertainer he mistakenly thought he was ordering snacks from at Bob Vance’s bachelor party years earlier, and Angela gets a dance from Meredith’s son, who once visited the office for Take Your Daughter to Work Day.
It Copies The Format Of The Original Office Finale
The last episode of the American version of The Office closely follows the structure of the original British series’ finale. Both shows ended with a special episode that wrapped up each character’s story and hinted at what happened next. Like the British finale—a Christmas special created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant—the American version used a “Where Are They Now?” format, presented as a documentary being filmed a year after the events of the series.
The final episode of the American Office follows the same structure as the original British version. The documentary crew revisits the characters several months later, now that they’ve become minor celebrities. Dwight, mirroring Gareth, is now the manager, and Jim and Pam, like Tim and Dawn, achieve a satisfying conclusion to their story. Just as the series finale mirrored the pilot, it used that earlier episode as a blueprint.
Erin’s Reunion With Her Birth Parents Is A Bit Sappy
As a big fan of The Office, I definitely felt a little emotional during the finale, but some moments felt a bit…forced. The biggest example for me was Erin finally meeting her birth parents. They’d spent seasons establishing how sad her childhood was, the fact she grew up in foster care without a family, and then it was all wrapped up way too quickly. It felt like they were just trying to pull at our heartstrings instead of letting that moment breathe and feel genuine.
The episode delivers a very sweet, almost overly sentimental moment when Erin meets her birth mother, and immediately repeats it with her biological father. They share a heartwarming hug, and the scene feels neatly wrapped up with a happy ending. However, it’s a bit too dramatic and feels more like something you’d see on a soap opera than a comedy.
Weddings Are An Overdone Series Finale Trope
While the final episode of The Office is excellent, it relies on a familiar trope for series finales: a big wedding. The episode is split into two parts: the first shows updates on what the characters are doing now, presented as bonus content for a DVD, and the second focuses on Dwight and Angela’s wedding at Schrute Farms. Using a wedding to wrap up a show with popular characters is a common plot device, though it’s rare to see one take place on a beet farm!
Many popular TV shows, including Frasier, Happy Days, Schitt’s Creek, Jane the Virgin, Desperate Housewives, and The Righteous Gemstones, have ended their series with a wedding. Fuller House even featured a triple wedding in its final episode, and The Crown also concluded with a wedding. This is a common way to end a show because it brings all the characters together and symbolizes a fresh start.
Jim & Pam’s Ending Is Ultimately Pretty Sad
During a fan event, some viewers criticized Pam for not being as outwardly romantic as Jim, despite the fact that Jim often made big decisions for her disguised as grand gestures. This pressure leads Pam to agree to sell their house and move to Philadelphia so Jim can pursue his unrealistic dream job in sports marketing at a company called Athlead. While presented as a happy ending, this situation is actually quite disheartening.
During the Q&A, some fans made Pam feel bad for convincing Jim to leave his job in Philadelphia, feeling it ruined his ambitions. However, many viewers remember how that job at Athlead actually changed Jim for the worse – he became distant, ignored his family, and hurt Pam. Because of that, the idea of him returning to Athlead and uprooting the kids again isn’t appealing. When you look back at it, Jim and Pam’s story ends on a rather sad note.
It’s particularly disheartening to revisit the series finale after watching everything again, because the awful events surrounding Athlead are still very clear in your mind. It’s easy to picture Jim repeating the same errors, but this time without any hope of fixing his relationship.
Michael’s Return Is A Reminder That He Carried The Show
The producers of The Office successfully kept Steve Carell’s return a secret, making Michael Scott’s appearance in the finale a delightful surprise. After two seasons of episodes without him, seeing Michael again was a welcome—though somewhat sad—reminder of how much he drove the show’s humor. It really highlighted how funny The Office was with him as its lead, and how much the show lost in its final two seasons without his character.
Michael instantly gets the biggest laugh of the episode with just four words. After being surprised to see Michael, Dwight says, “I can’t believe you came,” and Michael perfectly responds with, “That’s what she said.” Michael’s return completes the story of The Office, but also makes it clear the show didn’t really work without him.
Read More
- Gold Rate Forecast
- What is Omoggle? The AI face-rating platform taking over Twitch
- Scientology speedrun trend escalates as viewers map out Hollywood facility
- Japanese Coast Guard rescue a “lone flamingo” that was lost at sea
- Man pulls car with his manhood while on fire to raise awareness for prostate cancer
- Beyond Traditional Risk Metrics: Forecasting Market Volatility with Bayesian Networks
- How To Grow Money Trees In Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- The Boys Confirm Why People Still Look Up to Homelander
- Audible opens first ‘bookless bookstore’ in New York
- Outer Range: The Underrated Western Sci-Fi Series That’s Aging Well
2026-05-10 00:01