One of the most common answers to “what’s your favorite Netflix show?” tends to be The Office. Of course, it is a hilarious classic and an easy way to pass time, but few can say they’ve rewatched the entire series upwards of 100 times. While I haven’t kept count, I highly doubt that number is an exaggeration.
I must admit the first time I ever watched the show, I thought Michael Scott made way too many offensive jokes for me to enjoy. Yet, I somehow ended up always having the show playing in the background as I did other work and have not gotten sick of it in years. There’s always something new to notice no matter how many times you’ve watched the same episode. The Office introduced and developed many crucial themes relevant to real life and relationships over its nine seasons.
- Commitment issues
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Ryan and Kelly start their on and off relationship early in the show, yet never seem to get it quite right. Ryan is clearly unhappy in their relationship and blatantly avoids Kelly the majority of the time, but still always comes crawling back to her. In the last episode, he supposedly claims to have mastered commitment as they run off into the sunset together. Who knows if he actually sticks to it this time?
- Emotionally abusive relationships
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Michael and Jan’s relationship was clearly a rocky one to say the least. Michael expresses his complete lack of control over the relationship multiple times. Jan uses Michael countless times, such as when she moves in with him after losing her job. The breaking point is during their intense fight involving breaking glass in the Dinner Party episode.
- Friendship evolutions
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The most endearing scenes for avid watchers involve Dwight showing immense character development. He is far from a normal guy and the beginning of the show is centered around Jim pranking him. In later seasons, Dwight shows his love for his friends, especially Jim and Pam, in odd ways, like hitting Jim out of the building because Dwight was upset Jim was leaving the party early in the Dwight Christmas episode.
- No fairytale endings
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Jim and Pam may very well be the most iconic Netflix couple out there. Their love story is a whirlwind and one that many people follow giddily. The boldest plot twist of the show is the turbulence of their married relationship in season nine. Even a couple that many people idealize is portrayed as having major issues after getting married because things are never just easy and perfect.
While the Office touches on sensitive subjects such as racism and sexism throughout with Michael’s inappropriate jokes, it’s apparent that rarely anyone else in the show is comfortable with his remarks. Although these toxic relationship themes are not completely resolved, they shed light on the fact that in society, almost everyone goes through issues not seen on the surface. The Office is much more than a comedy and it has a lot to offer and teach.