Did the show survive without him?
Fellow Office fans, I encourage you to bear with me for this one. Fan of the show or not, almost everyone knows of the notorious Michael Scott; the disaster-prone, yet hysterical boss of the popular mockumentary who left the show in season seven. After his departure, many critics dubbed the show as “unfunny” and “ruined”, and many stopped watching altogether. However, I’d like to offer a new perspective on why seasons eight and nine weren’t as bad as the majority claims that they were.
I would like to start out by saying that I do think in the early seasons, the show would not have succeeded without Michael. By season eight however, the other characters had developed to a point where the show could survive without its shining star. The characters that had mostly supporting roles in the show got to come out of their shell and have more major parts in the episodes. We also got to see the relationships between some unlikely characters develop further, such as that of Dwight/Pam and Dwight/Jim. Of course, nothing beats the original squad, but I do think the dynamic remained even with the leader gone.
My next order of business involves the actual content of the show. Without the comedic crutch of Steve Carrell, the writers had to get creative to fill up the space that was usually filled by his character. From the addition of Robert California (whom I loved) to Andy’s rocky road as manager, the show got a bit more complex than it had in the past. It also got a bit more personal, for example the Dwight and Angela saga, or the marital troubles of Jim and Pam. These details added more substance to the plot of the series and kept my attention throughout the parts that didn’t run as smoothly without Michael to guide them.
Seasons eight and nine of The Office were not the best of the series, nor were they even as good as the preceding seasons. I think they were salvageable although different, and nonetheless, still very enjoyable to watch. The added depth to the characters and plot lines made for an entertaining way to close out the show, and the return of Michael in the season finale really finished it off right. So, before you give up on the Dunder Mifflin crew for good, I hope you consider this long and hard. (That’s what she said).
