Goodbye Michael

Michael Scott, that is. You may recognize the name - as its become oddly household - from the venerable series The Office (US, of course). I wrote a few months back about the series, and may have mentioned how it's gone into a steady decline but the fact of the matter is, I still watch it every week, and it's typically the first of the Thursday night NBC shows I take in. I skip 30 Rock now because it's aging way too fast and doesn't seem to be on track anymore, and I save Parks and Recreation because it is by far my favourite show on television and I want to savor the moment. The Office is pretty dependable in that you can't expect much from it anymore, and it's decent for a laugh or two. Plus, it's almost the end of the seventh season and you can't help but feel attached to these characters, as wretched as they are.

So Steve Carrell decides to leave the show; this is news that is not so much anymore. What is surprising is that his final episode wasn't the last of the season, or even the series. There's three more to go, and presumably an entire season afterwards. This seems hard to believe as the entire premise of the show was built on the boss' ignorance and social awkwardness. But over the years, the shtick can't be maintained and the writers made him into a good guy, albeit pretty clueless. But starting in the second season they drop the first hint that this guy is actually good at what he does. They detonate that bomb in the final episode as he hands over their top ten clients to one of the salesmen (who is the worst salesmen, so the character stays true to his clueless nature). And you have to think for one second: Scott is the best salesman at the company: he's been handling the top accounts all this time; you see glimpses of his brilliance in various episodes and hints dropping here and there - he was top salesman at the company two years in a row - and begin to realize his absence must not be taken lightly. On that topic, they bring in a completely ridiculous manager, played by Will Farrell, to really pound in Michael's "brilliance" and to let you know that yes, it can get worse, much worse.

One of the things that I've enjoyed about the series was it's lack of "event" episodes; that is, until Jim and Pam got married. The entire sixth season was full of hour long specials, making you realize you've lost the series you once loved. Before, episodes really put into the spotlight the mundane aspects of office life and it was funny. You had ongoing romantic tensions, but nothing that stood out: the series was a slow burner. It's a testament that you can put on a random episode and be involved right away. I'm sure there were more problems, and I feel like the seventh season has been bringing the series back to relevancy. There's been a few duds here and there, but for the most part it continues on and like I said, I'm glued to it every week.

I was going to question why the show would go on after Michael's departure but I want to keep it focused on the departure itself. I hope I'm not spoiling anything here (this should go up a full week after airing) for you, but be warned. His leaving scenes couldn't be any more well done, and is perfect. He is leaving to live with Holly as she takes care of her aging parents; he loves the company but knows and doesn't question his love for her. When she was first introduced seasons ago, they immediately had the perfect ending to the series (or his character, as it is). As he constantly tries to find true love in all the wrong places, you can't help but feel bad for him as you imagine a life of loneliness. And he leaves for all the reasons we would leave to, no matter how much you love your job; it's perhaps one of the few times we can relate to this character and specifically feel happy for him.

Others feel the same way, as Jim admits he's the best boss he's ever had. Jim has tried taking on leadership roles a few times throughout the show, only to fail time and again. Michael leaves with Jim's respect and an invite to lunch, something Michael has been after forever as he idolizes Jim; but he doesn't need to idolize him any longer. Throughout all the "horrible" things Michael has done you step back and realize he's what the office actually needed: someone who is there for them (in his own way), dependable yet unpredictable: you never know what you're going to see on your way into work. There were a few other great moments as well, including the removal of the mic. It's one of those rare glimpses into the premise of the show, as Michael asks the cameraman to let him know if it ever goes to air. I got a chill, thinking that we've been watching the past all this long as the show's seven years of filming has been going through editing, marketing and distribution to get it onto our sets. For half a second you can believe that everything you've witnessed has happened.

It will be interesting to see the next few episodes, and the next season. There will be a huge, gaping hole in the show that I'm not sure can be filled. I hope we don't look back in ten years and think about the terrible ending the series had, as we blame season eight for ruining our memory of an otherwise good show.