I watched the entire series of The Office and the Christmas special exactly nine years ago, the same year I joined the corporate world. My timing could not have been better because already one year in, I had already become familiar - and annoyed - with the politics of the corporation and its more offensive personalities. Sooner or later, everyone in the corporate world ends up having a coworker like one at Wernham-Hogg, whether it be the team lead who is masculine in a way that proves he's insecure about his own masculinity and who wields what little power he has like a despotic king's scepter (Gareth), the sexist, condescending braggart who is unfairly successful with the ladies (Chris Finch) or of course the incompetent manager who would rather be popular than good and who hides his incompetence with pretension (David Brent). All of the series' situations are also genuine, especially the awkward, strained Christmas and year-end celebrations, the pointless staff appraisal sessions and the useless training class, which is the centerpiece of "Training," my favorite episode. While reliving my least favorite corporate experiences made me wince, I laughed until my sides hurt at the same time, which explains The Office's reputation for popularizing cringe comedy. Still, despite the series' damning depiction of the workplace, at its core lies a big heart. You can see it in the way the show cares for Tim and Dawn, Wernham-Hogg's lone beacons of sanity and would-be romantic couple, but you really see it in how David Brent, the source of the series' most cringe-worthy moments, becomes the man you root for in the end. By providing the perfect outlet for my frustrations with the corporate world while making me not regret my decision to join it in the truest, most funny way possible, I easily rank The Office as my favorite TV show of all time.
Review of The Office
