The 10 Best Reasons to watch Parks and Recreation

I’ve watched Parks and Recreation countless times and it never gets old. What makes it stand out is the amazing ensemble of characters that we can’t stop watching. This is a credit to both the writers and the actors who are brilliant at bringing our ten main characters to life. I think the reason they work so well is because their comedic roles are not set in stone. Depending on the scene, any character could be the “straight man”, reacting to the absurdity around them. It’s a rotating position, because they are all flawed, relatable people who all get their turn at being crazy in their own way. They fit so well together, because they all need each other. There’s an admirable loyalty among them. Without a doubt, our ten main characters are the ten best reasons to watch Parks and Recreation. Lets take a look.

Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope

1. Leslie Knope (played by Amy Poehler)

Leslie is the Deputy Director of the Parks department in the fictional city of Pawnee, Indiana. Her intense ambition and work ethic not only drives the plot of the show, but also unites the rest of her team to work together. Whether she’s working to fill in a pit or running for City Council, it’s Leslie’s goals that bring everyone in, including us as the audience. This may seem self-centered, but to balance it out, Leslie has a supernatural ability to care about her friends and her town. She has a unique and special bond with each character. The amount of time and effort she puts into every aspect of her life is at times cartoonishly unrealistic, but that’s what makes her rootable. She’s the Energizer Bunny that keeps on giving.

Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson

2. Ron Swanson (played by Nick Offerman)

Ron is a government hating Libertarian, who ironically is the Director of the Parks department. Since he doesn’t care about his job, he has plenty of time to follow his passions, such as woodworking, alcohol, and eating any meat he can get his bare hands on. The thing about Ron is that although he is tough and seemingly fearless, he rarely exercises his authority. This makes it very effective when he gets serious. One example of this is when he snaps at everyone for being selfish at the Harvest Festival. Underneath his gruff exterior is a soft side that he tries to keep hidden. April summed up Ron best when she compared him to her favorite tree, "It's strong and quiet and always here when you need it.

Rashida Jones as Ann Perkins

3. Ann Perkins (played by Rashida Jones)

Ann is a nurse in Pawnee who meets Leslie in the pilot and the two became near-instant BFFs. I originally viewed Ann as the weakest of our main characters. This is because her initial role seemed to be the rational, sane person who looked down on all the wacky characters. This show didn’t need that role. Things changed around season 3 as Ann becomes someone who seems like they have it all together, but is secretly just as crazy as anyone else. Her dating life is a mess and it doesn’t take much to get her unraveled, so she needs her new Pawnee family. That’s when Ann becomes so relatable. When she and Leslie get into a drunken fight at the Snake Hole Lounge, I remember thinking “Ok, Ann is fun to watch all of a sudden”.

Adam Scott as Ben Wyatt

4. Ben Wyatt (played by Adam Scott)

Ben came in during the season 2 finale as a financial specialist to fix Pawnee’s budget crisis. Initially Ben was very cold and harsh, but as he becomes familiar with Leslie and her team, he is able to let his guard down. Underneath he’s a sweet guy who turns out to be the perfect match for Leslie. He takes his work seriously, but he is still a full-on nerd, obsessing over things like Game of Thrones and Calzones. Coming in as an outsider to Pawnee, Ben is also able to react to the town’s unique quirks the way the audience might. When everyone is freaking out over the mini horse, Lil Sebastian, Ben says what we were all thinking, “I don’t get it”. Ben’s the sensible one who could do your taxes, while rocking his Batman suit.

Aubrey Plaza as April Ludgate

5. April Ludgate (played by Aubrey Plaza)

April is the seemingly apathetic intern of the Parks department. Her personality is very similar to Ron, who often acts as her father-figure. Like Ron, she pretends to hate everything and tries to hide her inner soft-side with her hard, sarcastic outer shell. April has a very dark, strange sense of humor and isn’t afraid to be weird. We start to see beyond her apathetic attitude when she starts to develop a crush on Andy. This shows us that there’s definitely two sides to April. While working for Ben, she draws cartoons mocking him, but also scares his interns into respecting him. She’s never going to be the bubbly, perky, happy girl, but she can use her frightening intensity for good when the situation calls for it.

Chris Pratt as Andy Dwyer

6. Andy Dwyer (played by Chris Pratt)

Andy is by far my favorite character.  Everything he says is comedy gold! Andy starts out as Ann’s inconsiderate boyfriend, but soon transitions into being a lovable, dumb goofball. Basically, he’s an adult who doesn’t know how to be an adult. He has a frightening lack of knowledge when it comes to practical things like jobs, money, and personal safety. Through all of this, he has an eternal optimism that is very admirable. No matter how big of a mess his life is, Andy’s happy as long as he has April and his music. He’s also extremely loyal and kind. Andy is not the guy to count on to get work done correctly, but he is the guy to count on to always be ready and eager to help.

Aziz Ansari as Tom Haverford

7. Tom Haverford (played by Aziz Ansari)

Tom technically works for the Parks department, but if asked, he’d say he’s an entrepreneur. He’s always got some big idea to chase fame and fortune, whether it be an entertainment company or an Italian restaurant. His extreme ambition is matched by his taste for expensive things and his confident swagger. Tom can at times be self-centered and inconsiderate, but he often gets out of trouble with his charm. That being said, there are also times when he uses his charm to help his coworkers, like when he was able to convince business owners to support the Harvest Festival. Underneath his swagger, Tom is good guy who dreams big and wants to make a name for himself.

Rob Lowe as Chris Traeger

8. Chris Traeger (played by Rob Lowe)

Chris comes to Pawnee with Ben at the end of season 2 and eventually becomes City Manager. He is LITERALLY, the most positive person in the entire world. (The overuse of the word “literally” is a Chris Traeger trademark.) At first, he is a one note character, with his physical health and extreme positivity being pretty much all there is to him. He’s so intense that his attitude seems fake until he goes out of his way to help people he literally just met. Minutes after meeting him, Chris talks Andy through relationship issues simply because he could tell Andy was a good person. There is no half-way with Chris. He jumps into everything he does and goes above and beyond with a huge smile on his face.

Jim O'Heir as Jerry Gergich

9. Jerry Gergich (played by Jim O’Heir)

Jerry (also known as Garry, Larry, and Terry) has worked in the Pawnee Parks department for over 30 years and is almost always the butt of the joke. He often unites people by giving them someone to make fun of when he farts, spills something, mixes up his words, or basically makes any mistake. This may sound mean, but Jerry is a good sport about it and is extremely resilient. He also seems to love doing the boring, tedious work that everyone else hates doing. Interestingly, whenever we get a glimpse of Jerry’s life outside of work, he’s easily the most content. He has a shockingly gorgeous wife, loving daughters, and he is an extraordinarily talented painter. People may mock him, but no one is as happy as Jerry.

Retta as Donna Meagle

10. Donna Meagle (played by Retta)

Donna is the backbone of the Parks department. She gets things done and never apologizes for being herself. Donna is a perfect mix of her coworkers. She has the confidence and style of Tom with the sensibility he lacks. She has the diligence of Jerry without being accident-prone. Donna is often the one to come to the rescue when things are a mess. Who got Ben out of a funk by dragging him to the mall for a shopping spree? Who had a system backup when April accidentally deleted everything? Who taught Ann how to flirt with guys when she was freaking out about dating? Who drove everyone home when they were all wasted on Snake Juice? The answer to all of these is Donna Meagle. Don’t mess with her.

Girl Meets World, does it hold up?

 

Cory and his family in Boy Meets World

In recent years, a pattern has emerged where old TV Shows are being revived left and right. Full House, Roseanne, Gilmore Girls, Will and Grace, That’s So Raven, and Arrested Development to name a few. Every time, the same question gets asked, “How does it hold up to the original?” Well, I’m going to tackle that question about one of my revived favorites. Boy Meets World, aired on ABC from 1993 to 2000. It centered around the life of young Cory Matthews as he grew up with his friends and family. In 2014, this world was brought back with Girl Meets World, which aired on Disney Channel. In this series, we see the next generation of Matthews. Cory and Topanga are now the parents of two children. There's Riley Matthews, this show's "Cory", who is our main character. They also have a younger son, Auggie, in a role similar to Cory's little sister, Morgan on Boy Meets World. The family somewhat mirrors the original Matthews family, minus the older sibling character. (Sorry, Eric!)

Cory and his family in Girl Meets World

Comparing the two shows is tricky. For fans like myself, Boy Meets World has the nostalgia factor. We remember watching it as kids and we’ve loved these characters for over 20 years. It’s hard to compete with that kind of history. We also have to take the networks into account. Boy Meets World originally aired on ABC’s TGIF lineup. This meant that although it was a goofy, family-friendly show, they were able to tackle more serious topics. Over the show’s seven seasons, we saw them deal with issues of alcoholism, sex, cults, and even the tragic death of Shawn’s father. It didn’t always pander to a young audience. In contrast, Girl Meets World aired on Disney Channel. Although, they had some serious moments, the subject matter was much more watered down and G-rated. So, how do we begin to fairly critique this revival?

George Feeny (Left) and Cory Matthews (Right)

In the interest of ending on a positive note, I’ll start off with my criticisms of Girl Meets World. Right off the bat, we have the role of Cory Matthews. In addition to being Riley’s father, Cory is also her teacher, making him this show’s “Feeny.” They tried so hard to pull off that comparison. Cory was the teacher with the heart of gold who tried to teach the students about life. It was a nice idea, but they forgot what made George Feeny a great character, authority and actual teaching. Feeny cared about the students, but he also wouldn’t shy away from giving out detention or a stern lecture about his disappointment. We also saw him teach actual subject-matter and be a real teacher. In contrast, Cory never had control of his classroom. The students would often take over the class with their personal issues, and Cory’s response was “Yeah, Ok”, and he would simply abandon any plans for actually teaching. This show could have used some real authority.

Topanga in Boy Meets World vs. Girl Meets World

Then we have Topanga. In Boy Meets World, Topanga was a force to be reckoned with. She wasn’t just there to be Cory’s love interest, she took control of her life and no one messed with her. Not only was she a straight-A student, but she was often the group’s moral compass, voice of reason, and authority figure. Topanga was the perfect contrast to the goofy, neurotic, non-threatening Cory Matthews, which made them one of TV’s greatest relationships. Fast forward to Girl Meets World and Topanga is basically a side-character, often limited to minor B-Stories about her son, Auggie. Sure, we got a few moments of "Fierce-Topanga", but not nearly enough. She’s a victim of what I call “The Disney Channel Parent Syndrome.” Most Disney Channel shows focus on the kids, because that’s who the audience relates to. The parents in these shows rarely get character development, they’re just there. This would be fine in a new show with a new mom, but not for our beloved Topanga.

Shawn bonds with Maya

The perfect middle ground for my review is the Boy Meets World cameos. Over the course of the show, several familiar faces popped up here and there. These appearances were hit and miss for me. Some of them felt very natural, like when Cory’s parents, Amy and Alan came to visit for Christmas. Some were even used to help progress the new characters, such as Cory’s brother, Eric being summoned to help mend a friendship or former-bully Harley Keiner helping out when Farkle is being picked on. Of course the best return was Shawn Hunter. They used him perfectly, because not only did they have a great Cory and Shaw reunion, but they made him a father figure to Riley’s best friend, Maya. Shawn related to Maya’s story, because it was so similar to his own, making them a great pair. On the other hand, some of the original character cameos felt forced and unnecessary. Angela suddenly shows up just to get Shawn’s advice about having kids. Jack show’s up just to have a quick moral lesson from Eric and crash a junior high dance. Minkus is revealed to be Farkle’s father, but nothing comes of that. I understand the nostalgia, but in my opinion, if there’s not a good reason to bring someone back, then don’t.

Maya Hard (Left) and Riley Matthews (Right)

Alright, I think it’s time for some positivity. I think this show was at its best when it wasn’t trying to bombard us with Boy Meets World nostalgia and focus on its own characters. There are times when we can forget for a moment that this show is a revival. I enjoyed the friendship dynamics in this show. Most notable is the relationship between Riley and Maya. It’s one of those classic friendships that works even though they’re so different. Riley is positive, perky, generous, and a bit naïve to the harsh realities of the world. Maya is independent, cynical, sarcastic, and has trust issues from her non-ideal family life. Looking at these characters on paper, you’d think that Maya would be the bully who would mock or pick on Riley, but instead, they would do anything for each other. Sure, it gets cheesy at times, but they do a very good job at selling it. I also think it’s worth mentioning that Sabrina Carpenter, who plays Maya is hands-down one of the best actors on this show.

L-R: Zay, Lucas, Farkle, Smackle, Riley, and Maya

In addition to Riley and Maya’s friendship, Girl Meets World also excels at the old Disney Channel standard, which is having a solid friend-group. Aside from the girls, this group consists of handsome moral compass Lucas, kind-hearted nerd Farkle, wise-cracking comic relief Zay, and socially awkward yet intelligent Smackle. This dynamic is great because it works with both the serious and goofy moments. On the one hand we have things like the group making a spontaneous road trip to Texas with Lucas. On the other hand, this group rallied around both Farkle and Riley at times when they were being bullied. It’s the sense of this tight-knit group that draws us in as the audience, because we feel like we’re a silent member of this little family.

Overall, I think Girl Meets World is best thought of as its own show. As much as I love Boy Meets World, the styles and maturity levels are too different, which is why a lot of people disliked the show. The small nods and throw-backs are fun in the moment, but are often distracting. They pull us out of this world of new characters that we’re following. As I mentioned earlier, the best integration of Boy Meets World was Shawn, because it added to the compelling story of Maya slowly learning to let her guard down and allow herself to hope. It’s those kind of storylines that kept me watching. If you go into it with an open mind, I think you’ll find that it’s better than a lot of current Disney Channel shows.

Top 10 Episodes of the Office (10, 9, 8)

My Top 10 (Non-Disqualified) Episodes of the Office

The Office! This is my favorite TV Show of all time, which is saying a lot. There are so many hilarious actors that you could put any two characters together and they’ll find a way to make it funny. Over the course of 9 seasons there are 201 episodes (if you count double-length episodes as two). I decided to give a snap shot of The Office by picking out 10 episodes that showcase why I love this show so much.

 

Disqualified Episode: Dinner Party

I also wanted my Top 10 List to be distinct from all of the other lists you might find. There are some very well-known episodes that everyone talks about. I didn’t want to focus on these episodes, because there are so many great episodes in that 201 total. I decided to scour the internet for other lists of great episodes of the Office. I kept track of the lists and I disqualified any episode that I found on 5 or more lists. Not to say that those aren’t great episodes, but I wanted to focus on episodes that might otherwise get over-looked. So I present to you, My Top 10 (Non-Disqualified) episodes of The Office.

Note: Disqualified Episodes consist of Diversity Day, The Dundies, Booze Cruise, The Injury, Casino Night, Gay Witch Hunt, The Convict, Beach Games, The Job, Fun Run, Dinner Party, Goodbye Toby, Stress Relief, Niagara, Threat Level Midnight, Garage Sale, Goodbye Michael, and Finale.

 

#10: After Hours (Season 8, Episode 16) 

 
Favorite Quote:

“Five dots Darryl, are you kidding me?! Ok, three dots means to be continued, four dots is a typo, but five dots means, whoa! Do not make me say what I want to say, but if I did, it would blow your mind, dot dot dot dot dot” – Kelly

 

Dwight prepares to check Jim's bed for bed bugs

I know it might seem crazy to start off with a post-Michael Scott episode, but hear me out. The entire Florida arc in season 8 is gold. As you’ll see a few times in this list, I love episodes that take our characters out of the familiar Dunder Mifflin setting and see how they act in the real world. In this episode, we see how they interact after hours in the hotel. In the lobby, we have Dwight and Todd Packer competing for the butt-kisser of the year award as they try to schmooze their way to a promotion. This is probably the most likable I’ve ever found Packer. Sure, he’s still a jerk, but he’s not being perverted and it’s fun to see him and Dwight keep trying to one-up each other. The other big story is the new girl, Cathy trying to seduce Jim. Of course he’d never cheat on Pam, but he didn’t just turn her down. He put his pranking mind put to good use. Getting rid of a horny woman by convincing Dwight to strip down and fart in your bed is genius! Props to Jim for not only staying loyal, but doing it in a creative way.

 

Darryl and Val react to Brandon's accusations

The B story in this episode also brings its A Game. Everyone back at the office is working late, and their attention is quickly shifted from work to gossiping about Darryl’s personal life. It basically becomes an episode of Maury. It has all the elements: Surprise guests, boyfriend confrontations, explorations of feelings, examining incriminating texts. We even had the audience there to make it more dramatic. I still agree that as a whole, The Office was better with Steve Carell, but episodes like this make the final two seasons watchable. Of course it also helped that Robert California was nowhere to be found.

 

# 9 Crime Aid (Season 5, Episode 5)
 

Favorite Quote:

 “So much for sex without consequences” – Michael

 

Bob Vance and David Wallace bid on Phyllis's hug

Crime Reduces Innocence, Makes Everyone Angry, I Declare. That’s the hilariously stupid acronym that Michael Scott came up with for Crime-Aid. After an office robbery, the employees of Dunder Mifflin put on a charity auction to raise money. This is the perfect opportunity to showcase what our characters can come up with on short notice. Some of the items included Kevin doing your taxes, a CD of Hank the security guard singing the blues, or my personal favorite, Creed. (apparently all-inclusive). It’s like a late night infomercial, I don’t want any of it….but I can’t stop watching it. As ridiculous as it sounds, this auction is also proof of how sweet everyone can be. They were all just trying to help and it ends with a nice moment where David Wallace and Bob Vance end up in a bidding war for a hug from Phyllis. They really do care about each other.

 

Dwight seeks advice from Phyllis

Crime Aid also catches up with 3 of our favorite Office couples in various relationship stages. In the honeymoon stage, we have Michael and Holly. They have such a hard time keeping their hands off each other that the inadvertently caused the robbery by getting frisky and leaving the door unlocked. In the maintaining stage, we have Jim and Pam. Their relationship is tested as they deal with long distance, trust, and paranoia. Finally in the parting stage, we have Dwight and Angela. Unable to accept that it’s over, Dwight seeks advice from Phyllis. I like these stories, because it humanizes these characters. Most people can relate to these relationship stages, which allows us to identify with them. They become more than funny caricatures, they become people.
 

# 8 Michael’s Last Dundies (Season 7, Episode 21)

Favorite Quote:

 “Wow, I do not parent for the award, but I gotta tell you it feels pretty good. Cece if you’re watching this at home, it’s way past your bedtime, by the way how’d this get televised?” – Jim  

Jim accepts his award for Best Dad

You can’t go wrong if you include the Dundies, it’s just a recipe for great TV. We hadn’t seen the Dundies ceremony since the season two primiere, but they’re back! Against all reason, the Dundies are now held in a fancy restaurant and everything that happens cracks me up. DeAngelo co-hosts with Michael, despite having terrible stage fright. Dwight arrives in a full tuxedo and judges everyone’s outfits. Erin decides the best time to break up with Gabe is in public, in front of everyone. Then there’s the actual awards themselves. Jim wins “Best Dad”, so obviously “Best Mom” goes to……..Meredith? Ryan is shocked that he doesn’t win “Hottest in the Office”, although it still goes to a man. It’s never dull when you give Michael Scott creative control. It’s also important to watch carefully as there are a lot of quick lines and background hilarity going on, like Kevin bringing his own crayons to the restaurant.

Michael's Goodbye Song

Unsurprisingly, they all get kicked out and go back to the Dunder Mifflin conference room. This is the part of the episode that all fans remember. This episode is more than just a funny Dundies ceremony. It’s also preparing both the characters and us as the audience for the departure of Michael. Even though he often does stupid stuff and makes their lives difficult, he’s still a part of their family and they’re going to miss him. Everyone breaks into the Goodbye song, where they recount favorite moments and say their goodbyes in song. Even the grumpy characters, like Stanley, Toby, and Angela are singing along with smiles on their faces. If you think about it, it’s Micheael’s last conference room meeting, which I think is very fitting.

 

 

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Top 10 Episodes of The Office (7, 6, 5)

# 7 Back from Vacation (Season 3, Episode 12)

 

Favorite Quote:
 “You’re wrong for me. In every way, but I still find myself wanting to be with you” – Jan
 

Jan confronts Michael

Adjusting back to regular life after a vacation is always difficult. That’s what Michael is dealing with in this episode as he returns from Sandals Resort in Jamaica. He tries to bring the fun, laid back life style into the office with a steel drum and a bad Jamaican accent, much to everyone’s annoyance. Then there’s the photo. Juicy gossip travels at light speed, and even faster if it’s accompanied by an incriminating photo of Michael with a semi-nude Jan in Jamaica. Michael accidentally lets the photo get out and it spreads like wild fire. Suddenly everyone has seen it. According to Toby, nine people, including his ex-wife have emailed him this photo. Michael started the day in vacation mode and ends up running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to hide this photo until Jan finally arrives. Even though they’re all grown adults, the tone is still “oooh, Michael’s in trouble.” The twist ending is that just when we think Jan’s going to rip Michael a new one, she decides to start dating him.

 

Dwight comforts Pam

This episode is also at the point in time when Jim and Pam were still in the “will they, won’t they?” stage. This time it’s Pam’s turn to pine for Jim as he’s dating Karen. The happy couple is fighting about Jim not wanting Karen to move in. Interestingly, we don’t see Jim and Karen fight with each other. Instead, they both talk it through with Pam, who becomes their unwilling counselor.  She talks some sense into Jim, they make up, and everyone’s happy right? Everyone except Pam who is realizing her true feelings for Jim and end up getting comforted by Dwight in an odd yet sweet moment. He didn’t know what was going on, he just knew he had to be a friend.

#6 Office Olympics (Season 2 Episode 3)

 

Favorite Quote:

 “A 30 year Mortgage at Michael’s age essentially means that he’s buying a coffin. If I were buying my coffin, I would get one with thicker walls, so you couldn’t hear the other dead people.” – Dwight

Kevin and Phyllis compete in Flonkerton

Usually it’s Michael who causes the crazy shenanigans that distract everyone from work. In this episode, Michael and Dwight leave to close on Michael’s condo, so naturally everyone should be working hard and being productive, right? Wrong! It turns out, this is the perfect opportunity to see how many fun, wacky games they can come up with. Jim stumbles upon Oscar and Kevin’s paper football game and takes it upon himself to host the very first Office Olympics! There are simple events, such as guessing who will come out of the elevator, and more elaborate events, like Kevin and Phyllis racing with boxes of paper on their feet, otherwise known as "Flonkerton.” This is Jim at his best. He’s having fun and giving everyone at work a pretty good day. He also has his sidekick, Pam who gets creative with the medals and the closing ceremonies. Together, they create a work day that has everyone smiling.

Michael prepares to sign the paperwork on his condo

While all of that is going on, we have Michael and Dwight at the condo. It’s one of many situations where Michael is overwhelmed and way over his head. He didn’t understand the terms of his mortgage, plus he has Dwight pointing out everything from thin walls to carpenter ants. Michael panicks and tries to get out of it and at one point, he even offers to rent the second bedroom to Dwight. This is where we get the first mention of both Mose and Schrute Farms, both of which will become staples of The Office. This just proves that Michael and Dwight can make any situation hilarious.

 

 

 

#5 A.A.R.M. (Season 9, Episodes 22 & 23)

Favorite Quote:

“Dwight listen, no matter what happens, you gotta forget about all the other stuff. You gotta forget about logic, fear and doubt. You just gotta do everything you can to get to the one woman who’s gonna make all this worth it. At the end of the day, you gotta jump. You love Angela, Dwight. I think you always have.” – Jim

 

Jim and Dwight present the A.A.R.M. challenge

Most fans would agree that the series finale is a great episode, but people often overlook this previous episode. We finally see how Dwight runs the office as manager. While there are some quirky changes, like the steam filled security system, things are actually running pretty smoothly. Dwight has even named Jim to be his Assistant Regional Manager. A majority of this episode is Jim pulling one big prank on Dwight. He convinces Dwight that the Assistant Regional Manager also needs an Assistant to the Assistant Regional Manager or A.A.R.M. Basically Jim convinces Dwight to name himself as Jim’s assistant, who is already Dwight’s assistant. What sets this prank apart from others is that he’s not trying to annoy Dwight. Sure, the A.A.R.M. makes no sense, but Jim is having a blast and you can tell that he truly wants Dwight to enjoy being manager. It seems like they’ve finally crossed that line from rivals to friends.

Darry is sent off with a dance party

Jim and Dwight aren’t the only former rivals getting along. Oscar and Angela have also buried the hatchet. Oscar has taken Angela in and has become a second father to her son, Phillip. That’s the beauty of having a double-episode. We’re able to spend more time focusing on multiple different characters instead everyone getting a couple of one-liners. We also follow Andy in his quest to become “America’s Next Acapella Sensation.” A quest that surprisingly ends with Andy wearing old man makeup, crying in front of Aaron Rodgers. On a brighter note, Darryl gets an amazing send-off from Dunder Mifflin as he takes part in a massive going away dance party with the entire staff of Dunder Mifflin.

 

Dwight and Angela are engaged!

In addition, this episode had some important relationship moments as well. Pam is feeling incredibly guilty that Jim left Athlead to stay in Scranton with her. Jim has the documentary crew put together a montage of their relationship. It was the only way he could prove to her that he has no regrets and he really is happy. Jim’s happiness also allows him to help Dwight find his happiness with Angela. After years of a complicated relationship, Dwight finally pops the question and Angela accepts.

 

 

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Top 10 Episodes of the Office (4, 3, 2)

# 4 Happy Hour (Season 6, Episode 21)

 Favorite Quote:

 “You know, it got to the point where keeping it a secret was just too much drama, and I hate drama, so there you go” – Andy

“You love drama” – Erin

 

“I know I do, right? I’m a total drama queen” - Andy

Michael chatting up Donna

Here’s another example of why I love getting the characters out of the office. Lets get them out to a bar and see what happens. The Dunder Mifflin crew goes out for Happy Hour. Pam decides to set Michael up with a friend of theirs and turns it into a double date. The date goes pretty well right up until Michael actually realizes he’s on a date. In true Michael fashion, he sabotages himself by creating another dumb character and acting crazy. He almost gets kicked out of the bar, but somehow ends up hitting it off with the owner, Donna. This is what’s interesting about Michael. He can succeed and do really well at things as long as he doesn’t try so hard. In both sales and dating, Michael has shown to be very competent, providing he stays out of his own way.

 

Like Michael, Andy also gets into his own way in this episode. He’s beginning a relationship with Erin, but is insisting on hiding it due to drama. He does eventually get over himself and they have a good time, which is nice because I really like Andy and Erin as a couple. They’re so weird and quirky, but in a way that compliments each over very well. Aside from the couples, the rest of the crew is also fun to watch in this episode. We have Dwight hitting on Isabel while being followed around by Angela, Oscar trying to be athletic as he tries to impress Matt from the warehouse, and Creed being surprisingly great at Dance Dance Revolution. It’s an episode you can watch with little to know context and just sit back and enjoy.

 

 

#3 Dunder Mifflin Infinity (Season 4, Episodes 3 & 4)

 

Favorite Quote

“Ryan wants everything in our company to be about emails and IMs, but I think he is forgetting about the original instant message, letters attached to baskets of food.” - Michael

Ryan tells Michael to prepare for changes

A lot of things are changing at the Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch. Jim and Pam go public with their relationship. Angela decides to end things with Dwight. Most prominently it’s Ryan’s first time back at the Scranton Branch since being promoted to his corporate Vice President position. Right away, he snaps at Michael, demanding respect as the new boss. That, along with Ryan’s initiatives to update Dunder Mifflin with BlackBerries and the new website scares Michael. Keeping up with new technology was never something Michael had to deal with. He had always been free to do things his own way and that is being threatened. We start to see what can happen when Michael’s insecurity spirals out of control.

 

Michael and Dwight return after crashing in the lake

He starts off small with another pointless conference room meeting, but that doesn’t convince Ryan. Michael tries to prove that the old ways are better by winning back former clients without technology. Once again things don’t go his way. With his back against the wall, the only thing Michael can think to do is to take his car’s GPS instructions too literally and drive directly into a lake, so he can blame technology for something. A lot of people see this as evidence of Michael’s stupidity, but I see it as evidence of Michael’s insecurity. Not only is Ryan suddenly his boss, but he’s changing everything too fast and Michael can’t handle it, which lead to this moment of extreme desperation. I like this episode, because it gives insight into who Michael really is behind all of the “That’s what she said” jokes.

 

 

# 2 Viewing Party (Season 7, Episode 8)

Favorite Quote

“I wanted to eat a pig in a blanket….in a blanket” - Kevin

 

Gabe, Michael, and Erin discuss snacks

It’s interesting to see how your opinions on someone can change when you see them in a new setting. Previously, Gabe was just seen as the creepy, skinny guy who made things awkward at work. The Dunder Mifflin staff is invited to Gabe’s house to watch the latest episode of Glee. When they arrive, it seems like Gabe has his life together. His house is nicely decorated, he can cook, he seems very cultured. All of this intimidates both Michael and Andy, making them very jealous. While Andy is jealous because Gabe and Erin are dating, Michael is jelaous, because people are seeing Gabe as the boss. Michael does everything he can to sabotage the party. He insults Gabe, shuts the cable off, and just acts like a jerk in general. His behavior probably would have gotten worse if Erin hadn’t confronted him. She tells Michael it’s important to her that he and Gabe get along. Michael starts to realize that Erin sees him as a father figure. It’s a sweet moment between Erin and Michael. They’ve always had a special relationship and it’s nice when that can come out.

 

Jim begrudgingly feeds Dwight beer

In addition to having sweet moments, this is also one of the absolute funniest episodes. Andy decides to deal with his jealousy by eating a powdered sea horse, which proves to be a terrible idea. Meanwhile Pam and Jim can’t get Cece to sleep, but guess who can….Dwight. He offers to help, but only if Jim becomes his Pizza slave and feeds him on command. This really goes to show that any amount of power in Dwight’s hands is a dangerous thing. There is a lot going on in this episode, but in a good way. We have three main stories that are all hilarious, along with great little moments from the rest of the crew, all while putting our characters in a new setting.

 

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