If you’re gearing up for a night in and find yourself scrolling through the sea of shows Netflix overwhelmed by your options, let this little plug for one of my favorites help you make a decision:
The Office, beneath its painfully dry sense of humor and layers of awkwardness, speaks to some very real aspects of humanity. On mainstream Television, its hard to find something that shows us what life is really like. But amidst its unique humor, The Office give us a very honest picture of life—something that is very hard to find in entertainment.
I’m not claiming that The Office is a profound work of art—it’s just a TV show. But it does take a genuine look at a few aspects of life in a way that is significantly less glamorized, romanticized, or sexualized than that of other shows. Between laughs, I noticed a few things that I really like about The Office.
People Are Weird
You may not own a beat farm, value your cats above all else, or have an unhealthy obsession with your alma mater, but chance are, you’re a little weird yourself. No matter where you go, even if its in the dullest office imaginable, people are messed up. People are weird, quirky, and unique—but sometimes it’s those little quirks that are important.
Friendships Take Effort
On a similar note, the office gives us a good example of what friendship looks like. In the end, the employees at Dunder Mifflin were pals because they stuck it out until the end. Friends aren’t always exactly who you want them to be, but all friendships take work. Your friends may not be the people who are exactly like you and they might even make you a little uncomfortable or say wildly inappropriate things, but The Office reminds us how that’s okay.
Relationships Aren’t Glamorous
Ah, Jim and Pam: arguably one of the most lovable TV couples. But why? Because they’re so, well, human. They are human in a very real, honest, and regular way. Relationships on the screen are often depressingly glamourized, but Jim and Pam have one of the more realistic relationships I have seen so far.
Boring Is Okay And There Is Beauty In The Ordinary
In a culture that always tells us to stand out, The Office told us something very different—that it is okay to be normal and that your life doesn’t have to be grandiose and exciting in order to be meaningful.
These are the truths that the show leaves you with. It reminds us that there is something meaningful, valuable, and beautiful in the simplicity of normal life. The show concludes with Pam’s final line, “There’s a lot of beauty in ordinary things. Isn’t that kind of the point?”
Also, Let's Just Take A Minute To Appreciate Dwight Schrute In All His Glory
