Office Friends

This is something that has perplexed me in the show. Why isn't Ryan better friends with Jim and Pam or at least Jim. Here's my reasoning for it. First off and probably the most obvious reason for this is that they all seem to be about the same age. Secondly, it seems like Jim and him would get along so well. There are other reasons for my thinking.

They all share the same hatred for their job and in that type of work atmosphere usually there's a bond that forms between people in this sense. Pam and Jim are a prime example. However, they also have the hotts for each other. That might take away from the crediblity of their friendship and maybe dismissed as mild flirting. Nevertheless, the commonality that they share still proves somewhat true to this theory.

Looking into their personalities, these three characters also have similar senses of humor. Jim and Pam once again have fine tuned their minds to operate on the same level whereas Ryan doesn't quite get the joke or ignores it butwill still instigate or participate in a few zingers in opportune moments. For example, when the old boss died and Michael had the grief seminar and he made everyone share a moment where someone close to them dies, Ryan pulled out the Lion King reference and Pam also ran with it. This further proves the potiential for a friendship.

Outside of work, Ryan didn't hang out with them (and there is really no evidence that Jim and Pam hangout but there has been a few things mentioned that lean that way) but at after work functions and parties, Ryan would be seen kind of hanging around them. At the dundee's (sp?) for exampe, Jim and Ryan sit together. He also goes to Jim's party. I think that in another instance, I saw them together at one point during the Booze Cruise.

Ryan also dates Kelly. His relationship with her is a reflection on his life there at Dunner-Mifflin. Mainly, this comes from his entrance as a temp. Not really having a choice as to where he would go in his occupational endeavor, he is stuck at D-M. Now, after he is offered the sales position there, he decides to stick with it, probably seeing it as a bridge to the start of his own business. Just like his in his relationship with Kelly, they hook up and he tries to break up with her, but in the end he sticks with it because it's essentially all he has right now.

Not to say that Kelly isn't fun, she doesn't seem to fit the criteria of Jim, Pam, and Ryan. I know that they all get along with her, Jim the least, but for the most part they talk pretty often. Kelly also is in their age group, however, she doesn't seem as if she would connect well with Jim and Pam which suprises me that Ryan is dating her.

Ryan is a pretty serious person though. When he does work, he takes what he does seriously and doesn't like to let things come in between him and his work. This can be seen on numerous occasions though. All his talks about business school, and his dominant attitude toward Jim's old desk durning the Stamford/Scranton merger. He is also very ambitious and has this eagerness to learn. I don't think that he does much outside of work. This is might what separtate him from Jim and Pam.

With all of this, this is my analysis of this situation. Ryan went to college to study business. While in college he probably did a lot of goofin off. He said he was in a frat and knows how to down a beer or a carbomb. This is also where the fun side of his personality was formed. He had fun in college and after graduating, he decided to get his act together. Being in the real world persuing real jobs probably made him grow up. Many aspects of his college life come out every now and then in but he keeps that at a minimal. Jim and Pam never went to school from my understanding (this could be very wrong and it is a bold statement, please correct me if it is). Therefore they did not get to experience the fun and sophmoric attitude that people get to have in college, hence the shananagans. While Ryan is past that stage in his life, Pam and Jim are still some what in it. This attitude with Jim maybe changing shortly though....

"If you are a racist, I will attack you with the north..." - Michael Scott

I didn't like his hair in the first seaon. I'm glad they changed it.

For the first real entry in this blog, I feel as if it should be about Michael Scott since he is a staple, if not the most important character in the show. Michael Scott is played by Steve Carell. Funny guy. He started his career on TV by playing smaller roles on various shows, one of which was "The Dana Carvey" show. Then, he got a boost in his career by being a correspondent to Jon Stewart on the "Daily Show". It was from here that you might remember him after he played another news anchor/weather man in the film "Anchorman". The lovable, yet idiotic character of "Brick" was loved by many and some even think to out-stage Will Farrell. From here his career blossomed even more by being in the "40 yr. Old virgin" and finally running Dunder Mifflin's Scranton branch.

Looking more into the show, the character of Michael Scott based on the the character of David Brent, played by creator Ricky Gervais, from the original show from the U.K. In the defining season 1, the American version of the show was very heavily tied to the same themes, scripts, and motifs of the British version. Michael Scott's first impression to the viewer was that of a boss that not only seemed irresponsible but also immature. The same followed for David Brent. However, as the seasons progressed, Steve Carell made Michael Scott differ than that of David Brent.

With the same idea for this character in mind, both shows have a patriarchal figure head that is inept to a basic interaction between his subordinates and himself in this environment. The demeanor of Michael is in a sense more "goofy" and "awkward" where as David is seen more as "frustrating" and "a hardass". However, the traits of these two characters are interchangeable where one will embody the other. Interestingly enough, as said by Steve Carell in the commentary of the first season, "I actually did not watch any [episodes] of the British version" (Season 1). From this perspective, the idea of having the same character being played by another person is visible. The commonalities between the two are highly evident. The differences come in where Carell defines Michael Scott to be his own.

With Michael's immaturity, the element for conflict is highly evident. The sophmoric antics that he plays in the office do not go over well most of the time. The reasoning for this behavior stems to his childhood as the viewer is exposed to it in the episode entitled "Take your daughter to work day", he shows the kids that come to visit a video of him as a child on a children's television show. The show's host, Edward R. Meow says to young Michael, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Michael replies, "I want to be married and have a hundred kids so I'll have a hundred friends and no one can say no to being my friend" (Season 2). The interactions between him and the kids in that episode are also very endearing. He bonds well with Toby's daughter and is able to connect with all of the kids. In a way, his immaturity is what draws kids to him. Along with this, the workers also see a more vulnerable side of Michael where they have somewhat of an emotional to him. It can be concluded that a majority of Michael's social awakwardness stems from his childhood.

As much as he is immature, his ability to have two women interested in him still baffels many. (To be continued...)

"That's what she said....Or he said."

Welcome. This is my blog about "The Office". I didn't used to watch TV but upon entering my junior year of college, I have found myself more immersed in this box that emits cathode rays. (Do they still do that?) One of the shows that I watch very adamantly is of course "The Office".

Now, as I do have what I would like to think a well sculpted sense of humor, I do not intend for this to be a comical blog however a few random jokes may appear here and there. The main reason for this blog is that I feel that I could write an essay on this show. And not just one aspect of it but I feel as if there is so much to this show and what goes on in it that I could write a whole collection of essays and put them in a book. ( What is that...an Anthology?) But whatever it is that I want to do, I have come to the realization that the internet is a wonderful tool to help me convey what's on my mind. So feel free to rebut, compliment, make fun, and go bananas to this blog.


P.S. - I don't actually think anyone's going to read this.
P.P.S. - I just spell checked this thing and it doesn't know the word "blog".