Finally, they’re all in the office again, and it all comes to an end. Pam takes a call from the reception desk, a nod to the earlier seasons where Pam used to work as a receptionist and Jim would often look over at her. Everyone sees a clip of Andy doing his speech at Cornell (that lead to him getting a job in the admissions office), and they realize that Andy wasn’t lying, he’s doing well after all.
Pam and Jim let Dwight know that they’re quitting their jobs and moving to Austin, and they have their final goodbyes. Dwight fires them instead so that they can get the severance pay and he lets them know that they will always have a home in his barn if they ever visit. Creed has been apparently living in the office, and once he realizes everyone’s there and he’s found out, he sings for them, before getting arrested by the police and taken away.
When all is said and done, I was very satisfied with the series finale. Everything was resolved spectacularly. Dwight and Angela are married, and they have their own life together in Scranton and Schrute Farms. And Dwight has achieved everything he wanted to all these years. Andy has finally made peace with himself. Everyone thought he wouldn’t make it, everyone kept doubting him (even his dad), and he proved them all wrong in the end. He got where he wanted to be, and redeemed himself completely. Jim and Pam make their big life change and start a new chapter in Austin, and they live it together.
There was no one I felt I needed to know more of, I was ready to leave them all where they were at right now. And I’m sure it made everyone as emotional as Kevin. I also like that at the end, the show left us some things to think about.
By watching the documentary Pam realizes how she took so long to be with Jim when it could’ve all happened sooner, and she hopes people will learn from her mistakes. And like Andy said, “I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days, before you’ve actually left them.” What Creed said was also true, before he got arrested. Humans have a gift to make any place their home, even something as ordinary as a paper company. It’s just a paper company, but the place changed all their lives immensely. What you can take away from this is that ordinary can be good.
My favorite line of the episode though came from Dwight. Does he get along with his co-workers? Well, Meredith is the only one who knows how to headbang properly to Motorhead. Oscar is the godfather of Dwight’s son. Angela is now his wife. Jim Halpert was best man at his wedding. And Pam Beesly is his best friend. It’s such a poignant moment. Finally, the episode ends with a shot of an empty Dunder-Mifflin.
Overall, there’s nothing bad I can say about this finale. The Office has always nailed the big event episodes, whether it’s proposals or weddings or goodbyes. Greg Daniels needed to be the person to end it. It may not have been a perfect episode, but it was a perfect finale. There was plenty of comedy, but it was all about the emotion. The decision to super-size the episode was also definitely the smart move. The entire season was not about creating new iconic moments, but more about reliving the ones already created and reminding us why the show is so beloved. In the end, where most shows faltered, The Office excelled by bringing closure.
Goodbye Dunder-Mifflin.
