The Office – Nerds on Earth https://nerdsonearth.com The best place on earth for nerds. Sat, 08 Jan 2022 01:56:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://nerdsonearth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/cropped-nerds_head_thumb2-100x100.png The Office – Nerds on Earth https://nerdsonearth.com 32 32 All the podcasts from NerdsonEarth.com, under one umbrella. We create short run podcasts for nerds, covering D&D, Marvel, Starfinder, and more! You vote for your favorite shows and they just might get a second season. The Office – Nerds on Earth false episodic The Office – Nerds on Earth jason.sansbury@nerdsonearth.com podcast All the podcasts from NerdsonEarth.com, the best place on Earth for nerds. The Office – Nerds on Earth https://nerdsonearth.com/wp-content/uploads/powerpress/noe-podcast-logo.png https://nerdsonearth.com/blog/ The Nerds On Earth 2021 Literary Booktacular https://nerdsonearth.com/2021/12/the-nerds-on-earth-2021-literary-booktacular/ Fri, 10 Dec 2021 13:00:00 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=37687

Check out the list of the Top 7 books that we read this year! There's something for everyone, including Star Wars and The Office fans!

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With the holidays coming up, you know what you need more of: books! Erasmus famously said, “When I have a little money, I buy books; and if I have any left, I buy food and clothes.” I don’t know if I could give up Funyuns, but I do spend way too much money on books. A lovely side effect of that habit are the end-of-year reading recommendations I’ve written for Nerds On Earth over the years (check out my recs for 202020192018, and 2017 here). Peep these seven books for some great stories to jump into!

Record of a Spaceborn Few—Becky Chambers

Image courtesy of Amazon.

I’ve written about Becky Chambers’s hopepunk Wayfarer books for the site before. Her unremitting commitment to character development and world building makes Record of a Spaceborn Few an incredible addition to a series whose conclusion I still mourn. 

Spaceborn Few introduces a handful of people who are so lovingly written that even Kip—an incredibly annoying teenager stuck on an enormous life raft for humanity—redeems himself by the end. And Chambers has so completely realized that life raft (a huge spaceship named the Asteria) that the book is practically begging for a movie adaptation!

Get it here.

The Actor’s Life—Jenna Fischer

Ever wanted to know what it’s like to be a working actor? Jenna Fischer, best known for her role as Pam Beesly on The Office, walks readers through the paces of making it in Hollywood.

Using her own life and the experiences of her friends as a backdrop, Fischer explains how to improve your acting skills, audition, find an agent, land gigs, and even gives tips on side-hustles to make ends meet (hint: working for a catering company is gold for starving actors). Even if acting isn’t in your tarot cards, The Actor’s Life provides a friendly, unpretentious look behind the curtain. 

Get it here.

Vindolanda—Adrian Goldsworthy

Goldsworthy is more famous for his scholarly work on the Roman Republic, but this first book in his Vindolanda trilogy is well worth the detour into historical fiction. Flavius Ferox plays like a scruffier Maximus of Gladiator fame, tasked with solving a bloody crime while tiptoeing through the explosive colonial politics of Roman-era Britain. His sidekick, the laconic Brigante scout Vindex, is a underused delight too.

Goldsworthy gives the forts, carriages, weapons, and tribal encampments a gritty, tactile realism that reaches across the millennia. Don’t let all the Latin scare you away!

Get it here.

Leadership in Turbulent Times—Doris Kearns Goodwin 

There’s an old curse that masquerades as a blessing that goes, “May you live in interesting times.” The past few years have certainly been interesting, and in such buckwild times, this book from one of America’s very best historians is a much-needed balm. Leadership in Turbulent Times illustrates how catastrophes can both test and strengthen us by examining pivotal moments in four American presidencies.

Whether it’s Lincoln pulling the country back from the brink the apocalyptic Civil War or Lyndon Johnson finding his moral purpose in the burgeoning civil rights movement, Goodwin shows us how strength and courage can be found in unlikely places.

Get it here.

Image courtesy of Madeline Miller.

Ramses: The Son of Light—Christian Jacq

When I say that this story reads like the script of a sword-and-sandals epic, it’s a good thing. Light on meaningful dialogue but highly evocative of ancient Egypt, this translation from the original French is zippy and light, making Ramses: The Son of Light the perfect holiday read. Jacq’s decades of experience in Egyptology give this fast-paced romp some much-needed ballast, and the whole book has an eternal quality lends it further weight. Some unexpected cameos from other mythologies and pantheons provide some bitter twists and turns to the otherwise smooth path young Ramses takes to the khepresh

Get it here.

Circe—Madeline Miller

Circe’s powerful, lonely, and vibrant namesake is an often intimidating presence. This forgotten child of the sun god Helios and the naiad Perse spends millennia mastering her powers, winning control of her life, and navigating a legendarily thorny family tree.

In the process, Miller brings readers on a whirlwind ride around the Mediterranean, introducing everyone from the flippant sociopath Hermes to the unknowable, ancient Trygon. Circe makes Greek mythology addictive and cool in a way it hasn’t been since the course on The Odyssey I took my freshman year (miss you, Robert Fagles!). 

Get it here.

Light of the Jedi—Charles Soule

Lucasfilm’s High Republic multimedia initiative started in January 2021 with the stellar Light of the Jedi. Charles Soule transplants the best parts of the prequel trilogy—its gee-whiz optimism, new technology, and strong characters—into the greatest opening in a Star Wars novel ever. From there Soule spins a tale of the Jedi at the height of their unity and the Republic at the peak of its power, though hidden enemies lurk around every tree root. Almost a year in, the High Republic continues to thrive, and Light of the Jedi deserves credit for hitting all the right notes at the very beginning. 

Get it here.

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Why Michael Scott Leaving The Office Wasn’t a Bad Thing https://nerdsonearth.com/2021/08/why-michael-scott-leaving-the-office-wasnt-a-bad-thing/ Tue, 17 Aug 2021 12:00:00 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=36660

Michael Scott may have left the Office, but was it better for the show overall?

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It’s been just over a decade since Michael Scott left The Office in Season 7. In the episode, “Goodbye, Michael”, Steve Carell was no longer a regular on the hit mockumentary comedy.

After Michael’s official exit from the show, many fans expressed their dissatisfaction with the final two seasons of the Office, noting that the quality declined. I mean, after losing THE BOSS, a core staple of the show after seven seasons, you’d expect there to be a different tone of the show. That’s not being denied.

However, I’m here to pitch my case on why The Office is still worth watching until the end. I’ll try to avoid spoilers, as I want people who have made it to this point to be convinced to make it through to the end.

The Office Isn’t About Michael Scott

First thing’s first, the whole premise of The Office is that the workers are a part of a documentary series about an American Workplace. The documentary crew showcases the daily life at a paper company in Scranton, PA, Dunder Mifflin.

In the first seven seasons of the show, a lot of the action revolves around Michael Scott. He’s not your average boss, with a penchant for improv comedy and being oblivious to social boundaries and taboos. At the end of the day, he just wants a family and he turns to his office-mates to fill that void.

But for as much as the series promotes the antics of Michael, the show isn’t about him. There are numerous stories that permeate the patched drywall of Dunder Mifflin’s offices. You have the lifelong dream of Dwight K. Schrute to become the Regional Manager of Dunder Mifflin. You have the sometimes-tragic storyline of Andy Bernard, who just wants to forge his own path on the way to parental approval. And of course, you have the romantic thread of Pam Beesly and Jim Halpert, the apparent soulmates.

The Office wouldn’t be the same without the people who work there. Everybody has a role to play within the greater dynamics of the office, but they also have their own role in painting the story of an average workplace. Their personalities and mannerisms are what makes the office special; Michael isn’t the only one who works there.

Michael’s Departure Let the Other Characters Flourish

So many episodes up to this point revolved around Michael and his decisions. Usually it was withholding information from the employees, or sometimes it was something as benign as Safety Training. Regardless, Dunder Mifflin was always abuzz with some activity or another.

Because of this, however, The Office seemed to focus on four main characters: Michael, Jim, Pam, and Dwight. The rest of the characters, it seemed, were just secondary characters who were only present to fill a swivel chair with an occasional line.

After Michael left The Office, there was a sort of a power vacuum that needed to be filled. I largely consider Jim and Pam’s stories to be mostly intertwined to the point that they’re a single character. So, we are left with a third ‘major-character’ slot in seasons 8 and 9.

Now, there’s no way that the replacement bosses could really fill Michael’s clown-sized shoes. The eccentricities that Steve Carell brought to the table made it clear that nobody could honestly BE the next Michael Scott.

Numerous other characters were brought into the show: Robert California, Deangelo Vickers, Nellie Bertram, and others, but within the show they are never really considered to be a real part of family dynamic in the office.

Instead, the other characters start to come into their own and there’s finally enough screentime for their individual stories to develop further. I’m not saying that Michael Scott’s screen-time squashed their opportunities to develop for seven seasons, but I’m emphasizing that now we get to explore characters like Oscar and Erin.

After Steve Carell’s box office hit, The 40-Year-Old Virgin came out, The Office rose in popularity. As a result, you can see that a lot of the series’ focus was on Michael Scott. As the series continued to grow, people really began to relate more with the other characters in the office. That’s why you have all those online quizzes like “Which Office Character Are You?” And people want to see more of the characters they relate most to.

Goodbye, Michael is a Classic Episode

It’s really hard to land an impactful, emotional episode when a character is definitely leaving a series. And Steve Carell IS Michael Scott. He delivered the role so well, and we should appreciate the character’s time on the screen.

There are so many really, really good hits in that episode that make you feel like an employee being a part of a goodbye for someone that you love. Michael’s conversation when Jim realizes that Michael’s last day isn’t tomorrow shows how much respect Jim has for his friend. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the silent exchange between Pam and Michael at the airport. The build-up to it was perfect.

Some characters get written out of shows with such an afterthought or a throwaway line, but Michael Scott got the full treatment. His story arc as he gradually matured and became more self-aware is relatable for all of us. He achieved something that really was the only thing he ever truly wanted in life with Holly. And he wasn’t going to waste that.

It’s an all-time classic episode because of the seven seasons of build-up, and the payoff is so worth it. Think about people in jobs that you’ve worked. Friends that you’ve grown close to, only to have them move on to a new chapter in their life. It happens all the time.

One of the points of the episode is that we should appreciate and fondly remember our time with those people, instead of lamenting their departure.

The Finale is One of the Best in Television

As you’re watching the final season of The Office, you know that it’s going to come to an end. There are 24 episodes, and at some point you’re going to hear that theme song for the last time. Well, at least until your next rewatch.

But just like how Michael’s personal finale was rewarding, the last few episodes have some incredibly emotional moments that also hit paydirt in a big way with the final episode. I don’t want to spoil anything, but this is the best example of a finale done right.

Loose threads are tied off, and each of the characters get their time in the sun. Sure, it’s sad to know that you’ve reached the end of the ream, but we’re engaged with the humanity of these characters. It’s so good to see years of growth and development capped off in such a satisfying way.

Plus, we get to reconnect with some old favorites, which is always really heartwarming.

Michael Leaving Makes You Appreciate Michael More

This sort of seems like a point that disproves my whole argument, but Michael Scott leaving makes you appreciate having Michael to begin with. There are numerous pieces of development and characters who annoyed or disappointed my in the final two seasons of The Office. Again, I don’t want to name specifics, but let’s just say that some of the storylines with Andy and Angela leave something to be desired.

During the first five seasons, there were a lot of moments where Michael Scott wrestled with his personal ups and downs. Instead of Michael taking these, we now see other characters with their own struggles. Jim and Pam go through some challenges of their own. Angela and Oscar get wrapped up in a subplot. Even Darryl gets to take risks and prove his worth to himself.

One of the most telling episodes that makes you miss and appreciate Michael is when Pam heads off to an interview at another company. Lo and behold, the boss at this company is basically Michael Scott. They share a lot of the same attitudes and filter-less remarks.

For a moment, we catch a slight reminder of what The Office was like with Michael. But at that point, we have already adjusted to the fact that Michael is gone and he’s not coming back. As similar as it seems, it also seems out of place. We don’t need Michael anymore, just like everyone in the office has moved on. We can look back on the Michael’s time with smiles on our faces.

The Payoff is Worth It

I was in your shoes once. After Michael left The Office, I completely stopped watching the show. To me, Michael Scott was such a fundamental part of The Office that losing him wasn’t something I thought I could recover from. I didn’t want to risk the final two seasons being bad, which might sour the whole series for me. I’m looking at you, Game of Thrones.

It took me YEARS to finally go ahead and finish off the series. I started back at the beginning and watched straight until the end. When you take everything in such a short time window, which you can do in the television binging era, you really get the full picture of the entire story. If I had to wait a week between episodes, I would have been constantly wondering, “Does this get any better? Has The Office peaked?”

The investment that you make in the characters for seven seasons gives you a big payout at the end. Yes – The Office has more duds-per-episode in the final two seasons than it does in the first seven. But the gems that you’ll find are well worth the wait.

Don’t be sad because it’s over; be happy because you had it.

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