Of course, I always connected with Jim. He's got better hair than me, but he's the hero of the story. Is he going to outwit Dwight again? Is he going to get the girl, finally? While Jim battled his way up the stunted corporate ladder of Dunder-Mifflin, I battled my way across campus, coming home at night to join the other 25 guys on my hall and watch the next step in Jim and Pam's relationship (The Office--chick flick in disguise? for guys?) See, gang, this is what we get to look forward to!
Then I went and fought some other battles. When I got back, Michael and then gang were still going strong. Here's where it gets dicey. 'The Office' started encouraging me. Hey, if Jim can make Co-Manager, then I can get my bachelor's degree. If Andy can overcome his anger, dodge a marriage to Angela, and realize his true feelings for Erin, I bet I can learn to cope with depression. If Toby sees his Costa Rica dreams shattered and keeps plugging along, then I persevere despite my own scars. If Jim and Pam can finally live happily ever after, then maybe I can find true love too.
Six years later, I still love the show. When you realize that you turn to Jim and Pam and Michael and Creed to cheer you up after a long day in your own office, you know that something's going to have to change. Or is that really what 'The Office' is all about? They all hate their jobs, but they do it because they need to. Broken Bells says that "there's no shortcut to a dream. It's all blood and sweat, and life is what we manage in between." The characters in the show do what they do because its the blood and sweat that lets them live life in between the shenanigans of Michael, the machinations of Dwight, and the yearnings of Kelly. Life's really about doing what you need to to get by, so you can improve and progress.
I like this.
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