It’s the end of an era. One of the all-time greatest and most groundbreaking television sitcoms airs its final episode tonight. While many fans, including myself, have been disappointed by the most recent seasons of The Office, these last few episodes have reminded me why I love it so much and how sad I’ll be when it’s over.

The Office was hilarious, of course. I’ve laughed more at this show than any other besides Friends. But it also had heart– heart that developed more and more over the years and made loyal fans continue to watch even with lackluster storylines. Over time, The Office became about so much more than an incompetent boss and his interactions with an office of not-so-normal, yet believable employees. It became what Michael Scott wanted it to be all along: a family. Sort of.

When it comes down to it, that’s what we’re left with. Stripping away all the ridiculous situations and bizarre reactions and top-notch pranks, what remains is the characters and their chemistry with one another. And that’s what makes all those other elements shine.

I love that The Office isn’t full of static characters. Even most of the secondary characters grow over time. Granted, Creed and Meredith really aren’t that different than when the show began, but they’ve been spontaneous from the start, so their unpredictability, their force of change, was already woven into their personalities. But when you think about most of the other characters over the course of the show, you can actually see them grow. Some for better, others for worse. Just like in life.

Michael Scott started off annoying and awkward and cringe-inducing. And he continued to be annoying and awkward and cringe-inducing, but somewhere along the way, he also became endearing and lovable. We began to realize how truly lonely he was– that all his charades and goofiness were part of his deep desire just to be loved. Jim, Pam, and some of the other characters also begin to understand this over time, and reach out to him more in friendship. And, of course, there’s Holly. Over the course of the years, Michael transforms from someone brazenly offensive and selfish into someone who will sacrifice everything for the person he loves.

Even through the moments of self-absorption throughout the show, Michael also shows himself to be a person who will be there for his friends when no one else is. He has several scenes with Dwight that show how much he cares for him, despite his constant effort to distance himself from Dwight’s ridiculous antics. And one of my favorite moments is when Michael offers to buy Pam’s watercolor painting of the office building at her art show. He might not be the most reliable or thoughtful person (quite the opposite most of the time, actually), but his care for his friends propels surprising moments of beautifully genuine, unplanned kindness.

Dwight Schrute is an enigma… and one of the funniest characters ever to appear on the small screen. He’s one of the least country-acting farmers I’ve ever seen and one of the manliest nerds I’ve ever seen. Dwight breaks down stereotypes by just being who he is. And while who he is became the saving grace for the actual comedy of the show’s final season, it also isn’t exactly the same as it was in the first. He’s still Dwight and says and does Dwight-esque things constantly, but he now knows Jim is not his enemy. He knows his pride has cost him. He’s learned from his mistakes.

Perhaps the theme that Dwight proves most is perseverance. Patience. Persistence. He’s spent all this time promoting authority but also desperately wanting to be the authority. And now, he is finally Regional Manager. The moment he climbed on the desk and shouted “Dwight Schrute is the new manager!” was perhaps one of the most victorious moments in TV history. And now, in the series finale, he’s getting married to the love of his life: Angela.

Angela Martin has some of the most hilarious one-liners in the show. Most of the time, I hate her. She’s judgmental, hypocritical, and just plain mean. She also is the show’s excuse to poke fun at Christians. But this season has done a lot to humanize her. Perhaps she, too, realizes that her pride has been standing between her and happiness.

Andy Bernard is one of the few characters who actually became less likable as his time on the show extended. After he came back from anger management training, his cheery optimism and airy naivety made him annoying, but lovable. We saw him work through some of his insecurities and experience worthy victories. But after he became manager, his insecurity translated into a selfishness that even Michael didn’t attain. I’m glad he’s going after his dreams now, but I’m even happier that he’s not going to be the one in charge when The Office comes to a close.

Jim and Pam Halpert will go down in history as one of the best TV romances of all time. Their story is ultimately what drove the entire show. From coworkers to friends to spouses, they became what we viewers cheered for week in and week out. They were the protagonists, the heroes, the ones with which we identified ourselves.

Jim and Pam were basically normal people in the midst of a crazy workplace, in which they often didn’t think they would survive. But they did more than survive; they thrived. They embraced the weirdness of their circumstances and endeavored to make them funnier or better, however they could. They went from spectators, just hoping to get off the ride at the next stop, to active participants who wanted to do their part to make the lives of those around them better. Each made good friends, became more courageous, stronger, more compassionate, and most of all, they learned how to love when they finally found each other. The last season has been challenging for them as a couple, and thus painstaking for viewers, but the fact that they’re working through obstacles makes their relationship all the more realistic.

Time and space prevent me from delving into the other great characters on this show: Kevin, Oscar, Darryl, and the rest of the gang. Some say watching TV is trivial, and it can be. But if TV is done well, there is also truth to be learned from it. In characters. In stories. The Office reminds us not just how characters can change, but how we change. I think back to the first episode of this show I watched, and how I’ve changed since then. It’s remarkable. We’re not static characters. We change and we can learn from other people’s transformations, too. Even those of fictional characters.

Just for fun, here are my Top 3 Office Moments:

1. Cold Open of Stress Relief (Season 5). These are probably the funniest four and a half minutes of television ever.

2. Michael drives into a lake (Season 4).

3. Whenever Jim pranks Dwight (All Seasons).

-LC

COMMENT: How do you think the characters on The Office have changed? What is one of your favorite Office moments?

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy my posts about Friday Night Lights, Parks and Recreation, Veronica Mars, and Friends.