User blog:Phantomime/I just finished the Office for the first time

Well, I don't really know what to say, except that I can't believe it's all over! And for everyone else, it's been over for years! I have a lot of thoughts, so it would be tough to even attempt to summon them all here, and too many to go over in one post even if I could. But I'll start by going over my hopes and expectations for the time I will be spending here. First of all, I'm hoping that by being here, I will get some much-needed closure from the fandom so I won't feel so empty after completing such an amazing, cringey, hilarious, wholesome show. I'd like to find out what everyone thinks of the characters, (particularly the ones I didn't like to see if I can get a new perspective on them) see if there was anything I missed, like easter eggs, reminisce about favorite episodes, and just overall bond over our collective interest (lol, yeah right, Claire, as if a fandom platform could ever be used for that! You're supposed to argue about your preferenecs and interpretations until everyone hates each other! Common interest who?)

Anyway, just as a little About Me, I wanted to give some background about what got me into the show and which characters I relate to most/least. So, of course everyone knows the Office by name, so it isn't hard to get a recommendation or for the show to catch your intrigue. But, initially, I couldn't watch it. I am very hyper-sensitive to second-hand embarrassment, and this show seemed to be one neverending hellscape of it. The way the show is introduced also isn't the best imo, and I'm usually not for "slice of life" type shows, so it was pretty easy for me to get turned off of it. But, fast forward a couple years, I decide to give it another try. I still cringed, but I found that I was able to suppress it a bit more after having been exposed to numerous trolls on the internet who spike up my migraines infinitely more than some embarrassing characters on a tv show. I guess you could say I built up a bit of an immunity. That being said, I was still fairly happy when Michael left the show. I just needed a break from him, and to see the other characters get a bit more screen time without Michael overwhelming everything and being the center of attention. With that said, I don't entirely hate Michael. In fact, there are several things I see in him that I see in myself. I tend to be narcissistic, self-attentive, lazy, unmotivated until the last second, prone to wild hypothetical fantasies that ultimately have no place in reality (see Prison Mike), and have a habit of getting myself into embarrassing situations, among other things. But he and I also have this optimistic idea of how life should be, which can sometimes lead to a degree of dramatized depression when things don't go our way, so we try to re-shape the world to match our idealistic perspective both for our sake and others (i.e. starting parties, activies, cracking jokes). I do see myself in a lot of other characters, too, some a lot more so than Michael. That's the thing about the show--all the character's flaws and traits are things that mirror the flaws and traits in real people. And while that may not be the relateability we always want to see, it can certainly be what we need, in order to gain perspective.

I think the most relateable characters to me were Jim and Pam. A lot of Jim's reactions seemed to mirror my own in many scenes, and I even realized that I tend to make his same exact facial expressions (I even like to imagine that I'm shooting those looks at an imaginary camera). Which, funnily enough, also ties into why I thnink Jim pays so much attention to the cameras as opposed to most other characters (which karen pointed out that one time). He, like Michael has that narcissistic side, and like me, can prioritize the idea of a far-off observer more than the people right in front of us. I do this whenever I'm in public, and see someone in the distance. I imagine that they're eavsdropping and I base some of my words and actions off of that, sneaking glances to see what their reaction is. It's a bit similar to the idea that there are people looking down on us from heaven, as well. In a weird way, we just like the idea of being watched. It gives us purpose, makes us feel like we're not the only ones who care about our lives. Other than that, there are probably infinitely many shared traits we have that I could compare myself to, but that's the best I could put into words for now.

I relate to Pam because she's strong inside, but has trouble going out and getting what she really wants and really cares about what other people think. Hilariously, that line about her hating that Al Queda hates her, is exactly, word for word, something that I have thought myself. Hearing it said aloud made me realize how ridiculous it was and I could not stop laughing. Both Pam and I are artists, as well, so I relate to a lot of her artistic struggles. Feeling like something I've made isn't good enough, that awful sense of loss, hurt, anger, and indignation when someone defaces your work, not knowing whether it's something you should even pursue over a stable job, not having your work gain the attention you wanted, etc. As with Jim, there are probably numerous other things I could go over but this is already longer than I thought it would be.

The least relateable character, to me, was Kelly. Again, as with Michael, I don't hate her, but *whistles* talk about opposites. The only similar thing we might have in common is that we talk alot on social media. My favorite quote by her was "I talk so much I've learned to just tune myself out."

So, yeah! That's all for now. Hope signing up here will end up being a fulfilling experience and I can make some friends.