# The Office 4/28 - Steve Carell's last episode **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 29, 2011, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-4-28-steve-carells-last-episode/580098 "2011-04-29T01:06:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-4-28-steve-carells-last-episode/580098/41 "2011-04-29T18:59:51Z")
Great. I now have a mental picture of Pope Benedict cramming a gooey handful of cake into his kisser. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-4-28-steve-carells-last-episode/580098/42 "2011-04-29T19:02:55Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > She was blowing off work, pretending to shop for supplies but really going to a movie. Jim texted her about what was going on, and she scrambled to catch Michael before he got on the plane. That was a really contrived sequence of events. It seems out of character for her to do it alone, particularly on Michael’s penultimate day. Also, meeting him past security was also a huge stretch. Though as someone mentioned above, the Jim and Michael scene was fantastic. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-4-28-steve-carells-last-episode/580098/43 "2011-04-29T19:50:12Z")
> [@Red\_Barchetta](#): > > Also, meeting him past security was also a huge stretch. I don’t know: it’s entirely possible she called Jim on her way or something and he booked her a ticket (to anywhere, really), so she could push through security and meet Michael. You’ll notice her shoes were off, so she went through security, too. If you run up to a skycap, they’ll give you your boarding pass in about 45 seconds (assuming there’s no line, etc etc). ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-4-28-steve-carells-last-episode/580098/44 "2011-04-29T19:55:30Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > I don’t know: it’s entirely possible she called Jim on her way or something and he booked her a ticket (to anywhere, really), so she could push through security and meet Michael. You’ll notice her shoes were off, so she went through security, too. If you run up to a skycap, they’ll give you your boarding pass in about 45 seconds (assuming there’s no line, etc etc). Plus, we have no idea what the security is like at the Scranton airport. In the Kansas City airport, it would be entirely feasible - security checkpoints are at every individual gate (they actually bunch about 3 together at a time), rather than one giant bottleneck at the front. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-4-28-steve-carells-last-episode/580098/45 "2011-04-29T20:00:48Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > I don’t know: it’s entirely possible she called Jim on her way or something and he booked her a ticket (to anywhere, really), so she could push through security and meet Michael. Couldn’t be a ticket to just anywhere–she had to go through the same gate Michael went through. That whole scene made no sense being past security: the camera crew went through, too? Michael went through the metal detector still wired up with his mic and transmitter? The scene should have taken place in the lobby. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-4-28-steve-carells-last-episode/580098/46 "2011-04-29T20:02:12Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > I don’t know: it’s entirely possible she called Jim on her way or something and he booked her a ticket (to anywhere, really), so she could push through security and meet Michael. You’ll notice her shoes were off, so she went through security, too. I didn’t say it was impossible, just a huge stretch. And depending on the airport, she actually would actually have to be selective about her flight, lest she end up in the wrong terminal. All for a 15 second goodbye. ETA: Plus the problems Biffy the Elephant Shrew mention (did Jim buy the entire camera crew tickets too?) ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-4-28-steve-carells-last-episode/580098/47 "2011-04-29T20:20:53Z")
Did they say that Michael went straight to the airport from work, or did it just seem that way due to editing. It’s reasonable to assume he had to stop by his condo first to make sure everything was in order, pick up his luggage, take a pre-flight crap, etc… Or maybe he had to stop for an early drive-through dinner, or say a final off-camera goodbye to the guy that does his dry-cleaning, who knows? Any one of those thigns would give Pam some extra time to get to Michael. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-4-28-steve-carells-last-episode/580098/48 "2011-04-29T20:37:30Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > Did they say that Michael went straight to the airport from work, or did it just seem that way due to editing. He took a taxi. They mentioned several times he was leaving for the airport at 4, implying it was directly from the office. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-4-28-steve-carells-last-episode/580098/49 "2011-04-29T20:39:08Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > Did they say that Michael went straight to the airport from work, or did it just seem that way due to editing. > > It’s reasonable to assume he had to stop by his condo first to make sure everything was in order, pick up his luggage, take a pre-flight crap, etc… Or maybe he had to stop for an early drive-through dinner, or say a final off-camera goodbye to the guy that does his dry-cleaning, who knows? Any one of those thigns would give Pam some extra time to get to Michael. Pam didn’t need extra time to get to Michael, she was literally right behind him the whole time. ---
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-4-28-steve-carells-last-episode/580098/50 "2011-04-29T20:49:14Z")
Then why the hell didn’t she call him and say “im right behind you! Let me drive you to the airport?” ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-4-28-steve-carells-last-episode/580098/51 "2011-04-29T20:55:48Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > Couldn’t be a ticket to just anywhere–she had to go through the same gate Michael went through. That whole scene made no sense being past security: the camera crew went through, too? Michael went through the metal detector still wired up with his mic and transmitter? The scene should have taken place in the lobby. It was presumably the Scranton airport. From the [terminal map](http://www.flyavp.com/map.html), there is a single security checkpoint. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-4-28-steve-carells-last-episode/580098/52 "2011-04-29T21:43:57Z")
> [@fusoya](#): > > Then why the hell didn’t she call him and say “im right behind you! Let me drive you to the airport?” Cause that would ruin the touching ending? she pulled into the parking lot as Michael was pulling out, she got to the airport a minute or two behind him, she had to be right behind him the whole way. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-4-28-steve-carells-last-episode/580098/53 "2011-04-29T21:51:05Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Pam didn’t need extra time to get to Michael, she was literally right behind him the whole time. Wait, were we told this, or is this your assumption? ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-4-28-steve-carells-last-episode/580098/54 "2011-04-29T22:09:46Z")
I don’t know what “promos” you guys are talking about. I watch TV on the Internet the way God intended. Have they somehow indicated that Ferrell is being replaced by someone else? ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-4-28-steve-carells-last-episode/580098/55 "2011-04-29T22:13:50Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > I don’t know what “promos” you guys are talking about. I watch TV on the Internet the way God intended. > > Have they somehow indicated that Ferrell is being replaced by someone else? Yes. They indicated that something causes him to be unavailable and then list people that are interviewing for the job, including James Spader, Ricky Gervais, and Jim Carrey. ---
**Author:** ![SuperNelson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@SuperNelson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuperNelson)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-4-28-steve-carells-last-episode/580098/56 "2011-04-29T22:53:59Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > What the _hell_ were those pants Andy was wearing? [Brooks Brothers Embroidered Pants](http://bit.ly/jQhM3n) The patterns vary by season; I’ve seen mallards in the fall, and Christmas wreaths. The Christmas ones look OK in person, but on TV these just look like Pajamas. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-4-28-steve-carells-last-episode/580098/57 "2011-04-29T23:13:48Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > Couldn’t be a ticket to just anywhere–she had to go through the same gate Michael went through. That whole scene made no sense being past security: the camera crew went through, too? Michael went through the metal detector still wired up with his mic and transmitter? The scene should have taken place in the lobby. > [@Red\_Barchetta](#): > > I didn’t say it was impossible, just a huge stretch. And depending on the airport, she actually would actually have to be selective about her flight, lest she end up in the wrong terminal. All for a 15 second goodbye. > > ETA: Plus the problems Biffy the Elephant Shrew mention (did Jim buy the entire camera crew tickets too?) The “documentary” aspect of the show has always required some suspension of disbelief, but this scene was handled more realistically than either of you remember. The cameraman actually does not go through security. I remembered seeing Michael on the other side of an “EXIT ONLY” sign, and just confirmed online (33 minutes into the episode) that the last scene with Michael is shot with Michael and the cameraman on opposite sides of the security checkpoint. The microphone was in the inside pocket of Michael’s blazer, and he does not wear it through the metal detector. We actually see him put his blazer in a bin to go through the X-ray machine. The only audio at that point is his previously recorded monologue. We don’t hear him speak “live” until after he’s put his blazer and overcoat back on. FWIW I’ve been to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton airport to see someone off, and it is not a large airport with multiple terminals. It would be easy enough to find someone there, as there’s a single security checkpoint and only a few gates on the other side. When I was there I was amused to see that the gift shop, which is right near the security checkpoint, was full of _Office_ memorabilia. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-4-28-steve-carells-last-episode/580098/58 "2011-04-29T23:25:57Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > The cameraman actually does not go through security. Yes they do, afterward. They clearly interview Pam by the gates. Besides that, I also find it extremely implausible they would even allow the camera crew to get so close to Michael as to allow exchanging an item (the microphone), without passing through security. Were they to, that would be a HUGE hole in security . ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-4-28-steve-carells-last-episode/580098/59 "2011-04-29T23:30:52Z")
> [@Red\_Barchetta](#): > > Yes they do, afterward. They clearly interview Pam by the gates. Uh, there are two sides of the checkpoint you could hold the interview. Is it really that hard to hold just an ounce of disbelief on this? When I saw the scene, the first thing I thought was, “Christ, the SDMB isn’t going to be able to sleep at night because the writers didn’t spend 2 minutes of airtime unraveling any potential loopholes regarding airport security.” ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-4-28-steve-carells-last-episode/580098/60 "2011-04-29T23:35:20Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Uh, there are two sides of the checkpoint you could hold the interview. " Do you think both sides are directly in front of a pair of Jet Bridges? The interview took place between two of them; unless security is also located between the gates, it doesn’t make any sense. > [@Munch](#): > > Is it really that hard to hold just an ounce of disbelief on this? Asks the person trying to explain it. It worked for you–great. It didn’t work for some of us. Why do you care? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-4-28-steve-carells-last-episode/580098.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-4-28-steve-carells-last-episode/580098.md?page=4)