# The Office - 5/16/2013 - Retrospective, Finale
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-16-2013-retrospective-finale/658564
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [May 16, 2013, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-16-2013-retrospective-finale/658564 "2013-05-16T23:36:11Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2013, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-16-2013-retrospective-finale/658564/21 "2013-05-17T08:52:32Z")
> [@Lamia](#):
>
> That’s why you’ve always got to [live for today](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnFZsrs32Co).
I’m guessing most people know this, but if (like me) you didn’t have the first clue, see Creed highlighted playing at [1:48 in the clip](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnFZsrs32Co#t=1m48s).
What Creed did between his rocker days and going to work for Dunder Mifflin will forever remain a mystery.
---
### Author:  [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2013, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-16-2013-retrospective-finale/658564/22 "2013-05-17T11:31:53Z")
> [@EllisDee](#):
>
> What Creed did between his rocker days and going to work for Dunder Mifflin will forever remain a mystery.
Maybe the web site will follow the trial.
After raving about the ep two weeks ago and defending the “glass half-full” ep last week I have to admit that tightening this one up into an hour might have been better. Lots of good stuff but it left me wanting more (less?).
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### Author:  [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2013, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-16-2013-retrospective-finale/658564/23 "2013-05-17T11:32:15Z")
> [@EllisDee](#):
>
> What Creed did between his rocker days and going to work for Dunder Mifflin will forever remain a mystery.
He was involved in a number of cults, both as a leader and a follower; you have more fun as a follower, but you make more money as a leader.
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### Author:  [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2013, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-16-2013-retrospective-finale/658564/24 "2013-05-17T12:33:20Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#):
>
> Lots of it was funny in bits and pieces. I was pleased that Carell showed, even if only for a moment. I just couldn’t warm up to the overall plot and emotional arc.
That pretty much nails it for me. A little too long and a little too sentimental.
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### Author:  [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2013, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-16-2013-retrospective-finale/658564/25 "2013-05-17T13:22:24Z")
> [@JeffB](#):
>
> That pretty much nails it for me. A little too long and a little too sentimental.
That’s what she said!
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### Author:  [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2013, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-16-2013-retrospective-finale/658564/26 "2013-05-17T13:34:18Z")
One cute touch/call back was that Dwight hired back Devin, the guy who Michael had to lay off in the first or second season’s Halloween episode. He even got his old desk back.
Another was that you could briefly see that Daryll was still together with the warehouse lady. They were both at the wedding.
Everyone was doing well except for poor Toby.
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### Author:  [@BeeDubU2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeeDubU2)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2013, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-16-2013-retrospective-finale/658564/27 "2013-05-17T13:42:48Z")
I enjoyed the finale. While I can see what people are saying re:the panel, I rather liked that the public gave Pam some blowback on her decisions. I still think Jim was wrong in his handling of the whole Athlead thing, but as it went on, I didn’t get her reticence. I thought she might insist that he take the buy me your after she heard Jim talking to Darryl, but I guess that line wrapped up ok. Love how Dwight fired them for a years’ severance.
Why did Dwight cringe and pretend not to see Andy at the airport?
While I did like Nelly ending up with the baby, how is she going to cross international boundaries with it? Maybe Europeans ask less questions?
And by the way, Michael said, “That’s what JIM said.” Which I thought was absolutely perfect.
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### Author:  [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2013, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-16-2013-retrospective-finale/658564/28 "2013-05-17T13:54:11Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#):
>
> The panel was just too treacly, with the “you guys are so great” questioners. Similarly, the cast members emotionally thanking the documentary crew rang false to me. Because there isn’t really any documentary crew, it just came off as the writers scripting tributes to their own show.
What do you mean? They established that the camera crews were back to film bonus footage for the dvd release, so there was a crew there.
The Q&A panel rang pretty true to me, having been to those kinds of events. The fawning from questioners is so common it’s almost cliche.
I liked how they broke the fourth wall a bit when taking the group photo under the mural with Greg Daniels running out to join them to Pam’s (and I think Jenna Fishcer’s) surprise.
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### Author:  [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2013, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-16-2013-retrospective-finale/658564/29 "2013-05-17T13:57:59Z")
> [@BeeDubU2](#):
>
> Why did Dwight cringe and pretend not to see Andy at the airport?
>
> While I did like Nelly ending up with the baby, how is she going to cross international boundaries with it? Maybe Europeans ask less questions?
It was Daryl, not Dwight, and Andy is just the kind of ex-coworker you’re fine never hanging out with again. Add to that Andy’s embarrassing viral video fame, and it’s not difficult to see why he’d want to avoid Andy.
I don’t know about traveling Internationally but if you have a young baby, that nobody has reported missing, you fly them anywhere domestically without proof that you’re their parent. Internationally though, the baby would definitely need a passport.
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### Author:  [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2013, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-16-2013-retrospective-finale/658564/30 "2013-05-17T13:58:07Z")
> [@BeeDubU2](#):
>
> Why did Dwight cringe and pretend not to see Andy at the airport?
You mean Darryl? He was probably avoiding Andy because of the “baby wah-wah” notoriety.
> [@BeeDubU2](#):
>
> While I did like Nelly ending up with the baby, how is she going to cross international boundaries with it? Maybe Europeans ask less questions?
Maybe she’ll have to check it rather than attempt a carry-on 🙂
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### Author:  [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2013, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-16-2013-retrospective-finale/658564/31 "2013-05-17T13:59:12Z")
Darryl didn’t want to feel compelled to share his limo w/ Andy, probably b/c he wanted to enjoy it rather than listen to Andy go on about his Internet infamy, etc.
I loved Phyllis carrying Angela, the characters have had their bates over the parties, etc, so that was a nice hatchet burying. And Phyllis creating another Stanley is wonderful.
I felt they left Oscar hanging a bit, would have liked to see his ending fleshed out a bit. They could only squeeze so much in the panel scenes, but NO questions to him about carrying on w/ the Senator at all?? It was far more blatantly unethical than the Pam/Jim marriage issues.
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### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2013, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-16-2013-retrospective-finale/658564/32 "2013-05-17T14:10:24Z")
I liked it, especially that they finally resolved the issue about Jim going to Athlead. But one question. The [AV Club writeup](http://www.avclub.com/articles/finale,97430/) says, “The episode gets sloppy with the details of the documentary—If the crew is just returning to film the reunion, why would they know about Jim’s fake lap-band surgeries?—and massively undercuts one of the basic themes of the series as a whole.” What fake lap-band surgery? I assume that was one of Jim’s pranks but I don’t remember it.
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### Author:  [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2013, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-16-2013-retrospective-finale/658564/33 "2013-05-17T14:16:24Z")
Jim made up a bunch of excuses why he couldn’t make it if the wedding was on various different weekends so that the only available weekend would be the same one when everyone would be back and flown in for free for the retrospective. The lap band was one of the many fake excuses. He arranged it so they could all party together.
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### Author:  [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2013, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-16-2013-retrospective-finale/658564/34 "2013-05-17T14:25:12Z")
I didn’t quite get that part but it was a lie Jim told so Dwight’s bachelor party could match the time Daryl could make it. I think. Also Athlead is a much better name than Athleap.
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### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2013, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-16-2013-retrospective-finale/658564/35 "2013-05-17T14:36:46Z")
It’s only been nine years, but it was interesting to see how young everyone looked in the clips from the early episodes shown in the retrospective. And John Krasinski mentioned that he was a waiter when the show started, while Jenna Fischer said she was a receptionist, so it’s interesting how much appearing on a big show can change actors’ lives. (Matt LeBlanc was on Graham Norton’s chat show last year and mentioned that before the Friends pilot aired, one of the producers took him and the rest of the cast out to dinner in Las Vegas. He told them that it was the last time they would be able to eat out anonymously.)
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### Author:  [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2013, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-16-2013-retrospective-finale/658564/36 "2013-05-17T14:54:58Z")
I loved that Creed doesn’t own a mattress but he still has his Office Olympics medal.
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### Author:  [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2013, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-16-2013-retrospective-finale/658564/37 "2013-05-17T15:06:45Z")
Random thoughts:
I wish they’d portrayed Kevin’s bar ownership as a better fit than Dunder Mifflin. Something where Kevin might say, “You did me a favour, man.” or whatever.
I liked all the cats as wedding gifts.
Steve Carrel looks good with a bit of grey.
I think the Kelly/Ryan story was pretty much perfect.
The mother/son stripper show was wonderfully awkward.
The Mose kidnapping was awkwardly choregraphed. Was Phyllis in on it? She opened the door when she said she was locking it and then just stood around as Mose took Angela.
I wish they’d clearly shown all the actors who were also writers for the show. They explained that BJ and Mindy were also writers, but I believe Toby and Mose were both writers and I’m sure there are others.
Andy’s story was a pretty decent way to tie together the reality show, which I didn’t feel worked last episode, but in retrospect kinda worked. They should have included the love interest in the finale, though.
And finally, thank God Pam finally saw through her selfishness. That was getting sooo frustrating.
Pretty decent finale.
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### Author:  [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2013, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-16-2013-retrospective-finale/658564/38 "2013-05-17T15:07:43Z")
Speaking of the son stripper, was that actually the same kid who played Merediths bratty son years ago?
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### Author:  [@CJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CJJ)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2013, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-16-2013-retrospective-finale/658564/39 "2013-05-17T15:16:59Z")
Carrel had basically two lines and one other scene with Pam commenting, and they were all pretty much the highlight of the episode. It really underscored how much the show lost when he quit two seasons ago.
But overall it was decent and had its moments. I thought the Andy meltdown was played well, especially the bit where he’s expecting the worst from the folks waiting in line but gets the public love he has craved since forever. And the sappy final 15 minutes really dragged–like a party where a few guests are still hanging around after most have left–but like I said last week I’ll give the cast a break in prolonging their final bows.
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### Author:  [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2013, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-16-2013-retrospective-finale/658564/40 "2013-05-17T15:23:41Z")
I haven’t really been watching regularly for the last few years but I watched the finale and thought it was a nice wrap-up to the series.
One thing I found a bit unbelievable was how easily Dwight was able to fire Toby. I thought the reason Toby was such a thorn in Michael’s side for so many years was that Toby was part of HR and didn’t report to Michael, so Michael was essentially powerless to get rid of him. So if Michael was never able to fire him, why was Dwight able to?
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