# The Office 5/17 Season Finale **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 18, 2007, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-17-season-finale/404532 "2007-05-18T01:06:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2007, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-17-season-finale/404532/81 "2007-05-19T04:18:20Z")
Karen: “Pam’s… kind of a bitch.” Funny, but from then it was fairly clear that the writers were going out of their way to make her seem unlikeable. I also really liked Pam’s talking head with her floundering, ending up saying: “…I’m not gay.”. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2007, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-17-season-finale/404532/82 "2007-05-19T05:09:03Z")
[QUOTE=Max the Immortal] Karen: “Pam’s… kind of a bitch.” Funny, but from then it was fairly clear that the writers were going out of their way to make her seem unlikeable. [/QUOTE] I found it insightful. Pam has a bitchy streak that she covers with her Scranton-girl exterior\*–witness how she torments Dwight but she considers her an ally. - - Okay, I’ve never been to Scranton and suspect that Meredith is closer to reality. ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2007, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-17-season-finale/404532/83 "2007-05-19T06:16:34Z")
I think Jim and Karen broke up before he went back to Scranton. Remember that she said to him something like, “I can’t go back there… you understand why.” And he said yes, then left the interview to go see her friends. I have a feeling there was a conversation between that and when he returned, and that Karen just won’t be in the show anymore. Also, not for nothing, but if I were Karen, I would think Pam was a bitch too, after the beach confessional. Even if you like Pam and don’t like Karen, try to see it from Karen’s POV. How could she not feel threatened and put off by Pam’s aggressive play for Jim? Totally natural. ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2007, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-17-season-finale/404532/84 "2007-05-19T16:05:07Z")
[QUOTE=Rubystreak] Also, not for nothing, but if I were Karen, I would think Pam was a bitch too, after the beach confessional. Even if you like Pam and don’t like Karen, try to see it from Karen’s POV. How could she not feel threatened and put off by Pam’s aggressive play for Jim? Totally natural. [/QUOTE] Agreed. If anything, I think Karen took it a lot better than most people would in real life. How many people here would just quietly sit there while another person basically confessed love for your partner right in front of you? I’m normally a very calm person, but…well, I think I would consider a stunt like that to be cruising for a bruising. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2007, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-17-season-finale/404532/85 "2007-05-19T16:46:33Z")
[QUOTE=Rubystreak] Also, not for nothing, but if I were Karen, I would think Pam was a bitch too, after the beach confessional. Even if you like Pam and don’t like Karen, try to see it from Karen’s POV. How could she not feel threatened and put off by Pam’s aggressive play for Jim? Totally natural. [/QUOTE] Yeah, I can see that, but since I love Pam and hate Karen I thought it was totally awesome. 😃 I think I’m the only one who has never liked Karen. Since her first appearance I knew she was going to throw a hitch into the Pam/Jim thing, and then her annoying girlfriend behavior with Jim made me hate her all the more. Jim is way too likeable to have a whiny, jealous girlfriend like Karen. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-17-season-finale/404532/86 "2007-05-20T02:54:46Z")
It’s so typical that Michael would assume he has the authority to simply designate who would take over his job, like an emperor naming a successor. ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-17-season-finale/404532/87 "2007-05-20T03:03:51Z")
[QUOTE=Indygrrl] I think I’m the only one who has never liked Karen. Since her first appearance I knew she was going to throw a hitch into the Pam/Jim thing, [/quote] To be fair, it was Pam who originally threw a hitch into the Pam/Jim thing. All the crap between his confession of love and now is due to her issues. > [@](#): > > and then her annoying girlfriend behavior with Jim made me hate her all the more. Jim is way too likeable to have a whiny, jealous girlfriend like Karen. Is it whining jealousy when it’s completely, 100% justified and turns out to be a valid concern? I guess I wished that Karen had dumped Jim when he admitted he still had feelings for Pam, but she had just moved to a new town and he was really the only person she knew, so I guess I didn’t blame her for hanging on longer than she should have. ---
**Author:** ![Gozu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gozu/32/6615_2.png) [@Gozu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-17-season-finale/404532/88 "2007-05-20T03:47:15Z")
[QUOTE=Max the Immortal] Karen: “Pam’s… kind of a bitch.” Funny, but from then it was fairly clear that the writers were going out of their way to make her seem unlikeable. [/QUOTE] True. She then proceeds to tell the cfo that michael would be a disaster, tells Jim not to feel bad for Jan because “she’s nuts” then takes him up on an offer that she really shouldn’t have. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-17-season-finale/404532/89 "2007-05-20T04:26:02Z")
Karen (and Ryan) obviously hold their Scranton coworkers in contempt. Both their reactions are about what I would expect of someone who had been in exile for a year with a bunch of losers and their imbecilic manager and finanally had a chance to rejoin their professional peers. ---
**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:** [May 20, 2007, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-17-season-finale/404532/90 "2007-05-20T05:06:18Z")
[QUOTE=Baldwin] It’s so typical that Michael would assume he has the authority to simply designate who would take over his job, like an emperor naming a successor. [/QUOTE] Actually, that seemed reasonable to me, as he knows the people in the office better than those in New York. But what was typical of Michael was his announcing that he was leaving, have a competition (a la Survivor) to identify his successor and sell the condo, all before it was definite. ---
**Author:** ![Amazingrace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8edcca/32.png) [@Amazingrace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazingrace)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-17-season-finale/404532/91 "2007-05-20T15:23:19Z")
[QUOTE=Dewey Finn] Actually, that seemed reasonable to me, as he knows the people in the office better than those in New York. But what was typical of Michael was his announcing that he was leaving, have a competition (a la Survivor) to identify his successor and sell the condo, all before it was definite. [/QUOTE] I believe that in the **Beach Games** episode, corporate had asked Michael for a list of potential successors with the implication being that Michael would make his recommendation but corporate would have the final say. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-17-season-finale/404532/92 "2007-05-20T20:40:19Z")
I wonder who will get Ryan’s “office” (the one next to Kelly’s). It would be just too bad if Dwight was given it. Maybe Ryan will drive Dwight out to a beet field for some “training.” ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-17-season-finale/404532/93 "2007-05-20T21:18:45Z")
[QUOTE=Dewey Finn] Actually, that seemed reasonable to me, as he knows the people in the office better than those in New York. But what was typical of Michael was his announcing that he was leaving, have a competition (a la Survivor) to identify his successor and sell the condo, all before it was definite. [/QUOTE] IRL corporate headquarters generally decide who runs their branch offices. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-17-season-finale/404532/94 "2007-05-20T22:54:19Z")
This week’s litigation value: [$50,000 (with the potential for a whole lot more)](http://www.hrheroblogs.com). ---
**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:** [May 21, 2007, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-17-season-finale/404532/95 "2007-05-21T08:19:35Z")
What a fantastic episode. Although the office hit a lull mid-way through the season, the writers certainly regain control of this ship for an amazing conclusion. It was brilliant how they played everything out. I found it especially intriguing that Jim asking Pam to dinner somehow seemed even more momentous. than the 2nd season’s final, where he admitted his love to Pam. And of course the acting was, once again, first rate. Particularly for both Jim and especially Pam. ---
**Author:** ![threeorange](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@threeorange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threeorange)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2007, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-17-season-finale/404532/96 "2007-05-22T00:16:38Z")
I was initially surprised that Ryan got the job and not Karen, but when I think about it, Karen getting the job would be too convenient. This show’s lifeblood is social awkwardness, and now Jim, Karen and Pam will have to be together again in Scranton at least for a few episodes, I’m betting ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2007, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-17-season-finale/404532/97 "2007-05-22T09:25:45Z")
A line I just noticed on an insomnia-fueled viewing: “We have this annoying HR guy here, he’s probably the only guy you’re not going to like. Ugh. Kendall.” HR dudes just can’t catch a break anywhere in Dunder-Mifflin. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2007, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-17-season-finale/404532/98 "2007-05-22T10:46:55Z")
I’m not sure Karen will come back to Scranton. I think she’ll stay in New York. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-17-season-finale/404532/99 "2007-05-25T00:26:37Z")
Upon rewatch I just wanted to comment that it was poetic justice that what prompted Jim to realize that he was still in love with Pam (the little post it note with the yogurt-lid medal) was attached to his sales results. The same sales results that Karen asked Pam to make several copies of in order to (I believe) push home the point that she was a manager and Pam was merely a receptionist. ---
**Author:** ![Slacker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slacker)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-17-season-finale/404532/100 "2007-05-25T01:03:27Z")
[QUOTE=PunditLisa] Upon rewatch I just wanted to comment that it was poetic justice that what prompted Jim to realize that he was still in love with Pam (the little post it note with the yogurt-lid medal) was attached to his sales results. The same sales results that Karen asked Pam to make several copies of in order to (I believe) push home the point that she was a manager and Pam was merely a receptionist. [/QUOTE] Hey, great point! I completely missed that. Now to mention it to the wife and pretend it just occured to me. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-17-season-finale/404532.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-5-17-season-finale/404532.md?page=6)