The Office and The Laws of Karma

Cafe Society
1

IMO, the TV comedy sitcom, “The Office” represents a tiny microcausm of all the different kinds of people in the world and I hope it will end very soon because at one time it was a most excellent comedy show but ever since Michael left, it has been going steadily downhill and if it doesn’t end soon, it will become pretty terrible and a very sad story.

I’m posting this thread in order to ask you:

Suppose the Universal laws of Karma are truly in effect, and people get exactly what they deserve from life, how will the various characters in The Office end up at the end of the show?

For example, I believe Karma would have Dwight Schrute end up impoverished and much hated by everyone he knows. The reason for this is because he has always tried to run his life by the principle that money is the most important thing in the world and he has always despised most everyone he knows and has met. Therefore, Karma would dictate that he should end his life impoverished and hated by all because that is what he deserves.

I am very conflicted about Dwight because I recognize some goodness in his character. But I just can’t see where it lies or how it has expressed itself. For instance when he saved Jim’s life when Jim was attacked by Roy, he really didn’t do it out of any love for Jim or love for his fellow human beings. It seems to me he did it only out of concern for his own image. But, I truly just do not know. It just doesn’t seem right to me. I just can’t believe there is no goodness in that man.

Oscar, it seems to me is one of the finest human beings in the office and he should wind up very happy and in love with someone who makes him happy and who he makes happy too. That is what the Karmic laws would dictate he deserves.

Angela should wind up managing a series of cat shelters. She should wind up living alone and unloved by any human males. However she may derive tremendous happiness from her cats.

Big Kevin? Oh gosh! I have no idea. He is a real tough one to call.

Jim and Pam should wind up together with many kids and very much in love and very happy. They have never really done anything evil to anyone else and it seems to me the Universe would pay them back in kind.

I will perhaps add my guesses for the rest of the staff a little later. But I just wanted to start this thread going and see if there might be any interest.

I chose The Office because it seems to me to be a real good representation of a cross reference of all human beings and I’d really love to know just what people think of these characters (would very much like to know what you all think about Toby).

I hope to return later and add my opinions about some of the others including: Phyllis, Stanley, Ryan, Meredith, Kelly, Creed, Michael and Holly, Andy, Darryl and Erin.

Also, I think we can give opinions on some of the partial perfomers like: Gabe, Jan Levinson, Roy, David Wallace, Karen Fileppelli, Robert California and even Bob Vance, Todd Packer, Crazy Nellie, Jo Bennett, Charles Miner and the lovely Donna (Amy Pietz).

Here is a link to the complete list of all the staff: The Office (TV Series 2005–2013) - Full Cast & Crew - IMDb

Good Luck.

2

Since you were begging for a response in the Ricky thread, I’ll quickly opine about why I can’t provide a good answer to this. If you would have asked it after season 1 or even 2 it would have been a conversation; however, after 14 seasons (may be exagerated for effect), the characters have all been asked to do so many different things that they don’t really have any long arc personality of interest to be able to predict into the future in an interesting way.

For example, clearly Oscar is the most intelligent, interesting of the group, but he has no interest in advancing in life. He could have repeateddly sued the bejeezus out of Dunder-Mifflin but never did. No one has ever left permanently. Even Kevin’s drumming ability/band dreams don’t mesh well with his fat and stupid persona so they had to bring in another drummer for the cameo? of the band last year rather than allow his dream to blossom or develop any more. Ryan’s karma is the closet.

So in conclusion, the office is their choice, their karma come true, their hell. What you see is what you get. [But after season 2, Kevin, et al., could have gone on to tour with a good band, Pam opened a studio, Jim a joke shop. But 18 seasons now have killed any future that anyone cares about.]

3

You shouldn’t think of the show as some sort of morality tale where everything gets sorted out in the end and everyone gets what they deserve. Rather, it’s a work of bleak existentialism where everyone ends up in the same place they’ve always been – working a mind-numbing job in a mind-numbing office for a mind-numbing company in a mind-numbing city.

And, if you like irony, the one who escaped is the only one who actually loved his job: Michael.

4

Very nice insight.

Very nice irony.

5

Power, not money, is Dwight’s motivator. He seems OK driving a beat up Firebird and living on a farm, but will take every opportunity he can to gain power, even if it’s imaginary - “you’re the Assistant to the Regional Manager, Dwight.”

Karma demands that he’s somehow forced into unending servitude to a group of people whom he despises and who despise him - like being the permanent Assistant to the Regional Sensei at his local Karate school like in one of the earlier episodes; always having to cow tow to pre-teens because he needs the job.

On the other hand, I like how the UK series dealt with Gareth, Dwight’s British equivalent, at the end:

He ends up as the new boss after the David Brent / Michael Scott character leaves, after the Tim/Jim character rejects it, despite being much more qualified.

I think that’s more true-to-life.

6

I’d like for karma to serve back to Kevin every last ice cube he tainted with his feet at that place he stayed at in Niagara for Jim and Pam’s wedding. But he’s so oblivious, he probably wouldn’t even notice the funny taste in his drinks.

7

Didn’t Seinfeld do this with it’s finale?
Showed all the nasty things the characters did over the years, applied the laws of Karma, and put them all in jail.

8

The subject of their conversation in the jail cell at the end (the top button is too high on a shirt) is the same as the first scene in the first episode of the first season. That’s gotta mean something.

9

Dwight’s getting his Scranton R.F.D. called The Farm, so we’ll see how that pans out.

10

Bumped.