Office life can often seem boring and meaningless but when you have a chaotic boss like Michael Scott, there is no end to the adventures that happen at work. The Office is less a sitcom and more a mockumentary (mock documentary) portraying the lives of employees of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company’s office in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
The show aired 10 seasons from 2005 to 2013 and is known for its cringe comedy. While the first season of the show is arguably highly disliked, the show does get better with time and has come to become one of the most loved TV Shows for fans of comedy in the present generation.
If you are someone who enjoyed watching The Office or someone who does not have the commitment to watch all 201 episodes, here is a list of the 10 Best Episodes from the famous mockumentary show – The Office.
“Frame Toby” (Season 5, Episode 9)
Any fan of The Office (US) knows that the only thing Michael Scott hates more than doing his job is the HR Representative, Toby Flenderson. After learning that Holly’s replacement, Toby had returned to the office, Michael pairs up with Dwight to have narcotics planted in Toby’s drawer so he gets fired.
Things get chaotic when the cops are called in to arrest Toby for possession of drugs. Meanwhile, the rest of the office is nonchalant about the dirty microwave and Pam refuses to be the only person to clean it up.
“Goodbye, Michael” (Season 7, Episode 22)
An absolute tear-jerker, Michael’s final episode on the show is a bittersweet one for many The Office fans. The staff are unaware that Michael is leaving a day early, and the office manager tries to give everyone a one-on-one goodbye.
With Jim being the only person to know that Michael was leaving for Colorado that evening, the former office manager struggles to leave without saying goodbye to Pam who is away to shop for office supplies. Meanwhile, Andy learns to trust his instincts when Michael’s replacement – Deangelo – throws him under the bus instead of protecting him.
“Dinner Party” (Season 4, Episode 13)
There is nothing worse than being invited over to someone’s house where the hosts start arguing, leaving the guests in a very awkward position. What makes things even worse is that the hosts are as toxic a couple as Michael and Jan.
After Michael invites Jim and Pam as well as Andy and Angela for a couples dinner, Dwight feeling left out invites his nanny to be his date for the dinner party. The episode ends with cops showing up to separate Michael from Jan after the two have an awkward and loud fight about Michael having to get a vasectomy, twice.
“Murder” (Season 6, Episode 10)
A uniquely emotional episode that makes you understand Michael’s antics is when co-managers, Jim and Michael, learn that Dunder Mifflin Paper Company is going bankrupt. Some of the staff members catch wind of the news and Michael saves the day by playing a game to distract the office workers.
The episode ends with Jim finally coming to terms with the fact that a little insanity was really needed during a time of uncertainty. The episode ends with Michael claiming that it was his hardest day at work in a long time and viewers don’t have any doubts about it.
“Stress Relief Part 1 and 2” (Season 5, Episodes 14 and 15)
What happens when an employee suffers from a heart attack in the office? The boss tries to look for ways to relieve their stress. After Dwight’s antics leave the office in chaos at the fire safety seminar, Michael offers to perform stress-relief exercises with his staff.
Things take a turn for the worse when Michael learns that he was the #1 stressor at the office. He insists that his staff roast him to vent their frustration but soon learns that he can get hurt pretty easily.
“The Surplus” (Season 5, Episode 10)
After learning that the office had a $600 surplus from the yearly budget, Pam and Oscar take opposite sides, asking Michael to pick between new chairs for the employees and a new photocopier for the office.
Chaos ensues when both parties confuse Michael and he learns that the best option is to just return the surplus to Corporate and take a percentage of the bonus for himself.
“A.A.R.M” (Season 9, Episodes 22 and 23)
The Office may have lost its touch after Michael’s exit but the show comes to a full circle with Dwight finally being promoted to regional manager. One of Jim’s most elaborate pranks is when he insists that they needed to hire an A.A.R.M – Assistant to the Assistant to the Regional Manager.
As Assistant to the Regional Manager, Jim claims that he needed an assistant for himself. The tryouts are held where the employees compete for the position. However, Dwight soon learns that the only worthy candidate for the position is none other than Dwight K Schrute – the Regional Manager himself.
“Safety Training” (Season 3, Episode 20)
After Michael’s antics leave the warehouse manager – Darryl Philbin – on crutches, there is a special safety training session in the warehouse. However, Michael interrupts the training claiming that the upstairs office workers also have a dangerous job that leaves them at a risk of depression that leads to suicide.
Michael with Dwight and Andy’s help tries to demonstrate how the office workers have it worse than the warehouse employees when he pretends to kill himself by jumping off a building into a bouncy castle.
“Sexual Harassment” (Season 2, Episode 2)
Michael’s iconic ‘That’s What She Said’ joke has seen better days when his on-road salesman and best friend forever, Todd Packer, makes offensive jokes towards the staff. Toby is forced to hold a session going through the sexual harassment policies of the office which Michael is totally against because it will mess with the easygoing office environment.
Things get messy when Jan Levinson from Corporate shows up with a lawyer telling Michael that his explicit jokes, especially the ‘That’s What She Said’ joke had to stop. The rest of the day goes by with Michael struggling to control Packer as well as himself.
“Niagara Part 1 and 2” (Season 6, Episodes 4 and 5)
Out of all the weddings on the show, Jim and Pam’s Niagara wedding had to be iconic. After learning that the couple was hosting their wedding in Niagara, Michael gives the office workers a two-day holiday. The entire group attends the rehearsal dinner where some chaotic revelations are made leaving Pam upset about things not going as perfectly as she planned.
Being the ideal man he is for Pam, Jim and Pam elope for a private wedding ceremony of their own as they first tie the knot by Niagara Falls. The couple returns to the actual wedding where their family and colleagues perform an elaborate dance to celebrate the happy couple.
There we have it, our list of the 10 Best episodes of the mockumentary TV show – The Office!
What do you think about our picks? Did your favourite make the list? Were there any honourable omissions? Let us know in the comments below.