The Office: 5 Ways The Finale Is Perfect (& 5 Ways It’s Not)

The Office came to a close after nine seasons and over 200 episodes on May 16, 2013. Thankfully, it went out with a bang. The final episode was praised for creating a heartwarming and funny conclusion for the series. It managed to fit a lot of storylines into its 52-minute run and stayed engaging for its entirety. Despite all of its positive reviews, however, there were a few details that not every audience member enjoyed.

We’re here to focus on the best and worst qualities of The Office finale. Here are five ways it’s the perfect ending to the sitcom and five ways it fell short.

10 Perfect: It Centered On Dwight And Angela’s Wedding

The final episode of The Office jumps forward a year into the future, which allows Dwight and Angela to finally tie the knot after getting engaged to one another.

The focus on the events surrounding the couple’s wedding was smart for a few reasons. For one thing, Office episodes with notable events (like “Dinner Party” [S4E13] and “Beach Games” [S3E23]) had a tendency to resonate with viewers. For another thing, the Angela-Dwight relationship had been a long time coming. Their attraction to one another was a topic from Season 1, and so it was fitting to have the pair end up together after a long series of romantic ups and downs.

9 Not Perfect: Angela’s Sister Shows Up Now?

Viewers are introduced to Angela’s sister for the first time ever in the finale. This is surprising, being that the documentary crew followed the Scranton gang around for years and yet she never showed up once. After all, Angela admits that the two are incredibly close to one another.

One other problem with the sister’s random appearance is that in “A Benihana Christmas” (S3E10), Angela admits that she and her sister used to be close but haven’t talked in 16 years. Though she might have made up with her sister post-Season 3, it’s still surprising she’s not mentioned outside of the finale.

8 Perfect: It Highlighted The Entire Cast

The Office finale does a good job at not focusing on one character for too long, instead spending a little time with each of its stars. It gave the cast a chance to come to terms with where they had gotten in life before continuing on to whatever was in their future.

In addition to highlighting the current cast members, the finale brought back Kelly, Ryan, and most notably, Michael Scott. Because the early season of The Office focused so heavily on Michael, fans were thrilled to see him make a comeback. However, how well his return was executed was debated among fans.

7 Not Perfect: Michael’s Appearance Is Brief

Some critics praised Michael’s brief appearance because it gave viewers a satisfying glimpse of the world’s best boss. Michael didn’t force himself into the spotlight, showing how he had matured.

That being said, many fans were disappointed to see him get so few lines in such a long finale. He shows up for Dwight’s wedding as the best man, talks to the camera once, and doesn’t go back to the office to reunite with the gang. He simply leaves. This seems out of character for him, especially considering how much he meant to Dwight and the others.

6 Perfect: It Gave Many Characters A New Chapter

While the finale expertly tied up the loose ends, it also successfully gave each of the main characters a new chapter.

Stanley retires, Erin finds her mom and dad, Toby gets included by the gang, Pam and Jim decide to move away, Andy regains security in himself, and Creed gets arrested. The list continues, and even smaller characters like Mose, Carol, and David Wallace get a final shot in the spotlight.

5 Not Perfect: Some Characters Don’t Get An Ending

The Office finale might have explained what happened to most of Dunder Mifflin’s employees, but some viewers were left wondering what happened to specific characters. Most notably, Holly doesn’t attend the wedding with Michael, and his kids also fail to make an appearance. Michael seems like the type of character who would find a way to bring his entire family to a wedding.

Other characters who didn’t show back up for the conclusion include Roy, Jan, Packer, Gabe, and Karen. Some who did show up (like Pete and Clark) don’t get much of a wrap-up, even though they probably deserved it one.

4 Perfect: It Brought Back Old Jokes

The finale calls back many of the popular jokes and gags from earlier episodes. Oscar uses the “wassup” phrase from the pilot in an attempt to fit in with the guys at the bachelor party. The stripper from “Ben Franklin” (S3E15) shows up at the restaurant the guys go to. Dwight and Angela get married in their graves, as per Shrute tradition.

In addition to bringing viewers back to these original jokes, the episode also played on more sentimental callbacks. The best example of this is when the series ends by zooming into the drawing Pam made of the office building seasons prior.

3 Not Perfect: It Wasn’t The Funniest Episode

Yes, the last episode is humorous, but it has a much stronger emphasis on the heartwarming moments than the funny ones.

Early episodes of The Office had a strong cringe factor, and while Ryan did give his baby an allergic reaction so he could run away with Kelly, the episode is largely devoid of its original brand of humor. The finale is sappy and sweet, and while this isn’t bad, it is a big shift from where the show started.

2 Perfect: It Brought The Documentary Around

Though all of The Office has the Dunder Mifflin Scranton Branch being filmed by a documentary crew, this is rarely referenced during most of the series. Occasionally viewers would get a glimpse of a cameraman or the boom mic, however, it wasn’t until Season 9 that the documentary aspect was more openly discussed, particularly when boom guy Brian rushes to comfort Pam.

The series finale brings this storyline around by having the documentary air to the public on PBS. Dwight’s wedding is taped for the bonus footage on the DVD, and the gang even attends a live Q&A to answer their fans’ questions.

Though the inclusion of the documentary crew in Season 9 was a noticeable departure from the show’s usual format, it was good to see this storyline wrap up properly.

1 Not Perfect: It Could Have Come Earlier

While The Office finale is an overall success, many viewers believed it should have come much earlier in the series.

After Michael leaves near the end of Season 7, the writers didn’t have much tension left to work with. After all, Michael and Holly got their happy ending, and Pam and Jim were already together.

This forced the writers to introduce new conflict, which they chose to do in the form of CEO Robert California. Unfortunately, the series never felt quite the same after Michael’s departure. The show was dragged along a little longer than it probably should have been.

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