cornBREDX (Level 9)

These are my thoughts on the latest episode of The Office. There will be spoilers. Read no further if you don't want it spoiled. 
 
I was concerned with all the rumors flying around that Michael was leaving. With Michael, basically goes the show. Ya, there are other great characters, but the  foundation of it all is Michael. No one could ever replace him. 

If you've watched every episode since it began, as I have, you know how important it is they give him a send off that means something. This episode was very telling how important that was to the cast, as it was important for Michael he propose meaningfully, but they give the audience a nod and say "Hey, it's been a great 7 or so years. It's time to move on"

As far as I'm concerned this can be the last season of The Office. Micheal's exit story is one to be remembered and last thing I want to do is spoil it with the show continuing past him. I was hoping they'd do something special, and not something generic. They did, and the episode is as much a love letter to it's fans as it is to Holly and Michael.

The whole scene where Michael finally finds a way to propose is magical for someone who has watched the ups and downs of the show. For all it's good and bad, all the things Michael mentioned were things that actually happened on the show. To me, that was meaningful that they would let us share those moments with the characters and their fondness for those memories.

The test of their love, as they walked through the break area, was very sweet. Even for a dude like me I don't think I could think up something quite so romantic and I think it was such a great idea.

Everyone lives in their own world, and the characters of The Office are no different. It reminds us that their world is their job; they go to work , do their job (while dealing with an absurd boss and colleagues) and then they go home. This was always the foundation for the show, and one that other shows were inspired to capture. Walking down that break room you could sense this world being one they share, as Holly is filled with emotion at the wonderful thought that no one is good for her anymore except Michael.

Michael isn't the greatest person in the world, and his inability (sometimes) to understand the boundaries that we must not cross can often lead to a world of laughs as he stumbles onto controversial topics he doesn't realize actually hurt peoples feelings (and we get the impression every time he never intended to). He is still a human being though, and not one to be contemptuous of. He reminds us that we are only human and we make mistakes. Sometimes more so than others, and we can only do our best to live happy lives and not hurt others in the process.

In that moment, even with the tired cliche' of  "making it rain", when they share with us their way of proposing with one another, we feel nothing but joy for Michael and Holly. The one person in the world that understands him is finally his. She doesn't want to use or abuse him, she doesn't want to hurt him in the end or find fault in his downfalls. She loves him for who he is and truly understands him like no one else ever has.

I can think of no better way to say goodbye to Michael- making him truly happy for the first time in his life and having someone who truly wants him around and shares in his life view. 

I want to wish Steve Carell the best in his career and I only hope whatever he does next is not as bad as most movies he tends to headline. This episode showed what Steve Carell is truly capable of if he is given the right means. 
 
Thank you for reading. Feel free to share you're thoughts on this episode and what you would think if this season was the last.

 So since old boy is being so exonerated here I wanted to point out some thoughts I had on the film. I saw it a long time ago but not remembering it I watched it again (its on netflix streaming).
 
First off, I don't recommend watching it dubbed. The dubbing is terrible. The performances on screen are superb but the English dubs sound like anime actors and for the most part don't fit.
 
The twist was completely obvious (some might say it's because I have seen it before many years ago. Maybe, IDK, but I didn't remember anything else in the film and I guessed the big twist very early in the movie. To be fair, though, the first [smaller] twist I had no clue on).   

The movie itself deserves all the praise it gets. It's very well shot, and the direction is also pretty spot on. Something I found really exceptional about it was that the fighting was fairly realistic and didn't set up the main character as a bad ass, but rather as a dude that was doing all this fueled by revenge after being locked up for so long and practicing what he saw on TV.

At no time is the main character considered to be anything amazing. He actually consistently gets his ass handed to him and in the end no one really wins (which, I think it's safe to say, is the moral of the story- if there is one).

It's extremely disturbing as well as thought provoking. The action is more of a way to move the character forward and the most notable action sequence is (has been said by others) quite cathartic more than adrenaline fueled. The characters fighting even have to take a breath (the main character most notably being drained but fighting on anyway when he has to and overcoming the insane odds fueled by his rage). This is very different from most movies of this caliber and I thought it really helped to sell this insane web that is tangled throughout the whole of the movie.

As it stands, I actually want to watch it again in its original language with subtitles so I can get a better feel for the characters. The one thing that sucked me out of the weight of the acting was the awful dubbed voices coming out. It almost would have ruined it for me if not for the fantastic story and very well directed control the movie had.

All in all, it really is a fantastic movie, but I don't recommend the dubbed version (at least the one that's on Netflix streaming, if there happens to be more than one dub).