Top 10 Things In The Office That Make NO Sense

OK, this is a very sweet scene and everything, but really, how was Pam able to say goodbye to Michael without a boarding pass? She somehow managed to convince security to let her through, despite not having any of the essential documents or a very legitimate reason for doing so. She certainly couldn’t have proven to them that her boss was leaving, and even if she did, that’s not exactly an emergency worthy of bypassing protocol. And for that matter, how did the camera crew manage to film when cameras are to be cleared separately by the TSA? Maybe they got a special permit or something, but this is a low-budget documentary about a Scranton paper company, so we seriously doubt it.

In-universe, this documentary is essentially a reality show. Therefore, it should have looked much rougher than it did.There are numerous instances where the show breaks the fake documentary convention and switches into traditional scripted TV territory. For example, the scene where Jim imitates Dwight. You’re telling us that the cameras were already perfectly positioned for the traditional over-the-shoulder A-B camera shots? Did they know beforehand that Jim was going to do something goofy? And for that matter, what’s with the flashy camera techniques? Like in the episode “The Search” when it circles around the roof to dramatically reveal Michael? That’s a planned, rehearsed, and scripted shot, not a genuine moment of discovery.

Let’s face it – Andy’s boat trip was a complete disaster. Not for him, but for the believability of show’s plot. You’re telling us that Andy managed to trick David Wallace for THREE MONTHS without him catching on to the ruse? And the office somehow managed to run brilliantly for three months without a manager? Jim gives us some nonsense about how no one actually needs a boss and will just do their work anyway, but come on, that’s just an excuse to explain away Ed Helms’s absence. And to top it off, David decides not to fire Andy, despite him A) lying to his superior, and B) you know, disappearing from work for three months! Dunder Mifflin has some incredibly lax standards.

As we learn in season two, The Dundies are a big deal for Michael. He tries out new (and incredibly offensive) characters, he gets everyone together at Chili’s, and best of all, he creates original and unique awards for his employees (even if they don’t appreciate it). So why do we only see one more Dundies award ceremony? You would think, knowing Michael’s personality and how important the night is for him, that he would force the crew to film every ceremony. Maybe he did, and the crew simply refused to air them. Or maybe it was a real-life decision, and the producers didn’t want to air a Dundies episode every season. It probably would get a little boring. But still…

In season seven, Michael leaves Pennsylvania behind to move to Colorado with Holly. The next time we see him, he is happily married with children, just as he always dreamed. Wait, record scratch. He’s married, and we didn’t hear about it? Michael’s dream is to be loved and accepted by everyone, yet he didn’t invite any of his ex-colleagues to his wedding? And it’s not like he thought everyone hated him and Holly, because everyone in the office supported them and genuinely celebrated when he proposed to her. Surely he would ride that wave and invite everyone from the office to their wedding? We never even hear a Scranton employee mentioning an invitation. Michael really did leave his old life behind!

The show established in the cold open of “The Seminar” that David Brent, Michael’s UK counterpart, exists in the universe of the American “Office.” This opens a huge can of worms. This means that two paper companies hosted a documentary crew, they both similar employees who acted alike, these employees had the same jobs as their counterparts, and many were involved in the exact same predicaments and situations with each other! For example, the Jim-Dwight/Tim-Gareth rivalry and the Jim-Pam-Roy/Tim-Dawn-Lee love triangle. Not to mention, the American pilot is almost a word-for-word and shot-for-shot recreation of the respective British episode. Is this an example of the multiverse at work? Because that is way too much to chalk up to coincidence.

Forget Andy not being fired – why on Earth would Dunder Mifflin EVER rehire Ryan? At the end of season four, Ryan is both fired and arrested for defrauding the company. That really should have been it for his life in the corporate world. Luckily, Ryan is let off with community service, and Michael re-hires Ryan as the Scranton branch receptionist. And, what, the higher ups at Dunder Mifflin had absolutely no problem with this decision? The same man who committed fraud against the company is allowed back with very little trouble. We said it before, but we’ll say it again – Dunder Mifflin has some incredibly lax standards!

It’s weird that Stanley gets officially reprimanded for yelling at Michael, yet no one cares that Jim is constantly harassing Dwight. Jim has posted Dwight’s resume online without his consent, moved his desk to the bathroom, manipulated his computer with a macro, and thrown a snowball directly at his face inside the office. Realistically, all of these would likely end in a stern talking to, if not outright termination. Even when Dwight approaches Toby with legitimate complaints, Toby simply ignores them and lies to Dwight about sending the complaints to corporate. Yet he tells Michael to discipline Stanley for raising his voice. Now those are some messed-up priorities.

The thing about “flanderization” is that it often opens up a lot of glaring plot holes. In the early seasons, Kevin was a little dull and boring, but he never seemed overtly stupid. You can even see a college diploma hanging in his workspace, indicating that he is intelligent and good with numbers. Of course, we later find out throughout the series that he is NOT good with numbers, and we start to question how he even functions in everyday life. We also discover that he originally applied to work in the warehouse, but Michael put him in accounting based on a hunch. How he managed to last nine plus years at Dunder Mifflin is beyond us.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Why Would Jan Buy Off Oscar When He Was Willingly Quitting?

Whatever Happened to Danny?

Nellie’s Stint as Manager

How Hasn’t Dwight Been Fired?

The Senator’s Disappearing Son

Honestly, how does the Scranton branch manage to bring in money? For one thing, half the staff are utterly incompetent. (xref) Michael is a terrible manager and should have been demoted long ago, Ryan, Pam, and Andy all suck at sales, Creed is deranged and doesn’t seem to know where he is half the time, Meredith and Creed operate on a whole other level and Kevin… well, he’s Kevin. Those who aren’t incompetent are lazy and unmotivated, including Phyllis and Stanley, who never seems to do anything but his crossword puzzles. There are only a handful of employees who apparently do any serious work, including Dwight, Jim (sometimes), and Angela. The place is an absolute circus, and those don’t usually sell paper.