How 'The Office' boss Michael Scott went from zero to hero
Episodes that paved the way for the Dunder-Mifflin staff to miss him as he goes
Season 2's 'The Client'
(As I said in the introduction to this gallery, this isn't a list of the funniest "The Office" episodes of the Steve Carell era. That would include outings like "The Injury" or "Diversity Day" or "Conflict Resolution," which featured Michael at his most annoying and/or clueless. This, instead, is Michael at his best, the episodes that helped pave the way on his journey from jerk to relative good guy.)
"The Client" (11/8/05): To that point, it was somewhat baffling that Michael had risen to the job of branch manager, let alone how he had managed to hold onto the title. Then he took corporate supervisor (and unrequited crush) Jan Levinson on a sales pitch with an important potential client, and we and Jan got to witness Michael's almost idiot savant gift for landing clients. Jan was so impressed, in fact - and drunk from all the booze Michael had plied the table with - that she actually went home with him that night. From that point on, we would periodically see Michael pull off some miraculous feat of salesmanship in order to justify how he survived so many other disasters.
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April 27, 2011 at 9:41AM EST Reply to Comment"Boom, Roasted!" Best line the show has ever had.
April 27, 2011 at 9:42AM EST Reply to CommentI think the warming of Michael started the week before with the Halloween episode when, at the end, Michael is nice and friendly with the trick or treating kids. First time we saw that side of him. Plus, it came at the end of a miserable day at the office for him.
April 27, 2011 at 10:41AM ESTJames Yup, that was the hallmark moment for me as far as actually sympathizing with Michael.
April 29, 2011 at 7:51PM ESTmatt
April 27, 2011 at 10:00AM EST Reply to CommentDon't forget though, Oscar showed up too, but his presence was unhelpful because of the negative comments from his boyfriend-at-the-time.
velocityknown
April 27, 2011 at 11:01AM EST Reply to CommentI only disagree with Threat Level Midnight, otherwise this is a fantastic list.
I'm totally preparing myself to cry like it's the LOST finale when Michael leaves.
Timm S
April 27, 2011 at 11:19AM EST Reply to CommentWithout a doubt, what made Michael Scott redeemable for me was Holly's affinity for him. That she was attractive, competent and likable, AND that she truly found Michael to be all of those things made me realize there was more to him than he let on. Sure, he's provided flashes of humanity over the years, but she completely validated him in my eyes. Not unlike the UK office Christmas special when the girl DBrent ends up with at the office party like him. And frankly, quite similar to how people view me differently once they meet my wife. "Well, if she can stand him, then there must be something there...".
Kevin
April 27, 2011 at 11:23AM EST Reply to Comment"oh my gosh. I almost had awesome blossom sauce coming out of my nose."
Spielbergo
April 27, 2011 at 11:28AM EST Reply to CommentGreat list. I would also add the season 3 episode "The Convention." Michael and co. attend the convention in Philadelphia, and much to Jan's surprise Michael lands the Hammermill account. It also contains the classic, "Ain't no party like a Scranton party, 'cause a Scranton party don't stop!" As well as Michael's response to Jan underestimating him: "Yeah, well maybe next time, you will estimate me."
GBK
April 27, 2011 at 11:35AM EST Reply to CommentOne of my favorites is from the new season, when Jim ditches Michael at the gas station, and Erin, Dwight and Holly set out to find him. Just seeing the path he takes, and Holly knowing him so well that they end up on the same roof, was the first time I started to like Michael again in years.
eriklk That ending is very reminiscent of the great Simpsons episode El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer, where Homer thinks Marge isn't his soulmate and goes on a walkabout, with Marge finding him in no time because she knows exactly how he thinks, proving they're soulmates.
April 29, 2011 at 11:12PM ESTOfficefan
April 27, 2011 at 12:12PM EST Reply to CommentGreat list. I'd add the episode on the cruise ship though where michael tells Jim never to give up trying to be with Pam, the irony of course being that he spent the entire episode dishing out poor metaphors and speeches in attempt to be motivational, only to do his best work when he wasn't trying
Max I agree...this is the first episode I remember seeing where Michael seemed more human, a kind of silly guys with occasional flashes of brilliance, than just a cartoon character. I definitely would've put this on the list rather than "Threat Level Midnight."
April 27, 2011 at 1:47PM ESTDave I I'll agree with Officefan that the cruise ship and his heart-to-heart with Jim was great. However, I liked "Threat Level Midnight" because it showed Michael finally being able to have a little fun and not be so serious about what is, to be frank, a dream he is never going to realize (he's never going to be Spielburg, Lucas, Michael Bay, or any other bigtime movie producer), and poke fun at himself. It was a culmination of his maturity and acceptance of reality.
May 10, 2011 at 10:50AM ESTI did love his encouragement of Jim on the cruise ship, and there are several Jim & Michael moments that stand out (including their "see you for lunch tomorrow" speech in Carell's final episode). I think any of those episodes/scenes merit inclusion in this sort of discussion. I really appreciated the maturation that "Threat Level Midnight" showed in Michael. It was an awareness that we had seen hinted at here and there but it seemed like with Holly he had just come to a more fundamental and permanent awareness and maturity. For me, that really punched through.
-Cheers
Scott
April 27, 2011 at 2:22PM EST Reply to CommentSome of my absolute favourite moments, but episodes of the show so far. I think we'll all miss Michael far more than any of us(or his employees) care to admit.
frank
April 27, 2011 at 3:27PM EST Reply to CommentGreat list, but that scene with Jim in Booze Cruise is a big oversight.
anonzmoose
April 28, 2011 at 8:55PM EST Reply to CommentToday one of the stations just happened to be showing the episode where Michael and Holly did their act for the D/M picnic - accidentally revealing the closing of a branch. But they worked really well together in spite of the mini-disaster and Michael did not ruin things at the end. He tells a story to the camera crew that sounds self-delusional: that his relationship with Holly is one of those long, winding love stories that eventually comes out perfect. It was a very touching ending though it is not the actual ending of that episode which is remembered for the Jim & Pam pregnancy surprise, an awesome and memorable silent revelation at the Doctor's office. But the Michael & Holly story was also advanced. - anonZmoose
May 1, 2011 at 2:51AM EST Reply to CommentI absolutely loved Michael in "Did I Stutter?" I remember watching the episode live being upset at Michael throughout most of the episode for being seemingly himself. But then he had that great conversation with Stanley where I was so impressed and inspired by him watching Michael work and become an actual boss. The only think I remember looking back at that episode now was that great conversation at the end.
Dave I
May 10, 2011 at 10:36AM EST Reply to Comment"Money" was the episode I think I first identified with Michael. We saw him as a real person. He was quirky, but charming and had a very specialized knowledge of dealing with people in a sales environment. To me, it was where we saw him as a person and I came to the realization he was miscast as a manager. It was what he wanted, however he was the ideal SALES person. It helped project his backstory as a charming and popular guy in the office who did so great at his job that, naturally, he ended up advancing to office manager. However, while being great at sales, he was not great at an upper management type of job.
Those are the episodes I enjoyed the most. Where he was awkward, slightly bumbling, but still human and there was SOME intelligence and capability at least in certain areas. That is the character that I both liked the most as well as the one that seemed the most feasible (as opposed to just something thrown on the screen because it sounded funny yet disjointed from anything approaching reality).
-Cheers