It was impossible to imagine the American version ofThe Officewithout Steve Carell fronting the show as Michael Scott, until suddenly it wasn’t. Carell departed before the end of the show’s seventh season, leaving an enormous Michael-shaped hole in Dunder Mifflin Scranton. However, Carell’s return for the series finale did something else entirely.
Rather than reminding us how much we’d missed his managerial experience at the head ofThe Office’s cast list, the actor’s cameo appearance as Michael Scott at Dwight and Angela’s wedding proved that he was right to leave when he did. This truth may be difficult for diehard fans of the series to hear, but it’s ultimately undeniable.
Michael’s surprise comeback was the icing on the cake of a worthy farewell episode, but his return also made it painfully clear that things just weren’t the same as they were when he left Dunder Mifflin. His former branch of employees wasn’t what it used to be, andThe Officewasn’t the show it had been during its peak years, either.
The series finale was a well-deserved victory lap for the entire main cast, marked by fitting character endings, pitch-perfect one-liners, and poignant reflections on its nine-season run. But few of the double-episode’s highlights, including Carell’s brief return, would have made it into one ofThe Office’s best seasons.
Steve Carell’s Return In The Office Series Finale Added Little To The Episode
Despite it being the mic-drop moment ofThe Officeseries finale, Steve Carell’s return to the show as Michael Scott didn’t really add anything substantial to the episode. It essentially consisted of two lines and a few shots of Michael’s emotional reunion with his former assistant (to the regional manager), Dwight.
Michael’s surprise appearance to perform best-man duties at Dwight’s wedding was beautifully executed with a classic “That’s what she said” joke. His other line in the episode, comparing Dwight and Angela’s wedding to watching his kids grow up and marry each other, was also pure Michael Scott. Still, it felt as though there was something missing.
Carell was silent for a little too long when Dwight actor Rainn Wilson first turned to him for his surprise entrance. Then he hesitated when delivering his second line, and he didn’t quite carry off the self-conscious demeanor of Dunder Mifflin’s smarmy branch manager.
It was as though he’d forgotten how to be Michael Scott, which was completely reasonable under the circumstances. It felt a little jarring, though, to see Michael back with his former subordinates after so long away, but not claiming the center of attention for the first time in the history ofThe Office.
Carell is famous for his humility, and he likely wouldn’t have wanted to steal the thunder of his former castmates. But the form his cameo took gave the impression that his most famous and beloved character no longer belonged among them.
In many ways, it was only fitting that Michael Scott no longer seemed to belong among his former colleagues inThe Officeseries finale.The episode was set more than three years after Michael left Scrantonto start a new life with his true love, Holly Flax. He’d moved on and inevitably changed from the character he once was.
Having finally got the family he always wanted, Michael was no doubt a very different person from the one who left Scranton behind.Steve Carell leftThe Officewhen Michael’s story at Dunder Mifflin had run its course, his character arc was complete, and any further comedy the show managed to squeeze out of him wouldn’t have been the same.
Carell had already worked withThe Officeshowrunner Greg Daniels to change Michael’s characterfrom the mean-spirited king of cringe he was in the first season of the series. Following that change, we began rooting for the branch manager to somehow find a happy ending to his story, against all odds.
In Holly, Michael found this ending, and his departure from the show in season 7 felt like the natural goodbyeThe Officeneeded to keep it grounded. Carell’s exit was far from the only reason for the disappointing turn the series took after he was gone.
Carell Was Right To Leave The Office When He Did For His Character’s Legacy
It wasn’t the absence of Michael Scott that causedThe Officeso many problems in its eight and ninth seasons. The show had actually been experiencing a decline in quality since the end of its golden period between season 2 and season 5.
71%
Main cast
100%
83%
73%
Main cast until episode 23
44%
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78%
Finale cameo
Steve Carell picked his moment to leave wisely, preserving the legacy of Michael Scott while avoiding the damage to his own reputation as an actor fronting two bad seasons ofThe Officewould have done. The show’s series finale was a wonderful conclusion to a work of TV comedy which will rightly go down in history as one of the greats.
PerhapsThe Officeneeded its final two seasons to reach that conclusion. In any case, Michael Scott sticking around Dunder Mifflin for another couple of years wouldn’t have helped the show and would only have harmed his legendary character.
