Is SEASON 8 of The Office really that bad? Office Field Guide Season Recap

[@Mulverine]

What could have “fixed” season 8?

[@Jaypro128]

Passion

[@Iceman300c]

Robert California should have become a more integral part of the show. I think of episodes like when he wants Andy to deny his wife a job as a good example of how the format should have went going forward. Instead the writing focused on zany gags and situations with the rest of the cast like Gettysburg or the Tallahassee arc

[@Rastamanjungle]

@@Iceman300c exactly, he should stay in the office not becoming CEO. Andy as manager was weak, he was a cheap copy of M Scott. While California was something fresh, i liked him and his sex, alcohol, money and ego issues.

[@joeybearden3120]

I think the writers should have picked a direction and stuck with it instead of seemingly testing the waters with a series of half-baked ideas. Several of the ideas had potential (Andy's redemption arc, Robert's intimidating energy) but the writers simply didn't follow-through. If I was a writer for The Office, I would have brought up the idea of making Jim the regional manager and slowly turning him into a second Michael Scott. I think that "Survivor Man" and "The Promotion" open up this possibility. That decision would certainly have been controversial and hard to pull of, but I think it could have worked better than forcibly shoving the Nard Dog in a Michael Scott-shaped hole.

[@MylingCyrus]

More Zach woods 🫣

[@henrypeters5291]

Honestly, something that hardly gets asked is what would a season 8 of the office have looked like with Steve Carrel. What people fail to realize is that Michael's arc was 90% done by the end of season 6 and they were just spinning their wheels with the character. While it was still entertaining, they likely would have run out of ideas by season 8 as well because season 7 would have been much more likely season 6 with the possible exception of instead of ending up with Holly, Michael would accept that him and Holly could never be together. Jim and Pam were the same way, and it is unlikely that they never would have started something like the Athlead arc until the last season anyway.

[@miguelbahena94]

Jim and Pam’s arc peaked by season 5, but they milked that without a problem.

[@henrypeters5291]

@@miguelbahena94 It peaked in season 3, it was completed in season 8 when Pam gave birth to CeCe. Everything else was just their own respective arcs where Jim did not really develop after the co-manager arc and Pam regressed when she blackmailed Gabe into making her office manager.

[@miguelbahena94]

@@henrypeters5291 peaked in s3? 😂 the end of s3 is Jim’s first time asking Pam out. Completed in s8?? They had to have a 2nd kid and a close affair for their messy love story for it to be complete lol? Sounds more like you’re nitpicking certain moments in an episode to make it make sense

[@henrypeters5291]

@@miguelbahena94 Personal opinion but the best episodes in the Jim and Pam arc were when they were dealing with the Jim, Pam, and Karen love triangle. Outside of that the best moment is when Jim proposes to Pam in season 5. As for Phillip being born, that really did not effect the story that much, especially since we did not see it and the near affair happened in season 9 and only happened because of the Athlead arc.

[@Jeremy-ot6pb]

i never realized gabe and darryl were val's bosses but yeah they are so that does put it in a new light

[@lbreezy4423]

If Darryl is vals boss, then how come she went up to get him for the safety meeting.

[@Jeremy-ot6pb]

@@lbreezy4423michael is toby's boss but toby still runs HR stuff the difference is darryl is actually pretty professional so he does what he's supposed to do

[@eepyJay]

​@@lbreezy4423I assumed it was cos he didn't show up even though it was scheduled, cos he says they usually just sign the thing and don't actually go through it, maybe he forgot.

[@lbreezy4423]

@eepyJay I kinda figured that. I thought it was wild she asked him if he was that lazy to her boss.🤣🤣🤣

[@jordansweet8054]

Gross.

[@onis]

What's crazy is that without Michael, you change every character dynamic of the show. Everyone besides Dwight and Erin disliked Michael, which made it fun because everyone else has to put up with whatever craziness Michael creates. It creates constant conflict for all the characters. Without Michael, characters now had to have conflicts with each other. But mostly everyone likes each other. Most of them are at least cordial with Andy. No real reason to dislike him. Honestly Dwight would have been the easy Michael replacement. You would have kept that dynamic the same. However, Dwight dislikes everyone back, so his rule would have been more ruthless and crazy. Which it did end up being. Could that work for two seasons? Probably not.

[@eepyJay]

Idk if I'd say everyone got along before, I mean, there's Angela and Phyllis for one. That said, this is an interesting idea!

[@onis]

@@eepyJay I did say mostly everyone. Obviously Dwight and Angela had the most conflicts with everyone. But how long can you make those conflicts interesting? Not that long.

[@lostcauselancer333]

Not a Nellie fan by any means long shot, but I think she was closest to being tolerable in Tallahassee arc

[@Cdr2002]

She’s solid there, becomes a really confusing character after that and then for me, likable again when her adoption arc takes focus

[@eepyJay]

I was so shocked that she stuck around on my first watch. Felt like stunt casting (I'm from UK and so was very familiar with Tate who was pretty popular comedic actress)

[@monovision566]

It's underrated. Other than when it jumps the shark, it's better than season 9. Robert California is awesome, and at least they didn't completely screw Andy's character here the way they did in 9. 9 has more bad decisions AND is more forgettable even in its better episodes.

[@littlechickeyhudak]

RC is genuinely such a fantastic character. He definitely wouldn't have worked in the early seasons but with the more absurd tone the show had later on he was perfect. "I'm the fucking lizard king" gets me every time

[@jfm5864]

​@@littlechickeyhudakHonestly a could see a slightly toned down version of RC earlier on working if he was a corporate guy we only saw sparingly. I think he's good for shaking down characters who have gotten a little too comfy or confident.

[@imallfordabulls]

I think the main problem is the lack of a real boss. Is it really going to be Andy? Is it really Robert California? Is it really Nellie? Personally, I wanted to see what a few “regular” Office episodes would look like with Andy, but instead they wrote him out before we could really see what that would look like.

[@littlechickeyhudak]

exactly. It wasn't the lack of Michael necessarily, it was the lack of a consistent manager at all. All they had to do was establish a new status quo and let it exist like that. If Andy, or hell even Dwight, just took over for Michael and the show otherwise continued on with the familiar weekly workplace shenanigans it could've been fantastic and maybe even ran for even longer. In the Office Ladies podcast, Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey mention that Pete and Clark were introduced with the possibility in mind that they could eventually become the main the characters as the original cast moved on, and the show could continue in perpetuity over "generations" of inevitable employee turnover. While that concept is a bit of a stretch it's by no means impossible had they just kept the easygoing, generally low-stakes story progression. Instead they made it completely tumultuous and unpredictable in the worst ways.

[@malalford]

Andy was the manager.... And he was the VERY WORST.

[@jerkytoo8184]

After rewatching season 8, I'm more charitable with my assessment than what I remember from when it first aired. But that's only because the first half of the season seemed promising in a post-Steve Carell Office. But they really did squander that with how the second half turned out. Thinking back, the second half of season 8 was when my wife and I were wondering if the show was even worth watching.

[@maniacmatt7340]

Well put together and summed up nicely!

[@dominiccenteno1233]

I personally liked season 8 more than season 1 and much more than season 9. The only thing I don't like about this season is Get The Girl and all the Nellie stuff. And probably a hotter take, the last part of season 6 and most of season 7 aren't that good either. Even if Michael was still present.

[@oliviastratton2169]

Yeah. Season 1 is much worse. Especially considering the writers were lifting half the material from the UK office instead of having to think up everything themselves like in Season 8.

[@mercop1472]

I didn't dislike this season too much

[@LowellDylan]

I find season 8 much more easy to digest than season 9 - maybe not as interesting, but season 9 just makes me mad.

[@hallocher608]

same!

[@malalford]

But that finale 👨‍🍳😙, also the 3rd last episode (Livin' the dream) where Dwight becomes regional manager & then next episode he becomes the assistant _to_ the assistant _to_ the regional manager

[@MylingCyrus]

I love season 8. I'm a season 8 apologist through and through sorry

[@James_St._James]

Same here. The only stinkers were Gettysburg, Jury Duty, Test The Store, Get The Girl, Angry Andy, and Fundraiser. That's only 6 out of 24. 75% is pretty good. Turf War is a Top 10 all time episode for me. The Tallahassee arc was one of my favorites. I think people ask too much of sitcoms that are in their later seasons. There's only so much the writers can do. Like the MST3K theme song says, "Repeat to yourself 'It's just a show, I should really just relax.'"

[@ian7064]

Pam: "Why is Jim making her laugh so much?" Oh, you mean like he used to do to you when you were engaged to Roy? Now you care about boundaries lol

[@ecciq]

probably emotional pregnant brain

[@malalford]

Well yeah, because she knows how it turned out with the last person he acted like that with. Reasonable paranoia

[@Neyshtradamus]

IM HERE FOR ALL OF IT

[@jordansweet8054]

Me finishing up Season 7. No,God, please no! No! No! Nooooooooo! I'll play myself out. Season 8 "You're just doing random crap." -Annie Edison.

[@Will87735]

Nelie character growth is horruble in this season. Couldve done it without her

[@tooruoikawa8985]

I actually love Nelie’s character lol I thought she brought back alittle bit of the the Michael Scott hijinks. The Nellie Dwight B plots are some of my favs of those seasons. I could understand where you are coming from! I’m just happy some people watch all the seasons too lol

[@AwfulWaffle8474]

She was insufferable. Absolutely charmless compared to Michael

[@annanishimiya7786]

Hate her with a passion

[@Hamzakarim-1]

I actually do think that season 8 is the last decent season of the office, people often forget that the show has been on a downfall since season 5, season 6 and 7 were very mid, but they had michael in them, which made them passable, but 8 is when it started to get exposed, and 9 is basically the coffin of this show

[@patrickthomas8890]

Totally agree. 5 and 6 had some great moments, but the show was already starting to go downhill before Steve Carell left. The show worked great as a more grounded comedy, not the disjointed cartoon it became. I wish they followed the UK Office model of eventually doing a 2 hour movie instead of more full seasons

[@Iceman300c]

Love the long form content 🔥

[@BlastGnar]

been a while since i've seen the last few seasons but i think todd coming back was pretty smart continuity. if i remember right, dwight and jim sent him down to florida as a prank.

[@GetALifeMiley]

Ed Helms was the wrong guy to replace Steve Carell. Nothing against Ed, but the character of Andy was already a bust.

[@rocky0155]

Can't wait for Season 9!!!

[@niteblooms]

this video is really great, and im shocked it isn't more appreciated.

[@LTP1776]

Facts. Seasons 8 and 9 are underrated

[@DavidCurwin]

Just curious - any reason you skipped "Fundraiser" (episode 22)?

[@RibbonPrincess56]

I also hate this episode.

[@КГБКолДжорджКостанца]

this season just steered into a detour, however i don't think Robert California was a bad addition, still the comedy was starting to be....bland

[@StopLyin2Yourself]

Finally found a good channel on the office ⁉️

[@littlebeesam]

The main thing is more like the show was already running out of steam and then when Michael left theres really no sticking around, especially while the show is flopping around trying to find its footing again. Now on my office re watch i honestly watch up until michael leaves then i skip to the end to watch the finale

[@meganwilhelm8522]

38:23 Okay, see you later, Pan 🤕

[@mkatreadsbooks]

I’m actually a really big fan of season 8. I like the story between a lot of the characters. It’s not my favorite season but it’s up there definitely

[@scrubadiver]

Don't want to be "that guy" but in Remember the Titans they did a team midnight run to the Civil War battleground, they didn't take a bus.

[@A_r78]

Robert California was awesome

[@jakem-cv4jf]

16:34 ARE WE JUST GOING TO SLID PAST THAT 💀💀💀

[@Forriedude]

"Join me, will you?" I will. Also, that's what she said?

[@mrpopsful]

I think season 8 is underrated. Definitely would place it above seasons 9 and 6

[@TitaniusCornwood]

could it have? yes. did it? no

[@hatedcritic2585]

All of THE best episodes were with Steve.. I would take the worst episode with him in it over any episode without him.

[@BrysontheeTV]

I was also weirdly attracted to Mrs. California 😂

[@milannovotny2085]

Finished another rewatch of the whole show a few days ago and I don't think season 8 is the worst. It's better than season 9.

[@happiness4812]

3:48 Dwight take it easy. You know he's a weakling.

[@SP-bd4ob]

Show felt more like a spin-off after Michael left. Still decent but never the same. Say what you will about Michael Scott, but he was a great boss. He loved Dunder Mifflin and his employees (minus Toby) and it showed. Dwight was loyal to Dunder Mifflin but never cared for any of his “subordinates”.

[@KateJacksonLincoln]

Seasons 8 and 9 were perfectly serviceable until Catherine Tate became a regular. She almost single-handledy ruined the final two series.

[@daltonbelflower7331]

Agreed 💯

[@aronthedev3074]

Yep. They tried to make her sympathetic and likeable but it just fell flat. I still remember seeing her walk in to the office for the first time after her Florida appearances and letting out a loud groan of disappointment.

[@yorsyhernandez88]

Hahah didnt remember this bit 29:03 that was good

[@Lasagna_Garfield_]

I’m probably the only person who likes Nellie because I hate Andy with a passion

[@Promthanius]

Idk why people hate Nelly . I love Kathrine Tate

[@Jessie-w5f]

I compare it to “Cheers” without Sam Malone. WTF??!!

[@malalford]

Season 8 was on par with the previous few seasons. There was too much cringe with plenty of hilarious bits with a touch of heart strings.

[@James_St._James]

Season 8 is tied for the 4th best season with Season 5. I know many don't agree, but I just think the last two Michael Scott seasons aren't very good. I skip more Season 6 and 7 episodes than Season 8 episodes when I binge watch.

[@Rastamanjungle]

season 8 tied with season 5? LoL, the m.scott paper company episodes are epic

[@James_St._James]

@@Rastamanjungle Of course the Michael Scott Paper Company episodes are epic. No argument there. But that was the end of Season 5. The second half of Season 5 was excellent. The first half was rather dull. That's why it's a tie.

[@TheShrekTheTacoandTheBallerina]

I don’t think it was that bad but Season 9 was really bad, mainly with Andy The finale was the only good part

[@chuganoga1908]

Season 8 was a complete disaster… it’s completely skippable

[@squidlivers5677]

#sixseasonsandafieldguide

[@Skypost4ever]

I actually liked andy and his character arc, it was a bit rough early on when he was the manager, but i did like it.

[@johnsmith0001]

Wrong d!e

[@happiness4812]

😂😂😂😂

[@SauloBenigno]

This season is so bad that I'm unable to watch your video. So many bad scenes, sorry

[@dundee5593]

I allways felt like the show is better without michel.

[@Will87735]

First

[@giopanagiotakis4430]

Blah blah click bait rider of coattails

[@tankdiggs8974]

I've watched 2 mins and u already want to tell you this is astoundingly stupid. No it would have never worked with out Micheal. It's the greatest character arc on a sitcom ever. They rest of the show is ornamental. Your making me lose respect for you ideas with this non sense

[@lhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh]

Probably one of the stupidet comments I've ever seen