The Office: The Decline of Kevin Malone

The first 500 people to use this link will get a 2 month free trial of Skillshare Premium Membership: skl.sh/thetake74 | The Office's Kevin Malone started out as reserved, if not a little slow -- but then he turned into one of the most cartoonish characters of the show. Why did the writers choose to do this? Is Kevin a victim of Flanderization; i.e. reverse character development? In this video we dive into the story of Kevin's mental decline. If you like this video, subscribe to our channel or support us on Patreon: / thetake
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[@trinaq]

Please do a video on "The Sassy Black Girl" or "The Gay Sidekick"! 📹🖤

[@natalieshannon7659]

Could you do a video on characters from KZbins "Cobra Kai" Especially do one on Sensei John Kreese. Is he purely evil? Or does he truly care about Johnny and his Cobra Kai students? Is he insane or just a sad broken man who got messed up during the Vietnam war? I think John Kreese is one of the most fascinating characters in Cobra Kai and even in all of TV/Movie.

[@ginam.6787]

Jerry Larry Lenny Terry Barry Larry Gergich

[@razkable]

kevin got some jokes in on angela and a few others sometimes...he was a sexist glutton idiot so...i never cared about him..i kinda wish he just got fired and that was it..did not need him with the bar or him being with the others in the office at the end

[@jeremiasmiguel8143]

instablaster...

[@thedrunkenelf]

There’s the theory that he pretended to be dumb while he was actually embezzling money which is how he bought the bar at the end of the show.

[@Momo-po5tn]

Its in the video

[@jamesocampo6815]

ULGROTHA L

[@m_winewood]

@ULGROTHA you've crossed the line bro lets stick to there, they're, their/ you're, your.

[@briguy677]

@@m_winewood "Yore"

[@b.t.266]

@ULGROTHA "wh'a't'"

[@zombiecarnivore]

Ever sense that man lost his chili, he was on a declining path. He lost a part of himself with that chili.

[@Zoggyblog]

*since

[@giannawild9904]

@@Zoggyblog stole my thunder

[@SeymourDisapproves]

Chris, I get you. You two, though, you're just obnoxious.

[@giannawild9904]

@@SeymourDisapproves o aight simp

[@Zoggyblog]

Small detail differentiate meaning. Also sorry if it offended you.

[@Moobeus]

Erins character also got “flanderized” she went from being just a little bit innocent to being a complete imbecile by the end

[@CamJames]

man she got stupid as hell. Gullible too.

[@GigaChadMob]

Nah, she was always a complete imbecile.

[@poindexterflex3528]

I think she was the most hurt by the departure of Michael. They had real potential together as a pseudo father/daughter combination. I loved the 'I got a big box' song and 'Scissor me!'

[@Moobeus]

L. Ron Hoyabembe she was fine in her first few episodes it was after Gabe showed up they turned her into a complete and utter idiot to the point where it wasn’t even believable, she was worse than Kevin imo

[@poindexterflex3528]

@@Moobeus As an aside, the Gabe character was just awful.

[@laikonicole1983]

I feel like after Steve left, they realized they were going to have to make up for what they would be lacking in his absence. Every character with the exception of Darryl became an over exaggerated version of their character.

[@nikitanair6337]

Laiko Nicole which is really interesting because when micheal left, he specifically told Kevin “don’t be a caricature”. I wonder what the writers were trying to say since that’s exactly what they did to his character.

[@mikerivera373]

Eh, Kevin’s exaggeration started at the end of season 5. And honestly, I don’t think most of the main characters got flanderized. Like Jim and Pam stayed pretty normal, and Dwight kept growing into a more sympathetic character. I think Stanley and Ryan were the only other main characters to get flanderized.

[@Bluestomiv]

Yes especially Dwight. Just watch the season 8 premier. It’s jarring.

[@nikitanair6337]

Mike’s Music Reviews Yeah the main characters got more and more sympathetic and likable but that’s bc they didn’t provide the same type of humor that Micheal did. Andy and Kevin became increasingly more caricature like bc they were the characters who showed similar types of humor to Micheal. Kevin was micheal’s crudeness and unintelligence while Andy was his enthusiasm and romanizing side. But then the writers made Andy unlikeable again which is why the 9th season seemed so empty until the last couple of episodes.

[@BurnBird1]

@@mikerivera373 Pam stayed normal in the sense that she was mostly a believable person, but she shifted to be a completely different person from how she was in earlier seasons, in a way that character development wouldn't be able to account for.

[@suryapanditi3161]

I liked him better in the earlier seasons when his voice was more monotone and “dull” unlike the childlike voice it turns into as the show progresses.

[@afroturtle989]

Surya Panditi true he used to be just lazy then he evolves into acting retired If you catch my drift

[@ma2443]

i feel the opposite

[@kimp7160]

I love the child-like Kevin. Monotone Kevin is more realistic but not nearly as entertaining or endearing

[@suryapanditi3161]

Kim P Agreed. I know I’m in the minority here and even though the childlike Kevin has more memorable moments I think he’s a little too cartoonish for me. I like the subtlety in the earlier Kevin’s jokes.

[@iagas9]

Same. I don't really understand why people like later seasons Kevin. He's just a cartoon. Not every Office character has to be ridiculous, we need some normal people

[@annegil3499]

Kevin good character, me laugh lot when me sees him

[@fam6883]

Why waste say lot word when a few do trick

[@thecoffeeshopat2am173]

The grammar police are gonna have a field run with this one.

[@SARYM911]

@@thecoffeeshopat2am173 No her fault when she save time

[@thecoffeeshopat2am173]

@@SARYM911 Good point you make.

[@sir1179]

Hugo Bustillo we agree this is best way talking

[@baarrbarella]

The scene with the Chili is SO heartbreaking 😭

[@availanila]

I felt so much second hand embarrassment I had to stop watching for a while and just sit in silence crying-laughing. 😭😂

[@riripari2042]

It was too funny for me. 😂

[@absolutnadia]

“10” “Really 10? That’s your guess? You’re a professional accountant.” LMFAOOOOO

[@endlessfreedomful]

he's not going for Kleven, give him some credits!

[@userseveneleven]

LMAO FUNNY HILARIOUS 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@mikitz]

He couldn't have been a complete idiot, since professional accountants' starting IQ is at around 100.

[@johnschaffler1507]

Kevin's issue was that he was a relatively smart guy in the wrong job, something that happens all the time in the real world. He didn't have the mindset or personality to be an accountant but Micheal wasn't going to fire him and it's made clear that two people - Oscar and Angela - could handle the accounting duties with him contributing nothing to the effort. It also explains his sexual 'depravity' - he was completely unfullfilled in both his personal and professional life. So that's why him becoming a bartender/owner at the end makes sense - he had people skills and a little bit of an imagination that were being unused as an accountant and had a toe dipped into the seedier side of life; owning a bar was a real possibility, even his accounting experience would have helped him. The writers missed on a real chance to make him a more interesting character.

[@a.m.861]

John Schaffler damn you look dumb

[@j.elizabeth4621]

Busta But that further explains the first commenters point - Kevin is a hands on and social guy. He’s good with numbers and Michael likes people who make him laugh so naturally he would want Kevin upstairs. Angela and Oscar are content with their jobs because their personalities align and it’s where they excel with their skills. But Kevin has a job that makes him feel constrained and trapped. You can see it come out whenever he’s in public; he’s in bands and plays poker, and he can call out office romances quick because he is attentive to people and his surroundings. It’s hard to be trapped if you aren’t in your element and I think he felt very stifled after the years.

[@Missrere1984]

I don't remember what episode/season it was but Michael said Kevin originally applied for a job in the warehouse....

[@mikerivera373]

Okay I really do hate that they just cut off Kevin’s second love story. I wish that would have gone somewhere, even though I understand that with the exaggeration of his character, it had to be done.

[@watsyourdestiny2086]

Y’all should also cover why they completely changed Kelly’s character as well if you haven’t already. She was so different in the beginning compared to the ending

[@i_dontlikemilk]

Destiny Jennings her storyline was so intrinsically tied to Ryan, who became majorly ridiculous as time went on, that they dialled her up too to match his madness. Which bothered me because I really didn’t like that storyline 💀

[@kristengastauer8785]

In the Office Ladies podcast, Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey say that Mindy Kaling was a writer on the show and they used her as a minor role when they needed someone. Once Kaling realized Kelly would be coming back, she incorporated more of her own personality and style as she didn’t like the quiet, reserved Kelly. The character of Toby Flenderson was played by another writer who didn’t realize they would be taking on a recurring, long term role.

[@Vasilia4]

I liked Kelly's later character. They just hadn't figured out how to use her yet in the first season. Same goes for Michael

[@RambofromWarzone]

She did some writing on the show as well which is crazy

[@Vasilia4]

@@RatFacedJasper acrually, Kelly's character was ground breaking, because it smashed stereotypes on Asian women. They don't always have to be intelligent and conservative. Sometimes, they're named Kelly and are outgoing "dumb blondes".

[@batgurrl]

They made him seem mentally handicapped just like when Holly was ‘punked’ into thinking Kevin was ‘special’. They went with that after it seems.

[@yxw6528]

That was one of the funniest bits but they shouldn't have gone that way

[@bluebutterfly5062]

@@yxw6528 i agree that was hilarious!

[@riripari2042]

That episode was too funny for me. Everybody looked at her in shock when they found out she believed Kevin was special.

[@listrahtes]

At that point I think it was a clever plot point as Dwight tricked Holly into that. Sadly they went with it in later seasons.

[@rachaelrobin7094]

I’m not sure if it’s just me but does anyone remember that Erin’s name actually isn’t Erin, It’s Kelly

[@fam6883]

Girl i was literally watching that episode when theres two kellys

[@commandercorner5575]

Yeah. It's not the only throw away joke that they literally threw away and completely forgot about.

[@trinaq]

Erin mentioned in the same episode she's introduced that everyone calls her by her middle name anyway, so there's not that much of a difference. 😊

[@averygriffith4199]

Imagine the joke if Andy and Erin gotten married and Andy is surprised to remember that her real name is Kelly during the vows.

[@riripari2042]

Omg I forgot about that. 😂

[@Scarlett59319]

I find it’s even worse with Joey on friends! Like in the end how did he even get women he got so stupid

[@Jaclynn9]

Sapphire Paige I think the same thing about Barney from How I Met Your Mother. Like there’s no way he got as many women in the later seasons as he did when his schemes got stupider and/or slimier.

[@marissa1373]

When they were talking about flanderization I immediately thought of Joey!! I couldn’t stand him by the last season. They made him into such an idiot.

[@trinaq]

I second this! In the first few seasons, Joey was hardly the brains of the gang, but he had SOME smart moments. Come Season 10, and he's unable to speak a word of French, which ironic because Matt LeBlanc speaks fluent French in real life! 🤦🏻‍♀️

[@tinaloye2014]

Trina Q maybe he was on the joke especially with French

[@CalliopexMaria]

do you think that this could also aply to monica? i always felt like after s5 the writers took her competiveness/obsession with cleaning side way too far compared to the earlier seasons

[@samdiego1965]

Flanderization happens when writers get lazy

[@ziksy6460]

I agree. This video makes an argument towards the end as to why Flanderization isn't always a bad thing. But I don't think it applies to the Office. As a fan of both The Office and Parks n Rec, I noticed how The Office struggles to juggle side characters in comparison to PnR. In PnR, characters are good foils to each other so even the side characters naturally get developed in tandem with the more main characters. In The Office, half of the characters are just side gags as the seasons progress.

[@W0LV1E45]

or ruining character and relationship (Andy/Erin).

[@CamJames]

@@ziksy6460 Without The Office P&R wouldn't be what it is.

[@natethegr8tt]

Just like what happened to SpongeBob 😔

@@CamJames Parks & Rec was originally going to be a spinoff of The Office, centered around Rashida Jones' character, who was originally intended to be the same character she played in The Office.

[@DeadCanuck]

Can’t believe this episode wasn’t called “We Need To Talk About Kevin.”

[@ReddyCat1976]

lol,good one

[@mbanerjee5889]

The biggest victim of Flanderization: Eric Matthews in Boy Meets World Eric was a very complex character and had good character development in the highschool years. Mr. Feeny often commented on his intelligence. It always upsets me how much they ruined his character.

[@taramaria5936]

I always felt that Eric changed after he had to let Tommy (his little "brother") go after saying he couldn't adopt him. I felt he had so much grief and trauma after that he became a caricature of himself as he couldn't handle the sadness of how he was feeling.

[@RambofromWarzone]

Man so many facts

[@Diegos1707]

Mallika Banerjee yes!!!! He just became a cartoon of the Eric people saw. BMW literally my favorite show of all time so I feel you

[@GenericSupervillain3]

Eric made sense, though. If you think of the show being from Cory's perspective, when he was young he worshiped his big brother, he was the coolest guy around. Smart, charming, cool. So that's how we saw him. As Cory grew older, his opinion of his brother changed, and so did ours.

[@jeffhilton2670]

It was strange because at one point shawn and Eric traded character traits.

[@tlawson5787]

Nothing was more cartoonish than the episode when dwight shoots stanley with a tranquilizer to get him to go on a sales call.

[@Phoenix-pm2qr]

Yea that was the worst. They ruined Dwight too.

[@clwireg]

Another thing with that is that the reason he does it is that the elevator is out of order and Stanley refuses to use the stairs. Just four seasons earlier, Stanley *willingly* uses the stairs even if the elevator is working, in order to lose weight, and seems to have no problem with it

[@garrettcooper58]

That episode was kind of hilarious

[@visassess8607]

That was so stupid but I laughed lmao

[@JustSomebody5]

In the Show Community, Britta was one of my favorite characters and I was very disappointed to watch as she became a shell of the powerful assertive personality she once was and became the "annoying" PC punching bag member of the group. I didn't know there was a word for the devolving process she went through until now. Thank you for the video.

[@ILikedGooglePlus]

Yes

[@happychaosofthenorth]

Yeah, the writer's Britta'd Britta.

[@trinaq]

I agree, in the beginning, Britta seemed to be the voice of reason, and one of the more "down to earth" characters. Then, almost overnight, she was reduced to the butt of every joke, and a walking disaster, with nothing ever going right for her! 😪

[@funkystyle7249]

Somehow seemed very realistic to how some people are,like some pc activists- has good intentions but she lacks the knowledge to make her arguments work and sometimes hypocritical. I don't think she was flandered to the point of complete dumbness like other tv characters but yeah there should have been some growth, but I feel she had some good moments tho few in the later seasons.

[@user-qv2qf1jk5o]

They started to save it with her starting to actually become a therapist (like when she gains emotional awareness and mediates conflict) but they abandoned that after a few episodes. Also, that whole “she only cares about honesty” thing was totally forgotten about - I’m not saying they should’ve kept it, but they could’ve resolved or explained it

[@happychaosofthenorth]

When Kevin dropped the chilli, I FELT that.

[@Legendary_Detective-Wobbuffet]

That was terrible! I wanted to go into my tv and save him!

[@jennifermcgoldrick6323]

Yeah, I'm one of the people who cringe and want to fast forward through that scene - it's heart wrenching 😂

[@Missrere1984]

@@jennifermcgoldrick6323 Same!

[@carson11100]

RIP to the occasionally dumb but secretly intelligent, skilled sportsman and poker star Kevin Malone of early seasons of The Office :(

[@marcespinoza6068]

I shed a little tear every time I watch the episode wear he drops that pot of chili. You hear him talking about staying up all night making it and he truly seems very proud of it and cant want to share it with his co-workers and when he drops it I get super bummed out.

[@electron2601]

Yeah that was painful to watch.

[@emiratesawesome]

I think a lot of Kevin’s character development issues would have been solved if the writers just let him find love with Lynn. That would demonstrate a lot of growth for Kevin, and the audience needed it.

[@cherylhulting1301]

Yes, I was disappointed that they didn't take that relationship further.

[@gabbidurham]

I think Jan becoming more characterized is her slowly going insane

[@ay-leck1369]

Some of the ‘Flanderized’ characters were purposely changed after the first season because the writers felt that their personalities weren’t really working well with the show. Kelly and Michael are two examples that were drastically and suddenly improved at the start of Season 2 to more fit how the creators felt they should act. Later on Andy was also changed and came back as a better character after he had anger management training.

[@emfraridades7261]

Yes. It happens with EVERY single show at first season. Its just a test basically. Most change for better. Sitcoms need characters with specific remarkable traits. Its not a soap opera. The same with Friends. The First season is basically a totally different show. People complain thinking they know better than the writers It's just ridicoulous.

[@00_00.1]

I think in the first season the main characters were heavily influenced by their UK office counterparts

[@GodisGudd]

Kelly didnt improve.

[@jlrob85]

I honestly think the shows writing got lazier as the seasons got on. Other characters went through the same thing

[@borninsalt125]

almost a sure sign a series is going to end. I kinda feel like the same thing is happening to Brooklyn 99

[@kim1233karis]

Andy actually becomes normal.

[@amp4105]

because merchant and gervais stopped working on it

[@emfraridades7261]

You think you know more about writing than professional writers

[@JennaLeigh]

@@emfraridades7261 right? Welcome to the internet, where people think watching KZbin videos makes them experts on subjects they know next to nothing about

[@dylankrejci9965]

I just realized: tv idiots have the best sense of romances going on. joey caught on to mondler faster than the others, and kevin not only called PB & J, but noticed Angela saying "romanceS"

[@TheRewinderCC]

i think kevin overeats partly because hes depressed as hell.

[@socialistbatman1211]

The behaviour of Kevin and Andy in later seasons made me so angry.

[@ilovecody7514]

It's kinda one of my few gripes with the office. It's a good show but a few characters end up like this and end up being an over exaggerated shell of what they once were.

[@bisexualichigo4227]

Kevin, the best Office example of Flanderization

[@thevfxmancolorizationvfxex4051]

You should do a video on the horrible character changes of Peter Griffin

[@trinaq]

I agree, they've taken Peter's "Bumbling Dad" traits, and ampted them up to 11, so that he's a more mean spirited Homer Simpson! 😒

[@icecreamhero2375]

To be fair they were always trying to make Peter as stupid as humanly possible. He was stupid as he is now since day one.

[@Zeverinsen]

>changes 😂

[@brianjames2000]

Gov'ment came and took my baby!

[@rymon8460]

@@icecreamhero2375 he was always stupid but they turned him into a sociopathic asshole

[@youtubesubtitles9741]

Michael: We're moving to Colorado. Kevin: all of us?

[@LarryLeeMoniz]

I am so glad someone finally made a video exclusively about the ridiculous decline of Kevin Malone. He was one of my favorite characters in the first 3 seasons. He actually had more dimensions. There were shades of competency in the beginning. Only to become a caricature. Fantastic, crazy thorough analysis! A great look at TV sitcoms as a whole, and what happens when they are on the air too long. Thank you! Also, that clip from StocktonCon... I was there! Got a photo with Kevin, Oscar and Stanley!

[@robbiegarnz7732]

When Holy first met him and assumed he had special needs was both highly offensive and hilarious! “You drive too? Good for you!” Lol! Meanwhile Kevin thinks she’s hitting on him! Lol!

[@freyjacooper9082]

Dwight told her he had special needs

[@kathrynvincent1563]

All I know about Kevin is his Famous Chili...

[@spookyspikes6576]

I wished someone loved me like how skillshare loves this channel.

[@AE1OU]

Why waste time, say lot word when few word do trick?

[@WolfJulia2001]

Best quote 2 date

[@naitsirk32]

He is simply the Jerry in the Office

[@CookieMonster70119]

Kristian I would think Toby is the Jerry for The Office

[@ryangaskin4938]

you mean Larry

[@EmandEms]

Ryan Gaskin no it’s Gary

[@ryangaskin4938]

@@EmandEms wait, wasn't it Terry?

[@lindamukarakate7511]

no Jerry was very clearly Toby

[@janwouter5215]

The decline of Kevin is the decline of the office.

[@emfraridades7261]

Nah

[@rachelle_banks]

This video feels like a collection essay introductions. I'm now past 8 minutes in and they're showing another title card restating what has been stated so many times already. I don't know if I can commit to 21 minutes right now.

[@rachelle_banks]

Goah Way Well, they have the freedom to do it and I reckon I have the freedom to not watch their vids.

[@thareelhelloagain]

I have to agree, it's not a very well written video. They spend 21 minutes saying the same couple of thoughts in different ways.

[@g-love2401]

You should do the ugly trope and how its tell girls and guys that the only way to be happy is to be beautiful and how the beautiful people around them are keeping him away from that happiness

[@giooo6302]

Can you make one about euphoria? How it really showcased the inner and outer problems of gen z’s while also using its unique visuals and cinematography to convey confusion and are hyper senses of sex

[@RyanAnthonyDigitalMedia]

This video didn’t have to be 21min long..

[@kaushikikar1013]

Because Kevin was the only one who called a spade a spade... I love it when he said...Andy won't make it..can't you see it guys..then Andy actually went on and adopted dogs.. 🤣🤣🤣 also when he told the senator..you are a horrible person 🤣🤣 He was the most mature character beneath this get up of being a big fat butt of jokes..he is All Heart 💜😘 He sees things which even the office consciousness Jim missed 💌

[@Jambit2550]

the whole decline of the office started when they tried giving the secondary characters more personality. you had stanley and meredith doin crazy shit they otherwise wouldn’t have them do in the first couple seasons

[@toby7442]

This was on my mind lately, it’s crazy. Love your content Take crew!

[@lipeeefl]

Kevin getting revenge on ryan is still one of my favorite deleted scenes

[@deacon1429]

I love your videos, they’re some of my favorite content on the platform! Thank you, and I hope you’re all doing well in these trying times!

[@BGro87]

Can you please do some other beloved TV shows of people of color. For example Living Single, A Different Word, or Girlfriends. I love The Office like most people, but the shows above were just as good and deserves how well you deep dive into the characters and depth.

[@jasper2469]

the reason why kevin declining is because he dropped the chili. he wanted everyone to get to know each other in the pot. it seems that he failed accomplishing that task that haunted him forever

[@asmrcity3147]

It’s called lazy writing. His character was supposed to be boring, not brain dead. The destruction of characters in later seasons made this show tough to watch.

[@amaluna-sol1956]

This. Writing really has gone down in this world. It's terrible that people think "flanderization" is an acceptable writing technique to use liberally. It's just lazy, horrible, bad writing that is done to cater to the most meaningless humor, and it mars any book, game, show, etc that it's a part of.

[@i_dontlikemilk]

Andy.. what did they do to Andy :(

[@thesilvershining]

@idontlikemilk Have you finished the show by now? Andy became my 2nd fave character in season 5, he was a genuinely funny sweet musical dork after anger management and by season 9 they tried to regress him back into the angry dumbass of season 3. It infuriated me because I really enjoyed his character development and the writers purposely made Andy a failure to make Dwight seem “better”... you don’t do that. If you’re a good writer you don’t have to shit on one of your characters to improve another 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@orangejuice8339]

Ok but”my name is Kevin” song will always be a banger

[@JThomasS]

I’m a simple man, I see a video about Kevin and I click

[@trinaq]

Likewise, once The Take and The Office are involved, I'm so there! 😁

[@hollywoodshopaholic]

So many "dumb" characters lose any hint of edge or personality in TV shows. London Tipton from Suite Life of Zack and Cody, and Chelsea from That's So Raven immediately come to mind.

[@thedavidjscott_]

I hated it when they made Kevin worse. He was progressing, then suddenly Michael left and he just went off the rails. He and Andy are the two characters the show was progressing for a long time and just dropped the ball on. Andy becoming a manager was a really good chance to redeem the character, and they just totally went the opposite direction. I feel like Kevin was a lot smarter than they have written him to become.

[@theengine]

Eric Matthews from Boy Meets World is the biggest example of this I've ever seen. In the early episodes, he's an attractive popular older brother who is a foil to his more awkward younger brother Corey. By the time they're in college, he's legitimately mentally handicapped.

[@spyguyvishal]

As the series went on Kevin went from a character in the office to a character from parks and rec in the office

[@philmstud2k]

Wasted opportunity to not make a “We Need to Talk About Kevin” joke

[@squidcaps4308]

I'm from Finland and one shop that sells craft stuff and home appliances keeps part of their inventory stored outside the store in a mall. Even when they are closed, you have stuff outside the shop.. and no one steals them. They just sit there, pillows, yard furniture, sometimes even small trinkets you could easily just stuff in your backbag... It is just a regular mall so you even have teens gathering there, literally 10 meters from a pile of stuff. It is quite amazing, really.

[@josefk7437]

The decline of Kevin is parallel to the decline of the show as a whole. The show peaked at Season 4, but in Season 5, the show got absurd and stopped making any sense at all. That is where Kevin gets Flanderized, just like Ryan.

[@jadenpina3989]

Season 5 started to change and wasn’t as good as 2-4 but there are still many great episodes. I think the true decline is season 6

[@davidriddle6677]

This video is fundamentally wrong about Michael lmao they actually toned his utter rudeness and inability to read social cues down after the first season

[@emfraridades7261]

People are dumb. Its a trend now to complain about flandelization. People dont know How to watch sitcoms anymore.

[@melanieamv]

even till the end Kevin has bright great moments, when he goes with Angela and Oscar to Philip's birthday, he is the one who says to the senator he is being a jerk, and I love that part of the character

[@johnk6123]

Pam: Uh my mother's coming Michael: that's what she sa..--cough-- Nope...

[@connorlanker5952]

One of the biggest examples of a character being Flanderized is Red Forman in that 70s show. He goes from a republican guy who loves his country but is also very critical of Nixon and Ford, as well as being critical of their position on blue collar jobs, to a guy who literally says that everything the US and the Republicans do is right.

[@alejandromunozpaz4036]

Kevin was laundrying money for himself

[@authorfarrell7161]

This happened to every character on Friends except Rachel and Chandler

[@alexandrorocca7142]

Look at what they did to Jan, an accomplished businesswoman who suddenly becomes a barking lunatic. The show had run its course after five seasons, some of the actors were clearly going through the motions like factory workers. I wouldn't rewatch the last two seasons even if they paid me.

[@cansofworms]

I like how this video goes out of it's way entirely to avoid dissecting the trope of the fat character always being fat, gross, and stupid just because they're fat (or just being plain shit on for no reason other than that they're fat), when it clearly had every opportunity to lol Like y'all completely wanted to avoid Homer, and Peter from family guy, and Hitchcock and Scully from Brooklyn Nine Nine all falling into the same trope, and it's just funny because y'all have an entire series of videos (which are great and wonderful and intellectually stimulating) about common media tropes about women, how they have evolved or how they have been transformed or appropriated for both negative and positive reasons and how those representations affect the collective consciousness and discourse, but y'all didn't want to go ANYWHERE near the fat people being a big fat stupid baby trope just because they're fat trope. And like the video you made here was of great quality and the writing was *mwuah* awesome, but it just makes me go Hmmmm...? I wonder why? Contractual obligations perhaps? lol Speaking of the fat person being shit on and being gross and awful because they're fat trope, y'all should really do a video on Gary/Jerry from Parks & Rec about how they portrayed the fat man trope as a secret through line of awfulness underlying all the characters and society as a whole, and how even great people like Leslie fall prey to common stereotypes and harmful bias because even great people like Leslie cannot pass up the opportunity to shit on big ugly stupid fat people like Gary (who is not stupid and pathetic and whose real name is Jerry) if it means having fun as a part of the in crowd at the expense of outcasts like Gary, Jerry, Larry. And that how Jerry would probably be a lot more charismatic and outgoing and be able to live up to his true potential if people just weren't so shitty to him just because he happens to be fat. And how the show goes out of its way to make the point of Jerry being deserving of prestige and success when he is made mayor of Pawnee affirming that the talent and creativity and insider knowledge of the town we as the audience see in Jerry really does make him deserving of such a high position of community and authority. Something which could have benefited everyone if only maybe people weren't so shitty to him just because he is fat. So y'all should do a video on that, redeem yourselves by making that video because I want to see y'all do that because it would be great (and because I don't really want to), and thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

[@kr3532]

Kevin owning a bar is not a deleted scene, its in one of the episodes

[@soulrecords857]

You know who *really* suffered from flanderization?? Max Russo from Wizards of Waverly Place!! I will never get over how he went from a normal teenage boy to a character with zero working brain cells...

[@Geraet]

That scene in the 9th season, where they are working in the bus, where Kevin was only able to calculate stuff in pies as a unit was when they hit a comedic all time low imo

[@gabbidurham]

Kevin owning a bar was the ultimate endgame of the Office

[@jennatandy6272]

It was all because of the radon in the ceiling

[@IcySync]

Another good example of flanderization is Eric Matthews from Boy Meets World

[@YourNickIsTaken]

Story of my life: I was good at sports, i was teaching, playing music, driving table game club, i went to the gym 4 times a week, and ride my bike 200 miles a week, yammie veggies grew in my garden, i loved to cook, i trained parrots, a was holding wine tasting with lectures... Now: I woke up. I hate myself. I work. I hate myself. I go to bed. He is my soulmate.

[@ataraxiiaa]

Is it me or is this happening to Linda belcher too?

[@ptricky15]

Craziest example of Flanderization was Corey’s brother in Boy Meets World.

[@tierraellerbe1802]

Can u do gossip girl characters bc i recently started watching the show and what to here your take on each character love the analysis tho

[@Mo-nz2uv]

They did Joey from friends so dirty by doing this too

[@sephiroth7655]

Surprised you didn't show the clip "Don't be a caricature".

[@Maggietkxs]

Waiting for a video about Andy

[@MrRyan-wu4jx]

They turned him into Ralph Wiggum. I cringe at later seasons Kevin.

[@VictorDude98]

He's shown being capable of owning a bar, being able to count when it's in his interest, shown that he has a big heart for his dog and for Philip and being amazing at gambling. But the best Kevin episode is when Holly thinks he is retarded, I have never laughed that much.

[@charlesbrocchiero2307]

I felt so sad when kevin dropped the chilli

[@thisistodd190]

So did Erin. She started to decline too.

[@send2kais]

What about Toby Flendersonization?

[@DaytonaPrototypes]

I think Jan, Ryan and Erin ended up much differently than they were first portrayed. Kevin truly became a caricature of himself in every way; fat, dumb, pervy, and even jumping out of his car in the parking lot and running back to the building yelling "I have to go to the bathroom."

[@TheMainAntagonist]

Kevin is my favorite character

[@peterlonergan]

Great video, you left out one important fact IMO. When Kevin first applied for a job in dunder he was looking to work in the warehouse but Michael chose to put him in accounting.

[@irinaylyaniri]

So Eric Mathews from Boy meets world.

[@jennhoff03]

Nothing is said after the 2 minute mark that we didn't hear in the intro.

[@waltersreads]

This is why I can’t rewatch The Office. The characters are all pretty unlikable and unrealistic.

[@paulmarrocco4011]

I really don't like how nowadays, all we talk and hear about when it comes to the office is about the shows decline. Like cant we just appreciate the run it had and not nitpick the later seasons who where, in my opinion, not even that bad.

[@kidcaldwell]

i’d say meredith is more the butt of the joke then kevin lmao

[@xtradrew9836]

You do realize that the office producers knew what they were doing, this was for the better

[@tjdw5251]

Every Doctor, then changing to Jodie Whittaker's thirteenth doctor is the definition of flanderisation, nothing but an empty caricature.

[@buzinaocara]

This wasn't exclusive to Kevin, but every single character in the series, and it had been happening since the beginning of the show.