The comedy "Mockumentary," The Office, features a failing paper supply company called Dunder-Mifflin based in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The central character, Michael Scott, is the regional manager of the Scranton Branch of Dunder-Mifflin. Michael is the definition of an incompetent boss who has little regard for (and/or knowledge of) social boundaries. The character of Michael Scott gives us insight into the world behind the text. Michael's ineptness as a boss drives the comedy forward yet Michael is no mere clown. His understanding of himself and the role of manager is strikingly different from that of those around him, and different from what has come standard operating procedure in American business. While most others see work as a compartmentalized portion of their life characterized by professional etiquette, Michael repeatedly calls his staff his "family." He sees himself, in relation to his employees, first as a friend, second as an entertainer, and finally as boss. Simply stated, Michael expects a deeper level of social interaction than typically available in an office.
His need for this kind of community is tied to deep levels of pain. In the course of the various episodes we learn of a friendless childhood, a turbulent home life, and his various failed attempts at dating. He has no meaningful community outside of the office. Thus, the office becomes his primary source of social interaction because they are forced to be around him, they cannot avoid relationship with Michael as so many others have. With no other alternatives, the office becomes Michael's family, his primary source of relationship.
The comedy of The Office pours forth out of this reality. The underlying and unquestioned assumption that office relationships are superficial and only professional creates the comedic tension that supports the story. Thus, Michael's character becomes a satirical protest against the lonely American office.
The world of The Office is an ongoing competition between sanity (social distance and discretion) played primarily by the straight characters Jim and Pam, and the world envisioned by Michael where social boundaries disappear and he is accepted and successful. This is played out in two rivalries in particular. First, a rivalry between Michael and Toby (the human resources representative) contrasts Michael's priorities with the priorities of the business world as Toby inevitably reminds Michael of "company policy." Second, a rivalry exists between straight man Jim and the doggedly obedient Dwight. Dwight plays an ironic foil to Michael as a parody on the self-reliant "All-American Man." Just as Michael desires to escape the relationship killing constraints of office "business as usual," Dwight embraces the social structures of the office with a gullible respect for all authority in order to cope with his own loneliness. Dwight's elevation of hierarchical structure creates an obsession with his own status and makes him an easy target for Jim's relentless pranking. Whereas Dwight wholeheartedly accepts Michael's office management on the basis of his positional authority, Jim calls attention to the absurdity with generous helpings of sarcasm.
We catch glimpses of the world envisioned by The Office in the relationship between Jim and Pam. Over the course of several seasons we watch the courting that takes place between the two in the office. As the relationship develops and the two eventually get married Michael interprets their marriage as a direct result of his management and the confirmation of his most cherished ideals. Thus, Michael's imagined world in which office relationships are intimate and meaningful is brought to fruition. Ironically, the two straight characters who most heavily resist being pulled into Michael's fantasy become the consummation of it.
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