As one of the most successful comedies of all-time, The Office churned out a lot of narratives along with its stellar character development and pantheon-level jokes. Because of this (and the nine-year run of the series), it was only a matter of time until the subject of The Office, the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, ran into some confusion.
Not everything makes sense about Dunder Mifflin, after all. A paper company in the twenty-first century with a revolving door of hijinks and laughable characters? Obviously, one needs a suspension of disbelief with the show, but even then, some nonsensical aspects of the series are impossible to ignore.
10 Toby's A Joke
What's even the point of hiring a human resources representative if he's never going to be effectual in any capacity? Granted, Michael diffuses a lot of Toby's power and legitimacy in the office, but Toby was still supposed to curb many of the stories that surround Dunder Mifflin.
To be fair, the series does eventually acknowledge that Toby is completely useless in the office. "I can't do anything," Toby remarks to Erin in "Angry Andy" after Nellie launches a coup on Andy's managerial job.
9 The Documentary
To an extent, it makes sense why a documentary would come to Dunder Mifflin. The industrial chronicling of a dying industry would make for interesting slice-of-life television on the local PBS affiliate, for those attracted to such topics.
However, what doesn't make sense is why the documentary crew feels the need to stay around for nine years, chronicling the characters' every move. While Jim and Pam are a worthy couple to follow, it's hard to think of anyone who would stick around for this long of a documentary, especially if it wasn't as funny as it ended up being.
8 Pam's Fake Job
Speaking of the documentary, a lot of revelations should have been made apparent that probably could have warranted the firing of everyone at the Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch. One aspect in particular that should have stood out is Pam's fake job.
Not only does she create the office administrator position out of thin air, but she lies to her coworkers and concocts a phony salary for herself. That could have been grounds for a lot more than firing, but the documentary seems more interested in the affair of the state senator.
7 Three Accountants
Another position that probably should have been brought into question by the documentary is that of the third accountant, Kevin. After all, the office only had five salespeople, on average. Do they really need three accountants to counterbalance that?
It'd be one thing if Dunder Mifflin employed three talented bookkeepers, but Kevin is clearly incompetent and often puts the company in danger. Yes, Michael hated firing anyone, but at a certain point, it's nonsense that no one else at Dunder Mifflin stepped in.
6 Sexual Harassment
Speaking of this, someone at Dunder Mifflin should have stepped in to fire Michael at some point, too. There's many reasons for this, but the top point should have been how frequently Michael committed acts of sexual harassment in the office.
Dunder Mifflin let so much slide just because Michael generated unexpected revenue out of Scranton. There is no reason why his behavior goes unchecked, save for a few eye rolls from his employees. Dunder Mifflin's leash was way too long.
5 Todd Packer
No leash was longer than that of Todd Packer, though. He's an even more egregious offender of sexual harassment in the office than Michael. It's completely nonsensical that Todd Packer was allowed to stay on for as long as he did.
Clearly, the job of a traveling salesman never mattered to Packer. With Danny Cordray eventually hired for the road, it would have made more sense to cut ties with Packer and focus on Danny. Yet, Dunder Mifflin tried to hedge and make both work.
4 The Other Branches
In season six, one of the major storylines revolves around Dunder Mifflin getting purchased by electronics company Sabre. However, it's never made entirely clear what Sabre is buying.
For example, in "Secret Santa," David Wallace remarks that the Scranton branch is the only thing that works about Dunder Mifflin. But in season seven's "Classy Christmas," Holly transfers back to Scranton from Nashua. So it never makes full sense which branches of Dunder Mifflin still exist.
3 Downsizing?
Similarly, the arc of downsizing was a major factor in the early seasons of The Office. At one point, Ryan even observes that Dunder Mifflin would be a completely obsolete business within five years of season three.
Yet, Dunder Mifflin seems to be doing better than ever by the end of the series. Part of that could be attributed to Sabre's purchase, but even in season nine, Sabre is out of the picture. It works for the show (without Dunder Mifflin, there's no Office), but in real life, it makes no sense how this company would weather the changing storm of business.
2 Jan's Replacement
Returning to season three of The Office, the end of the arc concludes with Ryan, the temp-turned-salesman of Dunder Mifflin Scranton, being named as Jan's successor at the New York branch of the company. Part of this could be attributed to Ryan failing upwards, but part of it also makes no sense.
After all, Karen gives a great interview to Wallace, while Jim and Michael both withdraw their names for consideration. Yet, the inexperienced Ryan nabs the job anyway? It makes no sense why Dunder Mifflin would take such a gamble.
1 David Wallace's Leeway
This is also a decision that is levied by David Wallace. However, it is David Wallace himself, one of the top-ranking Dunder Mifflin execs, who makes the least sense among anyone in the company.
David refuses to fire Dwight, even after he nets over ten strikes against him. He rehires Ryan after he almost tanked the company. He orchestrates a massive buyout of the Michael Scott Paper Company. He kept Andy on as regional manager after a three-month boat trip. David Wallace is a great character, but as the captain of a sinking ship, he's arguably the most unbelievable aspect of The Office.
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September 30, 2020 at 05:30AM
