The story that starts with the episode “Michael Scott Paper Company” in the fifth season of The Office shows Michael, Pam, and Ryan leaving to begin their own paper company, working in a very small space within the same building as Dunder Mifflin. While the arc is full of both smart and dumb business decisions by The Michael Scott Paper Company, it does a great job of showcasing the characters of Michael, Pam, and Ryan.
The Michael Scott Paper Company proves how capable Michael Scott is of being a good boss. While Michael’s generally a ridiculous character, this is one of the moments in The Office that displays that Michael cares a lot about his employees and his business. It’s also a fun opportunity to see what Michael is like as a boss when not working within the structure of Dunder Mifflin, so it’s a shame the arc didn’t last more than a few episodes as it had so much potential.
The Michael Scott Paper Company Story Should Have Lasted Longer In The Office
This Arc Could Have Gone In A Few Different Directions If It Had Lasted For More Time
During the negotiation with David Wallace in “Broke,” written by Steve Carell, Michael says that if his company goes under tomorrow, he’ll just start another paper company, “and another and another and another,” explaining that he has a whole list of names he could use. If the story had lasted longer, maybe some of those other companies would also have stopped and started, somehow managing to continue to take Dunder Mifflin’s clients even as Michael’s companies keep going under.
In Office Ladies‘ podcast episode about “Michael Scott Paper Company,” they discuss the goldfish on Michael’s desk during this story, revealing that it was a different goldfish every time. The gag was meant to be that Michael couldn’t keep a goldfish alive; they would last about a week before dying, but Michael stubbornly kept replacing them, just like he threatened to do with paper companies should David Wallace not hire him and his employees back.
While not as threatening a competitor to Dunder Mifflin as Staples, The Michael Scott Paper Company could have had the potential to be a real rival if it continued to be successful for longer than it did in the show. In the actual series, they couldn’t afford a delivery person, but they could have had them hire more employees. It could have been hilarious if other members of Dunder Mifflin left for The Michael Scott Paper Company, until somehow they ended up in Dunder Mifflin’s office, and the remaining Dunder Mifflin employees ended up in their space.
“Michael Scott’s Paper Company” Showed How Good Carell’s Character Really Was
This Story Puts The Charisma Of Michael Scott On Display
Michael Scott jumps into endeavors with his whole heart, as seen by his enthusiasm for his new company. He shows his excitement through things like paper-shaped pancakes and trying to get 800 fliers printed, and in the following episodes, he manages to hold onto that enthusiasm until he discovers the company isn’t sustainable.
This arc also reinforces the somewhat surprising fact that Michael is genuinely good at selling paper. In the episode, “Heavy Competition,” Dwight flounders when trying to use Michael’s own notes against him, while Michael successfully steals his clients from right under him. It’s clear when Michael is talking to clients that he knows what he’s doing, at least in terms of this part of the business.
Things like cheese ball tosses or yelling a chant together might seem ridiculous, but the way they lift morale is another component of how Michael’s charisma helps The Michael Scott Paper Company.
Michael also somehow manages to make things work with two employees who don’t get along well at first and have very different work ethics. Somehow, even when it seems ridiculous to expect anything to go well for them, Michael is able to pull it together and even get Pam and Ryan interested. Things like cheese ball tosses or yelling a chant together might seem ridiculous, but the way they lift morale is another component of Michael’s charisma helping the company. These heartwarming Michael Scott moments reveal that even goofiness can be an ingredient in the recipe for success.
While they technically don’t succeed for long due to Ryan’s failure at “crunching the numbers,” The Michael Scott Paper Company bouncing back is largely due to Michael’s negotiating. On the way up the elevator, he worries about accidentally giving away the fact that the company is broke, but once he’s there, he has confidence that helps him succeed in getting his way. Even though they’re broke, and even though David has guessed that their company isn’t sustainable, Michael Scott is enough of a genius to manage to talk David into multiple better offers.
Michael Prioritizing Pam And Ryan Over His Ambitions Is Why He Was Such A Good Boss
Loyalty Is Important To Michael, And He Shows It By Fighting For Pam And Ryan During The Negotiations
Michael supports Pam and Ryan throughout the course of the company’s existence, even when their bickering gets on his nerves or when they get depressed about the future of the company. Part of this is because Michael sometimes struggles to see when he’s putting more energy into a relationship than the other person is putting into it, but Pam and Ryan eventually reciprocate in ways that genuinely make The Michael Scott Paper Company feel like a team. Even though they sometimes get on his nerves, Michael treats his employees well most of the time.
Michael is a character who takes loyalty very seriously. He utilizes the relationships that he has built with clients over the years in order to take them from Dunder Mifflin, showing that his ability to form relationships and the effort he puts into keeping them are part of why Michael is such a good paper salesman. Michael is hurt when Dwight refuses to betray Dunder Mifflin for his sake, but Michael’s belief in loyalty isn’t one-sided. Michael puts as much effort into being loyal to his employees as he hopes to receive from them.
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The Worst Thing Michael Scott Ever Did In The Office Proves Why Steve Carell’s Character Was Irreplaceable
One episode of The Office season 6 showcases the worst thing Michael Scott ever does in the series and perfectly examines him as a character.
In “Broke,” Michael renegotiates the deal with David Wallace multiple times without talking with Pam and Ryan about it first, but they come to realize that the renegotiations aren’t just for Michael’s sake, but also for theirs. They could have had $60,000, but in one of Michael Scott’s smartest plans, he recognizes that getting their jobs back is more beneficial in the long run. Even though Ryan hurt Dunder Mifflin in the past, and even though Pam had never worked as a salesperson for Dunder Mifflin before, Michael fights for them until David Wallace agrees to his terms. Michael’s loyalty to his employees is one of the reasons why he’s the best boss in The Office, no matter what company he’s working for.
The Office
8/10
- Release Date
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2005 – 2012
- Showrunner
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Greg Daniels
