March Madness — The Office Pool: Round 2
From the Scranton 16 to the Ed Truck 8. Who are Dunder Mifflin’s finest?
In case you missed our first or second installment of the hotly contested bracket action, check them out here and here.
As you would imagine, the public response has been immense and, at times, overwhelming. We expect more of the same after these results are announced. Let us know your thoughts on Twitter. We know you will, Dave.
PT Cruiser Region
(1) Michael Scott vs. (4) Kelly Kapoor
It is a helpful exercise to go back and watch season one of the show to understand how important Michael Scott was. The show was essentially a carbon copy of the British version in pacing and style, and that was because of the uncertainty of the show being able to sustain an audience. They relied on the brilliance and crushing awkwardness of Michael to carry the show.
Kelly was an exceptional character. And just check out how much she evolved from season one to later in the show.
This matchup is fascinating because both characters depart for the later seasons of the show, and then steal scenes in the finale.
Michael wins because of this one.
Winner: Michael
(2) Darryl Philbin vs. (3) Creed Bratton
One of the toughest matchups of this second round. While discussing this around the office, Darryl seemed like the favorite for a while. And then, we remembered this moment:
Creed is, pound-for-pound, responsible for as many hysterical moments as anyone on the show. When Creed is onscreen, it’s incredible.
Darryl would beat a lot of people in this round. But Creed can’t be tamed.
Winner: Creed
Pretzel Day Region
(1) Jim Halpert vs. (4) Erin Hannon
Erin runs into the Halpert buzzsaw here. Her character was never quite dialed in by the writing staff. She was the quiet new receptionist in the post-Pam era, the apple of Andy and Dwight’s eye, and the subject of one string-instrument duel. She became more unhinged — more Dunder Miffliny- as the show progressed. And her romance with Andy was alternately cute and fatally flawed.
And then there’s….
Winner: Jim
(2) Stanley Hudson vs. (3) Oscar Martinez
Oscar was one of the most consistent characters on the show. Oddly enough, he was the proverbial straight man. The show will never get enough credit for the trio of Oscar, Kevin and Angela placed in the same corner. But Oscar’s best scenes always took place in a crowd.
Stanley’s best scenes, however, were entirely his own. From his unveiling as the secret weapon in season one’s basketball game, to Pretzel Day, to his surprisingly sweet moments with Phyllis in the show’s closing episodes, Stanley is consistently one of the show’s best.
Winner: Stanley
MegaDesk Region
(1) Dwight Schrute vs. (5) Cousin Mose
Let’s be perfectly upfront here: there was some dissension among the staff on this one. Cousin Mose is a borderline perfect character. Essentially the only context for Dwight being the way he is. Mose is major league, and the fact he probably has 23 seconds of screen time throughout the series makes his work all the more impressive.
But being the Assistant to the Regional Manager has its perks. Dwight carries seasons and episodes on his own, especially when Michael departs. He had one of the better side stories throughout Jim and Pam’s wedding. And he tranquilized Stanley.
When it’s all said and done, Dwight becomes a supremely likable character. Don’t ever forget that, Temp.
Winner: Dwight
(2) Andy Bernard vs. (3) Angela Martin
Andy may have gone on the Caribbean getaway that we all dream about while slogging through our desk jobs, but we only deliberated for, like, a day before leaning Angela in this matchup.
Over the course of the show’s run, you can’t help but feel for Andy. He played Angela’s other man, and he was never going to actually beat out Dwight for that promotion. But, he brought song to the Mifflinites, impersonated the late, great George Michael, and gave us potentially the best finale monologue that ever was.
But Angela was a character that was hard to love, but harder to hate. She made Dwight happy, was a serious counterbalance to the show’s outrageousness, and ultimately had some of the funniest moments of the whole series. See ya, Nard Dog.
Winner: Angela.
Poor Richard’s Region
(1) Pam Beesly vs. (4) Phyllis Vance
Phyllis is such a lovable old, broad. She’s the perfect counterpart for Stanley. And if we’re honest, they’re the real #relationshipgoals of the series. Phyllis is the old lady that we all hope we become if we’re still working in a cube 30 years from now. But…
The Jim and Pam love story might be the whole reason people watched all nine seasons. Pam starts out as this meek, kind of cute receptionist, but over the years we get to watch her become more of herself, advocate for her emotions, and stick up for her dreams. Pam gave working ladies everywhere so many moments that made us say “#lifegoals”. Phyllis hitched her wagon to Bob Vance, of Vance Refrigeration. We have no doubt she’ll do just fine, even as the loser of this round.
Winner: Pam
(2) Kevin Malone vs. (3) Meredith Palmer
Scene for scene, Meredith may have more outrageous moments — like the time her boob fell out, the time Michael hit her with his car, or the time she encouraged her kid to strip at Angela’s bachelorette party.
But Kevin is just so stupidly loveable. He gives us so many great one-liners that we use in our own offices everyday. He gave us the chili moment. He was brave enough to verbalize what we all feel in our hearts. The Office was great because it was the most exaggerated version of your real life job. For Mer, it was just college.
Winner: Kevin
