- The dark theory on why The Office became a documentary.
It's no secret that we here at Nerdist love The Office,
and obviously we're not alone.
It's one of the most popular shows of all time,
especially with the second life it found on Netflix.
With countless people watching,
it's embedded itself as part of our pop culture DNA.
Seriously, you can't even go on Twitter
without seeing an Office gif or meme.
So, with the show leaving the streaming giant
for NBC's upcoming service in 2021,
there's a renewed interest to gobble it up
before it disappears,
which is leading to Office Top 10 lists, did you knows,
and old theories about the show.
In fact, it's one specific and dark theory
making the rounds this week
that has fans awkwardly squirming
like they're re-watching Scott's Tots,
which means it's time for a Nerdist Investigation.
Okay, we've covered The Office theories on this show before,
like was Toby the real Scranton Strangler?
By the way, we found no evidence, and he totally is.
- These are silent killers.
- You are the silent killer. Go back to the annex.
- You'll see.
And we will cover more of these in the future,
like, does Michael Scott hate Toby
because he is a divorced dad
and Michael has his own father issues?
And is Kevin Malone actually a secret genius
who manipulated The Office out of boredom?
Just kidding. No one really things that.
- They see. They see.
- In all seriousness, the older theory in question
that's been gaining some traction this week
is about why The Office became the subject
of a documentary in the first place?
Well, the reason may be way, way darker than you think,
and we've uncovered some additional evidence
that may prove or disprove it.
Now, before we get started, just a warning;
this episode will be going to some dark places
as the theory deals with a character who took his own life.
It's a sensitive topic,
and we just wanted to give you all the heads up.
So, what is the theory?
Well, there's been a long-held debate as to why The Office
is being filmed in the first place.
One theory says that the show was to be compiled
into a PBS documentary.
That angle's played up in the later seasons
with various crew members appearing onscreen
for the first time.
Pam mentioning that while the crew filming them was weird
at first, that there was beauty in ordinary things.
However, there might be a darker reason
for the documentary's existence,
and it has to deal with employee depression.
- Depression?
Isn't that just a fancy word for feeling bummed out?
- During a writers convention for The Office,
writer and star Mindy Kaling, revealed in an off-hand joke
that the reason behind The Office's documentary
is that a character at Dunder Mifflin had committed suicide
the day before filming began, and the crew was there
to study the effects of that suicide
on the employees of Dunder Mifflin, Scranton.
- We need better outreach for employees fighting depression.
Okay, all right, enough with the jokes.
- However, once the crew had spent time
with the colorful cast of characters in Scranton,
they shifted the focus to the staff of the branch.
Kaling continues to add that the suicide was the reason
that B.J. Novak's Ryan Howard
was hired as a temp, as a replacement.
While this was all played for laughs at the time,
there is evidence that lends some credence to this theory.
However, we suspect there's more to this story.
We'd like to submit another reason
for the suicide in question.
The character Tom Peets took his own life
due to the negligence
of The Office's previous regional manager, Ed Truck,
Michael's Scott's former boss.
So, let's break this down.
We first learn of Tom Peets' suicide
in the season two episode, Performance Review.
In that episode, Michael looks
to the employee suggestion box,
which has gone unopened since 1999,
as shown by a note about Y2K.
- What should we do to prepare for Y2K?
- We also know from the pilot that Michael Scott
has been working at Dunder Mifflin for 12 years,
four years of which he has been the boss.
Since the pilot begins in 2005, it's safe to assume
Michael has only been in charge since 2001.
Michael's boss, Ed Truck,
who we're introduced to in The Carpet,
is shown to be a counter
to Michael's compassionate, overbearing tendencies.
When Michael asks Ed why his employees
can't also be his friends,
Truck rebuffs him by maintaining that his employees
are just his employees.
This demonstrates that Truck didn't care
about his employees, and therefore,
may have missed Tom Peets' cries for help.
We also know that Dunder Mifflin
tried to force Ed into early retirement,
as we learned in the episode Dunder Mifflin Infinity.
- Like a couple years ago, we tried to force out
some of the older branch managers
with a mandatory retirement age.
And Ed Truck, your old boss, threatened us with a law suit.
So, we had to back off.
- So, Ed threatened to sue the company
to keep his job around this time,
but then abruptly retired in 2001.
Very interesting.
We think that the inciting incident for Ed's retirement
is Tom's suicide, which would also explain
Ed Truck's drinking problems following his retirement.
- Drunk as a skunk, he was flying down Route 6.
- Now, according to the writers' internal theory
about the documentary crew,
there's a bit of date discrepancy
because they say the film crew started
shortly after the suicide, which would place it in 2005.
It does add a wrinkle,
but we think our theory about Ed Truck still plays.
While the timeline doesn't necessarily add up,
the writers' timeline isn't considered canon.
So, our theory still has a chance.
Plus, an employee committing suicide
under Michael Scott's tenure
doesn't make a ton of sense, character-wise.
Michael does care about his employees.
(brakes screeching and loud thump)
- [Amy] Remembering the name of Angela's cat who dies.
- Sprinkles?
- And even holding a funeral for a bird.
- Whole big thing. We had a funeral for a bird.
- [Amy] Michael's compassion for his employees
goes beyond appropriate boundaries at times,
but it's unlikely he would extend Ed Truck's negligence.
So, to have someone die under his watch
and completely forget their name just feels out of place.
Hell, he even remembers the stripper's name
who came to Bob Vance's bachelor party.
- Oh hey. I know you. Elizabeth?
- Yeah.
- Right? Wow. Very cool you went back and got your degree.
- So, while the documentary was initially
supposed to be about the effects of the suicide
on The Office's workers, it then became about the humor
of The Office rather than the darker focus.
And if we are right, all of this
is because some boss didn't care about his employees.
Thank goodness that's just fiction.
Again, all of this is just a theory,
but it's proof that all of the countless binging
of a nearly 15 year old comedy has not been a waste of time.
Next up, Seinfeld, and why it all took place
in George Costanza's mind
while he was locked up in a mental asylum.
But, what do you folks think?
Why do you think The Office was being filmed?
What's your favorite Michael Scott insult to Toby?
- Suck on this.
- And what kind of bear is best?
- That's a ridiculous question.
- False. Black bear.
- Let's discuss.
Thanks for watching.
If this wasn't enough of The Office for you,
check out our video where we break down
why Toby Flenderson is the Scranton Strangler.
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