Devlin Francis ’15 | Staff Writer

After nine seasons of pranks, paper sales and “That’s what she said” jokes, NBC’s hit television series “The Office” ended on Thursday, May 16^th with a two hour special event featuring an hour long retrospective, then a series finale episode titled “Finale.”

The retrospective was a perfect touch for the series finale event, and I loved how I was able to see cast and crew speak about what this incredible journey was like for them.

“Finale” was both hilarious and heartwarming, because of the jokes and how it served as an epilogue to the entire series. It’s hard to imagine how it possibly could have been done any better.

The plot was absolutely fantastic. The episodes takes place six months after the previous episode, and the airing of the documentary, “The Office: An American Workplace.”

Everyone from the series has gathered back in Scranton for Dwight and Angela’s wedding, and an informative “Where are they now” panel following the release of the documentary. This was a really nice touch because we, as viewers, are able to see where everyone is in their lives after all the years spent at Dunder Mifflin.

To be honest, the only reason I still watched “The Office” was to see the characters I love. After becoming so attached to these characters from years of watching them, I loved how I could see them and all for one last time.

A bright spot in the episode were the jokes. This may sound surprising as “The Office” has not been known for its comedic appeal the last few seasons, but everything seemed to work this time around.

Although they were scarce, the jokes were well written, and connected with the hearts of viewers who had followed the show for so long. Any other episode would have blown this one away in terms of laughs, but these jokes were special in their own unique way, a way that can’t be described without watching the episode yourself.

The characters continue to impress me, even after nine seasons. In fact, after watching this show for so long, I feel like I have gotten to know everyone on a personal basis, and became best friends with them, and it saddens me to see them go.

I am continually impressed with how the cast did such a great job playing their roles, and now I realize the actors are just being themselves. They became these fictional characters, and that’s what made this show so special.

The episode was incredibly emotional. I cried three times, once during a development of a key character, once when a former star returned (hint, hint), and when the show finally ended.

I don’t know what I’m going to do anymore, now that everything’s over. It just feels like something is missing now that “The Office” has finished. I could not have asked for a better ending as the episode was truly heartwarming.

After nine great seasons, “The Office” ended on a high note, and the finale was truly something special, earning an A+ from me. Fans can walk away, smiling and feeling satisfied.

That’s what she said.