Carell Pulls Out

That's what she said. His publicist. What?

Steve Carell announced Monday that he is leaving his hit NBC comedy The Office at the conclusion of its next season. With less than 30 episodes left to wrap up the many loose ends in Michael Scott’s life, I decided to compile a list of things that need to happen before The Office, mostly likely, closes its doors for good.


5. Jan

She was Michael’s boss. She was Michael’s secret lover. She was Michael’s not-so-secret lover. Jan and Michael’s relationship was doomed from the start, but after Jan excluded Michael from the birth of her baby, Michael was finally able to do what he never had the strength to do before: say goodbye to Jan.

Jan is far too important to Michael to never be heard from again. Plus she’s had an entire season away from the show to evolve in new and crazy ways. She was fired by Dunder Mifflin, but they don’t even exist anymore.

4. Sabre

Dunder Mifflin was bought out by Florida foreign printer mogul Sabre in the last season, but before we say goodbye, we need to say hello again to Dunder Mifflin. If you watch closely, the office employees still retain their original Dunder Mifflin computer desktop backgrounds. Sabre oversight or subtle hint to an eventual return?

“Sabre, this is Pam” just doesn’t have the same ring as “Dunder Mifflin, this is Pam”. Or, Erin, I guess.

3. Andy-Erin-Angela-Dwight Love Rhombus

While not directly Michael related, the inter-office relationships of these four have become a focal point of The Office. As it stands now, Andy and Erin are friendly, but not officially a couple; Dwight and Angela are seemingly at odds despite recently entering into an agreement to make a baby; and Andy and Angela act as if their courtship and engagement meant nothing.

I don’t even know how I want any of these storylines to play out, but if Pam and Jim’s kid ends up being the only office baby, we’ll all have missed out.

2. Jam

Jim & Pam got progressively less interesting as their relationship flourished. Their story arcs appear to have climaxed prematurely with their wedding and the birth of their child. Unlike previous season finales, we didn’t see much from Jim and Pam at the end of season six. Without the hint of new a direction, can the writers find something interesting for these two to do before it’s too late?

1. Flax Seeds

Good golly, Miss Holly. Jan might have been Michael’s first, but Holly was undoubtedly Michael’s true love. Although season six concluded without the normal dramatic cliffhanger, we did hear Sabre boss Jo tell Michael that she will look into bringing Holly back to Scranton. If the Michael character has to leave The Office, then he should leave with a smile on his face. Without a doubt, nothing would make Michael happier than having Holly back in his life.

The last time we saw Holly, she had a new beau; what would become of him? As we learned in the previous season, that’s no problem for secret agent Michael Scarn.

0. Yes Now, Toby

Michael's greatest nemesis in the office has always been Toby, but the feud is one-sided and we don't really know the origins of Michael's intense hatred for the office's HR rep. Hopefully the source of their friction is revealed to be a misunderstanding and Toby and Michael can embrace and bury the hatchet once and for all.