Well, this episode was a doozy. Aside from the surprising, sweet, awesome proposal clip, it showed us what is so great about this show, and why we should be hanging on to The Office even after Steve Carell's exit.

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The best episodes of The Office, and I speak only about the American version in this case, illuminate how the relationships we form in our workplaces are often unfortunately taken for granted. We spend a third of our day with these people, but most consider it at best a place you begrudgingly go to make money to spend doing what you want to do. At it's best, mostly during the 2nd and 3rd seasons, the series has shown us that these people matter more than we think they do, and our work life is not just drudgery; often, this is humanity at it's best.

This episode, with the vastly under-attended (no one showed up) garage sale to Michael's communal proposal was a shining example of great television, among the best they've ever done. It reinforces the community (no NBC pun intended) that these seemingly uninteresting drones have built for themselves. It's always remarkable when a show which has kind of been lagging in interest really pulls it together for a hugely important episode such as this one. After all that Michael Scott has put us through and been put through, it takes a pretty cold heart not to be enchanted by this romantic ending. Now let's see if they can keep it going. With knowledge of Will Ferrel and Will Arnett coming on board, I just can't imagine it could be bad.

[The Office]