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The Officeis to sitcoms what peanut butter is to jelly – incomplete without each other. Despite the fact that it is based on the UK’s namesake show, the American version found a place for itself in the hearts of comedy lovers around the world. If we are being honest, the show might not have been what it is without Steve Carell, the glue that held everything and everyone together. Thus, when it came to saying goodbye to him in season 7, it was not only hard on the cast, but on us fans as well.
In Season 07 Episode 22 titledGoodbye, Michael,the World’s Best Boss spends his time saying goodbye to each of his employees personally, living true to his title. But little did he know that his workers also had something special planned for him – a goodbye song parody ofRent’s ‘Seasons of Love.’We can see Michael tearing up at the gesture but did you know the emotions were of Steve Carell’s?
The Officecast’s toughest moment on the show
When you have to say goodbye to a family member, your heart threatens to shatter into a million pieces. That’s exactly what happened on the set ofThe Officewhen the cast came together to film withSteve Carellfor one last time.
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Calling him into the board room, the employees of Dunder Mifflin took the liberty of customizing a song for their boss. Parodying ‘Seasons of Love’ from the film,Rent,they turned “525,600 minutes” to “9,986,000 minutes” to fit the time Michael worked for the company.
Other lyrics included,
Nine million, nine hundred eighty-six thousand minutes. That’s how many minutes that you’ve worked here. In costumes, and impressions, in meetings, in cups of coffee…Nine million, nine hundred eighty-six thousand minutes. That’s like watching Die Hard eighty thousand times.
You can watch the entire scene below:
Brb, bawling our eyes out. As the song progressed, Michael, who has always stayed true to his emotions, couldn’t help but tear up at the song. The show’s directorPaul FeigtoldThe Los Angeles Timesthat it was difficult for the cast to pull through the scene without breaking down.
I was prepping [for the next episode] and my assistant said, ‘You should come down here.’ The first time they started singing that song, everyone choked up in real life. It really started to land for people that the end is coming
He also added that Carell had planned special goodbye presents for the cast and crew and had them delivered to their dressing rooms. Well, who wouldn’t get emotional when it comes to bidding farewell to such a gem of a person?
Why the last episode was“torture”for Steve Carell
Carell played the naive yet lovable manager of Scranton’s Dunder Mifflin paper company for seven seasons which made him a household name and an internet meme sensation.
During a conversation with his former co-starBrian Baumgartneron Spotify’sAn Oral History of The Officepodcast, Carell shared his emotions on leaving the NBC sitcom.
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As it turns out, the goodbye was not only torture for the fans but also for Carell himself. Well, a mix of emotional torture and heartwarming nostalgia. He stated,
It was almost more than I bargained for … I had [goodbye] scenes with everyone in the cast and it was emotional torture, it was like just fraught with emotion … and joy and sadness and nostalgia, but it was also really beautiful. I’d like treasure just doing that episode because it did allow me to kind of have a finality with everybody.
After his exit, the show took a turn Southwards and while seasons 8 and 9 were alright, they lacked the magic Carell brought. Even today, when fans begin their 100th binge-watching session of the show, it often ends with season seven and then we go back to the pilot. The circle never ends. Carell really was the soul ofThe Office.
The Officeis available to watch on Peacock Premium.
Mishkaat Khan
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2257
A connoisseur of all things horror, fantasy, and the occasional chick flick, Mishkaat has been penning pieces for FandomWire since 2022. She started off as an intern and has worked her way up to a Senior Writer with over 2000 articles to her name.Outside of entertainment, she has also written well-researched medical content as a freelance writer and has experience in social media management.When not writing, you can find her relaxing with a romance novel and a tall glass of iced coffee in her hand or watching re-runs of ‘Supernatural’ and ‘The Office.’
