Depressing Office Fan Theory That Actually Makes So Much Sense
The Office is a weird show, but there may be a semi-logical explanation for it.
One Instagram user has taken a long, hard look at The Office 's characters and decided to explain why they've changed so much over the seasons in the most ridiculous way possible… which kind of works.
The gist of the theory is that Toby has been right all along about the air quality in the office.
The show has a running joke about radon levels throughout the seasons: Toby always tries to bring the dangers of radon poisoning to the employees' attention, and Michael just never listens to him because it's Toby talking.
In season 5, Toby advises Michael to use the extra money that the company has to test the air for radon. In season 6, Toby reminds everyone not to throw away the radon testing kits, which leads to Michael doing just that. Typical!
The fan theory suggests that the entire office has been exposed to radon for years – hence, their changed personalities. For instance, season 1 Kevin is just a bit dull, while in later seasons, he is essentially the child of the office.
Dwight starts out as a hardworking employee who cares about getting ahead in his career, but he later develops into a rage-fueled maniac.
Ryan and Kelly used to be relatively adequate and normal in the earlier seasons. Need we remind you what later became of them?
The theory is supported by the fact that the employees of the other branches do not behave as over the top as the Scranton people.
Plus, Michael eventually leaves Dunder Mifflin, i.e., is freed from radon poisoning, which is why he is so much more mature in the finale.
Some fans even go so far as to say that the documentary film crew keeps poisoning the employees for the sake of better content.
This actually works on several levels, and it basically gives a hint at a logical explanation for the characters' "growth" over the seasons: the writers made them progressively wackier to make The Office more compelling to watch.
Unfortunately, the theory is easily debunked. Radon poisoning leads to lung cancer (not brain cancer, which could result in a personality shift), and its symptoms are usually not mental, but rather physical: coughing, chest pain, wheezing, and so on.
The so-called explanation is fun to think about, though! Imagine if this was the plot twist in The Office finale?
Source: bingerampage