The Office Finale’s Plot Twist Was Just as Shocking for the Cast as It Was for Fans
That’s how you know the team was dedicated to making this day forever memorable.
When a show is as big and beloved as The Office is, there is an immense amount of pressure to deal with when the time comes for it to end. Obviously, it's impossible to create an ending that makes everyone happy, but everyone on the team is working their hardest to make something special.
Luckily, there was one surprise for fans that would make up for every mistake the show's creators could have made in the finale. Steve Carell, who portrayed one of the show's most popular characters, Michael Scott, from the very first episode to the season 7 finale, also came back to say goodbye.
Of course, everyone who watched the episode knew that. What you may not have known about this comeback is that it was as carefully hidden from the cast and crew working on the set that day as it was from viewers.
As Carell shared in an interview with E! News, only a select few were privileged to learn of his return in advance, and others were surprised.
“I feel like all my kids grew up, and then they married each other. It’s every parent’s dream,” the final Michael Scott line reads.
Starting with the script, every line that Steve Carell had as his character, including the famous "that's what she said" gag, was either cut at the table read or given to someone else instead. This change was believable at the time, but ultimately just went to show that only Michael Scott could deliver Michael Scott's lines without being extra creepy.
In both the printed scripts and the table read, the line went to Creed Bratton, which not only made it sound more bizarre, but also way more disturbing. But it was a particularly clever way of hiding the surprise of Carell's comeback. Giving a line like that to the character who was basically known for being eccentric and weird was a clever move that left the cast doubtless that Carell wouldn’t return for the finale.
Of course, nothing beats the way things actually turned out, and this awkward yet sweet moment will forever be etched in the hearts of The Office fans. If you want to see it again, you can stream the iconic sitcom on Peacock TV Premium.
Source: E! News