Season Analysis: I had thought the return of creator Greg Daniels might right the totally wayward ship of Season 8, but there proved to be precious little from Season 9 that I actually cared about.

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“Finale”
Despite having just said I didn’t care for Season 9, the finale was a solid piece of television.  If you haven’t seen any of the show since Steve Carell left, I would recommend skipping everything after his last show and jumping straight to the finale.  Perhaps the best way to think of the series ender, in a way that is consistent with ignoring nearly two full seasons, is as a reunion special.  Much of the charm comes from getting an update on past guest characters and former regulars like Kelly, Ryan, and of course Michael.  Interestingly enough, half of the plot of the episode itself revolves around a reunion special.  Taking a behind-the-scenes look at the documentary crew mostly proved problematic in Season 9, but framing the finale as a reunion of the cast of the office documentary for the DVD bonus features was actually an ingenious idea.  It allowed for the show to examine its place in the history of the television landscape without being heavy-handed about its message.