Finale Season 9 Episode 24/25 Production Code 9024/9025 Airdate May 16, 2013 Written by Greg Daniels Directed by Ken Kwapis Episodes timeline A.A.R.M. Finale -

"Finale" is the 24th and 25th episodes of the ninth season of the American television comedy series The Office, the show's 200th and 201st episodes overall, and series finale. It aired on May 16, 2013.

One year after the airing of the documentary, the workers of Dunder Mifflin, past and present, gather for a wedding and a final round of interviews. Mysteries are solved, hatchets are buried and pranks are prunked.

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Being that this episode takes place one year after the events of the last episode, several events have transpired.

Kevin Malone was fired for poor job performance and exploiting a glitch in the accounting program by using a made-up symbol he calls "Keleven". He was replaced by a young blonde woman, Dakota. He later purchased a bar.

Toby Flenderson was fired, but it is unknown how Dwight Schrute could fire HR as Toby is hired by corporate. Toby moved to New York, was working on the next Great American Novel, lives in an apartment with six roommates, and stalks Nellie on Twitter.

Stanley Hudson retired to a small town in Florida, divorced his wife, and was replaced by a younger, nicer black salesman. He now spends his time carving wooden birds.

Nellie Bertram quit and moved to Poland and was replaced by a young Asian woman.

Creed Bratton faked his own death for reasons involving avoiding incarceration, and was replaced by Devon White.

Dwight Schrute regained the accounts lost by Andy Bernard and made amends with all of his friends who angrily left him after refusing to hire any of them in Junior Salesman.

Jim Halpert continues working at Dunder Mifflin as assistant to the regional manager. It is shown later on in the episode that he and Pam move to Austin to continue working for Athleap (formerly known as Athlead).

A video of Andy Bernard's audition for America's Next A Cappella Sensation goes viral with many parodies and auto-tunes. Andy now works in the Admission's Office at Cornell University.

goes viral with many parodies and auto-tunes. Andy now works in the Admission's Office at Cornell University. Pam Halpert has since started and finished a mural for an Irish Cultural Center. She has also since changed her view on the warehouse mural's theme.

Darryl Philbin lives in Austin working for Athleap (formerly Athlead).

Oscar Martinez is running for state senator against his old lover and Angela's ex-husband Robert Lipton, while still working for Dunder Mifflin.

Synopsis

The premise of the episode is that the documentary crew has returned to film bonus footage for the DVD release of the documentary. As the office prepares for Dwight and Angela's wedding, they also prepare for a panel regarding the documentary at a local theater. Underwhelming attendance to the event leads to disappointment until they realize the people haven't all been let in yet and are waiting outside. The panel reveals the identity of Erin's birth parents, and Pam reveals she is working on something big to pay Jim back for his DVD shown in A.A.R.M.. That night, Jim and Pam throw bachelor and bachelorette parties for Dwight and Angela, respectively. Jim takes Dwight and the guys to a pub where Dwight is oblivious to the waitress being a stripper, even though Elizabeth is the exotic dancer that Dwight has hired before. Pam and the girls are at a small house, where Jake Palmer returns as the stripper the girls hired for Angela. Everyone except Meredith thinks this is inappropriate considering Jake's mother is present, and Angela does not want a stripper anyway. Phyllis (clearly stooging for the bachelor party) claims to hear a noise and opens the door, causing Angela to be kidnapped by Mose Schrute. Dwight then must search for Angela, as it is revealed this is another absurd Schrute tradition. The search ends at Kevin's bar, where Dwight and Kevin make amends.

The following day is the wedding. Jim pulls one final prank on Dwight: he insists that he cannot be his best man, as Dwight is older than Jim. When Dwight tries to change his mind, Jim directs his attention to Michael Scott, standing in the doorway. An excited Dwight exclaims, "Michael! I can't believe you came!" to which Michael replies, "That's what she said". In the bridal chamber, it is decided Phyllis will carry Angela down the aisle due to Angela's leg pain from having been in a car trunk for several hours. The two are married (standing in their own graves, as is Schrute tradition "as a reminder that this is the only escape from what they are about to do"), and everyone heads to the reception. At the reception, Jim and Pam dance and kiss, and Jim states that Pam no longer owes him anything. Michael and Pam talk, and she reveals he has kids (and takes so many pictures of them he needs two phones). Michael does one final talking head from his table, saying that he feels like all his kids grew up and married each other, which is "every parent's dream". Ryan and Kelly run away together, passing Ryan's son to Ravi who then gives the baby to Kevin. Ravi tells him to report an abandoned baby to child services, but Nellie instead takes the child as her own and tells the camera that if Ryan wants his baby back he can find them "somewhere in Europe."

Jim and Pam head home and are surprised to find Carol, Michael's former Realtor/ex-girlfriend, showing their house. Pam reveals she has been showing the house for two months, so that if they got an offer, Jim would have no reason not to rejoin Athlead. The couple being shown the house decide they want to buy it, and Jim and Pam agree to sell.

That night there is a DVD release party at the warehouse. Pam reveals her mural, a painting of the office and everyone who works in it. After a group picture, everyone heads up to the office to hang out. Creed is revealed to be living in one of the office's supply closets. Seeing that Erin is busy, Pam takes one final call as the receptionist, which coincidentally is for Jim Halpert. She replies, "I'm sorry, Jim Halpert doesn't work here anymore." Soon after they announce their plans to leave to Dwight, who fires them so that they can both receive large severance packages. Creed sings a song while they tell the cameras about how the documentary has affected them. Creed is then arrested and led away by police. As everyone leaves the office, Pam takes her painting of the office building from the wall. A flashback shows the moment Michael first put it up.

Deleted scenes

Meredith reveals that she is now a vegan, having decided "We should not be eating (animals)" while attending a dogfight.

Clark recalls that, after the documentary, Jim's pranks were so widely copied that had to speak at schools telling teenagers not to be like him.

Dwight's Japanization of the office extends to having Nate, in white gloves and a blazer, pushing the entire staff into the elevator at once.

Oscar's explanation of the number "keleven" is followed by a talking head from Kevin himself, who explains the invention himself, and mentions a second number he invented, "gop".

Clark and Dakota flirt at the copy machine, playfully getting around Dwight's rules against office "mingling".

The bachelorette party plays "Boink, Marry or Kill" with Kevin, Stanley and Toby; all agree they would kill Toby, but when they realize it was now down to sex or marriage with Kevin or Stanley, the women go silent, broken by Nellie saying she would "boink" Kevin, then commit suicide. Angela then says she's getting cold feet - but when Pam assures her that such pre-wedding jitters are normal, she gets annoyed and insists that her feet are actually getting cold.

Kevin explains how he bought his bar: after the documentary, so many people insisted on buying him drinks, despite his being a fairly light drinker, that he had thousands of dollars in credit and it was cheaper for the owners to simply give him a large share, and adds that the bar's business has doubled since he became associated with it.

Extra scenes from the Q&A: Oscar is asked if he is still single, which becomes somewhat awkward when the handsome questioner reveals he was asking on behalf of his ugly friend. Darryl is asked a similar question. Stanley is asked if he's still eating pretzels, but is fast asleep; Phyllis advises Pete not to bother waking him. Andy's response to a question elicits a snide Baby WaWa reference, which is not well-received by the rest of the audience; in a talking head, Darryl notes that a non-PBS crowd would not have reacted as such.

In an extended version of Kevin's reading at the wedding, there are shots of Jim and Pam looking at each other, Pete and Erin looking at each other, Kelly and Ryan looking at each other, Mose and the scarecrow looking at each other, Toby looking at the empty seat next to him, and Dwight and Angela smiling at each other. Upon seeing this, the pastor asks them to stop, but they can only bring it to a slight grin.

Angela's sister gives a toast in their private twin language (assumed to be "Canadian" by Kevin), which moves the bride to tears but baffles her guests.

In a scene only said at the table read for this episode, Dakota confronts Clark about asking whether he was related to Dwight, with him replying that its most likely the glasses leading people to think this.

Phyllis's toast, in which she gives a graphic description of when she walked in on them at the end of "Goodbye, Toby".

Andy gives a heartfelt toast in which he tells Dwight to "be Dwight Schrute", much to the disappointment of Angela's sister.

Erin's parents explain why they gave her up for adoption: they were puppeteers on the movie The Dark Crystal and that film was so fearsome and depressing that they couldn't bear to raise a child in such a terrifying world.

and that film was so fearsome and depressing that they couldn't bear to raise a child in such a terrifying world. Clark is approached by the documentary's producers about working on another "An American Workplace" project, but turns them down, hinting at the beginning of a relationship with Dakota.

A reminiscence of various events from the show (no one is sure exactly who was there the longest) culminates in the office tree being planted outside - with Dwight criticizing the "amateur" work under his breath.

Toby explains what he learned from the documentary, and how he has incorporated it into his latest novel.

Angela, now that she no longer needs the doctor-recommended facial exercises she once needed from lack of smiling causing her muscles to atrophy, admits she's "less of a total bitch now".

Clark and Pete give their final memories of the experience.

Production

"Finale" was written by series developer and showrunner Greg Daniels, making it his second writing credit for the year, after the season debut "New Guys", and his 12th writing credit overall. Rainn Wilson later joked that Daniels was "the country vet who birthed this puppy" and had come "back to put it down". The episode was directed by Ken Kwapis. Kwapis had originally directed the series' pilot episode. His last directorial credit for the series, prior to "Finale", however, was the fifth season episode "Company Picnic". "I figured the character would go back and visit everybody, but he wouldn't do it on camera at this point. I think he had grown past the idea of being in the documentary, that was my take on it. That [Michael Scott] had said goodbye to that aspect of his life, that that's not what was important to him. I just thought, yeah he'd go back and visit, but he wouldn't want the camera crew to be documenting it." —Steve Carell, explaining his hesitation to return to The Office. The series finale will guest star Rachael Harris, Dakota Johnson, Joan Cusack, Ed Begley Jr. and Malcolm Barrett. The episode will feature the return of several of the series' actors and actresses, including former series writers and stars B. J. Novak and Mindy Kaling, as well as Andy Buckley, Bobby Rae Shafer, Michael Schur, and Matt Jones. Early during production for the season, Kinsey and Wilson also noted that the cast and crew were hoping for a return of former lead actor Steve Carell as Michael Scott. In mid-December, Krasinski later revealed that he was optimistic about a return; in an interview with E! Online Krasinski said that the producers were supposedly "still trying to figure out [Carell's] schedule" and that the finale "just wouldn't be the same without him". However, NBC chairman Robert Greenblatt later admitted during an interview that while he is "hopeful", he does not think Carell will return; he noted that Carell was satisfied with his character's exit and did not want to tarnish it. On January 16, Daniels revealed that Carell would not appear in the finale in any capacity, a decision that Carell later reiterated. Three months later, however, the producers for The Office mounted "an 11th hour effort last month" to get Carell to make a cameo in the show's final episode, according to TVLine. According to the article, "while no one is confirming that the final diplomatic push proved successful, no one is denying it either." Carell's personal representative confirmed that Carell was on the set for the final episode, but that he did not film any scenes. However, an anonymous source close to the show cryptically said "don't rule anything out". TVLine later reported on May 6, that Carell would appear in a cameo, although NBC declined to comment and Carell's representatives continued to deny the reports.

The initial idea for the finale was thought of by Daniels during production of the third season, described as "a reunion show, in the fashion of the post-competition cast rehashes familiar from reality shows like Survivor." Daniels, at one point, approached Jeff Probst, the host of Survivor, to appear in the finale as a moderator for the fictional reunion, although he declined. The initial table read for the episode took place on March 4, 2013. Filming commenced on March 6. According to Jenna Fischer, the episode took nine days to film, with the cast devoting 12 hours a day to the episode. The finale was described as "ambitious", featuring multiple location shoots, including one in an AT&T office building, which stood in for the Scranton Cultural Center. Filming for the episode and series as a whole came to an end on March 16, 2013. Wilson later tweeted a picture of the "empty" set after all filming had been finished. Originally, the episode was supposed to be the 23rd and 24th episodes of the season, which would have meant that the series aired exactly 200 episodes. However, the series' penultimate episode was elongated into 2 separate episodes, resulting in "Finale" being the 24th and 25th episodes of the season. This meant that the last part of "Finale" will be the series' 201st episode. Once filming finished, Daniels in an interview with TVLine expressed his hope to expand the episode, stating, "I was very excited with the footage we got [...] It's very big. I’m going to beg NBC to super-size it or extend it." Daniels later commented that when the editors cut together the first act, it was 23 minutes long; this is much longer than a normal first act for an hour long episode of television. In response, OfficeTally—the largest fan site for the series—started an online petition to supersize the finale, similar to the petition to expand the second-season finale, "Casino Night". By May 2, the petition had received over 20,000 signatures. On May 7, it was announced that NBC had extended the episode by 15 minutes, meaning that the episode would be 55 minutes in total.

Cultural references

The song "Sweet Child o' Mine" by Guns N' Roses was performed on violin when Angela walked down the aisle.

When the bachelor party arrives at Kevin's bar, a Subway $5 footlong promotional sign is seen lying sideways on the far wall.

The song "Rosalita" by Bruce Springsteen plays during the reception.

Connections to previous episodes

When Pam and Jim arrive at their house, Michael's old girlfriend Carol is the Realtor selling their house. Pam tells Jim that because he bought the house without telling her she could sell it without telling him, referring to when he bought the house in secret in "Frame Toby."

This is Michael's first appearance since he left Dunder Mifflin in "Goodbye, Michael."

Michael says that it's like his children all grew up, and then they married each other. This could possibly be a nod to a deleted scene in "Diversity Day" when Michael makes an acronym for diversity which ultimately spells I.N.C.E.S.T.

Pam made the mural the history of the office, because the history of paper mural she had started was painted over in "Vandalism."

The stripper who dances for Dwight in the restaurant is Elizabeth, the same woman whom Dwight and Jim hired in "Ben Franklin," and Michael later hired in "Fun Run."

All of Dwight's friends at the bar before he rescues Angela are for the most part the same ones he interviewed in "Junior Salesman."

When Oscar is invited to go to the bachelor's party for Dwight's wedding, he's nervous because this is the first time he's been with the office's group of guys alone since he came out. He shouts "Wazzup!" in the limo, a reference to the very first Office episode, "Pilot."

episode, "Pilot." Mose glances over at the scarecrow in the field during Kevin's reading during the ceremony. In an earlier episode where Angela has to give Dwight's aunt a bath she briefly mentions the sexual things Mose does to that scarecrow.

Dwight and Angela get married standing in their own graves, which is a Schrute tradition referenced in "Phyllis' Wedding." Also in "Customer Survey" when Dwight is showing Andy and Angela pictures of the Schrute Farms Excalibur Wedding Package there is one of a couple being married in graves.

At the wedding reception, Pam is seen wearing the bracelet that Jim got her in "Classy Christmas."

Michael's problems with money is referenced when Pam mentions that Michael has so many pictures of his kids he has two phones with two numbers and is paying two bills.

Amusing details/Trivia

A one-hour retrospective of the show premiered just before the finale episode.

The man who puts his arms around Pam and Clark during the photo in front of the mural is Greg Daniels, the writer, executive producer, and showrunner of The Office .

. Angela's sister is played by Rachael Harris. Both actresses have played girlfriends to an Ed Helms character. Angela Kinsey to Andy in The Office , Rachael Harris to Stu in The Hangover , and both characters cheated on Ed Helms's character.

, Rachael Harris to Stu in , and both characters cheated on Ed Helms's character. Michael again says that his employees are like his children, but this time he says, "I feel like all my kids grew up, and then they married each other. It's every parent's dream."

In the filmed table read for this episode, all of Michael's lines were spoken by Creed, with them wanting to keep Michael's return a secret as long as possible.

Angela's dress is the same as the one Pam was going to wear in her wedding to Roy, and the one Phyllis wore for her own wedding.

As foreshadowed in "Phyllis' Wedding" Dwight and Angela marry standing in their graves.

Despite Pete hanging out in the office during the warehouse party, Clark is nowhere to be seen.

First appearance of Devon since the Season 2 episode "Halloween".

This is the fourth wedding in the series; the first being being Phyllis and Bob's in season 3, the second being Jim and Pam's in season 6 and the third being Roy's wedding in Season 9

The audience member who asks the question for Jim and Pam is played by Jennie Tan, proprietor of the popular Office Tally web site. She said it was surreal directing her question to the characters, because in real life she posed questions to to the actors when hosting panel discussions.[1] She had previously appeared as an employee of Dunder Mifflin in "Company Picnic".

Goofs

Somehow there is footage of Kevin's and Toby's firing, which is meant to have happened during the period in which there was no documentary crew.

The only members of Dwight's family shown at his wedding are Mose and Zeke, despite that in "The Farm," Dwight's siblings, Jeb and Fanny, were introduced.

After the ceremony, Dwight asks that everyone bring their hay bales to the reception for seating, however in all of the reception scenes, there are folding chairs seen along with several hay bales. It could be that Dwight was kidding and there were actually chairs all along.

Toby is fired by Dwight, however Toby works for corporate and therefore Dwight has no power to fire him. However, it could be that Toby was fired through corporate, and Dwight was giving him the cake as a goodbye.

Cast

Main Cast

Supporting Cast

Guest Cast

Gallery

Script of the final episode



















"Dwight's car is a very pivotal character in the history of The Office and I had a lot of fun in that Trans-Am." -Rainn Wilson

"The conference room is the place where we tend to get the most punchy, the most edgy," -Jenna Fischer

What's going at the front of the room? Someone is leaving and Dwight is cutting the farewell cake.

Clark Duke and Ed Helms relax in between scenes at a "remote location."

"There should have been a spinoff just called The Accountants " -Rainn Wilson

"That's the most heart-tuggingest scene of the whole shaboozle, where we're all gathered at the very end."

On the heels of his promotion to manager, Dwight apparently realizes another one of his dreams: fire a bazooka.

"When they called, 'And that's a wrap on the television series The Office,' I just burst into tears." -Rainn Wilson

"The three of us went through this together, arm in arm, from the very beginning," -Rainn Wilson

"It was Greg Daniels' good taste and imagination that made The Office what it was..." -Rainn Wilson

Mose decides it's a good idea to kidnap Angela, so she's eventually found in the trunk of his car.

"I can't tell you why I'm sitting there or what I say when I'm sitting there, but it was incredibly emotional" -Jenna Fischer

The last group scene for the women of The Office (with guest star Rachael Harris) 1 of 23 Add photo