The Office: Michael Scott’s “I’m NOT him!” moments!
Every die-hard fan of The Office knows how PAINFUL it is to watch Michael G. Scott. From his unbearably awkward jokes to his wack attempts at being relevant, there’s no denying that the former regional manager of Dunder Mifflin is the epitome of cringe. He’s so cringeworthy that you cannot bear watching finishing an episode of him doing his usual toe-curling shenanigans. He even made it to the meme community, which is probably not surprising at all.
We know that rewatching The Office requires a certain amount of courage to bear Michael’s clumsiness. To make this worse, we generously give you some of the time when we couldn’t handle him anymore, even though we’ve seen it a dozen times! So give it up for Scranton’s one and only and his infamous I’M NOT HIM! moments.
“I’m not him!” Moments from Michael Scott!
Health Care (The Office: Season 1, Episode 3)
Let’s begin the list with one of Michael Scott’s most underrated, yet painful watches. In the first season of The Office, we got a taste of what a room full of salesmen and accountants in a dying paper company could bring to the table. Although the season only lasted six episodes, it was enough to foreshadow the cringiness that would pervade every episode to come. Moreover, it introduced us to Michael and his tone-deaf and ignorant behavior.
Returning to the third episode of the season, “Health Care” showed us just how lazy and irresponsible Michael could be. He was tasked with choosing a new and affordable healthcare plan but immediately passed it off to the enthusiastic volunteer Dwight. Dwight ruthlessly cut almost all benefits from the plan, enraging the rest of the office staff. To make matters worse, Michael promised a big surprise to the already furious staff but failed to deliver. What’s even funnier is that he thought he could make up for it with ice cream!
Christmas Party (The Office: Season 2, Episode 10)
The foreshadowing we mentioned earlier was not an exaggeration, as the series only becomes more unbearable with each passing episode. Let’s examine one of the most cringeworthy episodes of The Office. In this episode, the office throws a Christmas party and participates in a Secret Santa gift exchange. However, things never go smoothly when Michael Scott is around. He insists on playing “Yankee Swap” after he receives an unwanted gift from Phyllis and doesn’t even bother to hide his misplaced frustration.
What’s even more cringeworthy is that Michael sits in front of Phyllis during the gift swap, frankly mocking the oven mitt she had given him. Of course, no one wants the mitt when there’s an iPod up for grabs in the swap! Even when Michael receives another gift – paintball lessons – he still mocks it and compares it unfavorably to his own overpriced gift. Making things a lot worse, he used the money from the bonus he received after firing an employee. Talk about arrogance in his already obnoxious behavior.
The Injury (The Office: Season 2 Episode 12)
Don’t flinch just yet! We still have more to tell you about Michael’s latest episode. In it, he accidentally burned his foot on his George Foreman Grill but still insisted on showing up to work. Imagine your boss describing how he caused his own misfortune, like grilling bacon in his bedroom to wake himself up. That’s just so Michael! His employees, except for Dwight, didn’t offer to help him, and Michael, known for his pettiness, felt underappreciated.
But that’s just the beginning. Later on, Dwight got into a car accident, causing him a concussion. While the office cared for Dwight, Michael’s pettiness shone through. He called a meeting to compare his bubble-wrapped foot to an employee with an actual impairment. When they finally brought Dwight to the hospital, Michael argued with the doctor. He insisted that his burnt foot was worse than Dwight’s concussion. To top his ignorance and stinginess, he even attempted to put his foot inside a CAT scan to prove his point!
Safety Training (The Office: Season 3, Episode 20)
We haven’t even gotten to the most excruciating part yet! In the episode, Darryl Philbin confronts Michael about the dangers of the warehouse, prompting Michael to attempt to prove that office life can be just as dangerous. This leads him to the roof of the building, where he kicks the ladder out from under Darryl while attempting to deliver a joke.
Michael’s intrusive thoughts get the best of him yet again. When Darryl insults the cushy nature of office work, Michael decides to fake a suicide attempt to prove his point. But his plan is destined to fail, as he plans to land on a trampoline, then a bouncy castle. The only thing that calms him down is when Darryl, the real victim, takes the high road and tells him what he wants to hear. Another hard watch from Mr. Scott!
Scott’s Tots (The Office: Season 6, Episode 12)
Of course, we saved the best for last. In the episode, Michael recklessly made a promise that he would pay for the college tuition of an entire local third-grade class ten years ago if they could complete high school. He lacked the personal wealth necessary to fulfill his promise, so he and Erin had to go and tell the students, who are now high school seniors, that they will not receive the money. The summary already makes you squirm, right? That’s just the tip of it!
The school and the students prepared a grand thank-you party for Michael. They danced their hearts out, cheered, and even gave heartfelt speeches to him, whose face was full of pain and regrets! And when he admitted that he could not afford it, he gave them laptop… batteries! After all that, he still saw himself as the victim, and even announced it in front of the students! Man, this episode just keeps getting worse and worse with every rewatch.
Sitcoms make our life extra bearable. But Michael Scott proved that it doesn’t hurt to make them more unbearable than living.
Dominic indulges in whatever piques his interest and consumes his time, only to forget about it when he discovers something more intriguing than the last. He is currently rediscovering Taylor Swift after having stopped listening when Reputation came out, and he might binge-watch alien documentaries sometime this week. Nevertheless, writing is the one constant thing that wouldn't slip his mind for sure. Randomly unearthing good films is his fourth favorite thing in life. His third, second, and first are ABBA, suspending disbelief, and dozing off, respectively.