The Office remains one of television's most beloved sitcoms of all time even nine years after it came to an end. To this day, fans continue to clamor for new content from the hilarious workplace comedy, with Peacock intermittently releasing new "Super-Fan" episodes to keep fans satiated.
Though many iconic relationships came out of The Office, the friendship between Michael Scott and Dwight Schrute is certainly one of the best. While complicated, the relationship between Michael and Dwight remains a highlight of the series--one that can be summarized by a series of fan-made memes.
Sitcom Similarities
Michael Scott is constantly living in a fantasy world. Believing himself to be the living embodiment of a sitcom character, he describes himself as both Chandler and Joey from Friends. Quickly losing track of his argument, Michael eventually describes Dwight as Kramer, hilariously mixing up two of the most famous sitcoms of all time.
While used purely as a joke, Michael's comment is quite revealing of how he views Dwight. Though Michael thinks of himself, Jim, Pam, and his other coworkers as good friends, he thinks of Dwight as a hapless "other" who only manages to insert himself into friendships by force. And, while Michael is certainly delusional regarding his relationship with his other coworkers, he isn't entirely wrong about Dwight.
The Electric City
Despite their often rocky relationship, Michael and Dwight are responsible for some of The Office's most memorable sequences, including one rap sequence that a Facebook declares to be a vital segment of hip hop history.
Though Michael often finds himself annoyed by Dwight, he often finds the paper salesman to be the only one willing to engage in his sillier escapades. Dwight was even willing to set aside an entire day to participate in Michael's incredibly cringy and ill-advised music video.
The Struggle
One Redditor and fan of The Office takes an iconic scene from the series and uses it to explain their struggles humorously. With Michael and Jim shaking hands before a disbelieving Dwight, this scene is rife with meme material.
This is a commonly used meme template that explains quite a bit about Michael and Dwight's relationship. Though Dwight always s and obeys Michael, the regional manager always favors Jim, who garners praise and promotions for himself instead of Dwight.
Just Trying To Help
One Instagram reimagines a scene from the "Booze Cruise" episode of The Office, wherein Dwight believes he is steering the ship. They connect the scene to the infamous Suez Canal obstruction in 2021, wherein a cargo ship blocked the vital trade route for six days.
Despite his many idiosyncracies, Dwight proves surprisingly wholesome on several occasions throughout the series. He is often more than willing to help his coworkers--especially Michael--though, more often than not, he only ends up making things worse for everyone involved.
Taking Things Too Far
Like many characters on The Office, Dwight Schrute is ridiculously meme-worthy. One commonly "memed" sequence is Dwight's infamous KGB joke, in which he slaps Michael in the face. This scene is reimagined by an Instagram , who places Dwight's face on an iconic Batman meme in which the superhero slaps Robin in the face.
Dwight often takes his jokes way too far, alienating his audience. Though he struggles with many of the same comedic pitfalls as his boss, Michael often derides and makes fun of Dwight for his shortcomings, failing to see the similarity between their brands of humor.
Michael's Annoyed Face
In an unlikely turn of events, one fan of The Office found themselves under the penetrating stare of Michael Scott as Netflix paused an episode at the exact right moment. They remark at how annoyed Michael looks with them for not hitting play.
Michael's face at this exact moment perfectly describes his attitude toward Dwight, who, for all his efforts to earn Michael's love, only seems to annoy his superior. Michael seems to make this face often at his subordinate, who never seems able to capture his approval.
Inside Jokes
One Instagram found a particularly heartbreaking line from Michael Scott far too relatable. itting that they haven't yet seen the final six seasons of The Office, the fan expresses their confusion at inside jokes made about future episodes.
Michael Scott's desire to be part of an inside joke is only sad until one realizes how often he's had the opportunity to do so with Dwight. For all of Michael's striving to be included by his employees, he always seemed to ignore the one person that was willing to be his friend. While Michael and Dwight would grow closer over the years, Michael would still constantly ignore Dwight if it meant fostering a friendship with a different coworker.
A Healthy Fear
In the end, all Michael ever wanted since childhood was to be loved. When asked if he wanted to be feared or loved by his employees, he memorably remarked that he wanted them to "be afraid of how much they love me," perfectly describing his character in a single scene.
As ridiculous as Michael's proposition may seem, this seems to be the case with Dwight. The company's top salesman truly seems to love and fear Michael in the exact way that he always wanted, with Dwight's love for Michael even proving to be a roadblock in his relationship with Angela Martin.
Picking Up The Slack
The Office is considered to be one of the best sitcoms of all time, but many fans agree that the series took a severe dip in quality after Michael's departure in season 7. With several less-than-beloved storylines detracted from other main characters' likability in the final two seasons, Dwight seemed to be the show's anchor in its last days.
It was only after Michael left the series that Dwight became such an integral part of the series, leading many fans to call him the "MVP" of the entire show. Had both Michael and Dwight been absent from the show's final two seasons, the series may have truly become unwatchable.
Hitting Us In The Feels
One of the most memorable and emotional moments in The Office's series finale occurs when Michael makes a surprise return for Dwight's wedding. He delivers one last "That's what she said" joke, hitting longtime fans right in the heart.
As messy and destructive as their friendship was, Michael and Dwight proved to foster a touching relationship, loving each other in their unique ways. Ultimately, their reunion proved to be one of the most cathartic experiences in the show's final episode.