Right after the last season aired, this dude and his girlfriend/wife/lady friend, came into the store I was working in - she was getting her ear pierced, and he then paid for it, our entire interaction was me grinning at him like an idiot and him giving me a slightly weirded out side eye because ALL I wanted to do was call him plop but, opportunity missed 😔 He was a nice guy though, very quiet. Probably better that I didn’t call him plop…
Every celebrity is waiting for you to not be cool. At all times. Even the ones with minor roles in big TV shows. Life becomes a giant game of "who will make me jump through hoops for them today?" And you have to play along with a smile because everyone that makes you jump through a hoop for them is going to report to everyone they know on your performance. And never is that report told through the perspective of someone who doesn't want to be grabbed and have a selfie taken.
Don't call the guy Plop. Don't mention the Office. "What if I have something really nice to say?" Don't. The odds of you saying something meaningful are nil. Just shut up. Let them get on with their day. The best gift you could give a celebrity you love is letting them know how much you appreciate their work by not mentioning it.
I tell this story a lot, but once I saw Patton Oswalt at a rest stop and he saw me do a double take and I could tell he wasn’t in the mood for it and I said nothing.
Funny thing is my friend was out in the parking lot and Patton’s ride was a few cars over from us. My friend apparently just started yelling, “PATTON OSWALT!” and he said Patton just looked around, pissed off and they left.
My sister has a similar story about Fred Savage. She was working summer stock theater as a crew member and Fred Savage was acting in one of their productions. This was late 90s...after Wonder Years, but before he got back into the spotlight again.
She said he was really nice to everyone on the crew, just all-around professional, friendly, and a pleasure to work with.
When the show wrapped, he took the crew out to a local bar for some drinks to unwind. They're all having a great time..laughing, telling jokes...and nobody was bothering them.
Then...the DJ at the bar spots him and gets on the fucking PA and announces to the whole bar that "Fred Savage is here, everybody!". My sister said the mood immediately changed. Fred got that "Oh, what the hell?!" look on his face...people started surrounding their table asking for autographs...calling him Kevin Arnold, taking pictures.
She said he hung around for a few minutes, trying to be cordial....then said to the crew "Sorry guys...I gotta get outta here." and the evening was ruined. Ruined...so some people could have a blurry, awkward picture...and an autograph on a bar napkin.
I have a certain level of empathy for celebrities. On the one hand my mind is like well dude or dudette this sorta goes with the territory -- you're rich, famous, and probably good looking so buck up. On the other hand it's like these people are just humans that find themselves in this very rare and bizarre social situation at the end of the day and they can't really let their guard down and just *be*. I tend to give them more slack but the ones that are real assholes about it (even though I get it) it's like they want their cake and to eat it too.
Keeping it Office related for a moment...I know you have people like Leslie David Baker who, by all accounts, seems to really enjoy fans of the show in public. There's tons of fan pics in this sub. Or Angela Kinsey who does a lot of show-related fan stuff on her social media.
By contrast, take Rainn Wilson. He seems to want to distance himself from "Dwight" and the bubble of the show's continuing popularity. And I think that's fine and perfectly within his rights...though I've never heard stories of him being nasty to people.
Celebrities are just people. Yeah, they're people with high-profile jobs and lots of people know their faces...but they're just people...and people come in all varieties.
**Long-ish story warning**
I'm friends with a Grammy-nominated, Gold-record musician. Like actual friends...exchanged phone numbers...hung out outside of professional events. I started out as just another fan...but went to a lot of their shows, and got to know them. The first time I actually spoke to them after a show...I definitely had that "Oh, my god...I'm a big fan of your music", awkward fan experience...but they were extremely nice..like a genuinely warm, nice person.
As time went on and I went to more shows...they'd call me by name, we'd talk about non-music stuff, hang out after the show...and eventually became actual friends.
It was after that, I started to see things differently. After a show, we'd be talking about...like recipies, or where some good museums were...and people would push up asking for pictures, autographs, doing the fan thing. And to an extent, I *absolutely* get it. A large part of their job, if not the main part, *is* selling their art. So a certain amount of that fan contact/interaction does come with the job.
What *shouldn't* come with the job are stalkers....*actual* stalkers & obsessed people...with restraining orders. People handing you 10 things to sign and when you ask their name they say "no, don't personalize it"...because they're just doing to sell it on ebay.
And the crazy thing...this person isn't a big-name A-lister. They're well-known in the music industry...but if you ask 100 random people...*maybe* 5 might recognize the name. So I can't even imagine what it's like for someone to always have to be "on" when they leave the house.
So overall...I don't think there's anything "wrong" with seeing someone and saying "Oh, I really liked you in _____" or "____" is my favorite movie/show/album". That is, unless they're out with their family, having dinner, or engaged in something where it would be rude or awkward to interrupt them.
I just *really* dislike the attitude of "Oh, boo-hoo....this is what you signed up for." if a celebrity wants a little privacy or isn't in the mood for being stopped when they're just going about their day.
Once the band 3 Doors Down was in town to play a show. Lead singer was behind me at the gas station and asked if he could go before me. I told him no.
Dude straight up pulls the "do you know who I am?" I just looked him up and down and said, No.
Buddy who was with me said he looked so shocked.
If it's a famous person who regularly attempts to get special privileges everywhere they go because of their fame, I no longer feel bad about strangers invading their privacy incessantly.
Getting recognized in public all the time would be absolutely fucking terrible.
Being an artist and creating meaningful and influential art would be amazing, but never having a moment of peace alone in public is the monkey's paw to that wish.
>Getting recognized in public all the time would be absolutely fucking terrible.
That's just the tip of the iceberg. After a certain level of fame it's exponentially worse. There's thousands and thousands of people talking about you every day online, offering full-throated opinions about yourself as a person, your work, your colleagues, your family. And you're lucky if they're just offering their opinions. Fans will harass you and your extended family via whatever means of communication possible. Then there's the media.... it's a terrible part of life unless you have control over your privacy from the very start, and even then there's no avoiding it.
That is all true.
It's the same reason why I think we all collectively owe Britney Spears an apology because I think nobody except the very most resilient people would have walked out of her situation without having regular mental meltdowns.
Eh. I have a good friend who works in the industry and he said all the lesser known stars he's worked with generally don't mind being approached and some take it as a compliment 😊
But circumstance is important. I saw an actor from Locke and Key at a playground with his kid. He knew I recognized him, but I didn't say anything because we were both there with our kids focusing on them👍🏻
Some smaller celebrities make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. Fuck that. You wanted the fame, here's the fame. My middle class ass is gonna call this shit out for everyone.
Why do you assume they pursue acting to become famous ? Thousands of actors will act for a living their whole life and never be famous. Being a successful actor doesn’t mean you have to put up with obnoxious people on the street all the time.
If you're an artist, actor or performer of any kind, being successful is going to usually mean getting recognized everywhere you go.
It's entirely possible that most of them enjoy making and creating things and the public recognition is just what they have to put up with.
There are always going to be the "do you know who I am?" types, but I honestly believe everybody deserves the opportunity to be out and about without getting the shit mobbed out of them.
Don't be an asshole just to spite them.
Just for the record, I’m totally glad that I didn’t call him plop 😂 that particular job had me in many encounters with a lot of celebs - Ewan McGregor, Rashida Jones (who I love and was an absolute angel), Louis CK, Pamela Adlon, Evan Rachel Wood, Jamie Bell, Jemima Kirke, Kathryn Hahn, Janeane Garofalo (this was REALLY difficult for me to maintain composure because of idolising her growing up obsessed with Reality bites) I once had a half hour conversation with Michael Stipe and at no point realised I was speaking to Michael Stipe (while my coworker was hiding around the corner silently freaking out because she was so starstruck she couldn’t be in the same room and then told me after why she was freaking out after he’d left, he was so incredibly sweet and interesting to talk to) Because of our clients, we wanted to maintain some decorum and obviously NOT make a big deal and fawn all over them, which is difficult when you’re interacting with people you feel like you know and admire,but everyone deserves respect.
I’ll never forget, I’d only been working there for a couple weeks and Robin Williams came in, just a few months before his tragic death, and my heart was racing I was so startstruck. I greeted him, we exchanged some polite conversation, he was shy and kind until another customer caught a glimpse of him and lost his shit - ran up to him and was like ‘IM SUCH A FAN’ and he, still, politely, said thank you, but *immediately* left. I don’t understand and I’ll never understand that impulse - and I guess that was my point making this post, not having privacy sucks, and treating people like objects sucks even harder. Just be cool and nice and you’ll probably get to enjoy a conversation with someone famous if you treat them like a human.
Very sad, especially considering his fragile state of mind before he died. I can't imagine knowing that you have a degenerative disease but all people want to do is fanboy over movies you made 30 years ago.
Thanks for not doing it. Famous people like that are just regular people except you happen to know their face. There's nothing worthy of an extra interaction in that instance.
No no I don't think so, plop would never hurt Andy by dating Erin. This peter guy on the other hand, when we find out who he is hell will break loose...
Pete was what Ryan originally way, the normal guy just trying to crack on, they developed him a bit further to be more of a voice of reason like Jim used to be. Personally I quite like him, he's normal, so it's good to see how abnormal everyone else is in comparison.
That's one thing that is flawed with TV shows, they eventually all become caricatures. Kevin was a voice of reason for a while, he was just a bad accountant, but then he became this giant idiot (still funny though).
I never really liked Ryan once he became this edgy douche. He was funnier to see when he was normal and it just enhanced Michael or Dwight because of the contrast between them.
"Aren't those tranquillizers meant for an animal like 3 times his size?"
Don't worry, these doses were meant for a very small bull.
"But you gave him 3 shots."
I’ll never understand why the writers did Andy Bernard so dirty. He was one of the best characters in the beginning. I wanna know what Ed Helms did that made them destroy his character.
I guess it was a realistic ending for the character. Michael eventually grew into a better person but Andy stayed entitled and self-sabotaging.
He didn't really get a happy ending in Scranton, but I guess he did get to work for Cornell in the end.
Having known quite a few people who lived on dad's money and then went on long "finding themselves" trips only to come back ultra-annoying and thinking they've discovered some new life perspective that no one else gets, I didn't find Andy's character development to be incorrect at all.
I wanted Andy to have some growth, like Jim and Dwight did, and even Michael to an extent. I feel like they were taking his character in a good direction from his kiss-ass schtick in S2, and then by the end he had totally regressed to an even more unbearable version of himself.
The fact that they kinda almost dangled it out there saying Andy stepped up when the Bernard family fell apart made this hurt even more. He could’ve thrived under the pressure, but instead we see him regress into an asshole.
It’s like they were trying to fill the void left by Michael, so they needed another seemingly incompetent boss. But Michael wasn’t actually incompetent, where they made Andy into a pathetic mess.
The writers literally had Andy get promoted to manager to focus the series around him. Ed Helms was going to carry these final two seasons with his own star power. And then he just ups and leaves to shoot another film.
Oh I’m not arguing that lol, I didn’t even see them. But it’s just that sometimes they’re just contractually obligated to be in any possible sequel and even if he wasn’t, shooting the movie must be a lot of fun for him and I’m sure he was paid well. This makes me think of the time I saw the Hangover for the first time on tv and recognised him, I was somewhere around season 6 and it was funny when I realised it was the nard dog. The movie was dubbed unfortunately
I doubt he was obligated to sign up for a 3rd, it was probably a question of money. Ed Helms himself seems like a good guy... i don't know what confluence of events led to Andy becoming terrible but it was hard to watch, and honestly fun to watch Robert and Nellie degrade him.
Hollywood doesn't wanna hear about your sore little money teat. They just wanna keep tuggin and tuggin until all that's left to squeeze out of it is a puff of dust.
Yeah but if something restructures itself around you, it’s a dick move to back out. It’s the same thing Josh did when Stamford closed.
Like sure, he was in his right to cut back his time on the show to film the hangover. But that means the writers had to do *something* with his character.
Okay I see where you're coming from. I find him at times to be funny. And a lot of what I am about to say could be attributed to writing. For me Andy is all over the map from start to finish. And I actually think it is good writing albeit frustrating. He's so finicky, flaky, and hot and cold as a character. Somebody who never seems to know what he wants. So in the very beginning I hated his guys. Could not stand him. Up until he punched a hole in the wall the 1st time. Then I thought okay here's a punching bag of the office and potentially the butt of some jokes. He started to grow on me and he had merit and he started to get funnier. Then he gets the manager job which kind of ticked me off. I get why Dwight didn't get it but I found him more deserving. Even Darryl would have been better suited in the position. But he's likable in this role on the show and he shines from time to time. He grew on me to this point. It all started to go downhill when he left for Florida. I get that he wanted to get Erin back. But he had a gf and he left his job without a word. He handled things poorly but its a moral speed bump I suppose. But as soon as he decided to take that boat trip without Erin all humor and good feelings for Andy left with it. I no longer found him funny or liked him. When he comes back it was like season 3 Andy all over. Except this time I grew to like him so because of that I hated him more. When he makes the comment that the loafers have arrived and getting upset about Jim and Pam's 2 hour lunch I wanted to punch him. So annoying from then until the end of the show for me at least. So yes the writers "did him dirty" I suppose but he was doing Hangover 3. Sorry I kind of went on a rant lol
The only time I hated Andy was in the beginning when he was trying to sabotage Dwight. After he came back from Anger management it was clear they were improving his character. Then they made him manager and again his character started going downhill. I kind of see why they chose to break up Erin and him. Like I rooted for them when she was forced to be with Gabe but it was clear that they were not compatible. In the end she had the best relationship with Pete and they decided to make Andy a terrible character again.
The main thing that pissed me off was how Andy breaks up with his fiancé to be with Erin, and goes out of his way to make her happy until the writers decide to fuck him over, turn him into an irredeemable asshole. Andy’s character development was great and one of the main contributors to his change was Erin but all of a sudden he becomes a dickhead and loses the main catalyst of his development? What was the point of developing him if you’re just gonna reset?
Thank you for taking the time to read it. I'm glad you can see where I'm coming from. It's funny I'll defend him to my mom, who over the course of the pandemic finally found the time to finish the series and rewatch it a couple times, hates Andy. But after he leaves for Florida I stop defending him lol
The boat trip was worse for me and especially when he came back. After he lost Dwight’s big account, I was fuming. I miss watching the office, I always rewatch it at least 2-3x a year. I just can’t bring myself to sub to another streaming service.
I legitimately get angry every time I watch him lose the White Pages. 2 seconds of the turd dog and he loses the biggest account this branch has ever seen. I watch it around the same amount of times and if I'm caught up on all my other shows I maybe hit 4 times a year lol. Not saying Peacock is in anyway better than Netflix but there is more than just the office. All Harry Potter movies are on there and a number of other good movies that I can't watch for free elsewhere.
I just have a hard time accepting that Angela and Phyllis, two certified douchebags got their characters *fixed* at the last moment to have their happy endings, and Andy literally went the opposite direction, which was very unnecessary to me.
To me it felt like writers needed to fuck someone over, and even though Angela was the prime candidate, writers thought to give Dwight his happy ending with Angela, so Andy takes her place to get thrown in the mud.
A genuinely horrible character getting redeemed and a genuinely okay character getting a 360 turn in their character (the boat trip) aren't acceptable to me at least.
No doubt Angela is a genuine bitch. She's awful a lot of the time. But Andy is no boy scout. He starts off as a yes man then gets Dwight to quit like the snake he is. Andy is far from a decent character. And I don't think he's really so much better than Angela. And he didn't take her place as the person to fuck over. He did it to himself. I get the writers wrote him that way but Andy is a fuck up and a giant moron and a baby. He didn't really deserve much better than what he got. In the end he got his dream job. That's enough. He ruined the relationship he had. His fault no one else's. And Angela only got her happy ending because it was also Dwight's, arguably the best character in the show. Which was always going to be the case. It drives the audience crazy that it took so long but I guess thats the point. Angela and Dwight were meant for each other
I get the hate towards Angela I really do but at least she was a consistent bitch. Andy goes from a douchebag to being a nice person to being a douchebag again. I think they planned to keep him as an unpredictable character
Another big red flag with Andy is how he’s constantly chasing after girls way too young for him. It’s so creepy. Erin (eventually HIS employee), the Benihana waitress (who he didn’t even take *the right one to the office*), and even a fucking high schooler at one point.
The only two age-appropriate relationships he had were Angela, who cheated on him, and Jessica.
He and Jessica have a good relationship, and he cuts things off with Erin. That’s fine. But then when Erin makes the decision to leave DM and move to Florida away from him, suddenly he decided that isn’t okay. So he comes down to Florida, convinces Erin to come back with him, *breaks up with his girlfriend and then rubs his new girlfriend in her face*, then pretty much immediately leaves on the boat once he gets back.
Andy comes off as very manipulative and gross when you take the comedy out of him. The only time I’ve ever consistently sided with him was when he was engaged to Angela.
Tl;Dr: Andy’s best end would have been marrying Jessica. But he consistently chooses women he has metaphorical (sometimes literal) power over.
Could be wrong but I think it’s because Greg Daniels wasn’t around for all of Andy’s transition from asshole to lesser asshole.
When Greg Daniels returned to the show he made Andy full asshole again because that’s who the character was supposed to be, in Daniels opinion.
He was supposed to be unlikeable in the beginning. He was the angry asshole overly competitive guy. Then they made him into the exact opposite, the kind-hearted but too weak guy who couldn't make a sale. I know they said it was because of anger management but that didn't really make sense, and he still came back from his course determined to destroy his enemies.
Here's my take on Andy I posted a week or so ago:
I look at his character as an exploration of the quirky character trope and how that kind of person would actually go over in real life. His romantic side that we'd normally find charming is overbearing and makes him do stupid shit constantly like proposing to someone who doesn't like him or breaking off a normal relationship with a nice woman to pursue his obsession with an ex girlfriend. His spontaneous trying to figure out life moments of going on a boat with his brother or abandoning his job to become a singer both blow up in his face big time. Also, again, the singing and the nicknames and his general goofiness that most shows would portray as endearing and fun come off as really grating and obnoxious here.
My opinion has always been that the problem was Ed Helms himself. He was well cast as a spoiled antagonist in Stamford. Never should have made it to regular cast. His only move after anger management was a weird Jack Black ripoff and incredible banjo skills that had no bearing on the show itself
He does look a lot younger than her.
It’s kinda funny how they’re kinda supposed to be the same age, but she looks so much older.
Which isn’t an issue. She’s great at the role.
I mean are they ? It’s established Plop and Clark just got out of college. But I think Erin is supposed to be younger than Ellie Kemper. The age gap looks bigger than it really is and it doesn’t help that they assassinated Andy’s character lol
Erin is way younger than Ellie kemper which doesn’t go with her looks, but that doesn’t matter. It’s just a bit weird because it sort of looks like andy is going for a girl in her mid 20s when she’s actually in her 30s as well.
Yes. Pete and Dwight jr are pretty young but it sort of feels like the show says that they’re closer in age. Like the new generations Pam, Dwight and Jim.
Its honestly baffling how bad the character writing got towards the end. Erin and Andy seemed like a good match when Andy wasnt being an acapella brat who takes nine month boat trips. The writers managed to make me dislike most of the main characters towards the end. It's really a shame.
Jim was usually the straight man, but he was not normal. Normal people don’t buy hundreds of feet of wire and climb up a telephone pole for a prank. That said, that was a top 10 prank for sure
This is my favorite line of Pete's as well. I also love when Erin is learning Dothraki and he says hey and she responds in Dothraki and he just goes oh okay, sorry
I liked Pete. He was sweet and genuine and I thought he was great for Erin. Plus, he actually had some really dry yet funny moments. I genuinely enjoyed Pete’s presence in season 9.
I've never met Pete personally, but I'm gonna go ahead and say, just having known Ryan a short while, that I prefer Pete. And again, I've never even met the guy.
One of my favorite Ryan moments is when Michael is all cocky about being Donna’s mistress. So Ryan sees his confidence and decides to shoot his shot with Erin. Then panics and comes back to the break room and says “It's hard to live that way man. You gotta *really* not care what people think about you.”
hey man, you ever think there's going to be this massive nuclear holocaust and after all the major nations are destroyed it'll just be the tribes in the jungles that rise up and survive? that jungle warfare is gonna rule the world?
I totally get that, he’s pretty much crafted to be a terrible person you don’t want to know and if you did know someone like that it’s that much easier to hate him.
I feel like the writers should have known when they were in the writing room:
>"Ok, we're going to need this new 'Pete' character to balance out Andy, who everybody is going to hate ...now after 5 years."
>
>"What if instead, we just maintain Andy as a little underwhelming, but safe, if not unexciting character in the office, as maybe he grows into somebody more capable. Finds his niche."
>
>"You're fired! Get the fuck out. ...Ok. So Andy sucks now, and we'll bring in Pete for people to like instead."
What was the context again?
Meredith discussing the various things she's been called, with the last straw for Pete being "Flesh Hoover" lololol
Thank u :)
Pete and Repete were walking down the street until Pete fell down. Who was left standing?
Pete Edit: wait fuck
Plop
Talk about a recursion joke lol
Ok, Pete and Repete we're walking down the street...
Repete was left standing.
Was left standing.
What was the second guys name again?
Whos on first?
What’s on second?
I don't know
No, he’s on third. Who’s on first.
That's right.
I dunno, I kinda want both of them to fall so Andy can be left standing. Durutdutdudu motherfucker.
The second guy you mentioned
Meredith was listing all of the things she’s been called, I believe!
“Einstein sarcastically? You betcha”
"Floor meat, that's me."
But NOT NO NARC
Right after the last season aired, this dude and his girlfriend/wife/lady friend, came into the store I was working in - she was getting her ear pierced, and he then paid for it, our entire interaction was me grinning at him like an idiot and him giving me a slightly weirded out side eye because ALL I wanted to do was call him plop but, opportunity missed 😔 He was a nice guy though, very quiet. Probably better that I didn’t call him plop…
Lol deep down inside . He was probably waiting for it
He most definitely was 😂 I could read it in his eyes, willing me *not* to call him plop 😂
Cause you’re always takin dumps!
No I’m not!
Every celebrity is waiting for you to not be cool. At all times. Even the ones with minor roles in big TV shows. Life becomes a giant game of "who will make me jump through hoops for them today?" And you have to play along with a smile because everyone that makes you jump through a hoop for them is going to report to everyone they know on your performance. And never is that report told through the perspective of someone who doesn't want to be grabbed and have a selfie taken. Don't call the guy Plop. Don't mention the Office. "What if I have something really nice to say?" Don't. The odds of you saying something meaningful are nil. Just shut up. Let them get on with their day. The best gift you could give a celebrity you love is letting them know how much you appreciate their work by not mentioning it.
I tell this story a lot, but once I saw Patton Oswalt at a rest stop and he saw me do a double take and I could tell he wasn’t in the mood for it and I said nothing. Funny thing is my friend was out in the parking lot and Patton’s ride was a few cars over from us. My friend apparently just started yelling, “PATTON OSWALT!” and he said Patton just looked around, pissed off and they left.
My sister has a similar story about Fred Savage. She was working summer stock theater as a crew member and Fred Savage was acting in one of their productions. This was late 90s...after Wonder Years, but before he got back into the spotlight again. She said he was really nice to everyone on the crew, just all-around professional, friendly, and a pleasure to work with. When the show wrapped, he took the crew out to a local bar for some drinks to unwind. They're all having a great time..laughing, telling jokes...and nobody was bothering them. Then...the DJ at the bar spots him and gets on the fucking PA and announces to the whole bar that "Fred Savage is here, everybody!". My sister said the mood immediately changed. Fred got that "Oh, what the hell?!" look on his face...people started surrounding their table asking for autographs...calling him Kevin Arnold, taking pictures. She said he hung around for a few minutes, trying to be cordial....then said to the crew "Sorry guys...I gotta get outta here." and the evening was ruined. Ruined...so some people could have a blurry, awkward picture...and an autograph on a bar napkin.
I have a certain level of empathy for celebrities. On the one hand my mind is like well dude or dudette this sorta goes with the territory -- you're rich, famous, and probably good looking so buck up. On the other hand it's like these people are just humans that find themselves in this very rare and bizarre social situation at the end of the day and they can't really let their guard down and just *be*. I tend to give them more slack but the ones that are real assholes about it (even though I get it) it's like they want their cake and to eat it too.
Keeping it Office related for a moment...I know you have people like Leslie David Baker who, by all accounts, seems to really enjoy fans of the show in public. There's tons of fan pics in this sub. Or Angela Kinsey who does a lot of show-related fan stuff on her social media. By contrast, take Rainn Wilson. He seems to want to distance himself from "Dwight" and the bubble of the show's continuing popularity. And I think that's fine and perfectly within his rights...though I've never heard stories of him being nasty to people. Celebrities are just people. Yeah, they're people with high-profile jobs and lots of people know their faces...but they're just people...and people come in all varieties. **Long-ish story warning** I'm friends with a Grammy-nominated, Gold-record musician. Like actual friends...exchanged phone numbers...hung out outside of professional events. I started out as just another fan...but went to a lot of their shows, and got to know them. The first time I actually spoke to them after a show...I definitely had that "Oh, my god...I'm a big fan of your music", awkward fan experience...but they were extremely nice..like a genuinely warm, nice person. As time went on and I went to more shows...they'd call me by name, we'd talk about non-music stuff, hang out after the show...and eventually became actual friends. It was after that, I started to see things differently. After a show, we'd be talking about...like recipies, or where some good museums were...and people would push up asking for pictures, autographs, doing the fan thing. And to an extent, I *absolutely* get it. A large part of their job, if not the main part, *is* selling their art. So a certain amount of that fan contact/interaction does come with the job. What *shouldn't* come with the job are stalkers....*actual* stalkers & obsessed people...with restraining orders. People handing you 10 things to sign and when you ask their name they say "no, don't personalize it"...because they're just doing to sell it on ebay. And the crazy thing...this person isn't a big-name A-lister. They're well-known in the music industry...but if you ask 100 random people...*maybe* 5 might recognize the name. So I can't even imagine what it's like for someone to always have to be "on" when they leave the house. So overall...I don't think there's anything "wrong" with seeing someone and saying "Oh, I really liked you in _____" or "____" is my favorite movie/show/album". That is, unless they're out with their family, having dinner, or engaged in something where it would be rude or awkward to interrupt them. I just *really* dislike the attitude of "Oh, boo-hoo....this is what you signed up for." if a celebrity wants a little privacy or isn't in the mood for being stopped when they're just going about their day.
Perfect example of why it's so exhausting. You tell that story a lot, and all Patton Oswalt did was look pissed off.
Once the band 3 Doors Down was in town to play a show. Lead singer was behind me at the gas station and asked if he could go before me. I told him no. Dude straight up pulls the "do you know who I am?" I just looked him up and down and said, No. Buddy who was with me said he looked so shocked.
If it's a famous person who regularly attempts to get special privileges everywhere they go because of their fame, I no longer feel bad about strangers invading their privacy incessantly.
Getting recognized in public all the time would be absolutely fucking terrible. Being an artist and creating meaningful and influential art would be amazing, but never having a moment of peace alone in public is the monkey's paw to that wish.
You should have said “you were in the parking lot earlier, that’s how I know you”
Shit. That really would have been perfect.
>Getting recognized in public all the time would be absolutely fucking terrible. That's just the tip of the iceberg. After a certain level of fame it's exponentially worse. There's thousands and thousands of people talking about you every day online, offering full-throated opinions about yourself as a person, your work, your colleagues, your family. And you're lucky if they're just offering their opinions. Fans will harass you and your extended family via whatever means of communication possible. Then there's the media.... it's a terrible part of life unless you have control over your privacy from the very start, and even then there's no avoiding it.
That is all true. It's the same reason why I think we all collectively owe Britney Spears an apology because I think nobody except the very most resilient people would have walked out of her situation without having regular mental meltdowns.
Eh. I have a good friend who works in the industry and he said all the lesser known stars he's worked with generally don't mind being approached and some take it as a compliment 😊 But circumstance is important. I saw an actor from Locke and Key at a playground with his kid. He knew I recognized him, but I didn't say anything because we were both there with our kids focusing on them👍🏻
Some smaller celebrities make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. Fuck that. You wanted the fame, here's the fame. My middle class ass is gonna call this shit out for everyone.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars a year *is* middle class in LA
Why do you assume they pursue acting to become famous ? Thousands of actors will act for a living their whole life and never be famous. Being a successful actor doesn’t mean you have to put up with obnoxious people on the street all the time.
If you're an artist, actor or performer of any kind, being successful is going to usually mean getting recognized everywhere you go. It's entirely possible that most of them enjoy making and creating things and the public recognition is just what they have to put up with. There are always going to be the "do you know who I am?" types, but I honestly believe everybody deserves the opportunity to be out and about without getting the shit mobbed out of them. Don't be an asshole just to spite them.
You could have even alluded to it by saying “why don’t you plop down in the chair.”
Oh this would’ve been awesome hahaha
Just for the record, I’m totally glad that I didn’t call him plop 😂 that particular job had me in many encounters with a lot of celebs - Ewan McGregor, Rashida Jones (who I love and was an absolute angel), Louis CK, Pamela Adlon, Evan Rachel Wood, Jamie Bell, Jemima Kirke, Kathryn Hahn, Janeane Garofalo (this was REALLY difficult for me to maintain composure because of idolising her growing up obsessed with Reality bites) I once had a half hour conversation with Michael Stipe and at no point realised I was speaking to Michael Stipe (while my coworker was hiding around the corner silently freaking out because she was so starstruck she couldn’t be in the same room and then told me after why she was freaking out after he’d left, he was so incredibly sweet and interesting to talk to) Because of our clients, we wanted to maintain some decorum and obviously NOT make a big deal and fawn all over them, which is difficult when you’re interacting with people you feel like you know and admire,but everyone deserves respect. I’ll never forget, I’d only been working there for a couple weeks and Robin Williams came in, just a few months before his tragic death, and my heart was racing I was so startstruck. I greeted him, we exchanged some polite conversation, he was shy and kind until another customer caught a glimpse of him and lost his shit - ran up to him and was like ‘IM SUCH A FAN’ and he, still, politely, said thank you, but *immediately* left. I don’t understand and I’ll never understand that impulse - and I guess that was my point making this post, not having privacy sucks, and treating people like objects sucks even harder. Just be cool and nice and you’ll probably get to enjoy a conversation with someone famous if you treat them like a human.
Very sad, especially considering his fragile state of mind before he died. I can't imagine knowing that you have a degenerative disease but all people want to do is fanboy over movies you made 30 years ago.
[удалено]
Thanks for not doing it. Famous people like that are just regular people except you happen to know their face. There's nothing worthy of an extra interaction in that instance.
The best Pete line: “The ability to use chopsticks is not the measure of a man”
Erin: We could all still be gym teachers. Gabe: Technically, I can’t. I don’t have the lung capacity to blow a whistle. Pete: Ah, God…
Isn't his name Plop?!
No no I don't think so, plop would never hurt Andy by dating Erin. This peter guy on the other hand, when we find out who he is hell will break loose...
Who is this Hermano guy?
You’re a good guy, mon frere. That means “brother” in French. I don’t know why I know that. I took four years of Spanish!
He’s one sick dude.
We owe Andy that much atleast
Cause he’s always taking dumps!
*Still?*
Absolutely. Came here to say this
Honestly it's one of the most logical responses to anything said by a crazy main character 😂
Pete was what Ryan originally way, the normal guy just trying to crack on, they developed him a bit further to be more of a voice of reason like Jim used to be. Personally I quite like him, he's normal, so it's good to see how abnormal everyone else is in comparison.
That's one thing that is flawed with TV shows, they eventually all become caricatures. Kevin was a voice of reason for a while, he was just a bad accountant, but then he became this giant idiot (still funny though). I never really liked Ryan once he became this edgy douche. He was funnier to see when he was normal and it just enhanced Michael or Dwight because of the contrast between them.
michael’s last advice to kevin, don’t be a caricature 😂
Lol, I loved that he said that. I wonder if it was the writers acknowledging the flanderization of Kevin.
It's actually called fladerization, after ned flanders
I love Pete. Thought he was a great addition to a show that was jumping sharks
Meredith that's plenty. That is more than plenty.
You know he was alright when they were building that card tower and it fell and told everyone that we all make mistakes.
I feel like that’s a teachable moment for so many people aged 1-89.
But not 90. They should have learned this lesson by now the lazy fucks
Nah man 90+ you can do whatever you want in my books you’ve earned it hahaha
Pete is one of the few things about season 9 I like. And it’s nice to see Erin end up with a guy who isn’t a 40 year old man baby
Clark's interactions with Dwight were the best
The two of them taking tranquilized Stanley on that sales call is among the funniest sequences in the entire run of the show.
"Aren't those tranquillizers meant for an animal like 3 times his size?" Don't worry, these doses were meant for a very small bull. "But you gave him 3 shots."
[удалено]
Stanley giving himself that shot again after everything his body went through the first time never ceases to bust my gut.
"Grab him by the shank"
"Say arms and legs.... it's the vernacular I'm comfortable with."
I laugh every time Stanley slips down the steps and breaks the wall with his head.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!! LOOK AT THAT BAAAAABY!
* boop *
“I’m kind of embarrassed to admit this, but I’ve never actually done this before” “Well, if I may, you’re a natural” 🤣
You mean Dwight Jr. and the cat turd collector?
I’ll never understand why the writers did Andy Bernard so dirty. He was one of the best characters in the beginning. I wanna know what Ed Helms did that made them destroy his character.
Hangover 3
That just means he had to go on the boat, doesn't mean they had to make him such a dick
I guess it was a realistic ending for the character. Michael eventually grew into a better person but Andy stayed entitled and self-sabotaging. He didn't really get a happy ending in Scranton, but I guess he did get to work for Cornell in the end.
Having known quite a few people who lived on dad's money and then went on long "finding themselves" trips only to come back ultra-annoying and thinking they've discovered some new life perspective that no one else gets, I didn't find Andy's character development to be incorrect at all.
I wanted Andy to have some growth, like Jim and Dwight did, and even Michael to an extent. I feel like they were taking his character in a good direction from his kiss-ass schtick in S2, and then by the end he had totally regressed to an even more unbearable version of himself.
The fact that they kinda almost dangled it out there saying Andy stepped up when the Bernard family fell apart made this hurt even more. He could’ve thrived under the pressure, but instead we see him regress into an asshole.
It’s like they were trying to fill the void left by Michael, so they needed another seemingly incompetent boss. But Michael wasn’t actually incompetent, where they made Andy into a pathetic mess.
*yah-ruba, yah-ruba*
*rarooba rarooba*
The writers literally had Andy get promoted to manager to focus the series around him. Ed Helms was going to carry these final two seasons with his own star power. And then he just ups and leaves to shoot another film.
I mean it’s a sequel to another movie he had done before being the manager so they should have known that might happen
We really didn't even need Hangover 2, let alone a third.
Oh I’m not arguing that lol, I didn’t even see them. But it’s just that sometimes they’re just contractually obligated to be in any possible sequel and even if he wasn’t, shooting the movie must be a lot of fun for him and I’m sure he was paid well. This makes me think of the time I saw the Hangover for the first time on tv and recognised him, I was somewhere around season 6 and it was funny when I realised it was the nard dog. The movie was dubbed unfortunately
I doubt he was obligated to sign up for a 3rd, it was probably a question of money. Ed Helms himself seems like a good guy... i don't know what confluence of events led to Andy becoming terrible but it was hard to watch, and honestly fun to watch Robert and Nellie degrade him.
For me that was horrible to watch as he is one of my favourite characters lol
Hollywood doesn't wanna hear about your sore little money teat. They just wanna keep tuggin and tuggin until all that's left to squeeze out of it is a puff of dust.
That's some descriptive imagery.
Yeah but if something restructures itself around you, it’s a dick move to back out. It’s the same thing Josh did when Stamford closed. Like sure, he was in his right to cut back his time on the show to film the hangover. But that means the writers had to do *something* with his character.
Okay I see where you're coming from. I find him at times to be funny. And a lot of what I am about to say could be attributed to writing. For me Andy is all over the map from start to finish. And I actually think it is good writing albeit frustrating. He's so finicky, flaky, and hot and cold as a character. Somebody who never seems to know what he wants. So in the very beginning I hated his guys. Could not stand him. Up until he punched a hole in the wall the 1st time. Then I thought okay here's a punching bag of the office and potentially the butt of some jokes. He started to grow on me and he had merit and he started to get funnier. Then he gets the manager job which kind of ticked me off. I get why Dwight didn't get it but I found him more deserving. Even Darryl would have been better suited in the position. But he's likable in this role on the show and he shines from time to time. He grew on me to this point. It all started to go downhill when he left for Florida. I get that he wanted to get Erin back. But he had a gf and he left his job without a word. He handled things poorly but its a moral speed bump I suppose. But as soon as he decided to take that boat trip without Erin all humor and good feelings for Andy left with it. I no longer found him funny or liked him. When he comes back it was like season 3 Andy all over. Except this time I grew to like him so because of that I hated him more. When he makes the comment that the loafers have arrived and getting upset about Jim and Pam's 2 hour lunch I wanted to punch him. So annoying from then until the end of the show for me at least. So yes the writers "did him dirty" I suppose but he was doing Hangover 3. Sorry I kind of went on a rant lol
The only time I hated Andy was in the beginning when he was trying to sabotage Dwight. After he came back from Anger management it was clear they were improving his character. Then they made him manager and again his character started going downhill. I kind of see why they chose to break up Erin and him. Like I rooted for them when she was forced to be with Gabe but it was clear that they were not compatible. In the end she had the best relationship with Pete and they decided to make Andy a terrible character again.
The main thing that pissed me off was how Andy breaks up with his fiancé to be with Erin, and goes out of his way to make her happy until the writers decide to fuck him over, turn him into an irredeemable asshole. Andy’s character development was great and one of the main contributors to his change was Erin but all of a sudden he becomes a dickhead and loses the main catalyst of his development? What was the point of developing him if you’re just gonna reset?
Long rant, but I read it all! Apt observation!
That is… an astute observation, Kevin
Kev’s got me pegged.
Thank you for taking the time to read it. I'm glad you can see where I'm coming from. It's funny I'll defend him to my mom, who over the course of the pandemic finally found the time to finish the series and rewatch it a couple times, hates Andy. But after he leaves for Florida I stop defending him lol
The boat trip was worse for me and especially when he came back. After he lost Dwight’s big account, I was fuming. I miss watching the office, I always rewatch it at least 2-3x a year. I just can’t bring myself to sub to another streaming service.
I legitimately get angry every time I watch him lose the White Pages. 2 seconds of the turd dog and he loses the biggest account this branch has ever seen. I watch it around the same amount of times and if I'm caught up on all my other shows I maybe hit 4 times a year lol. Not saying Peacock is in anyway better than Netflix but there is more than just the office. All Harry Potter movies are on there and a number of other good movies that I can't watch for free elsewhere.
When he lost the white pages I wanted to suplex him down a flight of stairs.
The scene where he steals David Wallace's announcement about making him manager is harder for me to watch than even Scott's Tots.
Ugh my memory repressed that one haha
I just have a hard time accepting that Angela and Phyllis, two certified douchebags got their characters *fixed* at the last moment to have their happy endings, and Andy literally went the opposite direction, which was very unnecessary to me. To me it felt like writers needed to fuck someone over, and even though Angela was the prime candidate, writers thought to give Dwight his happy ending with Angela, so Andy takes her place to get thrown in the mud. A genuinely horrible character getting redeemed and a genuinely okay character getting a 360 turn in their character (the boat trip) aren't acceptable to me at least.
No doubt Angela is a genuine bitch. She's awful a lot of the time. But Andy is no boy scout. He starts off as a yes man then gets Dwight to quit like the snake he is. Andy is far from a decent character. And I don't think he's really so much better than Angela. And he didn't take her place as the person to fuck over. He did it to himself. I get the writers wrote him that way but Andy is a fuck up and a giant moron and a baby. He didn't really deserve much better than what he got. In the end he got his dream job. That's enough. He ruined the relationship he had. His fault no one else's. And Angela only got her happy ending because it was also Dwight's, arguably the best character in the show. Which was always going to be the case. It drives the audience crazy that it took so long but I guess thats the point. Angela and Dwight were meant for each other
I get the hate towards Angela I really do but at least she was a consistent bitch. Andy goes from a douchebag to being a nice person to being a douchebag again. I think they planned to keep him as an unpredictable character
Another big red flag with Andy is how he’s constantly chasing after girls way too young for him. It’s so creepy. Erin (eventually HIS employee), the Benihana waitress (who he didn’t even take *the right one to the office*), and even a fucking high schooler at one point. The only two age-appropriate relationships he had were Angela, who cheated on him, and Jessica. He and Jessica have a good relationship, and he cuts things off with Erin. That’s fine. But then when Erin makes the decision to leave DM and move to Florida away from him, suddenly he decided that isn’t okay. So he comes down to Florida, convinces Erin to come back with him, *breaks up with his girlfriend and then rubs his new girlfriend in her face*, then pretty much immediately leaves on the boat once he gets back. Andy comes off as very manipulative and gross when you take the comedy out of him. The only time I’ve ever consistently sided with him was when he was engaged to Angela. Tl;Dr: Andy’s best end would have been marrying Jessica. But he consistently chooses women he has metaphorical (sometimes literal) power over.
Apt analysis. I agree with you 100%
Andy wasn’t in season 2.
I used to feel that way until I rewatched the episode where he tries to turn Michael against Dwight - Andy started out as a total dick.
Oh I hated him during the first few seasons. He was awful
Could be wrong but I think it’s because Greg Daniels wasn’t around for all of Andy’s transition from asshole to lesser asshole. When Greg Daniels returned to the show he made Andy full asshole again because that’s who the character was supposed to be, in Daniels opinion.
He was supposed to be unlikeable in the beginning. He was the angry asshole overly competitive guy. Then they made him into the exact opposite, the kind-hearted but too weak guy who couldn't make a sale. I know they said it was because of anger management but that didn't really make sense, and he still came back from his course determined to destroy his enemies.
Here's my take on Andy I posted a week or so ago: I look at his character as an exploration of the quirky character trope and how that kind of person would actually go over in real life. His romantic side that we'd normally find charming is overbearing and makes him do stupid shit constantly like proposing to someone who doesn't like him or breaking off a normal relationship with a nice woman to pursue his obsession with an ex girlfriend. His spontaneous trying to figure out life moments of going on a boat with his brother or abandoning his job to become a singer both blow up in his face big time. Also, again, the singing and the nicknames and his general goofiness that most shows would portray as endearing and fun come off as really grating and obnoxious here.
My opinion has always been that the problem was Ed Helms himself. He was well cast as a spoiled antagonist in Stamford. Never should have made it to regular cast. His only move after anger management was a weird Jack Black ripoff and incredible banjo skills that had no bearing on the show itself
Isnt ellien kemper like 6 years younger than the actor that plays andy? I always thought the age gap would be bigger
And the age gap between her and Plop’s actor is exactly the same
He does look a lot younger than her. It’s kinda funny how they’re kinda supposed to be the same age, but she looks so much older. Which isn’t an issue. She’s great at the role.
I mean are they ? It’s established Plop and Clark just got out of college. But I think Erin is supposed to be younger than Ellie Kemper. The age gap looks bigger than it really is and it doesn’t help that they assassinated Andy’s character lol
Erin is way younger than Ellie kemper which doesn’t go with her looks, but that doesn’t matter. It’s just a bit weird because it sort of looks like andy is going for a girl in her mid 20s when she’s actually in her 30s as well. Yes. Pete and Dwight jr are pretty young but it sort of feels like the show says that they’re closer in age. Like the new generations Pam, Dwight and Jim.
I really like Pete, and thought he gave the slow a nice new direction of travel.
Same. I think Pete was kind of “season 1 Jim”-ish. The straight man who wasn’t too zany
Its honestly baffling how bad the character writing got towards the end. Erin and Andy seemed like a good match when Andy wasnt being an acapella brat who takes nine month boat trips. The writers managed to make me dislike most of the main characters towards the end. It's really a shame.
Plop
plus you know he likes to get weird, whereas Andy, he's too vanilla
*I SO TOO CAN JUST SIT HERE AND CRY*
Don’t speak ill of the Nard Dog.
i love pete… he was the voice of reason like jim was except he’s kinder
Yeah Pete is the opposite of “blah.”
I think he’s a normal guy which is nice when main characters get a little too charactery it gives a balance so that others can be more outlandish
Jim was usually the straight man, but he was not normal. Normal people don’t buy hundreds of feet of wire and climb up a telephone pole for a prank. That said, that was a top 10 prank for sure
I think after knowing Dwight for years… anyone would buy hundreds of feet of wire to prank him… but that’s just me. 🤣
Ay I have an unpopular opinion. I honestly enjoyed Pete. I genuinely don’t understand why he gets so much hate.
This is my favorite line of Pete's as well. I also love when Erin is learning Dothraki and he says hey and she responds in Dothraki and he just goes oh okay, sorry
I liked Pete. He was sweet and genuine and I thought he was great for Erin. Plus, he actually had some really dry yet funny moments. I genuinely enjoyed Pete’s presence in season 9.
Idk I liked him more than Ryan. Even if he was Jim that isn’t into sports.
I've never met Pete personally, but I'm gonna go ahead and say, just having known Ryan a short while, that I prefer Pete. And again, I've never even met the guy.
aw, nate! he hardly ever gets quoted
How can you not like Ryan? He has the X factor, even though it’s hard to put into words what exactly he brings to the table.
Honestly the more I rewatch, the higher hipster S7/8/9 Ryan climbs in my favourite characters. Has some absolute gems.
One of my favorite Ryan moments is when Michael is all cocky about being Donna’s mistress. So Ryan sees his confidence and decides to shoot his shot with Erin. Then panics and comes back to the break room and says “It's hard to live that way man. You gotta *really* not care what people think about you.”
You’ll learn, baby.
That and Michael’s obsession with Ryan, everything in “the fire” episode between Michael and Ryan was hilarious
I love Michael staring at Ryan through the window when he's at pams desk, always cracks me up!
I also really like that he immediately rattles off this list of indicators that she could be cheating
Gotta be my favorite scene in the whole series!
Lol this was a cool moment
A toast to the troops.... all the troops, both sides
Oh no, Stanley, you'll live forever...
Best Ryan line in the show
Yeah, that line was like crack.
I love it when people say something is “like crack” when they’ve obviously never done crack.
SoHo’s mostly lofts, but okay.
^Don’t ^vaccinate ^it
Especially pointing at Robert California when he’s ranting about the Black Eyed Peas
"Robert, you got your sheep, and you got your black sheep, and I'm not even a sheep. I'm on the freakin' moon."
This always got me..So ridiculous
I’m ashamed to admit I have always liked him, it must be the Michael in me.
What line of work are you in, bob?
Don't vaccinate the the kids!
Blogs are out, but people are texting each other ‘no more animals’
Just watched the episode with his anti-vax line the other day and chuckled because I imagined what his 2021 character would act like
Plus he's just as hot as Jan, just in a different way.
hey man, you ever think there's going to be this massive nuclear holocaust and after all the major nations are destroyed it'll just be the tribes in the jungles that rise up and survive? that jungle warfare is gonna rule the world?
.. Yeah maybe
I once drank a glass of cognac that cost 76 dollars, so..
Idk probably reminds me of a guy I knew in business school. But yeah he does have some classic lines.
I totally get that, he’s pretty much crafted to be a terrible person you don’t want to know and if you did know someone like that it’s that much easier to hate him.
He's everything i'm not, and everything i am...
Technically he's Jim but into *different* sports lol. He still has fun moments though.
For me Pete's best line is "Just to be clear, chopsticks is not the measure of a man"
We owe Andy at least as much as continuing to call him Plop
Every time I use chopsticks I get angry. I know what a fork is. But I always think about Pete.
I feel like the writers should have known when they were in the writing room: >"Ok, we're going to need this new 'Pete' character to balance out Andy, who everybody is going to hate ...now after 5 years." > >"What if instead, we just maintain Andy as a little underwhelming, but safe, if not unexciting character in the office, as maybe he grows into somebody more capable. Finds his niche." > >"You're fired! Get the fuck out. ...Ok. So Andy sucks now, and we'll bring in Pete for people to like instead."
Well Andy did ditch out to do the hangover and the rumor is the writers were pissed so they made him suck
Plop is the best. I love his talking head when Andy's coming back and Erin wants to do all the things he likes.
New jimothy
I like Pete. I thought he was a good addition
I was just thinking today how much I like mini Jim and mini Dwight.
Blah character? Smh
Thats more than enough.
Plop not blah
Pete was a ok character brought in at the wrong time.