This summer, The Office fans had a chance to meet their favorite characters and experiences at Meadowlands Exposition Center in New Jersey at the first ever Dunder Con, according to to NBC New York.
Fans had a chance to meet Brian Baumgartner (Kevin Malone), Creed Bratton, Oscar Nunez (Oscar Martinez), and Kate Flannery (Meredith Palmer) — to name a few. Seeing all of these beloved actors or characters in one place was an exciting moment for fans. As enlightening as it was to see those familiar faces, some characters aren't always loved by the fandom on Reddit. Some fans would say that there are characters who get more hate than they deserved.
Andy Bernard
Andy Bernard got a lot of hate in later seasons of The Office because of his personality change. Andy went from being a hard-nosed worker at Stamford to a lovable, excitable salesman in Scranton. It wasn't until he dated Erin that Andy's ugly side started to shine, making fans turn their back on him.
Deep down, Andy was a good guy and didn't deserve the hate he got on Reddit and in the show. MandyShadowGirl explained, "I was actually kind of impressed with what a good choice [Andy] been to follow up Michael. No one was going to knock it out of the park the way Michael had but Andy brought a lot of similar energy in." He made plenty of mistakes in later seasons but he wasn't a bad man.
Karen Filippelli
Karen was introduced once Jim transferred to the Stamford branch. It was clear that the two were romantically interested in each other but nothing officially happened until they both transferred from Stamford to Scranton.
Because Karen was a threat to Jim and Pam's future, fans loathed Karen. The Office was known to have the perfect cast and an outsider could have ruined that dynamic. In Karen's defense, she loved Jim and had no idea about his past with Pam. "[Karen] didn’t just move for Jim, she moved for the job. She was mature, motivated, and honest. She got a raw deal," tproser told Reddit. Her intentions were pure in that she was there for work and because of her love for Jim.
Plop & Dwight Jr.
Pete and Clark were newly added in season 9. In more ways than one, the two were paralleled to Dwight and Jim's characters. Because they were new to the office and some of the younger employees who shook things up at the Scranton branch, fans weren't the kindest about their addition.
Gringevakleite told Reddit they always felt Pete (aka Plop) and Clark (aka Mini Dwight) were unjustifiably hated. "I thought they were quite funny and certainly the better of the late season additions. No weird quirks or craziness with them, just fairly normal and funny," they wrote. Pete, especially, was welcomed since his relationship with Erin made him and her the new and improved Jim and Pam.
Pam Beasley
Aside from her own personal growth as a character and as a worker, Pam was most known for her relationship timeline with Jim. From season 1 to season 9, Pam went from a shy woman who didn't know what she wanted to an outgoing character who knew what she deserved.
But because of Pam's tendency to quit things easily or do things without thinking them through, Pam got some hate online. However, GluttenForGreenTea didn't think Pam deserved all the backlash. "Pam. Pam by FAR gets the most undeserved hate. Every community I join devolves into basic-ass, misogynistic, boring Pam Hate," they told Reddit. In reality, Pam genuinely cared about everyone in the office.
DeAngelo Vickers
When Michael Scott chose love over work, he moved on from Dunder Mifflin and hired a new branch manager: DeAngelo Vickers. In a lot of ways, DeAngelo was similar to Michael, especially in his upbeat personality and quirky managing strategies. However, he didn't last long and his character was ripped apart by fans.
Kolob_heir protected DeAngelo's character, writing, "DeAngelo was actually a fun addition, but you were just so hung up on your ex-boss, you couldn’t let him into your heart." DeAngelo was actually a good manager and he received hate because he had large shoes to fill.
Gabe Lewis
Gabe Lewis joined the series in season 6 as the coordinating director between Dunder Mifflin and Sabre as the two companies merged. Gabe was incredibly awkward and dry but he meant well. All he wanted was to fit in with the already tight-knit office.
Because of his awkward personality (and his strange relationship with Erin), Gabe got a lot of hate from viewers on Reddit. King24Donnie defended Gabe's character: "I don't think he gets a lot of hate, but I don't think he gets enough credit or attention. One of the best additions to the show and kept much of the last couple of seasons afloat. In my opinion, a lot of the comedy towards the end was thanks to him."
Nellie Bertram
Nellie Bertram somehow became one of Scranton's more competent managers after taking Andy Bernard's place. When Andy didn't show up to work for a few days because he was in Florida trying to bring Erin back to Scranton, Nellie made a mark on the office when she refused to leave Andy's chair and called herself the new manager. Her confidence was so contagious that Robert California fell for it.
Because she was outgoing, determined, and didn't care about making friends (at first), Nellie was quite hated by Office fans. DunderMifflin360 felt bad for Nellie, however. "Nellie. Goodness, there’s a lot to hate, but deep down she’s a lonely woman who deep down just wants to put love into the world (wants a baby, helps Pam, feels bad for taking Andy’s manhood)."
Toby Flenderson
Toby was one of the most hated characters on The Office because of Michael Scott's immense distaste for him. There are countless memes about Michael Scott centered around his hate for Toby. However, Toby never did anything that warranted the hate he received.
ApprehensiveAbroad99 told Reddit that Toby was a "normal" guy who didn't deserve the backlash. "Toby is just a normal boring guy. Also, people say his crush on Pam is cringe? I think he's just a lonely guy that's attracted to someone. You know what's cringe? Kissing a woman when you know she's in a relationship. (Looking at you Jim)," they wrote.
Charles Miner
Charles Miner didn't last long on The Office, and that was because Michael Scott did everything he could to run him out of Scranton.
Seeing how much turnover and financial strain Dunder Mifflin had, Charles stayed at the Scranton branch to keep an eye on things. Fans instantly viewed him as a threat because of his serious nature. Workers like Michael hated Charles and workers like Jim were intimidated by him. But did he deserve the heat? Tahtahme defended Charles. "David Wallace literally hired him to whip the branch into shape, he comes in and accurately notices Jim and Michael treat their jobs as a joke. Michael gets angry, goes to David Wallace, and realizes it's all David's fault and David did this, so he quits." In short, Charles was hated just for doing his job.
Robert California
After Michael Scott's exit and DeAngelo's hospital visit, Robert California was the next Scranton manager that lasted the longest. Robert was a unique individual who didn't seem to understand the paper industry but did know how to get what he wanted.
As hilariously strange as Robert was, his personality wasn't loved online. Ammcf88 felt that he always got too much hate from the fandom. They wrote, "Robert California is amazing and has some of the best lines in the show. I don’t get stopping the show when Michael leaves. It’s like you don’t understand TV at all." He did have some of the best one-liners and brought the workers together with his oddity.