Oscar Martinez (played by Oscar Nunez) is one of Dunder Mifflin's best accountants. He doesn't have many lines in The Office, but Oscar is one of the very few employees who holds Dunder Mifflin down. Jim and Dwight may handle sales, but characters like Phyllis, Creed, Pam, Kevin, Stanley, and Erin don't offer too much to Dunder Mifflin Scranton's success. Angela is very good at her job, but she makes mistakes and gets too caught up in her own personal dramas. Oscar, on the other hand, is level-headed and sticks to himself. He goes to work, does what he has to do, and heads home at the end of the day.
Oscar did have the spotlight a few times in The Office's nine seasons, and it was in those rare moments when we realized how underrated he really was. Here are 10 points to prove what an attribute Oscar Martinez was to his years of service at Dunder Mifflin.
Smart As Heck
Oscar is most likely the smartest employee at Dunder Mifflin. Dwight may try to prove his point as the smartest in the office, but Oscar doesn't need to prove his point; all he has to do is speak to confirm he's bright.
In the seventh season, we see Oscar's mind in a great light where he questions Michael's antics on China. Disagreeing with Michael's numbers on the population of China and America, Michael schools him with the correct stats and says he knows more than the smartest person in the office, which gives him giddy delight.
He's The Most Professional Worker In The Office
Professionalism might as well be Oscar's middle name. In the fifth episode, Michael, Andy, and Oscar are asked to go on a business trip to Canada. Oscar is invited as a "numbers guy" and pretty much has to babysit Andy and Michael. Oscar is also one of the few characters who has never had an office romance. (Hooking up and falling in love with Angela's husband happened off business grounds, so that doesn't count.) He did have a crush on one of the warehouse workers but soon realized he was a dud and they had nothing in common. This left Oscar using the office specifically what it was made for: work.
He Took Care Of Angela After Taking Her Husband Away
Oscar realized Angela's husband was gay as soon as they met. Robert Lipton gave him one too many signs that he was interested, leaving Oscar in a pickle. Oscar did eventually give in to Robert and the two started an affair. As horrible as that was of Oscar (and Robert) to do to Angela, Oscar felt like he was on thin ice every time he saw her.
Once the cat was out of the bag, Angela felt betrayed by Oscar more than by her husband. They've been friends for years and confided in one another. Over time (once Oscar and Robert were officially done), Oscar helped heal Angela's broken heart by having her and Phillip move in with him.
He Even Became Phillip's Godfather
Although Oscar brought Angela's first family to the ground, he clearly had a deep place in Angela and Dwight's heart because the couple made him the godfather to their son, Phillip. Just seeing Oscar and Phillip bond in the office and at home was enough to see what a good guy Oscar was, and how good of a relationship he had with baby Phillip. Perhaps this was the favor Oscar promised Dwight after Dwight caught him skipping work?
He Was Always Three Steps Ahead Of Michael
In the second season, we find Michael having the ability to go through his employees' email accounts. The employees didn't understand why Michael was acting odder than usual, and that's when Oscar dropped the bombshell. "Hey, what's the deal, Michael. Why are you spying on our computers?"
Michael plays dumb (as per usual) but Oscar continues telling the office that he just got a memo from IT saying he now has email surveillance. Without Oscar's on-the-ball detective work, things could have gotten uglier than they did in Scranton.
Most People Would Have Quit After Michael Outted Them
In the episode "Gay Witch Hunt," Michael finds out from Toby that Oscar is gay. As the HR rep, Toby asks Michael to keep his offensive language out of the office and to treat all members of the office with respect, regardless of gender or status. However, in classic Michael form, he decides to out Oscar to the entire office and prove to Dunder Mifflin that he's totally fine with "gays" by kissing Oscar. Considering how inappropriate, out of line, and embarrassing this was, Oscar got a pretty handsome perk from Dunder Mifflin if he chose to stay with the company and not sue. That's one loyal and dedicated man.
He Gave Us The Most Hilarious Time At The Bachelor Party
In the last season of The Office, Dwight and Angela threw their bachelor and bachelorette parties on the same night. Offended that everyone assumed Oscar would join the girls on their bachelorette party, he sticks with the bachelor party because he is a man.
The problem is that he now has to act "one" with the guys, which was hard for him because he's not really a man who lets his hair down in or outside of the office. However, him acting like a straight man on Dwight's bachelor party was one of the most hilarious moments in his time on the show.
He Was Relatable When He Called Out Sick
In one of the most vulnerable Oscar moments, Dwight and Michael discover that Oscar called out sick on a Friday. The pair immediately think that Oscar is playing hooky from work just to get a three-day weekend. Dwight called him numerous of times to find out his whereabouts and when he stopped responding, Dwight headed to Oscar's house to spy on him.
We can all relate to telling our boss we're sick when we're actually not, but in this episode, we find out Oscar was gay. He was ice skating with his boyfriend, Gil, but all Dwight could focus on was the fact that Oscar wasn't actually sick.
His Hatred For Carpet Was Heard Around Scranton
In the episode "Suit Warehouse," the office is given a new espresso machine. Bored out of their mind with Darryl, Jim, and Pam out of the office, the rest of Dunder Mifflin decides to try as many espresso flavors as they can.
Oscar becomes hyped off espresso and encourages everyone to help him move the copier to the annex. The copier was stuck to the carpet, though, and ripped off a chunk, showing there was hardwood floors underneath. "Hardwood! I always knew it was down there I just never dreamed that I would actually see it," he says while sitting on the ground. Who can't relate to Oscar when realizing they struck gold in an otherwise bland location!?
He Runs For State Senator
Oscar's a smart man. He may have had an infinity for numbers but it was clear he was made for so much more than little old Scranton. In the finale, we see where the gang of the office ended up after the documentary aired. As it turns out, we see Oscar running for state senator! He has his own office and people working for him who support his ideas. While it was great to see so many of our favorite characters moving on to bigger things, seeing Oscar in a fulfilling role after years of being pushed aside was memorable and well-deserved.