Alongside Community and Curb Your Enthusiasm, the American version of The Office is shown to mainly use cringe comedy to draw out laughs. However, while The Office writers (which included the likes of Michael Schur and Mindy Kaling) certainly wrote some great dialogue and subplots, there were a few scenes where the cringe comedy failed to impress the audience.
This particularly proved to be the case with some fans on Reddit, who spoke about how they would fast forward past some scenes or would completely skip the episode because they were too uncomfortable to watch. Although they insist they still loved the show, there's no doubt that the episodes could have been a little better if they had just altered or changed some of these scenes.
Erin's Discovery Of Angela And Andy's Relationship
While the build-up to Andy and Erin's romance was one of the most intriguing parts of their relationship, many fans thought that it went downhill after "Secretary's Day" (which was the episode Erin found out that Andy had previously been engaged to Angela and freaked out).
For Reddit user slashbackblazers, they thought that it was "a weird and huge overreaction" as the two had only been dating for a couple of weeks. While it's true that it would have been better if Erin heard it from Andy first, many fans would probably side with Andy here since he took a while to start dating again after Angela cheated and broke his heart, so it's likely he kept it a secret to protect himself. It just didn't settle right with fans that they ended up breaking up instead of talking through the issue since it was clear to all Office fans that he and Angela were incompatible.
Michael Proposing To Carol
Throughout the seven seasons, Michael was seen to have many love interests. While he did end up having an epic romance with Holly, there was one other relationship that had the potential to work too (and that was with Carol). Sadly, they split for good when Michael decided to rush their relationship and proposed to her ("Diwali").
For Reddit user DeadSharkEyes, they admitted that they "have to change the channel when Michael proposes at the Diwali celebration" as he does it publically in front of their friends and Kelly's family. Not only is it awkward because Carol rejects his proposal, but when she tells him that she's going, he tries to reconcile by making a pass at her. It's just made for uncomfortable viewing all around.
Andy Breaking Up With Jessica
Although fans weren't particularly invested in Andy's relationship with Jessica, there were some on Reddit who weren't completely happy with how they broke up. This certainly proved to be the case for Reddit user, thesefallentrees, who felt that the scene was "so long and uncomfortable" - especially since Andy had broken up with Jessica in front of her friends and revealed that he was leaving her for Erin (who he had also brought along).
Considering that Andy had been a kind and compassionate character, this did feel out-of-character for him to do this as it was quite cruel and humiliating. From what the audience had learned of Jessica, she seemed like a kind and genuine person so it's not at all shocking that some fans felt uncomfortable and awful afterward. She deserved a lot better than Andy.
Pam And Jim Cornering Danny During The Halloween Episode
While Jim and Pam were two of the most likable characters in The Office's, that doesn't mean that they didn't have any unpleasant scenes. For Reddit user, ScorpLeo102, they hated the scene where "Jim and Pam forced Danny Cordray to explain why he didn't call her for a third date" since he "obviously didn't feel a connection" ("Costume Contest").
Many fans will agree that this user has a point as Jim and Pam wouldn't leave the poor salesman alone - even after he said he didn't want to since it would create drama. Not only did it make the viewers feel uneasy but it also didn't make particular sense as to why it bothered the pair so much since Pam and Jim were meant to be happily married to one another. It was easily something they could have let go of.
Stanley Talking Back To Michael
While Michael was well aware that some of the office workers didn't respect him, one thing that he couldn't tolerate was if they undermined his management skills in front of their other colleagues as it often led to a tense atmosphere.
As Reddit user, Classic_Pineapple489, pointed out, there were plenty of these scenes. However, the one that stood out the most was "when Stanley yelled at Michael 'Did I stutter?'" as the silence afterward was unbearable ("Did I Stutter?"). Considering that Stanley was one of the quieter characters who often took Michael's schemes with a pinch of salt, it did take everyone aback to hear him snap. Even the other workers were on tenterhooks as they waited for Michael to confront Stanley.
Phyllis Attempts To Recruit A Celeb For The Local Ad
Phyllis might not have had the most interesting storylines in comparison to the other characters, but the ones she did have were often filled with cringey moments too. For Reddit user hamilian000, they believed "the hardest scene to rewatch has always been Phyllis crying about embarrassing herself in front of her friends and Sue Grafton" and Michael just didn't care ("Local Ad").
This all came about after Michael tasked her with recruiting Sue Grafton for the advert they were trying to create. However, when Phyllis failed to do so, she stuck around the store because she didn't want to disappoint Michael. It certainly broke the fans' hearts because Michael didn't even deserve it since he had always mocked or insulted Phyllis. He had never even shown her an ounce of gratitude for all her hard work either. She deserved so much more.
Dwight And Erin Try To Make Andy Jealous
Since this was the first season without Steve Carell at the helm, it isn't that surprising that The Office fans rated season 8 to be the weakest on IMDb. The storylines were a lot weaker, the gags didn't land as well, and the cringe comedy wasn't as effective as it had been. In fact, there were a few moments that fans wished they could forget.
For Reddit users, 4Ever2Thee and PallSerpent, they found "Erin/Dwight making Andy jealous thing" hard to watch, especially the scene in "Pool Party" where they rubbed chips across each other's faces (which they call "next level gross"). Considering that Dwight and Erin were trying to convince everyone they could be a great couple together, the way they were flirting did feel rather exaggerated and over-the-top. It might have worked better if they had done it subtly.
Jan Reads Michael's Diary Her Deposition
There were many problematic elements to Michael and Jan's relationship, but one scene that made fans extremely uncomfortable, especially for Reddit user, JohnGibonny, was when Jan stole Michael's diary for her deposition ("The Deposition"). For u/JohnGibonny, they hated how Jan abused the regional manager's trust as "poor Michael thought his diary was private."
This was one of the most awkward scenes as the viewers could see Michael struggle with his loyalty to Jan and the company. However, what made the scene even more heartbreaking was seeing Michael realizing that Jan didn't care if his feelings were hurt or that she was crossing a boundary. She only cared about herself, so it's not surprising that fans believe Jan was Michael's worst love interest on The Office.
Michael's Behavior At Phyllis' Wedding
Over the 142 episodes that he appeared in, Michael had made quite a few scenes. However, one that many fans on Reddit found completely unbearable, even more so than "Scott's Tots," was the way he behaved at Phyllis and Bob's wedding. For Reddit user, tdt0005, they believed Michael "announcing them as Mr. and Mrs. Bob Vance would have been cringe-worthy on its own, but doing it prematurely was 10x as bad."
They also believe him "trying to be part of the wedding cake feeding" was just as bad as it showed that he had "even less self-awareness." As much as fans love Michael, this was one quality of his they completely hated as he always had to be the center of attention or involved in some way. It just proved to be extremely frustrating that Michael couldn't let someone else have something without making it about him.