Erin may have only been introduced into The Office in season 5, but her happy-go-lucky nature and good-natured obliviousness fit into the workplace so well, it felt like she was one of the OG cast members. Her kind and considerate nature, as well as her enthusiasm to participate in all office events made her an extremely sweet person.
Although the receptionist could be unpredictable at times, she rarely did anything outright malicious to hurt anyone. Her naivete actually made for some hilarious moments, but the genuine care and affection she felt for her office-mates came through often — she sometimes put others' dreams over what she wanted just to make them happy, which made her an extremely lovable character.
When She Consoled Michael About Scott's Tots (S6 Ep12)
In true Michael fashion, he had promised fifteen kids a college education, which he obviously couldn't fulfill while being the Regional Manager at Dunder Mifflin, Scranton. The Office fans are aware of the cringeworthy and chaotic moment that followed when Michael had to turn up at the school and let those kids down, but Erin helped him see the bright side.
She was the only one who spoke to the Principal, learning that most of these kids would have dropped out and not graduated high school, had it not been for Michael's promise which kept them going. Her perspective on the awful situation made Michael feel better about his mistake, and it was very nice of Erin to lift his spirits with logic and affection.
When She Made Andy Feel Better About Whistleblowing (S6 Ep26)
The whole office was pretty annoyed with Andy for telling the media about the Sabre printers catching fire, and they were bent upon making his life miserable for snitching on the company. In fact, they hid his briefcase in the ceiling just to show him how upset they were.
Erin, however, thought that Andy's actions were noble, so she very affably went and let him know how she felt. She let him know that he was brave to go to the press and that it was the right thing to do, which was a great break for Andy to catch as well after a bad day.
When She Met Her Birth Parents (S9 Ep24 & 25)
Erin's search for her birth parents was a big storyline in The Office. However, in the concluding episodes of the show, Erin was finally reunited with them.
The reunion with her mother and father was a tear-jerker, and her mother asked her very hesitantly whether she was angry with her real parents before revealing her identity to her daughter. It was Erin's big heart that allowed her to embrace the two people who had changed the course of her life, so wholeheartedly.
When She Covered For Darryl (S9 Ep14)
One of the most adorable gestures Erin made for Darryl was pulling out all stops to ensure that he could "sneak out" from the office to go to Philadelphia. She broke into spontaneous and very embarrassing dance, made hilarious excuses for his absence, and even spent an excessive amount of money at the carnival to get a bear that she dressed in the warehouse uniform — "Bearyl."
Her dedication to protect her friend was admirable, and Darryl saw her want to "sneaky-sneak" so he let her have fun with her antics, even though he had sanctioned leave days that he would use for his Philly trips.
When She Celebrated Holly Being Single With Michael (S7 Ep13)
Perhaps one of the most iconic scenes on The Office was when Michael popped open a bottle of champagne, and an elated Erin was dancing in the champagne showers. After the whole office checked to see if Holly had gotten engaged, they saw that she wasn't wearing a ring.
Michael then proceeded to run into his office, and Erin chose to break into song and dance to celebrate his renewed chances with Holly as if fans could see she was genuinely pleased to see him so happy. Her involvement in Michael's celebration was one of the most wholesome and sweetest things that have happened in The Office, because of Erin's delightful actions.
When She Supported Kelly's Pop Star Dreams (Webisode)
Kelly was one of the most chaotic characters of the show, which was why most of her coworkers kept a safe distance from her, except for equally chaotic Ryan. So when Kelly wanted a partner for her pop duo, Subtle Sexuality, Erin readily stepped in and helped fulfill her musical dreams.
She let Kelly pick the name, helped her with filming the music video, put up with the cringey drama between Ryan and Kelly, and complimented Kelly endlessly to make her feel confident and like a star. It was immensely good-natured of Erin to do this with her, and she too felt like she belonged.
When She Pretended To Not Be Sick For Andy (S6 Ep19)
Andy and Erin were a couple that had tremendous potential, until Andy decided to stop communicating with Erin, becoming irritable and ignorant of her feelings. Nonetheless, the origin story of the two is really lovely, and one could really see the dedication that Erin had towards making the relationship work.
After many tries, the two had finally set up a date, but Erin felt extremely ill on the day of. Instead of staying home and taking care of herself, she braved through her sickness and attended work that day, so she didn't miss the after-work date that she and Andy had scheduled. Her simple, sweet actions betrayed the excitement and affection that she had for the Nard Dog.
When She Shared A Dad Moment With Michael (S7 Ep8)
It was no secret that Erin and Michael shared a father-daughter bond, even if Michael was in denial about it for a bit. When Erin hosted the Dunder Mifflinites with Gabe so they could get to know him, her main objective was to make Michael like her boyfriend.
Michael told her in clear words that he didn't like Gabe, and there was no reason for Erin to care so much for his opinion since he wasn't her father. When Erin stared at him dejectedly, he put on a show for Erin, using his best dad voice and they had a typical conversation that a dad and daughter would have. It was particularly nice to see that Erin gave Michael the chance to parent which he desperately desired, and he gave her the paternal care she needed too.
When She Protected Andy From Nelly (S8 Ep21)
Erin was protective of her boyfriend, and while this moment wasn't sweet to the others, it was really lovely of Erin to defend Andy, in principle. When Andy and Erin had intimacy issues because Nelly refused to give up Andy's managerial role, she was extremely understanding and told him not to worry about it at all.
However, when Nelly embarrasses Andy, Erin lost her patience, threw a phone and a bunch of papers in Nelly's direction, and told her to go "take a hike." Erin essentially set the stage for Andy to say his part to the office, and proudly proclaimed that Andy was their manager, not Nelly. Erin's actions may have been out of character, but her motive was extremely pure.