Ed Helms initially joined the cast of NBC's hit series The Office in the third season as Andy Bernard, who worked at the Stamford branch before moving to Scranton's Dunder Mifflin, and after a brief issue with anger management that required some time away, Andy returned and quickly made a name for himself with his coworkers.
However, as viewers and his coworkers began to learn more about Andy as he became a member of Dunder Mifflin's unique family, there were a number of sad details about his life that began to paint a bigger picture of Andy Bernard, his family, and just why he is the way that he is.
He Was Terrible At His Job
One thing that became abundantly clear about Andy as he moved through the various stages of his career on The Office was that he wasn't very good at his job, or really any job that he took on over six seasons with the series.
He was one of the worst salesmen at Dunder Mifflin who was constantly trying to move up in the company to avoid competing with Andy or Dwight, and when he was finally appointed as the Regional Manager, he failed to meet company quotas and abandoned the office for months while on a yachting trip, highlighting some of the consequences of his privileged upbringing.
Called Himself The Nard Dog
While Andy suffered from a few sad and sometimes hilarious moments that included chaffed nipples and his noted struggles with his anger, it was his chosen nicknames that really highlighted how sad Andy's life was sometimes.
While he earned his college nicknames like "Puke" and "Boner Champ," Andy gave himself the "Nard Dog" moniker and tried to force its use on almost everyone he met, much to the chagrin of his office coworkers. He ended the series with the earned nickname of "Baby Wawa" following his pathetic display on a reality competition in the "Finale" episode.
His Relationship With His Father
Andy's relationship with his parents was explored primarily in the eighth season episode "The Garden Party" which introduced Walter (Stephen Collins) and Ellen (Dee Wallace) Bernard as they attended a fancy garden party hosted at Schrute Farms.
It was clear early in the episode that Andy had a troubled relationship with his father, which was furthered after they sang a disastrous duet that resulted in a heart-to-heart that further revealed his father's uncaring attitude towards him. Walter's uncaring attitude towards his family grew when he abandoned them and forced Andy to sell off their possessions to take care of his mother.
Desperate For Approval And Success Of Any Kind
It became immediately clear to Andy's coworkers and viewers that he was desperate for approval from his employer, whether that was Michael Scott or Robert California, and eager to find success in order to gain the ultimate approval from his father.
He lied to his father about his position with the company which made it sound like he was the CEO, and his coworkers began to see why he craved approval so much after hearing his father at "The Garden Party." He also craved success in any way, which led him to try his hand at acting and later singing with an unforgettable tryout at America's Next A Cappella Sensation reality show.
Outshined By His Younger Brother
Another sad part of Andy's life that was revealed in "The Garden Party" episode was his relationship with his younger brother Walter Jr., which can be traced immediately back to his name as their father took it from his firstborn who he renamed Andy to then bestow the name upon his youngest.
Walt Jr. was the treasured son of the family who constantly outshined his older brother, though he wasn't without his own issues. When Andy was forced to sell the family sailboat to cover the family's expenses, he found his younger brother at rock bottom hiding on the boat, inspiring their bonding sailing trip that ultimately fixed their relationship.
His Obsession With His Past At Cornell
One of the most memorable details of Andy's history is his education at Cornell University, which he managed to slip into almost any conversation on the series, much to the annoyance of his fellow coworkers at Dunder Mifflin.
While it's obvious that Andy's fond memories of his time at Cornell were due to his rare feeling of success as he found a supportive community for the first time in his life, his obsession with the past kept him from moving on and enjoying the new family he made at Dunder Mifflin. However, his love for Cornell did eventually reward him with a job in the finale, so it paid off.
His Ancestry
The series touches on heavier topics as the conversation turns to discussions about Andy's family and his true ancestry.
During the episode, Andy learns that his family was involved in the slave trade at some point. This highlights Andy's ongoing ignorance about himself and his family and is also an incredibly intense thing to find out about one's ancestors. On a greater scale, it is important to note, this is a tough topic and invokes sadness on a larger level than just a character's backstory, opening up discussions and thoughts about America's relationship with slavery.
An Inability To Maintain A Healthy Relationship
There was quite a bit of dating as a few coworkers found love on The Office like Jim and Pam or Michael and Holly, but Andy Bernard struggled repeatedly to maintain a healthy relationship despite getting involved with a number of different people. Andy first dated and almost married Angela even though she was still in love with Dwight, which resulted in violence between them.
He also found a possible perfect match with Erin Hannon that he constantly devalued and neglected which led to an on-again, off-again relationship. Andy also dated a high school student without apparently realizing her age, had a problematic relationship with a cousin that he discussed with coworkers, and broke up with another perfect match in Jessica for a short-lived return to Erin.
His Pettiness Towards His Coworkers And Exes
Andy is also not known for being gracious, as he has displayed harsh pettiness to both people who have wronged him and his past romantic partners that appeared when he was at his lowest points in the series.
When Nellie attempted to usurp his position as Dunder Mifflin's Regional Manager, he took his grudge out on her by refusing to write a positive recommendation to an adoption agency. He also made new couple Erin and Pete work alongside their exes Gabe and Alice, respectively, so that they could feel as uncomfortable as him, which ultimately was done to make himself feel better.
Had No Life Outside Dunder Mifflin
One of the saddest things about Andy was that he didn't have much of a life outside of his work for Dunder Mifflin, though that wasn't because of his lack of trying as he tried to develop lasting friendships and hobbies outside of the office.
His closest friends from Cornell's "Here Comes Treble" a capella group proved they were anything but, and while he participated in community theater productions and other activities to make friends, it wasn't until he moved on from Dunder Mifflin that he finally realized he had made the friends he was looking for all along.