Death and Dying in NBC's "The Office" | eFuneral

NBC?s critically acclaimed ?The Office? touches on death, dying, and loss in several episodes.

The antics in ?The Office? officially began across the pond in the UK with Ricky Gervais playing the role of David Brent, the benevolent dictator of Wernham Hogg, a mid-sized paper company. ?Later, Steve Carell, Ed Helms, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, Rainn Wilson, and several others made the U.S. version ultra-popular in the United States. ?In fact, the mockumentary-style television show and it?s view of a Scranton, PA-based paper company, Dunder Mifflin, and it?s cast of?characters?will soon be wrapping up it?s 9th and final season. ?While many are already guessing the outcome of the series finale, don?t let it surprise you if death is involved. ?As it stands, The Office has dealt with quite a few issues regarding death and dying within it?s 9 seasons.

Here are three episodes where death was a central theme (along with some real-life takeaways):

1. ?Episode 32: Grief Counseling

In this?episode? Michael Scott (played by Carell) is informed that his former boss and mentor has died. ?While most of the employees at Dunder Mifflin are unmoved, Michael Scott is clearly shaken. ?He goes on to hold an impromptu grief counseling session where staff members relate death that they?ve experienced in their life to scenes in movies. ?Later, Michael?s nemesis (and Dunder Mifflin?s HR Manager), Toby Flenderson, tries to console Michael by explaining that death is simply a part of life.

The Takeaway: ?While Michael Scott?s attempt to grieve a former boss led to some classic Office scenes, the reality is that workplace grief is real. According to the Grief Recovery Institute?s Grief Index, over $75 Billion is spent by employers each year on workplace related grief costs.

2. ?Episodes 117 + 118: ?The Delivery

These episodes were actually a part of a larger one-hour special that centered around the birth of Jim Halpert and Pam Beesly, two Office employees who went through a long, excruciating courtship ? and later, ultimately married. ?Later in the episode, however, we see a newspaper with the headline, ?The Scranton Strangler Strikes Again.? ?This was the first of several times throughout other episodes where George Howard Skub, otherwise known as ?The Scranton Strangler?, is referenced. ?In other episodes, Dwight Schrute dresses as the Strangler for Halloween ? and Toby is even called to serve as a juror in the Strangler?s high profile trial. ?The last time we met the Strangler, he nearly strangled Toby to death when he received an unexpected prison visit.

The Takeaway: ?While ?The Scranton Strangler? is a?fictitious?character, the reality is that many communities throughout the world have to deal with their own version of ?The Scranton Strangler.? ?Most people struggle to understand why tragedies so extreme as murder happen within their community, and the grief that the greater community has to deal with is very real.

3. ?Episode 193: ?The Farm

In this episode, Dwight is informed that his Aunt Shirley has died. ?Dwight?s family (and co-worker, Oscar Martinez) gather for the funeral services of Aunt Shirley. ?Later, Dwight?s family discusses Aunt Shirley?s estate and learns that she has left her farm to the family. ?After much discussion and contemplation, Dwight declares that he wishes to run his Aunt Shirley?s farm, and it appears that his brother and sister will join him.

The Takeaway: ?While it?s important to carefully create a will ? it?s also important to discuss end of life wishes with your loved ones. ?In this case, it was a complete surprise to Dwight and his siblings that the farm would be left to them. ?Determining if and how they would run the farm led to some confusion and some frustration. ?By discussing end of life wishes with loved ones, some of this confusion and frustration can be avoided.

Mike Belsito is an Internet entrepreneur from Cleveland, Ohio with a background in product innovation, ideation, and startup business development. Mike is the Co-Founder of Cleveland-based eFuneral, a comprehensive and free online resource that enables those thinking about end-of-life to research, plan, and arrange a wide variety of funeral-related services. He also serves as an entrepreneur-in-residence for the City of Lakewood, Ohio ? a 50,000+ residential community located in Northeast Ohio.

Source: http://efuneral.com/death-and-dying-in-nbcs-the-office/

lsu football lsu football Jessie Andrews bloomberg bloomberg Daily Caller Staten Island