So, in the past few episode threads and in this blog I read yesterday, people have been making the comment that Michael has gone too far over the top in recent epis (Ben Franklin, Phyllis' Wedding) for their tastes. I just wanted to gague what people in our little environment of welcoming thought, so vote and discuss away!

I mainly justify it by the fact that michael is an attention *****. I think that most of the stuff he is doing is for the camera. He knows it's there and he plays it up for the camera. It is a little bit of a disinhibitor. He knows that it will play well on camera, so he is willing to go too far.

I think the writers need to tone him down, but not too much. The cringe-worthy moments are just a tad too cringe-worthy in the recent episodes. Personally, I like cringing though. Just my take on things.

Ehh..sort of. I think its because we saw 2 episodes before hand that made Michael seem like such a normal person. Now he's come back to his old ways. I didn't think he was too overboard at the wedding except when he dragged the wheelchair down the isle. I thought him announcing the new couple before the vows were over and his toast were not that unlikely- but the wheelchair thing- yeah. I liked him playing on the little elevator thing in the 3rd deleted scene better. That seemed more like Michael to me.

Michael's behavior in PW was almost too painful to watch. While watching, I thought he was done after banging the wheelchair down the aisle, then he came back with his speech... and then again and again... I was cringing when he approached Phyllis on their way out! It looks like this next episode should be a little closer to the old Michael we all know and love.... I hope.

I also think they should tone Michael down, just a tad. Not too much, though. I like that he is a little off-beat, but Phyllis's Wedding might have been just too much and kind of unbelievable. I don't want to believe that Michael is that much of a bafoon. I actually thought he was just right in Ben Franklin. Though, I think I also like how he vary's from episode to episode. I think it kind of reflects his mood. And I certainly see Michael as a moody person.

I chose the first poll option. I've already mentioned this in two other threads, but I found absolutely nothing funny about the way he acted at the wedding. My husband left the room in the first few minutes because he was so annoyed by it. I talked to my mom, who is a recent convert to the show (after watching season 1&2 on DVD) but already a die-hard fan, and she said that she really has no desire to continue watching anymore. Michael no longer seems believable or relatable. If the writers continue to take his character that over the top, I really think they are going to continue to lose viewers.

Hi muffy! Thanks for taking the time to post - sending you happy vibes.

I like when Michael is cluelessly arrogant (like Diversity Day or the Secret), but not slapstick - dragging the wheelchair down the aisle was slapstick and a little contrived. His excitement about pushing the wheelchair and disappointment with not getting to finish the walk were hilarious. Those jokes were kinda ruined by dragging the wheelchair, the long joke about trying to get in line with the groomsmen and then prematurely introducing the couple. Sometimes I feel like the writers feel pressured to come up with cringeworthy Michael moments every week, and the moments become contrived and weird.

I like Capable Mike, with a dash of Inept Mike. In hindsight, this blend was captured brilliantly in "Travelling Salesmen" and "The Return". Michael is the boss, while occasionally buffoonish, still has to command respect at times as well. So someone else has to be the over-the-top one-dimensional gag.

Translation: Bring back Andy Bernard and restore Michael to normalcy!

There is no doubt that Michael was in rare form (even for him) at Phyllis' wedding, but I have to believe it was due to the fact that the wedding triggered some really traumatic feelings from his childhood. I know that that is ultimately no excuse, but still, for whatever my reasons, I sympathize with him. In the end, I just feel really, really sorry for the guy.

They need to tone it down just a little bit. I love the ignorant, insensitive, awkward Michael but the last few weeks have been a little over the top.




Perfect way to describe it IMO. There's a thin line between "guy you love to laugh AT" and "guy who is so annoying you wish he would just leave", and Michael has been that guy at times the last couple weeks.

I can appreciate everything you are saying here Tim_Halpert. I like seeing Michael as 'Capable Mike' too! I'm hoping it was the wedding, not just theatrical writing, that sent him overboard and I'm also hoping that we get our regular Michael back soon!

Clueless Michael is one of my favorites, but I can't discount that some of his funniest moments are kind of slap-stick too. The Injury has a lot of slap-stickiness ( ) to it, and it's one of the most widely loved episodes. I thought the wheelchair bit was funny. I mean c'mon! He was trying to walk down the aisle with a wheelchair and he kept the "wedding march" footsteps going while doing it. To me, that was clueless Michael. He didn't know what to do, so he just kept doing what he thought you were supposed to do!

Him talking to Phyllis about her wedding night was the most cringing I did. His speech was just too long, so I lost interest and it became weak. But I agree, if there aren't any believeable "cringe" moments, they should just keep them out. Even people like Michael have "normal" days.

Did we ever find out who ripped one (hehehe)? Or was it Phyllis' perfume?

I am related to a "Michael Scott" and I fear we haven't even begun to scratch the surface of what he's capable of. I find him entirely believable.

90% of the time he is not too over the top but in PW he was way over the top.

So I think they need to tone it down a tiny bit

Yes, this was my least favorite moment. I actually skipped it when I watched the episode again. So sad...

VERYgood, I think there is therapy needed....

I would really welcome an opportunity to see the more rational and sensitive Michael for this week. I do think he went way too far at Phyllis' wedding.

I voted for the final option - David Brent still has him beat hands' down.

Michael hasn't done anything that seems out of the realm of possible yet (but that could be because I've been permanently scarred by working for a whack-job who makes Michael look as tame as tapioca). He makes me cringe, but I love every minute of it. And who else can I watch so closely, and still feel really sane in comparison?

Over the weekend, to quell my depression over the most recent episode, I watched a couple of the BBC Office episodes, and Michael is still adorable and cuddly compared to his British predecessor.

Oh, mylanta, therapy won't even begin to cover it!

Michael has begun to become more and more obnoxious since the first episode. I agree that the writers should tone his character down, but this conversation is bound to come up again. Michael is supposed to be over the top and crazy that's why we watch him, to see the next crazy thing he is going to do. As for people saying that moments with him are becoming hard to watch, then the writers are doing a great job. I always thought that part of the humor is the awkward and uncomfortable moments.

i think they need to show him being a little vulnerable again. But this is actually kinda normal. We'll have a couple more episodes with him being an idiot, then they'll show his sensitive side. Yeah...he was a little more over the top in PW than usual, but it was funny, and it was kinda sad at the end when he was sitting outside alone and singing along really quietly.

The original question is if this has become a problem lately. I love Michael (most of the time), even though from the first season every now and then he does some things that I consider to be unrealistic, even for his character. I don't even see the wedding as a good example of this, so...it's just the way the michael character is written, guys. He's occasionally slapstick, and I'm not a fan of slapstick, but it goes with the territory. It's consistent with the man who gave a used coffee machine as an award, who had to get chained outside on the booze cruise, and who thought that the I.T. tech guy was a terrorist.

Michael is too over-the-top, lately, but the writers shouldn't tinker too much.

I mean, Frank Burns was super-duper-cringe-inducing many times, but, in retrospect, I'd not have had it any other way.

My mom refuses to watch The Office because of how awful Michael is. She doesn't find it funny. She says it depresses her.

Michael can redeem himself in my eyes if he can give Jim the kind of advice he did at the end of "Booze Cruise" again.

I voted to tone him down, the way you tone down brassy hair

I am trying to keep things in perspective and voted for "not as bad as David Brent."

My favorite Michael moments are when he's spouting misqotes, malapropisms, and his own special brand of Michael Scott wisdom.

I also like his well-intended yet poorly executed attempts at organizational development activities (Diversity Day, Grief Counseling, the impromptu meeting in The Injury).

I might be able to tolerate the worst of the cringe-worthy moments better if they hadn't gone and given him a sympathetic side.

But all in all, he COULD be worse...

He seemed like attention hog Michael to me. As someone stated earlier, I don't think we've scratched the surface of what Michael (and my neighbor) are capable of. I agree that he was over the top at the wedding but I don't think the writers were.

The thing I don't understand is how come someone didn't come out of the pew and release the brake on the wheelchair? Do his co-workers like to see him make an arse of himself???

Poor you! I hope your neighbor doesn't insinuate himself into your wedding or the wedding of any of your family members...

I think Michael was just right for Phyllis's Wedding! Remember that in times of stress or VIP events- Michael just gets progressively worse. The more camera time and attention he gets from people as a whole, the worse he gets. (Same for me. Sometimes I can be a bit of a Michael.) Michael's behavior was very fitting for an event such as PW. My father and I covered our eyes several times throughout the episode, but noted the lack of surprised looks in the congregation. After forcing my fiance' to watch the episode, I really appreciated the humor.

Although I would have like Bob Vance, Vance Refridgeration to have punched Michael's lights out and Michael to have peed himself again.

Hey, a girl can dream...

^^^ I agree

I think his behavior was appropriate in PW (appropriate for Michael, that is). He always makes an @ss of himself when he's trying to impress large crowds of people. Remember Dwight's Speech? He's toned down a bit when he's in the office because of who he's around. I don't think he's changed any as far as his character goes, it's just that we've seen Michael in different environments lately. Speaking of that - I can't believe the title of the next episode. I think next episode will be just as awkward and embarrassing as PW was. What is Ryan thinking? Anyway, I believe that Michael will simmer down once he's back in the office and be the normal (yeah right) Michael again.

There were too many situations in PW where Michael tried to grab the attention and that got really hard to watch. Inserting himself in pictures, shouting out during the vows, saying "It's an even bigger day for me," etc. Geez Louise, who doesn't know how to behave at a wedding!! It was just too hard to believe. He's becoming a caricature of himself. I enjoy Michael much more when he's just innocently stupid and boorish. I definitely think he needs to be toned down a bit, and whoever it was that said we need to bring Andy back, I think you're right. Andy reminds us that Michael isn't so bad.

As several before have mentioned, the believable cringeworthy Michael moments are good. I think the wheelchair dragging was a bit childish and a bit over the top, even for Michael. I voted he should be toned down a little bit.

I found Michael's behavior consistent with what we know about him. He had a big new audience it was his job to entertain, being Employer of the Bride after all. The poor man was vomiting he was so nervous. I'm just glad he didn't pee himself.

And what was he supposed to do with the wheel chair, abandon it halfway down the aisle? Albert was going to need it after the ceremony, so it belonged down front. Michael is an idea man, we can't expect him to know about things like wheelchair brakes. He got poor support from his Number Two on that one.

I think Michael's actions depend very much on the writer of the episode and the circumstances he finds himself in. Lately he reminded me more of who he was in the pilot, and I thought him more mean than funny. Some of the writers really have the gift of making him stupid, yet endearing and almost likeable.

Also, I think if Jan had been at Phyllis' wedding as his date, he would have felt more secure and would have been less apt to be thrown out. Jan is a good influence on him.

I'm finding his behavior more unrealistic as the series progresses. I hope they do tone him down, he's almost like a charicature.

I say TONE HIM DOWN!! He was unbelievably obnoxious at Phyllis' wedding. No one could be that annoying and I know a few really annoying people.
I want this show to be believable and right now it is just missing the mark.

I don't expect Michael to turn into "Mr. Rogers", but for me, personally, I need to see an occasional glimpse of humanity. I know he's capable. We've seen it before.

I see no reason why they should medicate Michael.
If they do, we will find him instantly boring.


TIP: When he starts to spin out of control, simply squint your eyes and turn down the volume.

Thanks for the blog link, Officionada. Two thoughts:

1) The first fifteen minutes of PW was almost too obnoxious for me to watch. The last seven minutes were outstanding.
2) It was interesting for the blogger to point out that the show (in the writer's opinion) is evolving into half-Michael, half-the-rest-of-the-crew. I was afraid of it evolving into too much JAM and too little everyone else. It's a relief to see that someone sees it very differently from me.

Lately Michael has been portrayed as completely incompetent and insensitive.

Right now everybody thinks he is a knuckle head….it's getting monotonous. If Michael were to redeem himself by making a great sale to save the company, he would regain some bit of respect from his employees and the main office.

It would be great to see the employees' conflict of knowing that he is a screw up and yet he is able to keep the company going.

It is always fun to see character do something completely unexpected.
Let’s hope it doesn’t disappear like Arrested Development.

it's really annoying.

d'oh! I didn't even think about the wheelchair brakes! That's why he was sorta dragging it ... in my mind, he was walking it down the aisle for affect.

"We need a sensitive and insightful Michael scene real soon, or else!"

I also thought he was a bit over the top in PW (although not so much as in the Convict IMO). But I do like Michael being cringe-worthy...I don't like one-dimensional characters though, so I think they need to show a different side of Michael soon to restore balance.

Michael is such a dumb butt sometimes. Last night when he went with Ryan I about crawled under the chair myself. I told my husband that I was not sure I could watch the show anymore, I get so embarrassed. I know I will still watch but it is crazy how a show can embarrass me so much and I'm not even there!!!!
But he was great when he went to see Pam's art. He was so genuine with his comments. He really made Pam happy and he did not even know it.
She needed that.

That cringeworthiness in Michael added to his good side is what makes this show so awesome. I can't tell you how many times I watch the show with my hands over my eyes and peeking out.

I think Ryan is the one who should be embarrassed - what he did was mean and cruel...he invited Michael there to speak and proceeded to rip him and Dunfer Mifflin apart. He knew Michael would do something off the wall (when doesn't he ???). He wanted a grade bump and he also wanted to make it clear to his class that he was too good for DM and he thought Michael was a joke.

I LOVED it when Michael said "Ryan has yet to make a sale, AND he started a fire..." Cracked me up and it was TRUE. And then he gave him the ulitmate punishment by making him sit by Kelly !!! Loved it -Ryan is a little snobby pip-sqeak who needs to be taken down a few pegs !!

Ryan needs to find a new job if he doesn't like DM. He is a snob. He really should not have set Michael up like that. He is just a whimp. He doesn't even like Kelly, so DUMP her.
It was great how he made him sit next to her!!! Like Michael said a good manager doesn't fire someone he teaches them.
The show wouldn't be as great if Michael wasn't so out there. Steve is a great actor!!!

I used to like Ryan but I am slowly turning on him...I really think what he did was one of the meanest things I have seen on the show...Michael does mean things, but I really don't think he realizes it - he is just so clueless and crazy. well, I take that back - he is pretty mean to Toby, but I still don't think he has done anything that mean to him. Ryan is a little punk - I wish Kelly would dump his a$$ - wouldn't that be a shocker to his ego ??