Remembering michael scott from 'the office'

On Thursday night, after seven seasons of inappropriate-for-the-workplace jokes and countless sales calls, Michael Scott (and the actor who played him, Steve Carell) left _The Office_. And,

among TV commentators, the clueless but caring boss's departure was a big, sentimental deal. Here, critics reflect on Michael Scott's passing: HE'D COME A LONG WAY AS A

CHARACTER: "When _The Office_ began, it would have been hard to imagine that it would become a story of personal growth," says James Poniewozik in _TIME_. But, over seven seasons,

Michael evolved dramatically as a character. "The show was really about Michael's search for family: Even more than he wanted to be a comedian or a movie director, Michael wanted

to be a husband and a dad, but he had to go a long way to be ready for it." "_The Office_ watch: Leaving on a jet plane" SUBSCRIBE TO THE WEEK Escape your echo chamber. Get

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inbox. AND HE BROKE NEW GROUND: "Over the history of American sitcoms, there are few precedents for the kind of smart but obtuse, aggressive but sentimental, trying-to-be-hip but

succeeding at being lovable employer that Carell's Scott became," says Ken Tucker in _Entertainment Weekly_. At first, as with the original Scott, played in the British version by

Ricky Gervais, audiences were inclined to regard the character skeptically. "But ultimately, _The Office_ earned the affection it wanted us to feel for Michael," something that

would have been "unthinkable" with Gervais in the role. "_The Office_ and the final importance of Michael Scott" HE WAS A GREAT BOSS: The show's fervent

college-student fans may never toil away in one job, with the same boss and co-workers for years, says Hank Stuever in _The Washington Post_. "For them, _The Office_ is the closest

literal and metaphorical way to learn the common rhetoric of mundane, white-collar work." The show isn't just funny, it's also "a salve to so much hurt in the actual

workplace." In that sense, "Michael Scott really was the best boss we'll ever have." TV review: Carell cleans out his _Office_" A free daily email with the biggest

news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com AND UNIQUELY AMERICAN: Michael Scott was an immature man-child and in that way, he is "the quintessential

American," says Bill Wyman in _Slate_. When the show began, George W. Bush — "Michael Scott writ large" — was president. Both men are just-smart-enough-fools who somehow ended

up in charge. "This week, as Carrell leaves the role he has filled so indelibly for the past seven years, we are still coping with the effects of our own Michael Scott's

reign" and an administration that was as poorly run as Dunder Mifflin. "Steve Carell's achievement"