During the early evening of May 8, I took a trip to Toyota Oakdale Theater for something that I feel was such a treat to catch a glimpse of, especially over 10 years after the air of the last episode: a live screening and panel with the one and only Rainn Wilson, “Dwight Shrute,” from my personal all-time desert island show (EP. 4 S2, IYKYK): “The Office.”

I would consider myself a much later enjoyer than most of the show, and really got into it my senior year of high school, not just for Jim and Pam (duh) but alongside its genius, hysterically awkward writing, there are so many truly timeless themes conveyed that everyone can benefit from no matter where you’re at or who you are, like why you should take ambition in your own life and stop making your own excuses to not do what you really want, or being patient will sometimes benefit you the most in the end.

Further, the opportunity to write for the station and see THE “recyclops” in person was such a privilege and one I will remember for ages as a superfan of “The Office.” Unfortunately, I was not able to obtain a photo pass, so everything featured was taken from my iPhone, but I had amazing seats (and a pretty good pretzel) so that added some extra points.

The event began with a screening of the aired version of season 4 episode 3: “Dunder Mifflin Infinity Part 1.” The added live reactions to the episode from fans felt like an experience adjacent to being an audience member in a live sitcom episode; it was both
more enjoyable and otherworldly to realize how large and loyal the community really is for this show, especially during its revival after quarantine, directly addressed by Rainn himself at this event later during his moderated panel with questions texted in by the
audience before the show.

This particular episode of “The Office,” unfortunately not one of the extended versions which I adore wasting my free time watching on Peacock over and over again, happens to include Andy trying to court Angela by serenading her with the help of his college Acapella group to ABBA’s “Take a Chance on Me.” This iconic scene was so incredible to watch with a live audience, almost more exciting than the panel, to see how many people this scene brought joy to who started singing along, or quoting the lines, or giggling, or just enjoying themselves, all brought together by a passion for this show. That is why I love cinema so much, when you can shoot it just right, and bring so many people together over your creative work. I can’t imagine how rewarding that feels as a media producer for WQAQ and an aspiring filmmaker.

Rainn’s actual panel was interesting, and felt rather short, less than an hour using pre-selected questions drawn from the pool of texted-in responses. Some of the questions were semi-relevant, but mostly about different works that Wilson had featured in and not anything regarding a reunion of the show. Sorry guys, no new info there to spill. One student in the audience asked, “What’s the difference between a federalist and a Democratic republican? I have exams this week.”

There was some fun crowd work, especially after this question was read and a history teacher was called from the audience to the mic to answer the question, and when Wilson was prompted with the question of Star Wars or Star Trek, Star Trek prevailed, and with a humorously passionate response I could only wish to recreate.

The really interesting bit for the night was the Dwight Lookalike Contest held to break up the panel a bit. The winner was a child I didn’t catch the name of and was not fully shared, but absolutely deserved the signed Dwight Shrute Funko Pop, picture below, the boy was fully suited in work attire, gelled hair, glasses, and beets in hand. Photos were taken of all of the best voted costumes by the audience. It was a fun little way to bond with the fans there.

Some were more creative than others, with a “Recyclops” present, a Dwight from the “Fun Run” episode, Dwight’s Niagara party wolf attire, and another boy with a real purple karate belt. Again, a super cool reminder of how media can bring so many different kinds and types of people together, and to spend their own time doing all sorts of strange things, like dressing up like Dwight Shrute.

Overall, the panel felt like it had flown by, I had a great time and learned so much about the show and had so much to take away from the event as a very thorough fan. I hope I get the chance to maybe meet more cast members, especially John Krasinski or Steve Carell, to learn from their success and keep enjoying the love this show brings!