The Office (Season 3)

Season 3 is The Office at its absolute finest, and arguably one of the greatest seasons of any comedy ever. It's honestly astonishing just how consistently amazing Season 3 is, stuffed to the brim with great episodes and high points aplenty. The character work and comedy is just excellent.

Unlike Seasons 1 & 2, Season 3 of The Office is far more story-driven. There's the merger between the Scranton and Stamford offices, Jim's new relationship with Karen, Michael's shaky relationship with Jan, Phyllis's wedding, and Andy's rivalry with Dwight. All of these plotlines weave throughout the season, all being resolved in a fairly satisfying manner by the finale. The sheer amount of storylines here allows for a blisteringly fast pace, where it never feels like there's a dull moment.

Season 3 boasts a large amount of new characters, many of whom are a lot of fun to watch. The highlights are Andy and Karen, however. Karen works as a great girlfriend for Jim, and her love triangle with him and Pam is compelling to watch. Andy is also a highlight as well, as his annoying and jerkish personality leads to a lot of funny situations and a great set-up for a character arc. All of the returning characters get a lot of strong moments of character development of their own, pretty much continuing where Season 2 left off. My biggest issue with Season 3 is that it lacks the slice-of-life feel of Season 2, but that's hardly a problem when the episodes are this good.

Speaking of which, as I mentioned before, it's truly impressive how many iconic, well-crafted, and notable episodes this season has, meaning that the usual list is going to be much longer than usual:

Branch Closing/The Merger: These episodes chronicle the titular merger between the Scranton and Stamford offices, and they're a lot of fun to watch. The former episode has a sense of dread as the Scranton office is scared they'll close down, but once the merger occurs, there are a ton of funny and fittingly cringy moments as Michael struggles to impress the new arrivals.

The Conflict: Prison Mike! This episode, directed by none other than Ricky Gervais himself, goes back to the uncomfortable feeling of the first two seasons and is stuffed with cringe comedy that is so awkward you can't help but laugh hysterically.

The Return: Probably my favorite episode of the season, The Return has to like whether it's the titular return of Oscar (who left in the season premiere) or Dwight working at a Staples, but the real highlight is Andy's hysterical mental breakdown that's still one of the funniest moments in the whole show.

Business School: This has always been one of my favorites. The main plotline of the titular school gives Michael a lot of sympathy, and culminates in a very heartwarming and affecting moment as he goes to see Pam's art gallery. The subplot about the bat in the office adds most of the comedy, and is a hilarious nod to the director's origins (Buffy).

The Negotiation: This episode gets off to a big start as Roy tries to attack Jim only for Dwight to save him with the use of pepper spray. The entire rest of this episode deals with the consequences, and explores Jim's relationships with both Pam and Dwight. Thankfully, Michael's funny negotiation storyline does a great job at adding some much needed levity.

Safety Training: It's honestly glorious to see just how much Michael and Dwight get mental health wrong, and their haphazard attempts at pulling a stunt to advocate for it is a lot of fun to watch, at least until the episode gets surprisingly deep and shows just how tragic of a character Michael Scott really is.

Beach Games: This episode could have felt gimmicky and cartoonish, but the titular games are a lot of fun to watch and do a great job of setting up for the finale. Pam speaking up was an especially memorable and iconic moment.

The Job: This entire double-length finale is built on the titular job, as you're left constantly guessing who's going to end up with it. It's packed with twists, misdirects, and surprises, culminating in the long-awaited moment where Jim and Pam finally get together. It's more subtle compared to the Season 2 finale, but definitely satisfying.

Overall, Season 3 is an absolute gem of a season and The Office at the height of its power. Pretty much every single episode is top-notch, the plot is compelling, and the comedy is consistently strong.

5/5 Stars