If you’re looking for an analysis on the humor of “The Office,” this is the book for you.
If you start a novel with a fake-out, you know it’s going to be hilarious. And that is exactly what “Conference Room, Five Minutes” by Shea Serrano delivers on. And side note, it’s about arguably the funniest TV Show ever: “The Office.”
In fact, “Conference Room, Five Minutes” is simply ten illustrated essays on “The Office.” It’s basically the ultimate fan book. While this book is not an academic masterpiece, it is worth reading for the way it analyzes the humor and relationships in “The Office.”
“Conference Room, Five Minutes” starts with breaking down the iconic basketball episode of “The Office.” What is interesting about “The Basketball Scouting Report” is that instead of doing a direct analysis of the character dynamics, he ranks and writes a player summary on each “basketball” player. For example, he talks about how Ryan is most likely to betray his own team, which alludes to the relationships he has with his co-workers.
Another essay called “The Perfect Heist” is similar to “The Basketball Scouting Report,” but it’s about each character’s role in a heist. What is interesting about this essay is that it focuses on each character’s relationships with others. I loved this aspect as he broke down power dynamics in a short little essay.
The theme of relationships carries throughout as the author walks us through how the office space influences relationships in “There Are No Accidents.” For example, the funny trio of Kevin, Oscar and Angela sit together and hate each other. However, they eventually become a small family because of their close proximity.
An essay that also touches on rivalries and friendships is “Dwight Club.” This essay is about all the things Dwight fights, but “Dwight Club” also touches on the relationship between Jim and Dwight. This was the highlight for me, as I love Jim’s and Dwight’s relationship. It’s highly entertaining.
Now, everybody thinks that Jim and Pam are the best couple on the show. While they might be the best real-life couple, there can only be one truly perfect office couple. Dwight and Angela end up taking home the title in “To Me, You are Perfect,” which is great. It’s so fun to break down these office pairings because who doesn’t love, love?
Speaking of love, is Jim Halpert hot? There is a whole essay about this question in the book. While this essay might seem irrelevant, I think it’s important because it talks about what so many people argue about in fandom culture.
If you aren’t catching on, relationships are what this book is about. How “The Office” reveals the humanity in these ridiculously funny characters. For example, the book talks about how Michael Scott is the master of cringe-worthy humor. However, there are a few moments that make you realize that deep down Michael just wants to be loved like all of us.
But if you are looking for analysis on humor, look no further than “Prison Mike” where Serrano takes a look at Michael Scott’s characters. With the birth of YouTube, many people are familiar with “personalities” in humor. Yet, Michael Scott takes this to another level with his multiple characters. In this essay, Serrano argues that Prison Mike is Michael Scott’s best personality. The author does a fantastic job of telling you why in a hilarious breakdown.
While all of these essays were great for various reasons, I did not feel that “Olympiad Pt. 1 and 2” were necessary. The author gives out superlatives for random questions: Which unlikely alliance in “The Office” was the most unlikely? Personally, this was fun for a bit, but I didn’t need two essays about this.
Overall, this book was great and funny. A perfect light read for someone who is a big fan of “The Office;” I highly recommend you pick up this collection of essays.
The Beat @APU 