Relationship Therapist Ranks THE OFFICE Romances

How do you grow in a relationship without changing who you are? Who is your favorite couple from The Office?

Licensed therapist Jonathan Decker and filmmaker Alan Seawright are hopping over to the world of TV to rank romances from The Office. There are so many relationships to rank, but they picked seven that represent the spectrum between least and most health relationships in the show. The couples are Dwight and Angela, Jim and Pam, Kelly and Darryl, Michael and Holly, Michael and Jan, Pam and Roy, and Ryan and Kelly. They talk about beautiful and horrific relationship moments and the unparalleled humor that makes The Office so great.

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Cinema Therapy is:
Written by: Megan Seawright, Jonathan Decker, and Alan Seawright
Produced by: Jonathan Decker, Megan Seawright, Alan Seawright, and Corinne Demyanovich
Edited by: Emily Colton
Director of Photography: Bradley Olsen
English Transcription by: Anna Preis

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[mimi]

I love how Michael is both in the lowest and highest ranked couples 😂

[joninewman]

BJ Novak once said that Ryan and Kelly have one thing in common: they both love Ryan. I’ve always thought that was the most brilliant way to boil down the dynamics of that relationship.

[jocortez]

Dwight's line to Angela when he yells "I will raise a hundred children with a hundred of your lovers if it means I can be with you" still to this day brings my joy.

[sneaksyranger]

The best part of Ryan and Kelly was Toby remarking that "I don't think Michael meant to torment me by putting Ryan and Kelly next to me, but if he did....well done."

[lindawilson]

My favorite moment with Michael comes from when Holly is in another relationship in "Company Picnic" and he chooses to enjoy the day with her but without making a play for her affection as he originally planned. His touching faith at the end that he and Holly will have "a long story, and then it will be perfect, " is so sweet and full of hope.

[superluig]

One of my absolute favourite moments on The Office is the episode where Michael gets lost in Scranton, and the only one who's able to trace him is Holly. That moment when they find each other at the roof of the building is.. God. What an adorable scene.

[anyitar]

My favorite couple is Philips and Bob Vance, he supports her a lot and makes her happy, and he always accompanies her to any office event. She also admires him a lot and shows him off all the time.

[nosferatussister]

Love how Michael went from hating Jan’s candles to filling an entire room with candles to propose to Holly. Now THAT’S growth.

[dylanbass]

11:23 I’ve honestly always loved how unhesitatingly he answers that. There’s no pause, Darryl has his priorities right!

[househannah]

Michael being in both the worst and the best rated relationship just proves that it's not always the person that's "toxic" it's sometimes just the combination

[Amber-scjp]

I regularly say to my husband, when we are on different wavelengths and he wants alone time, "sorry I annoyed you with my friendship". One of my favorite lines from the show.

[justme]

I still am always so terrified the moment Roy throws that glass.

[lishajan]

The 'love is patient' scene is so beautiful. It was really brave for the writers to explore conflict in Jim and Pam's relationship in the last season of the show. Originally the intention was for infidelity to be the conflict and Jenna Fischer and John Krasinski (who were both producers on the show) really pushed back on that idea. That pushed the writers to reach for something that was more rooted in previous behaviors like Jim making big decisions without talking to Pam and Pam struggling to communicate her needs. The conflict felt more grounded in reality and the resolution felt more earned. They also showed the repair efforts Jim and Pam made. This scene in particular is one of my absolute favorites because it shows them wanting to connect upstairs as they're saying goodbye and then just missing each other. Then Pam sees the umbrella and decides to make one of those bids for connection by taking it to him. Initially Jim doesn't really respond to the bid, but then decides to turn toward Pam and respond with his own bid for connection with the hug. It's really vulnerable for him to hold on when she starts to break away, but he does anyway. Pam is struggling with accepting his efforts to repair because she hasn't felt seen or heard. She kind of resists the hug because you can see she's processing how she feels. She ultimately decides to accept the hug, but it's not because she feels like she should—rather it's because she wants to. They do all of that with very few words but you can see all of it on John and Jenna's faces. Their acting is absolutely incredible. The scene makes me cry every single time.

[s.k.]

I want more Dwight appreciation. Like why Dwight is the most perfect example of self-confidence and self-respect. There's lots of examples where people where he's being mocked and ridiculed, but his comfort in himself really demonstrates how he's the perfect role model in terms of identity.

[pathora]

I can definitely agree with Michael and Holly being the healthiest relationship. My favorite is obviously Jim and Pam but Michael and Holly are literally made for each other.

[fannafannofannu]

One of my favorite things about Michael’s growth thanks to his time and love for Holly, is when he realizes that Todd Packer is the worst when he calls Holly uptight. For me, that was it, the epithome of Michael Scott’s journey through maturity.

[SaucyJTB]

I hadn't seen the proposal between Michael and Holly before this episode, but MAN. If someone ever proposes to me with a bunch of candles set up like it's a Phantom of the Opera set AND makes a goofy inside joke that makes me laugh and cry at the same time? I would have a very hard time saying no 😂❤.

[ohdrey]

My dad always said “never ask a man to choose between his kids or you. A good dad chooses his kids every time.”

[JaimeNyx]

Jim and Dwight's relationship dynamic would actually be a fascinating video all on its own. Most people root for Jim by default, but the show steps back a couple of times to examine his treatment of Dwight critically and it really makes you reevaluate who the bad guy is there. But they are also there for each other in some crucial moments, so it's not completely toxic one way or the other. Dunno if it fits into the standard formats you've established, but it'd definitely be worth doing.

[sophieamandaleitontoomey]

“You have to choose: me or your daughter.”

“My daughter…” with zero hesitation.

What an absolute king. 👑👑👑👑