On August 25, actress Jennifer Garner (Alias, Juno) took to Instagram with video informing her followers that her family’s quarantine show, The Office, had finally come to an end and had given her “some really big feelings” (Instagram). CNN reported that Garner’s video, meant to be a farewell testimonial, was accidentally shot in slow-motion by the actress, capturing her emotions in quite a comical fashion.
In a voice-over of her unintentional slo-motion sob, Garner poked fun at herself for needing a “big cry and maybe a shower” (Instagram). The video showcased the actress’ love for the series, not only in her words and tears but, as she sported Dunder Mifflin t-shirt and sat in front of a message board which read “thank you, Dunder Mifflin” (Instagram).
Dunder Mifflin, the paper company that The Office crew called home, gave Garner and her kids a lot to be grateful for as they made their way through the NBC comedy’s 9 seasons at a rate of 1 episode per day during quarantine, via Instagram. The caption to Garner’s video informed that herself and her kids refer to The Office as “how to behave as grown ups” (Instagram). Upon watching herself cry over the series’ finale, Garner comments that it’s nice to still “feel so much passion about something” (Instagram), and she closed out by encouraging others to watch The Office.
According to The Wall Street Journal (via Today), The Office accounted for 52 billion viewing minutes on Netflix in 2019, meaning many Office fans have found themselves in similar position to Garner. E!Online discussed how “relatable” fans found Garner’s video, many sharing their own emotional journeys with the beloved sitcom in her Instagram comments.
The Office fans were not the only ones weighing in on Garner’s video, as cast members of the show began to chime in on the stars video as well. Jenna Fischer (The Office, Splitting Up Together), The Office’s own Pam Beesly, commented on Garner’s Instagram video: “if you want to start over @angelakinsey and I are re-watching for the podcast. We are in the middle of Season 3 and have major feelings about lots of moments” (Instagram). The podcast Fischer mentioned is Office Ladies, which she co-hosts with actress Angela Kinsey (The Office), rewatch of the entire series that’s chock-full of behind-the-scenes anecdotes. Kinsey added “I love this. I love you and your family and just so you know the finale makes me bawl my eyes out too” (Instagram).
It seemed a consensus from The Office fans and cast members alike that crying was an appropriate reaction to the show’s farewell, which originally aired in 2013. Kate Flannery (The Office), who played Meredith Palmer on the workplace sitcom, tweeted in response to Garner: “I thought I was the only one who cried that hard when it ended.”
As E!Online declared, the internet found Garner’s video both charming and relatable. Now that they’ve finished The Office, one’s left to wonder what show Garner and her kids will start watching next and whether it will elicit another tear-felt response.