Why Fans Of The Office Think Michael Should've Been VP Earlier

The U.S. version of "The Office" is one of the most popular TV comedies of the 21st century, but that doesn't mean fans of the series wouldn't change certain things about it. In fact, fans continue to discuss and debate the quality of the show's climactic Season 5 storyline, which centered around the disruption caused by Charles Miner (Idris Elba) after he becomes the new Vice President of Northeastern Sales of Dunder Mifflin. The storyline resulted in Michael Scott (Steve Carell) not only quitting Dunder Mifflin but also starting a rival business known as the Michael Scott Paper Company.

While Michael eventually returned to Dunder Mifflin, his rivalry with Elba's Charles Miner ended up being one of the most bitter and dramatic in the entire series. However, there are some "Office" fans who believe that the storyline could have been improved with a handful of minor changes. One viewer, in particular, believes that a small narrative tweak could have not only made the entire Season 5 storyline better, it would have deepened and enriched Charles and Michael's rivalry.

One Redditor believes that the climactic arc of "The Office" Season 5 would be improved by Michael Scott getting offered the Vice Presidential position that Charles Miner eventually filled. The "Office" fan argues that, while Michael's boss wasn't ever a huge fan of him, Michael had proved himself worthy of being considered for the VP position earlier in the season. The Redditor points to the fifth season's 13th episode ("Prince Family Paper") as proof of this, arguing that Michael's success in securing the client list of a rival paper company should have been enough to prompt Michael's boss to offer him the VP position.

The Redditor goes on to say that Michael's eventual rivalry with Charles would have been improved if Michael had been offered the VP job before Charles. The fan suggests that the entire Charles vs. Michael storyline would have been better if Michael had been offered the job — and possibly spent an entire additional episode agonizing over whether or not to take it — before turning it down. Michael passing on the job would have resulted in him thinking he's morally and philosophically superior to Charles, because he turned down the job that Charles took. Meanwhile, Charles knowing that Michael passed on taking the job could have led to Charles seeing Michael in a slightly different light, and possibly even adopting an even stricter and more authoritarian approach to managing Michael.

The Reddit user argues that this would have further improved the ultimate conclusion of the Charles vs. Michael arc, which saw the entire Dunder Mifflin corporate team fired and replaced, including Charles. Michael would realize upon hearing that news that he would have been fired as well if he had taken the VP job, which would have added an extra layer to the entire storyline and validated Michael's decision not to accept the offer.