The Office Episode You Should Watch Based On Your Favorite Character

NBC's "The Office" is the show that just keeps on giving. Its robust lineup of main characters continue to entertain the masses from the first moments of the pilot episode ("Is this what you're saying, grasshoppah?") to the final seconds of the finale ("There's a lot of beauty in ordinary things.")

For anyone who likes the show as a whole, it's hard to decide where to dive in each time they sit down to binge some Scranton workplace comedy for the hundred millionth time. One way to shake things up is to think less about "The Office" as a whole and more about the individuals who make the Scranton branch so special.

With that in mind, we've gathered up the most popular characters from the show. From there, we selected a single episode per Dunder Mifflin employee that stands out as appointment viewing for any fan who considers that character their favorite. They're presented below in order, starting with the six characters who appear the most often and then going down from there. Enjoy!

Dwight Schrute is in nearly 200 episodes of "The Office." What's more, he has a very active and lively role in many of those installments. That makes it hard to choose a single episode for anyone who loves the Man of Beets more than the rest.

That said, if we have to choose a single episode for Dwight fans, it has to be the show's final bow. The series finale ends on a strong note for many characters, but none as completely as Dwight. In the lead-up to that episode, Dwight inherits a massive farm, becomes the manager of Dunder Mifflin, and even gets his long-overdue black belt.

Then, in that last episode, we see him finally get hitched to his gal ... with Michael Scott standing approvingly by his side, no less. Couple that with a hearty vote of support from his ex-arch-nemesis and best man, Jim, and there's no better time to see Dwight grinning from ear to ear as he experiences perfectenschlag over and over again.

Jim's journey through the Scranton branch is long and complex. He starts as a disinterested salesman, tries to switch branches only to end up back in Scranton, becomes a co-manager, goes back to being a salesman, and eventually splits off to follow his dream of starting his own sports marketing company. And that says nothing about his flirty romance with Pam, which turns into an engagement, wedding, and family.

Choosing an episode that sums up Jim's experience is practically impossible. Instead, we've gone with an emotional moment that summarizes Jim's ultimate trajectory throughout the show. We're talking about the Season 3 finale, "The Job," when Jim heads to New York to interview for a job at the corporate office.

In that process, Mr. Halpert realizes that he's opting for a successful life with Karen, but ultimately that's not what he wants. He knows that his future is back in Scranton with the newly confident Pam Beesly. In the episode, he follows his heart, abandons the interview — and Karen, too — and heads back to Scranton. In the words of Andy much later, his heart is his compass, and it leads him back to Pam.

Similar to Jim, Pam has to face a choice between her professional and personal futures as the show goes on. Unlike Jim, Pam isn't choosing between the corporate ladder and a quiet life in the 'burbs. Instead, she has to figure out if she wants to pursue a very real desire to become an artist. She has the talent, and when she starts dating Jim, he helps her begin to chase that desire through formal training at Pratt Institute in the Big Apple.

The problem comes when the blossoming artist fails one of her courses midway through the fifth season of the show. At that point, in "Business Trip," she knows that she could have a future in art, but she also knows that her faithful and supportive fiancé is waiting for her back in Scranton. In a move that mirrors Jim's Season 3 return, she opts for love over profession and heads back home, surprising a grinning and overjoyed Jim in the process.

Stanley Hudson is a peripheral character for the bulk of the show. He's also disinterested in pretty much every single thing that happens around him. But that doesn't stop the big-hearted salesman and his crossword puzzle from playing a big role in plenty of the daily office proceedings.

If there's one episode that defines Stanley to a "t" though, it has to be the Season 3 installment "Initiation." While the focus is on Dwight and Ryan's initiation-soaked first sales call, back at the office, a cart arrives giving out free pretzels. Of all the events in the entire show, it's this topping-covered, gluten-filled freebie that gets Mr. Hudson moving at top speed from his desk down to the lobby.

Throughout the episode, we see him smiling in anticipation and booing at anyone who even appears to be getting in his way. There are few moments in the show that better summarize the slow drudgery, interrupted by little pleasures, that Stanley endures throughout his career at Dunder Mifflin.

Kevin Malone may be a supporting character, but man does he sell it well. By the end of the show, it's hard not to think of him as a main character — and the fact that he overcomes his circumstances to become an entrepreneur, no less? Way to go man. We're proud of you.

That said, if there's one episode to underline Kevin's sorry state during his time at Dunder Mifflin, it comes in the Season 8 segment "Last Day in Florida." While the attention remains focused on the implosion of the Saber store in sunny Tallahassee, back in Scranton, Darryl and Toby find themselves competing for the business of the number one Girl Scout cookie buyer in the entire office: Kevin Malone.

Once Kevin realizes the position that he's in, he proceeds to demand that both sales-fathers earn his business by doing what he says. This may end with Kevin going too far and losing both options, but the gluttonous event underscores Kevin's inherent ability to take advantage of an opportunity. And, of course, we all know that when he really does get his chance, he seizes it with both hands and rises to new heights.

Angela and Dwight have one of the craziest romances of the entire show. It starts in the second season and lasts all the way through the finale. This makes it tempting to choose a story about Angela and Dwight as a "best episode" option. But we're going in a different direction this time, and it has to do with Angela's other family. No, not her life with the state senator. Her other, other family. That's right, we're talking about her relationship with her fellow accountants.

In the Season 9 episode "A.A.R.M.," we see a homeless Angela — whose life is falling apart — taken in not by Dwight, but by her then-nemesis, Oscar. By this time, the senator has been a dividing issue between the two accountants for a long while, and the episode shows a touching reconciliation between the two colleagues.

The best part of it all? This is one of actress Angela Kinsey's favorite Angela moments, too. If Angela herself likes it, it's got to make the cut, right?

Everyone knows that Meredith's lifestyle can be a bit abrasive at times. The rowdy partying, the drinking, the unspeakable out-of-the-office behavior — the branch's head of Supplier Relations is just ... a lot. If Meredith is your favorite character, though, there are a couple of episodes that come to mind as must-see television.

The first one is the show's finale, where we find out that Meredith actually has quite the buttoned-up life. She was even in school throughout the show, earning a Ph.D. in School Psychology. But since we already recommended that episode for Dwight, we're going to go in another direction: the Season 5 installment "Business Ethics."

In this episode, Meredith's unsavory backroom dealings with a Hammermill employee have led to a long string of discounts and restaurant coupons. This almost gets her fired by Holly, but then the HR rep herself gets a slap on the wrist when the corrupt corporate office steps in and officially decides to look the other way. The entire situation is messy, but it's also one of the few episodes where Meredith plays a lead role, albeit an unethical one.

Phyllis is a quiet character, and yet, she makes her presence felt throughout the show. She knows about Michael, thanks to their past high school experiences together, and she ends up marrying into business royalty via Bob Vance, owner of Vance Refrigeration and head of one of the Five Families of the Scranton business park.

When it comes to Phyllis herself, choosing a favorite episode is easy. It has to be "Phyllis' Wedding." Sure, her nuptial day is plagued by the likes of Michael Scott's insecurities and Dwight's overly-secure wedding crasher protection. Nevertheless, for Phyllis, it has to be one of the greatest days of her life. She gets to have things her way — or is it Pam's way? She does steal all of her ideas after all ... Anyway, Phyllis gets to call the shots, marry her man, and even land a whopping six-week honeymoon to boot. You go girl. The event gives us a little snapshot of the powerhouse woman underneath the unassuming surface, a woman that continues to surface more often as the show proceeds onward from this memorable occasion.

Creed Bratton has some of the best comedic moments of the entire "The Office" franchise. The old fellow seems to have a way of popping into the screen and saying something offbeat no matter what the occasion. From not knowing the title of his position to hunting down office chairs to his ongoing desire to scuba, Creed is endlessly entertaining.

The only problem is, most of Creed's moments come in tiny bursts in the middle of much busier storylines. After all, the guy's trying to lay low most of the time. Why would he want to hog the spotlight? This makes it difficult when it comes to choosing a single episode for all of those Creed superfans out there.

Fortunately, there's one episode that does fit the bill well enough for a solid recommendation: the Season 7 finale, "Search Committee." While the titular search committee looks for a new branch manager, we see Creed temporarily step into the power vacuum left by Dwight's violent-yet-brief time on the Dunder Mifflin Scranton throne. During his tenure, Creed lets loose. He rents fancy cars, calls random meetings, and forces his employees to invent acronyms. He also starts to torpedo client relationships, which isn't good. What is good is that Creed's reign of terror is also short. That said, the fact that it even exists does give us the perfect "Creed episode" recommendation.

Oscar Martinez has his moments. His ethnic background and sexual orientation create multiple run-ins with his boss, one of which even ends in the infamous Scott-kiss from early Season 3. The man also has a reputation as a know-it-all who attends trivia nights with a passion and lets everyone know when they're wrong (actually...)

When picking a favorite episode, though, we had to go with one that sees him team up with Jim to try to butter up Michael into replacing the office copier. The Season 5 episode "The Surplus" follows the office as it struggles with how to spend a surplus before the end of the day. It starts with a classic scene where Oscar tries to explain what a surplus is to Michael. After struggling with that simple task, the accountant takes on the even greater challenge of convincing Michael to spend the extra money on a new copier — rather than new chairs.

The episode gives us a fun sample of Oscar worked up and in action as he fights for something he loves ... or at least kind of really wants. His ability to compromise in the end and opt for the chairs instead of nothing also shows us a practical and diplomatic side that doesn't show up too often.

Kelly is another character whose greatest moments are scattered across a ton of different episodes. Usually, they revolve around her flighty personality, her impressive grasp of current pop culture events, or something random about reality television shows.

Oh yeah, and then there's Ryan. So much of Kelly's time at Dunder Mifflin Scranton revolves around her on-again, off-again lover, boyfriend, fiancé, husband, and ex-husband. Naturally then, if you have to choose a single episode to enjoy Kelly at her finest, you have to go all the way back to the beginning.

In the Season 2 episode "Valentine's Day," Kelly hooks up with Ryan for the first time. Well, technically they hooked up on the 13th of February ... and then Ryan decides to turn down the opportunity to follow it up with a bona fide Valentine's Day date the next day. The best part is that we get to see Jim witness the event play out and then ever-so-begrudgingly help Kelly sort through her feelings.

Next up, we have Ryan Howard. Ryan is one of the biggest conundrums of the office. He's an unwilling favorite of Michael Scott's, he's a reluctant lover for Kelly, and he's a man with high ambitions — at least, at the beginning of the show.

Yet as the series plays out, Ryan finds himself sucked into Michael's plans over and over again. He also becomes enamored with Kelly in spite of the dysfunction of the relationship (which is largely his own fault.) We also see his professional ambitions crash and burn during both his meteoric rise up the corporate ladder and his failed attempt to launch the WUPHF.com empire.

So what episode do Ryan superfans need to wallow in? We suggest one that barely has Ryan in it at all: the Season 8 entry "Test the Store." Sure, Ryan plays a small on-screen part here. He quickly bails on a presentation that he's created to launch the Saber store, caving in on his ambitions once again. However, when Jim steps in to complete the event, we actually see a really well-made production. It's a great sample of just how high Ryan can fly ... if he could just back up his inspiration with solid real-world actions.

Andy Bernard is a textbook rich kid. His parents pay for his credit cards. He throws next-level temper tantrums. He's into boats. He relies way too much on his Ivy League school connections — which his parents also paid for. And yet, when the rubber hits the road on one occasion at least, Andy comes through. We're talking about the Season 5 episode "The Duel."

In that story, Michael finally makes Andy aware of the fact that his fiancé Angela has been cheating on him with Dwight since ... like, forever. The heartbroken and (somehow) blindsided fellow unleashes his inner Nard Dog fury. This leads to a duel between Andy and Dwight, a duel that seems hopelessly stacked against the Cornell grad ... except, Andy kinda wins. Not only that, but he ends up being the better man by calmly breaking off ties with Angela and becoming friends with Dwight. It's a big maturity step for a man who punches holes in the wall when he's angry.

Like several others on this list, it feels impossible trying to choose a single episode for fans of Michael Scott. There are just so many options. However, if we have to choose, there's one that does stand out above the rest — quite literally. The Season 7 episode "Goodbye, Michael" isn't just Michael's great swan song for the show. It's also one of the top all-time most popular episodes of "The Office."

When it comes to fans who specifically can't get enough Michael Scott, the episode addresses a couple of key points. First, it serves as a mini-marathon of all of Michael's relationships as he races to say goodbye to each person in his family of coworkers. Second, it's a wonderful display of just how much Michael's character develops over the course of the show. Gone is the jerk-of-a-boss from the pilot, replaced with a caring, compassionate, and even understanding individual who is genuinely sad to be saying goodbye, even though he's moving on to greater things. The episode is the man's magnum opus, and it's a great way to celebrate one of the best characters that the television gods ever gave us.

Toby Flenderson is the sad sack of the office. His family life is broken. He can't get Pam to notice him. He's disconnected from everyone, both due to his physical location in the annex of the building as well as his position as the HR rep. The latter also puts him in direct conflict with manager Michael Scott, a fact that colors his entire time at Dunder Mifflin Scranton.

For fans of Mr. Flenderson, there's only one episode that can truly lift their depressed spirits: the Season 4 installment "Goodbye, Toby." The story follows Toby on his supposed last day in Scranton before he heads off to a new life in idyllic Costa Rica. We see Michael forced to treat him well in his exit interview. There's an over-the-top farewell party (partially and unknowingly funded by Jim). He even gets to see Michael in a really happy mood ... even if it's literally because he's leaving.

The reasons may be off, but the circumstances of what Toby at least thinks is his last day in the office provide a great opportunity to see the HR rep in the closest thing that he ever has to nirvana. And yes, that last sentence is about as depressing as it gets.