A show as golden as a lightning bolt hurled directly from Zeus, The Office has been delighting its viewers for over a decade. Much more than just a comedy, those who watch the show are found with an immense emotional attachment to the characters and the show itself. There really is no reason to possibly spoil such a perfect show by overanalyzing it and desperately looking for “the best episode”. That is, however, exactly what I plan to do.  I understand that this article may cause a lot of controversy and am prepared to take any criticism head-on. A group of experts, including myself, went through and selected what we as a group believe to be the best, and ended up with this seeded bracket:

1 Stress Relief (pt 1&2) vs 8. Casino Night

2 Basketball vs 7. The Injury

3 Fun Run vs 6. The Banker

4 Threat Level Midnight vs 5. Gossip

1 Finale vs 8 .Here Comes Treble

2 Safety Training vs. 7 Frame Toby

3 Office Olympics vs 6 Beach Games

4 Initiation vs 5 Benihana Christmas

1 Diversity Day vs 8 Diwali

2 A.A.R.M. vs 7 Company Picnic

3 Weight Loss (pt 1&2) vs 6 The Chair Model

4 Goodbye Michael vs 5 The Convict

1 Gay Witch Hunt vs 8 Lecture Circuit (pt 1&2)

2 Dinner Party vs 7 Golden Ticket

3 Niagara (pt 1&2) vs 6 Dwight’s Speech

4 Sexual Harassment vs 5 Goodbye Toby

The rules are simple: a class of voted on the winner of each matchup until one episode from each division is chosen to advance to the “Final Four”. The guidelines of what make one episode better than others is where this may become blurry. I am basing this simply on which one people prefer more, whether it is because it is funny, sad, or just plain good is irrelevant. All of this being said, let’s advance to the first round: *the winners are in bold

Stress Relief (pt 1&2) vs Casino Night

Basketball vs The Injury

Fun Run vs The Banker

Threat Level Midnight vs Gossip

Finale vs Here Comes Treble

Safety Training vs Frame Toby

(Safety Training is a personal favorite of mine, so this one hit home)

Office Olympics vs Beach Games

Initiation vs Benihana Christmas

Diversity Day vs Diwali

A.A.R.M. vs Company Picnic

Weight Loss (pt 1&2) vs The Chair Model

Goodbye Michael vs The Convict

(I did not see that one coming*)

Gay Witch Hunt vs Lecture Circuit (pt 1&2)

Dinner Party vs Golden Ticket

Niagara (pt 1&2) vs Dwight’s Speech

(This is a big upset, and proves that no episode is safe)

Sexual Harassment vs Goodbye Toby

This week was full of upsets and underdogs coming out triumphant. Hopefully next week will have equally exciting and riveting matchups in store. Next week’s battles are:

1 Stress Relief vs 5 Gossip

3 Fun Run vs 7 The Injury

1 Finale vs 4 Initiation

6 Beach Games vs 7 Frame Toby

1 Diversity Day vs 5 The Convict

2 A.A.R.M. vs 6 The Chair Model

1 Gay Witch Hunt vs 4 Sexual Harassment

6 Dwight’s Speech vs 7 Golden Ticket

*That’s what she said