That's What She Said

I know I'm really late to the party on this one, but I just had to write about my love of The Office.

As I've written here before, I have a problem trying to get into television shows that I haven't watched from the very beginning. You either have to find someone to explain what happened from the beginning, or you have to get the earlier seasons on DVD, and it seems like a big commitment to make to a TV show you're not sure you'll like anyway. The Office, however, is a little different for me, because I actually did see a few early episodes and just didn't have the time (or desire to commit to a show) to watch it for awhile. So after catching a few reruns on TBS, I was enjoying the show so much that I had to start Netflixing the DVDs. I'm pretty much caught up now and loving every minute I spend looking through the eyes of the employees at paper company Dunder Mifflin.

But I think my favorite thing about the show is its setting. It takes place in Scranton, Pennsylvania, which isn't all that far from where I grew up. And the folks on the show have really done their homework when it comes to Pennsylvania. There are references to many well-known Scranton destinations (like the Mall at Steamtown, where I have in fact been), and there's a lot of talk about hunting (mainly by office geek Dwight Shrute, who I swear had to have been based on a real person. I think I actually went to high school with the guy. Now I know how rock bands of the early 80s felt when This Is Spinal Tap came out).

Last night, I saw for the first time an episode that takes place on "take your daughter to work day" at Dunder Mifflin. In the episode, the boss, Michael, decides to show a video of a children's television show he was on as a kid. Called Fundle Bundle, the show is hosted by a ruffle-clad "Miss Trudy." When I saw her open a gate to welcome viewers into her magical happy land, I was immediately taken back to my own childhood.

When I was a kid (and for many years before my time as well), there was a show on a Scranton TV station called Hatchy Milatchy. It was hosted by a ruffle-clad "Miss Judy," and she also opened the show by opening a gate. I couldn't believe it. I hadn't thought of Miss Judy and Hatchy Milatchy in years, but there it was, right in front of my eyes, only slightly altered.

I can only hope that future episodes will see the Dunder Mifflin gang heading to Clyde Peeling's Reptiland or the Little League World Series.