The Office Star Rainn Wilson Felt This Beloved Episode Was “Awful” (And He’s Right)
Greg Daniels’ mockumentary “The Office” probably wouldn’t be made today. If you’re a fan, it’s a phrase you’ve heard at least a dozen times over the years since the series ended in 2013 after nine seasons. In today’s uncertain cultural climate, there is virtually no studio or streaming company that would roll the dice for something this audacious and often outrageously offensive. If you want an example, watch “The Paper” (a spin-off series from the same creator), which is an adorable, goofy and hilarious sitcom (which I immediately fell in love with), but also a mockumentary that is additional light in all aspects compared to its predecessor. Even the hardest joke or gag contains only a fraction of the rudeness what “The Office” episode “A Benihana Christmas” offers in season 3, for example.
I bring this episode up specifically because the show’s star, Rainn Wilson (who played the insufferable but loud Dwight), also cited it as an example in a recent episode of “The Last Laugh” podcast (via Variety). This is an episode that crosses some pretty racist and sexist lines for laughs. And Wilson’s assessment is pretty darn accurate. As he said:
“Look, you know, the Christmas episode of Benihana, where Michael and Andy draw with a Sharpie on one of the Asian women they brought home from the Christmas party, is breathtaking and horrible. They have no idea, and in their ignorance they’re racist and insensitive, and they always say the wrong thing. And it’s Michael and Dwight and Andy – and Kevin for that matter. So it’s a show based on people clueless, insensitive, racist and sexist It kind of reflects the United States in many ways You want to encourage it, because it’s funny as hell and it also skewers a particular American sensibility.
The Bureau often went too far, but it was the kind of risk that paid off
These days, for any sitcom, it’s extremely difficult to find a balance between funny and insensitive. That’s kind of the name of the game. It’s no secret that comedians repeatedly try to make waves by joking about controversial topics. By its very nature, comedy often involves risks and touchy topics that usually end up offending someone somewhere without intention. However, there’s a big difference between mean-spirited insults and genuinely intelligent observations, whether they’re rooted in something embarrassing or not, and “The Office” was the undefeated winner of that tightrope. Did it go too far sometimes? Of course. But that was kind of the point.
Daniels and Co. did this by focusing on ordinary, ignorant people who often did ignorant, stupid, blatantly racist and sexist things. I mean, Steve Carell’s Michael Scott was built on that. And it was funny and relevant because we knew (or met) people like that. We knew they existed a lot, and the genius of the show was to make fun of them while giving them human characteristics (see Michael, again) to make them likable. But sometimes – in episodes like “A Benihana Christmas” – all of their worst tendencies and bad traits came out at once. In retrospect, it may seem horrible And harsh today, with today’s cultural norms, but that’s what made “The Office” a champion of its time.
As Wilson pointed out: “It’s a delicate conversation, you know? Could this happen today? I think it would have to be very, very different if it were done in this environment.”
