I saw the "Goodbye Michael" episode of "The Office" that aired last night. Nearly choked up on some of those final scenes. Even though it's not the final episode of the series (three left to go), it sure felt like it. There's been many shows over the years that I've followed, but only maybe a couple that I saw the final episode to, and boy do they have a tendency to pluck the heartstrings. I really should watch series finales more. I saw the unforgettable final episode of Malcolm in the Middle, and I saw the season finale marking JD's last episode as a regular on Scrubs (which really should have been the final episode, you can't top that).

But this one felt a little different. Maybe it was the closure offered and the nods back to the show's beginning. Maybe it was seeing Steve Carrell with tears welling up in his eyes during one of the scenes. It was probably just as hard for him to leave the show as it was for us to see him leave. But also, I don't think he could have asked for a better send-off. After all the office antics were over, that last scene with him was fairly quiet and peaceful. It's something we needed to see, so we could say goodbye.

Before I ever heard of "The Office", Steve Carrell seemed like a name thrown out there as the next Jim Carrey, someone who I initially doubted, like Will Ferrell. Then I started seeing some of Carrell's films and he was pretty good (Ferrell's good too, I particularly liked him in "Stranger Than Fiction"). But it wasn't until watching "The Office" that I saw why he became a star in the first place. He's in his prime there. Every member of the cast is hilarious, but Michael was a big part of holding it together. Maybe with time I would come to accept Ferrell as the new boss, but it's very big shoes to fill and I would always remember that role belonging to Carrell. Good luck to his future, and I look forward to seeing how the series will end.