While Michael Scott might like to think of himself as the world’s best boss, he definitely wasn’t always the best friend. Even though he was the Branch Manager of the Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch, he ended up building some actual friendships with many of his employees over time.
However, Michael was a rather odd character, and as the protagonist on The Office, he had a ton of issues and insecurities. These issues made him an absolutely awful friend in certain situations. Here are five times Michael was a good friend as well as five more when he was just awful.
10 Awful: Worried too much about being liked
One of the running jokes about Michael’s personality throughout the nine seasons of The Office is that he craves approval. He wants to be liked more than almost anything else, and this often makes him an ineffective boss. While wanting to be liked might seem like a good trait to have in a friend, it actually made him do a lot of ridiculous things and act out in ways that others found off-putting.
9 Good: Got really excited about the big events in people’s lives
While Michael’s time-wasting activities as a boss got annoying at times, as a friend, his excitement for big events was pretty great. He loved to celebrate anything from weddings to births to engagements. He was always the first one to congratulate someone and want to get involved. While sometimes he could get too involved, his earnestness was endearing.
8 Awful: Treated Dwight poorly
Of all the people whom Michael had friendships with on the series, he was probably the worst friend to Dwight. Their relationship was complicated as they both used one another with Micahel using Dwight as an errand boy and Dwight trying to take over Michael’s job.
However, Dwight did try to hang out with Micahel and be friends, and Michael always acted way too good for him.
7 Good: Went to Pam’s art show
When Pam invited everyone at work to her art show, only Oscar and Micahel ended up showing up. While Oscar and his boyfriend Gil were pretty condescending about her work, Michael was quite encouraging. He was really kind to her and even bought the painting she had done of the office building. Seeing Micahel be so warm and truly interested in Pam's passion was one of his best moments of friendship.
6 Awful: Only wanted to be friends with people he thought were cool enough
Micahel might have been middle-aged with a relatively average life, but he fancied himself as quite the cool guy. While this was definitely not the case, he found it important that his friends be seen as young, attractive, and hip. This made him treat certain people like Phyllis and Dwight with disdain, and it just made him seem like a jerk.
5 Good: Great at celebrating birthdays
Similar to the fact that Michael was always around to celebrate with people when they have big life events, he was also there for the more mundane moments of celebration. He loved to celebrate birthdays, and he remembered everyone’s special day and what colors and desserts they liked. While his exuberance could be annoying, there was also something sweet about it.
4 Awful: Made too many inappropriate jokes
Joking around with friends is a lot of fun, and even cracking blue jokes can be funny, but it’s all about context.
The way that Micahel made inappropriate and unwanted jokes to people was awkward and out of line. He was also their boss, so in a work setting, making innuendos or jokes at another person’s expense definitely wasn’t okay.
3 Good: Really did care about his employees
Michael had a ton of issues and made a lot of mistakes. He should have been less self-absorbed and more socially aware. But he did actually care a lot about the people he worked with. For a long time, his job was the most important thing in his life, so at the core of things, he did want his employees to be happy, and he considered them friends.
2 Awful: Didn’t respect boundaries
The main reason why Michael could be an awful friend was that he didn’t respect people’s boundaries. No matter what type of relationship one has with someone, being respectful of what they want and what makes them uncomfortable is a must. So, the fact that Michael didn’t know when he was getting too involved or being inappropriate was a big problem.
1 Good: Going to Dwight’s wedding and being his best man
Perhaps Michael’s best moment of friendship of all was when he showed up in the series finale to be Dwight's best man. At this point, Micahel had a very different life and didn’t have to be so caught up in other people. However, this showed that he still considered the gang at Dunder Mifflin Scranton friends, and could actually be there for them in a big way.
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