Was he a victim of delusional disorder which is a mental illness? He kept talking about his future wife, children, hover home, etc... I just wanted to give him a hug or something. What a sad little man.
shareNo, I don't think so. I think he was just passionate about planning his future. He was a little older when the show started so maybe he was just sad that it hadn't happen for him yet. He was just waiting for his perfect life to happen.
shareMichael is definitely the most interesting and entertaining character in the show exactly because he doesn't seem to have a full grasp on reality the way other people do.
He misunderstands 'concierge' to mean something like a 'sophisticated lady of the night'.
He mispronounces most big words that he doesn't use in his everyday life.
Of course he has unrealistic expectations of life and his future, and if he didn't, he would probably be depressed.
He also honestly expresses many pretty sound and solid ideas, even though a man in his position should know it's politically incorrect to say things like that out loud.
It's sometimes an interesting juxtaposition (is this even the right word?) between something that's accepted, although it's illogical, and Michael's honest (even if somewhat skewy sometimes) interpretation and direct expression of it, or opposing it.
A good example is what he thinks of 'equality'. He, quite correctly, says that 'women and children first' is unequal, and shouldn't be encouraged in a fire. However, the WORLD thinks this is wrong, because the world thinks women should ALWAYS be given preferential treatment over men, because the world values women more than men - that's why no one ever stops women from lying and saying stupid things, like 'women can do anything men can do, and in high heels', or 'women should be treated equally' (while insisting men pay for dinners, drinks, fix the cars, computers, roofs, provide for the family, and NEVER insist that women are forced to do sewer jobs, or other dangerous/uncomfortable/smelly work that men routinely are expected to do, they never insist that women protect men, etc. etc.).
So there's a horrible hypocrisy going on in the world, and Michael deals with it in a honest, innocent, direct, logical way - and in this matriarchal world of political correcness, that comes off as incredibly funny (surely a man in his position should KNOW what 'equality' is expected to mean)
Michael is the most interesting character in the show, because he is in a position of power, but he doesn't act like people in such a position normally do.
Michael says things you don't expect, and he's able to tell the truth in a way that makes you laugh at his naivety. He should know better, and yet he still says things exactly as they are, without realizing it's not allowed for someone in his position.
He is a mysterious entity amidst all the wackiness and mundaneity of the show - there are many 'straight men' (even if some of them are not 'straight', and others are not 'men') to Michael's statements, which creates a delicious contrast to anything he says.
Michael has no common sense, and this frees him from the normal social restraints to say and do whatever he wants and thinks is right. Sometimes he's funny because he misunderstands how the world works, what words mean, or what people are expected to say or how he's expected to behave.
Sometimes he's funny, because he's like a child lost in the world of adults, so of course he's hopeful and a dreamer, and unrealistic. He doesn't have a full grasp of his situation or the world, and any moment that he is forced to face actual reality that crushes his optimistic, unrealistic notions, it's a dark, sad moment in the show, and you almost want to cry.
He's also very down-to-earth, and not pompous or snobby - he is very real and direct instead of the ego-based nastiness many others succumb to (think of the other art critics vs. Michael's honest appraisal of Pam's art).
It's almost as if Michael 'feels' through the world instead of thinking through it, and is always naive enough to fall for the stupidest jokes (the 'Wendy's' thing, for example).
Even knowing his character, you never fully know what he's going to say or do next, and this makes him the most exciting character to follow. Everyone else is pretty much predictable and boring.
When you think about it, who can even compete with Michael?
Phyllis is just the butt of many jokes, but doesn't really do anything interesting. Someone flashed her, and she's married to some refridgerator guy that over-appreciates her. Her voice is boring, her looks are boring, her actions are almost non-existent. She basically has no story.
This can be said almost everyone in the office, with a few exceptions. Andy is 'wacky', but in an extremely annoying way that never becomes interesting.
Stanley is just a crossword puzzle guy that likes pretzels.
Most of the 'other branch' people are pretty bland. Angela is just an angry cat woman, complaining about everything and everyone.
I am not going over every character, as I am sure the point is taken.
Dwight is basically the only one that's "weird" or "crazy" enough to be any kind of competition to Michael, but he's very unlikable, his motivations are selfish, greedy, egotistical and often maniacal. He's not charming or likable on any level, and in the end, he is not exciting to watch,even if some of his antics can be entertaining or even interesting for awhile.
Michael is like the Kramer of this show; Kramer in Seinfeld is wacky, crazy and weird, but he's never a 'loser', and he, like Michael, can say the weirdest things with full conviction, which creates a really interesting tension.
Michael of this show is more grounded than Kramer, but in some odd way, a little more childish.
It could be interesting to watch them discuss something meaningful or philosophical.
Michael is a difficult character to dismiss despite what he says and his 'childish nature', because you know he has heart, he cares, his motivations are often very good and elevated, he only wants to tell the truth and protect and care 'his people'.
He really tries hard and struggles, and this makes him an endearing character despite everything else - he really, really tries very hard, and he even takes advice well (S3E21).
Michael also knows how to have fun, he likes to have parties, he likes to make others happy and give them what they want, etc.
He is extremely likable, but he has so many odd qualities, it's difficult to make a conclusive assesment of him.
This is what makes this character so mysterious to me. I can't ever fully 'conclude' what I think about him.
spoiler alert
He's fictional, yes, he's a completely fictional character.
If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed. If you do...you are misinformed---Mark Twain