title: Rurouni Kenshin

text: The manga has received praise and criticism from various publications. Mania Entertainment writer Megan Lavey found that the manga had a good balance between character development, comedy and action scenes. The artwork of Watsuki was said to have improved as the series continued, noting that characters also had reactions during fights. Steve Raiteri from Library Journal praised the series for its characters and battles. However, he noted some fights were too violent, so he recommended the series to older teenagers as well as adults. Surat described the series as an example of a "neo-shōnen" series, where a shōnen series also appeals to a female audience; Surat stated that in such series, character designs are "pretty" for female audiences, but not too "girly" for male audiences. Surat cited Shinomori Aoshi and Seta Sōjirō, characters who ranked highly in popularity polls even though, in Surat's view, Aoshi does not engage in "meaningful" battles, and Sōjirō is a "kid." Surat explained that Aoshi appears "like a Clamp character wearing Gambit's coat and Sōjirō always smiles despite the abuse inflicted upon him. Surat said that the character designs for the anime television series were "toughened up a bit." He added that the budget for animation and music was "top-notch" because Sony produced the budget. Watsuki's writing involving romance and Kenshin's psychological hidden weakpoints also earned positive response by other sites with AnimeNation also comparing it to Clamp's "X" based on the multiple elements the series. In general, Mania found Watsuki's art appealing as well as its evolution across the twenty-eight volumes as it made female characters more attractive while the male characters seem simpler while retaining the early handome looks.


title: Rurouni Kenshin

text: As a result of the series taking a darker tone in later story arcs with Kenshin facing new threats and at the same time his "Battosai" self, Kat Kan from "Voice of Youth Advocates" recommended it to older teens. Kan also found that the anime viewers will also enjoy Watsuki's drawings due to the way he illustrates battles. This is mostly noted in the "Kyoto arc" where Mania Entertainment writer Megan Lavey applauded the fight between Himura Kenshin and anti-hero Saito Hajime which acts as prologue of such narrative. Mania remarks the build up Aoshi, Saito and other characters bring to the story due to how they similar goals in the same arc with newcomer Misao helping to balance the style by bringing more comical interactions with the protagonist. Although the site Manga News enjoyed Seta Sojiro's fight and how it connected with Shishio's past, they said sixteenth manga's best part was Kenshin's fight against Shishio due to the build up and symbolism the two characters have. The eventual climax led further praise based on how menacing Shishio is shown in the battle against his predecessor although he questioned if Kenshin had been a superior enemy if had kept back his original killer persona.


title: Rurouni Kenshin

text: Critics expressed mixed opinions in regards to the final arc. Zac Bertschy from Anime News Network (ANN) praised the story from the manga, but noted that by volume 18 of the series, Watsuki started to repeat the same type of villains who were united to kill Kenshin similar to "Trigun". Although he praised Watsuki's characters, he commented that some of them needed some consistency due to various "bizarre" antagonists. Due to Kaoru, Kenshin and Sanosuke missing from the final arc during the Jinchu arc, Manga News described Aoshi as the star of the series' 24th volume due to how he explores the mysteries behind Enishi's revenge and his subsequent actions that made him stand out most notably because he had been absent for multiple chapters. IGN reviewer A.E. Sparrow liked the manga's ending, praising how the storylines are resolved, and how most of the supporting cast end up. He also praised the series' characters, remarking that Kenshin "belongs in any top ten of manga heroes." "Otaku USA" reviewer Daryl Surat said that the manga's quality was good until the "Revenge Arc," where he criticized the storyline and the new characters. Carlo Santos from the same site, praised Enishi and Kenshin's final fight despite finding the ending predictable. While also liking their final showdown, Megan Lavey from Mania Entertainment felt that twist that happens shortly after battle is over serves to show Enishi's longlife trauma but at the same time Kenshin's compassion towards others.


title: Rurouni Kenshin

text: Before becoming an official manga author, "Naruto"s author Masashi Kishimoto decided that he should try creating a "chanbara" manga since "Weekly Shōnen Jump" had not published a title from that genre. However, during his years of college, Kishimoto started reading Hiroaki Samura's "Blade of the Immortal" and "Rurouni Kenshin" which used the said genre. Kishimoto recalls having never been surprised by manga ever since reading "Akira" and found that he still was not able to compete against them. Hideaki Sorachi cited "Rurouni Kenshin" as a major source of inspiration for his manga series "Gin Tama". He also said numerous other historical manga were influenced by "Rurouni Kenshin", stating that the "reason why historical stories are being dealt with in all sorts of manga and game media today, and why they are being supported by the younger generation, is undoubtedly because of ""Ruroken"" and that they "are all children of the ""Ruroken"" bloodline."


title: Rurouni Kenshin

text: For the series 25th anniversary in January 2021, fifteen manga authors sent congratulatory messages: three of Watsuki's former assistants Eiichiro Oda ("One Piece"), Hiroyuki Takei ("Shaman King"), and Shinya Suzuki ("Mr. Fullswing"); Nobuyuki Anzai ("Flame of Recca"); Riichiro Inagaki ("Eyeshield 21"); ; Takeshi Obata ("Death Note"); Masashi Kishimoto ("Naruto"); Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro ("Toriko"); Hideaki Sorachi ("Gin Tama"); Yasuhiro Nightow ("Trigun"); Kazuhiro Fujita ("Ushio & Tora"); Yūsei Matsui ("Assassination Classroom"); and Kentaro Yabuki ("Black Cat"). In an interview for the event, Oda told Watsuki that "Rurouni Kenshin" is popular due to his loyalty to his fans. Kenshin's characterization has been compared to Yoh Asakura's, protagonist of "Shaman King", due to their strict pacifism, while Kenshin's former dark side was linked to Yoh's spirit partner, the samurai Amidamaru. The lead of the manga "", Tanjiro Kamado, was also influenced by Kenshin's design as the author combined the character's androgynous design with a scar similar to Kenshin's in order to balance it properly for the audience.


title: Rurouni Kenshin

text: Watsuki felt that Kenshin was a "King Type" character similar to Monkey D. Luffy from Eiichiro Oda's "One Piece" as a result of how heroic they are. Watsuki also reflected on Kenshin's pacifism which became a common trend in other heroes in "Weekly Shonen Jump" protagonists like Luffy and Naruto Uzumaki who fight but are against the idea of killing their enemies while in the case of "Dragon Ball" dead characters are often revived. He believes newer series like "Attack on Titan", "" and "Jujutsu Kaisen" explored more the concept of death. Nevertheless, the Kenshin Watsuki was still written for the "Hokkaido Arc" with the idea of sparing his enemies.


title: Septimius Severus

text: Lucius Septimius Severus (; 11 April 145 – 4 February 211) was Roman emperor from 193 to 211. He was born in Leptis Magna (present-day Al-Khums, Libya) in the Roman province of Africa. As a young man he advanced through the customary succession of offices under the reigns of Marcus Aurelius and Commodus. Severus seized power after the death of the emperor Pertinax in 193 during the Year of the Five Emperors.


title: Septimius Severus

text: After deposing and killing the incumbent emperor Didius Julianus, Severus fought his rival claimants, the Roman generals Pescennius Niger and Clodius Albinus. Niger was defeated in 194 at the Battle of Issus in Cilicia. Later that year Severus waged a short punitive campaign beyond the eastern frontier, annexing the Kingdom of Osroene as a new province. Severus defeated Albinus three years later at the Battle of Lugdunum in Gaul. Following the consolidation of his rule over the western provinces, Severus waged another brief, more successful war in the east against the Parthian Empire, sacking their capital Ctesiphon in 197 and expanding the eastern frontier to the Tigris. He then enlarged and fortified the "Limes Arabicus" in Arabia Petraea. In 202, he campaigned in Africa and Mauretania against the Garamantes, capturing their capital Garama and expanding the "Limes Tripolitanus" along the southern desert frontier of the empire.


title: Septimius Severus

text: He proclaimed as "augusti" (co-emperors) his elder son Caracalla in 198 and his younger son Geta in 209, both born of his second wife Julia Domna. Severus travelled to Britain in 208, strengthening Hadrian's Wall and reoccupying the Antonine Wall. In 209 he invaded Caledonia (modern Scotland) with an army of 50,000 men but his ambitions were cut short when he fell fatally ill of an infectious disease in late 210. He died in early 211 at Eboracum (today York, England), and was succeeded by his sons, who were advised by their mother and his powerful widow, Julia Domna, thus founding the Severan dynasty. It was the last dynasty of the Roman Empire before the Crisis of the Third Century.


title: Septimius Severus

text: Born on 11 April 145 at Leptis Magna (in present-day Libya) as the son of Publius Septimius Geta and Fulvia Pia, Septimius Severus came from a wealthy and distinguished family of equestrian rank. Severus had Italic and Punic ancestry; the Roman ancestry came from his mother's side, while his Punic ancestry came from his father's side. Due to his family background on his father's side he is considered the first provincial emperor as he was the first emperor not only born in the provinces but also into a provincial family of non-Italian origin. Severus' father, an obscure provincial, held no major political status, but he had two cousins, Publius Septimius Aper and Gaius Septimius Severus, who served as consuls under the emperor Antoninus Pius . His mother's ancestors had moved from Italy to North Africa; they belonged to the "gens" Fulvia, an Italian patrician family that originated in Tusculum.


title: Septimius Severus

text: Septimius Severus had two siblings: an elder brother, Publius Septimius Geta; and a younger sister, Septimia Octavilla. Severus' maternal cousin was the praetorian prefect and consul Gaius Fulvius Plautianus. Septimius Severus grew up in Leptis Magna. He spoke the local Punic language fluently, but he was also educated in Latin and Greek, which he spoke with a slight accent. Little else is known of the young Severus' education but, according to Cassius Dio, the boy had been eager for more education than he actually received. Presumably, Severus received lessons in oratory: at the age of 17, he gave his first public speech.


title: Septimius Severus

text: Severus sought a public career in Rome in around 162. At the recommendation of his relative Gaius Septimius Severus, the emperor Marcus Aurelius () granted him entry into the senatorial ranks. Membership in the senatorial order was a prerequisite to attain positions within the "cursus honorum" and to gain entry into the Roman Senate. Nevertheless, it appears that Severus' career during the 160s met with some difficulties.


title: Septimius Severus

text: It is likely that he served as a "vigintivir" in Rome, overseeing road maintenance in or near the city, and he may have appeared in court as an advocate. At the time of Marcus Aurelius, he was the State Attorney ("Advocatus fisci"). However, he omitted the military tribunate from the "cursus honorum" and had to delay his quaestorship until he had reached the required minimum age of 25. To make matters worse, the Antonine Plague swept through the capital in 166.


title: Septimius Severus

text: With his career at a halt, Severus decided to temporarily return to Leptis, where the climate was healthier. According to the "Historia Augusta", a usually unreliable source, he was prosecuted for adultery during this time but the case was ultimately dismissed. At the end of 169, Severus was of the required age to become a quaestor and journeyed back to Rome. On 5December, he took office and was officially enrolled in the Roman Senate. Between 170 and 180 his activities went largely unrecorded, in spite of the fact that he occupied an impressive number of posts in quick succession. The Antonine Plague had thinned the senatorial ranks and, with capable men now in short supply, Severus' career advanced more steadily than it otherwise might have.


title: Septimius Severus

text: The sudden death of his father necessitated another return to Leptis Magna to settle family affairs. Before he was able to leave Africa, Mauri tribesmen invaded southern Spain. Control of the province was handed over to the emperor, while the Senate gained temporary control of Sardinia as compensation. Thus, Septimius Severus spent the remainder of his second term as quaestor on the island of Sardinia.


title: Septimius Severus

text: In 173, Severus' kinsman Gaius Septimius Severus was appointed proconsul of the Province of Africa. The elder Severus chose his cousin as one of his two "legati pro praetore", a senior military appointment. Following the end of this term, Septimius Severus returned to Rome, taking up office as tribune of the plebs, a senior legislative position, with the distinction of being the "candidatus" of the emperor.


title: Septimius Severus

text: About 175, Septimius Severus, in his early thirties at the time, contracted his first marriage, to Paccia Marciana, a woman from Leptis Magna. He probably met her during his tenure as legate under his uncle. Marciana's name suggests Punic or Libyan origin, but nothing else is known of her. Septimius Severus does not mention her in his autobiography, though he commemorated her with statues when he became emperor. The unreliable "Historia Augusta" claims that Marciana and Severus had two daughters, but no other attestation of them has survived. It appears that the marriage produced no surviving children, despite lasting for more than ten years.


title: Septimius Severus

text: Marciana died of natural causes around 186. Septimius Severus, now in his forties, childless and eager to remarry, began enquiring into the horoscopes of prospective brides. The "Historia Augusta" relates that he heard of a woman in Syria of whom it had been foretold that she would marry a king, and so Severus sought her as his wife. This woman was an Emesene Syrian named Julia Domna. Her father, Julius Bassianus, descended from the Arab Emesene dynasty and served as a high priest to the local cult of the sun god Elagabal. Domna's older sister, Julia Maesa, would become the grandmother of the future emperors Elagabalus and Alexander Severus.


title: Septimius Severus

text: Bassianus accepted Severus' marriage proposal in early 187, and in the summer the couple married in Lugdunum (modern-day Lyon, France), of which Severus was the governor. The marriage proved happy, and Severus cherished Julia and her political opinions. Julia built "the most splendid reputation" by applying herself to letters and philosophy. They had two sons, Lucius Septimius Bassianus (later nicknamed Caracalla, born 4April 188 in Lugdunum) and Publius Septimius Geta (born 7March 189 in Rome).


title: Septimius Severus

text: In 191, on the advice of Quintus Aemilius Laetus, prefect of the Praetorian Guard, emperor Commodus appointed Severus as governor of Pannonia Superior. At around this time he is described by the classicist Kyle Harper as being "a middling senator of modest physical stature and unacceptional accomlishment". Commodus was assassinated the following year. Pertinax was acclaimed emperor, but he was then killed by the Praetorian Guard in early 193. In response to the murder of Pertinax, Severus' legion "XIV Gemina" acclaimed him emperor at Carnuntum. Nearby legions, such as "X Gemina" at Vindobona, soon followed suit. Having assembled an army, Severus hurried to Italy.


title: Septimius Severus

text: Pertinax's successor in Rome, Didius Julianus, had bought the emperorship in an auction. Julianus was condemned to death by the Senate and killed. Severus took possession of Rome without opposition. He executed Pertinax's murderers and dismissed the rest of the Praetorian Guard, filling its ranks with loyal troops from his own legions.


title: Septimius Severus

text: The legions of Syria had proclaimed Pescennius Niger emperor. At the same time Severus felt it reasonable to offer Clodius Albinus, the powerful governor of Britannia, who had probably supported Didius against him, the rank of Caesar, which implied some claim to the succession. With his rear safe, he moved to the East and crushed Niger's forces at the Battle of Issus (194). While campaigning against Byzantium, he ordered that the tomb of his fellow-Carthaginian Hannibal be covered with fine marble.


title: Septimius Severus

text: He devoted the following year to suppressing Mesopotamia and other Parthian vassals who had backed Niger. Afterwards, Severus declared his son Caracalla as his successor, which caused Albinus to be hailed emperor by his troops and to invade Gaul. After a short stay in Rome, Severus moved north to meet him. On 19February 197 at the Battle of Lugdunum, with an army of about 75,000 men, mostly composed of Pannonian, Moesian and Dacian legions and a large number of auxiliaries, Severus defeated and killed Clodius Albinus, securing his full control over the empire.


title: Septimius Severus

text: In early 197 Severus left Rome and sailed to the east. He embarked at Brundisium and probably landed at the port of Aegeae in Cilicia, travelling on to Syria by land. He immediately gathered his army and crossed the Euphrates. Abgar IX, titular King of Osroene but essentially only the ruler of Edessa since the annexation of his kingdom as a Roman province, handed over his children as hostages and assisted Severus' expedition by providing archers. King Khosrov I of Armenia also sent hostages, money and gifts.


title: Septimius Severus

text: Severus travelled on to Nisibis, which his general Julius Laetus had prevented from falling into Parthian hands. Afterwards Severus returned to Syria to plan a more ambitious campaign. The following year he led another, more successful campaign against the Parthian Empire, reportedly in retaliation for the support it had given to Pescennius Niger. His legions sacked the Parthian royal city of Ctesiphon and he annexed the northern half of Mesopotamia to the empire; Severus took the title "", following the example of Trajan. However, he was unable to capture the fortress of Hatra, even after two lengthy sieges—just like Trajan, who had tried nearly a century before. During his time in the east, though, Severus also expanded the "Limes Arabicus", building new fortifications in the Arabian Desert from Basie to Dumatha.


title: Septimius Severus

text: Severus' relations with the Senate were never good. He was unpopular with them from the outset, having seized power with the help of the military, and he returned the sentiment. Severus ordered the execution of a large number of Senators on charges of corruption or conspiracy against him and replaced them with his favourites. Although his actions turned Rome more into a military dictatorship, he was popular with the citizens of Rome, having stamped out the rampant corruption of Commodus' reign. When he returned from his victory over the Parthians, he erected the Arch of Septimius Severus in Rome.


title: Septimius Severus

text: According to Cassius Dio, however, after 197 Severus fell heavily under the influence of his Praetorian prefect, Gaius Fulvius Plautianus, who came to have almost total control of the imperial administration. At the same time, a bloody power crisis erupted between Plautianus and Julia Domna, Severus' influential and powerful wife, which had a relatively destructive effect on the centre of power. Plautianus' daughter, Fulvia Plautilla, was married to Severus' son, Caracalla. Plautianus' excessive power came to an end in 204, when he was denounced by the emperor's dying brother. In January 205 Julia Domna and Caracalla accused Plautianus of plotting to kill him and Severus. The powerful prefect was executed while he was trying to defend his case in front of the two emperors. One of the two following "praefecti" was the famous jurist Papinian. Executions of senators did not stop: Cassius Dio records that many of them were put to death, some after being formally tried. After the assassination of Gaius Fulvius Plautianus in the rest of his reign, he relied more on the advice of his clever and educated wife, Julia Domna, in the administration of the empire.


title: Septimius Severus

text: Upon his arrival at Rome in 193, Severus discharged the Praetorian Guard, which had murdered Pertinax and had then auctioned the Roman Empire to Didius Julianus. Its members were stripped of their ceremonial armour and forbidden to come within miles of the city on pain of death. Severus replaced the old guard with 10 new cohorts recruited from veterans of his Danubian legions.


title: Septimius Severus

text: Around 197 he increased the number of legions from 30 to 33, with the introduction of the three new legions: I, II and III "Parthica". He garrisoned Legio II Parthica at Albanum, only from Rome. He gave his soldiers a donative of a thousand "sesterces" (250 "denarii") each, and raised the annual wage for a soldier in the legions from 300 to 400 "denarii".


title: Septimius Severus

text: Severus was the first Roman emperor to station some of the imperial army in Italy. He realized that Rome needed a military central reserve with the capability to be sent anywhere.


title: Septimius Severus

text: At the beginning of Severus' reign, Trajan's policy toward the Christians was still in force. That is, Christians were only to be punished if they refused to worship the emperor and the gods, but they were not to be sought out. Therefore, persecution was inconsistent, local and sporadic. Faced with internal dissidence and external threats, Severus felt the need to promote religious harmony by promoting syncretism. He, possibly, issued an edict that punished conversion to Judaism and Christianity.


title: Septimius Severus

text: A number of persecutions of Christians occurred in the Roman Empire during his reign and are traditionally attributed to Severus by the early Christian community. This is based on the decree mentioned in the "Historia Augusta", an unreliable mix of fact and fiction. Early church historian Eusebius described Severus as a persecutor. The Christian apologist Tertullian stated that Severus was well disposed towards Christians, employed a Christian as his personal physician and had personally intervened to save several high-born Christians known to him from the mob. Eusebius' description of Severus as a persecutor likely derives merely from the fact that numerous persecutions occurred during his reign, including those known in the "Roman Martyrology" as the martyrs of Madauros, Charalambos and Perpetua and Felicity in Roman-ruled Africa. These were probably the result of local persecutions rather than empire-wide actions or decrees by Severus.


title: Septimius Severus

text: The choice of colours and attributes worn by the emperor is not trivial. The clothes are staged and have a very precise symbolism, easily understood by the Roman people.


title: Septimius Severus

text: Purple and red are the main colours. Purple is a very expensive colour because it is very difficult to manufacture. It is also the colour associated with the God Jupiter. Red is the colour of the God of War, Mars, who is also worn by the Roman military.


title: Septimius Severus

text: The Greek-inspired shoes are a symbol of tradition and preservation worn on special occasions. The shoes are adorned with a lion's head, a representation of Hercules, as if the emperor was supported by this popular hero in the eyes of the Romans. The emperor is thus a continuator of Roman history, a guarantor of traditions.


title: Septimius Severus

text: The subarmalis is a gold and purple support for the cuirass, and protects against the rubbing of the metal.


title: Septimius Severus

text: The belt set with tiles represents several things: the institutions that the emperor leads, the homage to the gods, the character traits of the emperor.


title: Septimius Severus

text: The cuirass worn by the emperor is magnified with gold details. We see Jupiter, who symbolizes the Roman power. Also shown is the winged Victory carrying two torches, a reminder of the stability of the empire. Another oft-repeated symbol is the jellyfish, which protects the wearer of the armour and ward off the evil eye.


title: Septimius Severus

text: The paludamentum, folded over the shoulder, is a large rectangle of 5 to 7 metres, purple in colour, a mixture of silk and wool. A rare material because it was imported from the East, this makes it an exceptional outfit. This fabric is traditionally passed on from one emperor to another to enhance the legitimacy of one wearer to another.


title: Septimius Severus

text: A bronze braided laurel wreath, overlaid with silver, the most common, as worn by generals during their triumphs. Those of the emperors are adorned with a rare rock crystal.


title: Septimius Severus

text: In late 202 Severus launched a campaign in the province of Africa. The "legatus legionis" or commander of Legio III Augusta, Quintus Anicius Faustus, had been fighting against the Garamantes along the "Limes Tripolitanus" for five years. He captured several settlements such as Cydamus, Gholaia, Garbia and their capital Garama—over south of Leptis Magna. The province of Numidia was also enlarged: the empire annexed the settlements of Vescera, Castellum Dimmidi, Gemellae, Thabudeos and Thubunae. By 203 the entire southern frontier of Roman Africa had been dramatically expanded and re-fortified. Desert nomads could no longer safely raid the region's interior and escape back into the Sahara.


title: Septimius Severus

text: In 208 Severus travelled to Britain with the intention of conquering Caledonia. Modern archaeological discoveries illuminate the scope and direction of his northern campaign. Severus probably arrived in Britain with an army of over 40,000, considering some of the camps constructed during his campaign could house this number.


title: Septimius Severus

text: He strengthened Hadrian's Wall and reconquered the Southern Uplands up to the Antonine Wall, which was also enhanced. Severus built a camp south of the Antonine Wall at Trimontium, probably assembling his forces there. Supported and supplied by a strong naval force, Severus then thrust north with his army across the wall into Caledonian territory. Retracing the steps of Agricola of over a century before, Severus rebuilt and garrisoned many abandoned Roman forts along the east coast, such as Carpow.


title: Septimius Severus

text: By 210 Severus' campaigning had made significant gains, despite Caledonian guerrilla tactics and purportedly heavy Roman casualties. The Caledonians sued for peace, which Severus granted on condition they relinquish control of the Central Lowlands. This is evidenced by extensive Severan-era fortifications in the Central Lowlands. The Caledonians, short on supplies and feeling that their position was desperate, revolted later that year with the Maeatae. Severus prepared for another protracted campaign within Caledonia. He was now intent on exterminating the Caledonians, telling his soldiers: "Let no-one escape sheer destruction, no-one our hands, not even the babe in the womb of the mother, if it be male; let it nevertheless not escape sheer destruction."


title: Septimius Severus

text: Severus' campaign was cut short when he fell ill. He withdrew to Eboracum (York) and died there in 211. Although his son Caracalla continued campaigning the following year, he soon settled for peace. The Romans never campaigned deep into Caledonia again. Shortly after this, the frontier was permanently withdrawn south to Hadrian's Wall.


title: Septimius Severus

text: Severus is famously said to have given the advice to his sons: "Be harmonious, enrich the soldiers, scorn all others" before he died on 4 February 211. On his death, Severus was deified by the Senate and succeeded by his sons, Caracalla and Geta, who were advised by his wife Julia Domna. Severus was buried in the Mausoleum of Hadrian in Rome.


title: Septimius Severus

text: Edward Gibbon famously levelled a harsh indictment of Septimius Severus as a principal agent in the empire's decline. "The contemporaries of Severus, in the enjoyment of the peace and glory of his reign, forgave the cruelties by which it had been introduced. Posterity, who experienced the fatal effects of his maxims and example, justly considered him as the principal author of the decline of the Roman empire." According to Gibbon, "his daring ambition was never diverted from its steady course by the allurements of pleasure, the apprehension of danger, or the feelings of humanity." His enlargement of the Limes Tripolitanus secured Africa, the agricultural base of the empire where he was born. His victory over the Parthian Empire was for a time decisive, securing Nisibis and Singara for the empire and establishing a "status quo" of Roman dominance in the region until 251. His policy of an expanded and better-rewarded army was criticised by his contemporaries Cassius Dio and Herodianus: in particular, they pointed out the increasing burden, in the form of taxes and services, the civilian population had to bear to maintain the new and better-paid army. The large and ongoing increase in military expenditure caused problems for all of his successors.


title: Septimius Severus

text: To maintain his enlarged military, he debased the Roman currency. Upon his accession he decreased the silver purity of the denarius from 81.5% to 78.5%, although the silver weight actually increased, rising from 2.40 grams to 2.46 grams. Nevertheless, the following year he debased the denarius again because of rising military expenditures. The silver purity decreased from 78.5% to 64.5%—the silver weight dropping from 2.46 grams to 1.98 grams. In 196 he reduced the purity and silver weight of the denarius again, to 54% and 1.82 grams, respectively. Severus' currency debasement was the largest since the reign of Nero, compromising the long-term strength of the economy.


title: Septimius Severus

text: Severus was also distinguished for his buildings. Apart from the triumphal arch in the Roman Forum carrying his full name, he also built the Septizodium in Rome. He enriched his native city of Leptis Magna, including commissioning a triumphal arch on the occasion of his visit of 203.


title: War of the Worlds (2019 TV series)

text: War of the Worlds is a television series produced by Fox Networks Group and StudioCanal–backed Urban Myth Films. The series is created and written by Howard Overman and directed by Gilles Coulier and Richard Clark. The series is an adaptation of "The War of the Worlds", an 1898 novel by H. G. Wells about Earth coming to terms in the wake of a sudden Martian invasion. It is the third television adaptation of the novel. It stars Daisy Edgar-Jones (for the first two seasons) and Gabriel Byrne, along with an ensemble supporting cast, including a number of co-stars who change over time.


title: War of the Worlds (2019 TV series)

text: The first season consists of eight episodes and premiered in France in October 2019. An eight-episode second season premiered in France in May 2021. "War of the Worlds" was renewed for a third season in July 2021, which aired in September 2022.


title: War of the Worlds (2019 TV series)

text: The series takes place in contemporary Britain and France, but it serves as a re-imagining of the classic H. G. Wells novel.


title: War of the Worlds (2019 TV series)

text: The below actors are credited in the opening titles of only one or two episodes in which they play a significant role.


title: War of the Worlds (2019 TV series)

text: "War of the Worlds" is produced by Fox Networks Group and StudioCanal. AGC Television co-finances and co-distributes the series. The series is executive produced by Overman, Julian Murphy and Johnny Capps. Gilles Coulier and Richard Clark each directed four episodes of the first season, with Coulier directing the first four episode and Clark directing the last four. The series was written by Howard Overman.


title: War of the Worlds (2019 TV series)

text: By October 2019, the creative team had begun work on a second season. Richard Clark returned to direct the first four episodes, with Ben A. Williams directing the final four. In July 2021, "War of the Worlds" was renewed for a third season, set to air in 2022. Season 3 is directed by Indra Siera and Jonas Alexander Arnby.


title: War of the Worlds (2019 TV series)

text: Gabriel Byrne and Elizabeth McGovern star in the series. They are joined by Daisy Edgar-Jones and Bayo Gbadamosi as co-stars and Aimee-Ffion Edwards, Stéphane Caillard, Adel Bencherif, Guillaume Gouix, Léa Drucker and Natasha Little as main supporting cast. Greg Kinnear was originally set to star, but was not listed in the starring cast list when it was revealed by Deadline Hollywood in January 2019.


title: War of the Worlds (2019 TV series)

text: Production for the first season took place in the United Kingdom, France and Belgium. The series was filmed in Bristol in March 2019, as well as filming in Cardiff, Newport and London.


title: War of the Worlds (2019 TV series)

text: The first series was released in full on MyCanal in France on October 28, 2019, before being broadcast from the same day in weekly batches of two episodes and was released in most parts of Europe and Africa weekly between October 30 and December 18, 2019. The series premiered in the United States on February 16, 2020, on Epix; in the UK on March 5, 2020; and in Canada on October 7, 2020, on CBC Television. Canal+ and Fox Networks Group have the rights to release the series in Europe and Africa. AGC Television distributes the series to the North American market and co-distributes, with StudioCanal, to Latin America, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East. Fox Networks Group releases the series in Europe. The series broadcasts on Fox in more than 50 countries and on Epix in the United States and territories.


title: War of the Worlds (2019 TV series)

text: The eight-episode second season was released in full in France on MyCanal on May 17, 2021, before being broadcast from the same day in weekly batches of two episodes, mirroring the release of the first season. The season premiered on Fox on May 24, 2021; in the United States on Epix on June 6, 2021; and on CBC Gem on October 6, 2021, in Canada.


title: War of the Worlds (2019 TV series)

text: The eight-episode third season began broadcast from September 5, 2022, in weekly batches of two episodes. The season premiered in the United States on Epix on September 12, 2022.


title: War of the Worlds (2019 TV series)

text: Ben Dowell in "The Times" gave the first series four out of five stars. "The AV Club" dubbed it "compelling if derivative".


title: 2022 Swedish general election

text: General elections were held in Sweden on 11 September 2022 to elect the 349 members of the Riksdag who in turn elected the Prime Minister of Sweden. Under the constitution, regional and municipal elections were also held on the same day. The preliminary results presented on 15 September showed the government parties lost their majority, which were confirmed by the final results published on 17 September. After a month of negotiations following the elections that led to the Tidö Agreement among the right-wing bloc, Moderate Party (M) leader Ulf Kristersson was elected Prime Minister of 17 October. The Kristersson Cabinet is a minority government that relies on confidence and supply from the Sweden Democrats (SD)


title: 2022 Swedish general election

text: Following the 2018 Swedish general election, the Swedish Social Democratic Party (S) under Prime Minister Stefan Löfven formed a government with the Green Party (MP), while the Centre Party (C), the Left Party (V), and the Liberals (L) abstained during the vote of confidence on 18 January 2019. The Alliance, in which C and L had participated since 2004, was effectively dissolved; by late 2021, an informal right-wing alliance was formed by M with Kristersson as the prime ministerial candidate of a government including the Christian Democrats (KD) with the support of L and SD. Löfven governed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden, even as his government was briefly dismissed due to a no-confidence vote initiated by V in June 2021 over rent controls. Löfven resigned from all political offices in November 2021. Magdalena Andersson, Sweden's former Minister for Finance, succeeded him and led the Andersson Cabinet since then, with C, V, and MP serving as confidence and supply for the government.


title: 2022 Swedish general election

text: The campaign period was met with issues regarding the accession of Sweden to NATO due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as crime, energy, the economy, and immigration. Parliamentary parties campaigned through July and August, while in late August SD surpassed M in opinion polls. Exit polls showed that S and confidence and supply parties had a tight lead against the right-leaning bloc (SD, M, KD, L). During the counting of the preliminary results and later on, Sweden's Election Authority said that the right-leaning bloc overtook the left-leaning bloc (S, V, C, MP) by three seats. Andersson conceded the election three days later, followed by her resignation the next day.


title: 2022 Swedish general election

text: The election saw massive swings between the two blocs in different regions. The left-leaning bloc won the most votes in large cities and several university towns with unprecedented massive margins. This included major relative gains across the capital region and also flipping two suburban municipalities in Stockholm County. Meanwhile, the right managed to overturn dozens of municipalities that had historically been dominated by S, especially in the central interior Bergslagen region. In this historically industrial area, the county of Dalarna was won by the right-leaning coalition for the first time in history, while the left held on by just 373 votes in Värmland. This also applied to some municipalities the outright leftist parties (S, V, MP) had won with 50 points overall majority in the 1994 Swedish general election, that the right flipped.


title: 2022 Swedish general election

text: Major gains in minority were also made by the right-leaning bloc in northern Sweden, leading the vote in eight municipalities compared to none four years prior. In the lower east, the historically leftist swing counties Kalmar, Södermanland, Västmanland, and Östergötland all went to the right to seal the majority. S won 30% of the popular vote with a net increase in spite of the election loss. SD became the second largest party with above 20% of the popular vote, surpassing M at 19%. The blocs were separated by a thin margin of about half a percentage point. The parties aligned with the outgoing government did somewhat better in the regional and municipal elections.


title: 2022 Swedish general election

text: The Swedish Social Democratic Party (S) came back to power after the 2014 Swedish general election, with the Green Party (MP) taking part in Stefan Löfven's coalition government. S retained the position as the largest parliamentary party after the 2018 general election, despite losing 13 seats in comparison with the previous election. The election resulted in a hung parliament, as neither the Red-Greens nor the Alliance had enough seats to form a government, and the Sweden Democrats (SD), which had been subject to a "cordon sanitaire" by all other parties as an anti-immigration or far-right party, won 62 seats.


title: 2022 Swedish general election

text: Ulf Kristersson, the leader of the Moderate Party (M), was given the task of forming the government and opened up to SD after previously ruling out an alliance with them upon assuming the party leadership in 2017 and during the 2018 election campaign. In turn, the Centre Party (C) and Liberals (L) declined to back his candidacy, as Kristersson wanted SD to take part in the government. Löfven was later given the task, although he also failed to form a government. Speaker of the Riksdag, Andreas Norlén, set another vote to be held in January, and Löfven formed a deal between S, MP, C, L, and the Left Party (V). Löfven was re-elected on 18 January 2019 with S and MP voting in favor, while C, L, and V abstained.


title: 2022 Swedish general election

text: The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Sweden became known on 31 January 2020. The government later ordered 100,000 people a week to be tested in order to curb the spread of the disease; with insufficient healthcare resources and unclear responsibilities, the goal was not met. In contrast to the World Health Organization, the government did not recommend the use of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the government did not impose national lockdowns but rather limits on the number of people that are allowed to meet at public places. In December 2019, Kristersson held a meeting with SD leader Jimmie Åkesson, and said that he would cooperate with them in the Riksdag. According to Ann-Cathrine Jungar of Södertörn University, this put Sweden in line with several other European countries in which centre-right and radical-right parties cooperate. In August 2020, the right-wing opposition criticised the Löfven government for a perceived failure to deal with rising crime including gun violence, which Kristersson called a "second pandemic".


title: 2022 Swedish general election

text: During his premiership, Löfven abolished the austerity tax ("Värnskatten"), a top tax rate of 5% points for incomes above €6,000 a month, as was requested by the then Liberals leader Jan Björklund in turn for allowing his premiership. V opposed this move and later also stated it would initiate a vote of no confidence due to the government's policies the party saw as "unacceptable". In 2021, S proposed to abolish rent controls for new housing; V responded by initiating a vote of no confidence against the government. Löfven's government was dismissed on 21 June 2021; only S and MP voted in favor of his government. After the dismissal, Nyamko Sabuni, the new leader of the Liberals, stated that her party would not cooperate with S anymore. Speaker Norlén proposed Löfven to form a government, and on 7 July the government was re-established. A month later, Löfven announced that he would step down as leader of S and as prime minister in autumn of 2021. Following the dissappointing results in the 2018 general election that once again relegated the party to the opposition and saw the dismissal of the centre-right Alliance, M broke the "cordon sanitaire" in Swedish politics and opened up to SD. By autumn 2021, the right-wing opposition (M, SD, KD, L) formed an informal agreement for a future M–KD government headed by Kristersson of the Moderate Party as prime minister with the external support of L and SD.


title: 2022 Swedish general election

text: The Social Democrats held a party congress on 4 November 2021, in order to elect a new leader; former Minister for Finance, Magdalena Andersson, succeeded Löfven as the leader of the party. Speaker Norlén proposed Andersson to form a government, and after securing a deal with V, Andersson was elected as prime minister on 24 November. MP pulled out of confidence and supply for her government, which led to Andersson's resignation seven hours after her election as prime minister. MP quit the government due to the passage of the opposition's budget in place of that of the government.


title: 2022 Swedish general election

text: Speaker Norlén nominated Andersson again, and on 29 November she was re-elected with 101 votes in favor and 75 abstentions. Considering that MP did not vote in favor of the government, the Andersson Cabinet would be only composed of members of S. Heading into the 2022 general election, Andersson's leadership moved the Social Democrats to the left after the publication of a May 2021 party report, "Distributional Policies for Equality and Fairness", which criticised the rising inequalities that emerged from political decisions by previous left and right governments.


title: 2022 Swedish general election

text: Following the beginning of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Andersson's government applied with Finland to join NATO on 18 May 2022, despite the historical opposition of Social Democrats to NATO. During the vote in the Riksdag, only MP and V voted against joining NATO. In July the government signed the accession protocol in order to join NATO. Andersson's government received high approval ratings.


title: 2022 Swedish general election

text: The Riksdag is made up of 349 seats, and all are elected through open list, proportional representation on multi-member party lists. Sweden has the distinction of having elections on a fixed date with a parliamentary system in which early elections can be called. In the latter case, the newly elected legislature would serve the remainder of the four-year term begun by the previous legislature. Elections are organized on the second Sunday of September every four years, at the same time as the municipal and regional elections.


title: 2022 Swedish general election

text: Each of the 29 constituencies has a set number of parliamentarians that is divided through constituency results to ensure regional representation. The other members of parliament (MPs) are then elected through a proportional balancing, to ensure that the numbers of elected MPs for the various parties accurately represent the votes of the electorate. The Swedish constitution ("Regeringsformen") 1 Ch. 4 § says that the Riksdag is responsible for taxation and making laws, and 1 Ch. 6 § says that the government is held responsible to the Riksdag. This means that Sweden has parliamentarism in a constitutional monarchy—ensuring that the government is responsible to the people's representatives. A minimum of 4% of the national vote, or alternatively 12% or more within a constituency, is required for a party to enter the Riksdag. Were the latter to occur, the party only gains representation within that constituency's seat share. Of the 349 seats, 310 are elected within the 29 constituencies. The remainder are apportioned nationally as leveling seats to ensure a proportional result. Were a party to win more constituencies than it is entitled to overall, a redistribution of constituency seats may occur to reduce the number of constituency seats won by that party.


title: 2022 Swedish general election

text: In Swedish elections, voters may openly pick up several party-specific ballots, and then, in the voting booth, mark the ballot they chose. Two election observers of the OSCE present at the 2018 general election criticized this system, saying that it could endanger ballot secrecy, and that they would look into the issue in the report that was to be published eight weeks later. Election officials are responsible for party-specific ballot papers being present in the voting places for parties that have obtained more than one percent of the votes in the previous parliamentary election. A voter may write in the party name of choice on a blank ballot paper to cast a vote if there is no access to the desired party-specific ballot paper.


title: 2022 Swedish general election

text: After the beginning of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, campaign issues shifted towards the NATO accession of Sweden, as well as the neighboring Finland. A militarily non-aligned country, opinion polls after the invasion had showed that a majority of respondents supported the accession of Sweden into NATO for the first time. The Swedish Social Democratic Party (S) and Sweden Democrats (SD), who had historically favored neutrality, revised their stance on the issue and stated their support for joining NATO. The Green Party (MP) remained opposed, while the Left Party (V) stated that they would opt for a referendum on the subject.


title: 2022 Swedish general election

text: Crime was a key campaign issue. Issues regarding immigration also played a key role during the campaign period, and issues related to gang crime were talked about the most. Additionally, issues regarding energy, healthcare, law and order, education, economy, and environment were also talked about during the campaign period.


title: 2022 Swedish general election

text: The Social Democrats published their election manifesto, in which the party had promised to tackle issues regarding crime, welfare, climate, green industry, and rising prices. It had also called for automatic preschool for three-year-old children. During their campaign, the Social Democrats voiced support for nuclear power. Andersson criticized the Moderate Party's proposal regarding property tax warnings. The Moderate Party stated that it would want to reduce immigration to "same levels as Denmark and Norway". Additionally, it would want to make asylums laws more restrictive and to abolish the "track change system", which allows rejected asylum seekers to apply for work permits. Kristersson proposed that the state should set a price threshold for energy bills. The Sweden Democrats campaigned on lowering the asylum migration "close to zero", as well as introducing longer prison sentences. Åkesson also stated his support for stricter work permits. In August the Sweden Democrats surged in opinion polls due to their tough stance on crime and immigration, surpassing the Moderate Party.


title: 2022 Swedish general election

text: In August Lööf stated that she would want the Centre Party (C) to be part of a Social Democrat-led government (S, C, V, MP). Lööf was later a target of attack by a former member of the Nordic Resistance Movement, a neo-Nazi political party. During the election campaign, the Left Party campaigned on "taking back control over welfare" and climate issues. Dadgostar stated her support for investing in green technology and infrastructure, and also criticized the parties on the right. She also stated that the Left Party would work with parties on the left to form a government. The Christian Democrats (KD) campaigned on installing more security cameras and increasing funding in resources for the police in order to fight gang crime. Busch called for the re-opening of Ringhals Nuclear Power Plant, as well as expanding water and wind production. The Liberals (L) stated their support for more investments into solar, wind, and nuclear power. Additionally, the Liberals stated that they would want to lower taxes on electricity, especially VAT and excise taxes. In August 2022 there was an internal conflict among the Liberals regarding campaigning on a bus tour that would have included SD. Pehrson responded by stating that the four parties (M, SD, KD, L) would visit a nuclear power plant together, and described it as "hardly a big ideological question". There was also internal criticism regarding cooperating with SD on the budget. The Green Party campaigned on climate and social issues, including investment and expansion of rail/train transport in Sweden, and replacing fossil fuels and diesel with renewable fuels, as well as protecting free media and initiating a citizenship initiative system to allow in part for legislation proposed by citizens.


title: 2022 Swedish general election

text: As of 15 September 2022, the results remained preliminary after a first tally was presented. The official results were announced about a week after the election, showing very minor changes.


title: 2022 Swedish general election

text: Sveriges Television exit polling (VALU) suggested the following demographic breakdown based on preliminary results to the nearest integer.


title: 2022 Swedish general election

text: Voting stations were opened from 08:00 (CEST) to 20:00, and there were 7,772,120 Swedish nationals in total that had the right to vote in the 2022 general election. According to exit polls that were published by Sveriges Television and TV4, the bloc around the Swedish Social Democratic Party (S) showed a tight lead against the bloc around the Moderate Party (M). It was also reported that the Sweden Democrats (SD) surpassed M in the amount of votes, and suggested that it could become the second-largest parliamentary party. S also won more votes in comparison with the 2018 Swedish general election.


title: 2022 Swedish general election

text: Sweden's Election Authority stated that the bloc that composed of M, SD, Christian Democrats (KD), and Liberals (L) overtook the bloc around S by one to three seats during the counting of the preliminary results. The gap between the two blocs was around 50,000 votes. Ulf Kristersson, the M leader, stated that "the results would be likely known by Wednesday" and he thanked his voters, while Jimmie Åkesson, the SD leader, stated that SD would play a "central role" in the power shift. Kristersson also said that a change in the numbers of seats is possible. As overseas and some postal votes were to be counted, the incumbent prime minister Magdalena Andersson stated that "it is too close to call the election". Some analysts have seen the rise of the Nuance Party, mainly aimed at the country's Muslim population, as one of the causes of the losses in the left bloc.


title: 2022 Swedish general election

text: SD's election night vigil in Stockholm attracted controversy after the party refused to grant access to several foreign language media and after the party's chief of staff Linus Bylund joked that he was looking forward to "journalist rugby", where "you push journalists around". The election vigil also attracted controversy after SD politician Rebecka Fallenkvist proclaimed "Helg Seger" while raising her arm in an interview with far-right blog "Samnytt", which is phonetically similar to "Hell Seger", the Swedish translation of the Nazi "Sieg Heil" chant. Fallenkvist subsequently told "Expressen" that she had aimed to provoke the media into overinterpretations before later telling "Dagens Nyheter" that she had misspoke and meant to say "segerhelg", which would translate to "victory weekend". In late-October, an SD candidate who had been elected to the Nynäshamn City Council resigned as a councillor after a media investigation found that she had been an active member of the neo-Nazi Nordic Resistance Movement for two decades.


title: 2022 Swedish general election

text: On 13 September Annie Lööf, the leader of the Centre Party (C), sent an internal email to the party's elected politicians in which she called the results for the party "very disappointing" and stated that C's board would conduct an investigation into the party's campaign. Two days later, Lööf announced her resignation as party leader. Andersson conceded on 14 September, and announced her resignation as prime minister, paving the way for Kristersson to attempt to form a new government. Andersson called upon M, KD, and L to reject SD, and said she was open to a government with M that would exclude SD. Some Liberals in particular have been wary of a government with SD. Renew Europe, the European parliamentary group of which L is part, has been critical of the Liberals being part of a government including SD.


title: 2022 Swedish general election

text: Despite the right-wing majority, no government had been formed by the opening of the newly elected Riksdag on 26 September. Moderate Party leaders raised concerns that SD would hold a disproportionate amount of influence over a new government, and would use the committee chairmanships allocated to them to block or delay government policy. On 26 September Andreas Norlén of the Moderate Party was re-elected as Speaker of the Riksdag by acclamation. The election of Julia Kronlid of the Sweden Democrats as Second Deputy Speaker of the Riksdag required a second ballot after the first ballot fell three votes short of the required majority.


title: 2022 Swedish general election

text: On 19 September, Speaker Andreas Norlén, after talks with representatives of the Riksdag parties and a discussion with the Deputy Speakers, tasked Ulf Kristersson of the Moderate Party (M) with probing the conditions for forming a government. On 12 October, Kristersson reported to the speaker and requested two more days to get his government documents together. On 14 October, Kristersson announced to the Speaker of the Riksdag that he was ready to form a government with the Christian Democrats (KD) and the Liberals (L), with the support of the Sweden Democrats (SD). The four parties' written agreement with Kristersson as Prime Minister for the 2022–2026 term is called the Tidö Agreement. With the agreement, named after the place where it was negotiated, this is the first time SD have formalised influence over a government's policy.


title: 2022 Swedish general election

text: On 17 October, the Riksdag voted 176 to 173 in favour of Kristersson becoming Prime Minister under the four parties' agreement. As a government, M, KD, and L have together less seats than the Swedish Social Democratic Party (S) combined and must rely on SD for every vote. This means that M, KD, and L are part of a minority government, while SD gets civil servants in the government office (despite internal opposition from L, the more vocal anti-SD party within the right-wing bloc, and it being one of the red lines the party had drawn prior to the election) and gives external support through confidence and supply to assure the Kristersson-led government of its absolute majority. It is the first time SD will hold direct government influence. European Union lawmakers criticised the centre-right and M in particular, as a member of the European People's Party, for allying with the far right, as did opposition leaders led by S.


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: Michael Gary Scott is a fictional character and the protagonist of the NBC sitcom, "The Office", portrayed by Steve Carell. Michael serves as the regional manager of the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of paper company, Dunder Mifflin Inc. However, he temporarily leaves the company to form his own paper company with Pam Beesly and Ryan Howard towards the end of the fifth season and shares a co-managerial position with Jim Halpert during a sixth season arc from "The Meeting" to "The Manager and the Salesman". Towards the end of the seventh season, he proposes to HR representative Holly Flax and moves to Colorado to take care of her aging parents, leaving the manager position to Deangelo Vickers in "Goodbye, Michael". Shortly after that, he gets a colonoscopy. (Andy Bernard assumes the job in season 8, after Vickers becomes brain dead; and ultimately Dwight Schrute becomes manager in season 9.) Michael's last appearance is in the finale where he is a surprise guest at Dwight’s wedding.


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: For his performance, Carell received significant critical acclaim and was nominated six consecutive times for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series as well as winning a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series (Musical or Comedy) in 2006.


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: All original series characters were adapted for the U.S. version. NBC programmer Tracy McLaughlin suggested Paul Giamatti to producer Ben Silverman for the role of Michael Scott, but the actor declined. Martin Short, Hank Azaria, and Bob Odenkirk were also reported to be interested, with Odenkirk auditioning. In January 2004, "Variety" reported that Steve Carell of the popular Comedy Central program "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart", was in talks to play the role. At the time, he was already committed to another NBC mid-season replacement comedy, "Come to Papa". Due to Carell being unavailable, Odenkirk was selected as Michael Scott and was part of the cast presented to NBC executives. Paul Rudd advised Carell that the American verison of "The Office" was never going to be as good as the British verison. However, "Come to Papa" was quickly cancelled, allowing Carell to commit to "The Office". Odenkirk went on to appear in the series in a brief role as an office manager reminiscent of Scott. Carell later stated that he had only seen about half of the original pilot episode of the British series before he auditioned. He did not continue watching for fear that he would start copying Ricky Gervais's characterizations. On the audio commentary of the pilot episode, director Ken Kwapis says that Carell's unfamiliarity with the British version of "The Office" and their experience working together on "Watching Ellie" influenced him being cast as Scott.


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: Stanley Tucci, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bruno Kirby, Tim Blake Nelson, Stephen Colbert, David Herman, Mike White, Greg Kinnear, David Cross, Rob Schneider and Noah Emmerich, among others, turned down the role.


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: Rick Moranis, Dan Aykroyd, Eugene Levy, David Koechner (who went on to play supporting character Todd Packer), Steve Buscemi, Owen Wilson, Jason Lee, Matthew Broderick, Jon Favreau, William H. Macy, and John C. Reilly were also considered for the role.


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: Two supporting roles in films helped get the attention of audiences: "Bruce Almighty", in which Carell plays Evan Baxter (an arrogant rival to Jim Carrey's character), who gets a humorous comeuppance while co-anchoring the news. In "", Carell plays another news personality, as slow-witted weatherman Brick Tamland. Although the series premiered to mediocre ratings, NBC renewed it for another season because of the anticipated success of Carell's movie "The 40-Year-Old Virgin", and the show subsequently became a ratings success. Carell won a Golden Globe and Television Critics Association award in 2006 for his role. He also received Emmy nominations in 2006, 2007 and 2011 for his work in the series. Although "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" was a surprise success, Carell revealed in an interview with "Entertainment Weekly" that he had no plans to leave "The Office". However, on the BBC Radio 5 Live Film Review show, he stated in an interview that his time on the show would probably end after his contract ran out after Season 7. This was later confirmed on June 28, 2010, when Carell confirmed that the seventh season of the show was to be his last after his contract with NBC expired.


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: Michael Gary Scott was born on March 15, 1965, in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He came from a relatively difficult childhood of loneliness. In the pilot, he references having a brother. Michael had some trouble with his early education, shown in "Dunder Mifflin Infinity" as Michael tells the camera crew he was held back from second grade. In "Diversity Day", Michael claims to be of English, Irish, German, and Scottish ancestry. He also claims to be "two-fifteenths" Native American. He has mentioned a stepfather, Jeff, whom he despises. In "Nepotism", it is revealed that Michael had a half-sister, from whom he was estranged for 15 years. As a consequence of their reunion, Michael hires his nephew Luke as an intern for the office, but eventually confronts the incompetent and rude Luke and ends up spanking him in front of the office, leading Luke to burst into tears and quit.


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: In the episode "Take Your Daughter to Work Day", Michael makes the claim that he was a child star on a kids' show called "Fundle Bundle"; however, it becomes clear that he simply appeared on the show as one of many guest children. In the old recording being played, he speaks touchingly about what he wanted when he grew up: get married, has "100 kids" so he could then have "100 friends" and none of them could say no to being his friend. Michael did not attend college, having lost all his tuition money in a pyramid scheme.


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: Michael started at Dunder Mifflin as a salesman in the early 1990s. In "Dwight's Speech", he shows the plaque and certificate he received in 1996 and 1997 for 'Top Salesman of the Year'. Dwight also praised him in a deleted scene from "The Coup" for winning consecutive awards for the best salesman. In "Two Weeks", he claims to have acquired half of the Scranton branch client base. In "The Client", he impresses his then-manager, Jan Levinson-Gould, by single-handedly acquiring an important client through somewhat unorthodox methods. Both Pam Halpert and Ryan Howard are impressed watching him make sales and negotiate their contracts when working in The Michael Scott Paper Company. Even Jim Halpert concedes that he might never become as good a salesman as Michael in "Koi Pond".


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: During a candid conversation in "The Fire", Michael tells Ryan that he became a salesman because he loved to make friends. After being promoted to the regional manager at a young age, he continued to treat work-related relationships as personal friendships. He acknowledges the difficulty because his colleagues are all lower than him in the workplace's hierarchy. He seems to have few relationships outside the office.


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: In his interactions with other characters, Michael is shallow, callous, ignorant and unaware of basic social norms. He tends to overestimate his own importance in the eyes of his coworkers and cannot understand why they do not share his enthusiasm. Michael believes an office should be the "place where dreams come true."


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: He is loyal to the company and honestly tries to help his employees when he thinks they are having a problem. Michael has been at Dunder Mifflin (as of "Michael's Last Dundies") 9,986,000 minutes, which means that he has been working there since April 1992.


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: Michael's constant desire to be the center of attention often manifests itself in selfish behavior. For example, when he burns his foot in "The Injury", he expects Pam and Ryan to tend to his needs, despite Dwight's much more serious concussion. When invited to "Phyllis' Wedding", he assumes his participation will be the high point of the ceremony. He pouts when he is upstaged by Phyllis' elderly father, eventually giving an insulting and overly familiar toast that gets him banned from the reception altogether. His desire to be liked often leads him to make unwise decisions or unfeasible promises without considering the consequences, only to back out when they result in an undesirable comeuppance. Michael appears to emphasize moments of sympathy or civility directed at him by his coworkers (mostly Jim) and inflates their importance in order to compensate for his loneliness.


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: Michael is irresponsible with his finances, and at one point is so heavily in debt he has to take up a second job as a telemarketer. Oscar makes a chart of Michael's spending habits and chides him for spending too much money on things "nobody ever needs" such as multiple magic sets and professional bass fishing equipment. Eventually, Michael is forced to declare bankruptcy (which he thinks requires only standing up and shouting "I declare bankruptcy!")


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: Due to his overall lack of common sense, Michael can withstand significant abuse from his peers and is often the butt of jokes. He is quick to take offense when wronged and his response is often disproportionate to the harm suffered. Similarly, when he unintentionally offends people, he will apologize; the most notable example of this is in "Gay Witch Hunt" when he cries after realizing his use of the term "faggy" hurt Oscar's feelings. Even though he is generally oblivious to criticism, derision, and sarcasm, Michael has some limits to his patience, and leaves to question the extent of offense that he can actually acknowledge (demanding professional respect from Stanley Hudson in "Did I Stutter?" or standing up to the employees in favor of Holly in "Business Ethics").


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: In "The Meeting", it is shown that Michael does not aim for his employees' betterment or his own, thinking that this would put his job in jeopardy. He unwittingly turns down a promotion that would put Jim in his position, choosing the status quo over his employees' ambitions. He sabotages Jim with a bad recommendation, mistakenly believing Jim's promotion would lead to his firing. He does, however, concede to a co-managerial position with Jim to avoid losing him.


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: Being a lifelong hopeless romantic, Michael Scott has had several romantic relationships, most notably with Jan, who became too domineering over him thus forcing him to end their relationship. He eventually settled down with Holly as she shared a similar sense of humor with him. He eventually quit Dunder Mifflin and moved to Boulder, Colorado to help Holly care for her ailing parents. They got married and had four kids together, while Governor John Hickenlooper appointed him as Director of Paper Distribution in the Department of Natural Resources.


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: Michael's catchphrase is "That's what "she" said!", which he uses whenever someone, intentionally or not, makes a sexually suggestive double entendre, including business meetings and legal depositions. Michael finds uttering the phrase so irresistible that in "Sexual Harassment", he is goaded by Jim into saying it just seconds after Jan Levinson and a lawyer from corporate specifically asked him to stop.


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: He has diverse interests in media. Song parody writing is often referred to: in "Goodbye, Toby", he relates the titles of two of his songs, "Beers in Heaven" ("Tears In Heaven" parody) and "Total Eclipse of the Fart" ("Total Eclipse of the Heart" parody), before singing a rendition of "Goodbye Stranger" as a departing gesture to Toby. He performs his parody of "The Chanukah Song" to reflect the Diwali celebration Kelly hosted. In "Dream Team", he comes up with "Achey Breaky Fart" ("Achy Breaky Heart" parody) and "My Stumps" ("My Humps" parody) during a brainstorming exercise. He hopes to finish the video production of his script, "Threat Level: Midnight", whose script was found and read by the office and whose finished movie (after ten years of production) was viewed in the seventh-season episode of the same name.


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: Michael adores the theatrical stylings of Meryl Streep, describing her in "The Job" as the "best actor around," and mimics her character from "The Devil Wears Prada" after seeing the film. He loves Wikipedia and YouTube, although he does not seem to really understand how they work and believes them to be news media organizations. Michael also likes the music of Billy Joel and U2; the movies "Mean Girls", "Million Dollar Baby", "Die Hard", "What a Girl Wants"; and television series such as "ALF", "Entourage", "The L Word" and "Queer as Folk". Michael tends to be a bit "behind" when it comes to popular culture references, such as when he refers to his then-girlfriend Jan's youthful male assistant as James Van Der Beek or in his numerous ringtones, including "My Humps" and "Mambo Number Five".


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: He appears to have a history of playing ice hockey and demonstrates his talent in "Michael's Birthday". In high school, after his math teacher told him he was going to flunk out, he went out the next day and "scored more goals than anyone in the history of the hockey team." He also has invited potential clients to "Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins" games. On multiple occasions, Michael has also expressed interest in basketball even though he is terrible (in "The Fire", "Basketball" and "Goodbye, Michael"). Michael is a Pittsburgh Pirates fan, and does not like the New York Mets.


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: Other interests include a pair of Levi's he refers to as "fun jeans", which he has professionally dry cleaned and the reason he started casual Fridays; his self-bought "World's Best Boss" mug from Spencer Gifts; and Chrysler automobiles. He drives a silver 2004 Sebring convertible for the first three seasons until he trades it in with Jan's Volvo for a shared Porsche Boxster in the episode "Money". After their relationship, he drives a red PT Cruiser convertible and later a newer-model Sebring as a benefit of the buyout of the Michael Scott Paper Company to Dunder Mifflin in "Broke". Michael enjoys planning fantasy entrepreneurial schemes that he would like to start, such as a men's shoe store called "Shoe La La", or another paper company simply called "Michael".


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: Apart from his masterful salesmanship, Michael is lacking in almost any other skills, management or otherwise. Jim Halpert once made a color graph of how Michael spends his time: 80% distracting others; 19% procrastination; and 1% critical thinking. Jim added that he inflated the "critical thinking" percentage so people could actually see it on the graph. His laid-back approach more often results in lower than expected workplace productivity, particularly when Michael places personal interests as a priority over work (such as his birthday, someone else's birthday, or his various seminars). To avoid being disciplined for his foolish actions, Michael often resorts to scapegoating employees to cover himself. Although his actions often lead to more problems for his employees, Michael believes that Scranton is "the cool, fun branch... like "Animal House"". He is genuinely upset when the top salesman from the Utica office trashes Scranton in a phone call by saying it's "worse than Camden".


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: Although his position as regional manager gives him broad decision-making authority on branch operations, he often places those responsibilities secondary to his desire to be friends with his employees. On the other hand, he also oversteps his authority by hosting events that corporate disapproves of, such as The Dundies and several office parties a year, inducing birthday parties for each employee despite only being allowed the budget for one a year.


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: It is revealed in the episode "The Duel" the Scranton branch is the best-performing company branch, well ahead of Utica and Nashua. Michael is called to corporate headquarters to answer the question, "What are you doing right?" After several minutes of Michael's inarticulate babble, his superiors concede that while Michael is definitely doing something right, they will probably never know exactly what. They send him on a lecture tour to spread his wisdom; instead, he wastes time and annoys the workers who have to listen to his drivel.


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: Despite his ineptitude, Michael is prone to brief bouts of surprising insight and is shown to have a kind heart as he shows deep, family-like affection towards the people working in the Scranton branch. The staff initially finds Michael annoying but he grows on them and is given emotional goodbyes during his final days in Scranton. In the episode "Broke", Michael displays self-awareness of his inability to keep secrets when he, Pam and Ryan all agree not to let Dunder Mifflin know the Michael Scott Paper Company is broke. Moments later he is seen bent over and in a panic when he admits that he's afraid he won't be able to keep himself from letting the truth slip. In the same episode, he displays a remarkable ability to negotiate with Dunder Mifflin and convince the company to hire himself as well as Pam and Ryan back with full benefits.


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: In the episode "Murder", Jim attempts to confront Michael for wasting time when he has the staff participate in a murder-mystery role playing game. However, he is confronted by an unusually serious and stern Michael, who demands to, "just let them [the staff] have this game". Jim then realized Michael actually was trying to distract the staff from the possibility of losing their jobs after a news article hinted at Dunder Mifflin going bankrupt.


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: In the episode "Business School", Michael is one of the few Dunder Mifflin employees to show up to Pam's gallery showing. Unlike Oscar and his then-boyfriend Gil, who had shown up and were critical of Pam's drawings (which Pam overheard), Michael immediately marvels at her work and asks to buy Pam's drawing of their office building. In a moment of sincere kindness, Michael tells Pam that he is very proud of her. Pam begins to tear up and hugs him. During "The Seminar", Michael advises a fledgling Andy Bernard to step up and begin selling at a seminar Andy is hosting, in order to boost his sagging sales.


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: Michael's habits of joking around and treating professional colleagues as personal friends are often inappropriate for management. However, along with his encyclopedic knowledge of the paper industry, it is remarkably effective when utilized to sign clients, as seen in "The Client" and "Heavy Competition." In "Initiation", Pam balks at Michael's sugar-fueled phone calls to a local business, but later realizes that his silly conversation (including a Bill Cosby imitation) helped to secure a major sale for Dunder Mifflin. He remembers people through word association starting with nicknames such as "baldy" and "fatso" which, while offensive to the individuals in question, works to his advantage. Although he is unsuccessful using his sales methods as a telemarketer in "Money", his social interactions with coworkers suggest that he would be a more popular presence in an office of peers as opposed to subordinates.


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: It is clear Michael loves Dunder Mifflin very much. He has also shown signs of feeling underappreciated, given his long history with the company. In the episode "The Negotiation", Michael discovers that he is making only slightly more money than Darryl, the warehouse manager, despite working for the company for 14 years. Later in the episode he drives to New York and demands a raise from Jan at corporate headquarters.


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: In the episode "New Boss", Dunder Mifflin CFO David Wallace ducks Michael's calls throughout the day. When Michael's 15-year anniversary party is cancelled by his new superior, Charles Miner, he drives to New York to confront Wallace. Citing his long history of service and many sacrifices, Michael asks that he be treated more respectfully. Wallace, seeing his heartfelt openness, promises Michael his party and pledges to attend. Michael surprisingly recognizes that the CFO is just humoring him, and stuns Wallace by quitting his job.


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: Michael tends to overestimate his importance to his employees, but despite constantly offending some of them, he has a close bond with them. Most of the employees have been the focus of Michael's jokes at one point or another, usually in reference to their race, sex, size, attractiveness, or sexual orientation. Examples of Michael's difficult relationship with his staff include getting slapped by Kelly for being racist, hitting Meredith with his car, getting kicked out of Phyllis and Bob's wedding, and outing Oscar to the entire office without his permission. They are, however, generally sympathetic to his shortcomings and, while regularly losing patience when he interrupts their workflow, often try to assist him with his personal problems.


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: Michael's relationship with the company warehouse employees is tense. He has a tendency to disrupt their daily work flow, and in a talking head interview, warehouse supervisor Darryl Philbin (Craig Robinson) explains that they have never been able to make a full year accident-free because of Michael's antics. CFO David Wallace tolerates Michael's antics because he values his loyalty to the company, but Michael offends CEO Alan Brand and the rest of the executives during his only meeting with them.


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: Although many Dunder Mifflin employees are initially barely able to tolerate Michael, they gradually grow to appreciate his sincere intentions, even at times coming to find amusement in his sophomoric humor and behavior; this transition is most apparent in Pam Halpert, with whom he eventually develops a genuine friendship. His co-workers are overjoyed when Michael finds his soulmate in Holly Flax; they participate in his romantic proposal to her and are shown to be emotional at his leaving Scranton to be with her. Jim Halpert even teared up while calling Michael "the best boss [he] ever had."


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: Dwight has the most respect for Michael, viewing him as a model for success, and is thrilled when asked to handle any task given to him, however ill-conceived it may be. Although on the surface, Michael usually appears dismissive of Dwight and generally views him as a suck-up, he is genuinely hurt and angry at the few times when Dwight has deceived him, such as when Dwight went over Michael's head to vie for the manager's job or when Dwight refused to reveal office secrets to Michael's new company, the "Michael Scott Paper Company". In the episode "Heavy Competition" of Season 5, Dwight takes Michael's Rolodex and finds his own business card, on the back of which, Michael had written (before leaving Dunder Mifflin): "Dwight Schrute, tall, beets". Michael also cares how Dwight feels about him. After Michael beats Dwight at his own dojo, Michael finds out that Dwight no longer wanted Michael as his primary contact in case of an emergency which causes Michael to promote him from "Assistant to the Regional Manager" to "Assistant Regional Manager", with a three-month probational period. Dwight told Michael in Season 6 that Michael's pathetic career path hurt Dwight and he regretted working for him instead of taking a fast-track job at Home Depot, but they buried their differences later on. When Deangelo Vickers arrives to be the new Branch Manager, Dwight is depressed that he didn't get the job after Michael recommended him, only to learn from Gabe that Michael didn't recommend him after all. At first Dwight is angry with Michael, but they make amends when Michael gives him a letter of recommendation on his final day at Dunder Mifflin. They end the day with a paintball fight behind the building. In the series finale, Michael is the best man at Dwight's wedding after Jim arranges it.


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: Michael has one-sided affection for Ryan, which often makes Ryan uncomfortable. Examples of this are when Michael gives Ryan the "Hottest in the Office" award in The Dundies, when Michael declares he would definitely want to have sex with Ryan in The Fire, and when Michael gives Ryan a $400 iPod for the Secret Santa gift exchange, despite the 20-dollar limit. In "The Deposition", a page from Michael's diary reveals he describes Ryan as "just as hot as Jan, but in a different way." On multiple occasions, Michael behaves inappropriately around Ryan, including slapping Ryan's buttocks, pinching Ryan's nipples, staring constantly at Ryan from behind his window blind, pinning Ryan to sit on his lap and making kissing gestures toward Ryan while calling him "the belle of the ball".


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: Michael is devastated when he finds out about Ryan's arrest for fraud, and much to the dismay of David Wallace, he later re-hires Ryan. In "Prince Family Paper", Michael acknowledges that his heart has led him astray before, naming Jan and Ryan as examples of this. In "Dream Team", Michael convinces Ryan to leave his job at the bowling alley and join his newly formed paper company. When working together, Ryan comes to respect Michael's skills as a salesman. In Season 7, Michael heavily invests in Ryan's WUPHF.com and won't agree to sell his majority shares when it is clear Ryan is exploiting Michael's goodwill and is incapable of saving the venture from bankruptcy.


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: Michael's obsession with Ryan is further shown in a number of deleted scenes. In one from "Diwali", Carol says that Michael constantly talks about Ryan's attractiveness and has begun stalking Ryan. In another from "Safety Training", Michael confesses that he will miss Ryan the most after dying, which angers Ryan. In a deleted scene of "Beach Games", Michael says he especially wants to see Ryan put a hot dog in his mouth. In "Night Out", Michael is in bed with Ryan asking "Do you miss us?," to which Ryan declines to answer.


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: Michael doesn't hesitate to compliment or criticize Pam for her looks and he frequently mentions her breasts. In the episode "Diwali" Michael mistakenly thinks that he and Pam have a connection, and is rejected when he tries to kiss her. Throughout their relationship, Pam has served as something of a shoulder angel for Michael by encouraging him to be more productive and discouraging his bad ideas, with varying degrees of success. She grows closer to Michael as he supports her goals in pursuing sales and art. Pam is visibly touched when, after many art show attendees (including Oscar and his boyfriend Gil) dismiss her artwork, Michael is so impressed that he asks to buy her painting of their office building. Their relationship comes to a rocky point when he begins dating her mother Helene. This is only repaired after he breaks up with Helene and allows Pam to slap him in the face in the parking lot. He trusts and respects Jim, although when they were co-managers they clashed due to their polar-opposite management styles. In "Secret Santa", Michael mentions that in a future vision he sees himself and his future wife living next door to Jim and Pam and that their children will play together. He often also refers to Jim as his best friend in the office, although, based on his impersonation of Jim using surfer slang in "Michael's Last Dundies", does not have a very good understanding of his personality. While Jim and Pam are both shown to care about Michael, his clingy nature makes them reluctant to socialize with him outside of the office; such as when, after numerous unsuccessful invitations, Michael is forced to trick them in order to have them over for a disastrous dinner in the episode "Dinner Party." In a Season 5 episode, Michael also shows his admiration for Jim, when Jim wears a tuxedo to work and goes on and on about having a 'classy party' for the party planning committee, and frequently suggests all of the ideas Dwight had offered that Michael had then rejected, only to bother Dwight by having Michael accept the same ideas from him. During Cecilia Halpert's baptism, Michael approaches Pam referring to himself as "the godfather" while imitating Don Corleone, after which she sympathetically but emphatically asks him to acknowledge that he won't be Cece's godfather, he is disappointed but does so and is hurt to learn that the godparents are a couple they'd only recently met. Pam is shown to have a soft spot for Michael, such as when she consoles him after he finds Holly to be in a relationship with AJ, and when she advises him on how to propose to Holly. In "Goodbye, Michael" it is revealed that Michael is secretly planning to leave for Colorado at the end of his penultimate work day, thereby avoiding having to say goodbye to everyone. Jim figures this out and goes along with it, telling Michael that he will tell him what a great boss he was the following day at lunch, which they both know Michael will not be around for; Michael and Jim both get sentimental during this final conversation between them. The strength of his relationship with Pam is revealed as he continuously asks about her whereabouts, not wanting to leave without saying goodbye. Pam, who spent the better part of the day away from the office, finds Michael at the airport and says goodbye in a touching scene just as he's about to board his plane for Colorado. She watches from the window as his plane flies off. In a deleted scene of "The Inner Circle", Pam is flattered that Michael named his new dog "Pamela Beagsley." Pam later teases Jim that their second child will be named "little Michael Scott" displaying the friendship she had developed with her former boss. In the series finale, Jim convinces Michael to replace him as the "bestest mensch" at Dwight's wedding. Pam is so thrilled to see photos of Michael's children that she does not judge him for paying for two phones to hold all the pictures.


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: Despite liking the majority of the staff, Michael fiercely hates Human Resources Manager Toby Flenderson. The origins of Michael's hatred for Toby go largely unexplained in the show itself, although writer/executive producer Paul Lieberstein, who also portrays Flenderson, has said that the genesis of the joke for the writers was in a deleted scene where Toby signs Meredith's birthday card.


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: Michael's long-time goal is to get rid of Toby and any attempts at reconciliation between the two usually backfire. In the episode "Goodbye, Toby", Michael is thrilled when Toby decides to move to Costa Rica and gives as his going away present a rock with a note that reads "Suck on this". The next season, after Toby's replacement Holly is transferred, Michael is horrified when Toby returns to Dunder Mifflin. In "Frame Toby", he goes to great lengths to get him fired, trying to frame him for possession of marijuana. In "The Chump", Michael says if he had a gun with two bullets and was in a room with Adolf Hitler, Osama bin Laden, and Toby, he would shoot Toby twice. In "Nepotism", after Michael spanks Luke, the office intern who is also his nephew, he is ordered to attend counseling sessions moderated by Toby, much to Michael's horror. At first Michael is uncooperative but is gradually tricked by Toby into discussing therapeutic details of his life and childhood. In "Michael's Last Dundies", Michael eggs Toby's house while he and Deangelo are handing out Dundie nominations in the cold open. In "Goodbye, Michael", Michael is seen saying goodbye to Toby without insulting him, possibly indicating that he will miss Toby on some level in spite of his tremendous animosity towards him.


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: Once Pam is promoted to salesperson following Dunder Mifflin's buyout of The Michael Scott Paper Company, Michael keeps Erin Hannon as her replacement. Her real name is Kelly, although, since there was already Kelly Kapoor, she mentions that she has always wanted to be called by her middle name, Erin. Michael is initially unkind to her as he misses having Pam as his receptionist, but she is able to earn his respect by cheering him up after his disastrous school visit in "Scott's Tots." Unlike her predecessor, Erin loves working as a receptionist, admires Michael and cheerfully accommodates many of his unusual requests (such as serving him a plate of ants on a log every day at 2:30 and spinning him in his chair until he's dizzy) that Pam likely would have been apprehensive about. Although he generally enjoys Erin's thoughtful treatment, his dismissive feelings towards Erin continue until "Secretary's Day" when he reluctantly agrees to take her out to lunch. Erin relishes the opportunity to spend time with her boss, while Michael finds their conversation awkward and mentions that her then-boyfriend Andy Bernard was previously engaged to Angela Martin. Erin was previously unaware of this, and after learning of it she ends her relationship with Andy. Later that day, Michael apologizes to Erin; the two are finally able to relate to each other over their mutual fondness for silly humor, stemming from their similar immature tendencies (with Michael's ignorance and Erin's naïveté). Their working relationship then develops smoothly while they bond by making each other laugh with childish jokes, such as Erin pointing out that the phrase "it's not" sounds like "snot." In "Viewing Party", Erin throws a "Glee" party with her new boyfriend, Gabe Lewis. Throughout the night, she unsuccessfully attempts to get Michael and Gabe to bond. Michael is jealous that the office looks to Gabe as the boss and attempts to sabotage the party. After being confronted by Erin in private, Michael questions why his opinion matters so much to her as he is not her father. In a moment of insight, Michael realizes that Erin, who was raised in foster care, does indeed look to him as a father figure and he instigates a playful fight as father and daughter by saying "go to your room, young lady!" Erin becomes protective of Michael to the point where she is hostile towards Holly Flax, saying in a talking head interview that she doesn't understand what Michael sees in her, until "The Search" when she, Dwight and Holly go searching for a missing Michael. Erin sees that Holly is able to sense where Michael is, and when she sees them reconcile, she finally understands their love for each other and smiles. Later in "Goodbye, Michael", Erin talks to Michael about her love life and wishes that she knew her birth mother so she could tell Erin what to do. Michael advises Erin that she shouldn't rush things and that she'll know what to do when the right guy comes along. Michael then tells her that she won't need her mother for advice, because she will always have his personal phone number when she needs advice and kisses her on the head.


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: Shortly after the dissolution of his troubled relationship with Jan, Michael found love with Holly Flax (Amy Ryan), Toby's replacement as HR Representative, who appears for a while to be Michael's best chance at love, with the two sharing a similar sense of humor and social awkwardness. However, after David Wallace witnesses them kissing, Holly is transferred to the Nashua branch and she and Michael break up after choosing not to pursue a long-distance relationship. Despite the breakup and Holly's new relationship with another man, their affection for each other doesn't go away, as it is shown that Holly had been writing a note for Michael on her work computer, as well as their subtle romantic glances at one another during the summer company picnic. Throughout her absence in Season 5 (excluding Company Picnic) and carrying on into Season 7, Michael hooks up with a few other women, but ultimately he realizes that they're nothing compared to her. Around Christmas in Season 7, Toby is forced to leave the office due to being selected as part of the jury duty for a local murder case, resulting in Holly returning as the temporary HR replacement. There is initial tension between the two of them and hesitation on her side (mostly after her sudden break-up with A.J.), but Holly finally reunites with Michael after realizing they're both soulmates. The two continue dating for a few weeks, and on Valentine's Day, they tell each other they love each other, decide to move in together, and resolve that they will not allow Dunder Mifflin to interfere with their future together. With her time at the Scranton branch almost up and the recent knowledge that her aging parents need to be taken care of, they ultimately become engaged. Holly later moves back to Colorado and Michael follows her soon after. In the finale it is revealed that they have children together. It was revealed in a photo album on NBC that they have three children and are expecting their fourth child.


title: Michael Scott (The Office)

text: Michael's longest relationship before his marriage was with Jan Levinson (Melora Hardin), his original-then-former boss from Corporate. Starting with a one-night stand after they closed their business deal at Chili's in "The Client", Michael and Jan begin awkwardly dating, become an official couple, and eventually move in together after Jan is fired from her job—although Jan usually treated Michael with contempt. After Michael fails to defend Jan in her wrongful dismissal suit against Dunder Mifflin, they remain together for a short while, but end up blowing up at each other during an ill-fated dinner party and eventually break up. He also dated Carol (played by Carell's wife Nancy Walls), a real estate agent from whom Michael bought his condominium. Michael was much more interested in Carol than she was in him, and after he made an unwanted and rejected impromptu public marriage proposal, Michael's decision to Photoshop pictures of himself over Carol's ex-husband in her family pictures resulted in their breakup. On a business trip to Winnipeg, Michael and "Concierge Marie" become close, and Michael does not wish to leave her after they are caught necking in her suite. After Jim and Pam's wedding, Michael begins dating Pam's mother Helene (much to Pam's horror), but he breaks up with her on her birthday after discovering she is turning 58. Near the end of season six, Michael begins dating Donna (Amy Pietz), the manager of a local bar, but later finds out that she's married and he is, as he puts it, "the mistress". He continues seeing her until the disgust of his employees drives him to listen to his conscience and break things off with her. In Season 7's "Sex Ed", Michael reunites (in person or by telephone) with all of his aforementioned past girlfriends when he believes that he has contracted herpes. In doing so, he realizes that Holly was the only one he truly loved.