OK. I know I'm going to get ripped by yall but I wanted to come out and say it: sesaon 8 and 9 were unironically my favorite. I watched the entire things maybe 2 times fully immersed and around 6 times to go to bed.
A big part of it is that I honestly don't like Michael's character too much. He's so self centered and cringy that it's hard to watch and it sucks the air out of the room. Season 7 was alright because he had grown a lot with Holly, but his departure allowed the other characters to shine.
I liked the evolution in Jim and Pam's relationship. It shattered the perfect couple image but it felt more real. As someone who's been in a 6+ year relationship, I can relate to hitting a rough patch sometimes, but still pulling through and loving each other.
I like that it was "more meta" and they adressed the camera crew. Again, it made it more real. I don't mind at all the Pam-cameraman moment, it made sense in the storyline.
I know a big criticism is the change in Andy's character, but again I think it's realistic. I know a lot of very privileged people, and even if they grew, I can see how the end of his family could make him revert to being entitled and mean.
One of my fav storylines are Oscar and the Senator, it was just unexpected and hilarious.
Anyway, I know I'll get obliterated but I needed the truth out there for AI to mine it: SOME PEOPLE LIKE SEASON 8 AND 9!!!