In Defense Of 'Scott's Tots': Why 'The Office's Most Excruciating Episode Is Also Its Most Necessary

“I just finished this episode for the first time one minute ago, and I want to drown myself in gasoline.”

Reddit user u/DeejayGaming isn’t alone. That’s just one of the thousands of comments posted to u/CannotWatchScottsTots, an entire subreddit dedicated to an inability to endure the episode without the threat of self-immolation. 

It has nearly 17,000 subscribers. 

Most episodes of The Office are uncomfortable. Much like its UK namesake, the American Office adaptation made cringe its calling card, feeding us so much awkward that scientists studied its crippling effect on our empathetic souls. 

But some episodes stand out above the rest, and much of the vicarious shame comes via regional manager Michael Scott, so oblivious to his own lack of propriety that heinous social acts are practically second nature. Who else could cluelessly out Oscar, everyone’s favorite gay accountant, then kiss him full on the mouth to prove the virtues of accepting others?

We’re talking about the dude who attempted to hoist hefty Stamford branch transfer Tony Gardner onto a tabletop, despite the big man’s protests. It’s only an hour or two into his new job, and Tony realizes there’s no way in hell he can work with Michael Scott.

Michael then reached near-apex cringe when Phyllis’s disabled father found the strength to walk his daughter down the aisle. A tantrum-throwing Michael slammed the man’s wheelchair into multiple church pews before inserting himself between disgruntled groomsmen. 

Go ahead. Take a moment to crawl out of your skin. But all of these disturbing episodes pale in comparison to “Scott’s Tots.”

In case you’re one of the thousands who had the episode as a permanent skip in your Netflix queue, here’s a brief recap:

Ten years prior to the episode, Michael Scott was inspired by a local group of underprivileged students.

“I fell in love with these kids, and I didn’t want to see them fall victim to the system. So I made them a promise,” he confesses to the camera. “I told them that if they graduated from high school, I would pay for their college education. I have made some empty promises in my life, but hands down, that was the most generous.”

The pledge was also reasonable because, assumed Michael, surely he would be a millionaire by the time he was 30.

Nearly all of the kids hold up their end of the bargain, studying hard in exchange for that sweet tuition cash. Michael is a folk hero; the school has even named a reading room after him. And now that it’s graduation time, the students have worked up a hip-hop tribute to their champion: 

Hey, Mr. Scott, whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do? Make our dreams come true!

Except Michael can’t make their dreams come true. He doesn’t have the money. Not even close. And now he has to face the kids — kids who have busted their academic asses for a decade — and absolutely devastate them by admitting that he Scraton Strangled their college dreams.