The Paper Finally Lets One Character From The Office Embrace His True Calling

This article contains spoilers for "The Paper" episode 4.

"The Paper" might be a spin-off from "The Office," but it's a loose one at best, featuring a new cast in a new office in a new city. Really, the biggest links between the new series and its predecessor are behind the scenes, with former "The Office" showrunner Greg Daniels spearheading the new series using several of the same writers and directors. But there is one major on-screen connection between the two shows (beyond the fact the same documentary crew are said to be shooting the staff at the Toledo Truth Teller): Oscar Nuñez's Oscar Martinez. The former Dunder Mifflin accountant is now doing the same job in Toledo, and a few episodes in, has been pretty adamant that he doesn't want to be involved in the new documentary (something that's showcased in the trailer for "The Paper"). But with episode 4, Oscar is handed the Arts and Leisure beat and will contribute to the Truth Teller as a critic going forward. That's a significant moment for the character, who previously revealed his love for the arts but never truly got to embrace it during his time on "The Office."

When we last saw Oscar in the 2013 finale episode of "The Office," simply titled "Finale," he was running for state senator against his former lover and Angela Martin's (Angela Kinsey) ex-husband Robert Lipton (Jack Coleman). But he was also still working at Dunder Mifflin, which had already seen several changes of ownership. When "The Paper" begins, we find out the company was purchased by the unfortunately-titled Enervate, which sells paper products. When Enervate subsumed Dunder Mifflin, it brought Oscar along for the ride, suggesting the accountant wasn't successful in his bid for state senate (or maybe he was, but returned to Dunder Mifflin after his political stint). Whatever the case, Oscar remains a bean counter at the start of "The Paper." But far from merely bringing him along as a way to entice fans of the original show, it seems showrunner and co-creator Greg Daniels has plans to give the character much a bigger and more satisfying arc than some fans might have expected.

On "The Office," Oscar Martinez was one of the Dunder Mifflin accountants but his real passion was the arts. He got a reputation for being a bit of an aesthete, especially after the season 4 episode "Branch Wars" (one of the best episodes of "The Office"), where he started a "Finer Things Club" that included Pam (Jenna Fischer), Toby (Paul Lieberstein), and eventually Jim (John Krasinski) — though Jim sabotaged his membership by failing to read "Angela's Ashes" and making fun of the group. The Finer Things Club would meet at lunch to discuss literature and art, and included E.M. Forster's "A Room With A View" and Arthur Golden's "Memoirs Of A Geisha" on its reading list.

For the rest of the series, however, Oscar never really got to embrace his love of the arts, and remained an accountant right up until the final episode, in which it was suggested he could embark on a political career. We know that didn't pan out (at least in the long run), but it seems "The Paper" will finally give Oscar a chance to do what he loves for a living. In episode 4, he's asked to review the local high school's production of "Mean Boys" and writes a hilariously scathing review which is only seen briefly in the episode but begins with the headline "Stop Trying To Make This Happen."

This attempt to give Oscar a character arc is a pleasant addition to a show which, let's face it, was never going to be a spin-off that was actually better than the original show. Not only does it prove the writers are actually paying attention to the character rather than just using him as a way to bridge the gap between "The Office" and "The Paper," it means we might get to see some meaningful character development in a show that's also having to juggle its own large ensemble.

There's no doubt Oscar Martinez was a beloved character on "The Office," but he was also a pragmatist who could sometimes be a real downer. He had an air of superiority about him and would frequently cite facts and figures as a way of undermining his colleagues' admittedly wild suggestions. In one particularly funny "The Office" scene, he is heard saying that he finds Angela Martin's cat poster to be "creepy and in bad taste" and went on a rant about how it was "the opposite of art. It destroys art, it destroys souls." As such, he wasn't always the most fun-loving member of the group, but perhaps his new job at the Toledo Truth Teller could change that.

When "The Paper" starts out, Oscar is as grumpy as ever, refusing to go on-camera and running from the documentary team. But after he's asked to review the play in episode 4, he sits down for an interview with the crew (though he makes clear it's only to promote his new Art and Leisure beat). This already suggests that Oscar might finally find some joy if he continues to contribute to the paper in this way, and implies he could be much more than a side character as the show goes on.

Speaking to Variety, Oscar Nuñez characterized Oscar as a "pseudo-intellectual" who "wants to do his job and find a boyfriend and go to some plays" and "wants to enjoy his life without being in a documentary." The "pseudo intellectual" part seems a little dismissive of the former Dunder Mifflin accountant, especially considering Nuñez also posed a more optimistic question: "Does [Oscar] just want to make a buck and be cynical, or does he want to do something?" It seems like as "The Paper" goes on, we'll get an answer to that question and perhaps a complete character arc for Oscar, who never really got a chance to overcome the "pseudo intellectual" label the first time around.