When Three Is Neither Company Nor A Crowd: Least Favorite Love Triangles On TV

Photo © NBC/Chris Haston

Andy/Angela/Dwight: The Office (US version), Seasons 4 – 5

When the ubiquitous-yet-perpetually-unseen camera crew of this mockumentary first catches wind of a budding relationship between the queen of propriety and the owner of a beet farm, viewers were confused but intrigued. As Dwight and Angela’s relationship begins to play out through Season 2 and the early part of Season 3, we started to think that despite their overwhelming weirdness, they might actually be the best couple on the show.

Season 3 brought us the Stamford merger, and the introduction of Andrew Bernard. Andy eventually becomes the only transferred employee left, and struggles to fit into the idiosyncratic world of Dunder Mifflin Scranton, and to deal with his anger issues. After Angela abruptly breaks things off with Dwight in early Season 4 after figuring out that he buried her beloved Sprinkles alive, the love triangle plot was brought onto the show for the third time.

Andy made a play for Angela during the fourth season, resulting in their eventual engagement during the finale, “Goodbye Toby.” Dwight gradually works his way back onto Angela’s good graces, and the two were eventually carrying on a workplace affair right under Andy’s nose while he attempts to plan the impossibly specific wedding that Angela requires. Dwight feels superior because he was having sex with Angela, while Andy was being strung along in the name of her Christian values. When the show ultimately revealed that she had had sex with both men, they had a “duel” which resulted in both of them deciding to be done with Angela.

My biggest problem with this triangle is Angela’s behavior and the fact that both men act incredibly smitten with her, while she is treating them terribly. Dwight knows about her relationship with Andy, and still tries to act like he has some type of “claim” over her. Meanwhile, she is being openly hostile and resentful to Andy, and he is doing her ridiculous bidding over things like trying to find a fifteenth-century church that will allow cats to be part of the ceremony.

I don’t feel that her behavior, or really anything we’ve seen of her character at that juncture of the series is worth the ridiculous way these men are acting. I know that the scope of the show is the office, but I find it hard to believe that Scranton, Pennsylvania is so isolated a community that both of these successful, intelligent men have to fight over the office ice queen. Andy especially, seems to just be in the relationship through some sort of fear of solitude and a deluded sense of how Angela actually feels. Although he’s obnoxious and desperate for approval, I’m still tempted to think that he can do better than a woman who “very much likes” him, but creates an entire relationship to spite and punish her pining ex, whom she then promptly forgives . Not cool, sister.

Pages: 1 2 3