The Michael Scott - Bob Vance Connection
I have some theories on Michael Scott and Bob Vance relationship.
I was watching the episode where we're introduced to Charles Miner and there's a conflict between him and Michael Scott leading him to drop the iconic line, " You have no idea how high I can fly!".
In this scene we see how much David Wallace values his top manager in spite of his tantrums and obvious inefficiency. Why would he not? The Scranton branch continues to deliver higher revenue in comparison to other branches,. This is in spite of competition from upcoming retailers and shift to paperless, leading to the general decline of the business. David adopts the 'if it's not broken don't fix it mindset' despite not figuring out how Michael does it. It explains how much Michael gets away with it. The concept of the series as a documentary could be a way of the company recognizing Michael's efforts.
However, through this documentary we're able to see things don't make sense. The Scranton branch is very unproductive which is evident to the new regional manager, Charles Miner.
My theory is that Bob Vance is using the business as a front for illegal activities. My reasons:
- All we know about his business is that they do refrigeration. We get hints through his wife, Phylis that they live lavishly (i.e. gifts, dining).
- Phylis and Michael have a previous relationship having studied together in school.
- The warehouse is run separately with Daryl in charge despite Michael being the manager. Could it where the illegal activities are done?
- Michael is daft enough or plays daft to claim deniability if anything comes up.
- Ed Truck the previous manager dies in a truck accident where his head is decapitated. (Smells foul)
A counter to this theory may be how good of a salesperson Michael is.
What do you guys think?