And her name is Mare Pritti, and she is on Peacock’s The Paper (The Office spinoff with Oscar Martinez).
By: Gabriela Yareliz
I have waxed poetic on how the flaw of The Office is there are no women to be admired. The ones that had purpose and intelligence— they ruined. Jan goes insane. Holly is insane. Karen gets written off. Kelly stays shallow. Angela sleeps with everyone in Scranton. Pam buffers and quits art school (and is subsequently bad at everything else). Meredith, Phyllis and anyone else are too annoying or unimportant to be discussed. Yes, this includes Erin. Come for me.
The men on the show have character development and a storyline. The women are just sort of there to be part of the joke or supporting characters. This always disappointed me. I didn’t feel a connection to any female character on the show.
The Paper holds promise, and they better not ruin it (or Mare).
Women, like men, are different. There are different types of us. It’s a fact. The Paper captures this beautifully. They show the unhinged (Esmeralda), the toxic (Nicole), the chaotic (HR Lisa), the sassy (Adelola) and the dedicated (Mare).
Mare has captured my attention because while Ned Sampson is her boss, she is an intellectual equal. She does her job well, she cares about her job, and she served in the military. She is funny, unfrivolous and at the same time, beautiful. Mare is tough, smart, low-maintenance (a foil to many of the women in on the series)— and she has different sides to her personality.
A spoiler for Season 2 (don’t read in if you don’t want to know)— Mare illustrates the woman of today who wants to be respected at work. She wants to rise through her merit.
She also isn’t waiting to get (romantically) picked like Pam and Kelly. She doesn’t have that desperate energy. She shows what many women who make their own money face in today’s age— you choose to be with a man because you want to. Because he makes your life better and the relationship sparks joy. You don’t need the man. You aren’t in this constant martyrdom. You aren’t drowning in drama or the emotions of it all. You can choose, with a level head, whether it makes sense for you to entertain a suitor.
Mare illustrates a woman with the ability and wisdom to walk away. She isn’t afraid of trying new things, and she works to make it work (when they sent her to The Chronicle). Mare’s character isn’t beneath Ned’s and it also doesn’t dominate him or belittle him. I like their dynamic because they are on a level playing field.
Mare is refreshing to me. She is similar to Alex in St. Dennis Medical. (Except Alex is always stressed and lacks boundaries. Mare represents a calm and poised version of a similar kind and smart woman). She isn’t too cool to care. The character also laughs at herself.
Mare is my favorite character on The Paper, and I beg the writers not to destroy her. She has so many quirks and nuances of the coolest kind of woman. She is admirable. You want to see her succeed. I hope they let us see her flourish.
