The Paper can have the Dundies just like The Office, detail explained in depth

The Paper, the spin-off and sequel to The Office, has just been released on Peacock. While it is mostly different from its predecessor, the new show might have one tradition in common with The Office. The primary similarity between the shows is that they are the subject of the same documentary crew. Other than that, they deal with different businesses.

But if you remember all the highlights from The Office, you must remember the Dundies. It was an award ceremony that Michael Scott (played by Steve Carell) held every year to celebrate the employees of the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin. While The Paper doesn't have the Dundies, they do have their version of an award ceremony, the Ohio Journalism Awards.

How the Ohio Journalism Awards are The Paper's Dundies

The tenth and final episode of The Paper season one is titled Ohio Journalism Awards, and that's where we find the employees of the Toledo Truth-Teller. This award ceremony is much more formal and even fancier than the Dundies. The Dundies was Michael's way of showing his appreciation for the Dunder Mifflin employees while he made fun of them at the same time. It wasn't a serious affair, just a night of fun and laughter at a local Chili's.

But for The Paper, the Ohio Journalism Awards is a formal event, held in a hotel, where people are awarded for their achievements in Journalism. As Oscar Martinez (played by Oscar Nunez) tells us at the very beginning of the episode, Mare Pritti (played by Chelsea Frei) is nominated for her story, The Softees clog story, Toledo Truth-Teller is nominated for Outstanding Print Coverage, which means Ned Sampson (played by Domhnall Gleeson) is nominated for being the editor-in-chief, and Oscar is nominated for creating the Mr. Digit Puzzle in the Best New Game category.

Three nominations at the Ohio Journalism Awards is a big deal for the Toledo Truth-Teller because the last time they won one of them was in 1971. When Ned started working at the Toledo Truth-Teller, the paper wasn't doing well. But three nominations, that too after five decades, means Ned has been successful in turning the paper towards better days, whether they win the awards or not.

At the beginning of the episode, Ned says he isn't worried about winning because he feels that being worried would mean wanting validation from strangers. But then we also see him holding the cut-out foot of a stuffed animal he had as a child, and also see him rubbing it, hoping it brings him luck. He also says that while he doesn't care or isn't worried about winning, he's holding the cut-out foot of the stuffed animal because his consistent dreaming about winning might be a sign that the subconscious part of his brain does want to win.

Mare, Oscar, and Ned are all anticipating whether their efforts would amount to something, or more specifically, an award. And it's a good day for the Toledo Truth-Teller, because they all win in their respective categories.

Despite the professional significance of the award ceremony in The Paper, there are some funny moments. We see Ken (played by Tim Key) and Esmeralda (played by Sabrina Impacciatore) not getting seated at the higher-ups' table at the ceremony, and doing everything they can to be a part of the conversation at the said table. Moreover, when Ned wins the award for the Truth-Teller for the Outstanding Print Coverage category, and isn't in the room to accept it, Esmeralda and Ken almost run to accept it on his behalf, and both behind to give different speeches at the same time.

Thankfully, Ned arrives soon. But then a medical emergency put a pin in the embarrassing speech, but also Ned's meaningful one. Esmeralda also sings an embarrassing song when the ceremony presents a slideshow honouring the journalists who have passed away in the past year. The irony is that, like always, Esmeralda doesn't realize the cringeness of her actions, while everyone just takes in her performance awkwardly.

Thus, while it might not be as unserious and chaotic as the Dundies, the Ohio Journalism Awards can become the equivalent of the Dundies for The Paper. The show has been renewed for a season two, and we might just see one episode every season dedicated to this award ceremony, the Truth Teller's nominations, and the embarrassing moments created by some of the employees of the newspaper company.

The Paper is streaming on Peacock.

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