J is for Jeff Winger!
Jeff obviously does a tremendous amount of changing and growing throughout the show and I love him for it. His famous Winger speeches never cease to empower the group and he always knows just what to say, but as the series goes on, I think he uses them more for the benefit of the group rather than to benefit only himself, like in the earlier episodes. I feel like he gradually realizes like he doesn’t need to be a loner for these 4 years in college, and then he’s like maybe I don’t need to go back to being a sleezy lawyer and defending guilty people, and then he’s like maybe I don’t need to be a lawyer at all? He starts by learning to love the study group members all in their own way, and really becomes a (found) family man. And tried his hand at being a defense lawyer (RIP?). I love love love his realization in Introduction to Teaching that he might actually enjoy teaching! I feel like it’s a perfect finish to his transition from sleezy lawyer, to community college nerd, to actual good, kind, person. I think he really shows that despite what horrible background/childhood you may have had, despite the questionable life choices you’ve made, despite all of it, you can still change for the better and become a different person.
I’ve included a few of my favorite moments from the show here. I love the foosball episode, among many others, for the bonding that Jeff and Shirley get to do. They are such sweet friends and I love seeing them together. In case you couldn’t gather from my blog, I am a massive Jeff/Annie shipper, so the Basic Sandwich storyline is honestly iconic in my book. I love their chemistry throughout the series and I really loved how their arc ended, and I lowkey/highkey think they’ll be together in the future after the show. ;)
