So, I just finished watching Season 9 on DVD, which is the first time I've seen any episodes since it originally aired on TV and I gotta say, I'm not all that sure this season was "better" than Season 8. I think because of rose-tinted glasses, I said it was better in large part because of the final 2 episodes. Watching this season back, with so much time passed from 2012 till now, I can see that there were a lot of mediocre episodes this season. Yes, there were some standout jokes and pranks, but as a whole, I don't think it's better than Season 8. Probably the same. Like I said, The Office took such a massive hit with the exit of Steve that they really couldn't recover. It was kind of cool to go back and read my initial reviews for this season as the episodes aired. I stand by what I wrote. Wouldn't change anything other than this being better.