Office Space: Desks & ShOliver

Space, desks and ShOliver. Need I say more?

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Hands down, Shane's carefully crafted mobile work station is my favorite set piece. It is the perfect combination of vintage antique meets modern convenience. I wish I had a Norman to make one for me.

Can I have one of these?

Recently I realized that Shane's desk is very much an extension of her character. In a lot of ways, where it's placed in the DLO is a reflection of where she's at with Oliver. The first time  we see that is at the beginning of "The Edge of Forever." Who can forget this moment?

She goes from happily being his neighbor to moving as far away as she possibly can. Who could blame her after Oliver cancelled their dance lessons like that? So rude! If only she knew why...

The desk stays in this location until "Something Good", after Shane and Oliver reconcile at Ellie and Bobby's wedding in "The Future Me." The desk then moves back to that cozy and convenient space between Oliver's desk and his fridge, remaining there until From Paris with Love.

Why does it live so far away in From Paris with Love? There are several possible explanations.
 
You could make the argument that in order for the Postables to sort through all those letters for the ring at the very beginning of the movie that, for production purposes, Shane's desk needed to be elsewhere. Less to do with the story, but still very plausible.

More to the point is that Shane spends most of the film very distant from Oliver, his wife between them. Notice that Shane's desk has a permanent fixture in front of it that has never been there before---and never moves---throughout the film.

But the explanation I have adopted is the one that says Shane simply doesn't need a physical representation of her closeness to Oliver in order to have their growing and deepening relationship reaffirmed. Somewhere between For Christmas and From Paris with Love, ShOliver transitioned beyond that stage.

Remember when this used to be Oliver's response to having Shane come near his desk?

The uneasiness remains until "A Hope & A Future" when he walks in on Shane behind his desk. Though it was warranted that time because she was technically snooping.

But for a majority of the series, Shane is seen positioned somewhere near or in front of his desk, but never behind it---at least not without invitation. I add that caveat for the smarty pants who will reference "The Future Me" when Oliver hands Shane the phone and she sits in his chair. I'm talking about Shane freely moving in and out of the space as the key here.

Compare those moments with this in From Paris with Love. And, yes, I did cut the video this way on purpose. You can thank me in the comments.

Not only is Shane sharing Oliver's coat rack, he's helping her with her coat and hanging it up for her. Do we even need to talk about Oliver singing to Shane, or that ridiculously sweet, but fleeting, moment of eye contact they shared? Shane's even behind his desk and using his favorite letter opener, which, as you'll remember, caused a brief tiff between them over opening things without his consent.

What's important here is that ShOliver has reached a place that transcends physical markers. Shane is free to travel in and out of the sacred space that is Oliver's desk, and Oliver welcomes her there. And I think we can all agree that's a good thing.

I'll let you have the weekend to think on that one. In the meantime, enjoy the video. I know I will!

Have a wonderful Fourth of July!
~C