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|  #1 Posted on 20.3.09 0743.14
Reposted on: 20.3.16 0743.28 | IMO, fantastic episode. The show started off with a good gag, the whole "classy" schtick ("Mr. Peanut is NOT classy, he is a regular peanut!"), starring Jim in his tux...declasse. Idris Alba was totally Mr. No-Nonsense (sort of like a black George Clooney). There were some really funny little things, like during the introductions of the employees with their sexual histories, the camera shifted over to Andy by the reception desk who waved when Michael noted how Angela had sex with different guys in the office. Kelly and Angela's battle for Charles Miner was pretty funny (I LOL'ed at "Should I seduce him?" and "I'm gonna get him to buy be a prime rib tonight!").
I'd say that the only parts I didn't like were "Grovelling Jim Halpert" and that after Michael quit and the show ended, there wasn't that little one or so minute closing bit.
The whole Michael Scott/David Wallace thing was gold, to me. My fiance, who only started recently watching the show (just because I have it on), is a fan of neither Michael Scott nor Steve Carrell, and couldn't wrap her brain around why David Wallace wouldn't just let Michael walk out the door, or just have Miner fire him. This weekend, I will have to show her various episodes of MSSB (Michael Scott Sales Brilliance), as well as the many times that he does or says something that make the week in/week out viewer really care about the character.
I can only hope that a condition of Michael's coming back to DM is to bring back Holly! | Promote this thread! |             | The King of Keith
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| #2 Posted on 20.3.09 0747.42
Reposted on: 20.3.16 0748.24 | Best episode of the season by far. The level of discomfort was almost as high as an episode on the British Office, and that's a good thing. It reminded me a lot of when Neil came from Swindon.
I also enjoy watching Jim Halpert getting taken down a notch. That was fun, too. | djp
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| #3 Posted on 20.3.09 0804.09
Reposted on: 20.3.16 0804.13 | Originally posted by The King of Keith
Best episode of the season by far. The level of discomfort was almost as high as an episode on the British Office, and that's a good thing. It reminded me a lot of when Neil came from Swindon.
I also enjoy watching Jim Halpert getting taken down a notch. That was fun, too.
Man - it had the total opposite effect on me. I thought it was forced, unfunny and just over-the-top. Too much Michael last week followed by way too much this week. I too thought most of the show had a high level of discomfort, but not in a good way.
Probably the worst of the season for me. | Wpob
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| #4 Posted on 20.3.09 0837.39
Reposted on: 20.3.16 0839.11 | | Michael quitting was the first time in a while that I rooted for him. My wife and I were so happy he walked out and loved that the show ended there. It will be fun to see David Wallace grovel to get Michael back. And the power struggle between jim and Dwight will be gold while he is gone! | Oliver
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|  #5 Posted on 20.3.09 0845.02
Reposted on: 20.3.16 0845.18 | Originally posted by djp
Originally posted by The King of Keith
Best episode of the season by far. The level of discomfort was almost as high as an episode on the British Office, and that's a good thing. It reminded me a lot of when Neil came from Swindon.
I also enjoy watching Jim Halpert getting taken down a notch. That was fun, too.
Man - it had the total opposite effect on me. I thought it was forced, unfunny and just over-the-top. Too much Michael last week followed by way too much this week. I too thought most of the show had a high level of discomfort, but not in a good way.
Probably the worst of the season for me.
I agree, for the most part. My only regret is that we didn't see Toby get defended by the new VP.
I usually get a good laugh out of the show, but this one left me feeling....eh.
| Mr. Boffo
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| #6 Posted on 20.3.09 1057.46
Reposted on: 20.3.16 1058.51 | I thought Jim's discomfort was a little strange. When he was asked why he was wearing a tuxedo, I was surprised he didn't just play dumb. Maybe just keep it going from the open. "Why shouldn't I be wearing a tuxedo? A tuxedo is classy." Claim it was for Michael's birthday party.
Or how about this? He says that he was the victim of an office prank wherein everyone told him it was Formal Attire Day, and then he showed up and he was the only one dressed that way. Obviously I have the benefit of thinking about it for a while, but Jim Halpert is quick witted. I'm sure he could come up with something similar. | Tenken347
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| #7 Posted on 20.3.09 1131.13
Reposted on: 20.3.16 1131.23 | I though that was supposed to be the point, that Charles Minor was just totally throwing Jim off his game, and he just couldn't get it together around the guy. Jim's smart, but he also relies alot on being charming, and Charles was just absolutely refusing to be charmed.
I do have one question though. I thought that when the New York branch folded up and Jim was moved back to Scranton, corporate officially made him the number two man at the branch? | PeterStork
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| #8 Posted on 20.3.09 1138.36
Reposted on: 20.3.16 1139.00 | Originally posted by Tenken347
I do have one question though. I thought that when the New York branch folded up and Jim was moved back to Scranton, corporate officially made him the number two man at the branch?
Since that was Jan's doing it probably got lost in the shuffle. They most likely don't have an official position, Jan was just making sure everyone understood that Jim, not Dwight, was to be Michael's right hand man. | Mr. Boffo
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| #9 Posted on 20.3.09 1235.58
Reposted on: 20.3.16 1235.58 | | Reading other discussion online, the prevailing opinion is that #2 in the office is real, but Charles was pointing out that it's a useless position. He got extra pay but the only added responsibility was to run the office when Michael's not around (which he's done pretty poorly, even by Michael standards). Extra pay and no other responsibility is a pretty bad position to be in when the company is looking to make cuts. | Super Shane Spear
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| #10 Posted on 20.3.09 1256.43
Reposted on: 20.3.16 1257.50 | Dunder Mifflin does have an awful lot of pointless power struggles and meaningless titles. I saw "The Job" on TBS earlier this week and Dwight's job offer to Pam was pretty telling.
So you'd be the Regional Manager, AND the Assistant Regional Manager. Andy is your number two, and I'd be the Secret Assistant Regional Manager? -- Pam
Well, let's call it Secret Assistant TO the Regional Manager. -- Dwight
Not to mention Andy is somehow the "Director of Sales" which if they were on a movie set would be the highest of all. According to Andy.
Not that any of this matters given the increasingly rapid denigration of the character development and general apathy the writers have taken to the history of this show in the last two years. But THAT is a conversation of another day. | JustinShapiro
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| #11 Posted on 20.3.09 1401.34
Reposted on: 20.3.16 1401.38 | Originally posted by The King of Keith
The level of discomfort was almost as high as an episode on the British Office, and that's a good thing. It reminded me a lot of when Neil came from Swindon.
I thought the same thing. The total meltdowns by David and Michael as their whole worlds where they'd deluded themselves into thinking they were great bosses came crumbling down were similar. I guess the biggest difference is how one of the best things about Neil was how he actually was everything (funny, respected, well-liked) that David thought he was whereas this is the collision between seriousness and offbeat shenanigans. But Charles Minor was also good as a force of nature.
I also enjoy watching Jim Halpert getting taken down a notch. That was fun, too.
I love it. I loved the classy bit too in the opening but it's great when Jim gets chumped.
Originally posted by Super Shane Spear
Not that any of this matters given the increasingly rapid denigration of the character development
"Jumping the shark" has been renamed "licking the cat." Kelly and Angela running into the parking lot was preposterous. | OlFuzzyBastard
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| #12 Posted on 20.3.09 1410.06
Reposted on: 20.3.16 1410.07 | I can buy Kelly, but they don't seem to have a grasp of Angela at all anymore.
EDIT: Otherwise, great episode. I agree that it felt like the BBC series.
(edited by OlFuzzyBastard on 20.3.09 1510) | BigDaddyLoco
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| #13 Posted on 20.3.09 1535.27
Reposted on: 20.3.16 1538.59 | | These shows are getting really clunky lately, there's more bad parts than good right now. I feel like I'm watching a totally different show than I remember. | Torchslasher
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| #14 Posted on 20.3.09 2220.32
Reposted on: 20.3.16 2220.33 | | I thought this episode was miles ahead of last week's snoozer. The interaction with Jim and the boss was gold. And while I do agree that they have changed Angela, and mostly NOT for the better, the visual of her running with the scarf was great physical comedy. | StaggerLee
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| #15 Posted on 21.3.09 0550.10
Reposted on: 21.3.16 0550.23 | LOVED this show this week! Thought it was a great setup for the return of Holly.
But really, why would you want to take Michael back? He is pretty much a pain in the ass, and a piss poor manager. Are they really better off WITH him? | Tenken347
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| #16 Posted on 21.3.09 0816.32
Reposted on: 21.3.16 0816.48 | Originally posted by StaggerLee
But really, why would you want to take Michael back? He is pretty much a pain in the ass, and a piss poor manager. Are they really better off WITH him?
Well, it honestly has less to do with Michael the manager, and more to do with Michael the salesman. They've proved pretty definitively that Michael is far and away the best salesman in the entire company - he's landed at least one major account every season. What's corporate going to do when these accounts find out that the guy who was essentially the reason they signed on with Dunder-Mifflin is gone? I bet they start bleeding clients, and that's why they'll need Michael back. | Mike Zeidler
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| #17 Posted on 21.3.09 1420.46
Reposted on: 21.3.16 1420.47 | | Hell, just last week there was the massive account gotten because of Michael's seemingly amazing good luck. | StingArmy
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| #18 Posted on 22.3.09 0539.01
Reposted on: 22.3.16 0540.35 | I liked the episode a lot, but I wonder how much of that has to do with my "The Wire" inspired (and neverending) love for Idris Elba.
- StingArmy | I Breastfeed John Madden
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| #19 Posted on 22.3.09 2357.34
Reposted on: 22.3.16 2358.07 | Michael falling to pieces is very reminiscent of David Brent's meltdown. I hope this is some kind of indication that the show is winding down.
Don't get me wrong, I love the show...but the story has been told. All good things should come to an end. | Leroy
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| #20 Posted on 23.3.09 0256.51
Reposted on: 23.3.16 0257.24 | My guess - Michael quitting is the foundation for bringing Holly back to Scranton, which can only yield good things.
Originally posted by BigDaddyLoco
These shows are getting really clunky lately, there's more bad parts than good right now. I feel like I'm watching a totally different show than I remember.
I think this is largely true. In the beginning, the best episodes of the show (i.e. Sexual Harassment, Diversity Day) were really about exaggerated workplace scenarios that were relatable through Jim and Pam - but everyone else was, for the most part, an archetype of your "typical" office characters. And the laughs were in relating to the insanity that working in an office provides, albeit somewhat exaggerated.
When they started "developing" these characters (i.e. resolving Jim and Pam), a lot of the characters became either unlikable or ridiculous, so now they are in a bit of a bind as to how to proceed. They don't want to have a one trick pony in "zany office situations", but their characters aren't really compelling enough to carry the show. Creed is a perfect example - he is funny because we have NO IDEA as to what makes him tick.
I think there are still a lot of laughs to be had in the show, but I think, when Jim and Pam got together, those characters had run their course and they should have brought in some fresh ideas. And every time someone new comes in (Holly and Andy are perfect examples), they show gets a breath of fresh air. I'm hoping the new VP is the start of that, but we'll see... |
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