I enjoyed the episode as I normally do, but poor Dwight crying like a Wookie. The funniest part to me might have been the "whomever/whoever" debate, although Darryl and Kelly are fantastic. "I actually get excited when I see that little dude" and "You need to access your uncrazy side."
- Creed has to do a Dear Abby-type of gig, giving people such great advice: "Bankruptcy is nature's do-over".
- Schrute Farms...Cousin Mose running alongside the car, the Irrigation Room, and the 1 in 6 chances of survival.
- Also, I felt bad for Scrantonicity 2...which is, of course, not to be mixed up with Scrantonicity.
- I am disappointed that we didn't actually get to see Andy moonwalk past accounting.
This episode did not have a whole lot of funny but did have some good story telling. We cheered when Dwight came back and pushed all of Jim's papers over with his ruler, one again keeping his boundaries clear of foreign debris.
Lloyd: When I met Mary, I got that old fashioned romantic feeling, where I'd do anything to bone her. Harry: That's a special feeling.
The slow march of making Michael Scott the new Homer Simpson continues by having him run to jump onto a train to avoid squaring up his debts. I remember when I liked this show because it reminded me of work. Now, this happens less and less.
I am disappointed by the season so far. Maybe once they go back to half hour episodes it will regain the funny it once had.
Probably the best episode of the season last night. The best part, IMO, was Michael's second job, and his disdain toward the manager....much like many underlings at DM feel toward him.
I disagree with King of Keith here- the thing that made this episode work was they didn't make Michael a total idiot in this episode. This was one of the most "normal" Michael Scott episodes I've seen in a long time.
(edited by geemoney on 19.10.07 1306) My No Mercy Hangout Report and More!: Experience It
Yeah, it was more like a conventional sitcom. The stuff at the farm-- while somewhat nice to see that Jim n' Pam kinda' care about Dwight-- came off flat with me. The pay-off to the outhouse gag was just that: a guy in an outhouse.
Sub-par episode and not nearly as enjoyable as anything from last season, but a few fun elements:
-Liked how all the losers at the telemarketing place thought Michael was the coolest dude around.
-Michael spending 120 bucks for Muppet Show DVDs
-Kevin once again trying to "knuckle" someone.
-Kelly doing the ol' "show off my new boyfriend" burn with Darrell. "I invited him".
Probably the worst episode(s) of the series (except perhaps the pilot,) but it was still enjoyable. I'll join the chorus: hour-long episodes work occasionally (like with "The Job" last year) but they're really hurting the show right now.
I also agree that Michael's been too cartoonish. The debt and second job storylines worked just fine, but the train was too far over the top.
I really like episodes that point out that Michael is a bad boss, but he's not a bad person. I didn't think the train thing was that bad, and having met Mose before I didn't think anything at Schrute Farms was that far over the top, either. Probably, we could have spent less time at the farm, but overall I liked the episode quite a bit.
Originally posted by StingArmyI.. DECLARE.. BANKRUPTCYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!
- StingArmy
This was another thing that made me hate this episode. You've got to figure that Michael knows a little about how things work and that shouting, sorry, declaring bankruptcy would not absolve him from everything.
His description of the differences of the Die Hard movies was spot on. I loved that part.
Originally posted by StingArmyI.. DECLARE.. BANKRUPTCYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!
- StingArmy
This was another thing that made me hate this episode. You've got to figure that Michael knows a little about how things work and that shouting, sorry, declaring bankruptcy would not absolve him from everything.
His description of the differences of the Die Hard movies was spot on. I loved that part.
The Die Hard discussion was awesome and I that I have had with my friends, but Michael's brief overview was much better than anything we came up with.
I enjoyed the show because I like it when they show the human side of the DM people. Jan and Michael sitting int he train together gave me hope that Jan and Michael have a future. Dwight griefing then getting over Angela was great and Jim and Pam continue to be the average couple, which is what they SHOULD be.
While I have not found the show overly funny this year, I do think it is being set up perfectly for when they go to the 1/2 hour episodes as all the big issues have been disucssed and now can be referenced.
Fry crack corn and I don't care Leela crack corn I still don't care Bender crack corn and he is great Take that you stupid corn!
"just because you ARE a character does not mean you HAVE character.."
I've been loving this season, and was really looking forward to seeing the visit to Schrute Farms. That didn't disappoint at all!
What DID disappoint was the last 15 minutes of the show. No laughs at all, just stuff that seemed like it was ripped from Grey's Anatomy or the Hills or something. All of the relationship-emotional stuff at the end completely killed this episode for me. I just think that, as the Office is a comedy, that should be its goal. They've done well in the first three episodes...hell, they've done it almost perfectly for going on four seasons here...but they really let the relationship focus hurt the comedy in the end of this episode. I didn't like that. Just as a barometer, I'm used to laughing non-stop through an entire Office episode, whether the normal half-hour or not. There were a few beats missed in the first episode this season, but overall it still felt like an episode of a comedy show. The last 15 minutes in this one did not. There was a long stretch where I wasn't laughing at all, nor were there any attempts to make me do so. For a comedy show, I don't buy that.
I'm not saying I hated the episode overall. While it was definitely the worst of this season, it was better than a few episodes of season one and is definitely better than anything else on TV right now. However there was a blip on the radar. The Office is the best show on TV right now and I think it's because they know their goal is to put out the funniest stuff possible. They dropped the ball at the end last night.
Life isn't always fake Ben Franklins and ABBA songs. Sometimes life sucks. I think the best part was when Ryan, hopped up on Red Bull, strolled into the downtrodden bullpen. THAT is a lot more what an office is usually like.
Originally posted by BoromirMarkWhat DID disappoint was the last 15 minutes of the show. No laughs at all, just stuff that seemed like it was ripped from Grey's Anatomy or the Hills or something. All of the relationship-emotional stuff at the end completely killed this episode for me. I just think that, as the Office is a comedy, that should be its goal.
I think maybe you've been missing the point then for the past 3+ seasons. The Office is not a sitcom. Shows like The Office and Scrubs (and maybe My Name is Earl from the little bit I've seen? I don't follow it at all) are built like this. You can say the romance is for the female viewers if that makes you feel better, but romance has been a driving force of The Office since season 1, episode 1. And I don't think it was particularly acute or out of place in this episode.
Did anyone notice that just for a moment, Ryan glared at Daryl when he walked by him on his way out of the meeting room? Thought it was interesting. And Ryan walking in with the Red Bull can was almost subtle but very nice.
I had to pause the show when Pam was talking to the camera about Michael watching million dollar baby and suddenly went OMG he's going to kill me. She said it with such certainty it was unbelievably funny.
The farm was great, so was the rest of the episode. It all makes perfect sense and I like the chance of pace every now and then, where it is a bit more serious.
The Office is not a sitcom. The Office is a mockumentary and any time the cameras go outside of the Office it doesn't make sense. (except for if it's a work thing like the race) It makes no sense to follow Pam and Jim on their romantic getaway, it has nothing to do with the company.
It also makes no sense for the camera to follow Michael to his second job. Nobody would let a film crew film a documentary about another business in their office. This show is just way too inconsistent with just about everything.
Originally posted by QuezzyThe Office is not a sitcom. The Office is a mockumentary and any time the cameras go outside of the Office it doesn't make sense. (except for if it's a work thing like the race) It makes no sense to follow Pam and Jim on their romantic getaway, it has nothing to do with the company.
It also makes no sense for the camera to follow Michael to his second job. Nobody would let a film crew film a documentary about another business in their office. This show is just way too inconsistent with just about everything.
Ha. It's a framing device. Nothing more, nothing less. It's a stylistic approach to how the narrative is presented. And it's hardly unfathomable that WHOever's producing the documentary would say "yo, can we film this too?" and the strict standards of some telemarketing dump wouldn't care. Jim and Pam wouldn't let the cameras follow them on a real romantic getaway but they would want them to come to Schrute Farm because they only went there to zazz Dwight.
Thread rated: 4.77
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