The Office hit notes last night that it hasn't in a very, very long time. The shocking reveal of the documentary team at the end notwithstanding, the phone argument between Pam and Jim was the most real The Office has been in I don't know how long. That was, like, a real argument between a real couple and it was jarring and powerful. (So much so, ladies I know have engaged me in dialogue about it and rallying to Pam's defense.) This tension between Jim and Pam has been building all season since Jim withheld his new job from her and it was great so see a sudden injection of some of what made the earlier seasons so good.
I've been very happy with this final season. It's been a return to form on many levels, including the ones you mentioned. I also really liked the Christmas episode, which reminded us of the long-forgotten basis of Dwight's relationship with Jim, which fed into the stuff that's going on now with Dwight getting upset about Jim leaving the office. The character hooks all feel like they're back in place now, and the show's got some real momentum going into the final stretch.
I'm glad the Boom Mic guy was the Charles Schwab commercial guy and not Adam Levine from the Voice. lol. This seems to be leading to both Pam & Jim leaving Dunder Mifflin. This is the final season, and the 'Nard Dog is no where to be found. Steve Carrell already said he will not return.
I dunno how I feel yet about the fact that the documentarians are actually going to be playing a big part in this last stretch of the show. I always figured we'd get a couple of jokes about the documentary in the finale (i.e. a big-name actor would be cast as the filmmaker, slightly amazed that this project went on so long) but seemingly having them be an actual piece of the narrative seems a bit much.
"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." --- Bart Giamatti, on baseball
Couldn't agree more. The documentary crew being added in as legitimate characters kind of disappoints me. It also pokes holes in events that happened in previous seasons (for example: why didn't anyone stop Michael from driving into the lake? why isn't there a bigger uproar that a documentary about a paper company outed a state senator? why is Angela not being brought up on any criminal charges for trying to have someone murdered with a lead pipe?)
I know that The Office is nothing more than a comedy, and I shouldn't be trying to poke holes in its logic. However, for a show that once used to be painfully realistic, it's sad how for it has fallen.
Finally, where the hell is Andy? Are we really supposed to believe that he's been sailing on this boat since November, and nobody higher up at Dunder Mifflin would have stepped in/fired him due to total lack of management in the office? Just a thought.
Originally posted by turtlebayunlimitedCouldn't agree more. The documentary crew being added in as legitimate characters kind of disappoints me. It also pokes holes in events that happened in previous seasons (for example: why didn't anyone stop Michael from driving into the lake? why isn't there a bigger uproar that a documentary about a paper company outed a state senator? why is Angela not being brought up on any criminal charges for trying to have someone murdered with a lead pipe?)
I know that The Office is nothing more than a comedy, and I shouldn't be trying to poke holes in its logic. However, for a show that once used to be painfully realistic, it's sad how for it has fallen.
Finally, where the hell is Andy? Are we really supposed to believe that he's been sailing on this boat since November, and nobody higher up at Dunder Mifflin would have stepped in/fired him due to total lack of management in the office? Just a thought.
1. Michael driving into the lake was one of the few times they acknowledged the crew in the early days, when they had to open the back door and help their cameraman get out. Am I remembering that wrong?
2. It hasn't "aired" yet.
3. See 2.
4. Andy is super cool bros with David Wallace, the CEO - he can do what he wants.
Here's what I have- this show wasn't very funny or much fun to watch at all. There were little moments of comedy in this ep (loved the bit with Dwight and Clark, parts of the Customer Loyalty meeting), but most of it was humiliation or anger.
I didn't get into the Dwight/Darrell thing at all, and I don't really remember seeing "tension" like what went on with Jim and Pam in this ep that translates to early seasons. If it had, I probably wouldn't have kept watching, cause this was just depressing.
"Put on your helmets, we'll be reaching speeds of 3!" "It was nice of you to give that dead woman another chance." "All right, look alive everybody...oh sorry Susan."- MST3K: Space Mutiny Click Here (facebook.com)
What is Ed Helms doing anyway? Filming Hangover 3: The 3rd Hangover, which is to say ADRing his lines from the footage they're cutting together from the first two Hangsover? Or did his agreement to come back for the last season just say he only had to do like 13 episodes?
The best things I can say about this season are that Robert California is not on the show and Erin & Pete are cute, although it's weird that Erin decided to start dressing and styling her hair like early seasons Pam just for Thematic Parallels.
In my opinion, the six Andy Bernard-less episodes (save the Skype-in from Episode 7) have been the funniest since perhaps season three. I'll reserve judgment on the documentary crew reveal, but this is the first time in years that I actually look forward to watching this show. Ed Helms is great, but the Nard Dog was getting stale (again, IMO), so if he's gone for the rest of the season, I'd be ok with that.
Originally posted by jfkfcIn my opinion, the six Andy Bernard-less episodes (save the Skype-in from Episode 7) have been the funniest since perhaps season three. I'll reserve judgment on the documentary crew reveal, but this is the first time in years that I actually look forward to watching this show. Ed Helms is great, but the Nard Dog was getting stale (again, IMO), so if he's gone for the rest of the season, I'd be ok with that.
Sadly I agree about The Nard Dog. He was funnier as a supporting player - not a leading role.
I am enjoying this last season and as a parent who did travel when he kids were younger, I can relate to what Jim and Pam are going through and thought it was the closest they have shown them to be a "real" couple ever.
I can see this season ending with Jim's new company going down in flames and him coming back to Scranton to be the Regional Manager for Dunder Mifflin.