The Office - U.S. Edition

[romantisaurusrex]

Its too little, too late, but I'm glad the show will be over. I quit on the 8th season, and I think along with too many others that the show should have ended with Season 7 and Michael Scott heading off into the sunset.

Also that Dwight spinoff is going to be terrible. I'd rather see a show where Creed and Kevin live together as they continue to perform in a band composed of them, Andy, and Daryl. That couldn't be any worse than a show that's all about Dwight.

James Spader made season 8 rock over season 7.

[EvilShoe]

I don't think season 8 ever figured out what to do with Spader. He was much more of an oddity when he was introduced in season 7.

It's kind of hopeful to know this is the last season. At least it gives the writers a chance to do more outlandish stuff. We'll see.

[Lucky]

I actually have some faith left in this show. I like that they realize Nellie is an awful character, gave Andy some balls, and are doing something with Jim and Pam. Even if it seems like they are going to run a forced emotional gamut this final season, at least they won't be background fodder. I hope Michael Scott shows up for the final episode. If only to win Steve Carrell a guest star Emmy.

[EvilShoe]

Completely agreed. This episode was quite good.

[EvilShoe]

That Dwight Schrute spin-off did not get picked up.

[Lucky]

Good. I can't think of a character more outplayed on TV right now.

[elixir]

This show is fucking atrocious.

[Mara]

This show is fucking atrocious.

Didn't used to be.

[elixir]

Oops! I meant...now, this season. If that wasn't clear.

[Mara]

Oops! I meant...now, this season. If that wasn't clear.

Agreed. I haven't watched in a couple of years, but the other night I was too tired to move after P&R and ended up watching it, and what is going on? It's like the surgically removed the funny. Really talented people are being squandered.

[Gizmo]

This season has been better than the last couple. Whatever that means.

[Qrazy]

This season has been better than the last couple. Whatever that means.

Yeah, damn my completionist nature. It's painful to watch.

[MadMan]

I keep hearing things from people who have stuck with it. I imagine that the only way I'll get through the last two seasons is if it pops upon Netflix Instant Viewing (the other 7 seasons already have) and I drink a lot while viewing each episode.

[Lucky]

This past episode was interesting. I've been waiting for the metaness to kick in finally.

[Winston*]

Woah, didn't know this show was still on.

[Lucky]

You definitely haven't missed much. This past season has been passable, though. They're starting to make the final push.

[Qrazy]

You definitely haven't missed much. This past season has been passable, though. They're starting to make the final push.

Ehh, I find that it's been utterly abysmal. I watch it still for the train wreck quality of it all, I just can't look away.

[Lucky]

Some episodes reach abysmal, for sure. The recent funeral episode is an example of that. I have a feeling they partially pulled from the rejected Dwight spinoff pilot for that one. This comes as a shock to no one, but there's proof that would have been a trainwreck. On the whole, though, I feel like this season has had direction so far which is something the series has been lacking since Michael Scott left. The openers are still inspired, the side characters still hit, and even Jim/Pam are given an apropos storyline considering the amount of reflection about to happen that was hinted at in the latest episode.

[Qrazy]

Some episodes reach abysmal, for sure. The recent funeral episode is an example of that. I have a feeling they partially pulled from the rejected Dwight spinoff pilot for that one. This comes as a shock to no one, but there's proof that would have been a trainwreck. On the whole, though, I feel like this season has had direction so far which is something the series has been lacking since Michael Scott left. The openers are still inspired, the side characters still hit, and even Jim/Pam are given an apropos storyline considering the amount of reflection about to happen that was hinted at in the latest episode.

I hate where they've brought the Jim/Pam storyline. I'll give you some of the openers.

[Henry Gale]

It could've been an interesting and risky concept, but honestly, forcing a show's entire cast of characters to almost make the audience now feel guilty for having watched so much of their lives, as they now see a lot of the footage in the promos for their documentary as an invasion of privacy, is such a strange thing for a show like this to do, and it's clearly in over its head in terms of pulling it off in a way that fits nicely with the tone the series.

I haven't watched too much of this season beyond the first four or five and couple of the more recent ones (I guess I just got tired of sitting through it live every week and stopped bothering to catch up), but man, what a weird direction to take things.

[Qrazy]

It could've been an interesting and risky concept, but honestly, forcing a show's entire cast of characters to almost make the audience now feel guilty for having watched so much of their lives, as they now see a lot of the footage in the promos for their documentary as an invasion of privacy, is such a strange thing for a show like this to do, and it's clearly in over its head in terms of pulling it off in a way that fits nicely with the tone the series.

I haven't watched too much of this season beyond the first four or five and couple of the more recent ones (I guess I just got tired of sitting through it live every week and stopped bothering to catch up), but man, what a weird direction to take things.

It also just doesn't make much sense content-wise. The faux-documentary angle is a stylistic tic employed by a lot of sitcoms now, it's a waste of everyone's time trying to justify it because it doesn't make any sense.

[Winston*]

It was a problem with the show from the get go, because the mockumentary format of the British show was satirizing something that doesn't really exist in America to my knowledge.

[Mr. McGibblets]

It also just doesn't make much sense content-wise. The faux-documentary angle is a stylistic tic employed by a lot of sitcoms now, it's a waste of everyone's time trying to justify it because it doesn't make any sense.

The Office is different from shows like Parks and Rec and Modern Family, because the camera people are actually supposed to be there. There's a season 2 or 3 episode where they help Pam find out that Dwight is sleeping with Angela.

Not that any of the new stuff makes sense. Calling attention to it in more than a passing way is a bad idea, especially because so much of the show has been things that couldn't/wouldn't have been shot.

[Mara]

In the UK version, the entire documentary format was worth it for the moment when Tim took off his microphone and went to tell Dawn he loved her.

Martin Freeman, how do you FACE?

[Lazlo]

Not that any of the new stuff makes sense. Calling attention to it in more than a passing way is a bad idea, especially because so much of the show has been things that couldn't/wouldn't have been shot.

Yeah, it's really terribly handled. First, they've been shooting these people for almost ten years and they're only now bothering to air any of it? Bullshit. No one shoots ANYTHING for that long without airing it. Second, the characters are shocked they've captured so many intimate details, mainly because they didn't know the crew was filming them? Double bullshit. You're wearing a mic, the cameras are enormous, an audio guy with a giant boom pole is hooked to the camera, and at least one producer is following these operators. There's no hiding that and the show has never used any hidden-camera style shots. It can't just be that I work in documentary television that makes this plotline ring false to me. It insults the intelligence of both the audience and the characters. This show should have ended when Michael left.