The Office - U.S. Edition

[Qrazy]

I'm a fan of the show and it's often quite amusing, but I'm not alone in thinking that, objectively, the show is just not very "good," am I? It's so silly and obvious so much of the time. Subtlety has zero role in the writing. For example, does every moment of pathos for Michael have to have him whining about wanting to have a family? Creed and Kelly get the same joke every episode (though I have to say I get the biggest kick from the show out of Kelly). There's only so much "cute and wholesome" I can take from Jim and Pam. Is Tobey really so hung up on Pam he doesn't care he's making faux pas left and right? Etc. And I'm still kind of bitter favorite characters of mine, Andy and Jan, are being turned into such caricatures in order to function obediently as third wheels.

But yes, definitely some juice built in for Season 5 in the finale. Amy Ryan, yeah! Though again, her character's a bit of a cheap ploy...

Yeah I agree... I enjoy it and I watch it but it's not very good... I'm surprised you're a fan of Kelly, I find her to be a constant source of irritation. Creed is gold. Jim and Pam's mugging for the camera with those forced 'smile' awkward looks has pissed me off from day one and continues to do so.

The show has enough new balls in the air to keep it busy for a bit but if it really needed to grow we could spend some more time with the warehouse people... warehouse jobs suck as hard if not harder than pencil pushing jobs.

Maybe they'll bring back Karen for some of that cheap romantic triangle angle.

[Bosco B Thug]

Jim and Pam's mugging for the camera with those forced 'smile' awkward looks has pissed me off from day one and continues to do so.

Word. And so often their interviews never really seem to be trying very hard to actually be funny because of the fact they can just fall back on that, which is irritating.

[Qrazy]

Word. And so often their interviews never really seem to be trying very hard to actually be funny because of the fact they can just fall back on that, which is irritating.

The only thing I kind of like about a shift in their whole dynamic is how at the beginning of the series they seemed to act towards the camera like... I'm too good to be working with these weirdos... but now they seem to have finally accepted their role in the company whereas they still play some tricks on Dwight etc they don't have a holier than thou attitude going on.

[Rowland]

I've been watching The Office over the last week, I'm working on the second half of the second season right now... and lord, this show can be really depressing. Oy.

[origami_mustache]

Aziz Ansari from Human Giant is going to be part of The Office spin-off. I'm guessing HG won't go another season on MTV which saddens me since I think it's easily the funniest sketch show on TV now, but good for him I guess and hopefully the new show will be good.

http://www.variety.com/VR1117987409.html

[lemon]

I've been watching The Office over the last week, I'm working on the second half of the second season right now... and lord, this show can be really depressing. Oy.

Try watching the UK version if you really want to see depressing. Extras (also by Gervais) is rediculously depressing but still pretty funny in a "make you squirm cause it's so awkward" kind of way.

I've watched episodes here and there on the TBS reruns and it's been sort of hit/miss. The UK Office is my favorite TV show ever but the only real enjoyment I get out of the American version is seeing story lines that were taken from the UK version.

BTW Steve Carrel is awful in this. He is the biggest reason why I never tried to go further than watching reruns on TBS. I don't know whether it's the writing or his over the top performance. Probably a combination of both.

[origami_mustache]

Aziz Ansari from Human Giant is going to be part of The Office spin-off. I'm guessing HG won't go another season on MTV which saddens me since I think it's easily the funniest sketch show on TV now, but good for him I guess and hopefully the new show will be good.

http://www.variety.com/VR1117987409.html

Amy Poehler now in talks to be part of the spinoff

http://www.filmdrunk.com/post.phtml?pk=2186

I don't even care what the show is about...I'm in.

[Spinal]

Amy Ryan is the best thing to happen to this show in ages. I'll be bummed if they're really letting her character go.

[Milky Joe]

I loved absolutely everything about that episode.

[EyesWideOpen]

Yep, I was really worried since Amy Ryan was gone but this episode was fan-fucking-tastic.

[Henry Gale]

Very, very good episode. Hope they push Steve Merchant for a Directing Emmy so he can fly out and go to all the parties Ricky always teases him about (plus he deserves it).

[D_Davis]

I haven't watched last night's episode yet, but last week's was awesome. Dwight was totally awesome in it, I loved how cool he played out his prank. I could tell that his character had been planning the whole thing for quite some time.

[SirNewt]

I haven't watched last night's episode yet, but last week's was awesome. Dwight was totally awesome in it, I loved how cool he played out his prank. I could tell that his character had been planning the whole thing for quite some time.

It was fantastic to see Dwight dishing it out. No matter how dorky Dwight becomes Andy will always be a bigger douche bag and a great foil. There's actually a couple great Dwight moments in this weeks episode as well.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Am I the only one who's uncomfortable with the way they're treating this Dwight-Angela-Andy triangle? I know Andy is a twerp and he's supposed to be the butt of jokes and pranks. That's basically his role. But this is going too far for me. It's mean-spirited and pretty ugly. I don't laugh at it at all. The Cornell prank was funny because it didn't involve Angela, but when it does, like last episode and the beet farm, I kind of feel like cringing rather than laughing. Which would be okay if I felt like that was their intention, but they treat everything about it comically and it rubs me the wrong way.

It's actually a trend I've noticed in the overall feel of the show. Things seem more bitter and spiteful than they used to, which I think is why I find the show less funny.

[Ezee E]

I'll have to watch this one.

After Michael and Amy Ryan's relationship ended, I figured the show would hit a wall again. We'll see if I'm right.

[D_Davis]

I think what they are doing with the love triangle is interesting. They are turning Dwight, a main character, one who, no matter how socially awkward, should garner some sympathy, into a somewhat villainous role. They are turning the tables on the audience, asking us to root for Andy - I think it's kind of a brave move.

I've actually started to feel sorry for Andy. I feel like Jim did after Dwight quit during the 3rd season. "Congratulations universe, you got me."

And this seasons has been awesome so far - it has totally made up for last season.

[Spinal]

The major issue with the show for me is the Jim and Pam relationship which has verged on Friends territory for quite some time now.

[Kurosawa Fan]

The major issue with the show for me is the Jim and Pam relationship which has verged on Friends territory for quite some time now.

Yep. The end of the last episode was ridiculous. I couldn't be more bored with them. I have my fingers crossed that they both move to NY and leave the show. The show would be better without them.

[Milky Joe]

There is some sick part of me that just loves what Dwight and Angela are doing to Andy. I guess part of it is because I think all three of them are just hysterical, and so I can take it light-heartedly. The look on Angela's face as she listened to Dwight's pledging his services was just hilarious. "Pay him whatever he wants." "Can't argue with that!" Ed Helms may be the funniest person on the show.

And I kind of agree about Jim and Pam, mainly because they kept doing these kind of little nudges towards them breaking up even though it was totally unbelievable that they would. I really like the last episode's stuff with the bluetooth as it was kind of a message to all the people who are for some reason clamoring for them to break up. And I loved the swerve with Pam's art-school friend at the end, because it, you know, made sense. And maybe it was me, but Pam looked more adorable in the last episode than she has since season 3. Something about the way she was filmed.

[Spinal]

I miss low self-esteem Pam from the first couple of seasons. Now, she's hardly even a character. What exactly is her purpose on the show any more besides to give us a warm fuzzy feeling inside when she has success?

[Milky Joe]

Were you not paying attention to the last scene? Aside from that, she's there to be Pam and look adorable. Why does she have to have low self-esteem to be a character?

[Ezee E]

Pam's also become a little hateful in the show. She has no reason to treat Michael Scott the way she does after he's gotten her a job in New York. he's gone out of the way many a times for her. Sure, he's annoying, but she's quite embarassed by anything he does. Kind of like what kids are like in middle school to their parents.

[SirNewt]

Am I the only one who's uncomfortable with the way they're treating this Dwight-Angela-Andy triangle? I know Andy is a twerp and he's supposed to be the butt of jokes and pranks. That's basically his role. But this is going too far for me. It's mean-spirited and pretty ugly. I don't laugh at it at all. The Cornell prank was funny because it didn't involve Angela, but when it does, like last episode and the beet farm, I kind of feel like cringing rather than laughing. Which would be okay if I felt like that was their intention, but they treat everything about it comically and it rubs me the wrong way.

It's actually a trend I've noticed in the overall feel of the show. Things seem more bitter and spiteful than they used to, which I think is why I find the show less funny.

I think they may've locked themselves in with this one. The only believable thing that can happen is for Andy to find out and call the whole thing off. The problem is, that would make a pretty horrible episode and would leave a bad taste for a long time.

[D_Davis]

Pam's change is totally logical, and works with the way they've written her. In season 3, when her and Roy get back together, there is an episode where she says that she is done not speaking her mind. At one point, she is at a bar and the bar tender gives her the wrong beer. Rather than just take it, she goes back and demands, in a nice way, her correct order. Throughout this season she was building confidence, and this building of character peaked when she told Roy that she kissed Jim. And then, rather than have her revert back to her own ways, she continued to grow and change until the final episode of that season when she confronted the entire office and let them know how rude and selfish they had been and how disappointed she was that none of them went to her art show. Pam is really the only character to have a positively-growing and changing arc.

I really like the evolution of her character.

[Spinal]

It may be logical, but it doesn't make her a very compelling character. She has outgrown the show because her story has essentially been told. Now all there is do to is to make the audience feel good about the success of their old friend who they supported in tough times. This is the problem with television shows like this. They are forced to artifically extend a character's presence beyond the point which their tale means anything to us. Jim and Pam have descended into an interminable series of warm, fuzzy moments. It looks like they are attempting to rekindle some friction by using the pull of New York, but is this really an interesting direction? Haven't we been down this path and don't we know how these characters will react? I don't feel like I have anything more to learn about them.