Revisiting the Office (US)

[chet_manley]

Hello, friends.

My girlfriend has never seen all of The Office (US) and we have been going through the series for the past few weeks. We are approaching the end, finally, but I just wanted to start a general discussion about who liked the show, what they liked, didn't like, etc. I know the last episode aired five years ago, but I feel like that is enough time for reflections.

Highlight: Michael Scott really was the best boss. The role launched Steve Carell's career from Daily Show correspondent, and he plays it almost perfectly. There are very few moments where his aloofness borders the unrealistic (driving the car into the lake stood out as particularly asinine), but he was just so good at everything. Even in the later seasons, when the writing seemed to be a little more haphazard, we saw him act as a surrogate father to Erin in some of the series' more touching moments. My girlfriend was rooting for Holly and Michael to end up together; every time they split she was legitimately bummed out!

Lowlight: Jim and Pam. I know the series was based on their relationship and they really propelled the series to heights in public consciousness, but the will-they-or-won't-they should have been saved for the OGs on Cheers. Jim is emotionally manipulative and won't take "no" for an answer from Pam. He treats Karen like a jerk, is petty towards Amy Adams, and, towards the end, is legitimately cruel to Pam. He bought Pam a house without telling her! That relationship is not based on trust at all. At the same time, Pam is emotionally needy and draining. You can tell where the writing of the two characters runs off the cliff as they introduce a love interest for each of them individually in back-to-back seasons after they are married.

I'm going to be back to add more musings, but I'd love to hear yours!

 

[chet_manley]

Highlight: The Stamford Branch premise. Look, Jim is a self-righteous jerk to give Pam the cold shoulder because she happened to be engaged--I would argue that Roy is a good guy and got a raw deal in his presentation during the show--but I do appreciate seeing another branch. Rashida Jones as Karen and Ed Helms as Andy were great additions to the show. I like the rapport the Stamford cast had (even though you did not see much of their role-players) and I thought it was a good counter to the zaniness of the Scranton branch. Combining the branches was a necessary step to the Jim-Pam progression, but sometimes I wish we had seen just a little more!

Lowlight: Hyperbolic archetype side character progression. There is a point--and I cannot pin exactly when it is--that Kevin goes from being a fun-loving accountant to an absolute joke of a character. I liked the guy who got dumped by Stacey and liked poker and gambling and was sometimes the butt of the jokes. What happened to Ryan Howard along the way? He had a great villain arc before becoming an annoyance. Angela became a caricature of her early-season self. Only Oscar and Darryl grew into strong side characters.

Highlight: Phyllis' Wedding episode. Of all of the episodes to be featured outside of the walls of Dunder Mifflin, Phyllis' wedding is likely the best.

Top Five Cold Opens:
1. Kevin's Famous Chili
2. Dwight from the Future Faxes
3. Asian Jim
4. The Devil Wears Prada
5. Hard-Boiled Egg
6. Pavlov Test

Okay, there is a sixth.

 

[Avocado LaSchaap]

This show is such an icon, one way or another, it's almost strange to see people seriously discussing which parts were good or bad. On some level it was good satire about American corporate life. On another level we were all just waiting for the pranks. I agree Asian Jim and Future Dwight were some of the best moments.

The lowlight for me was how embarrassing the humor was. It's one of those shows that literally makes me get up off the couch and leave the room for how embarrassed I am on behalf of the characters. Especially at the beginning, if you're not used to Michael, the show can actually be painful.

But despite that you keep watching, lol, and for me the highlight is the number of iconic moments you find if you stick with it. Everything that Michael does is entirely gif-worthy, and I see him used as reaction gifs a lot around the internet, and it always makes me smile. Anyway, for a ridiculous show, it has a surprising amount of heart.