The Office (US) - General Discussion

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 4/13/2021 at 6:38 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Oscar Nunez will have a recurring role on Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist

He also got a role in "Disenchanted" - the sequel to "Enchanted".

[legaleagle53]

I just started bingewatching this on Peacock Prime (I completely missed it during its original run), and I'd rate it as below 30 Rock and above Superstore in terms of how entertaining I find it. Michael comes across as a poor man's Willy Loman in that like Willy, Michael's idea of being "successful" is being "well-liked," which is why he tries so hard to cultivate close friendships in the office in ways that aren't even remotely appropriate, much less based in reality. He also is so lacking in any ability to pick up on social cues that I'm wondering if perhaps he isn't somewhere on the autism/Asperger's spectrum.

Right now, I'm in early Season 3, just at the point where the Stamford branch merges with the Scranton branch. Already, I can see some interesting conflicts brewing (Dwight hates Andy, for example), so I'm looking forward to seeing how well the merger plays out. And yeah, like everyone else, I'm growing impatient with Jim/Pamela. Tell me, how much longer do they continue fighting the inevitable?

[auntiemel]

1 hour ago, legaleagle53 said:

I just started bingewatching this on Peacock Prime (I completely missed it during its original run), and I'd rate it as below 30 Rock and above Superstore in terms of how entertaining I find it. Michael comes across as a poor man's Willy Loman in that like Willy, Michael's idea of being "successful" is being "well-liked," which is why he tries so hard to cultivate close friendships in the office in ways that aren't even remotely appropriate, much less based in reality. He also is so lacking in any ability to pick up on social cues that I'm wondering if perhaps he isn't somewhere on the autism/Asperger's spectrum.

Right now, I'm in early Season 3, just at the point where the Stamford branch merges with the Scranton branch. Already, I can see some interesting conflicts brewing (Dwight hates Andy, for example), so I'm looking forward to seeing how well the merger plays out. And yeah, like everyone else, I'm growing impatient with Jim/Pamela. Tell me, how much longer do they continue fighting the inevitable?

Not much longer, hang in there! :)

[Just Here]

There will be an official Lego set for U.S. version of The Office.  The set will be a part of their "Ideas" line, which are based on fan-submitted designs that have at least 10,000 votes on the Lego Ideas website (ideas.lego.com). 

From the official Lego Ideas blog:

Quote

The Office

A huge congratulations to Jaijai Lewis ... as his The Office recreation has been selected as the next LEGO Ideas sets. This is a super interesting and entertaining television show that we feel is universally known and loved and Jaijai's creation captures all the details of that story so well. It's also very apparent to us how much desire there has been for a set like this after numerous submissions reaching review over the years. This time we had the opportunity and we jumped on it.

(emphasis added)  For Ideas sets based on existing I.P. (intellectual property), licensing is generally the biggest hurdle, as Lego would need approval from the I.P. owner(s), and sometimes there may be current toy licenses held by competing toy companies.

This is an image of the fan-submitted set.  Expect the final version to look quite a bit different, especially concerning the number of minifigures.  I'd suspect 7 to 9 would be more realistic. 

For a comparison of how the fan model can differ from the final product, here are official photos of the Seinfeld set (via Brickset.com) and here is the original submission (ideas.lego.com).  Also, besides Seinfeld there have been other TV show "set" Lego sets, including Friends (Central Perk and Apartments), new Queer Eye, and The Big Bang Theory.

As far as a release date goes, the Seinfeld set was approved in June 2020 and the set was released in July 2021, so late next year is likely the earliest that this set could be available.

Edited October 15, 2021 by Just Here
formatting, typo

[legaleagle53]

11 hours ago, Just Here said:

There will be an official Lego set for U.S. version of The Office.  The set will be a part of their "Ideas" line, which are based on fan-submitted designs that have at least 10,000 votes on the Lego Ideas website (ideas.lego.com). 

From the official Lego Ideas blog:

(emphasis added)  For Ideas sets based on existing I.P. (intellectual property), licensing is generally the biggest hurdle, as Lego would need approval from the I.P. owner(s), and sometimes there may be current toy licenses held by competing toy companies.

This is an image of the fan-submitted set.  Expect the final version to look quite a bit different, especially concerning the number of minifigures.  I'd suspect 7 to 9 would be more realistic. 

For a comparison of how the fan model can differ from the final product, here are official photos of the Seinfeld set (via Brickset.com) and here is the original submission (ideas.lego.com).  Also, besides Seinfeld there have been other TV show "set" Lego sets, including Friends (Central Perk and Apartments), new Queer Eye, and The Big Bang Theory.

As far as a release date goes, the Seinfeld set was approved in June 2020 and the set was released in July 2021, so late next year is likely the earliest that this set could be available.

I tried to figure out which figure was who, and I think I recognized all of them from the first 6 seasons.

Currently, I'm bingeing my way through Season 8, and I have to say that I'm still enjoying it as a first-time viewer. Andy is my favorite character. He's not quite as clueless as Michael, although he does have a few over-the-top tendencies that I think come from the fact that he just tries too hard to be Michael 2.0.  I haven't yet gotten to the part where he turns on Erin, but given the fact that she first unceremoniously dumped him for Gabe (what did she ever SEE in him?), I'll give him some slack when things start going south with her again (and I actually find her a bit annoying anyway, so I won't shed too many tears for her).

The only other two characters I find really annoying are Kelly and Robert California. Kelly would have made me stabby a long time ago with her vapid self-absorption and complete inability to shut the hell up for more than five minutes at a time. I honestly wonder why Ryan ever put up with her at all. And there's something about Robert that bugs me, but I can't quite put my finger on it. I really wonder why it was felt necessary to make him a permanent fixture.

Anyway, I'm really enjoying this show!

Edited October 16, 2021 by legaleagle53

[peacheslatour]

Quote

 I honestly wonder why Ryan ever put up with her at all.

He deserved her.

[legaleagle53]

2 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

He deserved her.

Granted, Ryan was an asshole who should never have been re-hired after being convicted of defrauding the shareholders when he was a VP (in the real world, he almost certainly would have been legally barred from ever holding a position of trust again), but even he didn't deserve someone like Kelly, who just kept throwing herself at him until he finally just stopped resisting her and let her drag him into the relationship because resisting her was too exhausting. As I've watched their "relationship" develop, it's been clear to me that she was always WAY more into him than he was into her. I would have gotten her in front of HR on Day 1 even if I had to go over Toby's head to do it.

Oh, and don't get me started on Michael's weird man-crush on Ryan. What WAS that, anyway?

Edited October 16, 2021 by legaleagle53

[dargosmydaddy]

13 hours ago, legaleagle53 said:

And there's something about Robert that bugs me, but I can't quite put my finger on it.

The fact that he's a smug asshole with no redeeming qualities, maybe?

[peacheslatour]

Just now, dargosmydaddy said:

The fact that he's a smug asshole with no redeeming qualities, maybe?

He's pretty much a sociopath.

[legaleagle53]

6 minutes ago, dargosmydaddy said:

The fact that he's a smug asshole with no redeeming qualities, maybe?

5 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

He's pretty much a sociopath.

Makes perfect sense to me. I mean, how the hell did he talk Jo into giving him HER job as the CEO of Sabre?  This is a woman who always saw through Michael and Dwight's bullcrap and wasn't afraid to put either of them in his place as needed. Robert shouldn't have been able to bamboozle her like that!

Edited October 16, 2021 by legaleagle53

[Ms Blue Jay]

I get they wanted to do something "different" with Robert California, but there's nothing laugh out loud funny to me about him, and it's supposed to be a sitcom.  He's just creepy.  He just brings the vibe of the show down.

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 10/15/2021 at 11:36 PM, legaleagle53 said:

Currently, I'm bingeing my way through Season 8, and I have to say that I'm still enjoying it as a first-time viewer. Andy is my favorite character. He's not quite as clueless as Michael, although he does have a few over-the-top tendencies that I think come from the fact that he just tries too hard to be Michael 2.0.  I haven't yet gotten to the part where he turns on Erin, but given the fact that she first unceremoniously dumped him for Gabe (what did she ever SEE in him?), I'll give him some slack when things start going south with her again (and I actually find her a bit annoying anyway, so I won't shed too many tears for her).

When they briefly had Andy and Erin together it was bliss and when the show broke them up to have Erin date Gabe it was one of the stupidest things the show ever did.

Like Kevin said about Pam and Jim when he thought they weren't dating, "What a waste."

[legaleagle53]

I've just reached the point in Season 8 where Nellie has been introduced. I hate her worse than I hate Robert California. I know the producers felt they had a huge void to fill when Steve Carrell left, but I feel that they were way overcompensating by introducing such thoroughly unlikeable characters in rapid succession.

And what was up with having Cathy try out of the blue to seduce Jim in Florida? What was THAT all about?

[Ms Blue Jay]

1 hour ago, legaleagle53 said:

I've just reached the point in Season 8 where Nellie has been introduced. I hate her worse than I hate Robert California. I know the producers felt they had a huge void to fill when Steve Carrell left, but I feel that they were way overcompensating by introducing such thoroughly unlikeable characters in rapid succession.

And what was up with having Cathy try out of the blue to seduce Jim in Florida? What was THAT all about?

I used to feel the way you did about Nellie.  But now, after watching the seasons so many times, I think I prefer Nellie over Robert.  I guess because she has a lighter and more comedic tone.  It takes getting used to.

Cathy.  Ugh.!   She really used to make my blood boil.  But now, like I said, with rewatches, I enjoy that episode, I think it's called After Hours?  Where Jim gets Dwight to sabotage her.  Also, the episode where Pam and Dwight team up to figure out if Jim finds her attractive is pretty cute.  It's adorable that Dwight would just go ahead with Pam's plan like that.

Also, I like Cathy for about two minutes, in Test the Store, where she hits on nerdy tech guys.  There, at least, she's outright admitting what she's doing and why and it's for the company.

Edited October 19, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[legaleagle53]

10 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I used to feel the way you did about Nellie.  But now, after watching the seasons so many times, I think I prefer Nellie over Robert.  I guess because she has a lighter and more comedic tone.  It takes getting used to.

Well, I've started warming up to Nellie now that I've finished Season 8. I guess my initial hatred of her came from the way she steamrolled all over everybody (especially Andy after he came back from Florida). But I've softened on her now that Andy is back as manager again and they've both buried the hatchet. It also helps that I've learned a little more about her backstory now and why she is the way she is. Those voicemails to her that Pam deleted had me feeling sorry for her by the end of the season.

But Robert? Good riddance!

Oh, and one more thing: Ryan. He is unbelievably insufferable the way he refuses to accept that Kelly chose Ravi -- I mean, this from a guy who couldn't stand to be around Kelly just a few years ago and wanted no part of a romantic relationship with her!

Edited October 19, 2021 by legaleagle53

[Ms Blue Jay]

8 hours ago, legaleagle53 said:

Oh, and one more thing: Ryan. He is unbelievably insufferable the way he refuses to accept that Kelly chose Ravi -- I mean, this from a guy who couldn't stand to be around Kelly just a few years ago and wanted no part of a romantic relationship with her!

Also, when Kelly started to date Darryl, (a few seasons before where you are) , Ryan was super jealous and tried to break them up.  Darryl broke up with her no problem and then Ryan was stuck with her and upset again.  LOL.  Lord.

[legaleagle53]

5 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Also, when Kelly started to date Darryl, (a few seasons before where you are) , Ryan was super jealous and tried to break them up.  Darryl broke up with her no problem and then Ryan was stuck with her and upset again.  LOL.  Lord.

Ryan is the worst and most dangerous kind of asshole. He'll be be all charming and "aw shucks" to your face and then stab you in the back the moment it's turned. And then HE'LL get pissed off that YOU'RE pissed off at HIM for stabbing you in the back!

Edited October 19, 2021 by legaleagle53

[peacheslatour]

2 hours ago, legaleagle53 said:

Ryan is the worst and most dangerous kind of asshole. He'll be be all charming and "aw shucks" to your face and then stab you in the back the moment it's turned. And then HE'LL get pissed off that YOU'RE pissed off at HIM for stabbing you in the back!

Agreed. As awful as most of them were, he was the one I actually hated.

[Katy M]

2 hours ago, legaleagle53 said:

Ryan is the worst and most dangerous kind of asshole. He'll be be all charming and "aw shucks" to your face and then stab you in the back the moment it's turned. And then HE'LL get pissed off that YOU'RE pissed off at HIM for stabbing you in the back!

I felt bad for him the first season, though.  Michael was completely inappropriate any time he was around him.  Can you imagine how awkward you would feel?

But, after that, he was a complete sociopath.  He abandoned his child (although I'm not entirely certainly it was actually his) just to run off with Kelly.  And you know they will be broken up with the week.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Ryan has like, no moral compass but he's still one of my favourite characters because of the way he was written. I find it enjoyable.

I think it is so clever that they had a young character on the show to represent that mentality.  Though, B.J. Novak is very young Gen X.  It's hysterical.  

Edited October 19, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[legaleagle53]

10 hours ago, Katy M said:

I felt bad for him the first season, though.  Michael was completely inappropriate any time he was around him.  Can you imagine how awkward you would feel?

 

That always baffled me. I couldn't figure out what the deal was with Michael's weird man-crush on Ryan. I mean, at least Oscar's gay (although Ryan is obviously not Oscar's type), so a crush that way would make some sense. I think Michael must have just seen Ryan as a younger version of himself.

[Katy M]

9 hours ago, legaleagle53 said:

That always baffled me. I couldn't figure out what the deal was with Michael's weird man-crush on Ryan. I mean, at least Oscar's gay (although Ryan is obviously not Oscar's type), so a crush that way would make some sense. I think Michael must have just seen Ryan as a younger version of himself.

Yeah, I don't think it was a romantic or sex thing.  I think it was that for whatever reason, Michael just thought that Ryan was awesome.  Michael actually wanted everyone to like him, except Toby of course.   Which is really weird because most of the stuff he does to get people to like him is more off-putting.  But, he especially wanted Ryan to like him.  Maybe he remind him of his stepfather when he first married  his mom.  He could never get his stepfather to like him.

[legaleagle53]

2 hours ago, Katy M said:

Yeah, I don't think it was a romantic or sex thing.  I think it was that for whatever reason, Michael just thought that Ryan was awesome.  Michael actually wanted everyone to like him, except Toby of course.   Which is really weird because most of the stuff he does to get people to like him is more off-putting.  But, he especially wanted Ryan to like him.  Maybe he remind him of his stepfather when he first married  his mom.  He could never get his stepfather to like him.

I didn't mean to imply that it was a romantic or a sex thing, since it clearly wasn't (although giving Ryan a ridiculously expensive gift could have been interpreted as such). But there was nothing "awesome" about Ryan that would have merited such over-the-top treatment. And no, I don' t think Ryan reminded Michael of his stepfather, since Michael hated his stepfather. I  think Ryan really reminded Michael of himself at a younger age. That's the only reason I can think of that makes sense.

And it wasn't that Michael didn't want Toby to like him. Michael didn't care whether Toby liked him or not. Michael just flat-out hated him because he saw Toby as a perpetual buzzkill who was always stopping him from making things "fun" around the office. Michael desperately wanted a family more than anything, so he set out to make the office staff into one, and in Michael's mind, families don't have boundaries or limits. They just exist to have fun and to make everything all about him. Toby was a constant threat to Michael's vision for his "family."

Which makes me wonder why ANDY hated Toby. Andy had his over-the-top moments (and a stupid impetuous streak that nearly cost him his job and DID end up costing him his relationship with Erin), but I've never seen any evidence of Toby constantly giving Andy the smackdown the way he constantly had to with Michael.

Edited October 20, 2021 by legaleagle53

[Katy M]

15 minutes ago, legaleagle53 said:

And no, I don' t think Ryan reminded Michael of his stepfather, since Michael hated his stepfather. I  think Ryan really reminded Michael of himself at a younger age. That's the only reason I can think of that makes sense.

Didn't Michael hate his stepfather because his stepfather hated him?

Anyway, to me it makes more sense if Ryan reminds Michael of someone that he wanted to be like, or that he really wanted to like him, rather than reminding him of himself.   But, it's also weird, because the weird crush for lack of a better word happened immediately.  As he was introducing Ryan around the office.  

[IntrovertRed]

On 10/16/2021 at 12:20 PM, legaleagle53 said:

Granted, Ryan was an asshole who should never have been re-hired after being convicted of defrauding the shareholders when he was a VP (in the real world, he almost certainly would have been legally barred from ever holding a position of trust again), but even he didn't deserve someone like Kelly, who just kept throwing herself at him until he finally just stopped resisting her and let her drag him into the relationship because resisting her was too exhausting. As I've watched their "relationship" develop, it's been clear to me that she was always WAY more into him than he was into her. I would have gotten her in front of HR on Day 1 even if I had to go over Toby's head to do it.

Ryan used Kelly plain and simple.  Kelly is a piece of work, yes, but it's not her fault that Ryan 'stopped resisting'.  He was weak and also treated her like shit.  You can't blame Kelly for how Ryan behaved.  

I wasn't a fan of Nellie at first, but she did grow on me, plus it was nice to see Pam have a sort of confidant at work other than Jim.

The ones that I didn't enjoy the last season were Andy and Jim.  Andy because he turned into an ass when it came to Erin and Jim because it was so out of character for him to start to blow off his wife, a woman he had loved for years. I get not wanting to stay at Dunder Mifflin forever, just wasn't crazy about the way it came about. 

 

 

 

Edited October 20, 2021 by KLJ

[Ms Blue Jay]

3 hours ago, legaleagle53 said:

I didn't mean to imply that it was a romantic or a sex thing, since it clearly wasn't (although giving Ryan a ridiculously expensive gift could have been interpreted as such). But there was nothing "awesome" about Ryan that would have merited such over-the-top treatment.

You have to remember that Mindy Kaling was one of the writers and eventual producers.  A lot of stuff in the show was written about how "Hot" Ryan was, especially in Season 1.  

3 hours ago, legaleagle53 said:

And it wasn't that Michael didn't want Toby to like him. Michael didn't care whether Toby liked him or not. Michael just flat-out hated him because he saw Toby as a perpetual buzzkill who was always stopping him from making things "fun" around the office. Michael desperately wanted a family more than anything, so he set out to make the office staff into one, and in Michael's mind, families don't have boundaries or limits. They just exist to have fun and to make everything all about him. Toby was a constant threat to Michael's vision for his "family."

Which makes me wonder why ANDY hated Toby. Andy had his over-the-top moments (and a stupid impetuous streak that nearly cost him his job and DID end up costing him his relationship with Erin), but I've never seen any evidence of Toby constantly giving Andy the smackdown the way he constantly had to with Michael.

This is all just tradition from the original UK version of The Office.  The manager hates HR.  That's it.  All the rest is just fluff and incidental.  HR is there to "spoil the fun" of the manager according to David Brent/Michael Scott.  They're there to stop parties, impose rules.  That's as far as it goes.  

So Andy became the manager and then simply carried on the tradition.

I agree, it's out of character for Andy, which is why I hated how much they changed him in the final season.

Edited October 20, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[Milburn Stone]

I actually do think that Michael's fixation with Ryan was a sex thing, but Michael, being so out of touch with everything including himself, doesn't acknowledge his homoerotic longings. His cluelessness knows no limits, external--or internal.

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 9/9/2020 at 5:46 AM, cynicat said:

The dish is not compete unless they play Hunter's CD in the background

You took me by the hand....... MADE ME A MANNNNNNN

I unironically love that song so much.

[peacheslatour]

54 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

You took me by the hand....... MADE ME A MANNNNNNN

I unironically love that song so much.

Love you babe.

[Ms Blue Jay]

That one night (one night) you made everything all riiiiiiiiiiight (Riiiiiiight) 

So wrong, so right, all right, all night, oh yeah.  Oh yeah.

 

Jim:  I have so many questions.  Can I have your email?
Dwight's Babysitter:  Email?

Edited October 24, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 10/22/2021 at 3:33 PM, Milburn Stone said:

I actually do think that Michael's fixation with Ryan was a sex thing, but Michael, being so out of touch with everything including himself, doesn't acknowledge his homoerotic longings. His cluelessness knows no limits, external--or internal.

I'm reading the book you suggested by Andy Greene and every director/writer has a different take on Michael, some write him nicer, some meaner, some with more heart, some more clueless, etc. etc. etc. but apparently Mindy Kaling writes him "gay".  So, I think that explains that...... 

[Fool to cry]

 

 

 

[peacheslatour]

9 hours ago, Fool to cry said:

 

 

 

Wait. What was it?

[legaleagle53]

21 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Wait. What was it?

The producers and writers wanted Jim to cheat on Pam with Cathy down in Florida. That's what would have happened if John hadn't refused to go there. That's why Cathy's attempt to seduce Jim ended in disaster and was quickly aborted.

And John was right. The viewers would never have forgiven the show if Pam and Jim had broken up after the show had spent four years getting the viewers invested in putting them together in the first place!

Edited November 19, 2021 by legaleagle53

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, legaleagle53 said:

The producers and writers wanted Jim to cheat on Pam with Cathy down in Florida. That's what would have happened if John hadn't refused to go there. That's why Cathy's attempt to seduce Jim ended in disaster and was quickly aborted.

And John was right. The viewers would never have forgiven the show if Pam and Jim had broken up after the show had spent four years getting the viewers invested in putting them together in the first place!

Oh yeah, that would have finished Jim for me.

[Ms Blue Jay]

That's such a horrible story idea.  Cathy in general was kind of a horrible idea altogether.  It's supposed to be a sitcom, and though there are women like Cathy out there, it's just a little too damn real for me. LOL.

[cardigirl]

20 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

That's such a horrible story idea.  Cathy in general was kind of a horrible idea altogether.  It's supposed to be a sitcom, and though there are women like Cathy out there, it's just a little too damn real for me. LOL.

So the man that participates in the affair is not at fault?  Women have a lot of power over men, huh?

I agree, this show was not built for playing off "cheating on your wife" as funny, although they did have Stanley in quite a few affairs for laughs.  

The comedy in this show comes from "discomfort" and I can see why the writers were looking for ways to bring that out in Pam and Jim. Once they were married with two kids, there was little tension left there. 

I always disliked that in the end they made Michael "lovable" and he got to off into the sunset with Holly. He was so terrible and cringe-inducing to everyone in The Office, yet he gets rewarded.  

My least favorite character though, is Kevin.  When he is onscreen, giving a talking head, I fast-forward through it.  He's gross in so many ways.

 

[peacheslatour]

Quote

My least favorite character though, is Kevin.  When he is onscreen, giving a talking head, I fast-forward through it.  He's gross in so many ways.

When it came to unlikable characters,  Kevin had nothing on Ryan. The way he treated Pam made me want to throw my TV across the room.

[cardigirl]

2 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

When it came to unlikable characters,  Kevin had nothing on Ryan. The way he treated Pam made me want to throw my TV across the room.

Ryan didn't come across as gross to me though.  Kevin sticking his feet in the ice-making machine just about did me in at Pam and Jim's wedding. UGH! Spilling all the chili, crying to try to make Pam leak.  I have to fast forward through all of that. 

Pam held her own just fine with Ryan. In fact, they all did.  Even Keli was written in a way that Ryan didn't really take advantage of her so much as she just couldn't help herself.  That relationship was hilarious. 

[HyeChaps]

It was funny how Jim got Dwight to get rid of Cathy

[IntrovertRed]

5 hours ago, cardigirl said:

I always disliked that in the end they made Michael "lovable" and he got to off into the sunset with Holly. He was so terrible and cringe-inducing to everyone in The Office, yet he gets rewarded.

I didn't look at it as they made Michael more lovable necessarily.  I looked at it as Michael actually growing up and becoming more mature and self-aware.   He evolved, and I loved that.

 

On 11/19/2021 at 7:53 AM, legaleagle53 said:

The producers and writers wanted Jim to cheat on Pam with Cathy down in Florida. That's what would have happened if John hadn't refused to go there. That's why Cathy's attempt to seduce Jim ended in disaster and was quickly aborted.

And John was right. The viewers would never have forgiven the show if Pam and Jim had broken up after the show had spent four years getting the viewers invested in putting them together in the first place!

And considering that Jim basically waited for years for Pam, would Jim have really cheated on Pam?  Hell no.  Very happy that John K. put his foot done, there would have been no coming back from that.

[Katy M]

On 12/12/2020 at 1:31 PM, Katy M said:

*Who did dwight have that paintball lessons would have been a good gift.  We know he didn't have Michael (which is pretty much the only person I could see that it would make sense that he would want to spend extra time with), Pam, Kelly, Angela, Kevin or Ryan.  I'm pretty sure he wouldn't give that gift to Jim because he wouldn't have wanted to spend extra time with him.  Stanley would have had pretty much the same reaction as Michael and would have been completely forseeable.  I can't see Phyllis wanting to do that.  Darryl, Oscar, or Toby?  Is that who we're left with?  

Anyway, gifts that create an obligation are not a good gift.  Especially in a workplace environment. Unless Dwight really thought the recipient would want paintball lessons.

OK, I saw this again and I took notes:

Jim had Pam, Creed had Jim, Phyllis had Michael, Stanley had Kelly, Toby had Angela, Michael had Ryan, Kelly had Oscar, Oscar had Creed and Kevin had Kevin.

So, that leaves Phyllis, Stanley, Toby, and Meredith to be the intended recipients of the paintball lessons.  Dwight doesn't like Toby because Michael doesn't like Toby.  Dwight doesn't read people the greatest, but I feel like even he would know that Stanley would just shoot him in the head with the paintball, I think Meredith is the best candidate of those 4.

[peacheslatour]

Quote

 Dwight doesn't read people the greatest, but I feel like even he would know that Stanley would just shoot him in the head with the paintball, I think Meredith is the best candidate of those 4.

I can totally see Meredith really digging paintball. She's such an aggressive weirdo.

[Columbo]

I think out of all the characters I probably hated Pete from the final season the most. Because not only wasn't he funny, or at least amusing, but he always seemed to act like he was above it all. Like he was better than everyone else. 

I viewed the Michael and Ryan relationship as Michael as the boss sees this new temp called Ryan. Michael thinks here is this new guy, maybe I can mentor him. I can be like his Obi Wan to his Luke. And over time we might be friends. So, Michael, as he does, goes so completely overboard that he ruins any chance of any kind of like Ryan wanting to be his mentor or even his friend.

 

 

Edited December 7, 2021 by Columbo

[Wordsworth]

On 10/16/2021 at 1:34 PM, legaleagle53 said:

Makes perfect sense to me. I mean, how the hell did he talk Jo into giving him HER job as the CEO of Sabre?  This is a woman who always saw through Michael and Dwight's bullcrap and wasn't afraid to put either of them in his place as needed. Robert shouldn't have been able to bamboozle her like that!

I felt the same way.  Then I remembered her first introduction to Dwight when she asked if he always sat when meeting a lady.  He said he was treating her the same way he would treat a man for whom he would also not stand, except for the President or Judge Judy.  

Jo: (slyly)  "I like that".

So Dwight somehow managed to find all of her buzzwords....treating her as he would a man since we later find that Jo takes pride in competing in a man's world.

Robert California is a clearly a scam artist. Scam artists will generally figure out how to read their marks and manipulate them.  He must have found some way to identify Jo's points of weakness.  

I mean...she hired DeAngelo just because he saved her dog from a thief.  Couldn't she have just given him cash?  I can easily see California running a number on her, especially after his double talk managed to cause the entire search committee to recommend him.

[Columbo]

I've been re-watching this show for the umpteenth time and I've realised something: I hate the abusive and violent way that Pam and Roy broke off for a second time. What with Roy trashing the bar and trying to hit Jim.

 

Not because I think Pam and Roy were a good couple. Clearly they were awful together, but I feel that by making Roy violent during those two moments the writers unintentionally gave a dark reinterpretation of the relationship where it's like the audience is thinking " if he's that abusive in public, what's he like in private?". And i feel the writers while making Roy a bad person by being neglectful, thoughtless and just plain awful towards Pam, weren't intending for him to be violent towards her. But by making him be violent it causes a rethink of the past interactions of Pam and Roy. Of course the writers could have intended the relationship between Pam and Roy to be violent. But if they did I feel it makes the Pam and Roy relationship lose a lot of dimensions. Like I like to think as Roy as a good person at heart, but just completely wrong for Pam.

 

Another reason I disliked it was because it wasn't very subtle for a show like the office where normally they do great character moments.

 

What I would like to have had happen is this: Pam tells Roy that she and Jim kissed. Roy gets mad and storms off. Pam is afraid that Roy will hurt Jim. The next day Roy meets up with Pam, says he was hurt by what she told him, but he realises he wasn't the best partner and he's willing to move forward if she is. She happily agrees. Then they start talking about something else and Roy says something not offensive but ignorant and neglectful towards Pam, something she really cares about deeply. And this comment of his makes Pam realise something: Roy is never going to change and she needs to break up with him for good if she's ever going to move forward in her life. So she breaks up with him. He is of course upset and pleads her to reconsider but her mind is made up. She's no longer the mild mannered receptionist of the first two seasons, she knows she is strong enough to stand on her own without her high school sweetheart. Devastated at this second break up Roy quits his job at the warehouse.

 

[Ms Blue Jay]

Yeah, Roy and his brother trashing that bar by throwing bottles into mirrors and shit was over the top.  Really not sitcom-esque.  It was dark!

Edited: I guess the writers put themselves in a corner.  I guess they figured they had to do something scorched Earth so that Pam would finally leave.  They needed a big catalyst because they saw Pam as so passive and meak.

Edited January 23, 2022 by Ms Blue Jay

[Columbo]

I also realised during Pam's big beach speech where she says to Jim "I miss our friendship" she's basically saying to him "I miss our emotional affair and the way you used to flirt with me at work"

[RealHousewife]

I recently started binging The Office, and I really enjoy it. It has a coziness to it that some sitcoms lack, and Michael Scott is hilarious.

[IntrovertRed]

I just realized that Erin had likely already seen Holly during Michael & Holly's play at the company picnic.  So why was Erin looking forward to meeting Holly when Holly came back in a later season while Toby was a juror?  Or are we to assume Erin forgot or didn't pay attention to their play?  While watching the company picnic last night, this line of thought just popped up.