The Office (US) - General Discussion

[Kip Hackman]

1 hour ago, VCRTracking said:

There were two primary things that drove the show originally: Michael's search for happiness despite his many problems as a person and the Jim and Pam love story. After Jim and Pam got married I was still into the show because of Michael. Once Michael got his happy ending and left to be with Holly the show was basically over.

Agreed. The difference being that TPTB always intended for Jim and Pam to get together. Michael's "happy ending" was kinda thrust upon them, once Steve Carell decided he wasn't renewing his contract. So that always rang a little hollow for me. Especially the entire office staff singing Rent songs to him. For me, there was no reason for this show to exist w/o Michael Scott.

As far as Parks & B99 (which I both love), I think Mike Schur learned from some of the mistakes that were made on The Office. Specifically, letting the show become overshadowed by a "will they or won't they?" relationship.

[strongercoffee]

Quote

As far as Parks & B99 (which I both love), I think Mike Schur learned from some of the mistakes that were made on The Office. Specifically, letting the show become overshadowed by a "will they or won't they?" relationship.

That's true, and for me it's also true that overall the characters on Parks and B99 (aside from Gina---don't get me started!) are more 'likeable' and admirable than most of the Office characters. B99/Parks are both more optimistic, hopeful, sweet shows. And yet The Office is still a million times funnier to me, sharper and more clever, insightful and relatable. When I want something sweetly upbeat, positive and silly, I'll go for B99 or Parks. But when I want comedy that I personally consider smart and witty and a show that to me has greater emotional depth because it is a little angsty, more grounded and with fewer (yet therefore even more rewarding?) heartwarming moments, I'll go with The Office. It's not as frequently rewatchable  to me as Parks and B99, and Jake/Amy and Ben/Leslie are probably a whole lot closer to perfect than Jim/Pam as both individual characters and in terms of having a healthy, happy yet not co-dependent relationship, but for me The Office at its best is better than almost any other show I've ever seen :)  

[VCRTracking]

Sue Grafton died and all I could think of was the time Michael made Phyllis go to her book signing and ask her to be in a Dunder Mifflin commercial and "not take no for an answer" so they threw her out and she came back crying. Also that Creed thought Grafton was "crazy hot".

[auntiemel]

1 hour ago, VCRTracking said:

Sue Grafton died and all I could think of was the time Michael made Phyllis go to her book signing and ask her to be in a Dunder Mifflin commercial and "not take no for an answer" so they threw her out and she came back crying. Also that Creed thought Grafton was "crazy hot".

I thought about that today, too. :(

"The alphabet ends in Y."

[absnow54]

Comedy Central started playing giant blocks of episodes recently. I dipped into it halfway through season 2 and caught the first half of season 3, then switched over to the show on Netflix because I couldn't keep up. I doubt I'll make it all the way through, because the show gets really slow around season 5 or 6, but it was SO GOOD in season 2 and 3. Season 2 is one of my favorite seasons of television, and while I don't think the overall arc of season 3 is as strong, it's probably more laugh out loud funny. I agree with a poster above that The Office isn't as rewatchable as Parks and Recreation though. I hop into P&R marathons every couple of months, but with The Office, it's been years since I've watched an episode, but I'd say I love both shows the same.

[absnow54]

Okay, I've made it to season 9 (NINE seasons? I swear I thought it was only 7...) The scene in Michael's Goodbye when Pam rushes through airport security to say goodbye to him makes me sob every. single. time. There was something about their friendship that was just so perfect. In fact, I love the unique dynamics between Michael, Dwight, Jim, and Pam, they did such a great job weaving those relationships so that any combination of those characters could be thrown into a scene together, when it would have been so easy to isolate Jim/Pam and Dwight/Michael.

One thing I didn't get in season 9, is what the hell were they doing with Andy? I get that Michael Scott left a void, and that they made Andy too likeable in season 8, but Andy doing a Michael Scott impression in season 9 just didn't work. It also seemed weird that they spent three seasons pushing Erin and Andy only to torpedo it with Jim-lite in the end (don't get me wrong, I love Jake Lacy.) I was never on board with Erin and Andy to begin with, and thought the whole Florida story was dumb, but they put in a lot of leg work to give a lead character a meh-ending.

[Jimbo]

On 2/6/2018 at 8:30 AM, absnow54 said:

One thing I didn't get in season 9, is what the hell were they doing with Andy? I get that Michael Scott left a void, and that they made Andy too likeable in season 8, but Andy doing a Michael Scott impression in season 9 just didn't work. It also seemed weird that they spent three seasons pushing Erin and Andy only to torpedo it with Jim-lite in the end (don't get me wrong, I love Jake Lacy.) I was never on board with Erin and Andy to begin with, and thought the whole Florida story was dumb, but they put in a lot of leg work to give a lead character a meh-ending.

I will never, ever understand this. The writers had never been especially consistent with Andy's character throughout the years, but he was generally likable and certainly never intentionally malevolent. And then, out of left field,  they made him into this overweening jerk in Season 9. AND they broke up the Andy-Erin relationship that they had spent years cultivating, only to pair her with that forgettable guy (don't remember his name, but "Jim-lite" works!) and then that subplot was dropped and never resumed. It was straight-up character assassination of the highest order, almost as if the writers had an axe to grind against Ed Helms and took it out on his character. Just one more reason (of many) why Seasons 8 and 9 are terrible.

Andy DID get a decent ending--admissions officer at Cornell (not bad!), but they found a way to botch that story too, only revealing this in the final minutes of the finale, after leading the audience to believe he was some sort of sad-sack loser when he actually was doing fine. I will never understand why they did what they did to the character of Andy Bernard...

[Kip Hackman]

9 hours ago, Jimbo said:

Seasons 8 and 9 are terrible.

Agreed.

[teddysmom]

I liked 9. I just finished rewatching the series. I skipped 8 altogether, but 9 had some good episodes.

Dakota Johnson was on a couple episodes,  she replaced Kevin after Dwight fired him. You almost don't recognize her as she has her natural blonde hair. She looked gorgeous.  And the actor who played Christopher on The Sopranos was Dwight's new sensai. It's like they were stunt casting like crazy.  Meredith's son was played by the kid who is on Mom, the daughter's goofy boyfriend/father of her baby. He shows up to strip at Angela's bachelorette party, and Meredith is showing him moves. I was lmao. 

I cried & laughed at the last episode, esp when Michael shows up and says "it's like all my kids grew up and married each other, what every parent dreams of".  

[VCRTracking]

I like season 9 too. The "Asian Jim" prank with Randall Park(who would later star in Fresh Off the Boat) was oneof the best. I also did like them finally showing the documentary crew after all these years. The one weird episode was the spinoff pilot for Dwight, "The Farm" introducing a sister we've never met or was mentioned and who was unusually attractive for being Dwight's sister! I like Majandra Delfino from Roswell but a series centered on Dwight on his beet farm was just a dumb idea.

Edited February 15, 2018 by VCRTracking

[Richard]

On 1/25/2018 at 9:21 AM, absnow54 said:

Comedy Central started playing giant blocks of episodes recently. I dipped into it halfway through season 2 and caught the first half of season 3, then switched over to the show on Netflix because I couldn't keep up. I doubt I'll make it all the way through, because the show gets really slow around season 5 or 6, but it was SO GOOD in season 2 and 3. Season 2 is one of my favorite seasons of television, and while I don't think the overall arc of season 3 is as strong, it's probably more laugh out loud funny. I agree with a poster above that The Office isn't as rewatchable as Parks and Recreation though. I hop into P&R marathons every couple of months, but with The Office, it's been years since I've watched an episode, but I'd say I love both shows the same.

This is EXACTLY my story right now. I'm up to the end of Season 6, and will have to go back and catch up on Season 1 and the first few episodes of Season 2.

[LucyEth]

On 2/14/2018 at 9:51 PM, VCRTracking said:

I like season 9 too. The "Asian Jim" prank with Randall Park(who would later star in Fresh Off the Boat) was oneof the best. I also did like them finally showing the documentary crew after all these years. The one weird episode was the spinoff pilot for Dwight, "The Farm" introducing a sister we've never met or was mentioned and who was unusually attractive for being Dwight's sister! I like Majandra Delfino from Roswell but a series centered on Dwight on his beet farm was just a dumb idea.

Did the spinoff have a couple of episodes that aired, but then it was cancelled?  I don't remember but I would imagine that a spinoff about Dwight would have to include Angela and the baby.

[VCRTracking]

5 hours ago, LucyEth said:

Did the spinoff have a couple of episodes that aired, but then it was cancelled?  I don't remember but I would imagine that a spinoff about Dwight would have to include Angela and the baby.

It was just the one pilot produced earlier in the season made that the network turned down. If it had been Dwight would have only been in 13 episodes in season 9. Wikipedia:

Quote

"The Farm" was the fifth episode produced, but was the seventeenth aired, as noted by its production number.[1] It was originally supposed to act as a backdoor pilot for a spin-off series starring Wilson and focusing on Dwight. As such, Wilson was initially slated to appear in only 13 episodes of The Office's ninth season before leaving for the spin-off.[4] Paul Lieberstein, the showrunner for The Office for seasons five through eight, stepped down at the start of season nine in order to focus more energy on the potential spin-off.[5] However, upon review, the spin-off was not picked up by NBC.[6] Executive producer Greg Daniels revealed that the episode would have additional material shot so that it fits better into the season, as the original version contained "certain aspects that were appropriate for a pilot of a new show".[

Watching it you can see why it wasn't picked up. Dwight doesn't work as a main character. There are some touching moments with him bonding with his little nephew(Dwight's sister is a single mom) but the whole thing was just awkward. Only after the spinoff was a no-go did they decide to have Angela finally learn the truth about her in-the-closet husband and get a divorce, reveal her baby was really Dwight's after all and they back together. I don't mind because I always loved them as a couple and the wedding with Michael coming back to be his best man made for a nice finale.

Edited February 18, 2018 by VCRTracking

[LucyEth]

Thanks VCRTracking

[AuntiePam]

I watched in its original run but had forgotten 99% of it.  I was working in HR when the series first ran, and remember a website that tracked the financial cost of Michael's behavior, in lawsuits and discrimination claims. 

The only episode I really remembered was the one where Michael had to visit a school to tell the graduating class that he wouldn't be paying for their college education, as promised.  And the eps revolving around Pam and Jim's wedding(s).

Anyway, after watching bits and pieces of S1, S2, S3 and most of S5, I'm most confused about Michael's character.  There are times when he shows some real shame for his bad behavior, his selfishness/self-centeredness/narcissism, but it's hard to tell if what he's feeling is real empathy.  Does he care about what he's done to other people, or does he just care because it makes him feel bad?  Or is that the same thing -- a distinction with a difference?  Like what he did to the Prince family paper company -- he didn't want to give Dave Wallace their client list.  He knew what would happen.  He seemed to feel bad about it.  But did he, really?  Was that feeling real empathy -- was he truly relating to what he did to that family? 

There were so many times when he seemed sorry, even as he was hurting someone, but I could never figure out if the feeling was real or phony.  Like when we found out that Kevin (?) didn't have cancer.  Michael had to fake feeling happy, because it took attention away from himself. 

Fascinating character.

My favorite episode is Did I Stutter?  I love the episodes where Michael is reined in, even if it's only momentary.  I worked for an asshole boss and wasn't able to see him get his comeuppance.  It did happen, but I missed it. 

[TheBoyInTheBox]

Hey all,

My favorite episode is definitely the Yankee Swap.

I'm a big fan and put together a The Office mashup and was hoping other super fans would want to give it a click. Here it is!

 

[Caseysgirl]

I'm trying to decide if the writers hated Ed Helms or if he just didn't have the acting chops that Steve Carrell had to make an obnoxious and irritating character ultimately somewhat loveable.  He was never able to make the pathos of Andy Bernard subtle; I either felt very sorry for him because he was pathetic and unself-aware or hated him because he was totally obnoxious and unpleasant.  There never seemed to be the ability to dial it down.    

[StaceyNotStacie]

I’ve been watching the final season on Comedy Central and forgot how annoying Andy was that last season. Surprisingly, I’m not hating the episodes from the final season. The supporting cast and the interactions with Jim and Dwight are what made the show after Michael left. 

[VCRTracking]

28 minutes ago, Stacey1014 said:

I’ve been watching the final season on Comedy Central and forgot how annoying Andy was that last season. Surprisingly, I’m not hating the episodes from the final season. The supporting cast and the interactions with Jim and Dwight are what made the show after Michael left. 

Yeah season 9 was an improvement over the previous season. Even though I missed Kelly(Mindy Kaling had left to do her own show) I thought Clark Gregg from Hot Tub Time Machine and Greek was a good addition to the cast. The "Asian Jim" prank was great as was the cold open with Phyllis and the 50 Shades of Grey audiobook. I liked that we finally saw the documentary crew. I even thought Nellie became a better character.`

Edited February 23, 2018 by VCRTracking

[Moose135]

7 minutes ago, VCRTracking said:

I thought Clark Gregg from Hot Tub Time Machine and Greek was a good addition to the cast.

Clark Duke  I don't know Duke, and don't really remember him being in The Office, but I knew Clark Gregg wasn't - I've been watching him since his Quo Vadimus days...

[VCRTracking]

2 minutes ago, Moose135 said:

Clark Duke  I don't know Duke, and don't really remember him being in The Office, but I knew Clark Gregg wasn't - I've been watching him since his Quo Vadimus days...

Whoops! I meant Clark Duke! Yeah I liked the episode where Dwight had him sleep with Jan to get an account! I didn't realize until later that he played one of John Ritter's sons in the 90s sitcom Hearts of Fire which also starred Markie Post and Billy Bob Thorton!

Edited February 23, 2018 by VCRTracking

[Caseysgirl]

Clark Duke is a great character actor - wasn't he featured in one of the episodes of the HBO show the Dupree brothers did as the pizza boy?

[VCRTracking]

On 2/23/2018 at 5:20 PM, Caseysgirl said:

Clark Duke is a great character actor - wasn't he featured in one of the episodes of the HBO show the Dupree brothers did as the pizza boy?

Yeah, that was him.

I think the worst character in the series history and I mean "worst" as in terrible person besides Todd Packer was Cathy from season 8. Like what kind of person tries to seduce a man who's already married and has two kids?!

Edited March 1, 2018 by VCRTracking

[Richard]

I've made it about halfway through season 9 on my rewatch of the series. 

I have to say, the first time I watched the show, I didn't warm up to Nellie. I love Catherine Tate and her UK sketch show is brilliant, but at the time I didn't feel like she was a good fit for the show. 

This time around, I'm loving Nellie, especially in season 9. Her insecurities, her friendship with Pam, her "relationship" with Toby... all great! 

[VCRTracking]

23 minutes ago, Richard said:

I've made it about halfway through season 9 on my rewatch of the series. 

I have to say, the first time I watched the show, I didn't warm up to Nellie. I love Catherine Tate and her UK sketch show is brilliant, but at the time I didn't feel like she was a good fit for the show. 

This time around, I'm loving Nellie, especially in season 9. Her insecurities, her friendship with Pam, her "relationship" with Toby... all great! 

Yeah I liked Nelly too. I love that she had a happy ending by getting Ryan's baby that he abandoned at Dwight and Angela's wedding!

[LucyEth]

Re-watching the early seasons and Roy is a total jerk.  How could Pam be with him, he is borderline abusive.  Guess that made it easier for people to root for Jim and Pam to end up together.  I hated the Roy character.  

[Bebecat]

I really hate Dwight and the worst thing about Pam and Jim for me is their being on his side. He is such a loser. I hate that Angela cheated on Andy. Have been watching reruns and hate Dwight more and more. Hate that he kept his job after starting the fire and shooting off his gun. I know it is only TV but to me he is not funny, certainly not enough to have him getting away with that kind of BS, calling Phyliss fat, etc...

 

i really like the character of Michael’s boss David. He is extremely funny and great in that role. 

Edited March 10, 2018 by Bebecat

[Jimbo]

On 2/14/2018 at 7:11 AM, teddysmom said:

I liked 9. I just finished rewatching the series. I skipped 8 altogether, but 9 had some good episodes.

 

 

On 2/14/2018 at 6:51 PM, VCRTracking said:

I like season 9 too.

IMO (which is all this is!), Season 9 was only a half-step better than 8. They did rectify some of the worst blunders of that season (getting rid of the Robert California character, for instance) though there was more that they should have done (the Nellie character never should have been kept around--unlike some of the other posters here, I never warmed up to her). But for every good thing Season 9 did (showing the documentary crew, the addition of Clark Duke as Dwight's protege, and, yes, the last handful episodes were all good choices) there was a terrible, head-scratching decision made (changing Andy's character into an out-of-control tyrant, breaking up Andy/Erin and pairing her with a background character and then completely dropping that plotline, and the introduction of Brian into Pam's life were all horrible story choices). So it's a little better than Season 8, but still well below all the other seasons. 

For me, the show just didn't work after Steve Carell left. I suspected at the time it wouldn't, but was definitely willing to give it a chance. He was the heart and soul of the show, and, though I didn't realize it at the time, he kind of gave it a bit of narrative direction, and when he left, the show went from my all-time favorite to...something far inferior. I have never really grown to like the last two seasons. Again, just my opinion.

16 hours ago, Bebecat said:

I really hate Dwight

Dwight was fine in the first three seasons, but really beginning in Season 5, they took him way too far. That really hurt the show, taking a character who most of us know a version of and turning him into someone that nobody can possible relate to.

16 hours ago, Bebecat said:

I hate that Angela cheated on Andy.

Yep--they could have redeemed this story by keeping Andy with Erin, but no, they had to destroy that relationship too.

[VCRTracking]

21 hours ago, Bebecat said:

I really hate Dwight and the worst thing about Pam and Jim for me is their being on his side. He is such a loser. I hate that Angela cheated on Andy. Have been watching reruns and hate Dwight more and more. Hate that he kept his job after starting the fire and shooting off his gun. I know it is only TV but to me he is not funny, certainly not enough to have him getting away with that kind of BS, calling Phyliss fat, etc...

 

Oh I love Dwight. Next to Kelly he hasn't the funniest "talking head" moments. On top of the Amish stuff and possible Nazi relatives stuff, there's him being a geek which they got a lot of great jokes out of. When Andy Taylor had to go  If he wasn't such a jerk, the pranks Jim pulls on him would be ridiculously cruel. AAnd I love that he falls for the most insane ones like "getting a fax from the future" and "Asian Jim". lso Michael can be a jerk to him despite Dwight being extremely loyal and really his only real friend. Along with Michael, he was necessary in helping Jim and Pam bond. 

4 hours ago, Jimbo said:

21 hours ago, Bebecat said:

I hate that Angela cheated on Andy.

Yep--they could have redeemed this story by keeping Andy with Erin, but no, they had to destroy that relationship too.

Like I posted earlier, Ed Helms filming Hangover Part III is the reason Andy went away for a few months.

[Jimbo]

1 hour ago, VCRTracking said:

Like I posted earlier, Ed Helms filming Hangover Part III is the reason Andy went away for a few months.

Oh, I know that--it doesn't explain any of the terrible storylines they foisted on his character. Unless they were angry at his absence and took it out on his character, which hardly makes sense.

[teddysmom]

I've been rewatching on Comedy Central and Netflix and I love catching lines I didn't remember. The Christmas episode when Phyllis was Santa, Michael switches his Santa costume inside out and becomes Jesus. 

"He could cure leopards".  

I will never not fall off the sofa laughing from Fire Drill , when Angela tries to throw the cat up into the ceiling, and he goes up and comes down three panels over. 

I started watching originally when I came in about 10 minutes into The Injury, when Michael asks Stanley what his foot looks like all wrapped in bubble wrap and Stanley says "Mailboxes Etc." I had no idea the show was that funny, I thought it was just a lame rip off of a British show. 

 I gave up on Season 8 but I think 9 came back pretty strong. 

"I feel like my kids grew up and married each other. It's every parents' dream" . 

[teddysmom]

On 3/10/2018 at 2:44 PM, Jimbo said:

the addition of Clark Duke as Dwight's protege

There was a scene where Jim and Pam have been going to marriage counseling, and they're supposed to show appreciation for everything the other one does, and speak their truth if something upsets them.  Clark is sitting across from them at Dwight's old desk, and they just keep going on and on with "I appreciate you fixing breakfast", and "thank you for saying that", and "I appreciate your mom helping us with the kids" it went on for a couple minutes and Clark looks at them and says "are you guys high?"

I lmao. 

[Bebecat]

As much I hate Dwight, I hate the Pam/Jim baby more. What a total bore of a storyline. 

[auntiemel]

On 3/15/2018 at 1:38 PM, teddysmom said:

There was a scene where Jim and Pam have been going to marriage counseling, and they're supposed to show appreciation for everything the other one does, and speak their truth if something upsets them.  Clark is sitting across from them at Dwight's old desk, and they just keep going on and on with "I appreciate you fixing breakfast", and "thank you for saying that", and "I appreciate your mom helping us with the kids" it went on for a couple minutes and Clark looks at them and says "are you guys high?"

I lmao. 

That's one of my favorite exchanges!

[Kip Hackman]

On 3/10/2018 at 2:44 PM, Jimbo said:

 

IMO (which is all this is!), Season 9 was only a half-step better than 8.

Agreed. 

[LucyEth]

Watching the episode where Roy attacks Jim and Darryl asks for a raise.  Darryl is really a jerk.  He is always making an ass out of Michael and Michael is too stupid to see he is not his friend.  I don't like Darryl, he was mean.

Edited March 27, 2018 by LucyEth

[Lady Iris]

On ‎3‎/‎14‎/‎2018 at 3:35 PM, teddysmom said:

I will never not fall off the sofa laughing from Fire Drill , when Angela tries to throw the cat up into the ceiling, and he goes up and comes down three panels over. 

Oh that is glorious indeed. Right up there with the bat flying out of the ceiling.

For me though, one of the most hilarious things I've ever seen was Jim, Michael and Dwight in the conference room on the role play phone call, "BUTTLICKER...OUR PRICES HAVE NEVER BEEN LOWER!!!" Kills me everytime.

[teddysmom]

The knock knock jokes "THE KGB WAITS FOR NO ONE!!!" 

I was watching "Delivery Part 1" the other night, Dwight talking about "I started an escort service once" as he was "escorting" them to the hospital, and then the cop pulls him over and he throws an axe out of the car and then it looked like one of those things with the spiked balls on end. 

I was dying. 

Or when they Pretty Woman the shop at the mall because he thinks they won't sell him the wizard statue because he's not good enough, but it was because he was covered in beet juice. 

[LucyEth]

Rewatching "The Search Committee", how could they possibly consider Darryl, he has no sales experience at all.  What did he actually do when he moved upstairs and had his own office?  If they considered him, why not consider Erin or Kevin.  
 

[BoogieBurns]

On 4/10/2018 at 5:01 PM, LucyEth said:

Rewatching "The Search Committee", how could they possibly consider Darryl, he has no sales experience at all.  What did he actually do when he moved upstairs and had his own office?  If they considered him, why not consider Erin or Kevin.  
 

The job was Regional Manager and Darryl was the only one who had managed a large department. Angela was the head of Accounting, and Dwight was Lead Salesman, with Jim as #2 to Michael, but Darryl was an actual manager for many years. Also, Michael was an amazing salesman and an insane boss, so it wouldn't be crazy to go in the other direction. Darryl was smart, level-headed, and reliable. Plus he's .... blaaaaaaaaaack!

When he moved upstairs he streamlined deliveries, the reason he had to do it away from the warehouse was because Craig Robinson is a good actor and fans wanted to see more of him. Lol

[cpcathy]

I have now seen two episodes that were filmed at locations where I work or have worked. First, Sabre's corporate office building is the building where I work (you see it in a training video with Kathy Bates), and second, Pam goes for an interview at the building where I used to work years ago. I should start calling the show, "MY office."

[LucyEth]

In the finale, which I just finished watching, I often wondered why Michael didn't go back to the Office with them for the after party.  He had a very small part in the finale.

[BoogieBurns]

37 minutes ago, LucyEth said:

In the finale, which I just finished watching, I often wondered why Michael didn't go back to the Office with them for the after party.  He had a very small part in the finale.

The showrunners kept Steve Carell's appearance from everyone. In the table read, Creed read all the lines. They had SC for a short amount of time, and they could only shoot in one (technically an inside and outside of the same) location. It was all to keep the viewers from knowing he'd return. We were all so happy he came #ThatsWhatSheSaid but it also makes sense why he was basically under wraps. 

I also think Steve wanted to make sure the finale was not about him. He left with a clean break 2 full years before that. I realized he was going to appear in the finale when I was at the Scranton wrap party and he was the special guest. Everyone wanted to get a picture with HIM, ask HIM a question, discuss Michael Scott, etc etc. It was Rainn, Jenna and John's show by season 9.

[Jimbo]

Originally posted this in another thread; realized it fit better here:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

  ON 2/17/2015 AT 8:01 AM, AMENSISTERFRIEND SAID:

In keeping with my general 'S4 is sadly underrated!' theme,

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I go back and forth in regards to my feelings on Season 4. On the one hand, Goodbye, Toby is my favorite episode of the entire series. I think it's close to perfect. I'm not a fan of Holly, but this episode is great. Michael singing his song "Goodbye, Toby" in uninhibited fashion in front of everyone in the parking lot is one of my favorite moments. Dinner Party is (rightly) hailed as a great episode, and I think The Deposition may be better when it comes to cringe-worthy comedy. Either way, both are great.

On the other hand...Season 4 has some weak stretches. Episodes like Chair Model and Survivor Man are pretty bad. I never got the love for Did I Stutter? I mean, yes, in terms of Michael's growth as a person and a boss, it's a pretty big moment, but I have never found it funny. And while none of the hour-long shows at the start of the season were bad--none of them should have been hour-long shows. The Office did great with their "super-sized" episodes (the ones like Casino Party and Goodbye, Michael that were longer than the normal 22 minutes, but didn't stretch over the entire hour). And they had a few hour-long shows throughout the years that were classics (like Goodbye, Toby!). But none of the early Season 4 hour-longs were classic eps. Probably shouldn't have been hour-long eps.

[spaceytraci1208]

Michael Scott is a great character and Steve Carell plays him brilliantly...but I wanted to fight him yesterday as I was watching the episode with Phyllis' wedding lol. I cheered when Bob Vance threw his ass out. His narcissism was at disturbing levels and I was legit cussing him out.

[FamilyVan]

Quote

Watching the episode where Roy attacks Jim and Darryl asks for a raise.  Darryl is really a jerk.  He is always making an ass out of Michael and Michael is too stupid to see he is not his friend.  I don't like Darryl, he was mean.

Yes but didn't Michael come out of that with a 12% raise?  I think that was one of his moments where he played along, then in the end came out ahead. 

[BoogieBurns]

4 hours ago, FamilyVan said:

Darryl is really a jerk.  He is always making an ass out of Michael and Michael is too stupid to see he is not his friend.  I don't like Darryl, he was mean.

I would marry Darryl Philbin, no question. It's LeJohn Brames. I am pretty sure I relate to Darryl more than any other character (secondly, Kelly Kapoor). I love his friendship with Andy, "You need to change your standard for what's worthy of a text. Ask yourself is this something Darryl needs to know. The answer's almost always no." Then he high fives Andy over "crazy pigeon action in the parking lot." Hahaha. 

My only thing I want to say to Darryl, "BTB" 

Edited April 26, 2018 by BoogieBurns
I wasn't quoting @familyvan I was quoting a quote

[zobot81]

In between the 2016 election and getting married in October of 2017, I watched Parks at least ten times.  That show is partly responsible for how I was able to survive that period of my life.  Leslie, Ben, Ann, Chris, April, Andy, Tom, Ron, Jerry and Donna...and La Crema chardonnay are the reason I'm alive today, married, and have turned off all CNN news alerts forever.

Anyway, I recently moved onto The office, because I needed to move on from P&R.  And I love the show.  I'm only on my third pass, so I am not 100% sure which episode is my favorite (not yet), but I will say that I've grown very, very attached to Dwight.  He's probably my favorite character.

[goodbyeglittergirl]

I watched The Office while I was in labor with both of my kids - that's how much I loved this show. However, I didn't watch the last 2 1/2 seasons of The Office (which happened post-children) b/c my then-husband would never agree to watch them with me but did not want me to watch them without him, and then he deleted them from the DVR. Now that Comedy Central is running them all, I finally had a chance to watch the final seasons.

I was disappointed that the Jim/Pam tension just sort of got poofed away - I don't think it was truly resolved and was just sort of set aside. However, I loved Dwight's ending and was happy to see Michael for the last episode, even though he was under-utilized there. 

I felt like Catherine Tate was WASTED on these scripts - there were only a couple of episodes where they really let her shine. She's SO funny - that's a missed opportunity.

[Bryce Lynch]

On 2/22/2016 at 11:03 AM, amensisterfriend said:

I've been rewatching yet again, and I figured I'd share a few random unpopular opinions for those who still love this show enough to read and chat about it :) 

 

1) I kind of love Season 7. Not as much as S1, S2, S3 and S4, but more than any post-S4 season and more than most seasons of non-Office sitcoms. Michael's growth was just so believably done---he was a better version of himself while still amusingly HIM. My beloved Jim/Pam were still relatively happy and angst-free. Andy was still more likable, and I actually found Erin/Andy endearing. Threat Level Midnight, Michel's Last Dundies and Goodbye, Michael delight me beyond the telling of it :) 

 

2) I love S1 as well, including the much maligned Pilot. And Diversity Day remains one of my very favorites of the entire series :) 

 

3) I obviously get why people hated him, but Todd Packer amused me to the point where I wish he'd been around more often. 

 

4) Somehow I always enjoyed Ryan in all his many incarnations. I didn't like and root for him, but I enjoyed watching him. 

 

5) I don't love Dwight/Angela as much as most do. 

 

6) I didn't really like Holly or Holly/Michael as much as I wanted to until S7. 

 

7) S4 is so underrated and contains a disproportionate number of the series' VERY best episodes IMO. 

 

8) Pam's famous speech in Beach Games doesn't really work for me. I love Pam/Jenna Fisher, and I totally get that that speech showed she was becoming more assertive and confident and all that, but the speech itself just never hits me like it's supposed to. 

 

9) I've rewatched S3 a million times and still have no idea who Karen was supposed to be or what her relationship with Jim was really like. 

 

10) This show has its problems and isn't always as rewatchable for me as I had expected, but I doubt that I'll ever fall in love with another comedy as deeply as I did with this one, and it will always have a huge place in my TV-obsessed heart :) 

I think this exchange from "A Benihana Christmas" explains who Karen was supposed to be:

Jim Halpert: You just had a rebound.

Michael Scott: I had a rebound.

Jim Halpert: Yeah. Which, don't get me wrong, can be a really fun distraction. But, when it's over, you're left thinking about the girl you really like, the one that broke your heart.

 

Micheal had just "fallen in love" with and then been dumped by the waitress he just met, after Carol, who he really liked broke up with him.  I think Jim was thinking about himself, Karen and Pam when he gave Michael that advice.  Karen was his rebound, from Pam, the girl he really like, that broke his heart.  He tried to really make it work.  There was nothing wrong with her and a lot to like, but she wasn't Pam.