THE OFFICE: Frame Toby & While You Are At It, Please Fix My Show
November 21, 2008 by Kath Skerry
Perhaps the news that one of my very favorite shows was canceled is putting me in a bit of a Debbie Downer mood today, but I found last night’s episode of THE OFFICE a bit ho hum. Am I wrong here? Are you guys seeing something that I’m not? I think we need to talk. Settle in because I’m in one of those rambling moods.
But first let’s get a little caught up on the latest happening of Dunder Mifflin, Scranton.
He’s back….
Toby Flenderson has returned from Costa Rica and is (inexplicably) back at Dunder Mifflin. Here’s to hoping the old Toby came back and not the creepy pervert that left back in May. Michael’s reaction to Toby’s return had me rollin’. We might never know why Michael hates Toby so much, but we do know that his hate is really, oh so very real.
Michael’s attempt to get Toby fired started off funny (Pam and the note; trying to start a fight), but ultimately the storyline took a wrong turn and drove into the Lake. The bit with framing Toby with the Caprese salad was a little too over the top for my liking. I’ll take comfort in Michael realizing (albeit a bit too late) that a line was crossed. But as far fetched as these characters are, they aren’t cartoons and they should have had some sense that calling the cops on the guy and framing him with illegal drugs was a bit too much. I can forgive the outlandish behavior of Michael and Dwight if it’s funny. This wasn’t funny enough to get a pass from me.
I thought it was fun to see writers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky pop up again as the weed-wielding Vance Refrigeration guys. (For those of you who don’t watch the DVD deleted scenes, it was Lee & Gene’s characters that were responsible for leaving the joint in the parking lot back in Season 2’s “Drug Testing” episode).
In terms of staying true to real life office humor, I thought the subplot about the messy microwave rang very true. If you work in a shared space like that, I bet you’ve come across an incident like this one. I thought it was funny that the tables were turned on Pam for leaving the note, and the true culprit was never revealed. Poor Pam. Welcome back to Scranton, Miss Beesly.
Excuse me while I do my happy dance, but Ryan is gone!! Woo Hoo!! I’m all for B.J. Novak bringing his genius to the show behind the scenes, but I’m just not a fan of DB!Ryan. There’s hardly an episode where I just don’t want to slap the condescending smirk off his face. And no one and I mean no one messes with my Kelly Kapoor like that. He dumped her…again! Can you believe it? Smug little bastard. He he he – clearly I have strong feelings. So Ryan is off to Thailand while B.J. Novak is off in Germany shooting a new Tarantino film. I know it’s not the last we’ve seen of Ryan Howard, but I’m all for the break. Just make sure B.J. isn’t gone too long from the writer’s room.
I was a little nervous for the young Mr. Halpert at the revelation that he bought Pam a house without her knowing. Fans of “Brothers & Sisters” saw the same storyline play out this week when Kevin surprised his husband Scotty with a house, and that didn’t turn out so well. But lucky for Jim, Pam was elated that Jim would buy her a house. Whew! I mistook her shell shock during the walk through as pure horror – and I think Jim did too. But the art studio in the garage? Come on now. Can he be more perfect?!
Being the curmudgeon that I am today, I will say that I found it odd that Fancy New Beesly wasn’t more upset that Jim made this major life decision without her. I know his surprise came from a good place and he wasn’t trying to steamroll her, but I thought it was a little steamrollerish. No? And did anyone notice that for the umpteenth time, the writers brought us down a path where Jim & Pam were facing major possible conflict only to have all the angst yanked away at the last minute and replaced with puppies and rainbows? Hey I want Jim and Pam to have their storybook ending too, but as I’ve said before, it’s a little like the boy who cried wolf with these two.
All that aside, it must be said – John Krasinski’s acting during the scene when Jim gets nervous that Pam hates the house? Stellar. I think I saw every one of the 548 emotions that Jim was going through in those few moments play out on John Krasinski’s face. I actually teared up a little. (But it was about that time that I heard “Pushing Daisies” was canceled so I was already an emotional wreck.)
Before I get all serious on you, I think it’s only right that we celebrate some of the funnier moments of last night’s episode. (This is also me buttering you up before I drop the hammer).
Michael: Is there no way we can get rid of him?
David: Not without cause, Michael.
Michael: I have cause. It is because I hate him.
Andy: You’re in for a spanking, my friend. Myself and my lady? No secrets.
Creed: We should hang out by the quarry and throw things down there.
Michael: Well, Mr. Kurt Russell, you are about to be served.
Michael: I feel like Neve Campbell in ‘Scream II’.
Dwight: Men find me desirable.
Pam: Please hug and kiss me, no matter how hard I struggle. I’m too shy to tell you that I love you.
Michael: Sometimes the ends justify the mean.
Ryan: Let’s have sex one more time. And if you have any extra cash, that would be amazing.
If Dwight Schrute were a real person I think he might be the most fascinating person alive. If for no other reason other than the things he daydreams about.
Is it me?
A few laugh out loud moments last night. Not as many as I would like. Guys, this is the second week in a row that I’m a little bummed out by the show. I know you all told me I was wrong about last week’s episode, but I have to go with my gut reaction here. Maybe I was spoiled for too long, but there once was a time when THE OFFICE would end and I was compelled to go back and watch it from the beginning right away because there was so much funny that I knew I just had missed some along the way. Now I find myself not deleting the eps from my DVR out of loyalty rather than wanting to watch them over and over again.
I don’t know if maybe there are just too many cooks in the kitchen or what, but I feel like the tone of the episodes feel like they are changing from ep to ep. I consider myself somewhat of a scholar (aka addict) of THE OFFICE, and in my opinion there’s an inconsistency happening in the voice of the show that makes me feel uncertain as to who the characters are going to be from week to week or how they will react. I’m all for character growth, but I care much more about laughing out loud during my favorite show.
In the same sense, I think the show goes back and forth with the characters too much these days. We get two steps forward and two steps back. Pam has this major life change and goes to art school. She’s gone for the show for too long, and now she’s just back – she didn’t like it. No real conflict or second-guessing. She’s just back. (Not that I don’t want her at Dunder Mifflin, because my God I missed her). In the same way that Pam left and came back, so did Toby…and Ryan for that matter. Of course Ryan is gone again. And I’m sure by the end of the season we are going to be asked to believe that this same temp that was arrested for Corporate fraud, and the re-hired to work back for the same company, will take an unspecified amount of time off to vacation in Thailand only to return to the same office at the same temp job. Right.
Maybe its me. Maybe I have too high of an expectation on this show. But it’s delivered in the past, so why isn’t it doing that for me now? Am I the only one feeling this?
In other news, I was hoping everyone could send me their mailing addresses. I’m moving! There’s this great little house on Linden Street, over by the quarry that was calling my name. I just had to buy it. And my new neighbor? He’s quite the looker.
(Here’s where I open up the post for comments and I have all these OFFICE fans rip me a new one.)
Related Posts
Filed under The Office, The Office Recaps
Get out of my head!!!! With the exception of your thoughts on Ryan I felt exactly the same way you did about last night’s episode. Exactly!
The Office is my favorite show too and I feel bad saying bad things about it but I don’t think it’s been awesome this season.
How can you not love Ryan though? He’s the best.
I had the complete opposite reaction last night- I really liked the episode. It felt very season 2-ish to me. I’ve actually really enjoyed the entire season so far- with the exception of last weeks episode and Baby Shower. I loved all of the ways Michael tried to get Toby fired- and I loved the last talking head with Dwight last night: “It’s her fathers business- she’s Tiffany”
Exactly what I thought about the episode. I’m glad it isn’t just me.
I plan my whole Thusday nights around the Office, and it leaves me feeling terrible when its over and I am thinking not so great things about my very favorite show. Big giant word to your post GMMR. Sigh.
This is nearly the first time all season I HAVE laughed out loud, which makes it a huge plus in my book. I was having a weird emotion day (PD news making it worse). I didn’t think the Michael was too over the top, it seemed sort of in line, because I just think that Michael really didn’t connect that it was anything real. I think that Michael though Hank the security guard would come up, and then Toby would be gone forever like magic.
I still don’t seem Pam as shell shocked, I see her as only liking the effort Jim put into the house, more than liking the house itself.
I enjoyed the episode for the most part, and as I said, I’ve been underwhelmed nearly this entire season, so laughing gives it a good plus.
it was kind of off, last night, but how sweet was it for jim to buy a house for pam, even if it was the one he grew up in? what sealed the deal for me – the artist studio in the garage. swoon.
best parts of the episode – dwight’s talking head at the very end about the chandelier. creed mentioning he lived near jim’s house. creepy!
As I’ve been saying for a year now, the show’s not THAT good any more. I won’t go into it because you know my thoughts but I’m close to watching it maybe if i’m around but in general each week I just feel let down and bored so it’s not really appt tv any longer.
I feel the exact same way….exactly. Everything you mentioned I agree. It’s just not the same. I think you maybe right with the too many cooks in the kitchen theory. It doesn’t have a consistent feel and everything jumps around too much. But like someone else commented, it is by far my favorite show and feel all dirty saying bad things about.
I think that you hit the nail on the head with the voice thing. As the show has added more and more writers, the show has been changing voice a lot. I noticed that all of the episodes this season, except Weight Loss and maybe two others, were written by writers that have been added since season 3. I always thought that the small amount of writers really made all of the episodes seem like they were coming from the same place, and with all of the new voices, it’s only natural that it would change in tone or whatever.
I was thinking though, that this same phenomenon happened on Seinfeld. Once the original writers started moving on, the show took a definite change in voice. If you watch the first four seasons and really listen, they are strikingly different than the last five. I don’t think The Office will be any different. I still love the show, and it’ll always be my favorite, but it’s sad to see it slowly start to die away…
I know you mentioned the spoiled thing already, but I really think that is the problem. Yes, season two was amazing. Yes, it was laugh out loud funny. But to honestly think that a show is going to deliver for everyone who watches it every episode (or even ever other) is asking for to much. Maybe you are just not as big of a fan of the show as you thought you were? I don’t know, maybe my problem is that I am such a huge fan and devoted fan of the show that when I hear anyone talk bad about it I get defensive.
Last night didn’t do it for me with the possible exception of the JAM house tour at the end, so I concur on this week. I have, though, largely enjoyed the other eps this season.
I’m going to put it out there… the writers are struggling with how to keep us interested in JAM. There I said it. They are indeed throwing little monkey wrenches only to pull them away every time as you say GMMR. I am not rooting for real angst (or am I?) but I think the road haas to get a little rockier for us to stay enthralled. Now I don’t just watch for Jim and Pam… am dying to see the wedding at the beet far … but the will they/won’t they is compelling as we know from every other show since the beginning of TV. With that basically gone, it has taken some of the life out of the show.
Phew. it is hard to face but true… I’m sad now.
I agreed with almost everything you said, though I think Ryan is a genius character in every possible way, one of the few unspoiled parts of the Office, the other being Creed.
Still a damn good show, but perhaps not as great as it once was. At least it hasn’t dropped like My Name is Earl, which is now altogether average.
I laughed out loud several times last night but it wasn’t one of the better episodes. I would like to know what’s going on in the other office worker’s lives. Has Stanley said more than 5 lines this season? I need more of him, Phyllis, Kevin, Meredith and Creed.
So, I didn’t think last night’s episode was amazing. It was pretty good. I’m not ready to tank the whole series, though, not even close. I’m ok with Jim & Pam being together. I thought it was weird that the camera guys toured the house with them. The drug thing was over the top drive in the lake crazy – and he spent five hundred dollars. All of that seemed absolutely nuts.
Absolute favorite part – Creed when the cops came in. Loved loved loved that. And then his little talking head.
I supposed the craziest thing to me was that we don’t know who made the mess in the microwave. Not even the camera guys showing us who did it so we would know even if no one else did. I was starting to wonder if it was Jim because he was backing away from Pam while she adjusted her note, but then I thought that might be him being nervous about telling her about the house he bought. Then Ryan being all sympathetic in an attempt to get Pam to clean it up because somebody would have to made me think it was him. It just bugs me that we don’t know who did it.
Also, I was worried sick that Pam wasn’t going to like the house. But, once she was happy and like you bought me house it made sense. She was with Roy who never wanted to set a date and had all kind of commitment problems. But Jim is jumping in there and getting ready for their life together. She would probably love it. And you can always fix up a house.
Totally agree with your take on the show last night, Kath. I always love The Office but it did feel like it was missing something last night. I was glad to see Pam back but I hope they’ll address what she wants to do about her art – even though she didn’t like graphic design, there’s still something she could do with her talent.
I do hope that these last few episodes before the new year pick up some momentum, though – I think we can usually at least count on the Christmas episode to be a good one (I hope)!
That’s exactly what I said in my recap. There was lots of potential in the storylines, but it just ended up being one big FAIL. I hate it when The Office is lame, because it always puts a damper on my Friday.
I trust the writers, whoever they may be. Perhaps Pam could be an art teacher. Even though she didn’t hit it off with all of the kids during Take Your Kid To Work Day (don’t kill me for not getting that exactly right), she still managed to reach Meredith’s troublesome son. Teachers are needed everywhere… even in Philly where Jim could be a sportswriter (hint hint).
I’m still TiVo’ing and devoting my Thursday nights to Dunder Mifflin- no matter what anyone else thinks.
I’m not gonna rip you a new one because I agree with you. It just hasn’t been that stellar this year overall. I think Season 2 is still my favorite. Like you, though, I find it hard to delete from my DVR or not to watch period strictly out of loyalty. I’ll likely be around ’til the end, whenever that may be (unlike Heroes, which I’ve already given up on). But there are several shows that just haven’t made my gut hurt like they used to. Is it the fault of the writer’s strike? Did they have too much time off that they forgot how to “bring the funny?” Not sure. But you’re definitely on the right track.
I actually really enjoyed everything except for the Jim and Pam house stuff.
That’s the rub, isn’t it? I love episodes where they stay in the office, but who hijacked our show? Who are these characters, or caricatures? Remember when Ryan was just the bored temp who tried to fend off Michael’s affections? Those were the good old days… but we have to move forward, right? And we have to trust the writers, right? Right?
I guess I’m in the minority because I liked the episode. I did think the Jim buying his parents house thing was a little weird, but also sweet. I loved Michael and Dwight trying to frame Toby and then Michael realizing it went too far. And the mess in the microwave was really funny. Overall it wasn’t an amazing episode, but I still thought it was good and it made me laugh.
You can only feel what you feel GMMR however for what it’s worth here’s my take.
Season 2 was perfect. Not one dud episode. Genius.Season 3 – almost as good. Fact is they will probably never be as good as those two seasons again. It’s almost impossible for any show to maintain such a strong momentum.
However – for me – this season has been overall much stronger than Season 4. So, while I agree that last night’s episode was so-so I still love this show and I will continue to watch and continue to remind myself that even though it’s not as good as it was it is still WAY better than 99% of the other crap on TV.
Just catching up on all the comments. I thought I was going to be in the minority about last night’s ep, so some of your comments surprised me.
To widely address a few of the comments in the 22 comments above – I’m not giving up on THE OFFICE. Hells no!! THE OFFICE is still my very favorite show. I’m not abandoning it in any way, shape or form. I was just commenting that while I love the show, things have been a little off for me lately.
I still think THE OFFICE writers are the best in TV comedy and I trust them completely. What I’ve learned about this show is that you have to trust the writers…maybe things seem off right now, but maybe it’s because they are taking us to a new and different place. I’ll be on board to see.
And to Kurt who questioned my level of fandom…yeah, no need to question that. I think there would be very few people that don’t know my history and level of passion for this show. He he.
I thought last night’s episode was one of the best of the season. Michael’s talking heads were funny. Dwight’s talking head at the end was hilarious. The microwave scenario was very realistic and amusing. i thought the house reveal was kinda meh, but my JAM interest is secondary for me.
The point of contention seems to be trying to frame Toby with drug possession. I really don’t get why people think this makes Michael and Dwight seem cartoonish. Michael hates Toby with everything inside him. Dwight is then brown-noser who has a love of law enforcement. Seems only natural to me. I didn’t think it was laugh out loud funny, but it didn’t leave me shaking my head either. I really don’t think its even close to comparable to Michael driving into a lake.
Here’s a few reasons why i think some are starting to feel the office they love is leaving them.
First and foremost, its JAM. The will they won’t they is over. The little moments–head on the shoulder, glances at work, palm reading antics, dinner on the rooftop, first kiss etc–are over. The struggle is over. Strong/married couples are inherently boring and uninteresting to everyone but the couple themselves. For people who JAM was a top tier draw of the show (if not the biggest draw of the show) a big element is now pretty much gone since the proposal. Now while i thought the whole relationship was really well written and acted, it was never real vital for me. I come into an office looking for the funny more then the mushy.
Secondly, these characters are now well defined and that results in a bit of predictability. For example, Michael’s interactions with Toby are a forgone conclusion. Nothing is as funny the second time around.
Thirdly, the expectation of greatness. Season two will never happen again mostly because of the first two reasons, but also because even the most creative people on the planet only have so many great ideas and i’m sure most of those great ideas were used one after another when they were trying to keep the show afloat the first two seasons.
Fourthly, the quest for 100 episodes and syndication gold. Let’s face facts. The office wants to get to 100 episodes asap so they can collect checks from the inevitable weekday late afternoon hour block reruns on basic cable for the next 10 years. This results in a lot of filler episodes which leads to a watered down product. Think of season two. Something big happened nearly every week. This season really not so much and things that do happen feel more manufactured and less natural.
Not to say i still don’t love the office. I care about the characters and most importantly i think it still brings the funny a lot more time then not. However, i do think you have to take everything in perspective and understand why things are the way they are.
Season 2 isn’t coming back, but even still its the best comedy on tv imo. Its just not legendary anymore. I think it has been a solid season so far (much better start then 3 and 4) with the only real dud being Baby Shower.
Re: Ryan’s comments.
Nicely said however I think your forth reason (quest for 100 episodes) is way too cynical. I don’t get the feeling that anyone involved in this show is just phoning it in (so to speak). If you’re getting the feeling that some of the episodes are just “filler” I’d guess that’s more to do with the writer’s struggling to find new story lines than any kind of laziness or apathy.
This was probably my least favourite episode of the season so far. However, I’m still loving it, and can’t wait to watch The Office every Thursday night. I feel like we’re headed to a major plot twist with Angela and Dwight, so maybe this episode was getting us to that point somehow. I found that S4 with the initial hour long episodes, we were concerned about the future of the show b/c it didn’t feel like “our” old show. This season is different – it has to be with the JAM changes – but it feels like a more mature version of itself to me. And we know we have to trust the writers. Maybe the producers cut of the episode will make it feel like a more cohesive episode. (And I want to find out who did that to the microwave! I’m guessing Ryan – he’s leaving, he doesn’t care.)
I definitely have to disagree with your and other people’s negative feelings about Jim and Pam this season. Unlike other unrealistic television shows out there which throw in dumb conflicts and have the characters react irrationally to people they are supposed to be in love with, I applaud The Office for giving us some of these similar situations and actually showing how REAL people in love deal with them.
Sure, Pam wasn’t necessarily ecstatic about the house at first, but my God, of course she’d be excited in the end! Her boyfriend bought her a freaking house! Houses are really expensive! I know I would be excited, as would many other women I know. Look, you may think that the writers are trying to throw curveballs to make people think that Jim and Pam are going to break up, but that is not the case at all I feel. The writers are not dumb enough to break them up. They’re just showing us little speed bumps that come along in relationships.
Jim and Pam continue to be the rock of reality in the show. Real couples who love each other that much don’t just break up over stupid things like on every other tv show. Real couples that are truly in love (like Jim and Pam) deal with issues that come up like rational adults, not like contrived characters who have exaggerated reactions because it serves the plot of the show. So again, I applaud the writers for giving us a REAL couple in love with Jim and Pam, and refusing to follow the unrealistic tv cliche of breaking up the main couple after they finally get together.
Ok, stepping off my soapbox now…
LaLa – I don’t think we are talking about the same thing. I understand your point, but I don’t think anyone was arguing against you. Go back and read what I wrote. I have stated over and over again in the past that I don’t think the writers have any intention of breaking up Jim and Pam. My issue with them over the past few weeks is that it’s been the same set up – the writers leading us down a path where there seems to be a conflict but in the last moment the conflict is avoided.
I was disappointed in Kelly Kapoor.
I am glad Ryan is leaving.
I loved Fancy New Beesly’s comments to Ryan about cleaning the microwave.
I’m glad that GMMR is not blind to the short-comings of this show and we can freely express our disappointments along with our glee!
I think Pam would rather have a fixer-uper house because, as an artist, she would want to create the home of her dreams, not simply move into a pre-made House of Dreams with someone elses vision. I see them knocking out walls and getting creative!
I liked Creed standing up and putting his hands behind his head in preparation for his arrest.
I miss Holly Flax.
I miss Holly Flax, too. I don’t miss Jan as Assturd.
Nic,
I don’t think they’re phoning it in by any means, but 28 episodes (they had 30 scheduled last season until the strike changed everything) in one season for a comedy is really tough to pull off without having your filler type episodes.
I think the reason they are doing so many so quickly is they want to get to 100 as quickly as possible while the show is still popular.
And again i think under the circumstances the show has been very funny and is off to a better start this season then season 3 (jim in stanford) and 4 (just kind of a mess with the hour longs).
I think it was Jen Cellata that said they go off, write episodes, come back and each writer has written the characters differently, but in her opinion, it works. I think I agree with you more – it seems more uneven from week to week.
This is a transition year for The Office. New show runner, several new writers, a major guest star who is available for only a few eps, 28 eps. It seems all that combined has made some arc run past their “sell by” date – Pam in NY, Dwight/Andy/Angela, even Holly. This is definitely a writing problem and not an acting problem – as you note – and unfortunately, I think Mindy is a problem. She wrote the absurd “Night Out” and wrote Frame Toby. I agree the story went off the tracks (much like NO, when Ryan is a coke head for 1 show and the office park locks the gate for the first time ever) when the cops were called in.
I think overall I am not as disappointed as you and have found lots of laugh out loud moments. I still Jim & Pam (although maybe that is because I like JK & JF), I think Dwight has been funny except for Angela and others. I think S1-2 were just about perfect for a show (and I stilll rewatch regularly) and I enjoy the rest of the seasons but have less of a desire to rewatch and there are eps and sections I skip altogether.
I REALLY didn’t like last week’s episode (Pam came back from art school the wrong way in more ways than one…that was lame), but I thought this one was really funny. I laughed out loud a bunch. So many great lines made me giggle, including all the ones you listed. Yes, Jim buying a house without Pam’s knowledge was a little off, and I think he should have second-guessed his impulse decision more than he did…or maybe he could have just pitched it to her nervously without it being a done deal. So yeah, that wasn’t my favorite Jim and Pam event ever. But the scene in the “art studio”? Loved it. And it was nice to have an office-centric episode with funny Creed and Meredith moments. And brownies!
GMMR – Good to know that you also don’t feel the writers will break up Jim and Pam. But as for your dislike of these red herring type setups, what I was saying is that I don’t feel that is what the writers are necessarily doing – I think it is really about showing the natural ups and downs of a relationship.
Pam went off to Art School because she’s always wanted to and Jim encouraged her. However, it didn’t turn out to be what she thought it would be – actually, it was kind of boring and sucky. I had a similar experience when I started taking voice over classes, in hopes to break into that world. I soon discovered that most of voice over is reading crappy advertisement info for commercials, which takes a different type of skill than regular acting. Same with Pam – designing logos is a different type of skill than what she’s apparently good at. If you saw the deleted scene from last week’s episode, it showed Jim looking at her artwork and discovering that her “just for fun” sketches of people were really good, even if her logos weren’t perfect.
I think it’s just life. Things don’t always turn out to be what you thought, or how you planned. And in the end, Pam decided that home is where her heart (i.e. Jim) is, and she’d rather be with him then continue with a type of art she doesn’t even like. I think it makes their relationship that much stronger. As for the Mad Men guy, I think he was mostly a little test for Jim, who proved in the end that “we are not that couple.” And as for the house surprise, of course Jim would be nervous, but again, of course Pam would be happy – even if she hates the clown and wants to board up Jim’s parents’ bedroom.
I dunno, I guess what I’m saying is that I don’t have a problem with the direction of the show right now. I think it’s been going really well this season, better than last season actually. *shrugs*
as an avid reader of your blog, gmmr, i have to say that i completely agree with your post. i am quite possibly the biggest office fan that i know, but last week i actually told a friend of mine that “the office sucks.” my friend thought i was being too harsh, but i’ve been disappointed in it week after week this season (the only possible exception being customer survey). i think the jam problem isn’t that they’re boring because they’re together, but because they’re boring period! if jim and pam would be playing pranks on dwight, whether they were together or not, we would laugh- i hate to say it, but watching them ichat or buy a house isn’t that exciting. also, i feel that the characters are really outlandish this season-andy, dwight, angela, and especially michael have bordered on cartoonish this year. i think the show really thrives when it focuses on the hum-drum parts of office life (i.e. microwave spills and inter-office fights like kelly vs. jim and dwight) and makes them funny and not so much when big topics are center stage. phew…got a lot off my chest!
Whatever happen to your Office Thursday posts? I think you have given up on a show has always had heart. Perhaps this has jaded your viewings of the show?
Wow, sorry you feel this way. I have a few reason for discontinuing The Office Thursday posts. Probably the biggest being that if you are the type of Office fan that would look forward to Office Thursday on GMMR then you most likely are also a frequent visitor to Office Tally. My Office Thursday posts just became a regurgitation of information already on OT. As each Office Thursday post took about 1.5 hours, I didn’t think it was worth the time.
GMMR is not and was never meant to be an Office fansite.
Based on the feedback from other Office fans above, it seems that perhaps nothing but honesty was affecting my view of The Office.
this season has suffered I think from too many cooks (new writers) in the kitchen, but the last two episodes (Business Trip was hilarious) feel a little more on track. It seems that whenever fans wax poetic about the good ole days, it’s always about Season 2, which of course was amazing. But, as I always profess on OT, the writers are trying to let these characters grow and change which I love. I’m glad to see the more recent plots back in the office. The beginning of the season was too choppy with entirely too many storylines in a single episode. what I really want to see is Pam and Jim back to their old antics!!