The Office: The Meeting

Anyone who follows my reviews of The Office knows that I wasn’t the biggest fan of the first half of last season. So I’ve been a bit nervous that it may go down the same way this year. The premiere gave me hope, but then this episode came along and took it all away from me. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t all bad.

The Meeting was about just that, a meeting between Jim and David Wallace which resulted in a meeting between Jim and Michael. Jim was proposing the idea of being promoted to Michael’s job so that Michael would be promoted to managing the entire north east region of Dunder Mifflin. The problem is we didn’t know that was what the meeting was about until about halfway through the episode. So until then all we got was Michael wandering around the office and trying to find a way to get into the meeting. It felt really disconnected and pulled back. In other words, I didn’t care what was going on. It was funny, interesting, or curious.

The side plot of Dwight and Toby teaming up to catch Darrell in what they thought was a health insurance fraud was just silly. I didn’t find it funny at all, even though Dwight and Toby are two of the funniest characters on the show.

Things started to pick up once we found out what the meeting was about. Jim is really pushing for a better job now that he has a baby on the way. I can totally see why he tried to hide his intentions from Michael, but he quickly discovered that Michael doesn’t need to know what’s going on to mess it up. I felt bad that Michael would make Jim look so bad in his meeting with Wallace. Sure, Jim hasn’t been the most productive guy over the years, but I think he has really stepped up his effort over the past season. I was disappointed, but not totally surprised, that Michael would let his insecurities get in the way of someone else’s future.

In the end things kind of worked out for the good of everyone. Michael and Jim are now co-managers. This is obviously going to be a source of conflict for the upcoming episodes. Michael and Jim will likely butt heads on more than one occasion. It should be interesting to see how that plays out. Dwight’s reaction to the news was priceless as he has basically considered himself an unofficial co-manager for years. As long as he doesn’t go into a funk like after he broke up with Angela then I think this whole situation has a lot of potential.

So the first half of the episode was painfully bad, but it turned around enough in the end that it wasn’t a total waste. I’m hoping that this sets the stage for some good comedy over the coming weeks.

The Office: Gossip

The wait is finally over and the sixth season of NBC’s hit comedy The Office is under way. Last season ended with the revelation that Pam and Jim were headed to parentville, as well as a reminder that the Michael and Holly story might not be over just yet.

I went into this season premiere with low expectations. I love The Office, but last season’s premiere fell short for me so I didn’t want to be let down again. I’m so glad that it turned out to be a great premiere.

The cold open will go down as one of the best of The Office. Michael, Dwight, and Andy have decided they are now into parkour. Sure, it was funny to see them throwing themselves around the the office and the parking lot, but what made it especially great was knowing that these three guys thought that they were soaring between obstacles with the grace and agility of a real pro.

The meat and potatoes of the episode centered around office gossip. After feeling left out of the “around the water cooler” talk, Michael decides to start spreading a rumor that Stanley is having an affair in order to feel important. After Stanley confirms the rumor, Michael decides to spread random rumors around the office about every other employee to try to mask the one that is actually true.

This is where the show took an unusually heavy turn, especially for a premiere. I was really surprised, and disappointed to find out that Stanley was cheating on his wife. Then we find out that the rumor of Andy being gay might be true. The problem is that he isn’t quite sure himself. I was quite shocked by this one. I honestly didn’t think they ever portrayed Andy as a potentially gay character up until this point. It was kind of hard to watch him struggling with the idea throughout the episode.

My favorite episodes are the ones where a large portion of the characters get a moment to shine. This was one of them. Creed’s SCUBA comment was hilarious, Kevin’s reaction to the rumor of him having another person inside of him was classic. Jim and Pam really took a back seat in this one, but I think that’s a good thing.

Overall I think this was a great premiere. Hopefully the rest of the season turns out just as good.

The Office: Company Picnic

Just a little warning, if you haven’t seen the season finale of The Office yet, please go watch it and then come back and read this. There are some pretty major spoilers in this review.

Now back to your regularly scheduled review.

A lot of shows tend to start great and then slowly fall apart over the course of a season. This season of The Office did the exact opposite. It struggled to find it’s way throughout the first half, but once it hit it’s stride it was amazing. Last night’s season finale, Company Picnic, was the perfect way to end things for the summer.

The episode revolved around, you guessed it, a company picnic. It was fun to see everyone out of the office having fun together. The big surprise (or so we are led to believe) is that Holly is back. Awesome. Seeing Holly and Michael back together is like seeing Jim and Pam at their best. They just work so well. Holly never once makes Michael seem like a crazy person the way that Jan did. They bring out the best in each other. The way Michael talked about not being in any rush to tell Holly how he feels about her was great evidence of that. Anyway, their performance of Slumdunder-Mifflinaire was full of awkwardness, though I’m sure they thought it was great, which is what makes it so funny.

Of course we also got some good ol’ fashioned silliness. Andy seems to be falling for the new receptionist which should be interesting to watch next season. Meredith’s inappropriate attire was revolting and funny at the same time. And Dwight’s game stalling techniques were hilarious. Why was he stalling the company volleyball game? Because Pam (who we found out is awesome at volleyball) twisted her ankle and had to be brought to the hospital. We thought Holly coming back was the big surprise of the episode until Pam finds out she’s pregnant. Jim and Pam’s reactions were absolutely wonderful. While they didn’t come right out and say it, we all know that’s what was going on. I loved the way they were in a separate room with the door shut so we couldn’t hear what was being said.

The best finale’s are the ones that make the long wait for the next season worthwhile. This one did exactly that. So what did you think of the finale and of the season as a whole? Let’s hear it.

The Office: Cafe Disco

If only this season had started with the Michael Scott Paper Company plot line and continued from there, I think it could have been my favorite season so far. Cafe Disco (and don’t you dare call it a disco cafe, because it’s totally different) was a slow burn, but it managed to be a great episode of The Office.

Since Michael is still paying for the room that held his own paper company, he has taken to going to it during the work day to de-stress. He puts on some soothing music (”Everybody Dance Now” by C&C Music Factory), drinks some “expresso” from a tiny cup, and dances his troubles away. At first it seemed like just a silly thing that Michael did on his own, but then he tried to get everyone to join his party. By the end of the episode, everyone was there having a great time, and it was a lot of fun to watch.

I love it when a show seems to know exactly what you want from it. My only complaint with the Michael Scott Paper Company episodes was that I missed the supporting cast back at Dunder Mifflin. Well I’m pretty sure every single one of them got at least a small part in this one, and it worked.

There were two smaller stories going on as well. First, Phyllis became worried that her husband Bob Vance was cheating on her with his secretary. So she decided to check out the Cafe Disco and almost immediately threw her back out when she started dancing with Michael. This led to a really awkward time between her and Dwight as he tried to fix her back problems. Of course this show wouldn’t be what it is without a good dose of awkward, so that was alright.

The second side story was that Jim and Pam were going to get married. What? They were planning on heading to Ohio for a small wedding at a court. I actually thought it was really cool. I was into the idea of not making a huge deal out of them getting married after all this time. But the power of the Cafe Disco had a firm grip on them as they decided at the last minute that they want a normal wedding. As much as I liked the original idea, I’m still excited to see where it all will go. I’m glad the writers have backed off of the Jim and Pam thing a bit this season. It keeps it fresh and exciting whenever we find out more about them.

• I may have said this before, but does anyone else find the new receptionist really weird and creepy?
• Also, it was really cool to see Pam out from behind the receptionist desk. I can’t wait to see how her, Jim and Dwight all interact now that they are so close all day.
• What do you think, is Bob Vance cheating on Phyllis? I don’t think he is, or at least I really hope he isn’t because Phyllis will fall apart. She seemed really torn apart at the thought of it.
• Andy and Kelly’s dance off might have been one of the most awesome moments in The Office history. I think there might be a little romance brewing there. Go Andy!

Let me know what you thought, if you agreed with me or disagreed. What was your favorite moment or line from the episode?

The Office: Broke

If you’ve been reading my reviews of The Office, you know how much I’ve been enjoying the plot involving the Michael Scott Paper Company. And even though the company did see some small victories, I think it’s safe to say it couldn’t last forever. That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, it saddens me greatly to announce the passing of one of the greatest (and by that I mean smallest and most short lived) paper companies ever…the Michael Scott Paper Company.

With that out of the way, let’s move on. Considering how much I enjoyed the last handful of episodes overall, I’m happy to see everyone coming back to Dunder Mifflin. As I mentioned last week, the split was causing us to lose time with the wonderful supporting cast, so hopefully we’ll get to catch up with them. 

Watching Michael in negotiations to buy out his company reminded me of when he had to answer to corporate about his relationship with Jan. I was on the edge of my seat wondering if he would crack or if he would pull through. You could really see the fear in Pam’s eyes. $60,000 sounded like a great offer but Michael wanted more, and he got it.

It should be interesting to see Pam in her new role at Dunder Mifflin. I think she’ll do really well in sales. I have to wonder if Ryan will stick around though. Also, CHARLES IS GONE!! Yeah, I’m happy about that. Finally some life can be breathed back into the office. I really loved how he got a taste of his own medicine when Michael didn’t allow him any last words.

I think the show continues to head in the right direction, so I’m excited to see what happens next. I’m ready to see more of Creed, Stanley, Phyllis, Kevin, and all the others. 

Best quote of the night (I apologize in advance): ”These are our demands. This is what we want. Our balls are in your court.” – Michael

The Office: Heavy Competition

I’ve really been enjoying The Office since Michael left Dunder Mifflin to start the Michael Scott Paper Company, that is until this week. I liked the idea behind the episode, I just didn’t find it that funny or interesting.

Michael decided to use Dwight to get inside information about Dunder Mifflin. Then Dwight betrayed Michael by bringing Charles to one of their secret meetings which set off an all out feud between the two in a client stealing war. 

The secondary story was quite strange and I never fully understood what was going on. Jim and Andy were having weird exchanges after Andy tried to help Jim and Pam with some wedding ideas. The story line tipped the weird scales when Jim was shown crying on Andy’s shoulder. Very odd, not very funny. 

There were a few funny moments in the show. After Charles enforced a new dress code at Dunder Mifflin, Dwight spent the whole episode trying to get used to wearing a long sleeve shirt. That led to a nice interview with Dwight about how he excelled in the chaos when Michael was the boss. Also, was anyone else surprised at how quickly Dwight stripped off all his clothes when Michael accused him of wearing a wire to a secret meeting?

I loved hearing the song by Andy’s a cappella group. His “bass” solo was the stuff dreams are made of. But seriously, it was probably one of the funnier moments of the night. I think Jim and Pam made the right choice in not hiring them for $9,000. 

After Dwight broke into Michael’s office and stole his contact information the two salesmen battled it out to one up each other. It was fun to see Michael fighting to make his company get ahead. The fact that Dwight’s stolen information messed up his chances at a sale was great. Of course Michael had everything color coded to tell him what not to talk about.

Although there were some good moments, most of the night was made up of good ideas that didn’t result in a funny, heartfelt, or awkward episode. Those are the things that make this show great. I’m excited to see Michael getting some results and pushing forward with his company. Watching him compete with Dunder Mifflin should provide a lot of intense moments. As much as I love seeing Michael start his company, I miss the other characters back at the office and I hope we don’t lose touch with them as the season comes to a close over the next few weeks.

As usual, let me know what you thought in the comments. Did you think this week was a good episode? What do you think of the Michael Scott Paper Company and it’s chances of defeating the mighty Dunder Mifflin?

The Office: The Michael Scott Paper Company

The second of two episodes of The Office this week picks up right where we left off. With the dream team assembled it is now time to find office space since Michael is prohibited from running a business out of his condo. Where do they end up? The same building as Dunder Mifflin of course. So with Michael, Pam, and Ryan all packed into a storage closet sized office, the Michael Scott Paper Company is officially in business.

Not long after Andy and Dwight become friends (since their relationships with Angela have ended) they look to be heading down a similar path with the new receptionist at Dunder Mifflin. Dwight’s tale of the office being haunted was funny, but his and Andy’s acoustic guitar/banjo duel was epic. I love that the new girl is actually impressed by their tactics. 

Speaking of tactics, Jim is trying hard to keep Charles happy, but he keeps coming up short. Jim spent the whole episode trying to understand what a rundown was. It was fun watching him try to figure out what he was supposed to be doing. I wonder how long he’ll keep trying to impress Charles before he goes back to his old ways.

If I asked you what the first thing a new company should do to get clients would be, what would you say? If you said they should hold a pancake luncheon in the parking lot (with pancakes shaped like giant sheets of paper) then you’d be absolutely correct! And what pancake luncheon would be complete without Creed trying to steal a jacket full of them? Not only did I love that this was Michael’s great idea to start things off (with 792 of 800 eVites still undecided) but it actually worked. Thanks to Pam, they got their first order of paper after she fashioned a business card from a scrap piece of paper. 

The Office is on a roll and I’m hopeful it will continue at least until the season finale. The two episodes this week were full of laughs, awkwardness, and heartfelt moments, and I really enjoyed it. What did you think of it all? Let me know in the comments.

The Office: Dream Team

The Michael Scott Paper Company looks like it might actually make it off the ground. With Pam by his side, Michael spends this episode putting together his dream team of employees, a.k.a. ex Dunder Mifflin employees and Vikram from the call centre Michael worked at for a bit. 

Things got off to a funny start as their first morning on the new job included a gigantic breakfast, spilled eggs, and Michael’s indecent exposure. Pam and Michael make a wonderful team and I can’t wait to see where this story line goes. I loved watching them keep each other in check. First Pam gives Michael the advice he needed to get started in the morning with her lists, then Michael returned the favor when Pam freaked out about walking away from her real job. I was quite surprised to see the excitement I felt when Pam left the office to go with Michael continue as they try to build the Michael Scott Paper Company.

Back at Dunder Mifflin, Charles continues to rule with an iron fist, that is until he starts talking about his favorite sport, soccer. After Andy tries sucking up to Charles by pretending to know something about the sport, the entire office decides they all love soccer. While Stanley tries to carry a conversation about it using index cards for help, Dwight (in a great reversal of roles) puts Jim in an awkward situation by making it seem like he can play soccer too. Of course this leads to an after hours soccer match similar to the office basketball game of season one. There weren’t a whole lot of funny moments at Dunder Mifflin in this episode, though I’ll admit to a cheap laugh when Phyllis took the soccer ball to the face.

I can’t wait to see what happens next as Michael and Pam develop the new paper company. It’s been a refreshing change for the show. I feel like the season has just begun even though it is coming to a close. Luckily I don’t have to wait long to see what happens next as there are two episodes this week.

The Office: Two Weeks

Up to now 24 has been the only show regularly reviewed on this site. Today it’s time to change that. I watch The Office every week just as I do with 24, but this season has been so rough so far that I just haven’t felt like talking about it. There’s been the odd good episode, a funny moment here and there, but overall I’ve been underwhelmed by it all. That said, I feel like this week’s episode was a nice reboot for the show and it did exactly what I feel has been missing from a lot of the previous weeks.

Last Thursday we saw Charles, the new VP for the area (i.e. the new Jan), come in and take over the Office. He sucked every ounce of enjoyment from people’s work day and made it so bad for Michael that he actually quit. I thought for sure that Michael would be right back in the Regional Manager’s chair, maybe saying he didn’t really want to quit, but it looks like he’s really going for it. That makes me happy. Not because I don’t like Michael, but because it’s something new and fresh that the show needs.

It was hard to watch Michael being escorted out of the office without his things or being able to give one of his famously awkward speeches. He should have been given the chance to say goodbye. Seeing him come crawling (literally) back to the office was hilarious though. I loved the whole bit with him telling them not to look at him, but to look straight up.

The part of the episode that showed what I love about this show was the ending. When Michael leaves for the last time, convinced he will start his own paper company, and Pam goes with him, I almost jumped for joy. That moment where she is walking away with Michael where you could see the happiness, the freedom, and the sheer terror in her face all at the same time was wonderful. That’s “The Office 101″ right there.

This episode was entirely kept within the walls (and I guess the parking lot too) of the office itself, and I think that almost always makes for a good one. They made good use of the fantastic supporting cast that I felt had been neglected a lot this season. Seeing Kelly and Angela fight for the attention of Charles was great. Creed feeding quarters into the copier? How can you go wrong with that?

I really hope this is a new beginning to the season even though it’s kind of late. I think this is the first time since they wrote out Holly that I don’t really care that much that she’s gone. It was one of the few episodes where I didn’t feel the void of the Jim and Pam romance. As my wife would say, this one gets 4 1/2 out of 5 golden puppies.