There are only two television shows I like enough - and know that I like enough - that I will go out of my way to watch them. For all I complained about Scrubs the other week, it's probably my favourite still-running show - and I'll talk more about it as the "will there be another season?" saga draws nearer to an end.But this post is about the other show I make sure to see every week, The Office. Three episodes to go in the season, and it's really bounced back from last year's mild disappointment (which I blame on the writers' strike). The now-resolved Michael Scott Paper Company subplot added a nice bit of deviation from the norm, which was exactly what the series needed. Bringing in Charles as essentially a straight man - a normal, real-world person who had to observe all the hijinks that take place in Scranton - didn't quite live up to its potential, but was still pretty good.
Now the gang's all back together - albeit with Pam in sales and a new, thus far dull receptionist - and things can go back to normal. There's still the matter of who will be brought in to fill the role Charles had (overseeing all the branches), and I'd really like to see them come up with a character who is competent at the job, gets along with Michael, and yet remains entertaining. We've had two sorts of crazy and one count of by-the-book, let's go with something more in line with what Scranton would want.
When I talk about TV shows or movies - Scrubs and Gander being the first two examples to come to mind - I seem to complain about relationships a lot. So let me make it perfectly clear that I *can* find a televised relationship I enjoy (or at least find realistic), and in fact The Office is pretty much full of them. While I doubt that any real-life person could be anything like Michael, were there one, their relationships would be equally bizarre and self-destructive. Angela's simultaneous relationships with Andy and Dwight at least managed to make me laugh (and if the same two guys are going to start pseudo-competing-while-pretending-they're-not-competing over the new receptionist, I think it'll make me laugh in an entirely different way), and Pam and Jim are cute and awesome and such.
(As an aside, the number of times I've seen an episode, then been talking in class or wherever to somebody who hasn't seen it yet [usually a girl, if that makes a difference], and the first thing they ask is "did Pam and Jim break up?" and make a face as if they wouldn't believe me if I said yes...yet they keep asking...seriously, if they do anything other than get married and live happily ever after, it's the end of the show.)
It's still not a perfect show, though. My one complaint would be that the producers are a little *too* aware of why people like The Office, and are overexposing that sort of thing. Two main elements:
1) The scene where the documentary crew is interviewing somebody, and an awkward pause ensues. Funny the first few times, predictable the last few years.
2) The scene where the entire gang is doing something random, fun, and decidedly not work-related. In the past season alone, we've had them throwing Cheetos into each others' mouths, debating the hotness of Halle Berry, and of course, planning and holding parties with various degrees of success. Yes, office life is sometimes actually fun, and those instances usually occur when the least amount of work is being done - but at times it feels like the producers are trying to make people go into work the next day and say "did you see The Office last night? Did you see where they talked about Halle Berry for half the episode? Wasn't that awesome?" Seinfeld worked as a show about nothing, I'm not so sure The Office does.
Still, minor gripes. Considering how well the show does some of the subtle things I like - keeping continuity straight (David Wallace assuming Jim was still the second-in-command), and being able to have recurring characters in believable roles chief among them - I can easily overlook any of the rest of that.
Three episodes to go!
--Ryan
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