Episode 13 - Job Fair
4 January 2009
Review
Synopsis: Michael, Pam, Darren and Oscar head to a job fair at Valley View High School to find a summer intern. It is Pam’s old school and she knows her way around. Michael looks down his nose at the one kid who is interested and then later begs him to come back. Meanwhile Jim, Andy and Kevin play golf with one of Jim’s old clients. Because Ryan warned Jim about his performance and his impending marriage to Pam, Jim decides to actually try and win Mr McGuire’s business back.
The Good: Pam is the star of this episode. In a show which films itself to look like real life she is consistently real sounding. One of the key reasons for that is her interaction with the camera. She is the only character (apart from Michael) who openly narrates things to the camera and has a sort of friendly, confessional relationship with it. Here back at her old school her little moments are very well performed. Reminiscing about gym, looking round her art room and then of course the final scene with the graphics design recruiter. That scene is excellent because it leaves you wondering if she will run scared from the work needed to become a graphic designer or push on now armed with the knowledge of what she must achieve. Credit to the recruiter who is perfectly believable and credit to Pam for her excellence throughout.
She also helps set up the comic highlight (See below) which Oscar delivers superbly. Michael has one of his usual fun lines when he says he would rather be living on a beach with inherited money rather than work any of the other jobs on offer. And Dwight threatening the other staff is funny because when they challenge him on what he will do he immediately resorts to saying “I will tell on you.” Dwight and Angela ignoring each other is pretty consistent with their stubborn characters.
Jim’s story is a happy one and his character is very well established so when he says for the first time he is going to try we believe him. Seeing him and Pam kiss openly in the office is a nice feel good moment.
The Bad: Of course Michael is mean and arrogant to Justin which is not fun to see. He is unhelpful and rude to the others as well and seeing him being foolish and failing just isn’t fun. It is a familiar theme with Michael and it dominates the episode because it is presented as the major story. There is something very tragic about the underachieving Michael being so openly disdainful of an underachieving teenager which really will turn off some people.
There are two prime opportunities for comedy which go missing here. First Michael kicks a basketball high across the gym and the scene ends. Logically that basketball could have hit someone and hearing some kind of noise with a reaction shot of Michael would have been an easy joke. Then Andy drives his golf buggy too fast and crashes into a sand trap. It should be much funnier than it is but because of the way it is filmed we don’t get the full comedic impact of the surprise. The angle of filming is just too far away and so it doesn’t hit you as good slapstick should.
Comic Highlight: Michael is trying to convince Justin to come to Dunder Mifflin. He offends Pam so she walks off. He says to Justin “I would never say this to her face but she is a wonderful person and a gifted artist.” Looking shocked and confused Oscar asks “Why wouldn’t you say that to her face?”
That’s what I said: This is a very mixed episode. Michael’s stories do tend to dominate the show and the downer of his failings really brings down the episode for me. Many will not be affected though and they are rewarded with good stories for Pam and Jim, who are both really good.
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