Episode 7 - Survivor Man
4 January 2009
Review
Synopsis: Ryan took several of the branch managers and Toby on a wilderness retreat and didn’t invite Michael. Embittered he gets Dwight to take him out into the wilderness with just a roll of duct tape, a knife and a video camera so he can simulate a show called “Survivor Man.” In charge back at the office, Jim decides to combine all the birthdays into one party rather than having separate ones for each member of the office. He soon discovers that the idea is not popular and he has to withdraw the idea.
The Good: This is a really strong episode. The story in the office is very clever and plays on the characters strengths beautifully while Michael and Dwight provide some more traditional humour.
The Jim story is very interesting to see. His idea sounds sensible to him but he doesn’t reckon on the other members of the office rather enjoying getting their own cake and indeed enjoying others. The story is so clever because it uses Michael’s strengths and weaknesses as a leader to make the two points of view seem equally valid. The montage of embarrassing surprise parties which Michael has thrown give us the ideal insight into why Jim feels that individual birthdays are not fun. However the grumblings of the office workers give us the other side of the coin. That even though Michael can be inappropriate and annoying, they all basically enjoy having a fuss made over them and the whole office feels lifted by being able to take a break and have a treat.
Stories which show us why Michael can get away with being such a terrible boss are very valuable because they add layers of believability to the show. Michael’s negative side comes through when Toby very justifiably asks Jim if he can be included in the celebration because Michael has excluded him before. It’s again a well placed twist because we now see a bit of selfishness in Jim when he looks at Toby’s request with disdain just because he doesn’t care about birthdays and cakes.
The denouement of this plot is of course Jim realising that he might be becoming a little like Michael and seeing a somewhat scary future ahead of him. Again this is well played out as Pam teases Jim by suggesting they meet in the conference room while Phyllis accidentally calls him Michael. Finally Michael returns to point out that he too once made the same mistakes and that Jim will learn in time.
Michael’s story is suitably silly as he and Dwight have fun in the forest. Each scene is exploited for all the humour that can be squeezed out of it. Michael cutting off his clothing when it’s hot and sticking them back together when its cold is fun as is Dwight smacking him over the head with a shoe and forgetting to take the safety off his gun.
The two montages in the show are really fun as well. First we have Dwight showing the camera all the concealed weapons he has around the office. This is just about plausible because we have seen him save Jim from Roy using mace (319) and it does fit his character. The laughs come from how ridiculous some of the weapons are (blow dart in the bathroom and sword in the ceiling) and the kicker is the knife in the filing cabinet under “Mr A Knife.” The second montage is Michael’s embarrassing surprise parties for his employees (including saying “Blacks do crack” to Stanley), particularly the surprise part where he jumps out from all sorts of concealed spots which genuinely frighten people.
The Bad: I suppose Michael remains pathetic in a way which can be annoying and Creed is slightly too unsubtle at times.
Comic Highlight: The office workers are sharing grievances about Jim removing their individual birthdays. Stanley points says “I took an extra shot of insulin in preparation for this cake today. If I don’t get some cake soon I might die.” Oscar asks “Why don’t you just have an apple?” To which Stanley swiftly replies “Why don’t you mind your business.” His delivery is excellent.
That’s what I said: A really fun episode. By splitting the plots in two and adding Michael’s own camera there is a real sketch show feeling to this. It is a positive development from a comedy perspective because the laughs come thick and fast and they are good ones throughout. Even better though is the Jim story which fits the office format perfectly and shows us both Jim and Michael as well rounded characters.
Feedback
Add your comments on this episode below. They may be included in the weekly podcasts.
’)