Forum posts to 'The Office'

Re: What The Office Has Lost

TheTVCritic — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 14:45:56 +0000

Hi Ben, thanks so much for giving us your thoughts in a longer form. I agree with everything you said entirely.

Your point about side stories is a really good one. It's sparked a more complete thought in my mind that I haven't expressed in review.

If you think about Oscar and Gil, it was a very minimalist storyline. It was just the slow development of an off screen relationship because the cameras were only meant to be at the office. So we only slowly pieced together people's understanding of Oscar's private life.

That part is the key to me: private life. Dunder Mifflin is just where Oscar works. He had no interest in playing up to the camera. When his work day was done he went home and lived his life. So much of what we see now is characters playing up to the camera or at least discussing their personal lives in an inorganic way. e.g. Toby discussing his novel in front of everyone in the last episode.

As you say all the smaller characters are now just hanging around the office mocking one another or playing up the camera. The sense that they are actually living their own independent lives has been eroded.

Dwight, as a main character, is a real problem. Again you pointed out the value he brought to the show. I think he was a sympathetic figure back in the day and you could genuinely care about his happiness. Now he is just an agitator with no fixed constitution.

It's all very sad. It's a decline which comes to almost all comedies but I think that's because they are treated as a comedy. I think new writers are brought in to "freshen" things up and they begin to try and make jokes where they can rather than treating the show like a drama and putting character first.

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What The Office Has Lost

Ben — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 05:29:04 +0000

Given the continuing decline of The Office this season, after what had been a decent start, I have decided to list what I feel the show has been missing.

#1. Likable Characters

Not every member of The Office has ever at any point been meant to be likable (Jan, Meredith, Todd Packer), but for the most part getting to know these characters was meant to be fun and funny, particularly in seasons 1-3.

Towards the middle of the show's run, we would get characters like Phyllis take stabs at Jim and Pam and then a quick reaction shot at the victim. These jokes were fine when used sparingly, but we are seeing more and more mean and selfish behavior nowadays.

Kevin, Kelly, Ryan, and even Stanley all have become ridiculous and unlikable. I keep thinking back to The Seminar, when Phyllis and Stanley refused to help Andy, when he clearly was struggling with sales.

And because the writers think it is boring for likable characters to remain the same, we see Jim and Pam become less and less of what made them great sitcom characteristics in the first place.

And then there's Dwight, once thought by me as the funniest character on The Office, a great combination of geek and suck-up. His relationship with Michael was fantastic, and then all of a sudden he wavers between respect and annoyance somewhere around season 6. Where as his actions usually had some justification in the past, he is now less ignorant (more aware of Jim's pranks) yet this makes their prank wars less funny yet the writers keep it up.

I don't have much to say about Michael, he got the happy ending he mostly deserved.

#2. Side Stories

This has some overlap with #1, but I feel this was such a big part of the early seasons, it warrants its own section.

As we got to better know the cast, lots of fun little stories that could be throw in here and there were formed. Kevin's band (back when he had some intelligence), Oscar and Gil, Angela and Dwight, Phyllis and Bob, are all good examples of what could be a part of an episode and not be the A,B, or C plot.

Recently, the only sub stories have been romances, which while I know most of my examples were also romances, we also got stories that deal with issues that come up in the office setting, things like the thermostat, performance reviews, and now all we really get are "field trips", holiday parties, and they are becoming less and less fun to watch.

#3. Originality

Most shows, especially sitcoms, will at some point begin to get stale. But this season alone we see the same beats over and over, like seeing people get drunk at a christmas party, the fake incoming call when in a meeting, prank wars, and who could forget boss Y wants to impress boss Z.

Obviously, Andy and Erin has been drawing from Jim and Pam, and has actually been going on for even longer than they did.

There is not to much that can be done to make up for these problems. As much as I love The Office, I really do hope this will be the final season. I have been hoping for this for awhile now, but with declining ratings maybe the writers will put the show to rest this year on their own terms.

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Re: Season 6 Episode 6 - Mafia

TheTVCritic — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 16:31:45 +0000

Hey Keith,

Thanks for joining the forums. I really enjoyed Season 5 of the show. I thought it was the best season by far but I know many will disagree with me.

The Ryan and Pam branching out story (no spoilers) is really fun, you have some good stuff to look forward to.

Robin

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Re: Season 6 Episode 6 - Mafia

Kei — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 19:56:18 +0000

Well you will see them on the DVD release which may just make it to our shores by 2014!

Like the sound of Pam bruching out by herself and the link with Ryan, should be a nice twist on things, we're only as far as Series four over here.

Hi I'm new my really name is Keith.

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Re: Whoops...

TheTVCritic — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 10:22:28 +0000

No worries man, as you made slightly different points in each I wanted to include both.

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Whoops...

Ben — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:11:33 +0000

Sorry, I thought my first comment on the latest review for the office didn't post, so i made it again.

That is why there is two, sorry about that.

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Re: Season 6 Episode 6 - Mafia

Cordia — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:58:26 +0000

Hmmm... I think my main dislike is how bland Erin is in comparison to the other characters. So what you like about her is what I don't like about her. But the show could change my mind if they keep using her more. As a quieter, less stereotypically crazy character I think she needs more screen time to get development. I haven't watched "The Lover" yet though, so my opinion on her development in that episode is obviously moot.

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Re: Season 6 Episode 6 - Mafia

TheTVCritic — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 19:08:25 +0000

Sadly I can't watch the deleted scenes as I am in the UK. Although, in a way I don't know if I should watch them.

For my reviews, I can only talk about stuff that appears in the 22 minutes The Office is on. The vast majority of people will never see the deleted scenes and so I can't include them as part of the show.

I actually like Erin from what I have seen so far. She seems naive and polite, things which the show needs as a far as I am concerned. Otherwise there would be too many characters who were jaded and unresponsive to the behaviour of the silly characters. In the latest episode "The Love" I liked how Erin wanted Michael's permission to do something and Pam was annoyed by that. Pam had no regard for Michael's authorisation because she has been there too long and was annoyed by Erin even though Erin was just being cautious.

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Re: Season 6 Episode 6 - Mafia

Brando Calrissian — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 16:38:48 +0000

You can catch the deleted scenes at Hulu.com and also The Office homepage on NBC.com

http://www.nbc.com/The_Office/video/categories/deleted-scenes/28287/

The reason I like the deleted scenes from Mafia is precisely linked to what you're saying Cordia. Erin, up to this point, has been very uninteresting and has had no character or depth. I feel like in these deleted scenes and the deleted scenes from this week's episode, The Lover, they're starting to flesh her out a bit more.

Don't get me wrong...it's nothing ground breaking or incredible at all. Minor character development, really. I just thought the deleted scenes were worth watching and commenting on.

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Re: Season 6 Episode 6 - Mafia

Cordia — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 03:15:51 +0000

I'm not sure which deleted scenes you're talking about, but I find Erin to be a difficult character to be interested in, anyway. She's a very vanilla character on a show with a whole lot of crazy characters. Part of my lack of interest in her is probably the fact that the writers seem to have a serious lack of interest in her. Where did you find deleted scenes?

On the episode as a whole, I generally dislike scenes where Kevin is made out to have the intelligence of a 3-month old. As an ex-accountant, it just doesn't jive for me with his job. So I didn't like the episode on that basis. But I didn't really like the wedding episode either... I'm not too crazy about this whole season... I'm gonna go watch Dr. Who now.

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Season 6 Episode 6 - Mafia

Brando Calrissian — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:39:43 +0000

Not my favorite episode by any means.

If you get a chance, anyone reading this should go check out the deleted scenes from this episode. The deleted scenes with the Erin plotline were BETTER than the actual episode itself!

I found the plotline funnier, more interesting, and far more complex and character building. Not only that but the character building came with a character we don't really know that well.

The fine line between admiration and jealousy is one that could really be used as a nice arc for Erin and Pam...and the rest of the office.

Anyway, check out the scenes and let me know what you think!

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