The Office 4/28/11

• j_crazy

  

  The Michael Scott Farewell.
  
  What did you all think?
  
  
  Personally I loved it. Loved that we finally saw some personality from the new manager. Glad that they didn't draw it out into a sobfest, but weren't too silly with it. Hope the show can build off of this because they set themselves up pretty good (with the Gabe thing and the crazy new manager).
• gorocks99

  

  I liked the episode as well. Like you said, it wasn't overly goofy or overly sentimental. I can't wait for Gervais' appearance in the coming weeks.
• justincredible

  

  It was the best episode I've seen in a while. I really liked it.
• End of Line

  

  Favorite part was with Jim and Michael in his office.
  
  Best episode in a while.
• Scarlet_Buckeye

  

  Did anyone actually watch this live? I'm just curious since it was running against the NFL Draft and I figure most males watched the draft. I recorded it and I'll watch it this weekend. Just curious.
• gorocks99

  

  I watched live. I flipped to the draft during commericals but listening to Berman try to fill air time was painful for a lot of it.
• se-alum

  

  Scarlet_Buckeye;754472 wrote:Did anyone actually watch this live? I'm just curious since it was running against the NFL Draft and I figure most males watched the draft. I recorded it and I'll watch it this weekend. Just curious.

  I'll catch it on Hulu
  
  This is one of the few shows that will be able to sustain w/ a major character change, because that is something that actually happens in an office setting. I would like to see Gervais take over one of the other branches and make a few cameos each season.
• j_crazy

  

  I DVR'd it. watched it immediately after the dolphins picked. Missed some odd picks, but oh well.
• Little Danny

  

  The ending was interesting.... *** Spoiler Alert *******
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Was it just me or did it seem at the end Michael and Pam had more than just a friendly relationship? With the way she saw him off and how she made up some bs that he told her he was off to see Holly or whatever, it appeared there were something more intimate exchanged.
• jordo212000

  

  Pretty good episode. They have been under utilizing Ferrell since he has been on the show
  
  I agree about the Pam thing. Kinda bizarre
• Ty Webb

  

  I think Will Ferrell has sucked pretty bad on this...not his cup of tea
  
  I have heard the final replacment will be Jim Carrey or Ricky Gervais
• tuskytuffguy

  I tried, I mean, I REALLY tried, to watch it, but it is just soooooo fucking stupid, I could only muster 1/2 an hour.
• UANyg

  Little Danny;754825 wrote:The ending was interesting.... *** Spoiler Alert *******
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Was it just me or did it seem at the end Michael and Pam had more than just a friendly relationship? With the way she saw him off and how she made up some bs that he told her he was off to see Holly or whatever, it appeared there were something more intimate exchanged.

  
  no way! she always cared about michael in a more motherly way i think, more concerned about him. she was skipping work to see a movie thinking mike would be back the next day, then got back, jim told her, and she went to say goodbye.
• Manhattan Buckeye

  UANyg;754920 wrote:no way! she always cared about michael in a more motherly way i think, more concerned about him. she was skipping work to see a movie thinking mike would be back the next day, then got back, jim told her, and she went to say goodbye.

  
  I agree with this, which was what maked the "Michael dating Pam's mom subplot" so shitty, the writing for that was terrible. He treats her mother like dirt and a few weeks later it is no harm no foul - to the point that she's setting him up wither her friend and actively getting him and Holly together. I agree with other posters that this was one of the best episodes in a while, but it also evidences how awful the last two seasons have been when it is pretty meaty-oaker compared the wonderful first 3 seasons.
• Little Danny

  

  ^^^^ ahhh, but one could argue that Pam was so upset at Michael for dating her mom because of their former fling. It is the reverse of how Mrs. Robinson was ticked at Dustin Hoffman for dating her daughter after their affair.
• se-alum

  

  UANyg;754920 wrote:no way! she always cared about michael in a more motherly way i think, more concerned about him. she was skipping work to see a movie thinking mike would be back the next day, then got back, jim told her, and she went to say goodbye.

  
  This.
• jordo212000

  

  Manhattan Buckeye;754950 wrote:...it also evidences how awful the last two seasons have been when it is pretty meaty-oaker compared the wonderful first 3 seasons.

  
  Every season since season 3 has sucked the big one. I have largely continued watching and supporting the show out of respect for what it did in its' first 3 seasons. I just keep hoping that they will get it turned around and it will be like the old ones, but it just isn't happening.
  
  I understand that if the show were to go on, things had to evolve and change. But characters have lost their charm and have completely changed. Dwight is almost evil, Jim is too professional (used to not care about the job), Pam is more forward and thinks she is funny now (she isn't), and Michael even dumber than he used to be, yet somehow always finds a way to save the day by the final 5 minutes of the episode.
• sherm03

  

  jordo212000;755134 wrote:But characters have lost their charm and have completely changed. Dwight is almost evil, Jim is too professional (used to not care about the job), Pam is more forward and thinks she is funny now (she isn't), and Michael even dumber than he used to be, yet somehow always finds a way to save the day by the final 5 minutes of the episode.

  
  I love when people bring this up as something they don't like about the show. IMO, Jim's character is one of the more true-to-life developments out of anyone. There are millions of people who start off in a job when they are young thinking it's just a job, and they don't really give a shit. And then they mature, get married, start a family, and come to see that job as a career instead.
• se-alum

  

  sherm03;755149 wrote:I love when people bring this up as something they don't like about the show. IMO, Jim's character is one of the more true-to-life developments out of anyone. There are millions of people who start off in a job when they are young thinking it's just a job, and they don't really give a shit. And then they mature, get married, start a family, and come to see that job as a career instead.

  Agree, also you can say the same with Dwight. I know there are several people in my office that have been passed up for promotions, and they become very evil toward others they work with.
• jordo212000

  

  Didnt say that the character changes were unrealistic. Said that the show has suffered as a result of the changes. Dwight and Jim's back and forth was the best part of the early seasons. I also found Dwight to be much funnier when he was Michael's Assistant to the Regional Manager.
• Manhattan Buckeye

  sherm03;755149 wrote:I love when people bring this up as something they don't like about the show. IMO, Jim's character is one of the more true-to-life developments out of anyone. There are millions of people who start off in a job when they are young thinking it's just a job, and they don't really give a shit. And then they mature, get married, start a family, and come to see that job as a career instead.

  
  Jim's professional change wasn't that unrealistic, but his IQ dropping 40 points (along with everyone else on the show) from season 4 onward was. The cold open where Michael was trying to photo the whole group in mid-jump and Jim buying into it was painful to watch. In the first 3 seasons Jim, Pam and to a lesser degree Ryan were the straight characters, now there are none, they are all zany and goofy.
  
  But IMO the show really started to stink when (i) the mockumentary format was abandoned and (ii) they got away from the core point of the show, showing the day to day dregs of working for a clueless boss and particularly showcasing the dark humor behind the animosity and "love-hate" relationships. To Jordo's point as the series progressed Michael became more and more sociopathic (and actually caused real harm to others) yet his workers seemed to forget that they hated working for Dunder Mifflin and they didn't particularly care for Michael (aside from Dwight) almost to the point where they started worshipping Michael. It didn't make any sense.
• ohiotiger33

  

  All shows have this problem. I am not really an office watcher, but other shows i have watched have had this problem; the characters become almost cruel caricatures of themselves. For example, on Scrubs, JD became basically a gay guy, Dr. Cox had a rant in every scene, Elliot was super zany (when she was normal in the first two seasons), etc. The writers just run out of ideas mostly I think.