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"The Office" appreciation thread

Sbbruin

By Sbbruin
in Movies and TV

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oSuJeff97

oSuJeff97 3437

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One thing that I think is underappreciated about The Office was just the sheer number of shows that were done on network television back then.

I agree that the quality fell off after season 5 or so, but consider that the first 5 seasons of The Office included 89 (!) episodes. 

Pretty much the standard these days on the really good half-hour comedy shows on HBO and FX is 10 episodes per season.  The Office was nearly doubling that back in the day, cranking out nearly 90 episodes that are mostly all gold through 5 seasons.  That's a damn impressive volume of great comedy.

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Vic Mackey

Vic Mackey 47741

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On 10/20/2018 at 2:30 PM, tx 3 putt said:

 

that's not even top 5 kelly kapoor moments

 

people like sucking off the british office because they think it makes them look smart

You nailed it. People have this idea that The US version is slapstick comedy and the British version is supposed to be sophisticated. The British version was terrible and nothing about it was redeeming. 

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High Plains Drifter

High Plains Drifter 11141

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I watched the episode last night where they tried to pull a sting on the salesman from another company who was stealing all their business. They set up room where they could watch him in action as he tried to sell to a fake company. Meredith was the CEO of that company, and she kept hitting on him.

I thought it was fucking hilarious. Not sure what season that was, but Michael was still there.

 

Also the one where Pam and Jim were having their baby baptized, and Michael and Bernard joined up with the missionaries who were driving a bus to Mexico to build a school. Also hilarious.

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oSuJeff97

oSuJeff97 3437

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Just watched the one over the weekend where Oscar made the "Kevin as Cookie Monster" video.  I was freaking rolling.

DAtPA-dW0AA3ITV.jpg

The best part is the cut-to-break where Jim and Pam get in trouble for laughing about the Cookie Monster thing and Kevin turns to the camera and says, "C is for suspension!"

 

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Celery Man

Celery Man 21062

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The whomever debate that kicks off here at ~1:10 is one of the best minutes of the show.

 

Kelly Kapoor is sneakily one of the funniest characters.  She's annoying (as her character is supposed to be) but a few times a season would have some of the best jokes.  I forgot about the "Princess Diana's funeral was one of the saddest I've ever seen.  That and my sister's." joke as being when her character started pivoting into having a weird darkness. 

 

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Dutchrudder

Dutchrudder 11212

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On 10/17/2018 at 5:57 PM, Paper_jam said:

When The Office first ran, I kind of identified with Halpert because he was smart and funny. Watching it again years later, drives home that Jim, while not a bad guy, maybe has a little too high an opinion of himself. (Which I can understand, when you work with Michael Scott and guys like Kevin and Phyllis, etc.) But it does make me look at Jim in a different light.

I liked him because he was a funny, sarcastic, slacker who had a great understanding of things around him, something I can relate to as I write this post from work...  He knew more than he let on, but was happy with his surroundings because it enabled him to do whatever he wanted, have fun, be around Pam and get paid. There was an oddly satisfying contentment about him that is very enjoyable to watch, while his only goals in life are maintaining the status quo and possibly, just maybe getting Pam to leave her fiancee for him. It's a simple character, but played so well in that environment. Jim didn't have to be the constant funny guy inserted into the heart of every story of every episode, Michael Scott had that role. He was an excellent #3 for a comedy show, behind Michael and Dwight. 

Rewatching The Office recently with my wife, we both came to the conclusion that earlier in the show, some of Jim's pranks were a bit harsh. They were needlessly mean, and made me dislike Jim a bit watching it years later. However, in the later seasons, they make Jim, Dwight and Pam become friends, care for each other, and help each other out.  I think the first time Jim does anything really nice for Dwight was when he tried to give him the bobble-head case, but instead resigned to keeping Dwight and Angela's affair a secret as payback for saving him from Pam's ex. Pam tries to help Dwight with relationship problems, they help him develop his B&B business, Jim later recommends him for the regional manager role at the very end. They eventually all become happy, as the show concludes, but it takes a long time to get there. Those first 5 seasons or so where Jim and Dwight are enemies are peak Office, which is why everyone says the show falls off in season 6/7. Without that adversarial dynamic, the show loses a lot of its luster. 

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The phone-call scene where Jim unloads on Pam for not recording their kid or something always makes me want to kick Jim's ass. My favorite characters are definitely Pam and Dwight.

That was season 9, the last season, and it was an abomination. Remember Nellie? Remember how she became a full time character for some reason? She was awful, didn't belong at all. She was great as a cameo for being interviewed as Michael Scott's replacement, but that was where it should have ended. Remember when Toby fell in love with Nellie for no reason? Yeah...

But they did a lot of stupid things that season, namely the Jim and Pam relationship. They tried to subvert our expectations after 8 seasons of pretty much the perfect couple, so they decided to throw in a bunch of stuff to make them hate each other, and had that regarded subplot of the cameraman who Pam might have an affair with. She didn't, obviously, but it was meant to make viewers think something was wrong and maybe it would happen! Of course they fix everything and make up, but there are about 10 episodes where every scene about those two is incredibly uncomfortable and I just wanted it to cut to someone else. It's a fucking comedy show and they are wanting to highlight the struggles of a troubled marriage on the rocks? Ughhh, that's just too uncomfortable for a sitcom like this. 

I thought the dynamic with Charles Minor was better done, someone who doesn't care about their baby and sees Jim for the slacker he is. If you want to reduce Jim's appeal on the show, that was a better way of handling it, rather than ruining his marriage to create some drama. It also brought around the dwight/jim rivalry as they both tried to get on Charles' good side. If nothing else, it was at least comfortable and kept the show in the usual Office dynamics. 

Still a great show, and rewatching the first 5-6 seasons was pretty amazing. I loved it back when it was new, but there are a lot of things you forget when there are 25 episodes a season. You really notice the minor characters more, and their contributions to the show. I hated Ryan the first time through, but on second viewing, I appreciated the stereotype he plays, since I have been working in an office for 12 years now and he does exist in the wild. David Wallace is pretty awesome at being the bottom line executive guy. And god damn are there a lot of Stanley's in the real world. Holy shit, there are so many people that just don't give a damn, I really can't understand how the unemployment rate in America is only 5%. I have to think nearly 10% of my company's workforce is fucking Stanleys. 

Anyways, great show to revisit if anyone hasn't rewatched it lately. Comedy still holds up, and it's streets ahead of that garbage British version. Come at me bro

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henrygandorf

henrygandorf 29206

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while watching the reruns, i have pinpointed when the show went south for me.  jumped the shark, if you will.  it's not a big, obvious moment, but something bothered me about the scene, and i really think the choices they made led them down the path of sloppy writing and check-cashing.

the wedding episode (2-parter) was generally schlock, but i liked it.  it was sweet and rewarded all of the faithful viewers who put their time in on the "will they-won't they" arc that went on forever.  those people needed their moment.  and parts of it were actually pretty funny.  but here's the part that bugged the shit out of me, and sent the entire series in a bad direction. 

the jim speech - it was a touching speech about "waiting for his wife" but also had the part with him spilling the beans about the pregnancy.

the reason it bugged me is that it tried to do too much - you can't have it both ways.  either go sweet, or (try to) go funny/awkward.  they ended up ruining the touching moment with him saying "pam shouldn't drink, obviously."  and when the grandmother asks why, it would've been so easy for someone as sharp as jim to say, "oh, well the wedding's tomorrow, and i know she wanted to remember everything clearly."  but he didn't, he ruined it by being an idiot.  and sorry, i just don't buy someone like jim, delivering his rehearsed speech with perfection, going and making a "michael scott" type of idiotic comment.  i know they kinda went that way during the co-manager storyline, but it didn't work for me here, and more than that, the payoff (which was only really the one conversation michael had with nana) wasn't funny.

the show was great for years because they established individual character traits that differentiated the cast and then they were able to build depth to each without turning them into goofball caricatures.  and then this happened early in season 6 in niagara falls.  this was the moment (much like that moment in the simpsons, the grimes episode, has been written about) when things changed.  kevin became a retard.  all the nonsense with andy's stories, nellie, robert california, etc etc etc.  seasons 1-3 were great.  4-5 were solid.  after that, there were some moments, but it was a different show to me.  if a rerun comes on from those last few seasons, i can immediately tell that i'll like it less.  

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Dutchrudder

Dutchrudder 11212

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I never actually watched the 9th season before, as I quit during the 8th season when it was on. There were a few good episodes in there if anyone wants to cherry pick:

Dwight Christmas - A good Dwight-centric episode where we get to see a truly Schrutey holiday

Work Bus - If you skip the parts that contain Andy, this is a funny episode

The last couple episodes were a nice wrap up of the series, but nothing super hilarious. All you need to know is that Jim and Pam's marriage is on the rocks, Dwight still wants to be Regional Manager, and Andy/Erin/Nellie/Toby all still suck. 

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Sbbruin

Sbbruin 22039

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4 hours ago, Dutchrudder said:

I hated Ryan the first time through, but on second viewing, I appreciated the stereotype he plays

Same.  I thought the Ryan character was awful the first time through, but his nuances play well as his character is developed.  At first he comes off as holier-than-thou and the office is beneath him, then it comes full circle and he realizes he is no better than any of them.  

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BigOrange1

BigOrange1 6601

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i'm trying to watch season 9.  i think the furthest i've ever made it is about 6 episodes deep.  i started this rewatch late in season 8 when nellie took andy's job and i am now through the first 2 episodes of season 9.  i'm interested to see how it ends, but i've never actually been able to make it through season 9.

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Dutchrudder

Dutchrudder 11212

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Season 9 is full of awkward ellie Kemper relationship episodes that mostly focus on Andy, which are pretty terrible. Those two are an awful couple and often made me cringe. They don't belong together and get way too much screen time. The interns are alright, some good jokes there, especially when dwight tries to take one under his wing. Make sure you watch the two episodes I mentioned above, other than those, nothing was all that memorable.

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NOMAAA

NOMAAA 1696

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14 hours ago, Dutchrudder said:

Season 9 is full of awkward ellie Kemper relationship episodes that mostly focus on Andy, which are pretty terrible. Those two are an awful couple and often made me cringe. They don't belong together and get way too much screen time. The interns are alright, some good jokes there, especially when dwight tries to take one under his wing. Make sure you watch the two episodes I mentioned above, other than those, nothing was all that memorable.

that was tough to watch.

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Deej

Deej 77482

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1 hour ago, Sbbruin said:

"I bet you're sick of tuna. Probably have tuna every night."

And Michael 15" Plasma tv is a thing of beauty.

That is a $200 plasma screen TV that you just killed! Good luck paying me back with your zero-dollars-a-year salary plus benefits, babe!

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