Grid Effect

If you don’t want to hear me wallow about the writers getting Jim and Pam together, just skip paragraphs 1-3, and 5.

Well, there’s comedy and then there’s drama. This week on The Office comedy certainy took a backseat. And I was kind of expecting it. After last weeks “fireworks” ending, the core audience for this series was going to need some closure. Maybe not necessarily have them going on a date, but reassuring their audience that Jim wasn’t going to be out of town come the season four premiere. Obviously they would get Pam and Jim together even if it didn’t happen last night, it was bound to eventually.

Now comes the question of whether or not I will be able to stomach a storyline that is inevitably going to dominate next season. I think I’m tuckered out from the “cuteness” on the relationship end of things, so hopefully the next four months of their dating will take place off screen, and we won’t be privy to any awkward dinner dates or (fill in the week, month) anniversaries. Part of me is glad they are now dating, at least to end the pushing and pulling between the two of them. And amazingly enough I still trust the writers to not burden us with every excruciatingly minute detail of their relationship like Ross and Rachel, but since they are two of the three leads, their relationship will be integral to virtually every episode; even if there is still plenty to enjoy.

(Note: this series has almost turned into Friends, but their larger cast affords them hilarious moments that Friends never did. Sure, there was always a side story to leave hapless boyfriends in denial over just how whipped they really were, but Ross and Rachel, in their hayday, and numerous times afterwards, probably ate up fifteen minutes out of every twenty-two that the writers had available. Whereas I think they can keep Jim and Pam down around five to eight, and obviously this will fluctuate, but on average.)

And the episode did have its moments involving these crazy kids. The yogurt lid callback to “Office Olympics” was clever, Pam confronting Karen was intriguing, and Pam’s interview towards the end didn’t quite melt my ice-cold heart, but definitely took a blow-dryer to it. Eight more hours of her smiling gleefully might put me in a coma. And regardless of what I think about the direction the series is taking, Jenna Fischer and Jim Krasinski played these roles impeccably. Jim was obviously non-verbally conflicted and as mentioned before but warrants mentioning again, Pam’s elation in her camera interview was resonant, I’m sure plenty satisfying for the “shippers”.

Who knows? Maybe come the start of next season, I’ll get lucky and the two of them will have bitterly parted ways, leading both of them to resent each others presence in the office. Then we can get back to comedy for the sake of comedy. Because right now it’s a dramedy, relying heavily on dramatic. I guess the market just seems flooded for this brand of storytelling, and that culminates my frustration with this series taking a similar route. Women already have Desperate Housewives, Scrubs, Grey’s Anatomy; you know what? I can’t list every single show that offers romantic platitudes, we’ll just say it hovers around 30% of all scripted primetime series.

Anyways, now that I’m done bitching, there were some definite highlights. Dwights subsequent power trip to Michael giving him the regional manager position was fitting, if predictable. This is the second time Michael has given Dwight his dream job and pulled it away the same afternoon. His turning off Michael’s radio then slapping his name on the office door all in one motion embodied the great physical humor that often goes overlooked on this show. Painting his office black to gain respect through intimidation and making Andy his henchman (”Look at me now”) paid dividends. For a good while I was hoping Michael would stay at corporate.

Speaking of Michael, there was little surprising here. His ex-girlfriend takes a leave of absence, comes back, tries to reason with him on an emotional level, realizes he’s not receptive, then breaks out her fake tits for his complacency. Naturally Michael, ever the one track mind, agrees to reconcile. And virtually every minuite of it was hysterical. I’m not sure iof I needed to see Jan’s breakdown after she was fired, but Steve Carrell played this part astoundingly with his uncertainty, or should I say, misguided certainty.

And Ryan getting the corporate position. A lot of people probably think this is too much of a leap of faith for the audience to take. While I might agree, they either have to hire someone (Dundler Mifflin and the show) unknown, or promote someone from the Scranton Branch. Michael cost himself the position with his loose lips, Jim turned it down for Pam and Rashida Jones is doing a Farrelly Brothers project so they can’t give it to Karen; the only option is to hire someone in house. And I guess Dwight ruined his chances with the CFO’s uninvited house inspection in “Cocktails”, and Andy’s history of aggressive behavior eliminates him from consideration, why not take the young buck with an MBA from whatever university they have in Scranton?

Based on the Ed Helms characterization of the boorish office worker I would like to see them bring in another actor, permanently or otherwise. But giving Ryan authority over the Scranton branch opens up the doors for a lot of comedic potential. Honestly, he might be more power huingry than Dwight. If not, he’s definitely more vindictive. Michael and Dwight could experience some backlash to all the dismissiveness they have regarded from “temp”.

Some choice lines:

Dwight: You get one Schrute Buck.
Stanely: I don’t want it.
Dwight: Then I’m deducting fifty Schrute Bucks.
Stanley: Deduct a hundred, I don’t care.
Dwight: Why don’t you want a Schrute Buck?
Stanley: I’ll give you a billion Stanley nickels if you never talk to me again.
Dwight: What’s the ratio of a Stanley nickel to a Schrute Buck?
Stanley: The same ratio as unicorns to leperchauns.
(This might be my favorite exchange of the entire series. Stanley, indifferently doing a crossword puzzle, turns Dwight from an authoritarian leader into the inquisitive, unworthy hire that he is, almost effortlessly)

“Nobody, we’re through” -Ryan, breaking up with Kelly. I wouldn’t find this so humorous if I didn’t already know so many people like Kelly that generally annoy me.

Jan: I’ve been trying to call you and all I keep getting is voicemail.
Michael: Really? I didn’t get either of your messages.
-Michael completely selling his discretion.

Creed: Go to my website, www.creedthoughts.gov.www/creedthoughts.
Ryan: Creed asked me to set up a webpage for him. So I opened up a Word document and put a web address at the top to save the world from Creed’s head…Even for the internet, it’s pretty distrubing stuff.
-Ryan and Creed explaining his website.

Dwight: Every five dollars in Schrute Bucks earns you a five minutes longer on your lunch break.
Random employee: How much is Schrute Buck?
Dwight: One hundreth of a penny!
-Dwight, laying out the groundwork for his new reign.

“Can you leave a message for Jan, tell her ‘I want to squeeze them’…It’s code, she’ll know what it means.” -Michael, leaving a message with her tormented assistant, Hunter.

This is why we’ll continue to watch this series, despite our displeasure with a good chunk of it. Hopefully everything either goes smoothly with Jim and Pam so we aren’t overwhelmed with their relationship drama, or their entire relationship is over before next season picks up. And if it doesn’t, oh well. It’;s still the best comedy on any of the four major networks.

Back later today/tomorrow afternoon with a Sopranos recap.