The Office running thread

And South Park's 10th season gives us...

Make Love, Not Warcraft
ManBearPig
Cartoon Wars
Mystery of the Urinal Deuce

The eighth season of Seinfeld had a sponge, maestro, licked stamps, a Soup Nazi and Jon Voight's car just to name a few things.

I'm not even going to look up The Simpsons, but shows can keep a fastball this long.

 

I watched it once in the first season, and I thought it tried too hard to be the hip cute show.

I never went back.

 

I honestly think the first season was the worst one because of exactly what you say. And it still gets stereotyped that way - "Oh, a bunch of cool, hip 25-year-olds in Manhattan ... no thanks!" - when that isn't the vib of the series at all.

I will defend "Friends" to the death. I think that it is way, way smarter, funnier, well-written, etc., than anyone gives it credit for, and I'm a relative television snob. Have never quite understood the enormous backlash against it.

 

The most vocal critics of Friends almost always didn't actually watch it. They're convinced it was one thing and stuck with that conviction regardless of actual evidence.

 

In addition to the Joey-Rachel line, which was a waste of time and ridiculous, they had many character/setting/historical inconsistencies throughout the first five or six seasons. One that comes to mind is that in the first season, Chandler and Rachel are supposed to have met for the first time, yet throughout the remainder of the series, they meet in flashbacks to college/HS days.

I bring this up just to show that not all shows are perfect when it comes to sticking to the reality they create. I guess the moral of the story is they don't care, so long as it's funny.

 

I think there's a difference between changing around what day Rachel's birthday is during different seasons and doing what "The Office" does, which is go 100 percent madcap/slap stick at times on a show that was built on more realistic character development.

It must test well with audiences when Dwight does loony things like bash someone's house with a sledge hammer, for example. That's the only explanation I can think of. I'm just surprised the writers don't show more restraint. Thought they were smarter than that. It's almost like they're too insecure to stick with what got them here, like a .350 hitter who decides he wants to hit home runs instead.

 

Not a "Friends" fan and no I didn't watch much. But the reason was I couldn't STAND Ross and his whining, hangdog personality and his back-and-forth fawning over Rachel. If I could take all of the reruns and edit Ross out, I would watch them.

And "The Office" is relying on a bad change up. No fastball or breaking stuff anymore. One good pitch a game isn't worth it. There are now better comedies on fresher, funnier and worth the time.

 

I was disappointed with last night's episode. One of my favorite episodes of all time is the Wedding from November, so I'm not totally sold on the fact that just because it's been on for a long time means it can't be funny/creative/fresh. But maybe it was because I enjoyed the wedding so much that expected too much from last night's.

Although, I will admit to cracking up at Dwight busting up the cabinets because of mold. Sorry Waylon.

 

Right. It's funny. But it's cheating by the writers/creators.

 

I loved this episode, better than the wedding ep even. John Krasinski deserves an Emmy for the last half hour. He was great. The stuff with the nurse. I thought it was the best episode in a while.

The best thing about tonight's show: less Michael Scott. I'm digging the Andy/Erin stuff. Maybe Angela will become interesting now that she has a contract with Dwight. They could kill her off the show as far as I'm concerned. Never liked her.
I thought the Dwight stuff was beyond stupid but did laugh at the whole "I'll call ya, kid" scene.

 

Top to bottom great? No. But there were moments:

*Pam's mother saying, "Love you" to Pam as she leaves, and Michael responding, "Love you, too....as a friend."

*Mortified Michael coming out of the delivery room saying, "Whoa, that baby is going to have a lot of hair."

*Michael bragging about his matchmaker instincts, then completely missing the Andy-Erin vibe to set up Erin with Kevin.

*Dwight climbing bare-assed out of Jim and Pam's bed.

 

Loved every minute. Dwight throwing the axe and sword out the window...busting up the kitchen, getting out of bed naked....the line about bringing a thesaurus....concern over Pam's nipples being stimulated by her clothes, so Meredith runs to the car to get a shirt with the nipples cut out....the labor nurse hating on Jim and Pam....every single time Jim or Michael are on camera.

Just a great hour.