The Office running thread

I thought it was kinda funny, but I'm not going to passionately defend it or anything.

 

I didn't say I liked it. It was amusing. But the office has never been grounded in reality. So that defense doesn't work.

 

I always felt like the biggest strength of the show, early on, was how grounded in reality it was compared to most network sitcoms. Michael Scott was an annoying boss and a burr in corporate's side, but kept just far enough on the correct side of the line to not lose his job. I hope when history remembers this show, the first two, maybe the third, seasons are what it remembers. Because for the last few years those little moments of realism have become secondary to the madcap slapstick like the song-and-dance cold open the other night.

 

There are a ton of offices, businesses, universities and high school groups doing lip dubs like what was seen on Thursday. Go to Youtube and search for lipdub, and there are tons.

Given the heavy dose of Youtube references that have been on The Office for years, a season-opening lipdub was hardly a surprise.

 

The opener is a parody of a contest between Shorecrest and Shorewood High Schools that was a web hit/meme earlier this year. Rainn Wilson is from Shorewood High School. He shared both lip dubs on his twitter, which made them go viral.

Here is what is being parodied.

Again, DW, with this bit and with the wedding video, I mean no great disrespect, but, I'm sorry, I feel like if you think "these people would never do something like that" you're misreading a big part of how these characters view the world. What is Michael constantly doing in his office? Watching YouTube videos. His entire idea of romantic love comes from pop culture. If you want to say the show has "lost its edge" you may have a point, although I can't really name a show in its eighth season that was just as good as it was in early seasons (and don't say Seinfeld because Seinfeld was terrible at the end.) But it's not because the characters are doing what people in offices all over America are doing -- soaking up Internet memes and email forwards to help them brave the monotony of boring office life.

Again, is this that much less realistic than Office Olympics? The Stanford Branch spending an entire day playing Call of Duty? Dwight giving a Benito Mussolini speech? The manager burning his foot on a George Foreman grill while cooking in bed?

 

Also, this episode was worth it just for the line about Michael returning pants to Talbots.

Talbots ... which doesn't make men's clothing. The perfect callback to the time Michael wore women's pants to work one day.

There is a perfect example of a subtle joke the writers don't feel the need to explain.

 

OK, I wasn't really aware that it was a reference to some YouTube sensation. Had no clue about the popularity of "lip dubs."

I do think that it's somewhat cheap to go to that well twice in a calendar year, though.

 

During that opening, my wife, who has seen every episode, said, "Why are they making us sit through this instead of being funny?"

 

Man, this 'The Office isn't being realistic' thing sounds familiar....

 

Are Pam's boobs twice as big as they used to be? I know she is supposed to be a young mom on the show, but sweet Lord, did you see her in that opener?

 

Should have read this, but, yes, those bags are fun.

 

I think part of the increase in apparent size of pam's boobage is a changer in wardrobe. Shirts with better and more flattering darting. Fewer sweaters. That sort of thing.