The Office running thread

I finally got around to this episode and I thought it was the best of the season. It had comedy and drama, especially with that scene at the end of Pam and her pal in NYC and Jim's reaction. That phone training thing was one of the best of the series and Dwight shouting at Kelly, "You juked the stats, cupcake," was a tremendous line. Would make a great signature line actually. Kelly is fantastic. She's soooo deadpan. And not a trained actor I don't think. I think I read that she and Ryan were on the writing staff originally and morphed into the cast. Anyway, can't wait for next week.

 

Correct. Toby, too.

And Phyllis was the show's original casting director. She did such a great job in the audition reads that they created a part for her.

 

Ryan had his masters. That's why they chose him.

 

Flash, one can only hope they'll use "I Hate Winnipeg" in the show.

 

We don't know if they chose Ryan over Jim because Jim took his name out of the running.

 

Times two.

 

Well, he's also trying to buy his parents' house so they can retire.

 

Did he say buying his parents' house or buying them a house?

The first one sounds more practical but I thought I heard him say he was going to buy them a house.

 

He said he wanted to buy his parents' house for him and Pam, so his parents can apparently retire somewhere.

 

I always thought that this was going to be a tough show to sustain over time, like say a "Friends" or "Cheers" or "Seinfeld," simply because of the setting.

For it to work, you have to keep all these young people in their jobs at this soul-sucking office. Well, what's the quickest way for people's character to undergo change? Jobs, of course. How many times did Ross, Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Joey and Phoebe change jobs? It was absolutely central to almost every major plot development in the history of the show. All the way to the final episode.

But we're to believe that people like Jim and Pam are going to stay at Dunder-Mifflin, this failing paper branch in Scranton, Pa.?

 

Jim seems like an underachieving slacker (and even then, he's been in the competition for top-level jobs at corporate) and Pam's finally going to art school. I think the show has done a good job with the younger characters (Jim, Pam, Ryan) progressing up the ladder.

 

To this point, they have, yes. But they are going to really have to start stretching some things soon - like Jim not wanting to move to New York City. I mean, why in the hell not??