Anyway, here's why I feel like the show needs a defender. Primarily in regards to the Jim and Pam storyline, which people say detracts from the comedy.
I firmly reject this idea, for the most part because I don't need laughs all the way through. In fact, the moments of humanity make the show more accessible, especially in terms of how the humor is then amplified as you're caught off guard. I look at it this way, 30 Rock is funnier than The Office. It is. No debate. It's one running joke, layered with other jokes with a gooey core of fudge. Not really, the core is more jokes. But which show is better? The Office. Because it has the comedy of 30 Rock and more. It has dramatic depth. It has moments of reality and a level of grounding that is more compelling and just better.
So is it wrong to get caught up in the Jim and pam stories? Maybe. Though not if you keep the viewer on their toes. If you avoid the boring, mundane and fake then you're ok.
Look at Ross and Rachel or any other storyline from Friends that was supposed to be compelling, like when we were supposed to get caught up in Joey's forbidden lust for Rachel. I'm sorry but that was just stupid. Hold that, or any serious stuff on Friends against Jim and Pam and it's like you're comparing apples to something not like apples at all. Midget sex dolls? Gay polo horses? Gun shows?
Jim and Pam also create humor. Countless throwaway gags (Kevin asking Jim whether Pam or Karen is hotter) to whole episodes (Michael not blabbing about Jim's crush) have been the product of the Jim and Pam dynamic.
If you don't want to see Jim and Pam getting married or don't care that she's pregnant, then you're missing out on an element of the show. While funny, these are also characters we're supposed to feel for. This isn't 30 Rock. This is more than that. I feel for Michael. I feel for Dwight. I feel for Creed. I mean if Creed can't scuba dive, what has this all been for????
I guess what I'm trying to say is that if Jim and pam's storyline means you take a second not to laugh then so be it. This show offers more than that, so suck it up and roll with it. It can be very good if you want to accept it. Accept that these are real people who you can relate to.
Don't get me wrong, though, this is not some dramatic affair with the occasional laugh. This is still the second funniest show on television. Anyone who says the show isn't funny anymore should leave the country and if you're already gone then stay out (Don't really mean that. Come back.)
The Office has remained funny and fresh, as it constantly reinvents itself. I'm amazed how well they've adapted with every twist. From Jim leaving the branch to Jim become a co-manager there is always new funny. Michael giving Jim gin? Dwight's attempt to instigate a mutiny? This is some real good stuff. I don't know what to say short of, "come on. This is good."
Maybe I'll buy that it's not on the same level as last season, which i thought was a renaissance year on par with season two. It seems to me like the show has really hit its stride, as every character has a specific niche. Andy has been perfected. Dwight's on fire. Even Erin has found a spot.
In conclusion, Jim and Pam are adorable and should continue to command time on what is still the second funniest show on television.
Disagree? Let me know.
5 comments:
disagree. Dwight is no longer funny. The whole funny part of the Jim-Pam relationship was the tension. That is now gone. Yes they are cute, and I would be fine with not laughing for ten seconds...if I was laughing at all during the rest of the show, which I am not. And its nowhere near the level of Ross and Rachel, or of FRIENDS for that matter. Absolutely no comparison. Ross and Rachel are epic. End of story.
Although, to be fair, the second part of the wedding episode was pretty amazing. If it had sucked as much as the first half, I might have stopped watching the show altogether, but there may yet be hope.
Dwight sending a girl on the walk of shame isn't funny? Kicking her in the face isn't funny? What makes you laugh? Kittens being bludgeoned to death?
I would argue the tension between Jim and Pam made things worse. THe will they or won't they aspect is so overdone, like in FRIENDS! Epic? Really? There's no comparison because Ross and Rachel are some pseudo couple that are somehow annoying, obnoxious and irrelevant all at once. Jim and Pam are for the ages.
As for the wedding episode, I didn't think it was that hilarious. I'll give you that. I think it was the culmination of Jim and Pam so it's ok that the hour wasn't funny. Half of it was funny and half of it was payoff for the emotional investment.
First off, a very well written article David. This is why you are the wordsmith of the group and i'm the numbers guy.
I have to disagree saschmeister, I think Dwight has been just as funny this season. It must be difficult to keep inventing new "material" for a character like Dwight and I believe the have done a phenomenal job. The whole tricking Michael at the hotel, lady-killer, kick to the face moments was pretty funny.
Like Dave said, the emotional investment has been there for devoted followers ever since the mixed berry yogurt moment. I have been rooting for PB&J from the beginning as I'm sure everyone has. I believe the evolution of this relationship gives the show a kind of depth that no other relationship in the show could possibly create.
I'm not usually an analogy guy, but here goes:
You're "involved" with a girl (watching the show). Things are going great and you're having a good time (The Office being funny). But suddenly, the girl tells you she got her period (a Jim-Pam episode). You still hang out with her, but it's not the same. You can't do…uh...the things...you're used to doing with her (The Office being funny). But while you're disappointed that she's on her period, you realize that it's not all bad. You think "at least she's not pregnant", which would surely be a negative on your relationship (not connecting with the characters and getting bored with the show). Plus, you get to appreciate how great things are when she’s not on her period.
In summary, I almost invariably enjoy non-Jim and Pam episodes more. With that being said, I see the need for that storyline and am willing to put up with it while awaiting more humour.
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