What I can't defend is the combination of ridiculous and vomit inducing moments orchestrated during Pam's prolonged pregnancy. From the start we abandon any level of plausibility, as Pam began acting like a crazy person when she refused to go to the Hospital when her kid's head was practically popping out. That might fly on 30 ROCK, which offers a break from reality, but it doesn't belong in this forum.
My other big grip was the version of Jim we got. If you saw IT'S COMPLICATED, you were treated to an over-the-top version of Jim Halpert, and apparently he can't turn that character off. It led to one funny moment when Pam wouldn't get in his car, yet for the most part it was a lot of flailing and exasperated looks that were too big for my television.
There were funny moments in this episode, with Dwight essentially carrying this episode on his back. His remodeling efforts, baby arrangement and flirting skills made for compelling television. Plus, I'm a sucker for Dwight in a beater (I can see the rugged masculinity that wooed Isabelle).
Finally there was some progress with Andy and Erin. Inadvertently Michael spurred on the first date, as he made Andy jealous by setting up Erin with Kevin.
Kevin really shined in this episode, illustrating how strong this supporting cast is and what a problem this has become. It's hard to think of this show as an ensemble piece anymore when an episode primarily has an A story with Michael or Jim/Pam and then a B story with Michael or Jim/Pam, with just some scraps leftover for everyone else. In the hour we saw the best moments were when they threw everyone into a blender and just enjoyed whatever came out, instead of force feeding us the biggest stars.
Maybe with Pam on maternity leave we can rekindle some of the old magic that used to dominate conference meetings and other random events. Until then, I'm not too keen on this show and look forward more to Parks and Recreations.
1 comment:
Agreed. Not funny. I was especially disappointed because the show had been on a really good streak. Pam is my least favorite character on the show, especially angry/whiny Pam.
Before completely writing off this episode, I considered the female perspective. I asked my girlfriends what they thought. A-Mo said it was "cute". So there's that. Leslie doesn't have an opinion on The Office, instead telling me about the reporting requirements for pension plans.
An aside: I named my CPA review book "Leslie" because, like a girl, she's expensive and demands a lot of attention.
Back to The Office: I'd like the show a lot more if they would stick to the laughs. They have a lot of really really funny characters to work with. More Andy, more Kevin, more Toby. Sooooo much more Toby.
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