The Office (U.S.) Series Review

The Office (2005-2013)

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Season 1 - 6 episodes (2005)
Season 2 - 22 episodes (2005-06)
Season 3 - 25 episodes (2006-07)
Season 4 - 19 episodes (2007-08)
Season 5 - 28 episodes (2008-09)
Season 6 - 26 episodes (2009-10)
Season 7 - 26 episodes (2010-11)
Season 8 - 24 episodes (2011-12)
Season 9 - 25 episodes (2012-13)
Created by: Greg Daniels, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant
Starring: Steve Carell, John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, Jenna Fischer, Leslie David Baker, Brian Baumgartner, Angela Kinsey, Phyllis Smith, Kate Flannery, Creed Bratton, Oscar Nuñez, B.J. Novak, Mindy Kaling, Ed Helms, Paul Lieberstein, Craig Robinson, Rashida Jones, Ellie Kemper
Rated: TV-PG
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Plot
A mockumentary on a group of typical office workers, where the workday consists of ego clashes, inappropriate behavior, and tedium.

Verdict
This show is great and very watchable. It's so incredibly funny, mostly due to awkward situations and the silliness that occurs in an office that hints at reality. Some of the funniest moments aren't just the gags but how characters react to each other. The humor is steeped in the fact that everyone knows a hapless boss like Michael Scott. Many of the plights revolve around Michael being inappropriate. He's the center of the show, and the series loses something when he leaves after season seven. The peak of the show is the first four seasons, but there's not a bad season in this series. The show is funny because of how ridiculous it is. There's always a kernel of truth, and if you've worked in an office, it's easy to relate. 
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Review
I started watching mid-way through the original run, and quickly bought the DVDs to catch up. It's such a fun show. It's like the comic strip Dilbert. I didn't know why that was funny until I worked in an office. You think these situation are too ridiculous to actually happen, but they  do. While this show certainly exaggerates everything, it does add to the effect.

Season 1
This show is so funny because it's based in reality. Bosses and coworkers like this exist. Michael (Steve Carrell) is great. He wants to be liked so badly, and that drives all of his decisions. He just wants to be accepted, craving validation. It never works out. He's out of touch and nearly delusional, but it's played well. Some of the funniest parts are characters reacting to Michael after he says something ignorant or foolish. He bought himself the "world's best boss" mug, and that sums him up. You don't buy something like that for yourself, and even then it's a gag gift. I wonder how this seemingly inept person even runs an office. Most of his time is spent trying to entertain the staff or developing his comedy routines. He never actually works. Michael is embarrassing, and in that is an understanding about workplaces and bosses.

S1E4: Steve Carell, John Krasinski, Leslie David Baker, Phyllis Smith, Rainn Wilson play 
Michael Scott, Jim Halpert, Stanley Hudson, Phyllis Lapin, Dwight Schrute 

This creates the stereotypical office workers, but it provides them with depth. Jim (John Krasinski) doesn't want the job, there for convenience and a paycheck. Dwight (Rainn Wilson) is the overachiever with no social maturity. He wants to prove his prowess, but his demeanor prevents that.

The first season is short, but it's a great foundation as the show only gets better. There's a correlation that the less someone knows, the smarter they think they are in a subject. That's Michael in every subject.

Season 2
The first couple of seasons are hilarious in an understated way. Then there's the tension between Jim and Pam (Jenna Fischer). I didn't remember he was interested in her from the beginning. I also didn't recall that Dwight and Angela's (Angela Kinsey) relationship starting so early.

This is at its best when it's just slightly awkward. Michael is a great character, deluded about his own grandeur. He's more confidant than he has any right to be, and he's a master at making any situation uncomfortable. He's always selfish, but he does care in a way that puts himself in the center of any situation. When he's not the focus, his mood quickly changes. He likes to make fun of people but can't take even a little bit of ribbing.

I love when characters take silly scenarios incredibly seriously, usually that's Jim and Dwight. Then there's how people react to Michael. He isn't funny by himself, it's the reactions he generates that amplifies the comedy. Michael is crass, selfish, and obtuse. It's a testament to Carrell that he makes the character likable. Then again, Michael has a lot of vulnerabilities that lead to his behavior.

The second season is funnier just a couple of episodes in. In the second episode, Michael is told to focus on work instead of entertainment. He reacts dramatically, claiming he can no longer be friends with the employees and will retire from comedy. Then there's the racist and sexist traveling salesman Packer. I don't know why Michael likes him, but it may just be Packer's confidence and recklessness. 

To boost their performance reviews in episode eight, employees manipulate Michael by playing into his delusions about his boss Jan (Melora Hardin). 

In episode twelve Michael burns his foot on a George Foreman grill. If you thought he was immature as a boss, wait until you see him as a patient. He really believes the world is ending around him as he whines and overreacts.

S2E17: John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson play Jim Halpert, Dwight Schrute

Most episodes feature a cold open that involves Jim pranking Dwight. Throughout the show, it's what Jim puts the most effort into.

It's an addictive show, driven by work place comedy and each character's plight, even if most of them want to do as little work as possible. While Michael is that basis for a lot of the comedy, he's desperate for affirmation and attention.

At the end of season two, Jim takes a big swing and reveals to Pam how he feels. She had to have some kind of inkling, but she's been engaged to someone else the entire time. She had to have been denying how she feels.

Season 3
The beginning of this season loses a lot with Jim having left Scranton for Stamford. Pam rejected him at the end of last season, and he had to get away. The other office isn't developed past Jim, and later Karen (Rashida Jones). Scranton is empty without him, though Ryan (B.J. Novak) takes his place as a salesman and is no longer a temp. Thankfully the series doesn't continue the split for too long. Jim returns to Scranton, but by that point he's dating Karen. The dynamic between Jim, Pam, and Karen gets awkward.

S3E10: Rashida Jones, Jenna Fischer play Karen Filippelli, Pam Beesly

Michael is still the main character of this show and in episode five, Jan asks Pam to track what Michael actually does. Michael does very little, and Pam tries to encourage him to do more work just to pad her list to no avail.

In episode seven Dunder Mifflin needs to make cuts and Scranton will be closed down. In a surprise twist, Stamford ends up closing instead. Andy (Ed Helms) and Dwight feud with each, both of them wanting to be assistant manager, but it goes to Jim instead as he's the only one that worked at both branches. Michael finds out that Stamford transfer Martin was formerly in jail. Employees soon suspect prison might be better than Dunder Mifflin. That leads to Michael's infamous character, "Prison Mike" to convince them otherwise.

Due to the promotion, Jim feels he should be more serious and quit pranking Dwight. Surprisingly they make a great sales duo. On another sales calls is Michael and Andy, who might be less self aware than Michael.

Phyllis gets married in episode sixteen, and Michael can't stand not being the center of attention. He lacks any self awareness of what's going on, pouting whenever he can't be at the center despite it being a wedding that doesn't involve him.

S3E19: Steve Carrell plays Michael Scott

Darryl asks for a raise, and Michael uses internet tips to negotiate against him in episode nineteen. Of course they're ridiculous like sitting higher, not being the first to speak, or talking quietly. The discussion is quickly upended when Darryl realizes Michael is wearing a woman's suit. Michael tries in vain to defend himself. Michael restarts negotiations and Michael laughs him out of the room when he realizes how little Michael earns.

The season ends with Michael, Jim, and Karen interviewing for a corporate job. Michael assumes he'll get it, but Jan getting fired upends his preparations. Ryan ends up getting the job. It's a shock as he was never shown interested or interviewing. 

Season 4
Karen soon leaves for another office, and Jim and Pam finally start a relationship. Ryan is the young executive wunderkind, and that's gone straight to his head. He's become pompous. Michael is supporting his now unemployed girlfriend Jan who has little regard for him or his money. That reaches a tipping point in episode thirteen while Michael is hosting a dinner party for employees. While his and Jan's relationship is uncomfortable, it's even worse in front of others. Employees suffer through the dinner and the resulting argument that's never less than awkward.

Ryan rises to the top level of the company, and he's trying to get rid of Jim. Initially it seems like pettiness, but he might be trying to get rid of Jim as a failed means to woo Pam. Jim is fighting for the job he never really wanted.

In episode nineteen Toby leaves for Costa Rica. His departure delights Michael who immediately falls for his replacement Holly (Amy Ryan), who's nearly as strange as he is.

In the final episode Ryan is arrested for fraud. His sales site was double counting sales to boost his numbers. Jim is about to propose to Pam when Andy upends the plan by proposing to Angela.

The first four seasons are the peak of the show. It's a great run, and show is still really good in seceding seasons. It's not easy to have such a run, and the show had to evolve.

Season 5
Ryan returns in the first episode. He's a temp again working as a receptionist while Pam is in art school.

The fake call between Jim and Dwight in episode seven is always so funny precisely because Dwight takes it so seriously. It's emblematic of the show. You get these ridiculous conversations and situations that someone in the room takes extremely earnestly. The responses in turn just make it funnier.

S5E7: Rainn Wilson, Steve Carrell, Jim Krasinski play Dwight, Michael, Jim

This season feels like more drama. Pam leaves the office. Ryan returns defeated and is back with Kelly. Toby also returns.

In episode twelve David Wallace wants to know what Michael is doing right as the Scranton branch is performing well. Michael is defying all expectations while every other office slumps. It's especially funny as he's basically a child. He refuses to lose any game and is compelled to be the center of attention at all times. He can't be doing anything special as he doesn't really do anything.

The cold opens are comedic vignettes, and sometimes the simplest of ideas are the funniest. In episode eighteen Pam tells a phone salesman that Michael is out. To help, Jim pretends to be Michael. Then Michael shows up and it devolves into a Fonzie style "Heeeyy" as the salesman exits, unsure of what's happening.

In episode nineteen Michael's golden ticket idea blows up instantly. He blames Dwight to avoid responsibility, but when corporate likes it Michael of course wants credit.

How is it that Jim frequently looks silly in front of upper management? Though it's usually related to making fun of Dwight. In episode twenty Charles Miner (Idris Elba) is the new manager and Michael doesn't' like it. In the next episode Michael gets fired and starts his own company. He recruits from Dunder Mifflin and of course Ryan.

Charles misreads everyone. That's the joke, but it's also silly. This season upturns what this show is by trying to introduce more drama. I appreciate this show is predictable, that's part of the comfort. In the final episode Michael returns as manager, and he's very upset that everyone is focused on work.

This season has several classic openings. While I didn't mind the Michael Scott Paper Company, Charles Miner never fit the show. He'd be a good foil for Michael but not a replacement. Unfortunately they share very little screen time. Together they might have been better. Michael's company is classic Michael. It's a big swing with no planning that ends poorly. I'm also wary of shows that change the formula as it's also an attempt to boost ratings. The show's ratings peaked in season three, and this season is likely an attempt to bolster viewership.

This is the season where I first started watching originally, tuning in after the Super Bowl to watch episode fourteen. I quickly bought the earlier seasons and caught up.

Season 6
I though Jim and Pam got married later in the series, but it happens in episode five. It's a big moment for the show, something set into motion five years prior at the start of the series. That leads to Michael dating Pam's mom briefly. That ends when Michael realizes how much older than him she is.

Dunder Mifflin is going bankrupt and Michael becomes the highest ranking employee, which is scary. The company is bought out by Sabre.

In episode eighteen Pam and Jim have a baby.

In episode twenty-one Pam sets Michael up on a date. He doesn't realize it and does really well. When he discovers it's a date he becomes "Date Michael" with disastrous results. 

The show is still funny. The comedic parts are as good as ever, but there's so much drama with bankruptcy, buyouts, faulty printers, and even a baby. It's not that I don't like the show, it's just gotten busy. I'm sure it's an attempt to keep it interesting as the show can't keep doing the same thing forever, but the first four seasons are the peak, though five has Michael's ill fated business. Change is inevitable as the show can only rely on Michael's escapades for so long.

Season 7
Michael hired his nephew as an assistant to start the season. He's terrible, and Michael ends up spanking him. In episode two, Pam manages to talk herself into the office administrator role, a job that didn't exist until she made it up. She realized she wasn't cut out for sales.

In episode four Michael has to confront his past relationships where he has to consider whether he over-romanticized them. Timothy Olyphant cameos as a rival salesman in the next episode.

Dwight bought the office building, and in episode ten his cost cutting implementations reach the point where Pam threatens to find a new location

It's strange to see Dwight besting Jim, in a snowball fight no less in episode twelve. It's not even playful as Dwight is so aggressive. David Brent (Rickey Gervais) makes a quick cameo in episode thirteen. He was the Michael character in The Office (U.K.) [2001].

S7E15: John Krasinski, Steve Carrell, Rainn Wilson play Jim, Michael, Dwight

Episode seventeen features Michael's movie Threat Level Midnight.  It's the length of the episode and features several former cast members as Michael has apparently been working on it for years.

Ryan was moved to the janitor's closet in season six, and that gag whenever we see his office is almost always funny. 

Holly returned in episode twelve, and it's clear that's setting up the finale. She and Michael get back together and towards the end of the season she's planning to move away. Michael intends to follow her. Deangelo Vickers (Will Ferrell) is introduced as Michael's replacement in the twentieth episode. Of course Michael becomes instantly jealous when someone else gets any attention.

Deangelo pantomiming juggling in episode twenty-two is so ridiculous it's funny. Michael attempts to train him, but by episode twenty four the company is searching for another manager. That process includes several cameos featuring Will Arnett, James Spader, Ray Romano, Ricky Gervais as David Brent, and even Jim Carrey. The season ends without a decision on the new manager.

Season 8
James Spader as Robert California was supposed to only appear for two episodes, but the producers like him so much they convinced him to stay on. The smooth talking California talks himself into the job of CEO, leading to Andy becoming the new manager.

In episode two Andy is asked to double sales. His incentive program quickly backfires when he sets the goal shockingly low and agrees to let the office pick a tattoo for him, but it does energize the group to meet the goal by noon.

I like California. You never know if he's legitimate or just great at selling his ideas and obfuscation. That's why I was disappointed when later in the season he becomes infatuated with Nellie (Catherine Tate). He was that confident enigma that soon becomes indecisive and uninteresting.

A focus on Andy doesn't really help the show. It's grasping at straws trying to recapture what Steve Carrell brought to the show when it could explore a new dynamic with Robert California; his persuasiveness and mysterious past. Andy and Erin feels like the show trying to repeat it's original shipping relationship with Jim and Pam. The show tries to recapture the past in vain.

In episode nine Andy tries to follow Robert's orders and fails spectacularly. Robert told him not to hire his wife, but when Robert is in the room with his wife he argues Andy should hire her. Andy's caught in the cross hairs. Of course he has no idea what to do.

Episode sixteen attempts to create drama in Jim and Pam's relationship. It's a departure from the tone of the show that seemed completely manufactured. 

Angela began dating State Senator Lipton last season. Her pregnancy leads her to compete with Pam's pregnancy. Angela's situation is complicated when it seems her child might be Dwight's.

Andy loses his job as manager, then loses his job completely. By the final episode he's back as manager. 

Season 9
This is the final season, and it sets up a plot line for Jim early that will lead to he and his family moving away after starting a business with a college friend. Jim had been unfilled and wanted to do something else. From the beginning, he's never liked this job. It was always a placeholder.

Episode three features the Asian Jim cold open. It's a simple and effective prank on Dwight that makes him question reality.

Angela hires a hit man in episode eight. It's rather dramatic, but so is Oscar having an affair with her husband.

Pam struggles with Jim working in Philadelphia. She tells him it's okay, but we see it's not. Episode twelve is the first episode where we see a camera person, at least where one speaks  Brian steps in and asks the crew to cut off the cameras when Pam is threatened. That leads to more forced drama with Pam and Brian that ultimately leads nowhere. I don't know why this show thinks it should go for the dramatic. It's not what made the show renowned.

The lead up to the end is the documentary about Dunder Mifflin finally releasing. The employees wonder how much personal information will be released with previews showing more than they expected or realized.

In episode twenty-three Jim quits the Philadelphia job and moves back home. He recommends Dwight for the role of manager and in turn becomes his assistant. Of course Jim also manages to make Dwight his assistant.

S9E18: Paul Lieberstein, Catherine Tate, Jake Lacy, Ellie Kemper, Leslie David Baker, Angela Kinsey, Phyllis Smith, Ed Helms, Kate Flannery, Oscar Nunez, Creed Bratton, Jenna Fischer, Brian Baumgartner

The final season of any great show is sad, but with this show it's also time. It had a good run, and this season has been clearly preparing for the end. The final two episodes jump ahead a year, catching up with everyone after the documentary aired as Dwight and Angela get married. Michael returns to be Dwight's best man. It's a nice ending, seeing the character's final thoughts on not just the documentary but the job and workplace. Though it didn't seem like it at the time, it means a lot to them now. It's a great show, and I'm sad to see it go.

It's difficult not to miss this show after spending nearly ten years with the characters. This showcased an absurd office that often wasn't far from the truth. While Michael was the heart of the show, and his departure left a hole, the later seasons are still more than adequate. The final episode is a heartfelt nod to fans that showcases the memories and impact the show imparted. The Office was at it's best when it focused on simple comedy and awkward situations, and it did a great job of juggling the various characters and providing them depth. It's a show that's also easy to rewatch.

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