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'Office' politics

Email|Link|Comments (5) Posted by Joanna Weiss September 28, 2007 09:25 AM

I found myself giggling through the first half-hour of last night's season premiere of "The Office." Too many good lines to count, though the one that stuck most in my head came from the brief appearance of an unnamed doctor: "So that's where her uterus went." And I adored the scene in the conference room, when Michael struggled to come up with the appropriate animal combination and the camera panned from one reaction shot to the next. Those moments of uncomfortable silence are precisely what makes "The Office" so original, and so uproarious. I also loved the way the show hinted at Jim and Pam's new bliss, most notably in the unnamed fact that Pam was wearing her hair down. Lots of showing without telling, and it was perfect.

And then, sometime in the second half-hour, I started to get bored. The "Fun Run" joke went on and on, the joke with Andy's nipples felt like it belonged in a different show entirely, and even Dwight and Angela started to wear on my nerves a bit. I'm also not sure how I felt about the use of the unseen camera crew as participants in the drama: after so many years of playing passive observer, would these supposed documentarians really step in and confront Jim and Pam with incriminating video? An hour-long show left me extra time to ponder.

I don't blame "The Office" for this so much as I blame NBC, which seems, under new leadership, to be sticking to its old habit of milking its successes too much for its own good. There's a reason why a sitcom takes up half an hour. A good show should leave you wishing for more, not staring at the clock and wondering when it's going to end.

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5 comments so far...

I thought the laughs kept coming, especially in the second half hour. This is the only comedy on my tv schedule and it never fails to make me laugh. I agree that the unseen camera crew appeared to cross the line but they had to find a way to let the audience know the status of PBJ's relationship. If we only saw the office charade they had been using there would have been much uproar today that last year's finale was dropped as a story line. Just be thankful a show like this is on the air or they'll bring back Christina Applegate with another failed show. Wait, someone is trying that again this year. LOL

Posted by Jeff September 28, 07 10:49 AM

It definitely felt too long, and I think you're right that the second half hour was considerably weaker than the first. The Office has never been above going to wacky areas for comedy - witness Michael grilling his foot - but I agree that the nipple joke felt more "jokey" than it should have.

I laughed out loud more than a few times, and I think I will start using "I'm only a little stitious" in regular conversation, but I have to admit that my love affair with The Office ended last year with the emergence of "30 Rock." Now there's a premiere I can't wait for.

Posted by Greg September 28, 07 11:47 AM

Actually I felt that the first half hour was terribly slow. I was almost bored. I felt the second half hour picked up and was funny as ever!! Now that Jim and Pam are together, there is no more tension and excitement.

Posted by Stone September 28, 07 01:00 PM

I love the show and am a very big fan. But this episode seemed very disconnected. Also they just made Karen disappear after a quick shot and it seemed like a cop-out. Keeping her around for a few more episodes would have given a better reason for Jim and Pam to be secret, and allowed for more closure on her character.

Normally they have really great hour specials. But this one seemed like two shows smashed together.

I did like the nipple thing. Made me LOL. Also anyone notice Dwight used a real gun to start the race. The Dwangela thing was great and will give us great material for them to overcome. Also, I sense a hint of Andy coming across as more sensative than Dwight. Will Angela take note?

Posted by Ellelque September 28, 07 02:05 PM

Agree with you almost completely (the exception being the conference room bit, I thought it was idiotic and lasted at least a minute longer than necessary). Love the show, but I've never been a fan of the one-hour episodes. The pacing is too loose and there's way too much filler that should be left on the cutting room floor. The 35-40 minute super-size episodes appear to be ideal length for The Office.

Posted by Colin September 28, 07 04:59 PM