Hey I liked the first episode of this season more than I liked most of last season. There’s no way they can maintain Spader’s awesomeness from the finale of season 7 but I still already like him a lot more than Jo. If you haven’t seen it yet you can go to hulu.com, search for “The Office”, and shove it up your butt!
“Don’t be such a right-sider.”
Admit it, you posted this just so you could use the “shove it up your butt” gag, didn’t you?
Season 8 so far: Eh. They have not yet convinced me they shouldn’t have ended with Jim and Pam getting married. I have a huge, creepy man-crush on Spader, but he seemed poorly used. “Just act like Alan Shore trying to be a middle manager.”
And, um… about him trying to be a middle manager: why on earth is the new CEO of a pinter company wasting time in the Scranton, PA office of a bastard bought-out subsidiary?
It’s only because I loved the first few seasons of this show so much, and when it’s on it’s still on that I keep watching. The new season is only one episode in, but it’s done nothing to give me any better reason. Sad.
Hmmm…he did apply (and get) the Dunder Mifflin manager role initially. Maybe he just lives in Scranton and didn’t want to relocate? They mentioned he only works out of the conference room about half the time, the rest of the time he could be traveling to the more important sites.
Fair enough. This might be explained after a few more 22-minute-run-times. I’ve just been really pessimistic about this show’s prospects for several seasons running. :)
From Scranton…?
Well he still has to strangle people!
I think that the episode was ok overall. Pam’s storyline was a bit ugh, The stuff with Dwight was great though. I laughed very loudly when he got out the fire extinguisher to take care of the planking problem.
I did laugh at Pam crying about that Traveler’s commercial with the dog.
I have high hopes for this season. I think losing Steve Carrell will allow the show to become more of an ensemble show.
Me like show. Unless Andy/Erin drama. Then like less. Now good.
“It took them one day.”
I think it sucks, and yet I can’t stop watching. Probably 'cos I still remember all the good times we had back in the day.
I thought that was a great episode. The Office is all about having heart while the jokes go by and Andy provides a great foil for the cynical and heartless. I did notice that they left the Darryl thread on the cutting room floor, though. The setup suggested she was going to break up again. That or they were getting freaky in his office, but her tone didn’t convey that to me.
H.
Its a different show without Steve Carell, but I still enjoy it.
Agreed. I’m also enjoying this Office 2.0 so far.
Ok this weeks past episode was good, any time as Schrute farms, is a good time.
I know it’s cool to hate, but damn if last night’s episode wasn’t the most I’ve laughed at this show in at least three years. As much as I loved last night’s Community it may be the most I laughed at any of the Thursday night block. It really feels as if this season is the breath of fresh air the show has needed for so long. Without Michael they’re giving other characters a chance to stretch out.
If you’d described the opening gag to me I’d’ve said that it sounded dumb and a repeat of an old gag. Which it was. It was a total riff on Michael asking Pam to do the same thing, except in that case David Wallace just told him to take the call. Everything from Erin’s smile to the camera, like she’s going to do just such a good job!, to Dwight’s wink to Erin and the capper of Darrel’s “Man, this is a bad idea.” was great. It seemed odd that Erin went from being weird, blunt and naive to outright stupid in this, but I don’t mind it nearly as much as I did when Michael would swerve in his personality from ‘competent salesman, best intentions but in over his head as a manager’ to ‘selfish, barely coherent idiot boy’.
Both plots were amusing and well-executed (even Dwight’s way, way, way over the top test for Jim) and I ended the show really feeling for Kevin and the Zits (Original) and smiling when they were jamming together at the end.
It’d be nice to think that the Office from seasons 2-4, when I loved the show and considered it every bit as good as (though very different from) its British original, might be back.
Creed’s “Where did this long triangle come from?” has already been added to my rotation
I agree Bahimiron, I really think the best thing to happen to the show in years wwas to have Carell leave.
Did you skip Parks and Recreation?
For whatever reason, I’m still watching, and while it’s definitely better than last season, I’m not digging the continued descent into broad humor. It’s like they’ve all but completely embraced absurdism, which is all well and good, but The Office I loved was fueled by pathos.
On the other hand, it’s a sitcom, and I should really repeat to myself it’s just a show; I should really just relax.
Last night’s episode was pretty fantastic. The Schrute Farms reveal had me rolling. I love this new season.