So I started watching The Office a little over two years ago. I hadn't been with it from the beginning, and I actually started watching the second season on DVD. Of course I loved it. I had heard it quoted and talked about before, and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of humor--though sometimes uncomfortable--that I saw.
Lately, the show has been a bit different. I still laugh, I still like the episodes (Pam and Jim's wedding), but it doesn't seem to have the same caliber as the old Office. Pam has gained more confidence and no longer plays the scared little mouse afraid of what she really wants, and I'm not sure if I like the transformation. Michael is also gaining some maturity and isn't quite as horrifically difficult to watch, therefore I'm not as grabbed. I don't know quite what it is that has changed the general flavor, but something is different.
However, I just watched the Halloween episode of the show wherein Michael falls into the Koi pond. It was very entertaining. I laughed a lot and I kept thinking, "this is great writing." It was like the old days. Andy was weird, Pam was unsure, Michael was awkward, Dwight ranted about Jim, Creed said something completely off-hand and bizarre, Meredith provided evidence yet again that she is a disaster, and Angela ate like a squirrel. It was fabulous.
Bravo, Office. Bravo.
It's hard because shows have to evolve and sometimes we don't like it. But the first season wasn't super terrific either--it still needed to find it's footing. And while shows evolve, it's super hard for characters who in many ways have to remain static for episodic programming that doesn't have a clearly defined beginning, middle, and end like a film, but they too still change.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen the Halloween episode yet. I'm super excited!