Office Drama

I must admit that season 8 of the Office hasn’t been great. For one thing, Steve Carrel aka Michael Scott has left. We all knew that he, as a character, was irreplaceable.  Much like the UK version’s David Brent, he was the life and spirit of that show. But there are other, more subtle reasons that the show has slipped in the latest season. Allow me to explain.

Number one- Jim Halpert, for more reasons than one, deserved to be made manager. Professionally, he was better suited than Andy Bernard. Also, it would have been more realistic. While the cast and crew might have thought it would be “zany” to make Andy manager, it just comes across as too ridiculous. But most importantly, Jim would have been better from a comedic point of view. As funny as Ed Helms is, Bernard is funnier as a back-up character. Some of the best Office moments have been with Andy Bernard a central character, but he is essentially one-dimensional. Too much of him gets tiring. Also, the writers have tried to make him more like Michael Scott. Scott was unique, and too try and replicate him is a dumb move.

Number two- They started playing up the Kevin retardation factor too much. Can I see retardation? I don’t mean to be un-PC, I just think that is probably the only word that explains it properly. Dim witted? Is that better? Anyway, as a friend said, it was funny when Holly Flax thought he was slow, it  was a nice sub-plot, but the writers have taken it too far. Now, all of a sudden he is “retarded”. Unless your show is a 90’s sitcom, a completely mentally challenged character is never funny. He needs to go back to just being a bit dof. 

Basically, those are just two examples of a bigger problem. It’s like the show has decided to get sillier to keep ratings up, but all its doing is losing everything that made it The Office. It’s treading dangerously close to slapstick territory. 

Another problem is that some of the characters have stagnated. Ryan, Kelly, Angela need new storylines. Ryan joining corporate was a great move and added a new dimension to the show’s dynamic. Since he came back he hasn’t moved on from being a glorified intern. And, with the Michael/Ryan dynamic a thing of the past, he actually brings nothing to the show. The same can be said for Kelly and Angela. They are the same characters we’ve known from the beginning, and it’s getting boring watching them do nothing.

Having said all that, there have been a few great moments and new characters. James Spader’s character, Robert California, not only has the coolest name in the world, but is also shit funny. Its funnier because it’s James Spader, but he also brings a freshness to the show that it needed.

Will Ferrel, although controversial (when isn’t he?) was also a success is my opinion. I don’t know if was too busy to take it as a full time gig, or he thought he was too god-damned big a star for network television (um, Steve Carrel) but I wish he could have stayed on. And the name- D’Angelo Jemetrius Vickers? Come on. Better than Robert California? Possibly.

I also like Jim and Dwight Scrute’s dynamic, how its evolved but still hasn’t changed all that much. They have the epitome of a love/hate relationship, and definitely provide the bulk of the show’s laughs. Yet another reason we needed to see Jim in a more prominent role. 

Catherine Tate was another highlight of the season for me. She brought that almost Ricky Gervais-like humour to the show, and is definitely another person I’m sure we’d all like to see more of.

All in all, while there have definitely been some hilarious, pants-shittingly funny moments in the season (Jim faking his murder in Miami!), the fact is that these moments are becoming few and far between. This is The Office, and the genius of the actors will always provide laughs, but The Office, I’m afraid, may have reached the end of the road. It happens to all shows, and The Office had a longer and better run than most, but it needs to know when to call it a day. All shows, much like all great athletes, fail to see when the end is nigh, and carry on just long enough to tarnish their stellar records. So, The Office is dead, long live Modern Family?