The Office - Season 4

[And That]

The first half was great, the second half was shockingly unfunny.

[Team Canada]

I have recently become self aware..

[jlau20]

The first half was better, but I thought it was pretty good overall.

[BrewCrewForever]

"It's a club called Chatroom and you need a password to get in and the password is password."

 

I love this show, another strong episode. Although I do agree the first half was a little bit better. Was it just me or was Toby not in this episode? Also anyone else think Darrell and Kelly get something going? Notice that interaction when he brought her the paper? I loved Dwight trying to outsell the computer and Andy blowing the horn when he made a sale, that was hillarious.

[valpocrewsader]

the second half was shockingly unfunny.

I think 25% of the second half was Andy singing that crappy song to Angela with backup singers on speaker phone. Was that supposed to be funny? And another 20% was Jim and Pam describing the moment they knew they liked each other ... not funny ... but I'm kindof a softy and liked that part.

[Oldcity]

How was Andy singing that song not funny? "Did she say yes?" "Dude she didn't answer yet! I'll call you back!"

[JoeH33]

I'm beginning to feel this version of The Office has "jumped the shark," so to speak. The characters are becoming less and less believeable as actual people, and more "goofy characters in a sitcom."

 

Things like Michael driving his car into a lake/kidnapping the pizza boy, Meridith asking Jim to sign her cast, Dwight believeing is computer is alive and to some extent, his competition with the computer, would never happen in real life. I very much enjoyed the first two seasons of this show, but began to notice some absurdities arising begining in season 3.

 

It just really bugs me how this show has gone from a believeable documentary about life in an office (Seasons 1-2) to a sitcom about crazy people acting silly in an office. In addition little things like the fact that a documentary crew would not stay and follow these people around for 4+ years, and the fact that the tv crew is everywhere, even in Michaels bedroom at the beginning of season 4, just irk me.

 

l really like what Gervais has done with the original version of the Office, in ending the series after just a couple seasons. It doesn't force you to come up with crazy ideas to make episodes interesting. The orginal version may not have been as laugh out loud funny, but it was so much more relateable. It was much easier to feel an emotional attachment to those characters since they weren't characatures of certain types of people. It was just real.

 

If you look at many good comedies (Curb, AD, Scrubs, The Office, etc.) its easy to see that the ones that lasted longer than 3-4 seasons really dropped off in quality. I believe that its better to have less of something good (i.e. AD), than more of something thats watered down(i.e. Scrubs/US version of The Office).

 

Now this is not to say I won't be watching The Office every Thursday night, it just means I won't be watching the same show I enjoyed so much two years ago.

[ccbrew]

I don't disagree with most of your comments regarding the believability of some of the things that occur, but I think the documentary crew being in Michael's condo is pretty reasonable. They were there when he was making the purchase, and the scene could be capturing 'a day in the life' of the boss.

 

I know the scene where he drives into the lake has been criticized by many, but I think Michael was just trying to prove a point. And I think him becoming more and more irrational is a reflection of his increasingly tenuous status within the company.

 

When I think 'outlandish' I think more along the lines of scenes like when he climbs on top of Meredith to give her a hug when she is in the hospital.

 

One of my favorite bits from yesterday's episode was when they showed the webcam feed from another Dunder-Mifflin branch, and the head guy there appeared just as clueless as Michael. And yes, I actually enjoyed the scene with Andy singing..

[RobDeer 45]

I loved that episode. Hilarious. And Andy singing was one of my favorite scenes. Come on, that guy is so underrated. Go to the deleted scenes and it's him talking about how he got in to Cornell by singing to the admissions office. I love when he breaks in to song. This episode was a little dark but one of my favorites.

[TerraceReserved]

I think 25% of the second half was Andy singing that crappy song to Angela with backup singers on speaker phone. Was that supposed to be funny?

 

For me, that was the funniest part of the episode. Andy gets me any time he sings.

[logan82]

"I can't tell if he's mocking me."

[BrewCrewForever]

I can also agree with some of the things JoeH33 said. But I don't think I can be quite as critical of it because it is still my favorite show on TV.

[twobrewers]

I'm beginning to feel this version of The Office has "jumped the shark," so to speak. The characters are becoming less and less believeable as actual people, and more "goofy characters in a sitcom."

Couldn't agree more. Much of the charm is being lost on me as they move farther and farther away from reality. I still enjoy it, but Michael is so far past being believable.

 

I still enjoy it - but not as much as before.

 

For me, 30 Rock has taken over as the top show on television.

[logan82]

The Michael character, as far as I am concerned, has never been much more than a SNL character thrown into a mockumentary(sp?).

[homer]

Meh - it was OK. Andy singing to Angela was the highlight.

[Schlitz001]

I thought the very beginning was the funniest. The part with the bouncing cube on the television screen. I can totally relate to the bordem. "Pam claims she saw it once in the confrence room, but no one else was there to see it."

[Chio151]

It just really bugs me how this show has gone from a believeable documentary about life in an office (Seasons 1-2) to a sitcom about crazy people acting silly in an office. In addition little things like the fact that a documentary crew would not stay and follow these people around for 4+ years, and the fact that the tv crew is everywhere, even in Michaels bedroom at the beginning of season 4, just irk me.

I understand what your saying, but to me The Office was always a caricature of an office situation. The genius of the format is a few things, in my mind:

 

1. No laugh track.

2. Making the audience self-aware with the documentary feel. The looks to the camera get great laughs.

3. Understated, less-obvious humor that makes the audience think more.

 

I think they are starting to fail on point 3. People do not want to be force-fed funny, they want a buffet. It's the little things in the show that we all love, not the way-toooo-long scenes with over the top Michael or Andy. That's where the British succeed so well, in understating the humor. If they move back in that direction, it will be for the best.

[patrickgpe]

last hour episode tonight for a while, with michael running around the office asking his employees for money because jan is spending all of his on remodeling the condo, should be a good one.

[GAME05]

I haven't seen many episodes this season at all, but it sure looked from this past episode (i know, not totally fair to judge just one) that the show has turned into what so many other classic shows have turned into--a soap opera. guess the writers think we're all so attached to the characters that we'd be more interested in advancing/declining relationships than jokes. can't say i'm one of those people.

 

awesome. everyone on the show is depressed. just what i want from a sit-com.

[sbrylski]

guess the writers think we're all so attached to the characters that we'd be more interested in advancing/declining relationships than jokes.

 

I'm embarrassed to say I am one of those people. But some of this stuff is really getting me depressed.

[valpocrewsader]

Pretty awful episode tonight. A few bright spots that I probably won't remember until I re-watch it later. Some sentimental moments are fine, but tonight was way too much. And many of the funny moments never delivered, just kindof hung there waiting for punchlines that never showed up.

[Crazyk1294]

Just a weird episode overall tonight. Cousin Moes running next to Jim's car was hilarious to me, but for the most part just a sad, depressing episode.

 

I'm sure I'll find some more subtle humor when I re-watch it...

[wisconsinfan47]

I actually really liked tonight's episode. Jan and Michael on the train was odd...the direction seemed very artsy.

 

But I still thought it was good overall...some classic Dwight and Michael moments:

 

"I am better than you ever have been or ever will be."

 

"I declare...BANKRUPTCY!"

[kgbaseball]

I thought the discussion on when to use "whomever" and "whoever" was pretty funny.

[Chio151]

I thought the discussion on when to use "whomever" and "whoever" was pretty funny.

 

Yes, that was definitely a highlight. Moes is also hilarious. Just him running and the silence in the car was awesome. And the outhouse scene was great.