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The Office: Final Season |OT| It's better to burn out than it is to rust
- Thread starter DrEvil
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Michael Scott Paper Company says hello. She literally stood up and followed Michael (a crazy boss who drives cars into a river) out the door on a whim, with nothing more than a look and shrug at Jim.
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The Autumn Wind
Hobbestetrician
Member
Pam could learn a lot from Andy on Parks & Rec. He is immediately onboard with April's dream and is aware it will be difficult but doesn't care because he loves her and supports her dreams.
Andy doesn't have the responsibilities that Pam does.
outunderthestars
Banned
Except Andy is a total simpleton with no responsibilities or even a basic understanding of adult life.
Edit: Beaten. glad to see other people hate Andy as much as I do. He is the Kevin of Parks & Rec.
Hobbestetrician
Member
Andy does as much work at his job as Pam does.
And if Pam is this well-adjusted adult that Andy is not, she can handle the responsibility she holds over him. Unless she can't order Post-It notes and raise two kids. If Athlead is becoming this big success, it seems Pam could take care of the kids full-time if she wanted to, its not like she would be giving up a burgeoning career to do so.
And I can't believe people don't like Andy. Yeah, he is a manchild but the guy has a ton of heart, is always there for his friends, and is in a healthy marriage. April is the unlikeable one in that relationship (though I do think they have more chemistry together than Jim and Pam do, I believe it when they say they had sex).
Hobbestetrician
Member
Andy and April clearly love each other and get along like gangbusters. I don't particularly care for April, though, so I was referring to those who said they didn't like Andy.
outunderthestars
Banned
FantasticMrFoxdie
Mumber
Good episode.
The whole time I was thinking to myself how much of an homage this was to the UK version. Dwight getting the job. Andy 'getting fired' and chasing entertainment fame. Jim and Pam rekindling. All with their own 'American' twist to it.
I actually thought this could have been the series finale since I didn't know how many episodes were left. It just had that feel. Glad to here there are a couple more and I hope they end it with a memorable bang
. I wonder if they will end it with a "christmas special"-esque follow up finale...
The whole time I was thinking to myself how much of an homage this was to the UK version. Dwight getting the job. Andy 'getting fired' and chasing entertainment fame. Jim and Pam rekindling. All with their own 'American' twist to it.
I actually thought this could have been the series finale since I didn't know how many episodes were left. It just had that feel. Glad to here there are a couple more and I hope they end it with a memorable bang
thats what she said
D
Diggeh
Unconfirmed Member
Dwight should've been the manager to begin with. Why did they have to make us suffer through Deangelo and Robert? We could've shaved three seasons of wasting Andy and caricaturing the entire cast!
I miss smart-yet-awkward Kevin. And Season 3 quirky-yet-irritable Andy. And real Pam. And Michael. Even the most mediocre Season 5-6 episodes were better than 95% of anything after Michael left.
DAWN OF
THE SECOND WEEK
-Two episodes remain-
I miss smart-yet-awkward Kevin. And Season 3 quirky-yet-irritable Andy. And real Pam. And Michael. Even the most mediocre Season 5-6 episodes were better than 95% of anything after Michael left.
DAWN OF
THE SECOND WEEK
-Two episodes remain-
brianjones
Member
dwight being manager is funny for about 5 minutes
it already happened twice already
Jim and Pam make marriage look like hell
when she kept going back to his desk and there were those awkward silences oof
that was maybe cute in season 2 & 3 now it's just annoying
it already happened twice already
Jim and Pam make marriage look like hell
when she kept going back to his desk and there were those awkward silences oof
that was maybe cute in season 2 & 3 now it's just annoying
The Real Abed
Perma-Junior
Guys. Technically there's four episodes left. But they're two parters being shown over the next two weeks. This week was a single hour episode. Next week and the finale will be separate half-hour episodes totaling an hour each.
That's ok, they both suck.
andy bernard is awful. in my experience people who hate andy on parks JUST because he's irresponsible (which is the point) generally hate fun and genuineness and have to have everything tempered by empty cynicism, which is not enjoyable to be around. but w/e
Andy spends most of his day goofing off. Pam spends half her day at her desk, and the other half taking care of her two kids, usually alone.
toddhunter
Member
I have never watched that show but I hate that Andy because he is also named Andy.
Except Pam's job isn't actually a real job. She fabricated the Office Administrator job because she hated sales and wanted a raise, but what does she actually do? Nothing.
outunderthestars
Banned
andy bernard is awful. in my experience people who hate andy on parks JUST because he's irresponsible (which is the point) generally hate fun and genuineness and have to have everything tempered by empty cynicism, which is not enjoyable to be around. but w/e
Andy from P&R used to just be lazy and self absorbed. Then the writers made him so stupid that there is no way he could actually function in life. Every time he has more than one "i'm dumb and don't understand things" line I can't figure out how he hasn't blown himself up making a piece of a toast. He's just too unbelievably stupid.
toddhunter
Member
Based on previews, the finale has promised to answer any lingering questions. I'm confident they will address the following:
* How Toby as a HR rep is required for like 8 people.
* How Pam got away with making and keeping a fake job. What does she do all day for such a small office? Why doesn't Erin do it?
* Why was Dwight put in charge after failing on multiple occasions before?
* Why did people congratulate Dwight as manager this time and not the other times?
* What is Nellie's job and how does she keep it?
* What is Darryl's job and how does he keep it?
* How does Jim afford frequent two hour cab rides?
* Why is Angela suddenly without any money following a divorce where she was left with a child?
* Why would Angela be struggling so much when she has the same job as Kevin and Oscar and presumably gets paid the same amount. Is she bad with money? Oscar has a nice house.
* What happened to the house Angela was living in before she got married?
* Why is Angela shy about her problems being exposed to her co-workers over a phone call but allows a camera crew into her house?
* Why did Andy forget all the former acting and musical connections he had in earlier episodes?
* How did Angela get away with hiring somebody to brutally harm Oscar when it was recorded on camera?
* What was up with Angela's baby? Was that just an in-joke about TV pregnancies and portrayal of child birth? If so who thought that was something that needed to be done?
* Speaking of children, why are Jim and Pam's kids ageing years faster than anybody else in the show? Why are they not more concerned about this clearly terrible condition?
* Who ever thought the Farm episode was funny enough to present as a pilot?
* What is Brian up to? Why was Pam so upset about them filming and recording her from a distance but now seems to have forgotten about it?
* How does Dwight's farm girlfriend instantly teleport into the office?
I think that will do.
Ignatz Mouse
Banned
While they are at it, they could explain why Michael Scott wasn't fired any one of dozens of times that he should have.
Pam's Fake Job actually strikes me as one of the more realistic things about the show.
Pam's Fake Job actually strikes me as one of the more realistic things about the show.
Grinchy
Banned
That's one of the first things I thought of was your prediction there. In fact most of this episode played out exactly as predicted by people in this thread. Pam is obviously going to see that she's keeping Jim from doing something that is not only his dream, but will benefit the family immensely. There's no future in a paper company.
Side note, 35% of this double episode's runtime was a commercial or the obnoxious opening theme song. That's not exactly unexpected, but it's still ridiculous.
Nice list!
Stumpokapow
listen to the mad man
I will say one thing -- despite the fact that I think Angela's entire arc has sucked since she started going out with Andy and it's been dreadful since she met the (state) senator -- I really do think this is a good resolution for it. The annoying barriers her character puts up are finally torn down by necessity, the one person that's there for her is a guy she literally tried to get kicked out of the country, to say nothing of fighting with him constantly over work environment stuff and resenting him for his "lifestyle". Really one of the more realistic moments in terms of showing the way in which people actually get brought closer together by slaving away next to each other for a decade. It's a pity they didn't give Angela Kinsey better material earlier on in the show because I think she could be a pretty decent supporting player.
Ignatz Mouse
Banned
Things I wish for:
Gabe is the Scranton Strangler after all. Not gonna happen, as there's not enough buildup and they had a resolution anyway.
Angela's baby is not hers, she faked the pregnancy. There were hints dropped, like the size of the baby and the fact that she was back at work so quickly afterwards.
Also, complete aside, but Angela is a lot hotter when she's deshelvelled. Not that she's that hot, but she's up from complete zero.
Gabe is the Scranton Strangler after all. Not gonna happen, as there's not enough buildup and they had a resolution anyway.
Angela's baby is not hers, she faked the pregnancy. There were hints dropped, like the size of the baby and the fact that she was back at work so quickly afterwards.
Also, complete aside, but Angela is a lot hotter when she's deshelvelled. Not that she's that hot, but she's up from complete zero.
toddhunter
Member
It was a nice moment. Mind you it does raise another question:
* How did Angela get away with hiring somebody to brutally harm Oscar when it was recorded on camera?
Stumpokapow
listen to the mad man
That's not something that's going to be resolved because that episode is absurd, cartoony satire and like Scott's Tots, absolutely incompatible with reality. It was a dream. It was actually an episode of Big Bang Theory. What episode where Angela hired someone to kneecap Oscar? Didn't the Office get cancelled 4 years ago? *drools all over the place*
Sapiens
Member
Michael Scott, unlike David Brent, was competent and his branch turned a profit. You occasionally saw Michael shine.
Stumpokapow
listen to the mad man
Since I'm doing a rewatch right now, it's really inconsistent how they portray the branch's performance. In season 1, it's at risk of closure. In season 2, it's at risk of closure. In season 3, it is said to be the 4th place branch of 5. And then it is closed. And then it assimilates Stamford. Then in season 5, Michael's is the only branch that is reporting year-over-year growtch and Michael is sent around to give inspirational lectures to all the other branches. In season 6, the whole company becomes insolvent despite Michael's branch apparently still being profitable. Then the entire company is inexplicably bought by Sabre, and we'll pretend that entire arc never happened because it doesn't make any sense. And then David Wallace for some reason re-starts and re-buys back just Dunder Mifflin from Sabre, even though under his previous leadership the company went bust.
Michael is pretty consistently portrayed as a sort of idiot savant who fails by all conventional measures but who pulls stunning hail mary passes off (eg the Convention; the Pretzel Day episode where Pam is asked to monitor Michael the whole day and he does nothing until the last minute where he scores an enormous sale using his Cosby show impersonation).
Ignatz Mouse
Banned
Performance or not, there are still dozens of instances he would have been fired for.
It's not like the Office stopped making real-world sense after he left. It barely made real-lefe sense for the first three seasons, and then went bonkers from there.
IMHO, the zany-ing it up of the show is the single thing that led to its decline. It's not about this or that plotline, it's the fact that it stopped being relatable to the real world.
It's not like the Office stopped making real-world sense after he left. It barely made real-lefe sense for the first three seasons, and then went bonkers from there.
IMHO, the zany-ing it up of the show is the single thing that led to its decline. It's not about this or that plotline, it's the fact that it stopped being relatable to the real world.
Ignatz Mouse
Banned
Big Bang Theory is pretty terrible writing-wise, but if the complaint is realism, it's head and shoulders above the Office.
Silas Lang
Member
Just watched the latest episode. Liked the fact that Andy was finally recognized as not being a good manager. He should have been fired immediately for leaving for 3 months randomly, but whatever. Oscar and Angela plot was great. I liked seeing Angela struggle after being so uptight all the time and having Oscar being the one to "save" her was somehow fitting after their relationship all these years. Also enjoyed Dwight giving Jim his seat back. Seems Jim and Dwight are finally friends, though they have been building it up for some time. The Jim and Pam stuff was not overly bad like previous episodes, so that was a big plus. Overall episode was a little cheesy in spots, but I think it was nice to see some closure at this point. Weird that I have enjoyed the hour episodes this season a lot more than the half hours, considering the quality of this season.
Ignatz Mouse
Banned
Oh, surprised nobody mentioned Michael Imperioli as the sensei.
My, how far he's fallen.
My, how far he's fallen.
Zoe
Member
Shadow2222
Member
Really? I mean, he must have made a ton of money on The Sopranos, so I assume he just likes the occasional TV show guest appearance just to stay slightly relevant.
Have any of the Sopranos' stars (other than James Gandolfini and Edie Falco) done anything else of note since the show ended?
Angry Fork
Member
Getting nostalgic now, this episode brought some of it out. I wouldn't want the show to go on but you still feel sad if you've been watching the show from the beginning.
I really miss Michael, his story ended great but I hope they show his face somewhere. I found Ryan and Gabe to be incredibly funny too, would be nice if they showed up in the finale.
I really miss Michael, his story ended great but I hope they show his face somewhere. I found Ryan and Gabe to be incredibly funny too, would be nice if they showed up in the finale.
Come on, it was a fun bit part.
I noticed this too. It reminded me of the Walking Dead finale where they added 5 minutes to the time slot but used it all on commercials.
Otherwise, it wasn't a bad episode. I'm completely lost on why Angela is so broke now though. She lived fine before the senator but now she's destitute? There seems to be a step or three missing.
I'm happy Dwight is manager. My favorite episode post-Michael is the one where Dwight is interim manager. He's easily the most qualified since no one else in that branch can do much of anything else lately. Added liability insurance is a must of course.
I don't see too much of a problem with Pam's made up title. At least she seems to be working at something and she would be the one they all bring office issues to. What does Toby do all day? Or Darryl? Or anyone else really?
Ignatz Mouse
Banned
I guess I shoudn't rag on Imperioli for the part, lots of successful people have done bits on the Office. It's just that he hasn't been in anything else for a while. That cop show tanked hard.
And yeah, the Sopranos cast hasn't really done much outside of Edie Falco.
And yeah, the Sopranos cast hasn't really done much outside of Edie Falco.
XANDER CAGE
Member
Nobody has done any work at Dunder Mifflin since like... halfway through season 2.
Davey Cakes
Member
The decision to make Andy the regional manager was always a kick in the balls. I was so disappointed, even after being an optimist about post-Michael Office.
It probably should have been Dwight from the get-go. Or maybe they could have done the predictable thing and just made Robert California the manager. It's like they wanted to turn the show on its head by having Robert be CEO instead, going against expectations, but in the end that just hurt things.
Glad to see Andy go. He probably should have chased his dreams ages ago.
It probably should have been Dwight from the get-go. Or maybe they could have done the predictable thing and just made Robert California the manager. It's like they wanted to turn the show on its head by having Robert be CEO instead, going against expectations, but in the end that just hurt things.
Glad to see Andy go. He probably should have chased his dreams ages ago.
Killing_Joke
Member
Great episode. Dwight as manager was nice and didn't expect it. Pretty damn good way to close his arc. Thank fuck for the Pam/Jim stuff. I was reallllly pissed when Jim turned down the offer. But then they show Pam's face. Awesome.
The Dwight/Jim bro love was good too. I actually enjoyed the bro love all season. I want the show to finish but i know once the last episode airs i'll be a sap and wish it continued.
And if Carrell doesn't come back for the last episode he can can go fuck himself. Yeah, his arc was amazing. But the preview for the last episode is set up perfectly for a cameo.
The Dwight/Jim bro love was good too. I actually enjoyed the bro love all season. I want the show to finish but i know once the last episode airs i'll be a sap and wish it continued.
And if Carrell doesn't come back for the last episode he can can go fuck himself. Yeah, his arc was amazing. But the preview for the last episode is set up perfectly for a cameo.
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