"My first choice? Jack Bauer. But he is unavailable, fictional, and overqualified."
Let's see if I remember how to do this.
The Office 3.22 - "Beach Games"
I think Survivor is the right metaphor for the office, though not in the way Michael imagines. One of the things that was so fun about this episode was the sense of shared tradition, that this is an annual event and all of the office inmates know the routine, that they have their gear ready and sing along in the bus, that it's something they look forward to as a bright spot in their routine. (And that's why Michael disinviting Toby was especially harsh; poor Toby, stuck being the arch-nemisis just because he's a sane professional.) For all their internal divisions, they're in this together; they share the particular Dunder Mifflin Scranton workplace experience.
And Michael has cast his own job as something heroic and exceptional, so of course whoever takes over for him must demonstrate their worthiness through bizarre contests. He's such a wierd combination of shrewd and clueless; he sizes Dwight up with complete accuracy as loyal, a hard worker, and kind of an idiot, but then goes on to pronounce Andy classy. I usually adore Stanley for his staunch disengagement, his refusal to participate in Michael's narrative, and the fact that Michael can't make him; here, I adored the fact that Stanley's disengagement is selective, that the chance to be his own boss is enough to get him into a sumo suit until Michael goes to far.
But most of all, I adore the fact that when Oscar and Gil criticized Pam's art, and Pam herself by extension, for being too timid, not honest, Pam took those words to heart and acted on them, she's been acting on them ever since, it's been a continuous process that we've gotten to see unfold. As cringey as it was, on one level, to watch her confront Jim, it was also incredibly brave, and incredibly necessary. She's tried in private before and he blew her off, or said the right things but didn't change the way he acted; here, she had him pinned down and he couldn't avoid her, and she cut to the heart of the matter--that their friendship is in ruins, that whatever else has happened between them, that hurts. Jim has been in heavy denial mode, and she called him on it. I love her.
The Office 3.23/3.24 - "The Job"
It strikes me that this episode was very much about the divide between Scranton and New York, and about who fits where and what that says about them. The New York headquarters of Dunder Mifflin have always been a distant beacon of professionalism against the foreground of the Scranton branch's many dysfunctionalities. Jan used to fit in there, but she doesn't anymore; getting sucked into Michael Scott's orbit coincides with a profound personal meltdown, a dive off the professional deep end, and it's hard to distinguish which came first in this chicken-and-egg situation. But the thing that always drew her to Michael was that he really cared about her, and she'll apparently do anything (at least up to and including breast augmentation) to keep the relationship. She's a mess. She belongs in Scranton now. And for all of Michael's visibly sinking feeling that he is back with her, and that she is apparently determined to become a stepford wife, he can't be that cutthroat; he had to tell her that she was losing her job, and he couldn't stop himself from sabotaging his own prospects by sort of standing by her, and in the end, using her firing to execute the most graceful withdrawal he could from the situation.
Karen, on the other hand, was never more than a visitor; she came to Scranton because of Jim, but she didn't understand the ways Jim fits in there. The episode was really blatant about establishing that New York is Karen's world, a place where she's comfortable, and she's pushing Jim to be someone he's not (change his trademark slacker hairstyle) to get him to fit in there too. I think it's really important that, just as Pam's openness to Jim is about Pam and her growth, Jim's decision to return to Scranton is not just about Pam but about who he is and what he wants for himself. This is the guy who, in one of the earliest episodes, said he'd have to throw himself in front of a train if Dunder Mifflin ever became something he took seriously, and he wasn't really joking. He had a decision to make here, between New York and Scranton, Karen and Pam, the dysnfunctional but real connections he felt in Scranton and an office where people do real work, and where they use Jan to unknowingly set up interviews for her own replacement, and in the end his choice was about the entire direction of his life, on all those fronts. There was only one thing about the setup that really didn't work for me, and that was the way Karen came across as incredibly bitchy in her reaction to Pam. It is, as Pam said, a wierd situation; she had every right to feel wierd about it. But her hostility and her pushiness with Jim came across as vaguely cartoonish; I would have liked to see some more nuance to her reaction.
Ryan definitely belongs in New York.
Michael and Dwight are so alike in some ways, so different in others. They both act impulsively and delusionally; Michael, sure that the job is his since he's interviewing for it, sells his condo at a loss, and Dwight, equally sure of Michael's success and his own new position, takes charge of the office. But Dwight makes Michael look incredibly socially adept; who the hell paints their office black? (And oh, Andy, you are trying so hard. You fit right in at the Scranton branch.) Dwight is, indeed, a motivational tool; there was much rejoicing at Michael's return after a vivid reminder that things could always be worse.
But the best thing about this episode, by far, was Pam, who was open and courageous and luminous. Her joy and freedom are a lovely thing to watch; she's started telling the truth and discovered how happy it makes her, and she's not going to let the office ruin that, or let herself be cowed by social awkwardness. For three seasons, all of the longing between Jim and Pam has been covert, something they've both tried to hide from the cameras, each other, themselves. Pam is done with that. She says, "I wish Jim was here," she talks to the interviewer about him, she knows how she feels and she isn't going to hide it anymore, and she wants the best for Jim, even if that means he leaves. She doesn't regret her outburst at the beach; she regrets that she didn't do it sooner, and she faces her history with Jim, all the times she was too afraid to act, with clear eyes, with a knowledge that there's no way to fix the past and that all she can do is move ahead and continue to be herself, a person she likes, a person she's found peace with. So Jim's return, the way he made an opening to her, the fact that he called it a date, was wonderful, and made me squeal like a stuck pig, but it was just the icing on the cake.
Also, I don't know what I love more--that Creed has a blog, or that Ryan sabotaged it to spare the world.
* * * * *
This top 10 list of books that, if you saw someone reading them on the train, would make you think twice about sitting down anywhere nearby, is pretty convincing.
* * * * *
Happy Friday! I know I'm more than ready for the weekend.
The Office 3.22 - "Beach Games"
I think Survivor is the right metaphor for the office, though not in the way Michael imagines. One of the things that was so fun about this episode was the sense of shared tradition, that this is an annual event and all of the office inmates know the routine, that they have their gear ready and sing along in the bus, that it's something they look forward to as a bright spot in their routine. (And that's why Michael disinviting Toby was especially harsh; poor Toby, stuck being the arch-nemisis just because he's a sane professional.) For all their internal divisions, they're in this together; they share the particular Dunder Mifflin Scranton workplace experience.
And Michael has cast his own job as something heroic and exceptional, so of course whoever takes over for him must demonstrate their worthiness through bizarre contests. He's such a wierd combination of shrewd and clueless; he sizes Dwight up with complete accuracy as loyal, a hard worker, and kind of an idiot, but then goes on to pronounce Andy classy. I usually adore Stanley for his staunch disengagement, his refusal to participate in Michael's narrative, and the fact that Michael can't make him; here, I adored the fact that Stanley's disengagement is selective, that the chance to be his own boss is enough to get him into a sumo suit until Michael goes to far.
But most of all, I adore the fact that when Oscar and Gil criticized Pam's art, and Pam herself by extension, for being too timid, not honest, Pam took those words to heart and acted on them, she's been acting on them ever since, it's been a continuous process that we've gotten to see unfold. As cringey as it was, on one level, to watch her confront Jim, it was also incredibly brave, and incredibly necessary. She's tried in private before and he blew her off, or said the right things but didn't change the way he acted; here, she had him pinned down and he couldn't avoid her, and she cut to the heart of the matter--that their friendship is in ruins, that whatever else has happened between them, that hurts. Jim has been in heavy denial mode, and she called him on it. I love her.
The Office 3.23/3.24 - "The Job"
It strikes me that this episode was very much about the divide between Scranton and New York, and about who fits where and what that says about them. The New York headquarters of Dunder Mifflin have always been a distant beacon of professionalism against the foreground of the Scranton branch's many dysfunctionalities. Jan used to fit in there, but she doesn't anymore; getting sucked into Michael Scott's orbit coincides with a profound personal meltdown, a dive off the professional deep end, and it's hard to distinguish which came first in this chicken-and-egg situation. But the thing that always drew her to Michael was that he really cared about her, and she'll apparently do anything (at least up to and including breast augmentation) to keep the relationship. She's a mess. She belongs in Scranton now. And for all of Michael's visibly sinking feeling that he is back with her, and that she is apparently determined to become a stepford wife, he can't be that cutthroat; he had to tell her that she was losing her job, and he couldn't stop himself from sabotaging his own prospects by sort of standing by her, and in the end, using her firing to execute the most graceful withdrawal he could from the situation.
Karen, on the other hand, was never more than a visitor; she came to Scranton because of Jim, but she didn't understand the ways Jim fits in there. The episode was really blatant about establishing that New York is Karen's world, a place where she's comfortable, and she's pushing Jim to be someone he's not (change his trademark slacker hairstyle) to get him to fit in there too. I think it's really important that, just as Pam's openness to Jim is about Pam and her growth, Jim's decision to return to Scranton is not just about Pam but about who he is and what he wants for himself. This is the guy who, in one of the earliest episodes, said he'd have to throw himself in front of a train if Dunder Mifflin ever became something he took seriously, and he wasn't really joking. He had a decision to make here, between New York and Scranton, Karen and Pam, the dysnfunctional but real connections he felt in Scranton and an office where people do real work, and where they use Jan to unknowingly set up interviews for her own replacement, and in the end his choice was about the entire direction of his life, on all those fronts. There was only one thing about the setup that really didn't work for me, and that was the way Karen came across as incredibly bitchy in her reaction to Pam. It is, as Pam said, a wierd situation; she had every right to feel wierd about it. But her hostility and her pushiness with Jim came across as vaguely cartoonish; I would have liked to see some more nuance to her reaction.
Ryan definitely belongs in New York.
Michael and Dwight are so alike in some ways, so different in others. They both act impulsively and delusionally; Michael, sure that the job is his since he's interviewing for it, sells his condo at a loss, and Dwight, equally sure of Michael's success and his own new position, takes charge of the office. But Dwight makes Michael look incredibly socially adept; who the hell paints their office black? (And oh, Andy, you are trying so hard. You fit right in at the Scranton branch.) Dwight is, indeed, a motivational tool; there was much rejoicing at Michael's return after a vivid reminder that things could always be worse.
But the best thing about this episode, by far, was Pam, who was open and courageous and luminous. Her joy and freedom are a lovely thing to watch; she's started telling the truth and discovered how happy it makes her, and she's not going to let the office ruin that, or let herself be cowed by social awkwardness. For three seasons, all of the longing between Jim and Pam has been covert, something they've both tried to hide from the cameras, each other, themselves. Pam is done with that. She says, "I wish Jim was here," she talks to the interviewer about him, she knows how she feels and she isn't going to hide it anymore, and she wants the best for Jim, even if that means he leaves. She doesn't regret her outburst at the beach; she regrets that she didn't do it sooner, and she faces her history with Jim, all the times she was too afraid to act, with clear eyes, with a knowledge that there's no way to fix the past and that all she can do is move ahead and continue to be herself, a person she likes, a person she's found peace with. So Jim's return, the way he made an opening to her, the fact that he called it a date, was wonderful, and made me squeal like a stuck pig, but it was just the icing on the cake.
Also, I don't know what I love more--that Creed has a blog, or that Ryan sabotaged it to spare the world.
* * * * *
This top 10 list of books that, if you saw someone reading them on the train, would make you think twice about sitting down anywhere nearby, is pretty convincing.
* * * * *
Happy Friday! I know I'm more than ready for the weekend.