my s and p keys are kind of broken, so if my words don't make sense, that may or may not be why
Then vs. now, Office finales have always been about the crescendo -- the emotional buildup in "Casino Night" and "the Job"(/"Beach Games") were both incredibly palpable -- not even just in the episodes themselves, but in the episodes leading up to them, and even, really, the entire seasons themselves. Tonight's episode was all about SHOCKING! TWISTS! which definitely made it riveting -- but not in the organic way I've come to expect from the Office. Season 4 was overall lacking in the kind of cohesion two and three had -- and I know the strike had a lot to do with that. The first half of the season was laced with the buildup to a Jim Halpert character arc -- which actually, in the last two weeks, had a weeeee bit of resolution (I know I cannot be the only one COMPLETELY DELIGHTED with Jim Halpert: that guy who actually cares about his job), and in the second half, they decided to take us on this Jim-and-Pam-getting-engaged ride. They've built it up, they've alluded to it weekly, and a good quarter of the first 44 minutes of this finale was more buildup -- and then.
I'm not... angry. I was frustrated, and now I'm just... disappointed. They didn't need to make this week about Jim and Pam, but they did make it about Jim and Pam. To give away the moment they'd built up to just... feels so false to me. Especially right before that three month separation -- this was their night, and I cannot belieeeeeve Andy and his engagement ring sitting the bottom of his wallet is what took that away from them.
BUT PAM AND ART SCHOOL!!!!! Oh Beesly, I'm super proud of you. And this was actually one of the funniest episodes of season 4, the Kevin plotline was pure brilliance. (Best line of the night goes to Oscar, though, on Ryan's beard. AHAHAHAHA, mannnnn. AND KELLY ON RYAN!!! Oh my god, is there anything not wonderful about Kelly Kapoor?)
But so that was season 4. And let's be honest: it was incredibly sub-par. There are plenty of excuses as to why -- the hourlongs were too much (which begs the question: why why why are we doing more to start off season 5?), the strike cut the Office off even faster than it cut off all of our other shows, they shouldn't've come back with only this many episodes left -- because really, this was what, six?? What can you do, creatively, with that?
But there's something lacking, artistically, as well. I've been watching my season 2 DVDs, and this Office 2008 is a different, different show from the Office 2006. Season 2 felt like a documentary about a bunch of people working in this crazy, crazy office, season 4 has felt a lot more like a television show about a bunch of characters who happen to work together. Remember the little touches, the conversations the cameras caught from outside the breakroom, the two-line scenes that were thrown in there that weren't working towards whatever the plot of the week was? It was so REAL.
I keep going back to Money. At the time it aired I really did enjoy it, but in retrospect, it stands out like a grand metaphor for everything that's been wrong with this season. Yes, ha ha ha, Jim and Pam spend a night away at Dwight's farm! Hilarious concept, sure, but it's so wrong for this show. I can't think of a reason for the filmmakers to need to tag along on a night like that, and I can't think of reason Jim and Pam would want them to.
Once upon a time, these characters all had such organic relationships with the cameras. You can see why Michael, Dwight, Jim, Pam, and Ryan are the five that stood out to them at first (uh this sentence is the one in which I put aside how they were the main five cast, of course they were the first five to stand out and pretend that the characters who work in this office are real people) in the beginning -- they were the ones most inclined to use the camera as a confessional. Michael and Dwight loved having someone so willing to listen to all those things they had to say, Ryan needed outside confirmation that he was not the only one who thought Dunder-Mifflin Scranton was the most crazy surreal place on the planet, but Jim and Pam each had this complicated, organic thing with the camera crew -- with the Jim faces and the grinny explanations of the prank-of-the-day and those shy, emotional talking head moments -- but there were other times when the cameras were intruding on their private moments. (One of the best things about last week's episode was how that kiss was so reminiscent of those old times! Pam's faaaaace when she looked at the camera after remembering it was there for the hug??? FAVORITE.)
ANYWAY, my point is this: why would that Jim and Pam want to take a bunch of cameramen along on their first night alone?? Shouldn't it be a relief for anyone who works in a Office where they're constantly being filmed to get away from that at 5:00?? Don't the cameramen want to go home and have lives outside of the insane people who work here??? So why was this season all about nights away/launch parties/driving up to Utica/camping trips/dinner parties/clubbing???
I am not totally crazy, I know this is a television show that is first and foremost about entertaining the people who watch it, but for all the gimmicky plotlines, this season was not actually that funny. And that old realism is what used to make this show so damn GREAT back in the day -- remember how during Jim's confession in Casino night, one of the cameras was shaking??? Presumably because whoever was holding it was OVERCOME?? I love those cameras so much more than I love the stalkery cameras of season 4 who like to take artistic shots of MICHAEL AND JAN'S FEET.
I just, damn it, I want so badly to love this show. I do love this show. It's been phenomenal in the past. I hope this season was an abberation a la West Wing season 5, and not the beginning of the end.
Did anyone click that SCARY SPOILER CUT in 206_bones today? IS SOMEONE DYING??? DO YOU KNOW WHO??? Don't tell me! Ohmygoddddd I cannot believe I resisted clicking it.