The Hurry Up: The Office

Oh boy...I was going to do a big break down of what I think has happened to The Office by contrasting season 2's "The Injury" where Dwight gets a concussion with this season's "Tallahassee" where he gets appendicitis, but instead I'll just mention it generally here. It's not the loss of Steve Carrell, even though that seems like the easy conclusion along the lines of "I thought losing Peyton Manning would hurt the Colts, but MAN how good must he be if they're this bad?" It's not even REALLY the fact that the antics have gotten wayyyyy wackier over eight (again, EIGHT!) seasons, because that's a symptom rather than a cause. So what's the cause?

It's the cameras.

I actually went back and watched "The Injury" before realizing "Tallahassee" wasn't available online anymore, and it's incredible how glaringly obvious the issue is when you watch it and compare it to any episode from this season. People think the documentary format was the goundbreaking bit about The Office(UK) but it was what they DID with the format. The documentary format in the original Office and the first few seasons of the American Office made the audience a character, and that was the genius of it. David Brent and Michael Scott often reached their most cringeworthy while trying to impress US, not the other characters. They noticed where the cameras were pointing, who was getting the audience's attention, and they'd start trying anything to get next to that person or get the camera to turn to them instead. A character's reaction to the camera tells you something about them, and what you know about them informs how they're reacting in front of the camera.

Perfect example is "Michael's Birthday," where Michael's big day is overshadowed by Kevin possibly having skin cancer. Michael isn't a bad guy, and he doesn't treat his employees badly because he's a jerk. He treats them badly because he's so obsessed with the camera's (and thus the audience's) attention that he only sees his employees as tools to gain that attention ("cool" Jim, "hot" Pam, "hot" Ryan, and "urban" Stanley all being people Michael thinks the camera will gravitate towards, and thus people he gravitates towards), factors that threaten that attention ("old" Phyllis and Creed, "ugly" Meredith, and "weird" Dwight all being camera-poison, and Toby stifling his energy and creativity), or worst being RIVALS for that attention. Michael shows genuine concern for people in his moments of reality, and were the film crew to have never come to the office I'm sure he'd be totally focused on Kevin and his troubles. Michael's birthday was supposed to be a day he'd be guaranteed the camera's attention, because it's a day everyone has to pay attention to you and you alone. He wears a new suit, and although they never have him say it, it's obviously because he knows he's going to be on camera! His birthday party is at an ice rink, because his greatest talent is skating, and he wants to show it off for the camera. Kevin ruins that by taking away focus when he could get sick any day of the year, but "picks" the the one day of the year that's Michael's birthday. Without the importance of the camera, Michael just looks like a complete asshole, and in recent seasons people have looked like assholes because they still do these childish, attention whore things, but they never seem to care if it's getting them on camera.

Case in point: how does Andy feel about being on camera? That's why Andy is less interesting than Michael, he's a man with no subtext related to the general conceit of the entire show. He's the subject of a documentary, and there has been no explanation or even hint of how he feels about that.

The flip-side is the dramatic moments, which were fascinating because the characters didn't want them on camera. In "The Dundies" when they're leaving Chili's and Pam is drunk she says to Jim "hey, can i ask you a question?" then notices the camera and says "um, I just wanted to say thanks." We, the audience, REALLY wanted to know what that question was, but our being there directly affected what she was going to say and we probably blocked a major step forward in their relationship. The guilt of the audience went a long way to prevent Jim & Pam seeming contrived, because we weren't innocent in the forces keeping them apart. We don't hear Jim confide in anyone about his feelings until he talks to Michael in "Booze Cruise" about how he "used" to have a crush on her. Any other show could have him waxing poetic to a best friend character, safely tucked away from any actual observation, but the genius of The Office was that if we were seeing it then the characters knew everyone was seeing it, and adjusted their behavior accordingly.

What about now? NO ONE NOTICES THE CAMERA. The show isn't faltering because Michael is no longer a character, it's because WE are no longer a character. Two new characters jump to mind immediately as perfect examples of this: Cathy the temp and Val's boyfriend Brandon. Brandon is an easy one so I'll get him over with. He delivers some food, confronts Darryl believing he's sleeping with Val, and NEVER ONCE looks at the camera or seems to care that he's on camera. Really? What non-sociopath ignores the fact that a documentary film crew is watching him do that?

Cathy's problem begins right before they head to Tallahassee when she seems to assume taking three steps away from everyone else will give her total privacy to declare over the phone her intentions to sleep with Jim. Doesn't check where the cameras are, doesn't lower her voice, just blurts it out straight up. Far worse is "After Hours," the same episode as Brandon's insanity, when she puts her plan in motion and goes to Jim's room to "hang out" and desperately and overtly attempts to seduce him...with a full documentary crew in the room that Jim consistently looks towards in shock. Why doesn't Cathy try to get them/us to leave? Wouldn't that vastly improve her chances of Jim doing something unseemly? She was trying to get him to come under the covers with her, but the camera crew is still in there, so what was the endgame? That one thing would lead to another in a moment of weakness for Jim...in front of a full camera crew who would politely leave while shielding their eyes? It's completely idiotic and it's insulting to be told that our presence no longer matters; that this is just a normal sitcom now but with the benefit of having characters talk to the camera.

I'm sure it's frustrating for the writers and actors, who probably feel like they're making solid jokes and being generally funny, but maybe when you're so involved in the production it's impossible to feel how distant the characters have become from the audience. The viewer has been pushed to the outskirts, told to watch while all these wacky characters go have fun over there. That was the separation The Office originally seemed designed to run counter to: we won't have a laugh track to tell you what's funny, we won't pretend you're not there, we'll reward you for paying attention even if it means some people miss the moment. Now it just has the lack of laugh track (probably because it's one of the shows that killed the laugh track, although its zombie roams CBS). I've already covered how the characters regularly forget we're there, but another big moment happened this past Thursday: they specifically showed the clip of Andy punching the wall back in season 3 at the start of the episode in case we'd be too dumb to recognize him punching the wall during his breakdown. Then, just in case you were actively trying not to get the joke, Kevin says, "man, he really hates that wall!" Does anyone else want to explain the reference further? Maybe have Jim draw a diagram while Pam explains in a talking head that Andy once punched a wall and got sent to anger management, and now he punched the same wall? Ohhhh! I get it! He punched the same wall! HAHAHAHAHA! Thank you for bashing me over the head with it, I feel rewarded for my dedication to this show!

My "Hurry Ups" are supposed to be short recaps of the season so far, and that's obviously not what this turned into. I hate to be shoveling dirt onto a show I love so much, especially when it's still full of such talented people, but the things that made it The Office aren't there anymore. I'm sorry The Office, you're not the same show I fell in love with. Let's not make this any harder than it already is...we'll always have season 2, the greatest season of any comedy show ever.

(Oh, don't worry, as with any break-up I'll obviously be stalking...err, watching...for the conceivable future.)

Tivo Roster's Key Addition: Kelly Erin Hannon

Earlier this season on The Office, when Pam Beesly decided that learning the copier manual was a little too soul crushing, we were introduced to Erin Hannon (played by Ellie Kemper), the new face of Dunder-Mifflin, Scranton. A tepid start in “The Michael Scott Paper Company,” matched with the fact that Pam was sure to return, made it seem like Erin would be going the way of Ronnie. Instead, Pam's new job as a saleswoman means Erin is staying behind the famous reception desk. “Cafe Disco” was her time to step out of the background to start becoming a fully rounded character, and she ran with it. That's why she's the first Tivo Roster Key Addition.

Ironically, Erin's position on The Office was solidified by her being fired. The first episode of The Office ended with Michael fake firing Pam, which caused her to break down rather than appreciate his obvious hilarity. A similar rouse at the end of “Cafe Disco” marked Pam's transition from gopher to an official, lasting role as a saleswoman. Michael decides to immediately keep the good vibes going by trying the same joke on Erin, even having Pam go fetch her. So Pam gets her final humiliation before entering the grown up world of sales, and Erin replaces Pam as Michael's comedy crash-test dummy. The torch was passed, and for the first time I accepted Erin as a new member of the ensemble.

The reason I'm so excited about Erin is her innocent friendliness. It's a quality that has been beaten out of the other characters by now, and it was time for a fresh infusion of it. I loved “Cafe Disco” as an episode, and almost every event is made possible by Erin's unique attitude to Dunder-Mifflin. The very first moment of the episode has her team with Dwight to (unknowingly) play a prank on Jim and Pam. Dwight works best in a team, and it was getting old to constantly have him searching for an alliance only to always come up empty or be made a fool of. Erin is currently a perfect foil for Dwight, as evidenced by her honest apology for always asking how everyone was doing (which he took as a question rather than a casual greeting), and her immediate willingness to produce her birth certificate (from her handbag!). Dwight works well when he has a tiny bit of authority, which he imagines gives him an iron grip on the entire office. With no one to fear him he had no chance for authority, but now he has Erin, who is currently trying her best to figure Dunder-Mifflin out.

While bringing Dwight back to life would be big enough on its own, Erin's interactions with Michael really stood out for me. The moment that really got me started writing about her didn't even catch my eye until the second viewing:

Michael: Anybody want to go to lunch with me later on?
Dwight: I do!
Michael: Okay...how about a woman? (Erin leans forward in the background and opens her mouth to speak) Pam?

By this point, we know how these interactions are going to go; Michael will invite people to things, Dwight will want to go, but Michael would much prefer Jim, Pam, or Ryan. Yes, he ends up singling out Pam (and by proxy Jim) and Ryan, but Erin's reaction introduces her as a wildcard. She doesn't venture to speak for the rest of the scene, instead her eyes dart around the room in an attempt to understand what's going on, but having someone in the room who might act differently added some excitement to an otherwise worn out situation.

Simply put, she doesn't know enough to see beyond how characters are presenting themselves. Dwight is an authority figure to be respected, Michael is cool and fun (and she likes wacky bad boys), and Kelly is Rachel McAdams in Mean Girls. I'm sure one day she'll learn the truth, but right now I'm enjoying having someone on The Office who isn't on “team crazy” (Michael, Dwight, Kelly, Andy, etc.) or “team sarcastic detachment” (Jim, Pam, Oscar, Stanley, etc.). Like Oscar said after finding out she invited a friend to the dance party, “you invited someone?!...I've been here eight years and I've never...” That's why she's a wildcard, and that's why she's a Tivo Roster Key Addition. (Now I just hope she doesn't get fired!)

The Office: Cafe Disco

Last week Michael tried to keep his tight-knit Michael Scott Paper Company clique together on their return to Dunder-Mifflin, but faced a mutiny from everyone else. In the end, Pam lost her clients, Ryan was demoted to temp, and Erin was subject to Michael's famous pretend firing. What's going to happen this week?

Play.

0:00 - That's right, not even a minute in and I need to comment. As much as I love Jim and Pam, I equally love how often Dwight is used to take them down a peg. Having the new secretary excitedly yell about winning an art contest already had me laugh. Then you add in Dwight's understated, yet maniacal, laughter and things get even better. Nice to see him pull off a successful, non-life threatening (see: raccoon in Holly's car) prank.

0:03 - Comfort in discomfort? After the awkwardness of Michael, Pam, and Ryan re-integrating into the branch, we have the awkwardness that has always come from Michael being there. This time though, he is armed with experiences rather than just expectations. He had lunch with the Michael Scott Paper Company employees, and he wants to keep that going at Dunder-Mifflin. Yeah it's uncomfortable, but in a comfortable way compared to any Charles-Jim interaction.

0:04 - Jim and Pam tying the knot at the court house in Youngstown, Ohio on a whim? Nope, no way, not buying it. The producers might have been able to slip out of the Beesly-Anderson wedding, but it's not going to work this time. Classic authoritarian Dwight though, "I'll take your silence to mean that you are all hiding something."

0:05 - "When I was in charge, this place was like Dave & Buster's." Good to see Michael has graduated from Chuck E. Cheese ("The Injury"), might have had something to do with choosing "littlekidlover" as a username on dating sites.

0:07 - These are the scenes that make The Office what it is. A rapid fire "around the world" with a number of characters tossing ideas and lines to each other. First with Michael's "I'm your big daddy" comment, then with the description of Cafe Disco. Also, I was writing TONS about Erin, the new secretary, so I decided to name her a Tivo Roster Key Addition, earning her a post of her very own.

0:12 - Uh oh, speaking of secretaries, the one at Vance Refrigeration gives off a lot of Phyllis vibes. "Can I give him a message before he gets off?" Yikes.

0:13 - I love that Michael's only tandem dance move is to twirl his partner. It's perfect.

0:14 - Michael after Phyllis hurts her back in Cafe Disco: "We need to get her out of there, because no one is going to want to go in there with a woman writhing around on the floor...(notices camera)...wait, wait, but most importantly, we need to get her some medical attention ASAP. Stat!" I missed this vindictively friendly version of Michael Scott, I'm having "Michael's Birthday" flashbacks and I like it. Plus I'm referencing Season 2 a lot, no wonder I'm enjoying this so much!

0:16 - The extended cast strikes again. Michael forgot the golden rule of the dance party: guys go when there are girls. Kelly and Erin start dancing, enter the lustful employees of Vance Refrigeration, and I think we're snowballing towards a party.

0:16 - Michael is eating lunch alone in his office and we get an understated reminder of his loneliness. "Might as well be dinner," he says, before shoving his sandwich into his mouth. His post-Holly depression was set aside to make room for the Michael Scott Paper Company, but we shouldn't forget that was his whole reason for making the move. Forget the concierge in Canada, MSPC was his rebound after Holly. And as we know from "A Benihana Christmas":

Michael: Why do I feel like crap?
Jim: You just had a rebound.
Michael: I had a rebound.
Jim: Yeah. Which, don't get me wrong, can be a really fun distraction, but when it's over? You're left thinking about the girl you really like, the one that broke your heart.

Last week during "Casual Friday," we saw Michael try to keep that MSPC love going with Pam and Ryan only to lose everyone else in the process. Now he's trying to bring the same tight-knit attitude to the whole office, it's not working, and the loneliness is creeping in.

0:16 - Wow, this must be a crazy minute. Jim cutting a bouquet of flowers from the parking lot? This quickie wedding is doomed, DOOMED! It just felt so wrong and cheap rather than inventive and romantic.

0:17 - Creed was eating a chicken drumstick in the bathroom. It took me a second to realize how weird that is, that's how weird Creed is.

0:25 - What a great Dwight episode. He nails a prank in the cold open, gets to launch a mini-investigation into Jim and Pam's map to Youngstown, and now his Schrute family horse remedy is working on Phyllis. Also, why was it so difficult to see how perfect Andy and Kelly are for each other? I mean, probably not in a good way, but in a way that keeps them away from everyone else. Andy has shown he can handle high-maintenance from his time with Angela, and that was high maintenance matched with insanity! I see that dance-off being the beginnings of great things.

0:26 - Yes! Kevin! Turns out something good came from that valentine's day mixer.

0:27 - Boom! Called it on Jim and Pam. Don't think for a second that Phyllis and Bob is the only big wedding we're going to get. Just don't put Michael in your wedding party, the extra vacation time isn't worth it.

0:30 - Did I already mention the beginning of great things for Kelly and Andy? Cause that scene of her trying to pierce his ear WAS a great thing.

Okay, well I enjoyed my time at Cafe Disco, as everyone seemed to (even Angela, or at least the foot she was waving to the music). I've read some concerns about a "throwaway" episode right before the finale rather than one to ratchet the tension, but I still don't think people would be willing to go back in time to get rid of "Cafe Disco." Plus, there may not be a lot of overt tension, but things are bubbling under the surface. Michael's loneliness returned in a big way, only to be squashed by the miraculous success of Cafe Disco, but there's no way it'll keep up. You know tomorrow the clock will strike midnight and the disco will turn back into a closet.

Then there's Dunder-Mifflin, whose most successful branch just took half the day off to party. Michael used to be saved by his proven loyalty to the company, and the fact that David Wallace saw him as a good guy at heart. Now he has quit, stolen clients, and used the spectre of an upcoming shareholder's meeting to force David Wallace into letting him back into the company. This was a wonderful episode, and a cheerful one in the end, and I could easily see popping in the DVD after bad days in years to come. Still, just because they had a good day in Scranton doesn't mean the finale is set up to be dull. Things can't stay like this, so enjoy the good vibes while they last.

Status: "Ding, ding, ding." Three thumbs up.