From the Mind of Nate: My Opinion on the Current Season of "The Office"

On April 28, 2011, television history was made. Steve Carell, the star of NBC’s hit sitcom “The Office,” performed the character known as Michael Scott, the series’ offbeat-but-personable Regional Manager of the Fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper in Scranton, Pensylvannia, for the last time. Carell’s character had been the face of the series; as every episode revolved around the boss and his efforts to bond with the employees that work for the company. Throughout his tenure on the show, the character always made audiences laugh; particularly due to Steve Carell’s committed performance. For almost seven seasons, Steve Carell’s Michael Scott won audiences over with his unorthodox manner of running Dunder Mifflin Paper; one that included creating personas in an attempt to liven-up workplace meetings as well as throwing many parties in an attempt to increase workplace morale. And when Carell’s on-screen persona finally boarded a plane headed to Colorado so he could be with his wife-to-be Holly Flax, played by Amy Ryan, America was left wondering who would be serving as the new Regional Manager of Dunder Mifflin Paper And during the summer of 2011, it was announced that James Spader, who appeared in the Season Seven Finale as Robert California, a mystifying businessman who possessed the ability to see through everyone, would be playing the character on a regular basis; as he would be serving as the new CEO of Dunder Mifflin Paper. And, on September 22, the series’ eighth season kicked off with an episode entitled “The List,” which revealed that Paper Salesman Andy Bernard, played by Ed Helms, who’s played the character since the series’ third season, was selected by Spader’s on-screen persona to serve as the Newly-Appointed Regional Manager. Unfortunately, as the months flew by, the overall value of the series decreased due to an abundance of overstated comedy and the writers tampering with the personalities of some of the series' characters. Thus, I can say with all honesty:

It’s Hardly Any Business and Play for “The Office’s” Eighth Season

When “The Office” first premiered in spring 2005, the show was completely different from what it is now. The atmosphere of Dunder Mifflin Paper was quieter; and the characters were more down-to-Earth. In addition, the show’s writing was more understated than it is now; as the show’s writers hardly devised exaggerated premises that take place now. And what’s more, the humor felt more natural and seldom appeared overstated or forced. In addition, the castmembers’ personalities were consistent; thus allowing viewers to follow the series easily and keep track of the plotlines. In other words, the writers of “The Office” established an ambiance that provided humor that wasn’t at all exaggerated.

However, what truly made “The Office” so memorable was Steve Carell’s constantly dependable performance as Regional Manager Michael Scott. Because of Carell’s great comedic skills, episodes of the long-running series featured comedy that flowed through the entire runtime in a natural manner. Carell's interplay with every castmember was great; as it was a delight seeing the actor’s on-screen persona experience an adventure every week. Practically all the series’ most memorable moments were a result of Carell’s protagonist. We were able to laugh as a result of the character’s unusual antics and we were able to feel sorry for him when observing his attempts to make his employees happy unfortunately fail. This was all due to Steve Carell’s unusual-but-endearing performance; and we never wanted to miss a minute of the show. In other words, Steve Carell’s performance as Michael Scott was perhaps one of the greatest sources of the show's comedy and legacy.

Image of Steve Carell as Michael Scott taken from http://www.google.com/imgres?q=Steve+Carell+%2B+The+Office&hl=en&sa=X&rlz=1R2PRFB_enUS460&biw=1221&bih=570&tbm=isch&prmd=imvnsuo&tbnid=MqmH7_nn_ciwaM:&imgrefurl=http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/36837588/ns/today-entertainment/t/steve-carell-ready-leave-office/&docid=FQqhf3GcpS5hxM&imgurl=http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Slideshows/_production/_archive/Cartoons/ss_071130_holidayshopping/071204_theOffice_hmed3p.grid-6x2.jpg&w=474&h=337&ei=1LcdT-G5OMycgQeD3uSjCw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=125&sig=108994113646865217209&page=1&tbnh=153&tbnw=189&start=0&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=169&ty=77

However, when Steve Carell left the series at the end of April 2011, the tone of the series greatly changes. With Carell gone, the writers knew that they still were required to make audiences laugh; as the show was still on the air and an eighth had been ordered. Unfortunately, with their star player gone, the writers have resorted to taking the easy way out and do whatever they can fill every episode’s designated airtime. For instance, while many episodes in the past featured two storylines; one that focused on Carell’s Michael Scott and one or two of his employees, as well as a side story that involved the remaining workers. An example of this can be seen in the Season Two episode "Office Olympics;" which featured the central storyline of Raiin Wilson's Sales Representative Dwight Schrute assisting Steve Carell's Michael Scott in reserving his new condominium as well as a subplot of the Dunder Mifflin staff competing in different games in an attempt to rid themselves of boredom. The concept of creativing two storylines is a great method employed by the writers because it allows viewers to center on two stories that were fully developed; thus enabling all the castmembers to get a fair amount of screentime to demonstrate their comedic talents.

Now, unhappily, the writers possess the habit of giving various sets of characters their own stories; thus causing them not to have enough screentime within a given episode. An example of this idea occurrs in this past Thursday’s episode “Pool Party” contained multiple plotlines that were designated for different characters. The episode’s two main narratives involved James Spader’s Robert California giving some of the Dunder Mifflin workers a tour of his mansion before his former wife takes it from him; while the other central plotline involved Receptionist Erin Hannon, played by Ellie Kemper, trying to get the attention of Ed Helms’ Andy Bernard—as she still has feelings after their break-up. Both these storylines were intriguing as well as filled good comedic moments. Unfortunately, while these plots were unfolding, other subplots emerged; such as B.J. Novak’s Office Temp Ryan Howard and Zach Woods’ Corporate Liason Gabe Lewis continually trying to impress Spader’s Robert California as well as Craig Robinson’s Warehouse Foreman Darryl Philbin being hesitant about swimming in front of a female warehouse worker he has feelings for; as he feels that his bodyfat would upset her While both these subplots were interesting; they appeared tacked on in an effort to fill time and they weren’t very funny at all. Storylines like this take away from the true plots of the episode; and that results in some castmembers not getting enough attention from viewers.

Image of Ed Helms as Andy, Ellie Kemper as Erin Hannon and Eleanore Seigler as Jessica (Andy Bernard's girlfriend) from the episode "Pool Party" taken from
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=%22The+Office%22+%2B+%22Pool+Party%22&hl=en&rlz=1R2PRFB_enUS460&biw=1221&bih=570&tbm=isch&tbnid=KsuaGPQ1UR0U-M:&imgrefurl=http://www.officetally.com/the-office-pool-party-photos&docid=rLZXcNAeSFligM&imgurl=http://www.officetally.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/the-office-pool-party-1.jpg&w=400&h=267&ei=SbodT6JJh9yBB4WnwZwL&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=72&vpy=56&dur=437&hovh=183&hovw=275&tx=139&ty=101&sig=108994113646865217209&page=1&tbnh=110&tbnw=142&start=0&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0

Another problem the current season of “The Office” is experiencing is the fact that the show’s writers tend to bestow humor to the viewers that appears to be more forced; rather than the unassuming brand we’re used to seeing in the show’s early years. For instance, in the episode “Lotto,” the warehouse staffers quit after winning the lottery; leaving Ed Helms’ Andy Bernard, Craig Robinson’s Darryl Philbin to hire new staff workers. While this storyline plays out, John Krasinski’s Jim Halpert and some of the other Dunder Mifflin workers create a method of sliding boxes of paper onto the delivery trucks so they wouldn’t have to do it themselves. This scenario resulted in a lot of slapstick involving damaged inventory and cheap physical humor. This subplot also involved Raiin Wilson’s Dwight Schrute not being able to operate the loading equipment; which seemed completely out-of-character for him—seeing as he lives on a farm and he’s been seen using equipment of a similar nature in the past. These set-ups weren’t funny at all it only pictured the show’s writers making a lazy attempt to provide honest comedy to the viewers.

Another action the writers took to make people laugh is, perhaps the worst, to have the castmembers’ characters completely act much differently than what we are accustomed to seeing. By performing this act, the writers are presenting humor that is borderline ridiculous in an attempt to get laughs out of the audience. For instance, Leslie David Baker’s sales representative Stanley Hudson has always been depicted throughout the first seven years of the series as being dissatisfied with his lot in life as well as being irritated by the behavior of Steve Carell’s Michael Scott and some of his fellow co-workers. Now, David Baker’s on-screen persona has been acting uncharacteristically; as he was seen mocking his fellow co-workers in the season premier as well as assisting Raiin Wilson’s Sales Representative Dwight Schrute in pranking John Krasinski’s Sales representative Jim Halpert during the opening of this past Thursday’s episode “Pool Party.” These acts are completely out of the ordinary for Leslie David Baker’s Stanley Hudson; as he would be seen taking an indifferent stance towards pulling off pranks during the series’ earlier seasons. In addition, Brian Baumgartner’s Accountant Kevin Malone was always shown as being simple-minded and childish at times; as he was previously laughing at jokes about sex in episodes like Season Two's "Sexual Harrassment." Now, it appears that Baumgartner’s character has become completely immature; as he makes fun of the employees that James Spader’s Robert California finds inadequate during the season premier episode “The List.” It's saddening to see these characters become cheap versions of themselves; as it causes viewers to not entirely enjpoy the performances of the actors.

In addition, it could even be said that Sales Representative Dwight Schrute, played by Raiin Wilson, has devolved as well; as when the series first started, the character tended to be a follower of the workplace code that happened to be slightly naive-- as we've seen him been easily fooled by the simplest of pranks executed by John Krasinski's Jim Halpert. Now, the character has transformed into an individual that's prone to becoming very irate; as seen in some episodes of this season like "The Incentive" and "Doomsday." While Raiin Wilson does give a good performance; it’s disappointing to see that the show’s writers have chosen to mess with one of the series’ best known characters. All these changes are very saddening; as the writers are tampering with some of the characters; thus causing them to be harder to sympathize and root for; as they are losing their humanity. And that is not good for any television series.

Image of Raiin Wilson as Dwight Schrute taken from http://www.insidesocal.com/southbay/2009/06/lawndale-not-so-lovely-for-dwi.html

However, I have to say that some changes to the characters have been very acceptable. Throughout the current season, Ed Helms has done a fine job portraying Andy Bernard; who has assumed the role that Steve Carell’s protagonist has served throughout his tenure at Dunder Mifflin. And it is important to remember that when Ed Helms joined the show during its third season, his on-screen persona was completely different; seeing as he was more competitive and easily angered. Now, as the company’s newly-appointed Regional Manager, Helms’ Andy Bernard is more reserved and responsible; as he wants the company to succeed and his employees kept in line. What’s more, Ed Helms works quite well opposite James Spader; whose solid portrayal of Robert California has provided the series with some energy. Seeing Helms’ Andy Bernard interact with James Spader’s character has been intriguing; as the latter has a very authoritative presence over the company’s new Regional Manager. And because of this, viewers are able to root for Ed Helms' protagonist; as his underdog status evokes empathy. Scenes involving Ed Helms' character interacting with James Spader's Robert California unfold in an unpredictable manner; and for that, we can actually thank the writers and both actors for their genuine performances.

Picture of Ed helms as Andy Bernard and James Spader as Robert California taken from
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=James+Spader+Robert+California+%2B+Ed+Helms+Andy+Bernard&hl=en&rlz=1R2PRFB_enUS460&biw=1221&bih=570&tbm=isch&tbnid=RfIGCYnxTRWGHM:&imgrefurl=http://www.washingtonpost.com/the-office/2011/12/02/gIQAsOAtfO_photo.html&docid=TUOk6VC8GqGitM&imgurl=http://www.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_982w/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2011/12/02/Style/Images/NUP_145893_0138.JPG&w=982&h=655&ei=tLsdT6fbBcrDgAfRndCDDA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=78&vpy=179&dur=3969&hovh=183&hovw=275&tx=177&ty=108&sig=108994113646865217209&page=1&tbnh=116&tbnw=155&start=0&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:0

So who knows? Maybe the future of “The Office” isn’t entirely bleak. After all, episodes of the series still provide some honest comedy to viewers; and the performances by the cast do keep the audience’s attention. But still, I am greatly disappointed by lazy attempts made by the writers to consume episodes with too many plotlines and cheap humor. They need to watch the old episodes of the series to remember the type of humor that made this show a must-see for viewers. And once the series has returned to its down-to-earth roots, it will officially be business as usual at Dunder Mifflin Paper in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

E-mail me at thatsnatertainment@gmx.com