The Office 6.9:
November 6th 2009 22:42
The Office: Season 6, Episode 9: "Double Date": 3.5/10
This episode highlights the problems with the show I have been having lately. I think there has been a lot of great moments in the season so far. I also think that the Jim as co-manager arc is easily the most interesting aspect of this season which the writers seem to want to continue to explore. For me though, the issues I am having with the show recently involves Pam's behavior and the way the entire supporting cast is being portrayed.
This episode felt extremely thrown together in terms of the A and B plots. I enjoyed the desire to exploit how much of a component politeness is to Andy's self identity but Dwight's reasoning for being so polite in the first place makes absolutely no sense at all (even for this show) and it did nothing for me. Dwight's character has become uncomfortable for me. He has gotten to a point where nothing is going on with his character and he adds nothing to the show other than general creepiness (which we have Creed for) which used to be occasional creepiness and of course every episode has to have some ridiculous remark from him. There is oppurtunity to do something with his character involving the new dynamic between him and Jim his now boss. They are trying to expand on this oppurtunity and in my opinion the show is failing.
My problem with the show at this moment is that basically every character is an asshole and if they are not an asshole, than they become one when the office bands together (Kevin and Phyllis are examples). I love shows with asshole characters but not on shows where we are supposed to actually like a lot of these characters as if they were not assholes. All of the supporting characters have become bullies. The way they made fun of Michael all day from the Koi Pond incident, the way everyone behaved in this season's "The Promotion". Many little moments between characters further highlight this descent into bullying on the show. On last nights episode there is a moment when Angela sarcastically asks to be introduced to Pam's mother while all of her fellow office cronies looked on. Everyone comes off as scathing and its becoming very annoying. Do any of these people have anything better to do besides talk shit about everyone in the office? The premiere started this whole thing (even though it is an episode I really liked) with the office becoming more catty than usual and discussing everyone's dirty secrets with relish. The tone that the premiere set has not let up in the supporting cast and the obnoxious attitudes they have acquired.
Jim and Pam are not off the hook either. This entire season has shown their superior attitude hit an entirely new level. To a degree though the superiority seems somewhat justified based on the behavior of other characters. Not really though. We all have a superiority complex to some degree; I get that. I really do. However the show seems to just be making everyone unlikable to the point where it is not fun to watch them. The two of them making ridiculous requests to other members of the office (telling Phyllis she cannot wear certain perfumes), Pam's over the top reaction to being mistaken for Andy's husband, Pam's reaction to Michael dating her mother (being upset is understandable but bringing her behavior in the office to that level was just absurd), the childish way Pam handled last night's situation, etc.
I am glad Pam is not a doormat anymore. I am happy she is more independent. I am happy that she has become more assertive. But what is this show saying? Pregnant women become bitches? Wow thanks for the originality there writers. Are we saying that an independent woman becomes completely childish and immature? What is this show doing with her? Her negative reaction to every situation is completely justified. She should be upset. She should be very pissed off about the way Michael handled the situation and made her mother feel. Once again should she have taken it to the level that she did? No. Pam's flaws, much like Jim's flaws have always been depicted as very human imperfections that normal people have. Michael and the supporting characters and their over the top actions have always been accepted because it is their purpose and they have been presented like this from the beginning (their bullying has not). So to have Pam who is a realistically flawed character to be doing things that are assigned to normally over the top characters is jarring and it makes no sense.
What happened in tonight's episode was unacceptable. Jim should have intervened just like I would expect Pam to intervene if Jim was acting like this. Pam should not have slapped Michael at all. The other members of the office should not have gathered around like a bunch of children to witness Michael's humiliation. Michael himself most importantly should not have allowed this to happen. I understand that he just wants Pam to like him but really?
Michael's behavior in the episode was atrocious. I like that they make his reasoning completely understandable. I think a lot of us in his situation would have had serious doubts about the relationship at that point and would have eventually broken it off. Michael's whole issue is that he wants children, he wants someone to spend his life with and he wants to do things. Pam's mother is someone who has already lived her life. I also think Michael forgets how old he is and that he is running out of time to do these things as well. Or maybe he is just all too aware of that. Michael's urgency to get himself out of situations once again takes over though and he dumps her on her birthday in front of Jim and Pam. It is pretty awful. He clearly should have waited a little while and he should have done it in private. Michael has no tact though. In many ways Michael deserved to be slapped. If I were in Pam's position I would be just as morified as she was. (Still would have talked it out though and would not have brought it to that level) They always manage to pull me back in to him though and the last 30 seconds of the episode reminds us of what Michael wants from life and he manages to regain my sympathies. It could be because he is my favorite character though and because I care about his happiness way more than the other characters on this show.
I love when this show gets darker. I think "Dinner Date" is the show's most uncomfortable episode and I also think it succeeds where this episode does not. I just wish that it had not gone to the places it did.
I wonder if the writers are doing this on purpose. The slapping scene was literally showing us how childish the entire office has become by staging the scene as a schoolground fight that is synonymous with elementary school during recess. Did the writers just do this because they thought it would be amusing or because they really are trying to show how childish the office has become? I think it is the former which is unfortunate. The show used to have a balance of ridiculousness and reason and now it seems as if every character has become a more arrogant version of themselves. I hope that the show can capitalize further on the Jim as co-manager story because they really need it. Overall I think the season has been pretty good so far (Gossip, The Promotion, Niagra, The Lover) but also pretty bad (The Meeting, Mafia, Double Date). The show simply needs to figure out what the hell it has done with its characters and how to get them back on track to being the people they used to be instead of being a cast full of pricks.
I also thought that the episode had a nice start to it; the birthday scene showed promise and I liked the way they handled a lot of that. It was after that scene when everything went completely downhill for me.
This episode highlights the problems with the show I have been having lately. I think there has been a lot of great moments in the season so far. I also think that the Jim as co-manager arc is easily the most interesting aspect of this season which the writers seem to want to continue to explore. For me though, the issues I am having with the show recently involves Pam's behavior and the way the entire supporting cast is being portrayed.
This episode felt extremely thrown together in terms of the A and B plots. I enjoyed the desire to exploit how much of a component politeness is to Andy's self identity but Dwight's reasoning for being so polite in the first place makes absolutely no sense at all (even for this show) and it did nothing for me. Dwight's character has become uncomfortable for me. He has gotten to a point where nothing is going on with his character and he adds nothing to the show other than general creepiness (which we have Creed for) which used to be occasional creepiness and of course every episode has to have some ridiculous remark from him. There is oppurtunity to do something with his character involving the new dynamic between him and Jim his now boss. They are trying to expand on this oppurtunity and in my opinion the show is failing.
My problem with the show at this moment is that basically every character is an asshole and if they are not an asshole, than they become one when the office bands together (Kevin and Phyllis are examples). I love shows with asshole characters but not on shows where we are supposed to actually like a lot of these characters as if they were not assholes. All of the supporting characters have become bullies. The way they made fun of Michael all day from the Koi Pond incident, the way everyone behaved in this season's "The Promotion". Many little moments between characters further highlight this descent into bullying on the show. On last nights episode there is a moment when Angela sarcastically asks to be introduced to Pam's mother while all of her fellow office cronies looked on. Everyone comes off as scathing and its becoming very annoying. Do any of these people have anything better to do besides talk shit about everyone in the office? The premiere started this whole thing (even though it is an episode I really liked) with the office becoming more catty than usual and discussing everyone's dirty secrets with relish. The tone that the premiere set has not let up in the supporting cast and the obnoxious attitudes they have acquired.
Jim and Pam are not off the hook either. This entire season has shown their superior attitude hit an entirely new level. To a degree though the superiority seems somewhat justified based on the behavior of other characters. Not really though. We all have a superiority complex to some degree; I get that. I really do. However the show seems to just be making everyone unlikable to the point where it is not fun to watch them. The two of them making ridiculous requests to other members of the office (telling Phyllis she cannot wear certain perfumes), Pam's over the top reaction to being mistaken for Andy's husband, Pam's reaction to Michael dating her mother (being upset is understandable but bringing her behavior in the office to that level was just absurd), the childish way Pam handled last night's situation, etc.
I am glad Pam is not a doormat anymore. I am happy she is more independent. I am happy that she has become more assertive. But what is this show saying? Pregnant women become bitches? Wow thanks for the originality there writers. Are we saying that an independent woman becomes completely childish and immature? What is this show doing with her? Her negative reaction to every situation is completely justified. She should be upset. She should be very pissed off about the way Michael handled the situation and made her mother feel. Once again should she have taken it to the level that she did? No. Pam's flaws, much like Jim's flaws have always been depicted as very human imperfections that normal people have. Michael and the supporting characters and their over the top actions have always been accepted because it is their purpose and they have been presented like this from the beginning (their bullying has not). So to have Pam who is a realistically flawed character to be doing things that are assigned to normally over the top characters is jarring and it makes no sense.
What happened in tonight's episode was unacceptable. Jim should have intervened just like I would expect Pam to intervene if Jim was acting like this. Pam should not have slapped Michael at all. The other members of the office should not have gathered around like a bunch of children to witness Michael's humiliation. Michael himself most importantly should not have allowed this to happen. I understand that he just wants Pam to like him but really?
Michael's behavior in the episode was atrocious. I like that they make his reasoning completely understandable. I think a lot of us in his situation would have had serious doubts about the relationship at that point and would have eventually broken it off. Michael's whole issue is that he wants children, he wants someone to spend his life with and he wants to do things. Pam's mother is someone who has already lived her life. I also think Michael forgets how old he is and that he is running out of time to do these things as well. Or maybe he is just all too aware of that. Michael's urgency to get himself out of situations once again takes over though and he dumps her on her birthday in front of Jim and Pam. It is pretty awful. He clearly should have waited a little while and he should have done it in private. Michael has no tact though. In many ways Michael deserved to be slapped. If I were in Pam's position I would be just as morified as she was. (Still would have talked it out though and would not have brought it to that level) They always manage to pull me back in to him though and the last 30 seconds of the episode reminds us of what Michael wants from life and he manages to regain my sympathies. It could be because he is my favorite character though and because I care about his happiness way more than the other characters on this show.
I love when this show gets darker. I think "Dinner Date" is the show's most uncomfortable episode and I also think it succeeds where this episode does not. I just wish that it had not gone to the places it did.
I wonder if the writers are doing this on purpose. The slapping scene was literally showing us how childish the entire office has become by staging the scene as a schoolground fight that is synonymous with elementary school during recess. Did the writers just do this because they thought it would be amusing or because they really are trying to show how childish the office has become? I think it is the former which is unfortunate. The show used to have a balance of ridiculousness and reason and now it seems as if every character has become a more arrogant version of themselves. I hope that the show can capitalize further on the Jim as co-manager story because they really need it. Overall I think the season has been pretty good so far (Gossip, The Promotion, Niagra, The Lover) but also pretty bad (The Meeting, Mafia, Double Date). The show simply needs to figure out what the hell it has done with its characters and how to get them back on track to being the people they used to be instead of being a cast full of pricks.
I also thought that the episode had a nice start to it; the birthday scene showed promise and I liked the way they handled a lot of that. It was after that scene when everything went completely downhill for me.
| 43 |
| Vote |
Subscribe to this blog
Comment by Susan Graham
Parenting Issues
Way to far off from her original personality.
Maybe they'll just blame it on the pregnancy hormones
Comment by Catherine Stebbins
Cinema Enthusiast
Thoughts from a Cinephile
Thoughts from a TV Watcher
Comment by cinema is truth
Cinema is Truth
Cinema is Truth