(S06E11) You know a company is doomed when it parades Michael Scott in front of its shareholders as an example of its best and brightest. But, as we saw from Michael today, his sales skills only take him so far.
You really, really wanted to see him pull a plan out of that savantish mind of his that would have saved Dunder Mifflin. At least I did. But, thankfully for the show's writers, that was never going to happen.
The interesting thing about this episode, though? The shareholders meeting plot was just OK. What I really wanted to see was more of Jim devising ways to assert his authority around the office. That was much funnier, and it was a small reminder of what attracted people to the show to begin with: small, real-life situations everyone who's ever sat in a cubicle could relate to.
(S06E06) After the fantastic wedding episode, there was a pretty good chance that the follow-up would be a letdown. But when Greg Daniels and Paul Lieberstein described this episode to reporters during press tour time, it sounded interesting. Michael mistakenly thinks he's talking to the Mafia. Sounds good, right?
Well, it wasn't. It was more than just a post-wedding letdown; it was one of the worst episodes in a couple of years. Why? Mainly because the entire episode was built around a silly misunderstanding that could have been cleared up in a few minutes. And this time, it wasn't even Michael's fault!
(S06E04 / S06E05) The one thing you knew going into this episode was that Pam and Jim were going to be married at the end of it. There wasn't any big mystery; no old lovers were going to come back to interrupt the proceedings; Jim wasn't going to say Karen's name instead of Pam's.
Nope, that's been the beauty of the Jam pairing from the minute they got together; they just continue being a solid couple in the background while the craziness spins around them. Even when one of them gets sucked into the craziness -- Pam defecting to the Michael Scott Paper Company, Jim becoming co-manager -- the pairing is still solid.
That's what made this hour-long wedding episode so enjoyable. It wasn't the fact that Pam and Jim got married, it's that they had a memorable, very PB & J-style wedding despite the presence of the crew from Scranton.
The facts are these: In The Officewebisodes that have been airing over the past couple of weeks, Oscar has been pissed. He showed up to work and had an outburst on his cell phone in front of everyone. It sounded like a lovers' quarrel, but Oscar refused to tell anyone what he was so angry about.
Oscar has always seemed like one of the more intelligent, reasonable Dunder-Mifflin employees, so I find it completely mind-boggling that he thinks he can scream at someone in the middle of his crowded office, not tell anyone what the deal was, and expect them to respect his privacy. He works in an office. These people have nothing else going on in their lives.
In this week's webisode, the Dunder-Mifflin employees beat it out of him and we finally find out what the deal is with Oscar's outburst.
Ah, office gossip. It's kind of the best. Everybody knows that office jobs are soul-crushing endeavors, so it's imperative that you find something constructive on which to focus. That thing may be your job, but let's face it: it's probably not. Instead, it becomes the lives of those around you. People who, if you had your choice, you would never speak to, much less get involved in their lives, yet you end up spending more time with them than you do your own family.
In the first of The Office's new webisodes, Oscar gave his co-workers the gift of gossip when he was caught screaming at someone on the phone. In fairness, when you're on a cell phone and you're yelling in the middle of a crowded office, you kind of lose your expectation of privacy. Oscar, however, does not see it that way. He refused to explain himself, which naturally makes everyone all the more interested. This week, the investigation into Oscar's freakout continues.
Just because I write about TV doesn't mean I keep up with every single thing about it. Sometimes, things fall through the cracks--which is why I was pleasantly surprised when I checked my mail the other day and found a DVD with brand new Office webisodes. I'm used to these appearing during the summer, as a way to tide the fans over until the new season starts. However, we're smack dab in the middle of season 5 right now, and we still get four new Oscar-centric webisodes. It's a Thanksgiving miracle!
In this series, called "The Outburst," everyone in the office overhears a very angry Oscar yelling at someone over the phone. Of course, his coworkers do what they would do in that office, or in any other office in the world: they spend the rest of the day obsessing over the phone call and trying to find out what it was about.
Watch the first of "The Outburst" videos after the jump.
(S05E05)[Jay couldn't be here tonight, as he's off being Jay Black somewhere.] Tonight's theme seemed to be about relationship crossroads. We had three storylines interweaving, and all of them centered on the three major hook-ups on the show. Dwight decided that the only way to come to terms with how he felt about Andy and Angela's impending nuptials was to goad Andy into a pointless feud. Michael and Holly had to deal with the fallout of David Wallace discovering that they'd become romantically involved (the hint is in the episode title), and Pam had to have quite possibly the most awkward lunch in history with Jim's brothers.
As always, The Office manages to weave slapstick humor brilliantly with moments of raw emotion and pathos. Particularly, again, with a wonderful performance by Steve Carell. With most of the action centering on the major storylines, we didn't get much work out of the supporting cast, so it was at least good to see them having some costume fun in the cold open. Don't forget the rest of the cast, writers, we love them all!
Ah, summertime. The heat, the haze, the traffic, the lack of The Office; what's not to hate? Luckily, the brilliant folks behind The Office have been busy figuring out ways to tide us over until the fall. Starting Thursday, July 10, NBC.com will be airing Office webisodes. For those of you who like your Dunder Mifflin-ites live, Mindy Kaling (Kelly) will be hosting the Office Games in Scranton on Saturday, July 19.
Yesterday I had the opportunity to participate in a conference call with Mindy Kaling and Brian Baumgartner (Kevin) as they discussed the webisodes, Office Games, friendly competition and the status of a few MIA Dunder Mifflin employees.
Following Reno 911! and the canceled Dog Bites Man comes yet another improvised comedy series for Comedy Central: Halfway Home. The new series stars Oscar Nunez, Jordan Black, Kevin Ruf, Regan Burns, Jessica Makinson and Octavia Spencer as residents of a halfway house who are trying to straighten themselves out, and not doing a very good job of it. Nunez and Ruf also serve as executive producers.
OK, I'm officially jealous of Ryan Budke. He's been visiting the sets of some very cool shows, and now he's on the set of The Office! He even gets to sit down behind Michael Scott's desk and talk on the phone. He doesn't just talk to some of the stars (including Jenna Fischer and Brian Baumgartner), but it's actually filmed like a lost episode of The Office, where the characters talk about Netscape and what they think it is. Great stuff! But if Budke visits Studio 60, I'm never speaking to him again.
(S06E11) You know a company is doomed when it parades Michael Scott in front of its shareholders as an example of its best and brightest. But, as we saw from Michael today, his sales skills only take him so far.
(S06E06) After the fantastic wedding episode, there was a pretty good chance that the follow-up would be a letdown. But when Greg Daniels and Paul Lieberstein 
(S06E04 / S06E05) The one thing you knew going into this episode was that Pam and Jim were going to be married at the end of it. There wasn't any big mystery; no old lovers were going to come back to interrupt the proceedings; Jim wasn't going to say Karen's name instead of Pam's. 
Just because I write about TV doesn't mean I keep up with every single thing about it. Sometimes, things fall through the cracks--which is why I was pleasantly surprised when I checked my mail the other day and found a DVD with brand new Office webisodes. I'm used to these appearing during the summer, as a way to tide the fans over until the new season starts. However, we're smack dab in the middle of season 5 right now, and we still get four new Oscar-centric webisodes. It's a Thanksgiving miracle!
(S05E05) 
Ah, summertime. The heat, the haze, the traffic, the lack of 
Following Reno 911! and the canceled Dog Bites Man comes yet another improvised comedy series for Comedy Central: 
Andy Richter: The TV Squad Interview
Have any questions for Vik Sahay of Chuck? Ask them here!
Mike Henry and Daryl Hall on a Cleveland Show Thanksgiving
