The Office Season Five Episode 19 Open Thread

by royalsreview on Mar 26, 2009 5:28 PM EDT Comment 30 comments

So here we are, maybe, at the beginning of the end of Michael's Office time. I'd love to see a season, or a half of a season, of Michael out of the office, roaming around Scranton, showing up to the office constantly, etc.

Of course, with Matronly Pam around, he'll always feel at home.

Here's the episode preview:

Two Weeks: Michael's relationship with the new vice president becomes increasingly tense as he finds new excuses to goof off.

Sorta like the last days of the Berroa era.

Anyway...

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and yes, I realize there are basketball games on tonight

and thus I am less of a man or whatever

by royalsreview on Mar 26, 2009 5:39 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

it just makes you a non-TiVo owner

and yes, an extended absence by Michael from the office (but not The Office) could be a very good thing.

by Gopherballs on Mar 26, 2009 6:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't generally watch this show but...

tonight I watched a bit and figured out that Andy=Herb Tarlick on WKRP in Cincinnati.

by Steve Hovley on Mar 26, 2009 8:44 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I can't believe Michael planted that weed on Toby!

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by RoyalsRetro on Mar 26, 2009 9:07 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

worst picture of pam ever

she looks 45

I wanna know what love is, I want you to show me

by LeoBloom on Mar 26, 2009 10:08 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

You know, I'm really not sure if I like watching the show anymore

I’m not even saying it’s not good. I’m not making an aesthetic judgment, just a psychological comment.

I watched a King of the Hill rerun right after, that the difference was striking.

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by devil_fingers on Mar 26, 2009 11:15 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

In enjoyment level

“hipster” comedy always outhips itself and/or has nowhere to go

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by devil_fingers on Mar 26, 2009 11:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

was office ever hipster?

compared to, say, 30 Rock or Arrested D, it’s certainly not

by royalsreview on Mar 27, 2009 12:31 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i am glad that they finally have a stroyline that actually reflects reality

at least wrt michael realizing he’ll be screwed on the job market

of course, they’ll still probably hire someone for what 5 yrs has suggested is an extraenous position, rather than just promoting someone from sales or accounting

of course, in reality this is what they would have done with the VP position that is on the show now… just left it vacant

by royalsreview on Mar 27, 2009 12:32 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

A rather boring episode.. and not funny at all

Bloomquist. God? Or just an illusion? You be the judge.

by focs on Mar 27, 2009 1:30 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

You didn't enjoy MS army crawling through the building?

Everyone's recruits look better than ours.

by 306008 on Mar 27, 2009 3:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Just hope we're not jumping the shark here...

The Snozberries taste like Snozberries

by labbadabba on Mar 27, 2009 4:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Personally,

still haven’t accepted Stringer running the operations.

If you were thinking, you wouldn't have thought that.

by Warden11 on Mar 28, 2009 1:44 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

It kind of looks like his implosion is beginning

1. Kevin working the phones.
2. Stanely as “productivity czar”

Is he incompetent, crazy or self destructive?

The immoderate moderator

by NYRoyal on Mar 28, 2009 5:23 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

He thinks Kevin is worthless

and Stanley is his “brother” so that’s why he picked them where he picked them.

Everyone's recruits look better than ours.

by 306008 on Mar 28, 2009 11:29 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The new boss seems like he can be fun

perhaps he’s a “top end” Ryan ~~- he comes in and gives the intiial impression that he’s the “normal” guy in the office -~~ especially compared to Michael. He does the right things. He’s good looking. He doesn’t shirk responsibility. He’s not starved for attention. They could do the same clever play on the lilly-white liberal sensibilities of their core audience that they did with Stanely — they know that audience is predisposed to “like” the “cool” black guy on the show, so, just as Stanley turns out to be just as flawed as everyone else on the show (more or less), they’ll have this guy turn out to suck at what he’s doing, too.

Maybe.

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by devil_fingers on Mar 28, 2009 12:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

no cross out intended

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by devil_fingers on Mar 28, 2009 12:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

If he's on the show for more than cameos, then he has to be crazy too

(as it should be) Jan was a pretty normal boss-at-corporate character until they started using her more, and she turned into a truly, wonderfully bizarre character. The current boss-at-corporate only gets brief cameos, so he’s just a normal, nondescript professional. But the new guy is getting the air time of a regular, so he’s going to have to turn odd, quirky, and/or crazy pretty fast. I think the Kevin and Stanley decisions are a good start. BTW, I don’t dislike the Jim character (except for the Jim-and-Pam relationship), but I love that the new boss guy despised Jim from the beginning and isn’t letting up a bit.

The immoderate moderator

by NYRoyal on Mar 28, 2009 12:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

yeah, it brings a new dynamic to the show

as well as playing off (I think) viewer dynamics. I think that many viewers have understandably gotten a bit bored with Jim’s “Golden Boy” status. So that plays up “the new boss is actually smart” immediate reaction. But now that he’s making… interesting… decisions, we’re reminded that Jim is actually (although far from perfect) good at his job, at least relative to his colleagues, and this just shows (again) that despite everything, Michael has made it work, somehow, in Scranton. Or something.

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by devil_fingers on Mar 28, 2009 12:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think they’ll always have Jim win out in the end. Whatever conflict arises for Jim — his quest for Pam, his feud with Ryan, etc. — he always comes out on top. Now the new boss doesn’t like him, ridicules him and dismisses him. So, eventually, the new boss is going to go down hard (the same fate that befell Roy and Ryan), or at least get shipped out, probably after Michael’s inevitable return. At least that’s my read of the show.

I was thinking about how Michael might return. I don’t know how they are going to swing it, but it would probably be too boring for him to just get re-hired as the Regional Manager. I have a feeling that after a staff shake up, which includes the new boss leaving, Michael gets hired as a salesman with some current staffer (probably Dwight) as the Regional Manager. After a few episodes of conflict between Michael and his former employee, Michael is returned to his old job. Just a guess.

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by NYRoyal on Mar 28, 2009 12:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I liked this episode

There have been a lot of boring episodes this season (Michael does inappropriate things that would get any employee on the planet fired, Pam and Jim act cute, Jim makes faces, roll credits). At least in this one, something happened, and it creates interesting possibilities. Michael and Pam try to make a new company work. As a salesperson, perhaps Pam will be competing for clients against Jim. The bottom line is that it is good that the writers are actually mixing things up instead of going for the same formulaic episodes.

The immoderate moderator

by NYRoyal on Mar 28, 2009 5:20 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Agree

Thought this was by far the best episode of this season. Surprised to hear the very mixed reactions in this thread.

by raefzilla on Mar 28, 2009 12:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

After a 2nd viewing,

the episode was better than I initially thought.

Stringer was ready to throw down with Michael, bet he gets into it with a co-worker eventually.

If you were thinking, you wouldn't have thought that.

by Warden11 on Mar 29, 2009 12:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

my guess . . .

the new VP gets cornered by Michael and Omar and they blow him away after telling him that David sold him out.

by royalstern05 on Mar 29, 2009 9:22 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs

Hilarious

And then Marlo steps into the vacuum and mounts an aggressive takeover of the entire paper biz in NE Pennsylvania

by KC Gunner on Mar 30, 2009 4:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm still confused

Why did Michael quit again?

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by RoyalsRetro on Mar 30, 2009 2:52 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

It wasn't entirely clear

I guess because he wasn’t getting proper respect from corporate and he didn’t like being controlled and micro-managed by the new guy.

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by NYRoyal on Mar 30, 2009 8:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Really puzzling

It would make more sense if David had refused his party and Michael quit. That seems like a Michael-ish thing to quit over. Your explanation makes sense, but it still seems kinda weak.

My guess is Michael gets his job back in the season finale somehow.

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by RoyalsRetro on Mar 30, 2009 9:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs