In a way, I almost wish that "Garage Sale" was Carell's actual last episode. I'm sure there's going to be some funny stuff with Will Ferrell coming up, but this episode was so much the culmination of everything Michael has been through, and wanted, for seven seasons, that it's hard to imagine the next 90 minutes being as emotionally (and comically) satisfying as the 30 minutes last night were.
Friday, March 25, 2011
AND THAT IS DALLAS: You'll forgive me if, for personal reasons, I'm going to recuse myself from any kind of objective evaluation of last night's Office episode, but I do think Alan kicks off a discussion well with this:
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All 4 NBC comedies were outstanding last night, with Community, the Office, and Parks working not just by being funny (the Abed/Jeff plot wasn't terribly funny) but by giving us rewards about characters we care about and their relationships with each other (Jeff is as screwed up as anyone else in the study group, even if he hides it well; these folks actually care about Michael, even though he's a doofus; and the Andy/April relationship). 30 Rock was pretty much a straight joke-fest, but when the jokes are as good as they were last night, I have no problem with that.
ReplyDeleteI thought this was the best Office episode in I-don't-know-how-long. It was sweet, it was funny, they managed to take the inevitability of the proposal and keep it fresh and unexpected. My single favorite moment was when Holly started laughing after the sprinklers went off, this illustrating why she's just absolutely perfect for Michael.
ReplyDeleteI will say this, though, Adam -- my first reaction to the Kelly/Dwight thing was "WHY is she selling her Jennifer Weiner books?" I wouldn't sell my copies for something of real value, let alone a manky half-burned candle.
I thought there was a missed opportunity for a joke there--a talking head from Kelly about "I don't actually read books, I just bought them because they're pink and pretty." or "This book, In Her Shoes, I thought it would be about shoes. It's actually about sisters and family and stuff. Who wants to read about that?"
ReplyDeleteHeh, good point!
ReplyDeleteA lesser and lazier show would have turned Michael's dashing out of the break room into a prolonged comedy of miscommunication. Impressive that they resisted going to that well more than they needed to to make the reactions realistic.
ReplyDeleteIn early seasons, Kevin was a poker shark, so I'm glad he got the last laugh in the Dallas board game. That sequence was also great in that it assumed the development and growth of the Andy-Darryl friendship.
Also: three years' salary? I worry for those kids.
I also thought the Office ep was great, and the exclamation point was Jim bringing in the bean plants as the final scene.
ReplyDeleteI actually bought a copy of one of Jennifer Weiner's books when our local Border's was closing because it was on a shelf of we only have one of these and don't know what to do with them, and I needed to spare it the indignity (even though I had a Kindle copy but it will be an awesome birthday present for my sister, she'll love it!).
ReplyDeleteTotally agree, although I'll add that I went wide-eyed in disbelief about halfway through Community when I figured out why it looked so familiar. It took brass ones to pull that off. The Office was firing on all cylinders in a way that it hasn't in years. A great night of TV.
ReplyDeleteI heartily applaud how we all -- you, Sepinwall, me -- have come to an understanding that there are only four NBC Thursday comedies, despite the two weird half-hour holes in between them.
ReplyDeleteI admit when that door opened and there they all were, holding their candles.... I got a little weepy. It was beautifully done.
ReplyDeleteI have finally found the sweet spot of TiVo padding at the end of Community to ensure that I get all of the tag without having to also suffer the indignity of setting Perfect Couples to record. (It's 2 minutes.)
ReplyDelete