Friday, September 22, 2006

Funny/Not Funny: The Office Season Premiere

Dwight's "False!", Creed saying that "a man or two might have slipped in there" and the final five minutes will bring me back next week. Other than that, the writers are treading dangerous ground. I told my wife after the season finale that a serious plot string tied into a comedy spreads like an infection and eventually kills it. I also, in fact, guaranteed the scene of Pam's fiancee crying. Awkward. And not the funny kind. The Jim and Pam plot line is quickly turning this show from one my wife and I enjoy thoroughly to one my wife watches with her girlfriends. So, for the good of us all...

FUNNY:











NOT FUNNY:














Again,

FUNNY:










NOT FUNNY:












Look maybe Jiff or Bobby or Tim or Stevie or Moljr or any number of you who know much more about screenwriting than I do can help me out here, but what is the logic of taking a formula that was (1) very funny and (2) won you an Emmy, and tossing it? And I'd like to believe I'm not just pissed about a romantic story line in general, but rather a story line that CHANGES THE MOOD OF THE WHOLE SHOW!!

PS- my wife is going to be furious with me on this one. She loved every moment of that embrace.

6 comments:

Sean said...

I laughed more than I was bored.

zenner's said...

EXACTLY

Vince said...

i completely agree with you jesse. the humor was too blatant...and the drama was too...well, dramatic.

myleswerntz said...

I kept waiting to see Karl Pilkington.

Where'd he go?

Vince said...

is it the hamsters birthday today?

Jiff Divingboard said...

I have not seen this new episode... but someone was trying to sell me on the hilarity of the "gay-dar" thing and I just thought, "That phrase has been tossed around for years. Why is it suddenly funny?"

No expert here but... the British version of this show got TONS of mileage from their own Jim/Pam (Tim/Dawn). It became like England's "Ross/Rachel" relationship.

That show, though, managed it all pretty deftly. Didn't overemphasize it and knew how to milk it for VERY tense moments that felt real. Their flirting seemed awful authentic, too. This US version's love shasta feels flat.

Apparently the British creators (Gervais & Merchant) have written an episode of the US version. Could be a highlight of the season.

By the way ANYONE WOULD LOVE THE UK OFFICE VERSION. Find it. Watch it. Don't compare it to the US. Just enjoy.