Thursday, May 8, 2008

Oompa loompa, doompadee dawesome, Dwight is now gone, which is totally awesome.

Let's take a break from the family for a bit.
I’m getting a little frustrated with NBC’s The Office. I used to think it was one of the (if not THE) best programs on TV, but I am having second thoughts. It’s not that I’ve lost interest; it’s that the show has gotten worse over time. Allow me to vent a bit...
First of all, the characters have changed. Not developed—changed. Take Jan for example. She used to be a very intelligent, professional, and successful woman. But like all of the characters, Jan had a quirk. She was unexplainably attracted to Michael. Considering her other qualities, it was incredibly odd that she found Michael irresistible, yet detestable. It was funny. The current Jan is completely different. She is now sloppy, irrational, paranoid, demanding, jealous, and flat out weird. Maybe it all started with her “alteration”, but whatever the case, I find it much less funny.
Here’s another—Ryan. Is he supposed to be funny? In the first couple seasons, he was just “intern”. He got picked on and resented everyone he worked with. I liked that character, but then it all changed. I’ll admit, it was funny when he was shockingly promoted ahead of Jim, Karen, and Michael. But ever since then I find him incredibly annoying. And not annoying in a good way. Dwight is annoying, but it’s just his character. I think the writers (one of whom is B.J. Novak, the actor who plays Ryan) are trying way too hard to make Ryan a bad guy. OK, so he’s a bad guy, but he’s not a funny bad guy.Another thing that bothers me is the minor characters getting too much attention. I’m talking about Stanley, Angela, Kelly, Roy, Phyllis, etc. These characters do not need to be developed any more than they are. They are MINOR characters. I don’t want to watch Andy and Dwight fight over Angela, because Angela just isn’t that important. Let her remain over in the accountants’ corner, planning parties, and being bossy. Nothing more.
And Stanley…oh Stanley. Why do we have to get all dramatic? I don’t want to see tear-jerker confrontations with Michael. There’s no denying that Stanley is funny, but it’s the little bits and pieces that are funny. Just keep him as the “urban” teddy bear who sits in meetings, working his crossword puzzle, and occasionally offering the “I don’t give a *darn*”.
The only minor character I think is worth the development is Andy, and I really don’t consider him “minor” any longer. I put him up there with Michael, Pam, Jim, and Dwight as a lead character. And with all of the boohooing that Dwight has been doing over Angela, it has opened the door for Andy to overtake him as the funniest character in the office. I’m sure many disagree with me, but tough. He’s been promoted.
Now break me off a piece of that fancy feast.

366 comments:

«Oldest   ‹Older   601 – 366 of 366
«Oldest ‹Older   601 – 366 of 366   Newer› Newest»