‘The Office’ goes down in flames

The fact that college-favorite NBC sitcom "The Office" doesn’t have a laugh track is working for the show in an expected way this season – now no one’s laughing, on screen or off. With season five of "The Office" beginning this semester, Thursday nights became a ritual gathering time for many to delve again into the world of Dunder Mifflin Paper Co. Unfortunately, the would-be comedy has taken a sharp nosedive, right into the muck of un-amusing. What made "The Office" special was its zaniness, its departure from the real to the point not of whimsy but radical hopefulness. When Jim suspends Dwight’s stapler in Jell-O, or Michael grills his foot in a bedside George Foreman grill, it’s the sheer fantasy that makes the situation (read: sitcom) worthy. And while its not absolute escapism, these scenarios let the viewer hope for a world beyond the mundane, beyond the dull realities of his own life. In season five, very little tickles the funny bone. Dwight and Angela are deceptively trysting. Ryan is back, having never matured after his brush with criminality. And worst of all, Jim and Pam are still together, just a little too happy anymore, somehow sliding into the humdrum of togetherness without the humor and playfulness of their relationship previously. As Pam’s story arc in New York suddenly petered out with no resolution or story advancement whatsoever – she’s still not an artist and we still haven’t found out if she was cheating on Jim – everything is just back to normal. And it’s a little too normal. The most recent episode, "Frame Toby," saw Michael and Dwight berating Toby into punching the in-your-face boss right in the face. The scene was awkward as anything previously on "The Office," but no one seems to mention just how far Michael has finally crossed the line – this isn’t whimsical, and it definitely would not be met with pure meekness on the part of Toby. Further, Michael’s arc with Holly (his would-be girlfriend) is just as out of place; hollering at his superior and telling him he hates people just doesn’t seem like it would fly in any real office. While, as noted, it’s the zany that makes the show worth it, this is zany in the wrong direction: pure, unfunny agony. Maybe the show’s writers should take a lesson from their own development of crazy, creepy old Creed; still this writer’s favorite, his colored past remains a hilarious mystery. With a show like this, people will watch for the expectation that it will get better on the pure notion of precedence. But previous seasons and episodes can only carry the franchise so far. Sure, we’ve gotten to know all these characters and understand them a bit. However, the season is not halfway over. Redemption must be had to bring "The Office" back to sitcom glory.

DALE W. EISINGER
Culture Editor

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