After an over-bloated cold open filled with tons of exposition, pregnancy reveals, Internet fads, and Stanley’s new catchphrase I was pleasantly surprised by a very solid episode of “The Office.” I admit, I’ve had my doubts about the new season (especially since the NBC promo department spoiled the fact that Andy was the new manager). Since the beginning of season seven, after it was announced that Steve Carell was leaving, I had wanted Darryl to be the new manager. I thought it would be nice to have a grounded, normal character as the boss. After all, there’s a fair amount of crazy still floating around the office without Michael around. But after Dwight was manager for an episode, I changed my mind. I wanted to watch the show where Dwight was the manager. He got the crazy out of his system in “Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager,” and if he were offered the job, he would tone it down a bit while still being the Dwight we’ve come to know over the years.
But after seeing tonight’s episode, I know why Dwight was not chosen for the manager position. He lacks the heart that Michael, and now Andy, clearly possesses. In my previous review of season seven, I mentioned how the show needs to figure out how to balance heart and comedy going forward. After seeing Andy defend his co-workers to new CEO Robert California, I felt assured that the show has not lost its sense of heart. The writers had obviously spent more time thinking about the new manager position than I did. I’ve never been a huge Andy fan, and I’ve felt that the show can sometimes fall into the trap of giving him too much screen time. With him as manager, I was worried that the show would spend too much time on him, so I preferred if it was Dwight, a character who I find funnier and more appealing. While it’s too early to tell how the show will work going forward, I thought “The List” did a good job of giving everyone some valuable screen time without relying too heavily on the new manager.
Speaking of the ensemble, a lot of the other characters were given a lot to do. I love the idea of Dwight as “The Enforcer.” Even though this idea was limited to the cold open, I hope we get to see more of that. Jenna Fischer’s real life pregnancy has been written into the show and already Pam’s second pregnancy has been funnier than her first. In season six, when Pam was pregnant, all it meant was that we’d see Jenna Fischer in a pregnant suit. This time around, she’s given some good material to work with as Pam’s hormones are spiraling out of control. I like whenever the writers give Pam something to do other than being the straight-woman, and I look forward to more of her hysterical hormones. As for Angela’s pregnancy, I’m not sure what to think. I’ve been hoping that her character would get pregnant with Dwight’s baby, and hopefully that’s still an option. But if she’s just pregnant with the Senator’s baby, well, that’s a lot less interesting.
As for the secondary cast, there were lots of great little moments. Meredith being sprayed with the fire extinguisher, Kelly planking in Andy’s office, Kevin’s talking head about being a winner, Stanley’s new catchphrase, Phyllis falling out of her chair, Gabe’s lack of dialogue and Robert California’s cool energy left me feeling very satisfied.
As I near the end of this review, I realize I haven’t typed Jim’s name once. Going forward, I imagine his role on the show will remain largely unchanged, and I’m okay with that. There was a point where I felt as though the writers needed to give him some more ambition, but his stint as co-manager was uninspired an his current complacency with his job is acceptable.
As for the episode itself, I really liked the simple story and how it gave Andy a chance to shine as manger, while giving almost everyone else something funny to do. This is an ensemble show. It’s not a show about a manager or a CEO of a company. The writers seem to be aware of this, which is very reassuring and I look forward to seeing what’s next.
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