The Office: "Pam's Replacement" Review

   “Pam’s Replacement” wasn’t a very memorable or funny episode of “The Office” but it's probably the best they’ve done this season.

    The show usually never goes wrong when it pairs up Pam and Dwight. He makes her funnier, and she makes him more grounded. However, their plan to find out if Jim was lying about finding the new temp attractive never really took off the way I wanted it to, and ended rather abruptly. 

     In a way, this episode gave me what I had hoped the show would be post-Carell, an A-story featuring the three leads and a B-story with various characters. Jim and Pam, Jim and Dwight, and especially Pam and Dwight have always been among the show’s most successful combinations. They take the spotlight this week, but I couldn’t help but feel that everything was a bit stale.

     The main problem is, at this point, there really isn’t much left to do with the characters. They’re fully developed. Season three gave Pam an amazing arc where she came into her own, and over the past few years she’s settled into the life she’s always wanted. There really isn’t much left to do with her character. The same is true with Jim, who will remain the funny guy who never seems to push himself towards a better career. And as for Dwight, well...Dwight is Dwight. That being said, I’m glad the show decided to focus on these three this week rather than Andy.

      The B story this week was centered on Andy, Kevin, and Darrly’s band being upstaged by Robert California and his buddies. I’ve never been a fan of when the show leans too heavily on music. It’s fine is small doses (Andy serenading Pam with “Rainbow Connection” in season three, Kevin’s band playing at Phyllis’ wedding), but this B story literally went nowhere. Not only did the storyline waste the use of Robert California (he had what? Two lines?) but it wasn’t even funny.

     Also, is it just me or is everyone else tired of so much Andy, Kevin, and Darryl? I was happy last season when Kevin started getting more screen time, but at this point it’s time to cut it back in favor of Meredith, Creed, Stanley, Phyllis, etc.

     I think this B story perfectly sums up my problems with season eight as a whole: the writers aren’t using Robert California to his greatest potential and there seems to be no direction to where they’re going.

     With Maura Tierney coming in as Robert California’s wife and Catherine Tate returning as Nellie Bertram, this episode might be the last in a while that focuses on Jim, Dwight, and Pam. I have a feeling that come May, I’ll look back on “Pam’s Replacement” as one of the best episodes of the season, even though it was a fairly forgettable episode of “The Office.” I’ve learned to lower my expectations, and I’m perfectly content to take what I can get. 

Additional Thoughts:

    -Kelly had some fun stuff to do when helping Dwight and Pam look up Jim’s unattractive friend on Facebook. She had what I thought was the best line of the night when she said “I’m gonna write something mean on his wall.”

     -For anyone who still needs convincing that the writers are rehashing Michael Scott storylines with Andy, watch the cold open to season four’s “The Deposition.” This week’s cold open takes the same exact idea, only takes it to a more ridiculous level.