I’m still not sure what to make of this episode. On the one hand, I think the fate of Dunder Mifflin is an interesting plot twist that could do wonders for The Office, as it has in the past. On the other hand, as Michael as it was, ignoring something so serious and instead playing an infantile game? Really?
I think most everyone who watches this show has hit a Michael wall at one point or another. For a lot of people, it was the golden ticket thing last season. But me? I’ve never really felt as if Michael was too much of a caricature, too childish, or too anything else negative. But this time I’m not sure there are any two ways about it, because eventually even kids need to face reality, as harsh as it may be. The last thing that the office should have done is put up blinders — nor should they have been frozen by fear. With no information, they should have simply gone about their day.
I’m sure we’re going to get plenty of melodrama in the weeks ahead, and therefore the argument could be made for one week of tomfoolery. But I’m sometimes bothered by how easily the Scranton branch employees are distracted by immature nonsense. These are people with spouses, kids, homes, and myriad other responsibilities, so how do they find themselves playing “Murder in Savannah” at the office, particularly on a day when it might behoove them to work a little harder?
Despite the childishness of the game, however, I found it funny that Michael believes that board games help with coping. I wonder just how far it’s possible to take that: Sorry to reconcile you and your spouse after someone cheats? Risk to get you over a bad investment? Monopoly for those with “losing side of an antitrust lawsuit” blues? Given the current economic climate, Milton Bradley might want to be taking notes here.
It’s funny that The Office may have jumped the gun on the whole branch closing thing a few seasons back (actually, since the pilot). It was a good gag, and a useful mechanism, pitting the company and its employees into despair from the beginning. But of course the writers didn’t see the recession coming — if Dunder Mifflin couldn’t swing it in the boom times, how are they still afloat now? How is bankruptcy anything but a foregone conclusion?
Some happy thoughts:
Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Nov 13, 2009 @ 08:00 EST5EDT
Completely disagree. I haven’t really been feeling this season, but thought that this was a return to form both in hilarity and pathos. The strongest thus far, even more than the wedding episode.
*POST AUTHOR*
For your ease in the future, you can shorthand this by saying “the usual,” or “Ryan special.” I’ll catch your meaning. ;)
Haven’t you learned I can’t be content with one word where ten will do? ;)
Oddly enough, this is one of the only times I wouldn’t agree with you regarding Michael’s distractions. Normally he does waste the staff’s day for no reason, and we’ve been told that they have be twice as productive to make up for the time they’ve missed. This seemed to be that rare instance where he was right to try to take their minds off of the situation, since they wouldn’t have gotten much done anyway in that atmosphere of fear, uncertainty and doubt. Most of them would just have kept talking about it until they heard more from Corporate; I doubt even Oscar got very much work done since getting more information seemed to be his top concern.
People were actually enjoying the murder role-playing instead of worrying until the new email came to Accounting. Then Jim called for everyone to get back to work, and they followed his lead out the door and back to their phone calls. I doubt that they were very effective, though, as their minds were all still preoccupied. The next scene immediately after that, everyone’s sitting in the break room speculating about the company again. This is one of the only times that I felt Michael had made the better decision than Jim, much as it pains me to say that.
*POST AUTHOR*
Just because people were enjoying the game doesn’t make it the way to deal with the situation. Let’s say they’re in limbo for months, or worse have the death sentence hanging over their heads for months – by that logic they wouldn’t be able to get things done, so they might as well just have fun. How does that make sense from a business perspective?
Sure, if you extend that to the logical extreme, but I said nothing about doing that for weeks or months and, honestly, even Michael isn’t that stupid.
Michael’s decision wasn’t clear-cut right or wrong. People were in shock and panicking, just as with any traumatic event. Michael chose this activity to try to distract them until closing time. Anyone who would rather have worked could have done so, as Oscar did, and Michael only got Stanley and Angela to stick around with food bribes. I think people would have been able to process the news overnight, and the office would have been back to Michael Scott-normal the next day.
From what I understand, when any company branch is in danger of being shut down, morale and productivity take a big hit even when there are no facts yet, and this continues as long as their jobs are in limbo. Not everyone can get away with actively playing video games all day, but there’s a reason Solitaire and Minesweeper are the most popular ones, along with work-hour web browsing.
To cap it off by denigrating Erin’s music video dancing? I call foul, sir!
*POST AUTHOR*
I was just drawing what you said to its logical conclusion; if they were incapable of working that day, they’d be just as incapable as the months drag on.
Like I said in the post, it’s the employees I’m surprised at more than Michael – they must be adults in their lives, so how are they so prone to distraction at the office?
What I’ve seen that happens a lot, in a branch-closing situation or not, is people pick up their games (like in a contract year for an athlete) because they want good recommendations, or they want to be moved over to an open branch. Letting the last days/weeks/months bring you down is the worst way to get a new job.
I didn’t say anything about her dancing (although she looked like an idiot) – I just said the video doesn’t give her a positive spin … that’s more by association with Kelly and Ryan than anything else. :)
I agree, I thought this was the strongest episode of the year. You can count me among those who were generally unimpressed with the wedding extravaganza.
The reason for its strength was the short scene with Michael and Jim, where Michael practically screams that the office needs this distraction today. It was one of those moments, similar to the Booze Cruise episode, that you see Michael’s true nature and not the face that he puts on.
*POST AUTHOR*
It’s not the episode I was disappointed in so much as Michael and the office’s handling of the situation. I think the accents and gamesmanship were all hilarious – I just question whether it was the right move given the potential bankruptcy. I suppose it’s not like it’s out of the ordinary for this show. Maybe I’m just curious as to how else they could have played it?
Bob – I certainly don’t argue with you re the wedding episode.
Rich – I think that was a great, long-overdue peek behind Michael’s mask. I just wish he’d seen Jim’s side, too.
I’m fairly new to this show. Catching up on recorded reruns, watching out of order and willy nilly. Perhaps knowing that I have so many episodes to catch up on makes me very forgiving of an off episode in this present season.
All that said, I don’t ever question “what the right move” should be. They are all cartoon like characters to me. Except that Angela, she reminds me of someone, hmmm who could that be..?
I just have to share that I just watched the episode that had Andy punching the wall over the cell phone prank. I rewound that scene about 4 times. Sooooo funny.
*POST AUTHOR*
What was it, Rockin’ Robin? Very funny episode. That’s actually something I miss a lot, though – prankster Jim. It’s sad that he’s had to lose that.
He hasn’t lost it completely– that was some nice finessing on his part to get Dwight to demonstrate how he would defend against himself. hahaha
*POST AUTHOR*
True – I guess he hasn’t lost it completely. ;)
I really liked this.
And to put a sense of reality on the situation, when my old office was on the chopping block the other year, most days for 3 months were taken up by playing Geometry Wars & Burnout on the 360: granted, it was an EA studio so we had such toys, but I think it’s similar
*POST AUTHOR*
I was reading your comment thinking “no way; I can’t imagine an office doing that,” and then I got to your closing line. It made me laugh out loud (whether that was your intention or not). :-)
We were pretty much left in a position of isolation from head office, but when life gives you lemons, play video games!
I thought Oscar’s southern accent was an imitation of Bubba from Forrest Gump.
*POST AUTHOR*
Really? I got more Southern Belle.
Loved the accents, especially that bit where Andy was demonstrating how to do it right. Speaking of Andy, he and Erin are like the new Jim and Pam!
*POST AUTHOR*
I’m having a tough time getting a feel for Erin … the music video with Kelly is not helping give her a positive spin. And I feel like Andy was more old Jim a year ago – his part is so small now. :/
As I said, “logical extreme,” or reductio ad absurdum or “straw man” if you prefer. You’re arguing against a point I did not make.
You seriously didn’t understand my point about trauma, shock, and processing? By that logic, I’d have the same emotional reaction to a car accident or death in the family months after the fact as I did the day it happened. I can assure you that I did not.
*POST AUTHOR*
You’re making an uneven comparison; your example assumes a traumatic event that grows distant as time passes. This situation involves a traumatic event that is coming closer as time passes. They’re not moving away from losing their jobs as the days go by from the time they learn the news … they’re moving toward being fired as time passes.
In the event of a death in the family, the day after is a day later, not closer.
No, in this case they haven’t learned any news at all except that things don’t look good. They spent the entire day worrying about the result of the board meeting and waiting for David Wallace to give Michael or Jim more information, which never came. That’s the initial shock to which I was referring, which will pass as people calm down.
When they actually find out what’s going to happen, then they can look forward to being fired in the future. That will be a reaction separate from this one, and beyond the scope of what occurred in this episode.
*POST AUTHOR*
I like that line: “then they can look forward to being fired in the future” :)
Since they have no information (which, by the way, was my point in the first place about it being an inappropriate time to need to curl up in a ball), why refer to it as “trauma, shock, and processing” above? Em?…
As I said, the initial shock is learning the company might be in trouble, but having no concrete information, and wasting the day panicking over what might happen while they wait to find out more. Michael was trying to distract them for the day. By tomorrow, whether they find out anything or not, people will have processed.
And when they finally do get the information, it will be a separate trauma. I’m saying nothing new here, and I don’t know how many more ways I can state the same points differently to you.
*POST AUTHOR*
There’s no need to restate anything, we just don’t agree. That’s cool, right? ;)
This was one the worst episodes I have ever watched. Alright, I admit, this is the first episode I’ve seen in several months. Had I NEVER missed an espisode, perhaps, I would have been less alarmed – like a frog that doesn’t complain about being boiled as long as it’s done slowly.
Here’s what I think is the problem. Usually Michael’s buffoonery is tolerable because you know deep down, that his plan will end in spectacular failure and sanity will triumph. Normally the staff grudginly oblige at first, but eventually say enough is enough and rebel. We cheer them on; common sense is avenged! In this episode, however, that never happens. The characters (with the exception of Stanley, bless his soul) go further to embrace this boneheadedness than we could’ve ever thought possible. This goes on straight to the closing credits. It’s almost as if the writers have become Michael Scott – making grossly inappropriate demands of the actor’s characters and audience’s credulity. Okay there’s eccentrism and that can be wonderfully hilarious, but there is also an internal logic to which a fictional (even satirical) world adheres if it wants the audience to go along for the ride. I have to say I got of this ride feeling awfully queasy.
*POST AUTHOR*
“like a frog that doesn’t complain about being boiled as long as it’s done slowly”
Is that a majority opinion, or random polling data? :)