"Sometimes I'll start a sentence and I don't know where it's going. I just hope to find it somewhere along the way. Like an improv conversation. An improvisation." - Michael Scott
The Office, a spoof of a reality show based on a paper supply companies’ office personnel, portrays the story of the daily tasks and events involved in the daily operation of a particular branch of a major corporation. There are a few appealing aspects of this sitcom that draw viewers in week after week. However, one of the most entertaining and defining qualities of The Office is its ability to take a predictable scenario or plot and give it its own unique perspective. The wit and creativity used in developing each episode of the office are it’s primary reasons for it’s broad popularity.
In the most recent episode aired on March 4, 2010, Pam and Jim finally have their baby. Everyone’s seen a television program in which someone is pregnant and delivers a baby. However The Office, without surprise, delivers its take on this situation with its characteristic humor and quirkiness. The episode begins, as most do, with everyone sitting at their desks. Pam, who is pregnant and already having contractions at work, announces that she will not be going to the hospital until 12 a.m. in order to save money. The office’s employees decide that they will play games and put on “shows” in order to distract her from the pain. In a typical television show, one would expect a character to go into labor and be rushed immediately to the hospital, but I’ve yet to see an episode of a television show in which all measures are taken in order to not make it to the hospital. Finally, Jim, her husband who also works in the office, insists that she be rushed to the hospital despite her wishes (they basically drag her out). Michael, office manager and an all around awkward guy, insists that he drive them to the hospital. In most situations in which a couple has a baby, it’s generally written to be focused on the circumstances that the couple may be involved in. However, in typical Michael fashion, he inappropriately and clumsily involves himself in every aspect without being requested to. On the way to the hospital, Pam suddenly realizes she has forgotten her iPod and proclaims that she cannot deliver her baby without soothing sounds. They send Dwight, the creepy, know-it-all character, to Jim and Pam’s house in order to retrieve it. Most would expect that he would grab the iPod and barely make it to the delivery in time with the package. Once again, the writers have oddly written the episode to include Dwight arriving to the home and instead destroying their kitchen in order to solve their mold infestation. He never makes it to the hospital. After having the baby and while staying in the hospital, they consult a lactation specialist who happens to be male. You didn’t really think it would be the expected female, did you? The couple has a hard time adjusting to the new roles as parents, which is common. But, I feel it’s rather uncommon to sleepily grab the wrong baby and then proceed to breast-feed it. And finally, while Michael smokes a cigar to commemorate the blessed event, he characteristically throws up while doing his interview.
This episode and many others have proven in many different instances that The Office, to be most simply put, defies logic. If a particular outcome to an event, situation, emergency, holiday, party, or even activities carried out on a daily basis are to be expected, if you’re watching the office, you can assume the opposite. I base my criteria of good television, creativity and humor on the absolute fact that I want the unexpected. Most others assumedly would agree. Who wastes precious time on a boring show with a predictable plot and outcome? The best way to encompass the greatness of this show is awesomely and outrageously awkward. Forget the happy, transparent, traditional writing of most television shows; I’ll stick with crazily entertaining and shrewd wit.
Everyone has their own individual set of criteria for critiquing television programs. You can take into consideration the plot from week to week, character relationships and interaction, creativity and usefulness of sets, props, etc., or even the skillfulness and talent of actors and actresses. The list goes on. While watching the newest episode of The Office this week, I noticed that there are a few relationships that seem to be consistently present, growing, and evolving from week to week. The way in which writers chose to develop relationships in a sitcom can be a direct indication of the popularity of the particular show. An audience wants depth, surprise, change and emotion without these elements a program will fail to continue to captivate audience members.
A few notable relationships are Jim and Pam, who are romantically involved, Dwight and Angela, who were once secretly involved romantically, Jim and Dwight, which have an ongoing rivalry, and Michael and Dwight, which have a very close friendship and alliance. As the show has progressed, it has become increasingly clear that Dwight is very loyal and dutiful to Michael, which I find to be very entertaining. In part, I find his allegiance so interesting because Dwight’s very “authoritarian-like” personality seems it would contradict his unwavering devotion. Dwight is very competitive and power-hungry while Michael is much more aloof and lax in his managing. In the past I have been curious as to how Michael and Dwight have gotten along so well. In this most recent episode, Michael refuses to give Dwight, as well as the other sales people, the leads to potential new clients. Dwight becomes very angry and the two even go as far as to get into a tiff at the city dump. This is the first instance in which I have noticed Dwight ever wavering in his confident support of Michael. As they fight, throwing trash and hitting one another with sinks, pieces of cars, etc. they exchange words, which most likely are the result of years of strong disparagement. Inevitably throughout the course of the show the two were bound to have an incidence similar to this one. I’m curious as to why people find it so intriguing to watch the hardships and struggles other relationships go through. Is it because we like to relate and find comfort in the fact that we are all in some way similar or is it because we find pleasure in other peoples mishaps realizing that things could always be worse? Although this situation in this week’s episode is similar to that found in other programs, as usual The Office’s writers and cast managed to do it with their usual uniqueness and whit. In addition to finding intrigue in Michael and Dwight’s altercation, we also find amusement and entertainment. The Office’s broad popularity is due to the fact that a sometimes serious and upsetting situation can be taken and turned into a purely comical one with the use of dirty sink water being poured on one another and the use of a smelly, gross sweater as a weapon. Not only did the two become involved in an altercation but also, they managed to do it in the city dump—clever.
Although the leads were never found, the two did return to the office reconciled. As they pulled into the parking lot they proceeded in making jokes, listening to music, high-fiving and returning with beanbag chairs and various items. Through this episode’s display of disagreement between the two characters, we are reminded how unique both their relationship is as well as this television program. Dwight’s sarcasm and strong will paired with Jim’s misconceived perception of his status in the office are quite a combination. I am interested in seeing how the two will continue their friendship in the upcoming episodes. The two are very close and have even lived together at one point. I’m curious as to whether this theme for the struggle for power will be a continuous thing in the future of the series.
In the latest episode of The Office, which aired on March 25, 2010, it was particularly apparent how unconventional The Office is as compared to most sitcoms. The Office has broken the idealized mold of traditional sitcom components. Rather than using customarily expected sitcom conventions such as three-camera shooting style, a laugh track, theatrical performances, or general circular narratives. Instead, The Office has the intentions of seeming as though it were a real documentary or “docusoap ” (Bore 34). A “docusoap” is a genre that can be classified as a program about ordinary people and events that generally happen in everyday settings. In other words, it is a combination of both a documentary and a traditional sitcom. While The Office appears to be an actual docusoap, it really is just a fictional sitcom.
This week’s episode mainly focused on the staff of the office bonding and meeting for drinks at a bar after work hours. In this episode as well as in this setting, I was particularly aware of the documentary-like aspect of the program, which is customary of docusoaps but not of sitcoms. Most documentaries or “reality” television programs are apparently recorded whereas sitcoms are not. While watching The Office, generally I am unaware of the cast interviews as well as the cast’s awareness of the cameras. However, in this episode I paid close attention to these aspects of the program. Throughout the program, members of the cast are interviewed about a multitude of things generally pertaining to the most recent events that have occurred over the course of the day. While I was aware of this in the past, I now am curious as to who conducts these interviews, why are these interviews are conducted, and is this aspect of the program part of what makes The Office so unique. From episode to episode, viewers have come to expect and accept these interviews as an informative part of the program. But, no explanation has ever been given as to who and why the lives of the Dunder-Mifflin staff are being documented. There seems to be no theme from interview to interview, instead just a run-through of the staff’s thoughts as well as questions pertaining each individuals relationships or interactions from day to day. For example, Andy and the new receptionist have recently started dating. In their interview together while at the bar, they discuss keeping their relationship a secret. A possible explanation for the interviewing could be that this is a simple yet unique way of informing viewers of particular information without showing directly showing them. Instead, we are receiving this information from the cast’s point of view.
Another aspect of typical sitcoms that is lacking in The Office is the presence of a laugh track. I found this particularly interesting because in the absence of a laugh track viewers are left wondering what they should be laughing at. Instead they have the freedom to decide what is funny and worthy of laughter without the influence of the creators of the program. Another explanation of the absence of the laugh track could be the fact that the show is mimicking a docusoap and therefore must be set in other places besides a typical sitcom set. For instance, this week’s episode took place at an actual bar. It would be strange to hear laughter from a laugh track in this situation. Mainly, I feel they have neglected this customary aspect of traditional sitcoms in order to make The Office as natural as possible and in keeping with the actuality of every day life.
Week after week I am reminded how unique the style of writing, filming, and editing is throughout the production of The Office. I feel its success can most certainly be attributed to all of the many different aspects of creativity. I look forward to seeing how the creators will use these techniques in future episodes to continue to captivate viewers.
In an episode of The Office that aired on March 11, 2010, the staff celebrated St. Patrick’s Day. I found this particular episode to be far less entertaining than most. It lead me to wonder: Are we always supposed to find every aspect of The Office humorous? I feel as though sarcasm and awkwardness can sometimes lead to uncomfortable television. There’s a very fine line between awkwardly funny and just plain awkward. Occasionally, the writers tend to cross this line. But, sometimes in the case of The Office, it does assist in supporting its qualifications needed to be classified as a docusoap. Some of the settings and situations found in some of The Office’s episodes remind us that this program aims to be realistic or life-like. I would assume that office personnel found in most companies would attest to awkward situations in the work place that may not be so funny.
One of the greatest attributing factors to the strangeness of this week as well as most weeks’ episodes is Michael. Not only is he socially awkward, but he also can be irritating. In this episode, Michael’s boss has come to the Scranton branch in order to oversee things for the week. Her character (played by Kathy Bates) is a very serious and hard worker. Initially Michael assumes she likes him, but he soon irritates her. He over informs and over steps his boundaries and in turn she yells at him. It’s one of those situations in which you just want to tell him to stop. So, instead of making us laugh he makes us cringe. I feel like everyone could think of a coworker that plays the overachiever role and can apply this to their own lives. Although it didn’t make me laugh, maybe instead it was supposed to make the audience sympathize with Michael. Because The Office is supposed to be a sitcom appearing to be a docusoap, maybe they are appealing to the “soap” part of the docusoap. In causing us to relate to characters, maybe they are attempting to cause us to form a bond to the show and therefore repeatedly watch. In addition to a show’s comedic appeal, a television program’s success can also be attributed to the ability of the audience to become attached to characters and the story.
Another contributing factor to the bizarreness of this week’s episode is the forming relationship between Andy and the new receptionist. Unfortunately, Andy is another character that is quirky and leads to uncomfortableness in certain situations. Erin and Andy were scheduled to go on a date this week but she falls ill. Worried that Erin will no longer find him attractive or interesting if they have to wait an entire week for their date, Andy arrives at her house unannounced. Just by Erin’s reaction we can tell how strange she finds this. Not only does he surprise her but he also happens to have a kilt on when he arrives. Again, in this situation I felt uncomfortable. It was painful to watch the interaction between them. Maybe the reason for this occurrence was to provide us with the knowledge for the basis of their relationship. Every couple could relate to uneasiness in the beginning stages of a relationship. Once more I feel they are enabling us to relate to relationships and characters.
After watching this particular episode of The Office, I have a different appreciation and understanding for show. This program isn’t meant to just make us laugh; writers and creators also want us to relate. They want viewers to become faithful fans and form an attachment. In providing us with a broad range of experiences including both humor and discomfort as well as sympathy, appreciation and delight they are capable of succeeding.