Remember the days when Dwight and Jim dominated as a sales team on The Office? Sure they messed around on the way to their sales appointments — didn’t one of them slam the other’s head in the car on the way? — but no one sold like them. Well, okay, I don’t know about that, but they sure did a good job. And they were fun to watch.
Last night not so much. And not just because they were thwarted by Danny the superstar salesman (isn’t Timothy Olyphant busy with his own show?). Mainly it was because they were dull. Where was the zing? Where was the pow?
And where was the pride? I couldn’t believe Dwight would agree to call Michael in from the bench. It’s taken as lore that Michael Scott was a wildly successful salesman in his day, thereby earning him the managerial slot in Scranton (What’s the connection? I don’t know.) But we’ve never seen Michael as a good salesman. Yes there was that one time at Chili’s, or wherever, with Jan and the client, but remember the koi pond incident? Or the Michael Scott Paper Company? Michael’s been a failure as a salesman … at least as far as six plus seasons of the show are concerned.
But that was kind of the best part of that plot. The sting operation was fun only inasmuch as it’s fun to see how Dwight has turned the office building into his own fiefdom. The rest of it was awkward, uncomfortable, and gross. Oscar and Ryan getting screwed by Meredith into cleaning? Okay, I laughed when Oscar shrugged at Ryan from the other side of the room. But other than that it was stupid.
As was Michael offering Danny a job. Whether or not the other salesmen are right — where were Andy and Pam in that group? — it’s a defeatist method of doing business to not even bother trying to compete. What happened to Michael and Dwight staking out the competition ala the Prince Family Paper Company? And does Michael even have hiring abilities? I would think that Jo would have given that responsibility to Gabe exclusively.
Andy starting a band was cute. I liked how Andy it was to be motivated by the “success” of the guy in his college a cappella group who had one less solo than he did. Recruiting Darryl on keyboards was a nice throwback to when Darryl worked on the song for the Dunder Mifflin commercial that Michael produced. And Kevin on drums was awesome. He could be the lead singer on a novelty song about frogs!
But I have to put this episode through the Steve Carell final season filter. It’s unfair for every episode this year to be held to the “Steve’s final (insert number here) episode of the season” standard, but it kind of has to be. And so unless Timothy Olyphant is getting set to leave Justified (or Meredith has some hidden managerial skills in her), the episode did nothing to further Michael’s plot, NOR was it lighthearted fun.
Because I will accept the latter this season in lieu of an advancement of Michael’s swan song. This week just didn’t have it.
Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Oct 22, 2010 @ 12:00 EST5EDT
I’m thinking that Kelly is going to be the new boss next season. Didn’t she say in one of the early episodes that she was in an executive training program for minorities? I have to say, that could make for interesting post-Michael hijinks.
*POST AUTHOR*
Please don’t say such things; the writers might hear you!
Michael’s a fantastic salesperson! When he turns it on, it’s a thing of beauty. For all his nuttiness, the man can negotiate. Recall when he was negotiating to get back into DM?
I was cracking up when Meredith was foaming at the mouth for Olyphant. I love Sheriff Bullock. I get why people can’t control themselves around him.
Great Episode for me. I too, have a feeling it’s going to be Kelly.
*POST AUTHOR*
I remember thinking at the time that Michael was surprisingly impressive in that meeting — exception to the rule, I think.
I’m amazed at how much positive response this episode has gotten here and elsewhere. I thought it was listless, pointless, and unfunny. It’s coasting. It’s turned off its engine. The whole band business was just letting characters hang around each other and kill time. The Meredith bit was tired. It might have been interesting to see what Creed would have done there. But with these writers and their recent track record, probably not. In terms of being entertaining, I think this show is as dead as a Monty Python parrot. I haven’t been able to bring myself to stop watching, somehow. It feels like these characters could be interesting and funny again. But each show proves that wrong.
My husband sat right next to me and did not crack a smile for this one, everyone’s different.
I am new to this show. I caught up last year, so everything is still fresh to me. I’m very forgiving for that reason, I think.
I’ve never seen Timothy Olyphant without his mustache before, and the experience was strange and disconcerting. I couldn’t stop staring at his upper lip. It looked so – naked.
Hmmm. Ruby, I can read through the lines and know what you are really saying! It’s so obvious to me, I’m literally sitting here giggling.