The Office – This episode serves as a great reminder of just how sharp the ensemble is. With Michael Scott gone and Deangelo Vickers in a coma, the Scranton branch had to fend for themselves. That worked well enough, until Jo appointed an Interim Manager. Jim turned the job down, so it went to her second choice, Dwight Schrute. Unsurprisingly, power went to Dwight’s head instantly. He got a new desk, inspired by Uday Hussein’s. He staggered lunch breaks to increase productivity, which meant that Jim had to take his assigned lunch at 10:30 every day. Rainn Wilson has been in the background for a while, and this episode was a great reminder of how funny he really is. And then there’s the Andy/Erin/Gabe love triangle, which provided some incredibly awkward moments and big laughs. This episode was a lot of fun and really hit the sweet spot – nice character humor, genuine emotion, and some real over-the-top moments (Dwight’s reign comes to an end when he accidentally fires a handgun in the office). There was a really nice scene near the end, after Dwight was chastised and demoted, where Jim gives him a genuine compliment, and it’s just so well done. And it ends with a quick, killer joke – until they find a new manager, Jo promotes the employee with the most seniority. That employee is Creed. Just seeing Creed in Michael’s old office with a smug look on his face made us laugh uncontrollably.
Awesome! Two shout-outs in one column! WINNING!
We’re about one week away from renaming this feature “Larry Young Presents TV’s Moments of Joy”.
Go, Larry! It’s your birthday!