Review - The Office Season 8 Episode 5 Spooked

If there ever was an episode which you could describe as "stuff happens," it's "Spooked." Stuff happens. There are some ideas floating around--Pam believing in ghosts, Erin and Andy, Robert California being there--but there is no story, just people doing small things here and there. As with all Office episodes, there are fun moments in the episode with the vast array of characters, but there has to be something more than that, and at this point it seems like the writers aren't even trying.

Score: 7.5/10

Review - The Office Season 8 Episode 4 Garden Party

Watching the previews for "Garden Party," I assumed the episode would be light fun at Schrute Farms. Well, I was wrong. The episode is bogged down by Andy, who is revealed to have major daddy issues. Every step of the plot is riddled with groan-worthy content and the general sentiment of "Please, Andy, stop being dumb." I guess it makes sense now why Andy desperately wants Robert California to accept him, but there is very little that's human to this story. Rather, it the writers cobbling together inhuman behavior to get an explanation.

When the A-plot of The Office isn't good, we can usually rely on the subplots. Not so much this week. It's a compilation of character traits--Kevin eating all the food, Mose being weird, Jim tricking Dwight, Angela being weird and calling her baby Phillip as well, Ryan being a dick--and could hardly qualify as plots.

Score: 7.7/10

Review - The Office Season 8 Episode 3 Lotto

"Lotto" is the first episode this season without Robert California and he's definitely not missed. The show works fine without him, better possibly. We don't have to deal with his ambiguous personality and motives and instead we get to see more of the characters already there. The cast is so large that there is plenty to explore between them without bringing in a new person.

Case in point, "Lotto" is a Darryl episode and Robert isn't in the episode nor should he. When his warehouse buddies win the lotto and quit their jobs, Darryl begins contemplating his life and future. His growing unhappiness culminates when he confronts Andy about not getting the manager job. Andy's serious and stern response, which differentiates him from Michael, is that Jo saw that Darryl slacked and didn't want him to be manager. None of the plot was particularly funny, but it brought meaning to everything going around the office and gave Darryl motivation to be more than he currently is.

The other plots-- Jim, Dwight, Erin, and Kevin at the warehouse, talk about how to spend lottery money--weren't that funny but weren't bad either. I don't really expect much from The Office subplots anymore, so they were fine, not annoying and with some bright spots.

Score: 8.6/10

Review - The Office Season 8 Episode 2 The Incentive

The first half of "The Incentive" is more or less what we'd expect from The Office these days. We don't know what to make of Robert California, Andy is looking like Michael Scott-lite,  there are random things happening like Darryl's ex-wife showing up, and the cold open itself was more stupid than Kevin.

But it all turns around in the second half, as the episode picks up a head of steam and doesn't look back. In order to meet Robert's mandate of doubling sales, Andy institutes a rewards program, which Jim exploits, proposing that every pools their points for some crazy prize. Andy offers various rewards, including tattooing his butt. Instantly, the normally laid back office goes into overdrive and we see them all working hard, which brought a smile to my face. The episode was capped by a sweetness that always elevates the episode. Instead of following through with the tattoo of a baby exiting Andy's butt, they tattoo a dog labeled 'nard.'

Score: 8.6/10

Review - The Office Season 8 Episode 1 The List

With Michael Scott gone from the show, there was a lot in the air before the season premiere aired, and there are more questions after the season premiere. I'm curious to see where the show goes from here, given how it seems to have hit a creative dead end plot-wise. There's this new guy Robert California and Andy is the new manager, but I don't see where this is going.

I have an uneasy feeling about Robert California, because I don't know who he is. I want to pin him down and say something definitive about him, but he's just a weird character, not in the obvious way Michael Scott was, but in an inscrutable, off-putting way. Magically, he took Jo's job and is now CEO of Saber. Why and how are important questions, but the writers don't even broach the subject. Next, his behavior in the episode--creating a list of people, then calling half winners and the other half losers--was mean, but his demeanor was pretty emotional. I don't get what's up with him. Worst of all, I didn't find him funny once.

OK, I admit I liked the planking parts, especially Meredith getting pushed into the toilet. Stanley's new thing, "shove it up your butt!" wasn't bad either since he isn't supposed to do stuff like that. If it were Ryan doing that, on the other hand, I'd probably be annoyed.

Score: 8.1/10

Review - The Office Season 7 Episode 24/25 Search Committee

Jim versus Dwight is one of those things that will get me every time. Unless Dwight is completely out of control, I'm usually laughing really hard. The scene where Dwight comes in for the interview as a burn victim was one of the funniest things I've seen since the Community season finale (OK, it's not that long ago, but you get my drift).

That's why I'm more willing to forgive the faults of "Search Committee" than I normally would. There is practically no plot, and the litany of famous guest stars serve no real purpose. Essentially, it's an hour of television where nothing much is going on and there is no progression to the plot. For a season finale, I would definitely agree that it was underwhelming. Maybe my standards have been lowered, but I was entertained by the episode and laughed quite a bit, and that's enough in my book.

Score: 8.5/10

All missed reviews

Here are the short reviews for shows I missed through the week. I included reviews for shows I've stopped reviewing to balance things out. Also, you might have notice that reviews for Breaking In and The Good Wife are still missing. Blogger still hasn't restored them, but since the Glee review was restored, I assume the other posts should follow. If that does not happen by Monday, I repost them. (If you really want to read them, they're on Insidepulse TV.)

Body of Proof Season 1 Episode 8 Buried Secrets: "Buried Secrets" is a reminder that Body of Proof is a mash up of different shows. Every part of the episode has been done before in large amounts, but Body of Proof does them well, which makes the show worth watching.

Modern Family Season 2 Episode 22 Good Cop Bad Dog: I normally find plots of Modern Family to be somewhat realistic, but Jay and Gloria’s plot with Guillermo and the dog seemed like it belonged on Breaking In instead of Modern Family. But Phil and Claire were great in the episode, and realistic, so it mostly balanced out.

The Chicago Code Season 1 Episode 11 Black Sox: I’m not particularly interested in Jarek and his lady problems, especially since it’s been one of the least developed plots. It looks like Gibbons is finally making his move, whatever that they be. We originally thought he put a hit out on Teresa, but that turned out wrong. Is he capable of ordering her murder if she gets too close?

House Season 7 Episode 21 The Fix: It was really out of the blue for House to suddenly decide to fix himself with an experimental rat drug. But this contrivance does put House in some kind of danger. That’s better than nothing, right? OK, maybe not, but we should see what the writers do first before casting too much judgment.

The Big Bang Theory Season 3 Episode 23 The Engagement Reaction: Priya wasn’t mean in this episode for once. She talks to Penny without being bitchy and is actually fine with Leonard being near Penny. The Raj stuff was again weak and random, but that’s to be expected. As far as the main story goes, the stuff between Howard and his mother was hilariously creepy, especially when Bernadette yelling reminded me of Howard’s mother while Howard thought it was sexy.

Parks and Recreation Season 3 Episode 13 The Fight / 14 Road Trip: Two episodes of Parks and Recreations!! And if that wasn't good enough, next week has two more episodes! While I enjoyed both episodes, I would give the edge to “The Fight.” There were so many great moments with the actual fight, Snake Juice, and Ron. Ben and Leslie finally make out in “Road Trip,” so there was development on that front for once.

The Office Season 7 Episode 24 Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager: Dwight is a guy who often expresses wacky ideas, but since he’s never in a position of power, nothing really comes of it. Well, this was Dwight’s chance to shine. Unfortunately, his excessive regulation in the office ends up with him shooting a gun in the office and eventually being demoted. The episode has the Dwight and Jim dynamic that was been lessened over the years, so that was nice to see. And as Jim tells Dwight, Dwight did one good thing in making all the orders on time.

The Mentalist Season 3 Episode 22 Rhapsody in Red: Before the two-hour season finale next week, The Mentalist dished up a fairly standard episode. Jane solves the crime while the rest of the team fills in the background. I did like, however, the increased attention on Cho, who is easily the funniest character other than Cho, and he got to tackle something close to home for once.

The Event Season 1 Episode 20 One Will Live, One Will Die: This new plot device the writer are using is the one where they show us part of what’s going on to mislead us. In the previous episode, it was the cocaine trafficker who turned out to be irrelevant, and in this episode, we only hear half of the phone call. To be honest, it’s plain stupid.

Hawaii Five-0 Season 1 Episode 23 Ua Hiki Mai Kapalena Pau: "Ua Hiki Mai Kapalena Pau" heads directly into the season finale, mixing a standard standalone plot with the only search for Wo Fat and Chin Ho’s admission of guilt to stealing the money. The episode is tense, with the whole island potentially in danger, but as always, the day is saved.

Blue Bloods Season 1 Episode 22: The first season of Blue Bloods ended with a resolution to the Blue Templar plot, which chugged slowly along as the season went. It is resolved as expected, with the acknowledgement that the Blue Templars are just a couple of bad eggs in the basket. As always, the Reagans and police department come out looking like the greatest heroes ever.

Camelot Season 1 Episode 7 The Long Night: After last week’s snoozer, Camelot came back with a fairly strong episode. Morgan had some really nefarious schemes up her sleeves, deceiving Arthu and the rest of them, while stealing Igraine’s place at the end of the episode, using her shapeshifting ability. Oh, and gratuitous nudity!

Breakout Kings Season 1 Episode 10 Paid in Full: “Paid in Full” puts all the dirty laundry out there. The cons find out that Ray is not actually a Marshall and the audience and other cons learn that Lloyd was sent to prison for writing a fake prescription which ended in a girl dying. Charlie’s big speech at the end is a tinge disingenuous with his big “revelation” of a congenital heart defect, but it makes a point: everyone has their secrets and problems, but they have to trust each other. Considering what Shea was doing in the previous episodes, there is still a lot to be resolved.

Treme Season 2 Episode 3 On Your Way Down: In an episode riddled with crime, there is an obvious standout, the rape of Ladonna, which was harrowing to say the least. The fallout is executed brilliantly with Khandi Alexander coming through. As the visible crime affects several characters, there is also an undeniable crime in the background being perpetrated against all New Orleans, Nelson’s slimy dealings with the city’s money.

Review - The Office Season 7 Episode 23 The Inner Circle

While Deangelo Vickers would never be a worthy replacement for Michael Scott--nobody would be--he should be a decent character--funny and, at the very least, consistent. Deangelo is neither; he's bizarre, always changing, and just not funny. The end of the episode, Deangelo returning brain damaged, tells us that we don't have to care about him anymore and that he was never important. So why spend all this time with him? Yeah, it's Will Ferrell, but the writers did nothing good with him.


The departure of Michael does free up some options, and we got to see a larger variety of characters than we usually do. There was some Dwight, Ryan and Kelly, Jim and Pam, and almost everyone had a line here and there. But there's no substitute for a good plot, which is what the episode needed, and, of course, there was Deangelo.

Score: 7.4/10

Review - The Office Season 7 Episode 22 Goodbye, Michael

When I think of Michael Scott, I imagine a guy who doesn't always think clearly. Whatever his actions, whether it be extreme jealously, putting people in physical danger, or just being mean, Michael Scott is not a malicious person. He may have gotten out of control some times (or a lot times), but we always knew that he wanted to do good. Largely, his ailments result from an inability to realize that his lofty ideas may not work in the real world.

"Goodbye, Michael" takes that idea and allows Michael's character to grow. He'd like the perfect send away with everyone paying attention to him and heaping on praise. He'd like to make the basket in the warehouse and everything to go right. But that's not how things work and Michael comes to terms with that. He sees these imperfect events happening in front of his eyes, and instead of getting worked up as he usually would, he gets a little misty eyed, brushes it off, and leaves.

While it's not perfect for Michael, the episode has plenty of wonderful moments between Michael and his employees. He gives Dwight the affirmation he's been looking for, puts confidence in Andy (which Andy quickly puts to use), and says good-bye to Jim and Pam. Above all, Steve Carell delivered a monumental performance which reflects the truly amazing work he's done through the years.

I'm liking Deangelo less and less. In the midst of all this great stuff with Michael, there's Deangelo being awkward, incompetent, and not funny.

Score: 9.2/10

Preview of Week 4/24/11 - 4/30/11

Treme - HBO, Sunday, April 24, 10:00pm ET

HBO's acclaimed drama returns tonight. One thing I'm looking for is whether there is tighter plotting than the first season.

Glee - FOX, Tuesday, April 26, 8:00pm ET

This 90-minute, Lady Gaga-themed episode could be a total disaster, given Glee's track record, or it could be decent.

Justified - FX, Wednesday, April 27, 10:00pm ET

After the bloodshed at the end of the last episode, the second to last episode of the episode will definitely be a good run up to the season finale.

The Office - NBC, Thursday, April 28, 9:00pm ET

Michael Scott's final episode should be a must-watch for anyone who's followed the show at some point.

Fringe - FOX, Friday, April 29, 9:00pm ET

Season finale time means that shows like Fringe reach another level of epicness. With the machine turned on and Peter in the hospital, these last two episodes should be great.

Review - The Office Season 7 Episode 20 Michael's Last Dundies

As most people probably know, "Michael's Last Dundies" is the second to last episode for Michael Scott. With this in mind, I'm guessing most people don't really care if these past couple episodes don't have much plot. Michael's plot, getting back together with Holly, is already finished, and there isn't much left to do but reminisce on past times.

The episode begins with Michael being an ass, before he comes around and we understand why he's making such a fuss. He has a dedication to the office unmatched by anyone and he will feel bad about leaving. The episode culminates in a sweet song from the rest of the office, confirming that, despite Michael's numerous problems, he was a good boss.

Deangelo was about as unfunny as he was last week, even though he had the speech problem. The problem is that he's a big part of these episodes and makes the episodes not funny in general. I'm interested to see if he'll be funnier once Michael is out of the picture.

Score: 8.4/10

Review - The Office Season 7 Episode 20 Training Day

I still have a bazillion shows to watch, so this will be very short.

That was boring, wasn't it? Deangelo Vickers, played by Will Ferrell, shows up to replace Michael and everyone sucks up to him in their own ways. There are plenty of funny scenes, but the plot, outside of Michael's petulant jealousy, goes nowhere. Since Michael is leaving very soon, hopefully we'll get more.

Score: 8.0/10

Review - The Office Season 7 Episode 19 Garage Sale

As we head into the next stretch of episodes, we already know Michael's final episode will air on April 28, and according to reports, "Garage Sale" is Holly's final episode. While Michael could up and leave at any time without missing a beat after the initial confusion, the writers know this is a big deal and are making the most with what little time they have left.

"Garage Sale" deals with Holly in a near-perfect way, showing us how much Holly cares about her parents while providing ample opportunity to indulge classic Michael Scott ideas of a marriage proposal (gasoline fire in the parking lots, dog, etc), before ending with the actual proposal, a sweet, candle-lit affair which ends up being reminiscent to Jim's proposal, with the sprinklers turning on.

The garage sale was great as well, with the office hijinks transported into a room with all these foreign objects. Andy, Darryl, and Kevin play the Dallas board game, and without rules they do whatever they want. The money in the pot gets stolen, however, and Kevin, after complaining several times about the rule bending, walks off--money in pocket. My favorite part was Dwight miraculously trading his way up to the most expensive object, starting with a simple tack. Even though he gets played by Jim's magnificent baiting of the magical legumes, Dwight is a total boss in the episode.

Score: 9.4/10

Preview of Week 3/20/11 - 3/26/11

Big Love - HBO, Sunday, March 20, 9:00pm ET

HBO's next big drama--if you consider it to be the spiritual successor to The Sopranos, The Wire, etc--comes to an end. Through the ups and downs of emotion and quality, Big Love has had five seasons worth of story, and it all comes down to a final episode. As an added bonus, Amanda Seyfried is returning.

The Office - NBC, Thursday, March 24, 9:00pm ET

The Office has been gone for a month, and this week's episode is the first of Steve Carell's final  four episodes.

Parks and Recreation - NBC, Thursday, March 24, 9:30pm ET

Like the pit, the Harvest Festival appeared to be the next big project. However, last week's already quickly pushed that idea out of the way, as the festival was up and running. So what's problem with plague the team now?

NBC renews Community, Parks and Recreation, and The Office

NBC renewed three of their Thursday comedies. While Parks and Recreation and The Office have been doing well, Community has averaged only 2.1 18-49 adults, according to the press release, but it's a reflection on the sad state of NBC.

It's worth noting that NBC has not renewed Outsourced or Perfect Couples, both of which have been struggling even relative to NBC shows. 30 Rock was already renewed last year.

Review - The Office Season 7 Episode 18 Todd Packer

Ugh... Packer. Thankfully, Packer isn't becoming a regular or anything of that sort, because he's not funny and just a pain when he's around. As a one time thing, like last week's episode, "Todd Packer" is fine, in my opinion. If the writers want to make a recurring character the center of a single episode, that's cool. I'm sure there are people who enjoy Packer and his antics more than I do.

Luckily, Pam had a big role in the episode which balanced out Packer. Using her position, she helps Andy get a new computer by telling him to destroy his old one. Apparently, Andy's new computer isn't that great either, leaving Pam with a big smile on her face for nefarious reasons.

Score: 8.6/10

Review - The Office Season 7 Episode 17 Threat Level Midnight

"Threat Level Midnight" isn't remotely realistic, but who cares? I don't expect The Office to be realistic or even striving to be realistic each week. The show is supposed to be a mockumentary, but if the writers want to go out of the box for one week and make a funny movie using the characters we know, I'm fine with that.

It was cool seeing Jan, Karen, and Roy again, and to be honest, the movie itself is funny, playing off James Bond themes in ridiculous fashion. Michael also acts fairly normal in the end, able to poke fun at himself and be happy with what he has.

Score: 8.9/10

Review - The Office (US) Season 7 Episode 16 PDA

I don't want to over-speculate, but now that Michael and Holly are together, it seems like Michael will no longer be a troublesome character. In "PDA," he's doing things no one in the office likes, constantly touching Holly, but it's not mean-spirited or exhaustingly illogical. It's love--and who doesn't think Michael and Holly are cute?

The episode also gave us some of the best Jim and Pam scenes since, like, forever. Like Michael and Holly, they're so great together! This Erin and Andy thing, unfortunately, is still moving at snail's pace. We know Gabe is a loser and Andy and Erin are drifting closer and close each episode, but it's kind of getting old at this point.

Score: 9.2/10

Review - The Office (US) Season 7 Episode 15 The Search

The thought on everyone's mind is how Michael will exit The Office. In mind, I can see him riding off in the sunset with Holly, content with what he's done in the paper business with this wacky crew and happy with his personal life.

"The Search" takes a step forward, reinitializing Michael's relationship with Holly and showing everyone they belong together. The plot consists of Holly, Dwight, and Erin looking around town for Michael, and doesn't have much dramatic tension. We see, however, that Holly instinctively knows where Michael is, because she thinks the same way as him. They kiss on the rooftop and that should be that. Michael and Holly are finally back together and ready to move on.

Back at the office, everyone gangs up on Gabe for being so touchy on the caption contest, so we get a slew of anti-Gabe jokes. It doesn't mean anything since no one likes Gabe anyway, but they were funny nonetheless.

Score: 8.5/10

Review - The Office Season 7 Episode 13 The Seminar

I'm really busy this week, so very short reviews only.

"The Seminar" doesn't really have a point other than giving individual characters individual funny moments. That's not really how scripted television, especially The Office, is supposed to work, but that's what the writers did this time around. The episode does fit in line with this season, offering nothing more than random, pointless office antics. The whole seminar scam won't go anywhere, Michael and Holly's characters probably won't return, and we know Andy will get together with Erin soon. The one nice surprise was Ricky Gervais showing up in the cold open (I haven't been paying attention to TV news lately, so it really caught me by surprise).

Score: 8.3/10