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Hercules Has Seen Sunday’s Alba-Enhanced SUPER BOWL Edition Of NBC’s THE OFFICE!!
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The Office 5.13 FAQ
What’s it called?
“Stress Relief.”
Who’s responsible?
Teleplay is credited to Paul Lieberstein (“Goodbye, Toby”).
What says NBC?
“After Dwight's (Rainn Wilson) fire safety seminar goes awry, he must make amends to the stressed-out office. Michael (Steve Carell) tries a number of ways to get his employees to relax before discovering that he is the number one stressor at work. So that people won't feel afraid of him, he insists on a no-holds-barred roast of himself. Also, while watching a pirated movie, Andy (Ed Helms) is convinced that Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer) are film gurus.”
Do Jack Black, Jessica Alba and Cloris Leachman star in the pirated movie?
They do.
What is the pirated movie’s title?
“Mrs. Albert Hannaday.” (I might be off on the spelling.)
What is the pirated movie about?
It’s a dramatic, reverse take on “The Graduate” about a man who falls for his girlfriend’s grandmother.
Is the fake Jack Black movie hilarity itself?
As a fan of Black, Alba and Leachman, I declare their segments the episode’s weakest components. The good news is their appearances are brief in the extreme. (Alba’s contribution is particularly fleeting.)
Do Jim and Pam trick Andy into making him think they’re film gurus?
No. Andy is just unusually susceptible to confusion.
Is this the best “Office” ever?
I judge it to be one of the spottier installments of the series. (NBC Universal executives – none of whom make their livings as comedy writers – might have applied their management skills more aggressively to this one.) But “Office” episodes are notoriously polarizing. My advice? Those who lower their expectations will derive the most enjoyment. And there is enjoyment to be had. It’s just no “Benihana Christmas.”
What’s good?
Dwight’s stubborn refusal to accept blame for the mayhem he precipitates. Michael’s effort to literally switch sides. Michael wandering around his stress relief seminar waving hot wax over everyone’s faces. “PETA.” “Until you’re back on your feet.” “Do we bother resuscitating them?” “Get your facts straight.”
What’s not so good?
The disappointingly flat (when not outright confusing) pirated-movie scenes, the bulk of which would have landed on the cutting-room floor had no guest stars been involved. Dwight’s quest for signatures. An unfunny subplot centering on Pam and an uncharacteristically dweeby Jim. The shockingly low laugh-per-minute ratio in the episode’s depressing roast-centric second half.
How does it end, spoiler-boy?
Jack Black’s posies hit the pavement.
Broadcasting & Cable says:
… Problem is, it’s over-designed. In trying to please most of the people most of the time, this episode partly betrays the low-key approach that has defined it from the start …
The New York Daily News says:
… a good episode of a good show …
The Boston Herald says:
… Unfortunately, executive producer/writer Paul Lieberstein (who also plays sad sack HR rep Toby) froze under pressure. … It would be fine for any other sitcom to play its characters this broadly (cough, “30 Rock,” cough), but this is “The Office,” dagnabbit. …
The Newark Star-Ledger says:
… one of the best "Office"s to date. …
The Knoxville News-Sentinel says:
… This particular visit to "The Office" doesn't pop like most episodes. … this charming comedy is usually much better than this. …
Newsday says:
… The episode is largely brilliant, and includes some of the most inspired bits/lines in the show's run. (Do not miss the opening sequence.) …
zap2it.com says:
… The remote to TV disappointment is paved with high expectations. … I was hoping for an episode like "Casino Night" or "A Benihana Christmas" but the hour fell far short of those peaks of hilarity. … Sure there are laugh out loud moments – the uproarious opening sequence will definitely keep people’s attention and I’m still giggling about a comment Michael (Steve Carell) makes about You Tube – but the hour rambles from plot point to plot point without ever fully developing any one theme. …
Variety says:
… despite a strong second half, this hourlong episode doesn't rise to the suds-soaked occasion …
10 p.m. Sunday. NBC.
1910 In 2009!!
Don’t Fear The Meld!!
Don’t Fear The Meld!!
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expectations have been lowered...
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She nearly lost the part.
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But I'd be a lot more impressed if you'd already seen the Superbowl.
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Only if she's naked. At some point, she'll have to drop trou, to either resuscitate a moribund career, or get a shot at a gold statue that would otherwise be way out of her reach.
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Feb 01, 2009 5:24:46 AM CST
Jessica Alba looks like such a pain In the ass sourpuss'
by boomers_lips
the bitch can't ever crack a smile. I don't care how pretty she thinks she is, I would not fuck her in her mouth, in her pussy or in her add even if she begged me too! BTW, she says she is now a Latina.
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not in her add! Damn iPhone!
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is mint. And you are a fucking liar Boomers...
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Feb 01, 2009 10:25:05 AM CST
Crap. It sounds like another broad, slapstick episode.
by orbots commander
Oh, The Office. How do you so build up my expectations one week, and grind them under your stiletto heel the very next week.
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The Cardinals Win!!!
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That's called a stunt! A gimmick! They're supposed to talk about it, not show it. I'm going to watch it anyway.
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Sigh. I guess we'll always have season 2 on DVD.
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Seasons 1-3 had a great tone. Similarly low-key and down to Earth, like it's British counterpart, yet still original and something we could be proud of.
Season 4 and on have been catering to the lowest common denominator and letting Steve Carell do too much improv (and Michael Scott by extension, has become too wacky and misguided).
As a huge fan, this has been disappointing. -
its lost the tension, the uncomfortableness, that spark of "man these people are fucked up" you used to feeel when you watched, and also the timing. It all seems very sleepy, the characters have all been laid bear at this point, we know what drives most of them , so they are now just pathetic and endearing, rather than hilarious and frightening. This is one of my favorite shows ever, ive seen every episode about tn times each, but maybe if they cant get it back its time to call it quits. god knows we dont want another simpsons on our hands.
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was goddamn brilliant . The Deposition ,Dinner Party , and Did I Stutter are three of the greatest things to ever grace a television screen.
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Part of what made Kevin great to begin with was how monotonous and dull his character was. In my opinion he's become far too animated and flamboyant. Much like the show itself, I still love the guy, but he feels like a shell of what he once was.
Hopefully they can get the show back to its former glory. I have faith that they can, but not necessarily that they will. I thought the first two episodes of this season were spectacular. And not many things can top Jim's discussion with Andy about Dumbledore Calrissian, haha. -
And the others are finally getting credited too, according to the opening credits.
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And BJ Novak is still in them? Hmm...
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Oh yeah. Nice.
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Michael Scott is just too stupid. Its more painful than funny to me. I saw the beginning of this episode and Dwight seemed the same way now. I tuned out after they brought out the wheelchair.
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Great episode. Surely not the best ever, but had some great moments. The fire. The roast. Michael throwing bread in the park.
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I thought it was a gem of an episode. Too broad in the beginning, but ended strong. I even liked Jack Black's role.
Hey, didn't Herc say the best comedy on TV is Chuck or something equally ridiculous? -
... but otherwise average. Nothing special but not completely sucky.
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Then we could get 100% comedy, no bad romance novel subplots.
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This episode was living proof that you have absolutely no idea what is funny at all. That was hilarious. Quit taking cues from fucking Variety.
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The opening was way too broad and over the top---but ya know, me and the remaining stragglers from the Super Bowl party laughed pretty hard.
Great line: "Obama is President! Stanley you're black!"
The cat falling through the roof was pretty funny too.
What was grating? The whole Jim & Pam and Pam's dad plot. That was painful. That romance is played out and tired.
BTW, Arizona really blew it, eh? They had the win in reach, but their defense SUCKS. -
A good show squandering the prime post-Super Bowl spot with an unusually bad episode. How does this happen? Who is making the bad calls that could end up being a shark in the fridge moment? And, BTW, the roast photo of Steve Carell reminds me that the characters are now too attractive. Pam should look "plain Jane girl-next door." Angela should look like a stereotypical librarian.
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Someone says something unintentionally funny? Cut to Jim making a face (haha!) Uh oh, Pam is upset? Cut to Jim's sad face (awwwww...)
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The panic in the fire escape, HILARIOUS. Overall good, but yeah the pirated movie was so-so at best and the Pam family issues was not a spirit lifter
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it has given birth to the internet discussion board/forum. which, by extension, has let people from all over the world voice any and all opinions they have to complete strangers. its liberating, hilarious and infuriating...often all at once. we have in this talkback a beautiful example above posted by Boomers_Lips who claims he wouldnt fuck any opening, concealed or otherwise, belonging to jessica alba. apart from being an absolute pig of a man and a disgusting liar i have only one thought: did he type that with a straight face? surely he must be having a lend. the fact someone would even think that, let alone voice it, is why i love the internet. if jessica alba cockteased me by looking at me from across the room id go into a cathartic fit.
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Take your nose out of the cocaine filled bimbo cleavage it's presently buried in and shake this shit up before the show loses what made it great. Holly's character injected something into the show because she was fresh and not familiar. I think what The Office is going to need is some more new staff that resemble people we all work with. There's only so much more we can do with the characters that have been established. As someone said earlier, they have all been stripped bare at various points. I think a couple of key firings and hirings within the the office would create a sensational new dynamic. Say we lost Phyliss, Oscar, Stanley, etc...just those main background players and filled in with some fucked up interesting people who are familiar types we've all encountered w/in an office environment...it would give the show some juice. It's time to kill some babies and get rid of some of the comfy pillows in the background. Andy is still here and paying off because he was new, different and very interesting. A lot of the other people in the office are just wallpaper now. The show is "meh". We've been there/done that already.
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Jim knocked up Karen?
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Had to stop to pick myself up off the floor after Angela's botched cat rescue...the quick cut to Kevin "rescuing" the snacks was a little too much to handle.
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Okay, you guys are in love and still flirt with each other. WE GET IT! These two aren't even enjoyable to watch anymore. Totally dragging down the show.
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I thought the writers made a great decision in writing off Holly (who was announced very early on as only being in six eps anyway) since you know...the last time Michael dated someone in the company she went insane. The Jim/Pam stuff still manages to be touching. Even after "Prince Family Paper" (which was strictly trying to be funny and had NO interpersonal conflicts whatsoever) made me doubt the possibility of this Sunday being hilarious. I thought this was absolutely the best of season five, with "Frame Toby" and "Customer Survey" coming in 2nd and 3rd. I guess I'm just too flexible when it comes to this show's humor. The opening was very broad...I mean Oscar escaping through the ceiling to get help? The cat? The copier as a battering ram? That's not subtle. But I couldn't stop laughing. Andy's tears/confusion at Jim and Pam's comments during the Jack Black flick "They...they had breakfast? The cereal?" Just as funny. It had just enough touching moments too, with Michael being heartbroken post-roast both absurd and sad, and Jim and Pam's little spat ending up being very sweet. The hour-longs always manage to lift the show. Dwight had the best moments during his meetings with David Wallace, his final ploy to get Phyllis to sign his apology, and just the depraved look on his face when he's heating up the doorknobs. They got it right this time and it gives me high hopes for Thursday.
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I still like this show, but... the biggest problem is what Dwight did. Over the years the fact that Michael hasn't been fired has been complaint of people, but that was for the sake of the TV series. But the idea that after the fire incident Dwight was not fired is just ridiculous. He terrorized the staff. Stanley had a heart attack! This has become the most outrageous case of "not firing" on the show by far. Almost inexcusable.As for Jim and Pam, I still prefer these kinds of stories to watching them break up and get back together over silly misunderstandings. I've on this board praised the writers for making a point that they won't go down that road with these characters. But it seems to me that now they're obsessively making this point, where every plotline is designed to make you think that's what they're going to do, and then they don't. "See? See? It's not Ross and Rachel! See?" Yes, we get it. Kudos. Now, move on.The craziness must be toned back down. both episodes gave us crazy scenes with lots of characters getting upset. And the "Staying Alive" bit should have gone no farther than Andy singing and then trailing off uncomfortably. The joining in and dancing makes all of the characters as insane as Michael and Dwight. This show is in danger of resembling Reno 911 too much.
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Best part of that was Michael singing the first few lines of "I Will Survive" at first. The non-firing has gotten a little absurd. Holly is transferred for hiding a relationship, Jan is fired for "erratic behavior"...but Dwight is kept despite starting a fire and causing a heart attack. At least they had a meeting at corporate. I fully expected the episode to just carry on as usual after the fire drill. I do think that the writers (poorly) tried to justify Wallace's constant nonintervention/giving Michael free reign by the fact that his branch is prospering despite the state of the economy.
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show some respect people.
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some great reacton shots of him.
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...made me turn on the British Office and watch a good episode afterwards. This show used to be subtle, it used to be NORMAL, at least that's what it started out as. Just some good characters in an Office. Now the show is just different, and even though I found parts of last night hilarious, it's just not the same show. I'll stick with it, but I'll always long for the original and Season Two of the American one.
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The first 10 minutes (while broad) were pretty hilarious. But this was an ill advised move to place this show after the Superbowl. It's not going to help a show (that's in year 5) to gain viewership. They should have given the spot to 30 Rock, Chuck, or even had Fuller pen a special Heroes that really rebooted the series ala Alias' post Superbowl episode. They needed something that would hold your attention. And with a show like The Office that has a lot awkward pauses, it's a momentum killer.
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It's what I used to love about this show. Not throwing household pets for a laugh. That's sitcom shit. The subtlety made small doses of that even funnier. But now it's the whole show.
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Jenna Fischer is super adorable, evidenced by Office Seasons 1-4 and her talk show appearances, yet the writers are in the process of turning Pam Beesley into some annoying ball-buster who pushes Jim around.
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someone called it months ago when the summary was released, i dont remember who it was, but they pretty much nailed what would happen ( michael ending up in tears, etc.)
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My girlfriend made a really good point after the show that that scene provided the perfect (missed) opportunity to for once openly acknowledge the alleged "documentary" being filmed at Dunder Mifflin. If they would've plainly stated that this series is being shown on TV somewhere, or will finally begin to be soon, it would have been easy to write off Dwight's continued employment (as well as bringing back Ryan, for that matter) as the company's way of making certain allowances to keep around characters that are essential to the show's entertainment value. It would have made perfect sense, too — a company on hard times, desperate to hold on to the added exposure from reality TV. Instead, I guess we have to assume this camera crew is being financed by some creepy, voyeuristic billionaire or something.
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opening title sequence.....which i hated.
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best moment in the entire hour
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the 3D Chuck in place of The Office? People have the glasses, perhaps. And Chuck could use the exposure. The star cameos were the biggest waste I've ever seen on a network show. At least post-Super Bowl Friends had Julia Roberts cast as part of the plot.
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Corporate fires Dwight. Michael decides he is not going to let this happen and Dwight will still have his job. They decide to hire Mose in Dwight's place and use his identity to keep Dwight employed. They tell Toby that Dwight was a victim of identity theft and he is legally changing his name and info to Mose's. Dwight/Mose wins the sales contest and the reward was a trip to NYC and a chance to do a presentation to corporate. They have no choice but to send Mose which goes awry. Dwight steps up and admits what they've done and tells corporate he just loves his job so much and loves selling paper so much he did this. Corporate lets Dwight have his job back under probation. Michael, for going along with this, gets demoted to sales and Jim is promoted to Michael's position. Michael becomes the salesman who wants to bring Jim down and Michael and Dwight try to destroy the office to make Jim look bad. Bam. There's the rest of your season.
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a genius.
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Then 'PETA's off...
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Don't forget -- Dwight has been established as an AMAZING salesperson. In this economy, employers aren't going to fire someone that's bring in that much money, especially at the only branch that's doing well.
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JIM: You're 6'11" and weigh 90lbs. Gumby has a better bosy than you
Stanly: You crush your wife during sex and your heart sucks
Phyllis: You've had sex with so many men you're beginning to look like one
Oscar: Gay! -
Oscar: Gay!
Andy: More gay than Oscar! -
BOOM roatsed.
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So Pam has the revelation for Jim that what he said caused his parents to split up (oh no!) but surprise it was actually something sweet (oh good!). Haven't we seen this before? Like when we are supposed to think Pam is going to freak out about the house (oh no!), but instead she is happy (oh good!). Or when Jim and Pam are fighting about not being able to meet (oh no!), and Jim proposes (oh good!). Or when we think Pam is going to stay at art school (oh no!), but she decides to come home (oh good!).
Always the same thing. We are meant to think that there is going to be some kind of problem in their relationship, but then it surprisingly turns out to be fine at the end. This last time was especially contrived though since Pam had no reason to word things in such as assholish way to Jim there. "My parents are splitting up and it's all your fault" (pause for dramatic effect).
Still a good show, just observing. -
make me sad when i think about how bad that episode was. It took like three sittings...god i guess it was pandering to a big post-superbowl crowd but still, it was just too over the top. I hope next week we see a return to normalcy, especially the opening credits.
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Wow that's some interesting speculation. That could actually explain several things about the series away. I just watched it again earlier and it's just as grounded as it is over the top. What was most over the top about this one was everyone's expectations. As for how sick most people here are of Pam and Jim? I'm happy with where they are right now. There's no will they/won't they. I have a feeling the wedding will even be held off screen. And I hate to use the tired argument of "that's the way things are"...but tiny bumps that throw a relationship off track and then resolve just as quickly are pretty normal. That subplot was less than 25% of the story even.
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The part where Dwight tried to harvest the organs had me in stitches. And Michael roasting everyone? I loved it. However the pirated movie was a bit much.
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but it wasn't even remotely the same show. I'm becoming okay with the fact that it probably wont be the same next week. Oh and again....if your reading this jeff daniels, please change the opening titles back.
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Kind of hard to follow up that insanity, you know? Biggest other laugh I had was when Bernard started singing "Stayin' Alive" and there's a quick-pan out to Kelly dancing like she's at a rave. Anybody else notice they changed the main titles in this ep to have shots of the supporting cast?
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from Commentary!: The Musical from Dr. Horrible
NOBODY’S ASIAN IN THE MOVIES
NOBODY’S ASIAN ON TV
IF THERE IS A PART THERE FOR US
IT’S A NINJA, A PHYSICIAN
OR A GOOFY MATHEMATICIAN
OR A GROUPIE IN THE CHORUS
THAT’S ME
WHO DO THEY WANT BEFORE THEY WANT AN ASIAN?
A MEXICAN
WHO DO THEY WANT BEFORE THEY WANT AN ASIAN?
A BLACK
WHO DO THEY WANT BEFORE THEY WANT AN ASIAN?
A PERSIAN, OR A CAJUN, OR AN INDIAN
OR AN AMERICAN-INDIAN PLAYED BY A MEXICAN
OR IF YOU’RE LUCKY SOMEONE ASIAN
LIKE ME -
If they had bigger parts, that would have been the most jarring thing ever. I cringe at the idea of seeing Jack Black or Jessica Alba playing a new hire, or some retarded shit. They're too big of stars next to the Office cast. You non-Office fans who wanted to see your precious famous faces and were disappointed can suck it. This ain't Friends, motherfuckers.
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I haven't watched it since the first episode this season, which I found tedious and boring. I got to the point where Michael encourages Stanley to speak up or something in a meeting and I changed the channel. It's just a boring, stupid show that isn't going anywhere. I think Paul Feig has something to do with this.
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I haven't watched it since the first episode this season, which I found tedious and boring. I got to the point where Michael encourages Stanley to speak up or something in a meeting and I changed the channel. It's just a boring, stupid show that isn't going anywhere. I think Paul Feig has something to do with this.
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Yeah, the CPR scenes was actually the part that made me keep pausing because of much laughter. Cutting the face off was a bit much, but when Dwight cut it open to harvest the 'precious, precious heart' I was rolling.
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