Undeclared – CliqueClack Flashback
Undeclared is the best show about school ever made. Cliqueclack Flashback = DONE.
Judd Apatow’s quickly-canceled college follow-up to his quickly-canceled high school series, Freaks and Geeks, was released my junior year of college. I hadn’t seen Freaks and Geeks at the time, so I had no idea who Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, or any of the other now-familiar faces in the cast were. I just knew that it was the funniest and most painfully-realistic portrayal of college life that I had ever seen.
The cast looked, dressed and sounded like actual college students– not 30-year-old hookers, which is a feat that has not been accomplished since. The guys were odd looking– a fact that was freely mentioned, and even the hot girls looked like normal hot college girls, not model/actresses. It was this realism that allowed the writing to shine and allowed the viewers to identify with every single thing these people were going through.
The Office – Requests, worker’s comp, and wedding headaches (Liveblog/chat)
It’s Thursday! Which means, of course, that it’s the most important day of the week, because there’s a new Office tonight, and things are due to start heating up. They already have on the interwebs, with Entertainment Weekly featuring Jenna Fischer and John Krasinski (sigh!) on their cover this week, in preparation for the hour-long upcoming wedding special in two weeks. (Spoiler alert! It’s super-adorable, as is the brief video interview they posted on their site.)
What crazy shenanigans are sure to ensue tonight? Check in with us at 9:00pm EST while we liveblog it all.
Are Jim and Pam good for The Office?
Right off the bat, I’d like to make it clear that I like Jim and Pam together. I was with all the rest of you warm-hearted fans as their relationship rode the rollercoaster of “will they or won’t they,” and I cheered both their secret relationship, their hidden engagement, and finally their plans to imminently wed (the ones that got canceled at the impromptu disco).
No, what I’m wondering is, once Jim and Pam get to the major intersections of life (marriage, children), do they still have a place on The Office? Think about it for a second; this is a show about office humor. Yes, the characters have become such strong individuals that they’ve been able to successfully roam into alternate territories, like beet farms, new houses, etc. But, ultimately, the show revolves around a bunch of people who work together in an office environment. Stanley’s not going to show up at Dwight’s beet farm with his crossword puzzle and a cup of coffee.
So, what happens next? Read the rest of this entry »
And I was expecting a wedding on The Office
Okay, not really. Maybe earlier in the season, but it became pretty clear that wasn’t going to happen. What we did get was a reunion of Michael and Holly which reaffirmed that there aren’t two people on the planet more suited for one another. Certainly no fully sane person would be able to be completely happy with either of them.
Well, maybe Holly because she seems a bit more grounded, but who else is there for Michael? The picnic was a fun diversion, as it showed us how petty and immature Charles Miner could be (I knew it), how clueless Michael remains capable of being (I knew it) and that Pam and Jim are ready for what’s next (that one I didn’t know).
Cupid’s sparrows and giant nets: love The Office way
It isn’t Valentine’s Day, but in light of the fact that The Office is filmed documentary style, I can forgive them being late on a holiday. In fact, you’d almost expect it. What an amazing episode, and with so very little happening. Pam and Jim went off with Phyllis and Bob for a couples extended lunch, while everybody else in the office stayed for a “Lonely Hearts” party. I never realized that everyone was now single save our favorite couple.
And I find myself torn on whether I like single Michael better or involved Michael. Michael and Jan was a train wreck, but it made for some classic moments. Michael and Holly were so perfect together it was wonderful to see, but then Michael is at his most awkward best when things aren’t going well for him. In this episode, though, Michael got to grow a little and that doesn’t happen too often.
The Office – Pam and Karen seek closure, Michael seeks … Holly?
Maybe this two-parter should have been the post-Super Bowl episode. Sure I’ve only seen half of it, but damn was this a fine episode of The Office. IMDB tells me that our very own Kelly Kapoor (Mindy Kaling) wrote this one so hats off to her.
We had the lecture circuit itself with Pam and Michael touring the local Dunder-Mifflin offices so Michael can give a lecture to the branches about what makes good sales. Apparently, David Wallace didn’t learn much when he had Michael come into corporate to try and explain his wizardry in leading the sales leader for the company. Instead, what we got was a funny lecture, but even more importantly a truly sweet and emotionally mature experience between Pam and Karen (remember her!) and then Pam and Michael.
The roast of Michael Scott
“I knew exactly what to do, but in a much more real sense I had no idea what to do.” — Michael Scott (Doesn’t that pretty much sum up Michael Scott in one sentence?)
First of all, I think we all know that Michael is way too sensitive to survive a roast, and this one wasn’t even as scathing as some of the ones we’ve seen. Does that make it even more mean-spirited that the rest of the team went ahead and threw him under the bus? Surely they knew he would be devastated by their comments.
I’m incredibly disappointed that we didn’t get to see Creed roast the maestro. I can’t say for sure he would have been any better than what we did see, but more Creed is always a good thing. Still, there were some good digs, particularly from Pam and Andy. iPod Shuffle? Ouch!
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