Build-Up to The Office Finale

[shivkala]

I remembering visiting the Cornell Campus and being shown where the students jump off (I think it was a bridge, it was over 15 years ago I visited). It was an odd thing to see on a campus tour!

As for Jim and Pam, yes it is a cheesy way to end the story line, if it is indeed intended to be the end. But, here's the thing, I'd much rather have them resolve this in a cheesy fashion than to prolong it.

 

[the G-man]

I remembering visiting the Cornell Campus and being shown where the students jump off (I think it was a bridge, it was over 15 years ago I visited). It was an odd thing to see on a campus tour!

It was probably the suspension bridge.

Ithaca, Cornell's home town, is very hilly and full of gorges. So all the bridges at this point have either fences or nets around them to prevent jumpers.

Heh. Here's a thought: Ithaca is only about two hours from Scranton. In the final episode, Andy could go back to Cornell and "gorge out" over losing Erin.

 

[shivkala]

^
Yeah, that sounds right.

I think the thing about Andy is that I don't care what happens to him.

 

[Yoda]

Andy jumping to his death in the finale and everyone just shrugging when they hear the news? I'm in! Office writers make it happen.

 

[Squiggy]

Andy jumping to his death in the finale and everyone just shrugging when they hear the news? I'm in! Office writers make it happen.

It's already been in the can for about a month.

 

[J.T.B.]

It did not seem realistic.

Because it's a sit-com.

Right, which is why they shouldn't have forced in that "drama" plotline to begin with. The whole thing seemed contrived to gin up interest after Carrell leaving and the show losing focus, and the resolution was too convenient. I would have much preferred they followed the Seinfeld rule, "No hugging, no learning."

And BTW, the documentary production is supposed to have sat on its footage for over ten years before doing anything with it? Doesn't seem likely.

 

[trekkiebaggio]

It would be interesting to see the finished documentary, it would be a natural way to do a clip show.

 

[1001001]

I agree with others who have commented on Andy. His character just seems all over the place. There's really no defining narrative for him.

The paper airplane contest was pretty good.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

It's a sit-com that tries to sell itself as cynical realism, so I think 'Not realistic' is a fair criticism. I think the worst episodes in the series are the least realistic ones. Like, the one where Michael promised to pay for all those kids' college educations is easily the worst of series, IMO.

But I do like the way they're writing the Jim-Pam storyline. It's always been clear in Jim's character: He hates his job and the only reason he didn't quit a long time ago is he loves hanging out with Pam. So it makes total sense that he would hop at the chance for a more exciting job he's passionate about. And I don't think the ending of that episode means the end of their relationship problems. The ending of that episode was both of them seeing their marriage slip away from them and fighting not to let it go. Some of the tension was released but they're still in the same position: He started a business in Philadelphia and she doesn't want to go there.

But it is true, the storyline is explicitly designed to be audience-torture, and it's not funny.

 

[DanCPA]

The Office needs a mulligan on the last few episodes. I get that they tried setting up a spin-off for Dwight that didn't work out... I get that they are having some fun with Andy. But it's caused a train-wreck. The best episodes are the ones with the human touch... and those are lacking.

Jim and Pam's marriage will end in divorce... just will not happen on screen

 

[Mr Light]

The ending of "Paper Airplanes" made me cry too. I really, really don't like how they're driving Jim and Pam apart and making Jim into an asshole, so that little moment really worked for me. If that story has a bad ending I'm going to be really pissed.

And yeah, they just turned Andy into an asshole this year and it really sucks. And this whole actor thing is just stupid. It does feel like a bad Michael Scott rerun.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

The writers have been schizophrenic in the way they've written Andy. They brought him on as an annoying 'bad guy'. Then they ended the Angela thing in a way that made him sympathetic, Erin came along and he became the 'good guy'. Then he was the friendly underdog when he was boss. Then they randomly decided to make him a psychotically unstable jerk this season.

I don't think Jim was being an asshole except that he didn't tell Pam when he first took the job. Otherwise, he was just pursuing a professional goal which unfortunately made things difficult for his family. They did resolve their issues a little too fast, they should have had to actually talk about the job first.

I don't think Jim & Pam would get divorced. It's not the couples who fight who get divorced, it's the couples who avoid each other.

Why did they have Andy disappear for months, was it a plot necessity because Ed Helms was filming a movie? If so why didn't they just have Andy have to leave for some sane reason?

 

[1001001]

They're not going to have Pam and Jim divorce. That would undermine the entire emotional backbone of the series.

Now we have Dwight the Black Belt in charge, with Andy staying as a salesman. I'm okay with Dwight being the boss I guess.

Angela's thing is a little weird. Hard to understand why she's so poor. She should take the Senator for everything he has. Now she's drinking, filthy, and living with Oscar?

I still can't quite figure out what Donna Noble is doing there. That whole thing is just weird too.

 

[Yoda]

Andy's not staying as a salesman... remember? He went Cortez-fleet-scuttling-mode and took a dump on David Wallace's car.

 

[1001001]

Andy's not staying as a salesman... remember? He went Cortez-fleet-scuttling-mode and took a dump on David Wallace's car.

HA! That's right. I must have been drunker than I thought when I watched that episode.



Andy squatting on his car did make me laugh.

 

[the G-man]

Angela's thing is a little weird. Hard to understand why she's so poor. She should take the Senator for everything he has...

She's both arrogant and naive enough to have signed a prenup, thinking the marriage would last forever and a prenup was somehow necessary for the Senator's political career.

 

[Mr Light]

That was a wonderful episode and almost felt like the series finale. I'm so glad that Jim and Pam are back to being sappy happy again. We basically got a series wrap for Jim, Pam, Andy, Dwight, Angela, and Oscar in this one, wow!

Still don't like what they did with Andy in the end.

Why is everyone so happy to have Dwight as boss, when he was a complete psycho the one time he was briefly in charge?????

 

[the G-man]

Stranded star blasts airline

• 
  “The Office” star Rainn Wilson raged against US Airways after his flight to Scranton, Pa., from Philadelphia took off 10 minutes before its scheduled departure time yesterday, leaving him and his castmates stranded on their way to the show’s fan-wrap party.
  
  “So @USAirways just screwed me & half the cast of The Office,” Wilson ranted last night on Twitter. “Flight left BEFORE departure time. Sorry Scranton won’t see u til [Saturday].”
  
  Wilson and the cast were headed to Scranton for a daylong “Office” wrap party for fans today. The long-running NBC series’ final episode will air on May 16 after nine seasons. “The Office” is set in a fictional paper company in Scranton...
  
  The crew was ready to take to the road. “We’re being forced to rent cars and drive to Scranton . . . Does the CEO of @USAirways want to join us? I will fondle him angrily,” Wilson tweeted...I’m going to take a dump on a @USAirways plane’s windshield. In the shape of the @Delta logo,”

I completely sympathize with his frustration but his reaction seems kind of psycho. Though it could be he was channeling Dwight.

 

[Mr Light]

You're supposed to arrive 90 minutes before the scheduled departure time

 

[Venardhi]

You're supposed to arrive 90 minutes before the scheduled departure time

As long as you're at the gate before departure time there is no reason to expect you wouldn't be on that flight. It is a dick move for the airlines and worth getting pissed about. If they wanted the flight to leave sooner then they should have scheduled the flight to leave sooner.