THE OFFICE (US) observations...

[Nerdius Maximus]

Michael just goes too far sometimes. NO ONE is THAT stupid, and in far too many episodes, he goes from the loveable idiot to just cringeworthy crap that you want to fast forward through...

I've had bosses as stupid as michael. The one that reminds me most of Michael was a guy named Dean who would pull everyone away from their work for long periods of time to have ridiculous meetings that accomplished nothing. He would talk and talk and talk, throwing his keys on the floor every time he was trying to make a point, and occasionally he would cry. He was eventually fired for fucking someone in the parking lot.

 

[comicbookwriter]

Again, comicbookwriter identifies with Michael Scott, an obvious tool, so his interpretation of events and motivations is amazingly suspect.

Joe, handy

Dude, that's the second unwarranted potshot you've taken at me and to be truthful, you are neither educated enough or insightful enough to make any kind of conclusion or estimation of my character and intelligence.

If anything, it shows that it is you who had missed my entire point. I see THE OFFICE as much more than an convenient excuse to serve as a plot device to move along a boring tale of star-crossed lovers. In your analysis, you are saying that if I didn't find that tale of Pam leading Jim along for 2 years as charming as you did, then I missed the point of the show. Or maybe that's what you were saying because your vaunted mental abilities were muted by your childish desire to insult me.

I never said I IDENTIFIED with the fictional Michael Scott character, I said that I don't find him as awful as his fellow co-workers who are all every bit as flawed as he might be. I just said that I felt that the staff was packed with judgmental hypocrites who like to use Michael as a barometer for their own absurd behaviors.

This was just a light-hearted thread about I show I enjoyed and you have twisted it into your own personal bitch-fest against me when I am not certain what it is I did to deserve this scorn?

Why must you be so violently disagreeable? Not getting enough attention from your make-believe girlfriend?

CBW

 

[Shatmandu]

Again, comicbookwriter identifies with Michael Scott, an obvious tool, so his interpretation of events and motivations is amazingly suspect.

Joe, handy

Dude, that's the second unwarranted potshot you've taken at me and to be truthful, you are neither educated enough or insightful enough to make any kind of conclusion or estimation of my character and intelligence.

If anything, it shows that it is you who had missed my entire point. I see THE OFFICE as much more than an convenient excuse to serve as a plot device to move along a boring tale of star-crossed lovers. In your analysis, you are saying that if I didn't find that tale of Pam leading Jim along for 2 years as charming as you did, then I missed the point of the show.

Actually, I'm saying that if you think Pam's intentions were devious, as you do, then your perceptions are suspect. Very suspect.

And if it's boring, why are you watching? If the characters are being smug when they react to Michael Scott acting infantile or sexually harassing someone, why would you watch?

Or maybe that's what you were saying because your vaunted mental abilities were muted by your childish desire to insult me.

I never said I IDENTIFIED with the fictional Michael Scott character, I said that I don't find him as awful as his fellow co-workers who are all every bit as flawed as he might be. I just said that I felt that the staff was packed with judgmental hypocrites who like to use Michael as a barometer for their own absurd behaviors.

This was just a light-hearted thread about I show I enjoyed and you have twisted it into your own personal bitch-fest against me when I am not certain what it is I did to deserve this scorn?

Persecution complex. Interesting.

I said you identified with Michael Scott, which in my opinion you do, and you interpret that to be "scorn" and, later, you ascribe violence to it? That's odd.

Me disagreeing with you isn't that bad a thing. It's life. It's odd that you think people who disagree with you are being violent.

Why must you be so violently disagreeable?

When you're arguing that your perception of events is fine, you shouldn't confirm that your perception of events is off, Mr. Scarn.



Joe, light-hearted

 

[Spot's Meow]

I think I'm sort of in the middle on this issue because although I don't really think that Jim, Pam, and the rest are smug or judgemental, I also was not really a fan of the whole Jim/Pam love plot. Love stories rarely interest me. There were some episodes that focused on it, but overall I don't think it was the main plot of the show. There were enough other stories and jokes that you could dislike the relationship stuff and still love the show. Though you'd never know it from the advertisements...they made it out to be the Jim and Pam Show every week. Luckily that wasn't the case.

 

[Top41]

comicbookwriter, Shatmandu, don't make take you into the conference room and hold a meeting about how to play nice. I will bring Dwight if I have to do that!

Let's stay on topic of the show and not get personal. Mose is watching.

I love this show, though I haven't been enjoying this season quite as much as previous ones. The stuff with Stanley talking about how coming back to work basically meant his death in the episode that followed the Superbowl was hilarious, though.

And Creed never fails to crack me up.

I like Jim and Pam together, and thought that the stuff with her dad in that same post-Superbowl episode was resolved in a really unexpected and incredibly romantic way.

 

[Dude]

Top41 still posts here?

 

[Chess Piece Face]

Maybe so...but if the writers want us to believe that Pam honestly didn't know what she was doing, that she didn't wake up at ANY POINT and think "this is shitty, what I am doing to Jim" - then they are even dumber than they have apparently written her character to be.

I believe it because I have known several women who have done the same thing. It's obvious to people on the outside that even though they are engaged/tied up with someone, they are attracted to someone else and being flirty with them. But they will vehemently deny it, saying, "No, we're only friends, you just don't understand our relationship. People can be close friends without being attracted to each other you know." And they honestly believe this. It seems to happen all the time. So yeah, I believe it.

When you put it this way, I believe it as well...it kind of proves my point though, that these theoretical women are dopey and are doing a selfish, awful thing, which is why I can't get behind Pam as a sympathetic character.

 

[Spot's Meow]

^Well I never said Pam was smart. She did fail art school.

 

[Chess Piece Face]

^Well I never said Pam was smart. She did fail art school.

Heh. But the thing is, I think the writers WANT us to think she is nice and reasonably intelligent, especially the way they have her make "hip" and "witty" comments about the others in the office. She's quick. I do believe she is supposed to be smart.

So either her behavior was dopey and unintentional, or she is smart enough to realize what she was doing and not care, which makes her cruel and selfish.

Can't get behind her, never will. Not until I see the episode where she apologizes to Jim for using him and leading him on while she was with Roy.

Other than that I have zero problems with her character. Chalk it up to bad writing then.

 

[T'Bonz]

You are misreading her. She did NOT "use and lead him on." She felt that they were friends. When he seemed to get too close to her, she backed him right off.

Pam thought that he was her good friend. She had no clue that she (or even he) felt more.

I'll be honest. I comprehend that. When I was in high school, I was like her. I thought I was friends with a guy. I didn't realize that I was nuts about him or that he reciprocated (even though I was free.) It took people telling me and him finally making a move before I finally got it. I think in my case I was afraid that it was too good to be true, so I rationalized it into "just friends." I was scared of rejection. In Pam's case, she can't see it because he's not allowed to feel more than friendship for him while she is still engaged to Roy.

I think Jim knew he had feelings for her, but also deluded himself that he and she could stay "Just friends." He usually didn't cross the line and if he slipped, she stopped him cold.

So he knew it more than she did. Yet I don't blame him. He did his best not to respond in an inappropriate way.