The Office Season 4

[Butter]

Break me off a piece of that hmm hmm hmm.... what is that?

Foot-ball cream.
Fan-cy feast.

[terpkristin]

Have I mentioned that I hate that I can no longer get The Office on iTMS? I've been insanely busy lately, working long hours and getting home late, I've missed the last 2 episodes.

/tk

[Crapshoot]

Originally Posted by terpkristin

Have I mentioned that I hate that I can no longer get The Office on iTMS? I've been insanely busy lately, working long hours and getting home late, I've missed the last 2 episodes.

/tk

DVR/Tivo. I've never used Itunes, and don't intend to.

[terpkristin]

Originally Posted by Crapshoot

DVR/Tivo. I've never used Itunes, and don't intend to.

Until I move out of this apartment, neither is an option unless I build one myself (a la making a DIY Tivo from a Windoze Media PC). I can't get landline cable in here and would have to buy a "special" package for DirecTV (per some stupid agreement my apartment complex has with them) but I couldn't mount the dish in a good place, as my apartment really faces the wrong way. What I have is basically like hotel cable. The complex gets DTV and pushes it out to the apartments for 45/month. I get a lot of channels I want (including Fox Soccer and 4 HBO's), but I don't get the nifty toys. And my DVD recorder has died (2nd one that's died on me) and I don't really plan on getting a VCR (tapes?!), so my options are somewhat limited.

I prefer iTunes, as it means I can take it the stuff on my iPod and play it to my TV via one of my dock sets, instead of being forced to watch it on my computer screen. I just prefer not to download things via BT, and don't mind paying for the stuff, just that NBC is doing their own thing now which I'm not interested in even remotely. Alas. I'll have to wait for it to get rerun or see if someone else grabbed it off a torrent.

/tk

[Passacaglia]

VCR?

[ISiddiqui]

If you missed the episode, go here:

http://www.nbc.com/The_Office/video/episodes.shtml

[saldana]

first thing i did this morning was call one of my friends that watches this show and asked him to clear my phone lines...you could hear the two of us laughing all the way around the office.

[Crapshoot]

Originally Posted by saldana

first thing i did this morning was call one of my friends that watches this show and asked him to clear my phone lines...you could hear the two of us laughing all the way around the office.

I forgot that. That, Jim with the 2nd life bit, and Jim with the whole "arm around Pam" when the guy asks about bikes - all made me laugh. Its good to see him get beyond the looks, which are pretty good by themselves.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Crapshoot

No one? That was frigging awesome, and I nearly spit out my coke when I heard Angela's line "I don't like been titillated". And Michael's commercial, with Stanley in particular - really enjoyable.

I just watched this and there were so many great lines, but no one and Angela's lines were my favorites.

[RainMaker]

It's fairly subtle, but the jokes Michael makes about Oscar are hilarious.

"Oscar will do costumes.....obviously"

[Raiders Army]

Coup.

[Neon_Chaos]

The commerical actually wasn't half bad. It was cute and edearing.




I know something about acting in commercials. When I was a kid, people called me Mr. Kool Aide.

*face*

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

[Eaglesfan27]

"Mo' money, mo' problems"

"I cut my penis on the lid"

"The eyes are the groin of the head"

"Come on Jim, just climb on top of her and think of Stanley"


LMAO.

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

"Mo' money, mo' problems"

"I cut my penis on the lid"

"The eyes are the groin of the head"

"Come on Jim, just climb on top of her and think of Stanley"


LMAO.

Bottom three were great lines. Mo' money, mo' problems...meh. Michael's said that before.

[ISiddiqui]

"Aside from having sex with a man, the Finer Things Club is the gayest thing I've ever done"

LOL!

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

"Aside from having sex with a man, the Finer Things Club is the gayest thing I've ever done"

LOL!

That too!

[Andiamo]

Those are ALL awesome, and I must add:

And if we have to defend ourselves, I will stab the security guard in the eye, with the jumbo chalk.
No! No you won't do that. Nope.
Then I'll grind up the jumbo chalk and blow it in his eyes.

Wanted, middle-aged black man with sass. Big butt, bigger heart... I can't, do this.

GREAT EPISODE

[samifan24]

I thought tonight's ep was the best thus far this season.

[Jas_lov]

Originally Posted by samifan24

I thought tonight's ep was the best thus far this season.

Are you serious? I thought it was the weakest! Some good parts, but the episode just seemed thrown together to build up to that final scene with Michael and Jim which was the saving grace of the episode. Michael out in the woods and the birthday thing were lame. Very mediocre!

[ISiddiqui]

That episode was AWESOME! OMG, when Phyllis called Jim, "Michael" I DIED laughing. That was just so great.

Jim basically turning into Michael, even taking his office, was incredibly amusing.

[Raiders Army]

Great episode, but not one of the best. The part where Michael surprised people on their birthday was pretty funny.

[samifan24]

Originally Posted by Jas_lov

Are you serious? I thought it was the weakest!

To each his own. I found myself laughing more during tonight's episode than the last couple of episodes combined. In fact, I was afraid that I was starting to lose interest in the show but tonight's episode brought it back for me.

[Raiders Army]

Tell her it's for Creed. She'll know what that means.

[saldana]

jim doing the "thats what she said" line was classic, as was michael suprising everyone on their birthday.

the thing in the woods was ok...it was subtley funny...the cutting off of the pant legs while he was still wearing them...the fact that the time index on the tape showed 58 minutes remaining when he started, and then 3 remaining when he was done cutting the pants apart...then a new tape was in the next time when he had taped his suit back together...basically just showing that he hadnt moved an inch the entire time he was out there.

[ISiddiqui]

I loved the whole duct taping the pant legs back when he got cold. And Dwight tackling Michael when he tried to eat the mushrooms. Though the best part in the woods was Dwight looking at Michael through the scope of his rifle and then realizing the safety wasn't on .

[Butter]

The episode had its moments, but it wasn't quite up to the quality of the last few overall.

[Miller Time]

Not sure if this has been posted, but found it on Jenna Fischer's blog. Looks like it'll be awhile until we see any new episodes.

hxxp://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=27753303&blogID=326434607



Understanding the Strike

By now you may have heard that The Office has shut down production. This is true. They cleaned out my trailer and just delivered me 3 boxes of my stuff. It is pretty surreal. We cannot produce new episodes of The Office until the Writer's Guild strike is over.



You might be confused about the issues of the strike and I'm hoping that this blog can make it a bit clearer. (I should probably tell you that I support my head writer/producer Greg Daniels and the writing staff of The Office in their decision to strike.)



The big issue in this negotiation involves the internet. If you go to NBC.com right now, you can watch an episode The Office for free. The network runs advertisements while you're watching it, which gives them an extra source of revenue. The actors, writers, producers and director, the people who created the content you are watching, are not compensated in any way for this.



The Writer's Guild has taken the position that the writers should receive residuals if the show re-airs on the internet just like they receive residuals if it re-airs on television since in both cases the studios are making money. The issue is a huge deal, because the internet is clearly where the future of entertainment lies.



Right now, a number of successful shows (like Lost for one) have stopped showing repeat episodes on TV at all, and have replaced them with ad-supported streaming video on their websites. If you're a Lost writer, or actor, or director, or a teamster that's no residuals at all for that show, and that's a big pay cut. We all count on the extra income that residuals provide as it can help us through a slump in our career when we aren't working as regularly. It is our safety net. In 10 years I may need those residual checks to cover my electric bill. You never know. Hollywood is a fickle town. If in 10 years, everything is rerun on the internet, the current union contracts say the studios don't have to pay us a dime. And, I'll be sitting in the dark.



I hope that helped to explain things a little. For more…

[Miller Time]

Meant to include this last part.

Oh...there are only 2 unaired original episodes of The Office left. And, I'm sad to say the one we were getting ready to shoot was going to be the funniest of the year. I'm sure of it. They've been pitching this particular story idea for over 2 years…it involves Pam and Jim being in Michael's home but that's all I'll say. I hope we get to shoot it soon. Let's all stay strong and hope that the strike can end soon.

[Barkeep49]

I thought last night's episode while having some laugh out loud moments ("Ryan is as hot as Jan in a different way"), had far more painfully funny moments ("You expect to get screwed by your company but not your girlfriend"). Steve Carell did just an amazing job this episode. I was totally relieved to see Michael not be a complete idiot (realizing that Jan had brought his diary before she knew about the picture). And I felt bad for Michael as he got shafted from both sides. The show came awfully close to forcing itself to answer how Michael is still in his position, an area they're best not exploring.

One point of discussion: I've heard it suggested that when Michael tells David he's a "nice guy too" at the end that instead of being the sincere complement I took it to be that it was sutble dig. It's an interesting interpretation but I don't think it's the right one.

[ISiddiqui]

"You expect to get screwed by your company but not your girlfriend"

That was like the greatest line in the entire series. This show was one of the best ones, IMO, of the series. Poor Michael, but just when you want to feel really sad for him, he goes and pushes Toby's lunch off the table (which was hilarious is a painfully funny sort of way).

Well, he knows that Jan really doesn't think highly of him. And he showed that he's loyal to his job (if you noticed, the CFO, Wallace, tried as hard as he could to not answer that they really weren't serious about hiring Michael... and it seems he really does like Michael as a person and that may explain Michael's continuing to be Scranton's regional manager... that with the sales).

[Swaggs]

I thought that was an excellent episode. Hearing the transcript being read back, when he had been trying to avoid questions, was killing me.

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

"You expect to get screwed by your company but not your girlfriend"

That was like the greatest line in the entire series.

My favorite quote was in season two, when word was spreading that Jim had a crush on Pam and people were gossiping about it, someone (I think Kevin) told Creed, and Creed acted real interested about it and then asked, "Which one is Pam, again?"

[Barkeep49]

I think Michael's sales ability, and being a nice person in Wallace's eyes, is why Michael has his job. For instance during the interview for Pam's job, which is more interesting now given what we know, Michael remarked how impressed he was that Michael didn't lose a single account during the merger. Still, Jan's recommendation was dead on and you'd have to think that Ryan would write a similar evaluation. So just how long could Michael hang on for?

[larrymcg421]

Originally Posted by Barkeep49

I thought last night's episode while having some laugh out loud moments ("Ryan is as hot as Jan in a different way"), had far more painfully funny moments ("You expect to get screwed by your company but not your girlfriend"). Steve Carell did just an amazing job this episode. I was totally relieved to see Michael not be a complete idiot (realizing that Jan had brought his diary before she knew about the picture). And I felt bad for Michael as he got shafted from both sides. The show came awfully close to forcing itself to answer how Michael is still in his position, an area they're best not exploring.

One point of discussion: I've heard it suggested that when Michael tells David he's a "nice guy too" at the end that instead of being the sincere complement I took it to be that it was sutble dig. It's an interesting interpretation but I don't think it's the right one.

I don't think that's the right interpretation at all. To Michael, being called a "nice guy" meant alot more to him. He didn't care that he wasn't the first choice for the job, or even one of the top 10. It was important to him to be considered a nice guy. That one comment from the CFO's deposition is what caused Michael to turn on Jan.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by Barkeep49

I think Michael's sales ability, and being a nice person in Wallace's eyes, is why Michael has his job. For instance during the interview for Pam's job, which is more interesting now given what we know, Michael remarked how impressed he was that Michael didn't lose a single account during the merger. Still, Jan's recommendation was dead on and you'd have to think that Ryan would write a similar evaluation. So just how long could Michael hang on for?

Well, if Michael is the top seller in the company, then he could hang on for quite a while. I mean I assume companies will hang on to people who are horrible as long as they produce the results, and especially some of the best results.

[Honolulu_Blue]

I thought last night's episode was the best of the year. It was hilarious and still managed to hit the proper emotional chords, which is really when The Office is at it's peak. The show's best episodes combine hilarity and that genuine emotion/human touch that you rarely find in 1/2 sitcoms.

[larrymcg421]

It's a shame that will be the last episode for a long time. The next script sounded awesome. It's about Jim and Pam coming over to Michael and Jan's for a dinner party.

[Daimyo]

Michael is a horrible manager in the sense that he's an idiot, but if his branch puts up good numbers why would they fire him? It seems they do pretty well in sales... Dwight has been salesman of the year multiple times right?

[Daimyo]

DOLA, I loved the episode. This show is so much better when they don't make Michael over the top.

[Barkeep49]

Originally Posted by Daimyo

Michael is a horrible manager in the sense that he's an idiot, but if his branch puts up good numbers why would they fire him? It seems they do pretty well in sales... Dwight has been salesman of the year multiple times right?

THis is a good point. Not only does Dwight top the charts, but Jim has been top 5 if I recall.

[RPI-Fan]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

I don't think that's the right interpretation at all. To Michael, being called a "nice guy" meant alot more to him. He didn't care that he wasn't the first choice for the job, or even one of the top 10. It was important to him to be considered a nice guy. That one comment from the CFO's deposition is what caused Michael to turn on Jan.

This is what I think as well. I think that given the choice for David to give him the job OR make the "nice guy" comment, Michael would choose the "nice guy" comment. I think he honestly believes that is as big of a professional compliment as you can get to call someone a "nice guy" and thus why he returns the favor to David at the end.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by RPI-Fan

This is what I think as well. I think that given the choice for David to give him the job OR make the "nice guy" comment, Michael would choose the "nice guy" comment. I think he honestly believes that is as big of a professional compliment as you can get to call someone a "nice guy" and thus why he returns the favor to David at the end.

I agree. Above all things, David merely wants to be liked by people he respects or thinks are "cool".

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by Barkeep49

THis is a good point. Not only does Dwight top the charts, but Jim has been top 5 if I recall.

Hell, Dwight beat the website for one day.

[SunDevil]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Hell, Dwight beat the website for one day.

Only with the help of his secret stash of contacts from Office Max.

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Poor Michael, but just when you want to feel really sad for him, he goes and pushes Toby's lunch off the table (which was hilarious is a painfully funny sort of way).

I really thought that there was going to be a breakthrough in Toby and Michael's relationship there. Anyhow, it was also funny to see Toby laughing about Michael thinking Ryan is hot afterwards.

[Easy Mac]

I nearly started crying from laughter when Kelly sang the Avril Lavigne song... that was brilliant. I did find it odd that Jim sucked so bad at ping pong. He totally seems like the kind of guy who would be good.

The deposition was British Office good in its use of pain as humor. I think Michael respected that Wallace did everything he could to avoid insulting Michael, while Jan had the diary there and ready to use.

[Crapshoot]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

I thought last night's episode was the best of the year. It was hilarious and still managed to hit the proper emotional chords, which is really when The Office is at it's peak. The show's best episodes combine hilarity and that genuine emotion/human touch that you rarely find in 1/2 sitcoms.

I'll agree with the group. It may not have been the funniest episode - but it was the best one.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by SunDevil

Only with the help of his secret stash of contacts from Office Max.

Staples, IIRC.

[markprior22]

Wow...I feel like I'm really missing out on something. I feel like the show has totally jumped the shark this season. When the gang dressed in fake mustaches, etc, I thought they have obviously run out of ideas.

[Joe]

it's like they ran out of ideas, so they send michael and dwight on some zany mission outside of the office nearly every episode.

except this week's was back to being good.

[MikeVic]

You're not the only one. I still chuckle at a couple things per episode, but overall I'm not liking it as much.