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Michael Scott, in smaller doses, can be a good thing.
The less Michael Scott, the better.
It’s rare when a hit show can say it actually can improve when its main character is used in fewer scenes, but that’s often the case with “The Office.”
Let me preface this by saying this is not a rip on Steve Carell. I think he’s a great actor (if you haven’t seen the sweet, unassuming “Dan in Real Life,” you need to immediately add it to your Netflix list), but the more I watch “The Office,” the more I enjoy the episodes that don’t necessarily revolve around him.
Last week’s episode, with the jousting between Dwight and Andy over Angela’s affections, was “The Office” at its best, demonstrating the talents of the other cast members. Michael, of course, was in the episode, but wasn’t the centerpiece. He had some great lines during a visit to corporate headquarters, but they were brief scenes.
Unfortunately, Thursday’s episode centered on Michael and wasn’t as strong.
The show opens with Jim finding humor, once again, in Dwight’s paranoia. A simple red wire coming out of his computer leads to Dwight’s climbing a pole in the parking lot. Funny, but not as inspired as the episode a few years back where Jim moved Dwight’s entire desk and supplies into the men’s room.
(Shortly after that episode aired, I was at an Apple store with my preteen, checking out a video IPod. I cued up the episode and handed it to Alex, who giggled so loudly that I thought she was going to get us run out of the store. Two years later, she still giggles when I mention the episode.)
Corporate asks Michael and Dwight to do some field work, checking out Dunder Mifflin’s competition in that elusive Carbondale to Marshbrook region. There they stake out Prince Paper, a wholesome business where the entire family works and the owner’s granddaughter quietly sits and does her homework.
Michael and Dwight discuss their strategy en route to their target, with Michael planning to play a fictitious business owner named Michael Scarp and Dwight playing, well, Dwight. They plan on discussing what they learn afterward over breakfast, with Dwight lobbying for Denny’s and Michael choosing IHOP. Dwight calls Michael a Socialist for liking IHOP and Michael insists. “You will have pancakes, and you will like it!” Funny, I think I’ve uttered that same sentence before to my kids. Or was it Belgian waffles?
Of course, with Michael and Dwight out of the office, the rest of the staff takes advantage to discuss the hotness (or lack of hotness) of Hilary Swank. It begins with a little disagreement between Stanley and Phyllis and snowballs into a discussion that includes the entire staff and leads to an inspired speech by Stanley (who I thought only got inspired by Pretzel Day) and Kelly, whose emotional plea is that “if Hillary Swank isn’t hot, then I’m not hot!”
(For the record, I’d have to go with not hot. Attractive, and a great actress, but not hot. BTW, has anyone in Hollywood gotten less out of two Oscars than Swank? Within three years she went from “Million Dollar Baby” to “The Reaping.” Hello? She’s the female Cuba Gooding Jr. when it comes to curious movie choices.)
Back to the show: Michael and Dwight, aka The Sharks, (Ba, bump! Ba, bump!) put their plan in place, with Michael introducing himself as Michael Scarn (wasn’t it Michael Scarp earlier?) of a local law firm that needs paper supplies. Michael asks when Prince Paper was founded and the owner says after he got back from Vietnam, to which Michael says: “I heard it’s lovely.”
Groan.
With that one line, Idiot Michael jumped to Imbecile Michael. There’s no difference, you say? Well, of course there is. Stay with me now . . .
Idiot Michael is, well, an idiot, but not to the point where he would confuse Vietnam with a vacation destination. He’s ridiculously overmatched in his profession and clueless in social settings, but he isn’t quite a complete, well, imbecile.
“The Office” is a much better show when Michael reminds us of the boss we once had who somehow succeeds in life despite being a complete and utter buffoon. The show struggles, however, when the writers portray him as being incapable of helping a gradeschooler with simple math.
Back at Dunder Mifflin, the staff is hopelessly gridlocked when an annoyed Angela (sorry, redundant) says she’s going against Kevin and Co. and says Swank is hot — “She’s a female Boris Becker.”
Boris Becker? What is this, 1985?
Pam disregards Kevin’s ability to decide who is hot. “We don’t even give him full Internet access.”
To which, a startled Kevin replies, “Wait, what?”
Last week I talked about my affection for Creed and Kelly. I wouldn’t mind seeing more of Kevin, either. The Webisodes where he tries to get a bank loan to pay off a bookie are inspired and haven’t we waited long enough for a reunion of Scrantonicity?
Back at Prince Paper, Michael is given the business’ client list, but before he and Dwight can make a getaway, Michael rips the bumper off his car.
The family Straight Outta Pleasantville comes to his rescue, repairing his bumper, leaving Michael torn. Dwight, of course, has no conflicting feelings. “Goodbye Prince family,” he yells as they leave. “Or should I say, Sucker Family?”
There’s no wavering with Dwight, who only looks out for himself while living his life with one credo — WWFD (What would Frodo do?)
With Michael struggling with whether to be loyal to the Princes or to Dunder Mifflin, Dwight points out that “your heart is a wonderful thing but it makes some terrible decisions.”
Michael agrees. “I’ve gone down the wrong path so many times. Jan. Ryan . . .”
(Speaking of which, where is the former intern? Some of last season’s best moments was his power-hungry turn at corporate and the episode where we find out that he has an, um, candy problem is one of my top-five favorite episodes.)
Michael says he’s going to give the list to corporate, but then tries to run away from Dwight, only to forget his car keys.
Eventually, he gives in and gives the list to corporate and also accidentally decides the all-important Swank hot or not race.
What an imbecile.
I don’t understand the need to point this out. What does it accomplish? Bottom line, it’s a funny show.
The MORE Michael Scott the BETTER, in my opinion. Michael Scott MAKES this show one of the funniest sitcoms ever. All of the best sitcoms of our times have had a bad episode, or an episode that was less funny than previous episodes. I agree with Jocelyn and wonder what your rambling critique accomplished. Must have been a slow week for material or something.
No, I agree with Rick Ingebritson. Michael is like Jerry Seinfeld. Funny, but, the other characters make the show. In fact, I know some people don’t watch because of the Michael Scott character.
Hey Rick, how about writing a funny article then?
Nothing like a dry 1,000-word recap of a television show to brighten my Friday morning.
Michael Scott may not be funny all the time, but you’re certainly boring all the time, Rick.
Last night’s episode wasn’t funny, but it wasn’t because of Michael. They sometimes go off on tangents and it doesn’t work. Unfortunately, when it misses it misses badly.
BTW the intern is a writer (not a great one) and wrote last night’s episode.
Look at all the blog space I filled with my weird opinion and long plot summary!
wrong, wrong, wrong, with out michael scott there would be no show. last night was the funniest episode all season,
The Vietnam line was priceless.
you know what? nobody cares what you think cause you’re just some hack writer from palm beach who gets paid to take a dump on the work other, talented people have done.
aj Says:
“…BTW the intern is a writer (not a great one) and wrote last night’s episode.”
You obviously have no idea how television works, AJ
It was always Michael Scarn. Michael Scarn is the name of his thinly veiled alter ego from his screenplay, Threat Level Midnight. You heard wrong. And B.J. Novak, who plays Ryan, is off filming Inglourious Basterds. I’ve read that the characters absence was explained in a deleted scene, which is unfortunate.
When Michael refers to Vietnam as a lovely place, I believe it’s because of his social awkwardness, not knowing how to react when somebody says they were there (during the war), and not because he’s an imbecile.
Angela’s talking about Boris Becker is also in character, because – well, look at her – is she the epitome of what’s cutting edge and contemporary?
I thought I saw an earlier episode where Ryan says he’s going to Thailand with some friends…
I thought the blog was insightful, but you have to remember- it’s this one person’s opinion. His own opinion isn’t fact people!
I agree that they have to walk a careful line where Michael’s stupidity is concerned. He is incompetent and un-self-aware, but he’s not so stupid that he can’t function. And I like the occasional touches when he shows flashes of understanding.
One thing I have to disagree with most strongly, however, is the criticism of the Boris Becker joke. It has become common in recent years for people to criticize references that are more than a year or two old. It’a slmost automatic. But the fact that Boris Becker hasn’t been a prominent public figure for quite some time is exactly what made that line funny. Lots of us not only don’t keep up with state-of-the-art pop-culture references–we aren’t ashamed of it. Being trendy for the sole sake of trendiness is shallow and pathetic. Like things because you like them, not because others do.
Dan in Real Life was one of the worst movies i’ve seen in the last year. Nobody talks or acts like anyone in the film. I found myself yelling at the tv for the half the movie. Truly awful. People, please don’t add it to your Netflix queues.
“Idiot Michael is, well, an idiot, but not to the point where he would confuse Vietnam with a vacation destination.”
Vietnam’s tourism board obviously didn’t get the memo, nor did I when I decided to go there on holiday…to bad, such a lovely place…
I don’t understand your argument. Oh, right, you don’t have one. But I guess you know what you’re talking about because you’re kid likes the show, too. Jesus, this kind of stuff is why we should shut down the internet.
Man, people really hate you on this site.
I don’t really know why though, because your argument makes sense.
The best episodes, in my opinion, are the ones where Michael has his own seperate storyline, but the plot doesn’t focus on him. Think about The Casino, Booze Cruise and the Ryan’s on Cocaine episode you referred to. Those are some of the best, and it’s because Michael adds humor with his idiocy, but the plot is driven by the other characters.
Your conclusion that the most recent episode was a bad one is 100% correct, because the ending to the Hillary Swank argument was obvious from the beginning of the storyline. Of course Michael was going to come back and say that she’s hot because she thinks everyone is hot and Dwight doesn’t know who the hell Hillary Swank is. And as is the case in most arguements, people simply don’t budge.
So that storyline was a dud. But I do think that the Dwight-Michael storyline was somewhat interesting, simply because it sets up the next run of episodes with Michael doing well at work. I like where the show is subtly going.
No, it was Michael Scarn the whole time, imbecile. It’s his alter ego…from improv? Get with the program, internet blogger.
Ryan left at the end of an episode – he broke up with Kelly and asked her to be an adult about it – have one last night and if she had any extra cash that would be great. He was going on a trip with some high school students.
Ryan is in Thailand on a trip, isn’t he? B.J. Novak is still part of the show, I think we wrote this episode.
I agree that Michael is sometimes too stupid. To the point where it’s just not realistic and it immediately breaks the illusion.
what a horrible piece of writing
im not surprised almost everyone who commented hates you
This article is funnier than the show, which I appreciate but sometimes cringe while watching, particularly the Michael scenes. No I have never had a boss that was that stupid and disconnected from …reality, I guess is the word I can come up with. The Vietnam vacation response belongs in the classic file and will someday be replayed when Steve Carrell casts off his mortal coil.
you’re about as dumb as Michael Scott’s character… making distinctions between “idiot” and “imbecile.” ReallY?
You have no idea what you are talking about. Michael Scott makes this show and if you cannot see that maybe you should start watching some show that sucks like 30 Rock or Two and a Half Men. Have fun with that. The point is that he is a ridiculous boss who does not make sense, but somehow things get done and everything is okay.
Though this article is nearly a year old and deals with last season, I’ll address it nonetheless. Regarding the Prince Family Paper episode, you only pointed out one thing Michael said that you didn’t find funny (Vietnam…), while you seemed to have found the rest of the episode, along with Michaels line about IHOP rather funny. You point out a fantastic episode where Michael plays a minimal role, but I’m sure you could just as well point out fantastic episodes where Michael plays a larger role. (Casino Night, Booze Cruise, Stress Relief, Dundies, and even from season 6, Scott’s Tots and Gossip). Your main point or grievance seems to be that you like the incompetent boss yet lovable person Michael Scott more than the downright stupid Michael Scott, which lead to your disgust over the Vietnam line. I have to agree with you on that note, as I like Michael when he’s socially unaware and pleasantly awkward more than when he’s plain dumb. So stick with that point, because this nonsense about less Michael means a funnier Office is a baseless claim. Give me other examples where a Michael overload has hurt an episode. What you should be arguing is that you want to see more of the socially awkward, unpleasant and blindly ignorant Michael, moreso than the idiot, grade school level intelligence Michael.
More correctly written and characterized Michael = laughs.
More plain dumb Michael will begin to create a character the fans will no longer be able to sympathize with.
That’s your argument.
Sean
I found an video about this here: http://bit.ly/fNc5Vl