The Office: Season Six
Posted by admin | Posted in Movies | Posted on 09-07-2010
5
Product Description
Starring: Steve Carell Rainn Wilson John Krasinski Jenna Fischer B.J. Novak Ed Helms… More >>
Featured Post
Paris, Texas
DescriptionGerman New Wave pioneer Wim Wenders (Wings of Desire) brings his keen eye for landscape to the American Southwest in Paris, Texas a profoundly moving character study written by Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Sam Shepard. Paris, Texas follows the efforts of the mysterious, nearly mute...
For several years, The Office was easily the funniest and best written comedy on television. Its hard to pinpoint which season is the pinnacle of the series, it may be a tie between seasons 3, 4, and 5. Every one of them is tremendous. Considering season one was barely half of a season, The Office was still fairly young heading into its 6th year, so it was reasonable for fans to expect the same level of high quality comedy we’d been enjoying since the show’s inception. Tragically this isn’t exactly the case with #6. The season begins with a very promising start but eventually dissolves into a mix of mediocre and sometimes, painfully bad episodes (the finale being one of the worst eps in series history).
The biggest problem of season 6 is the massive story arcs. Now, multiple episode storylines have always been a strong point for this series; whether it was the Dwight and Angela affair in seasons 2-5 or the Michael Scott Paper Company in season 5, reccuring plots on The Office were always successful. In season 6 however, most fail miserably. The reason is simple: they aren’t funny. The writers paint themselves into corner after corner and prove that they had no real plan for the direction of the season. The financial troubles of Dunder Mifflin may be topical but they don’t add very much comedy and the introduction of Sabre turns a good season into a horrible one. The presence of Kathy Bates is incredibly intrusive. Not that she’s a bad actor, but her character is just so awful she literally sucks the comedy out of every episode she’s in.
At times its terribly obvious that the writers are either not working together or are on seperate pages. Most ongoing storylines are incredibly inconsistant; many are forgotten about for episodes at a time, never resolved or never even lifted off of the ground. At the end of a mid-season episode, an alliance is formed between Dwight and Ryan the Temp; the goal: to bring down their mutual nemesis, Jim Halpert. This promising subplot is then instantly forgotten about until a much later episode, when it is put to a sudden, dissapointing end. There is also a mid-season resurfacing of the Dwight/Angela saga, which again, is consistantly ignored, conveniently brought back every two-three episodes or so before another quick ending. The only story that gets constant attention is the awkward relationship between Andy and Erin, which has its moments but is also often filler material. Andy is a great character but Erin comes on way too strong most of the time.
There are a handful of reccuring stories that do nothing to further develop the characters or add anything to the comedy. There’s the random relationship between Dwight and Pam’s best friend. Then there’s the late season scandal involving the Sabre printers that goes absolutely nowhere. Halfway through the season, Darryl is awarded his own office upstairs. Now, Darryl has always been one of the best side characters and an increase in screentime was long deserved, but the writers fail to involve him in any interesting ways. His ‘promotion’ ultimately just raises suspicions that they were trying to capitalize on the success of Hot Tub Time Machine… which is just sad.
Fortunately though, season six actually starts out fairly strong with a string of very memorable episodes, and even throughout the rough stretches there are still a handful of good eps. One of the major story points that drives much of the early season is the promotion of Jim to the “co-manager” position. This actually works well (while it lasts) as it advances the progession of the character from goof-off to responsible future parent and it provides the basis for some great early episodes that play off of the rivalry/friendship of Michael and Jim, as well as the rivalry/rivalry between Jim and Dwight. Though, at the same time, putting Jim in a position of responsibility undermines the foundation of his character and all later attempts to regress him back to what he used to be come up short.
In short, The Office simply runs out of steam halfway through its sixth year. The scripts begin to allow very little room for Steve Carell to shine. Creed no longer gets his usual one liners. All character development comes to a halt. There are no stories about Pam as a salesman. Ryan is pushed to the distant background. Dwight doesn’t get nearly enough screentime…
When it comes down to it, #6 is still a good season, especially when you look at the first eight or so episodes. The top highlights are…
The Promotion- New co-manager Jim has trouble handling the job while Michael has trouble with Jim’s style of managment. Meanwhile, Dwight tries to spark rebellion.
Niagra- Jim and Pam’s wedding. Very memorable but falls short of being a classic. The incorporation of a you tube trend makes the ending almost painfully cheesy. Seriously, if you include an obscure and ridiculous fad that no one will remember into what should be a series highlight what does that say about how you view your own show?
Secret Santa- When both Michael and Phyllis dress up as Santa, Michael gets jealous, turns his suit inside-out and becomes a bitter, sarcastic Jesus. Obviously a hillarious episode.
The Delivery- A near classic episode that revolves around the birth of Jim and Pam’s baby… and Dwight’s demolition of the Halpert kitchen. Probably the best season 6 has to offer.
Happy Hour- Michael becomes ‘Date Mike’ in one of the few good episodes of the season’s second half.
With #7 set to be the last, I sincerely hope this series can get back on track. My message to the writers is this: Pull yourself together and get back on top! That’s what she said.
Rating: 3 / 5
In reviewing the sixth season of “The Office”, there is good news and bad news: On the positive side, the season gave us such landmark episodes as “Niagara Falls” (Jim/Pam wedding) and “The Arrival” (Jim/Pam baby), easily in the top echelon of episodes in show history. On the flip side, though, the show also went through two separate little dry patches that produced some episodes that just didn’t measure up well against earlier efforts.
The theme of “change” runs at the core of the entire season. At the beginning, Dunder-Mifflin employees worry about the long-term stability of their company, then (about half way through the season), the company is actually bought out by Sabre, a printer company headed by Jo Bennett (guest star Kathy Bates), with the crew having to adjust to their new ownership. On a more personal level, the Jim/Pam relationship moves from one of flirtation & fun to more real-life undertones (marriage, parenting, etc.), while two characters (Andy Bernard and new receptionist Erin) become smitten with each other…only to provide some of the most awkwardly hilarious conversations/situations in show history!
In terms of acting, the sixth season was on par with the previous installments. Steve Carrell as Michael Scott is still the glue that binds everything together, and the supporting cast keeps turning in hilarious performances when called upon. The introduction of the Andy/Erin romance was a breath of fresh air for the show, as its innocence harkens back to the early Jim/Pam seasons, but due to Andy’s total and absolute goofiness, it takes forever (but in a good way!) for things to really get off the ground. About the only two things that got a little annoying were the continued Dwight/Angela battles that never seem to end, and Bates’ new character, who doesn’t seem to add much comedy to the show whatsoever.
So, despite the fact that the episodes were a bit uneven in terms of overall quality/hilarity, I cannot drop this season below five stars due to the extraordinary content of the really good episodes. Basically, the season started off a bit slow, hit its stride during/after the Jim/Pam wedding, then leveled off again after the baby episode, only to limp to the finish line. Also, the final scene hints at the possible return of a fan-favorite character, which could easily rejuvenate the proceedings for the seventh season next fall.
Rating: 5 / 5
like many other reviewers, i have to agree that kathy bates is horrible!! she is so unnatural and self-conscious – totally awkward. please get her off – she has no comic timing, no concept of the show, or apparently any idea of comedy in general. don’t know what the writers were thinking with season six. the show needs to call it a day – it absolutely cannot survive without steve carell.
Rating: 2 / 5
The Office was one of the seminal comedies of the decade. Starting off slow with an underrated 1st season, then coming into its own and hitting its peak of creativity in the 2nd season. But since then, the quality of the comedy & the storylines have started to degrade. First it started off slow, each season progressively getting worse than the last, until this season. It actually quite fine for the first half of the season, coming up with one of its best episodes with some of its best moments yet (Niagara), but as soon as the show came back from Christmas break, it fell head-first off a cliff.
Episode Highlights Include:
Niagara
The Lover
Murder
The Delivery
What happens in the 2nd half of the season? Well, Sabre happens. It did give us the sometimes funny character of Gabe, and it did start well-enough with a Christian Slater cameo, but those were the only good/memorable parts about it. Granted, I wasn’t any fan of Kathy Bates to begin with, but she is simply annoying and underused here. The writers simply don’t know what to do with her, and Kathy Bates can’t bring anything new to a poorly-written character. Every moment of Kathy Bates on screen is a moment you will want back because it will be unfunny & utterly wasted in the worst way possible. Every move she makes. Every thing she says. Just, simply awful.
Granted, I understand why the writers did it, because they felt like the economy has to have an impact on our favorite company in Dunder-Mifflin. Just think about it for a second. They killed off Dunder-Mifflin. I have a great T-shirt that advertises my love of the show with the Dunder-Mifflin logo. And they’re just going to kill it off because of the economy? There were probably ways in which to make this story to work, but the writers choose NONE of them.
Then there’s the characters. Oh, how I just want to slap every writer for this travesty. The writers have always struggled with Michael Scott. Sometimes he’s a playful man-child who’s immature, sometimes he’s the serious boss not afraid to get onto his employees, or actually show why he’s in the job, or that he has actual salesmanship. However, the writers stick with the immature Michael for much of the season, and it’s getting to the point where enough is enough. The man is becoming a parody of himself. He still goes for the damaged women, and he still proceeds to screw it up with every one of them, then has an affair with a married woman. Just please, stop. The only episode where Michael even resembles his old self is one that Steve Carell directed himself. The case is the same for Dwight. Dwight works in a very specific box. Taken too far, it’s an insane jerk. This is the mode he spends most of the season in. Dwight has always been a character best suited for being the receiving end of a joke, since the guy needs to be taken down a peg every once in a while. Of course, there are one, maybe two, possibly three moments of this the whole season. So frustrating!
As for the highlights, Jim & Pam are still as great as ever, if a bit underused. Also, Erin comes into her own as a character. She’s given a wacky backstory, she’s given a nice relationship with Andy, and she’s just great with everything she does. She’s like the opposite of Kathy Bates. Every scene that Erin is in is made better by her presence. Her personality just radiates sunshine and goodness.
Overall, as a die-hard Office fan, this season was frustrating with brief glimpses of goodness. The well has been run dry, the ideas are stale, the characters are in a rut. Oh sweet release, I now pray for a graceful ending to the show. Of course, looking back on Niagara, I would actually be really satisfied with that as a series finale. But since the series will go on for at least a year and a half after that, it will just be the ending in my mind. Steve Carell and the rest of the cast simply don’t need to be subjected to this anymore. It’s time to move on.
Rating: 2 / 5
the office has definitely lost its “charm” and “magic” in season 6. you can tell by even the dvd boxset cover with jim/michael/pam holding hands. . .just further proves what the show has become. literal, obvious, idiotic, cheesy, and lame. not to mention, the writers are writing to the mainstream audience now and the shows reputation is suffering from it and are losing alot of hardcore, avid fans like myself who has been there since the very beginning. i mean seriously, ANYONE who says season 6 is “office-worthy” or that is was “good” is not a fan from the beginning. just impossible. . .
like everyone else is saying, introducing sabre and kathy bates in this season was a TERRIBLE idea. along with weeding out and losing the david wallace character. i loved the david wallace character and thought he really added alot of heart and depth to the show. And who is his replacement as new boss? . . . kathy bates as “Jo”. kathy bates literally sucked all the funny out of every episode she was one. her accent was not believable and not one thing she said all season was funny or added anything to the show. while actually the gabe character was funny for the most part, and was a bright spot in the season.
what really irks me is how all the characters have changed drastically this season. . . .what has happened to jim?? he doesn’t even act like himself and doesn’t bust anyone’s chops or is even sarcastic and belittling to anyone anymore. that’s what made the jim character so funny and hilarious. . .because he was smarter, more clever, and essentially “above” everyone else in the office intelluctually and humor-wise except pam. now jim is down to everyone else’s level and his character is essentially “boring” now. not to mention, WHY is jim doing cheesy voice impressions!!! the old jim halpert would NEVER do these!! its so lame. . .
i vote the “who done it” episode, “where they play that “clue-esque” board game to find out who the fictional murdererer was to distract everyone of dunder mifflins demise and where they all used cheesy/lame voice impression including the painfully idiotic and lame standoff at the end of the episode with fake finger-pistols pointed at each other” as the WORST episode in season 6(and there were alot of those). i almost stopped being a fan after seeing that one, i felt like the episode was insulting my intelligence or something. most of season 6 was like that. . . the writers just totally DUMBED-DOWN the humor to an obvious, lame, idiotic level.
does anyone else get this impression from season 6?
i also dislike how pam is so forward, obnoxious, and outspoken now. she’s incredibly blunt and almost cold in season 6. like when she found out michael was dating her mom. . . .the way she acted and how violent she was toward michael really made me dislike pam for the first time ever on the show. i thought that was not a good move by the writers, since she’s always been a loveable, sweet character in previous seasons.
remember when michael use to be so dry, subtle, and awkward?? in season 6 he is so “literal” and “zany” and his character is downright “silly” now. i love how when he use to act childish or inappropiate in past seasons he would blame someone or something for the way he was acting. . . .now, he just accepts his silly actions and behavior and that’s it. that’s just his character now, and it’s not funny at all.
and as for the daryl promotion. . .promoting daryl was obviously a move due to his recent rise in popularity outside the office. it seems forced and nothing interesting came of his promotion. it was done just to basically give craig robinson (daryl) more screen time. another example of how lame and tacky the show has gotten.
dwight’s character has also changed. it feels like they are overdoing his character and persona way too much and it doesn’t feel natural or authentic like in the past. plus, dwight is now independent of michael and he acts like an evil comic book villian in most of the episodes. he’s overly confident and almost barbaric in season 6, and i hated it because it’s NOT FUNNY. i miss the wise, naive, and insecure dwight so much it hurts. . .
season 6 was so lacking and just bad IMO with only a few great moments and a few solid episodes. since steve carell is leaving after next season i hope the writers can get together and make this last season a worthy one for all the fans and a great tribute to one of the best tv shows ever. i just hope they don’t try to go on without steve because we saw what happened when they tried to go on without zach braff with scrubs, the show failed. so if the original writers/creators of the show (daniels and schurr) can come back for season 7 (maybe that’s why parks and rec is starting in mid season next year, so they can wrap up and work on the final season of the office, hope so and season 2 of parks was fantastic btw) and give this show a great ending and finale, myself and all office fans from the beginning would greatly appreciate it.
Rating: 2 / 5