TV Review: THE OFFICE 8.10, "Christmas Wishes"
I loved “Christmas Wishes” and it keeps my hope alive for a much better season than the rocky start season eight began with.
rating: 4
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If this is what happens when cast members (aside from regulars B.J. Novak and Paul Lieberstein) take the reins then the writing and directing duties should be kept in house much more often. Christmas Wishes is among the season's best so far not only because it had me laughing consistently, but because each of its multiple stories had clear climaxes and resolutions that I felt emotionally invested in and on top of that, they all felt connected. I know this is easier to accomplish during an episode where all the characters are attending the same party, but Mindy Kaling (Kelly Kapoor) still deserves much recognition for writing a hilarious episode that featured the most natural dialogue true to the characters all season. This is of course due in no small part to the familiarity Kaling has with the characters she's worked with since she was originally hired as the only female writer for the series at the time of its inception almost seven years ago. It's no wonder Kaling has received so much praise for the play Matt & Ben she co-wrote with Brenda Withers, her memoir Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), and will be writing, executive producing (along with Office developer Greg Daniels), and starring in an upcoming animated sitcom for NBC. The Nard-Dawg definitely deserves a nod as well for a deftly directed episode which was a proper send off for the holiday break. I loved Jim's face during Stanley's meta-rant about the politically correct, ineffectively vague labeling of Christmas as the holiday as well as the Mo Rocca and Lewis Black shout outs. I hope The Daily Show felt all the love they got this episode. Ironically, it's comforting to see Stanley get so upset as he's been a bit too relaxed lately. In the primary story of the episode we finally got to meet Andy's super serious, long time girlfriend, the assistant cross country coach Jessica, which I was grateful for as she was starting to feel noticeably absent for being so influential on the ongoing story of Andy and Erin, which for the first time since probably Secretary's Day I actually bought into caring about. I'm happy Andy is continuing to be allowed to be himself as opposed to LOOK EVERYONE, IT'S MICHAEL SCOTT'S REPLACEMENT as we all know he doesn't work well under pressure. In typical Andy fashion, the episode saw him attempting to make everyone happy by granting the staff's individual Christmas wishes. I wish we got to see more of these wishes granted as Dwight's desire to own property on the moon was very funny. The story is also notable for showing us unprecedented sides to both Erin and Robert. Regarding the latter, I found it disarmingly amusing that Robert was so welcoming of Kevin's giant gorilla hug as the kittenish Robert is lonely for the intimacy since his wife, Maura Tierney's Susan California, left him after last episode's entertaining marital communication breakdown. Robert's despondency also seemed to be the source for the most side splitting analysis of the Black Eyed Peas I've ever heard so I kind of hope things don't work out well for Robert anytime soon. I was extremely relieved Robert did not end up attempting to take advantage of Erin's inebriated state because it definitely looked like he wanted to and since we're still getting to know Robert, this was a genuinely suspenseful development. Thankfully, not only was Robert ultimately a gentleman, but Andy appeared to be much more concerned than jealous which is a refreshing subversion of the typical direction this episode could have gone. Plus, as it turns out, Erin is an adorable, if not extremely touchy-feely and frankly specific drunk (I wish Jessica were dead in a graveyard, under the ground, with worms coming out of her mouth.) Allowing myself to become invested in the Andy and Erin romance once again, however, presented a potential problem for the writers. I like Erin as a character, but her silliness and naivety are borderline absurd to the point of being virtually unbelievable. Andy on the other hand, feels more mature, (not to mention much older), relatable and realistic to me. I'm not sure if I can be sold into continually being invested in their romance if the writers don't bring these two characters closer to being on the same plane of maturity like they were in season six.