TV Review: The Office 9.20, "Paper Airplane"
rating: 1.5
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Paper Airplane was utterly depressing. Aside from maybe two or three glimpses of what could possibly be construed as bright spots among a vast fog of indiscernible mediocrity, the episode reeked of apathy from both sides of the screen. From the completely insipid tournament to the frustratingly irrelevant acting gig to the stark horror of Jim and Pams marriage, Paper Airplane is an episode of The Office that will help me cheer when the series is finally laid to rest on May 16th. The paper airplane tournament, which should have been restrained to a better cold open, became the stage upon which an entire plot surrounding Angela the queen of all tired and unsympathetic characters was played out. Among the uninspired gags like Toby apologizing for getting hit in the eye by an airplane and Kevin not being able to fold his own, viewers watched Dwight and his new girlfriend Esther pity Angela for being left by her now openly gay husband with their newborn in a studio apartment; spoiler alert THEY WERE THE ONLY TWO WITH ANY SYMPATHY, which is why the triumphant moment in which Angela tells off Esther for pitying her has absolutely no impact whatsoever. Meanwhile, we had to endure Andy attempting to I dont know what make it as an actor by performing in an industrial safety instruction video because apparently Roseanne Barr needed to make appearances in more than one episode for reasons. I dont know where to even begin with this. Andys aspirations as an actor were a source of real pathos when in Andys Play the whole staff showed up to support him in a local stage production of Sweeney Todd. But this? Andy chasing fame is not the same as his adorable penchant for the performing arts. And the resolution to this story, Andys agent proclaiming that, The kid can act! because Andy got over his apparently profound fear of stuff going into eyes words like weak, lazy, careless, and lame dont even begin to describe the disappointment I felt. Im going to take a moment now to remind readers that I realize it may appear ungrateful or simply stupid to be disappointed with free entertainment. But if youre thinking that then you clearly dont understand that the purpose of criticism is to refuse to settle for mediocrity in culture. Critics aim to raise the bar and channel the tide of creativity a society produces in a direction that its members can be proud to call their own. Critics are fans first; we love that which we criticize. To come from a place of anything less than appreciation and joy is an act not only of futility and nihilism, but masochism as well. That being said, as a fan of The Office since its premiere, Paper Airplane was terrible, mostly because I know its capable of so much more. And in case you were wondering, those few bright spots I mentioned earlier were for me actually four moments: really all the instances of Erin being overly competitive, in particular her line about ripping off one of Greedy Susans pigtails for a handful of Crispix; also, all of Clarks contributions, specifically his appropriation of Jim and Pams therapy-speak to inquire whether the couple was high and if he could get a couple hits; Creed throwing a melon instead of a paper airplane; and Andy saying he would go, full Lena Dunham, to describe his dedication to a nude scene because Im a fan of HBOs Girls. Then of course there was the latest installment in the steady decline of Jim and Pams marriage. This was actually the only plot of Paper Airplane which was arguably successful arguably. Ive admired the honesty with which this marital turmoil has been depicted, and in Paper Airplane the uncomfortable is dialed up to its highest levels, which is great. It may have been excruciating to watch the once golden couple use counseling jargon to express themselves to each other, but thats what we were intended to feel. However, as much as the fanboy in me wanted to stand up and cheer when Pam finally accepted Jims affection in that final embrace, I just dont know if I totally bought it, especially after Pams line about her heart feeling blocked, which struck a chord in me. Dont get me wrong, I definitely want these two to make it, and I absolutely wish the power of one persons love to be able to convince his or her partner that their relationship is worth salvaging could do the trick, but unfortunately Im just not sure I believe it can. Maybe Im just too jaded, but by the end of the episode I was simply too disappointed to feel that spark of hope the final scene intended to evoke. With only three more episodes to close out the season Im skeptical as to how satisfying the conclusion could possibly be, but hopefully when its over we can all feel a sense of closure thats more than mere relief.