TV Review: The Office 8.23, "Turf War"
A surprisingly funny and enjoyable episode, but is it too little, too late?
rating: 3.5
No, theres nothing wrong with your screen or your vision, I have in fact given the newest episode of The Office more than three stars and its not because Im slowly slipping into insanity; its because Turf War was a rather good episode for season eight. The episode not only featured the usual batch of subtle and humorous little contributions from the supporting cast, but additionally those contributions complemented those of the main cast which all stemmed from a relatively realistic plot that called forth great broad as well as specific comedy and genuine tension making for a well paced and well balanced episode. In case its not immediately evident, let me clarify that I say relatively realistic plot because although the main story of resolving the dilemma of how to distribute recently closed Binghamton branchs newly available clients among the sales staff as well as the subplot of Pam getting to the bottom of Nellys rejection of Robert Californias voicemail proposition were each situations that contained urgency and the potential for tangible consequences, they each were the result of Robert Californias one man Saturnalia celebrating the finalization of his divorce in which the enigmatic CEO partied way too hard and made some bold, foundationless decisions or as Robert so eloquently and hilariously put it, got into some Australian reds and how do I say this Columbian whites, which itself had me cracking up but Ryans subsequent knowing glance and nod had me doubled over. It would be more than a little troubling that a branch weve never heard of before could be closed down so thoughtlessly and without any consequence other than wholl get their clients, but since this season has been so illogical and wacky I guess Ill just continue to suspend my disbelief, something I never had to do during The Offices golden years (seasons one through four). The idea that the outlandish figure of Robert California could actually run a corporation competently is one that has been stretched very thin over the course of this eighth season but thankfully was addressed by the end of Turf War. But before I get ahead of myself, let me first express my appreciation of the episodes cold open. It was a pretty simple, very visual gag (which makes me regret heavily not being able to read the final photo-shopped version of the picture taken of Dwight and Gabes thigh curl contest), but although one does not need to know the histories of these characters to laugh at the compromising position theyre put in or Dwights wobbly legs and reluctant dependence on Jim to walk to the conference room, being familiar with his and Gabes characters amplified the humor tenfold. I also really liked the open for taking its time. It wasnt an unusually long scene but it felt more natural and organic because of the gradual build up beginning in the kitchen with Gabe and Jim as well as the shot of Dwight and Gabe attempting to walk afterward which wonderfully cushioned the reveal. The moments of absurdity on The Office can be delicate and require a unique kind of structure based firmly in a slower paced set up as without that build up or resulting juxtaposition between it and the end result, the punch line can seem over the top or too unbelievable and consequently not work. But in this case it worked beautifully and even reminded me of the fierce competition between Dwight and Andy or even the animosity Michael carried toward Toby, dynamics which used to always make me laugh. Speaking of Toby, I think I definitively prefer him without his trendy new glasses. Also, the former showrunner had some really excellent lines posing as the nonexistent dummy employee, Lloyd Gross, opposite the great character actor Chris Bauer whose excellent and welcomed performance as the very convincingly irate salesman of the Syracuse branch, Harry, provided a great breath of fresh air to the mumbly Scranton branch. Being a somewhat similarly soft spoken enthusiast of noir and detective fiction, I always appreciate and enjoy Tobys various outbursts of affinity for the genre but seeing him attempt to exhibit the qualities of his favorite noir protagonists for the man who played struggling, corrupt dock foreman Frank Sobotka on the modern classic, The Wire (which David Simon be damned I finally just started watching a couple months ago) was especially satisfying as Bauers character in the second season of the HBO crime drama proved capable of being truly intimidating. Between Frank on The Office and Omar on Community its nice to know some people at NBC actually do know what exceptional TV looks like. The short-lived appearance of Lloyd Gross was just one of the many elements of Turf War that I genuinely enjoyed. Though the smaller bits from supporting characters like Ryan, Toby, Angela, and Gabe were fewer than usual, they were all much appreciated and executed very well (and more importantly, werent out of character or over the top and actually made sense as extensions of the plot as opposed to fill-in comments added seemingly after the fact in an overcrowded script), but the majority of the funniest bits for me were from the core cast and key players of the episode. Robert California, who I never know if hell crack me up or disturb me or just annoy me, in this episode kept me laughing. His usual presumptuousness and douchebaggery was as present as ever, but one of my favorite moments from the episode displayed an awareness (I suppose from the actual writers and director but you could also argue from the documentary crew filming the show within the show) of Roberts tendency to blow smoke that I dont think has really been explicitly addressed previously when during a talking head with Robert in which he confesses to the camera that hell bullshit all day to avoid facing the salesmen regarding the newly available clients, he begins a sentence, As Solomon once said, and is then cut off as the episode cut to the next scene. And between Roberts claim that he once trained as a geisha and Gabes open admission to having an Asian fetish and insisting confidently that such a fetish is necessary to enjoy a particular movie (during his hilarious infiltration of Pam, Nelly, and Angelas girl talk which allowed the audience to learn that Gabe swears he must have ovaries in his scrotum due to his love of gossiping), I cant help but wonder if the writers dont have a fetish of their own. I think Dwight had me laughing the most with his lines about how he couldve choked so many people, in response to Tobys admittance that choking people with your bare hands is not actually covered in the Human Resources handbook, and quickly naming things hed been considering hitting Harry with (including Jims leg) to disprove Harrys joking insistence that thats not the situation theyre in. These lines work best just as the opening scene did, with an understanding of Dwights character. I love seeing the side of Dwight which seems to never stop planning and preparing for the worst case scenario. I would love to see a webseries or screw it a whole seasonal arc in which we follow Dwight hunting down the Scranton Strangler. I know it wouldnt really fit or make sense but I know itd be awesome and I bet Dwight could pull it off. Maybe we could see this if Dwights spin-off really gets off the ground. (I still havent seen the entirety of James Gunns gritty 2010 action-comedy Super which Rainn Wilson stars in as a costumed vigilante, but I plan on doing so eventually and will probably imagine his character is chasing said Strangler.) There were also the more generic and slapsticky scenes in which Dwight secures the doors of the office building of the biggest client left available by the aforementioned branch closing with his belt, then running at an unnecessarily high speed to catch an elevator while struggling to keep his pants from falling down and sliding into the elevator like he was trying to steal home plate. Though this could be considered fairly broad physical humor, knowing the dedication and lack of concern for personal safety Dwight possesses in pursuit of something he wants from past instances definitely raises the level of humor. Other Dwight-isms that really had me going were the ones he shared in scenes with Jim such as when in Jims car racing against Harry to the Prestige offices Dwight demands Jim utilize the nitrous or rocket boosters that Jims car must have and Jims response of bracing Dwight for some Fast and Furious styled moves then turning on his windshield wipers. I also loved Dwights criticisms of Jims kids stuffed bear and his disappointment at Jims attempt to slow Harry down by opening his passenger side door at a stop sign. I enjoyed Jims line at the beginning of Turf War about where Andy can stick his sour grapes (In the fridge!) as much as his explanation of the lines lack of genuine enthusiasm and creativity. Jims best moments occurred when playing the straight man to Dwights fervor to beat Harry to the big client played by none other than Dan Castellaneta, the voice of Homer Simpson, an actor some may remember from the episode of Arrested Development where Michael (Bluth) goes to the hospital for stomach pains. Its great to see Jim with a goal or objective, especially one that has specific relevance to the series as opposed to resisting the advances of some flusie who never came back from Florida. Too often this season characters have had nothing to do and seeing them simply spin their wheels is not only a quick way to grow bored but is frankly beneath a show as great as The Office. Once the three salesmen accepted their shared defeat (at the hands of a crafty Nard-Dog, unbeknownst to them) and exited the building to grab some coffee together and reflect on the bleak future of Dunder Mifflin under the direction of Robert California, the three characters got into a bit of light banter which really landed for me. Im not sure if it was the attraction of a few people genuinely bonding or their awareness of their efforts to rip on each other (well, maybe not Dwight so much), but it was a great pleasure seeing those three characters interacting after their story had come to a conclusion (for them anyway). Again, the scenes really worked because they had room to breathe and felt natural. Plus, Harrys inquiry as to the salesmens dream jobs (which included the great exchange between Dwight and Jim about beet farming) and line about how Robert California is running Dunder Mifflin into the ground (finally someone says it out loud! The guy did close an entire branch on a drunken whim for Gods sake) and they wont be doing this in six months really resonated not just for the shot of Jims WTF face, but because the series future is still in question. Technically it hasnt been renewed for a ninth season and the core cast still hasnt renewed their expiring contracts so even when the show does most likely get renewed it might be with a very different core cast. For the majority of the season I havent been shy about my disappointment in the show and Ive become ever more vocal with each passing episode. Ive complained about a lack of direction and substance, but this episode and its closing scenes in particular actually evoked in me a desire to care about the characters and their shared story again and its because the episode didnt shy away from identifying whats at stake for the characters as well as letting them, Andy in particular but also in no small part due to Harry, demonstrate some gravitas in pursuing a goal. Andys call to Robert to sell him the huge client in exchange to have his job back (especially when Andy coolly stated its just business and when Robert angrily referred to himself as the fucking lizard king!) was so much more satisfying than the pathetic parade weve seen from Andy these last few episodes. Its a shame the series has been dragging its feet in regards to this plot point of Andy making some serious moves to get his job back, but that one very serious exchange and the subsequent scene in which it appears Andy will successfully sell ex-CFO David Wallace on the idea of buying out Robert California as CEO of Dunder Mifflin and hiring Andy back, possibly as more than just a branch manager, almost (but actually not even close) make up for the total lack of realism and consequence most of this season has been defined by. Seeing as how Ive read we wont see Robert California after this season ends, this seems like the most likely scenario to end the season in and considering all the time the show has spent on trying to make the audience sympathize with Nelly, including Turf Wars, Ill bet (much to everyones chagrin, not necessarily mine) Catherine Tate will be sticking around. As much as I still resent the laziness and randomness with which Nellys character was integrated into the show, I have to admit guys, her talking head in which she said things are looking up because shes made a new friend at work, successfully tugged at my heart strings (I even uttered an, Aww) and reminded me of Michaels more tender, sympathy inducing moments from earlier in the series. This episode may temporarily have me back in the saddle, but its definitely too little, way too late and naturally next weeks finale will be crucial in my evaluation of the season as a whole. I stand by my assessments of each episode this season as usually being pretty weak due to an almost complete lack of cohesion, stakes, logic, and realism, but if I can have my spark of love for The Office even slightly rekindled as it was by Turf War then theres hope for us all. And just to supplement my call for NBC to cancel The Office rather than reboot it, heres an especially relevant and interesting article from The AV Club which dissects what it truly means to cancel a TV show as well as the implications of doing so.