TV Review: The Office 9.2, "Roy's Wedding"
That whole idea of an Office reboot doesn't sound so terrible now that I've seen more of Clark and Pete.
rating: 4
Its really nice to be pleasantly surprised. Im not saying there were many surprises in Roys Wedding, but enjoying it was certainly an unexpected luxury. I could just be high on my excitement for going to see Looper in a matter of mere hours, but I actually found myself laughing out loud at much of this episode. Though in retrospect Im still pretty annoyed by Jim and Pam, and the Dwight/Nelly plot kind of bored me, both these assessments are entirely personal and subjective. Objectively, they were each at least executed well enough. The truly bright spot though was definitely Clarks creepy rouse to get Erin to come to his apartment and model various slutty outfits under the guise of auditioning for a position as a local newscaster. This was by far the best plot of the episode as it really showcased the newest additions to the cast, Clark and Pete. We come to find that the two new hires arent actually friends, something that would be easy to assume, but that in fact Pete simply considers Clark, the douche that sits next to me at work. Whereas in the premiere Clark came off as a lovable smartass and Pete appeared to potentially be a bigger bore than even Toby, this episode definitely found Clark to be a bit pervy (though still quite amusingly so) and Pete really shined not only as a stand-up guy, but truly earning his title as Plop Jim Junior. Not only in ethics but also in tone and demeanor, Pete stepped up as The New Jim primarily by cleverly thwarting Clarks plan by coyly suggesting Erin needs a co-anchor and that Andy would be a perfect fit. Turns out Andy makes a perfect television news anchor and I have to say, even on Fox News, Id tune in to The Evening News with Andy and Erin. I know Nelly was generally regarded as the bane of the second half of The Offices eighth season (and rightfully so), but I thought her role in this episode worked well as served as a natural opposition to Dwights staunch refusal to participate in anything that doesn't cultivate severe self-reliance (I feel as though he and Ron Swanson might really get along under the right circumstances.) Though I didnt really understand Nellys logic in attempting to trap Dwight in agreeing to abide by Taliban law (as the special project Nellys enacted requires employees to choose charities for Dunder Mifflin to support and Dwight purposefully chose a charity recently revealed to have been a front for the Taliban in an attempt to defraud the project altogether) seeing as how as a woman shed be stuck in a bit of a corner pretty quickly, it turns out to have been a pretty clever way to call the beet farmers bluff (though Id never really want to play chicken with Dwight if any kind of sharp object is involved). Daryls intervention of showing the two the film 127 Hours may have been a bit of a cheap resolution, but its not entirely unrealistic that such a move would defuse the situation (though of course the situation itself is obviously beyond ridiculous does anyone ever work in that office anymore? ) The eponymous ceremony of Pams ex-fiancé, Roy, to his new bride, Laura, was essentially a vehicle to showcase how crappy Jim and Pams marriage apparently is. There are just so many problems here, I dont know where to begin. First and foremost, theres absolutely no reason to feel any sympathy for these two characters. All of the tension and hopefulness and romanticism of these characters journey from the first half of the series is completely drained by now. Theyve had nothing but a charmed, storybook existence together since Pam returned from art school back in season five and yet it keeps getting thrown in the audiences faces that their existence is entirely stale and suffocating Jim who refuses to divulge to his wife the secret that hes gone ahead and started that business with his college friend. How much longer are the writers going to make us suffer through this before the two simply have an adult conversation on the matter? In addition to Clark and Petes interactions with Erin and Andy, the several small but enjoyable moments from the supporting characters really carried this episode. Though Roys wedding only actually took up about a quarter of the episodes duration, it was pretty funny to see Phyllis and Bob Vance of Vance Refrigeration making out hardcore during Roys piano performance. As much as I dislike this whole Jim/Pam trouble in paradise B.S., I got a good chuckle from Toby knowing the answers to Pams questions during the office dating game activity. Creed had a couple good lines when he told Nelly, the self-appointed Special Projects Fairy, that he knows she doesnt really exist, and when he said hed like to give to Gerald Fords charity to build gnomes. I hate that Oscar is having an affair with Angelas husband, but seeing him choke on his food at the mention of Angela stating that she and The Senator still have mystery was quite amusing. When Andy, ever the holy fool, looked like he was about to confront Clark about his scheme to seduce his girlfriend but ended up playing right into his cherub-like hands, I laughed. And Daryls breakdown of why he likes certain movies (I like The Godfather because Im a cinephile; I like Scarface because Im black,) was very funny as well. Plus the cold open of the "Chore Wheel" was a lot of fun. Though being in its definitive final season renders The Office as simply for show at this point, its still nice to sit back and enjoy it without having to hold it under such tight scrutiny as I otherwise would. The series should still absolutely aim high until its final scene, but since its so past its prime Im not necessarily expecting much and as a result when the show isnt aggressively obnoxious as it was for most of the eighth season, it can still be a lot of fun.