tonight's episode was kind of ... meh. It was funny (hilarious in parts), but it also got really weird and a lot of things just seemed out of place and out of character.
I've got a few complaints about the season thus far, to be honest.
1. I'll admit it, I miss Season 2. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that Jim and Pam are together. But what happened to them having fun in the office aside from making sarcastic comments? Two episodes into the season and not one prank on Dwight? They should be planning elaborate pranks after work! haha
2. I also miss old Pam. Fancy new Beesley just seems TOO outgoing and happy. Yes, I know that last season was all about her transition and coming out of her shell. However, it's like she's a completely different person now. Ideally, I'd love to see her be this outgoing and happy when interacting with Jim, but she should still be quiet and frustrated when dealing with Michael. I want more long pauses filled with tension and disgust as she tries to figure out how to react to whatever Michael's doing.
3. Everything seems to be so FAST. I was hoping that with the hour-long episodes for the first four weeks we'd be getting some major awkward pauses and nearly-painful moments ala Season 1. But they're packing SO MUCH into each episode that even the dialogue seems sped up.
4. Michael. What is going on with Michael? He was never this ... stupid before. He was annoying. He was PAINFUL to be around. He was inappropriate, offensive, and awkward like nobody's business. But there's a big difference between the stupidity of, say, stepping on a george forman grill, and driving a rented car into a lake. He could obviously see the lake. He had more than enough time to stop. Even Michael wouldn't do that. Same with going to take back the gift basket. Would Michael take gift baskets to win back customers who left months ago? Absolutely. But the episode just got weirder and weirder with these too far-out plot points.
Having said that, I'm still enjoying the season so far. I've laughed my ass off and been genuinely impressed with some of the writing. I just really hope that once they've established the new season they get back into the grove of highlighting the unintended hilarity of life in a mundane job. The appeal of the show has always been it's reality - sometimes to the point of being TOO real. But in the interest of avoiding getting into a rut, it seems that they're stretching the boundaries a bit too far. I just hope they pull back a bit...
Fun Run was a lot of fun, and a good start to the season, but not one of my favourite episodes.
Dunder Mifflin Infinity was decent. It was funny, as always, but it's probably one of my least favourite episodes so far. Of course, it's still the Office, so that ranking needs to be kept in perspective. haha
EDIT: I should mention that I realize that I'm being pretty picky here. These aren't like "omg I'm gonna stop watching the show!!!1" points ... these are just things that I've noticed that are ... less than perfect