A few wonderful episodes and runs of episodes, and one of the finest series finales I’ve seen, but I found the series overall to be plagued by a lack of planning. Too often, a major new direction was established only at the beginning of the episode that made use of it. At the same time, threads that had been on the go for some time as well as apparent turning points in the plot were suddenly dropped, only to be picked up again in a half-hearted fashion seasons later. Worse, in the later seasons there emerged a reliance on rewriting the show’s history.
But somehow it still captivated me to an extent and certainly I never seriously considered abandoning it. Would like to rewatch sometime down the track.
It’s fun, especially in its heyday during which it’s a standout example of a network sitcom. But compared to the original it feels so synthetic, manufactured, saccharine – especially Jim and Pam’s relationship. And it feels like it exists for the sake of it rather than trying to really say something.
Having said all that, Dwight in particular is an excellent character, and Rainn Wilson never fails to fully commit.
[Up to beginning of Season 3 at time of writing]
I mean I kind of like Jim and Pam in a way but the thing is that it’s just so manufactured and strung-out. And they’re both so pretty but made frumpy.
This really is a phenomenal show. Such a strong, confident vision behind each episode, and so beautifully shot.
