Amazing Turnaround

Many, many weeks ago I wrote about how bad The Office had gotten.  It was disjointed, inconsistent, full of stories we didn't care about with characters in roles that didn't really interest or entertain.  It got to the point where I doubted the show could survive without Steve Carell.  That changed quickly.

The Michael Scott Farewell Tour ended with a bang.  Almost as soon as Holly returned to Scranton (allowing the writers to drop the whole Andy/Gabe/Erin love triangle no one cared about) did the show not only dramatically increase in hilarity, but also it became more focused.  The writers had to get from point A to point B which drove the main plot lines forward, often dragging all the secondary plots with them.  As a result the comedy and overall feeling of satisfaction with each episode returned to levels we were used to. 

What also helped was the use of secondary characters (i.e. the not Jim, Pam, Michael, Dwight).  I already mentioned shoving the Andy/Erin/Gabe mess away.  We got to see Andy in goofier bro-mode which, if you've seen the Hangover, Ed Helms shines in.  We got to see much more of Daryl, Angela, Meredith, Creed, Ryan, and Kelly.  We even got some great moments from Oscar, Erin, Stanley, and Phyllis.  But I think it was Kevin and Creed who stole a lot of the great lines (it was as if the writers stumbled upon my post).  Brian Baumgartner often had me laughing hysterically most notably in "PDA" where he delivered gems such as "Let me finish!  I like it (Holly and Michael's PDA) because it makes me horny," and when Dwight has listed everyone who has had sex in the office and Kevin has added himself to the list someone asked him with whom his reply: "She goes to another school."  Creed really shone the second half of the year, especially once he was made boss.  It forced Pam back into her role of saboteur of the boss's ill-conceived plans, except this boss was even more clueless. 

It was also really great to see Jim pull a long-con prank on Dwight that was in no way mean spirited, we haven't seen that in a while.

Finally, as sad as it was, Michael Scott's farewell to Scranton was really well done.  The final episode especially highlighted just how deep and three dimensional the character really became.  One minute he was totally aware of how stupid Oscar thinks he is, the next he was awkwardly telling Kevin to stop being fat.  We got to see how the office really had become the family he never had, but now no longer needs.  I can't praise the show enough for giving Michael the happy ending he deserved (even if it meant a horribly awkward, pointless, and distracting Will Ferrell extended cameo).

I hope the show can maintain the momentum it had leading up to the goodbye, or if the writers will fall back into a direction-less hit-or-miss style that took over the proceeding season and a half.