We at WordsFinest have had the prospect of replacing Michael Scott on The Office on our minds for quite some time. When it was announced that Will Ferrell was going to be taking the managerial reigns, I met the thought with a little bit of trepidation. Don't get me wrong, I think his material on SNL was great and Anchorman is one of the few movies that I found funny in high school that I can still laugh at now, but his movies took a pretty stark plunge after his glorious portrayal of Ron Burgundy. Every character afterwards was basically just Burgundy with some kind of developmental disorder and the routine got old. All the same, I'd be lying if I said I didn't find myself getting pretty excited to see how things were going to play out as this episode drew nearer and nearer. Now that the ball has started rolling (the next two episodes are entitled "Good Bye Michael Pt. 1 and 2", so Carell isn't gone just yet) I can say that my opinion for the future of the show is at least cautiously optimistic. Honestly, I can't say that this episode offered me a terrible amount off of which to form an opinion.
The episode shrugs off its general A and B plot convention and instead focuses solely on the ways the new manager, Deangelo Vickers, affects the group dynamic. In my mind, this met with varying degrees of success. I am definitely interested to see what is going to become of Dwight under the new regime, though he spent most of his time during this episode with Michael. I also liked that one of the first things established in the episode is that Jim and Pam will no longer have their titles of "office darlings" from their new manager. The jarring speed at which Vickers shuts them down when they try to cozy up to him using Cici made for one of the most cringe-worthy moments of the show (as well as a fantastic final line which I won't spoil). Vickers' branding of Andy as "the funny guy" and only laughing when he hurts himself also provided that special brand of completely dignity-less humor that makes The Office so simultaneously bleak and hilarious.
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| Gaze ye upon the face of existential despair |
But tell us, kind readers: What did you think about Ferrell's debut?
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5 comments:
Wait, I have a question. Is it for sure that Ferrell is going to be the new manager? I thought this was an arch, where Ferrell will be ousted in one of the next episodes and the real new manager is revealed. I guess I've just never heard of a made movie actor settling for a tv show role, and Vicker's "changes" seem to largely not fit in with the office vibe. If it is ultimately just Ferrell, then I agree with you, it's tough to say what's to come. Could go either way at this point.
April 15, 2011 at 3:02 AMThe NYT said last Sunday that Ferrell was only in for 4 episodes and was clear that he was not to be the replacement. As for last night's episode, I was disappointed. Ferrell's cruel side put me off. There's funny edgy and there's funny creepy. Carrell's character was cruel, but clueless and ultimately a good soul. Farrell's character seems soulless. The stuff with Andy was uncomfortable to watch.
April 15, 2011 at 5:09 AMI was looking forward to this episode and when I watched the first scene with Michael and Deangelo in the bar, I thought that it was off to a good start. Unfortunately, this was the funniest part of the show and the rest was rather disappointing. I couldn't warm up to Will Farrell's character. He seems to be mean and cruel especially with Andy and the attempt at physical humor fell flat. Perhaps, in the upcoming episodes, the character of Deangelo will show another more likable side which will help ease the transition from Michael Scott to a new office manager. Steve Carrell will be greatly missed and he is leaving some very large shoes to be filled by whoever replaces him. Maybe someone already in the cast will become the new manager - maybe Dwight or Jim? That might be a worthwhile idea.
April 15, 2011 at 6:54 AMThanks for bringing that NYT article to my attention. Bit of poor Journalism on my part.
April 15, 2011 at 11:50 AMStill, loving what you guys have to say. I do think outside talent needs to be brought in to replace Carell though. Jim was already the manager, and Dwight is funny because of his aspirations to be in control when he is clearly not cut out for it. There aren't really any other candidates from within the cast where it would make sense.
Hey this is the same guy as the one who made the first post. I just wanted to mention that part about answering the phone, where Erin, in the middle of that awkward mess, just says "I'm so sorry" and hangs up. Definitely one of my favorite moments in recent episodes. It was so perfect hahaha.
April 15, 2011 at 2:34 PMPost a Comment