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'The Office' season finale: So who's the boss?
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It would have been nice not to know who the people at "The Office" are angling to hire for next season. It became a bit of a distraction when that person was on screen. Here's hoping you didn't have that issue (which we'll talk about in a minute), because "Search Committee" was really a pretty strong episode. What the finale managed to do was focus on the people who already work at Dunder Mifflin despite the parade of high-profile guests interviewing for the job. Showrunner/Toby Paul Lieberstein wrote the episode, and he managed to have his guest-star cake without sacrificing the idea that everyone else is heavily invested in the outcome too. Nice trick, that.
So, OK, about the reported frontrunner for the (acting) job: The Hollywood Reporter says Catherine Tate is a favorite among the show's producers. She's a wonderfully funny actress, and I wouldn't mind at all seeing her in the part. What was distracting about knowing that before the episode aired, though, was that when she was in her interview scenes, her character, Nellie, came off as a complete loon.
The show gave itself an out by establishing that Nellie is a friend of Jo's, so if Tate does get the part it could be explained that Jo strongarmed Jim and Co. into hiring her. But she did not make a good impression in her interview.
Anyway: The guest stars may have been the draw, but fortunately "Search Committee" -- and this is a case where having an hour to play with helped -- kept its eyes on how the interviews would affect everyone we already know. The subplots with Phyllis and Erin, Angela getting engaged and Pam making sure Creed doesn't destroy the company all clicked, and (I suspect I'll be in the minority on this, but here goes) other than the real-world intrusion with Tate, the guests didn't overwhelm the story at all.
James Spader? Funny as heck. His standoff with Dwight was great, and Jim pretty well nailed both character and actor when he said "He creeps me out -- but I think he might be a genius." Ray Romano? Even hangdoggier than usual, but it fit the character. Tate? Also very good. The cameos by Warren Buffett and Ricky Gervais were really kind of pointless, on the other hand, and Will Arnett didn't get a lot to do either. On the whole, though, the gambit worked reasonably well -- and the tag of Jim Carrey being the Finger Lakes guy was a nice little surprise.
So did the various efforts of
(Side note: If Gabe is really being sent back to Florida, we'll be sorry to see Zach Woods go. His brand of ineffectual toadyism was often quite funny.)
We'll find out in September (or, given how news cycles work, sometime before that) who the new boss is. But while "Search Committee" wasn't as good a finale as "Goodbye Michael" would have been, it served the new world of "The Office" rather well.
A few other thoughts from the finale:
- Those of you who wondered if Erin might be Phyllis' daughter after "Goodbye Michael" were half-right. The characters started to wonder too, and though Phyllis tells the camera she's not, the episode got some great comic mileage out of the two of them together. (Although Phyllis' story about how she won Bob Vance's heart was more than a little disturbing.) We know Phyllis has a mean-girl streak in her, but her motherly side came out in a very sweet way in her scenes with Erin.
- The Creed-as-manager story got just the right amount of weight, as Pam ("How is this on me?"), well-practiced from years of Michael, keeps him from blowing up the business before it has a chance to hire an actual replacement. She really should work on her character voices, though.
- The interview process also brought out a few previously established traits in characters that we haven't seen for a while, notably Jim's less-than-stellar management skills ("This conversation really got away from me") and Andy's anger-management issues. We haven't seen Darryl be at a loss for words quite so often, but it's happened enough times for it to be believable.
- Angela's co-workers are a patient, forgiving lot. You can argue about whether the right thing to do is tell her about the senator's sexual orientation, but they at least they arrived at a consensus about what (not) to do. It's a consensus I would have broken at her frightfully condescending attitude.
What did you think of "The Office" season finale?
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Very entertaining hour. I didn't know, going in, that the female candidate may actually get the job; I thought she was just someone they brought in to act goofy. I thought James Spader was the best candidate (and probably the most qualified) although the creepy attitude may get old after awhile.
David Brent would, of course, be absolutely horrible as the boss, but I wouldn't mind seeing that silly loser pop up from time to time on the show. He's hilarious.
Seriously, though, I have to agree with Ryan. Jim needs to finally man-up and stop with the goofy frat-guy stuff. He's got a wife and daughter now, and he's the best qualified to run the office. Grow up and take the job, dude!
OMG!!!! great episode. loved the 2 hour special. Wasn't James Spader the best replacement boss ever--someone for sure to combat Dwight in his quest for dominance of the office. The english girl was hard to understand and even relate to. I'm surprised Jenna Fisher ( Pam Halpert) did adorn a smart outfit and apply for the job herself, she is definately qualified and it would fun to see her struggle with the office for an episode or two. Kelly for that matter as well. My hopes is for the very talanted and accomplished actor James Spader.--Wow what great writing and acting (the two components in any hit show). Period...
Spader stole every scene, hed bring an excellent dynamic to the show and whole new audience segment. Jim being the smart one would only be brought to gretaer heights of hilarrity as a true genius wouldnbe in their midst. Also dwight wouldnt be the weird one anymore, you could see them fighting for it for seasons. Spader would make all the other characters grow in interesting direcions.
Tate would just be the same old junk, quick laughs, no build up, no growth. Shes the easy choice..and a poor one, we will get nothing new from her being added to the show, just zanier stupid plots and situations. Juat because home simpson gets dumber every season doesnt mean the office boss has to
Kudos to everyone on the show for a great past 2 eps for me! I was worried when it was announced that there were going to be so many guest stars that I felt they would overwhelm the episode, but strongly agree that it was handled beautifully. My personal hope for Micheal's replacement was Will Arnett, but since he has a new show, that's not likely. I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed James Spader's character, but wonder how long his persona would last before it becomes too much, but I'm sure they could develop the character masterfully like they've always done. Great job with all the plots tonight and I look forward to fall!
I hope it's Andy or Jim Carrey...both would be a good fit at carrying humor while leading the office in the manner Michael did but with their own touch...I thought Spader was awful and wanted to shoot myself every time he was on. Im the biggest Office fan in the world but not sure I could bear to even watch anymore with him on it...I like Dwight but not for manager. He's too good in the role he is in and they need to keep him there. The audience couldn't adjust and it would not seem right...Tate just wasn't right for the show at all either. She had a line or two but she's not someone the fans could adopt and grasp onto in that role...Jim Carrey or Andy seem the only logical picks that offer the most potential for the show at this point. Andy is so talented and his character and position are flexible enough to fit into the role of manager...They need to keep it going and growing and can't afford to lose fans...I like their tradition of turning movie stars into tv stars like they did with Carrell...I would be happy with either Andy or Carrey but even as unlikely as it possibly is, it certainly would be something special and quite the story line if they could sign Carrey.
Spader was absolutely brilliant. Anyone else now will be a disappointment, but especially Tate, who simply wasn't funny at all. Why would the producers doom the show by picking her?
Spader was brilliant. Anyone else will be a disappointment. Could Tate have been any less funny?
I think it's going to end up being Jim. In the last scene he stepped up and took control of the situation. Remember how they kept asking the prospective managers how they would handle conflict? Jim stood up and was the boss at that moment.
I agree with Grant. Jim acted like a manager, handling everyone from Dwight to Kelly. Critics seem really impressed by Tate, which means she will be ratings poison. NBC already puts on enough low-rated shows that get kudos. It needs to bring in some eyeballs and Tate won't do that.
To sum it up quickly...
Spader... for sure.
Tate... no way.
Arnet... disappointing appearance. I hyped myself into believing it was gonna be him for sure.
Romano... I liked his character. Maybe he could pop up down the road as the same character somehow.