BLUE MAG

I have a friend (he was my boss, actually) who gave me his DVD copy of the British Office because he didn’t like the show. He explained that it just made him feel uncomfortable, and that he couldn’t laugh.

I never quite understood what he meant until last night, about the time when Michael loudly and prematurely announced Bob and Phyllis for the first time ever. That might not have been enough had I not so recently recovered from Michael walking the wheelchair down the aisle or asking Phyllis if she broke wind.

Don’t get me wrong: it was a fabulous episode.

What makes The Office such a good ensemble show is that even in an episode in which a number of characters are absent like this one, it can show us just a snippet of a few characters as asides but with enough focus that they draw a laugh. Like Ryan blocking the bouquet or Toby bringing a suspect date. Is there something I don’t know about Ed Helms? Andy has been noticeably absent for 2 weeks after a few Andy-centric episodes. Actually, I think I just solved it right there, assuming The Office is a fairness-centered enterprise.

It was a great episode, but the comedy of Michael Scott is so superhumanly powerful that he needs to keep it locked up sometimes, like the Hulk. (And please, running commercials for Reno: 911: Miami during The Office? If you want me to have a hernia, just park a boulder on my doorstep.)