The Office: The List

I love The Office. I said it in the introduction, I'm saying it here and I'll likely say it again in the future. It is my favorite show in television. I've seen every episode over five times (except for season 7. I don't own that yet because I have no money.). I could do a whole other blog where I just talk about The Office. I'm the biggest Office fan I know and I've proved it too. Time and time again. In fact I'm more than a fan. I'm a superfan. I say all this so you know my viewpoint going into this show. I love this show. That doesn't mean I think it's perfect. That doesn't mean that every episode will be given a perfect rating. Or even a good rating. I'll probably even criticize a bunch. It just means that even if this season turns out to be a complete failure (and based on this episode alone, that seems unlikely) and everyone stops watching, I will keep watching, trying to find positive spots to the bitter end. So now that we got that out of the way, how was the season premiere for a hopeful super fan? Well you'll have to keep reading to find out (but it was great.).

Oh, and spoilers ahead if you haven't seen the new episode yet because you're overseas or something (Not to target anyone in particular, Alanna).

In the cold open, we're quickly brought back up to speed on everything that's happened. Which I will address in point form.

-Robert California was chosen as the new branch manager. On his first day, he took one look at everyone, then left to Florida where he talked Jo Bennet out of her own job and became CEO of the entire company.

-Robert chose Andy to replace him. Andy is the new regional manager of Dunder Mifflin Sabre Scranton.

-Pam is really pregnant. Angela is also pregnant, but not as much (as Angela puts it, they're big pregs and little pregs).

-Stanley has a new thing where he acts like he's being helpful and then tells them to stick it up their butt. He knows it's stupid but it's his thing.

-Dwight is Andy's new number 2/enforcer and we see him put a stop to a bunch of people who have taken up planking (The best of these moments involves him blasting Meredith off the top of a bathroom stall with a fire extinguisher.).

After this opening, which is good if not a little long (the planking bit could've probably waited for another time, funny as it was. Same with Stanley's catchphrase.), we jump to the action. Robert has accidentally left a notebook open on Erin's desk with everyone's names on one side or the other. No one knows what it means. Hilarity ensues as they attempt to find out. This plot has lots of good moments, my favorite being when Dwight lines everyone up according to group and then tries to attack the other group. It gets funnier still when Robert takes all the people on the left side of the list out to lunch and confirms that he thinks the people on the right of the list are losers. Which the losers find out through a mass text from Kevin saying "Suck it losers!" (Kevin's glad he finally proved that everyone was wrong about him.)

This leads to some of the winners gloating (Kevin sprays Meredith with a little water gun repeatedly) and some of the losers (particularly a very hormonal Pam) being upset. So Andy (who was a winner until the first time he admitted to Robert California that they made copies of the list) confronts Robert who tells everyone that he hardly knows them and the list could change so winners prover him right and losers prove him wrong. This isn't good enough for Andy who confronts Robert again and tells them why everyone of those losers (except Gabe) is really a winner and gets The Office a half-day the Friday before Columbus Day (which they get anyways). So it looks like Andy could be a good manager after all.

So that was the episode and it was a great one. Robert California is definitely an interesting character (though we don't know a lot about him yet. That's part of the mystery) and his intensity is funny to watch. It'll be interesting to see how he fits in as the season progresses. There was even a cute Jim and Pam moment where Jim let slip a list of his own for Pam to find. On the left side is listed: Pam, Cece, new baby (which is going to be a boy!). On the right side: Everything else. Oh, Jim. You still bring the touching moments to the show.

So as I said above, I don't know if this season is going to be a failure. I don't know if everything's downhill from here. I just know that I love this show and nothing this season throws at me will ever change that. So bring it on, Office. Prove that this show can still be as great as it was in the Michael Scott years. I dare you.

Grade: Totally Awesome! (Great)

Memorable Moments
-So apparently, Gabe going back to Florida didn't stick. Well, hopefully they'll do better with his character this year.
-Andy and Erin romance seems on hold for now which is probably a good thing. One of the weaker spots in season 7 was that love triangle (though it still had it's moments.).
-"Planking is one of those things where you either get it or you don't. And I don't. But I am so excited to be part of it."- Erin
-"He talked her out of her own job and I really don't know how someone does that"- Jim
-"Little Michael Scott, right here"-Pam making a joke about her pregnancy AND referencing Michael directly for the first time since he left.
-Dwight has many lists of his own. Including Who would eat who in an Alive situation.
-Kevin's warning when Robert is coming: "WARNING. WARNING. WARNING."
-Robert California refers to Sesame Street as The Street and has fascination opinions on Elmo.
-Kevin: "What I like about Elmo is the tickling."
-To cheer up the ones who didn't go to lunch, Andy throws a pizza party with Margarita pizza.
-"[Stanley] may seem like an unloveable grump but did you know he's in two long term romantic relationships?"