Worst. Episode. Ever.
I’ve been a fan of the TV show The Office since the original British version of the show aired on the BBC America network about 5 years ago. The blend of humor created by the “mockumentary” style, along with embarrassing but believably realistic white-collar office situations made for a brand of humor unlike anything else. And the American version of the show took the ideas and characters of the British show and made it different enough from the original to still be funny enough to sustain the laughs for three seasons (so far).
But this past Thursday’s episode (aired October 11, 2007) entitled “Launch Party” was easily the “worst episode ever.” I realize that phrase invokes many different connotations, most notably about all the Simpsons fans in approximately 1994 declaring each new episode was the worst ever at a time when internet fandom was first taking off. And I will admit that a little part of me now feels as if I have earned my blogger stripes by using that phrase. But “Launch Party” really was the worst episode of The Office so far. The “will they or won’t they date” tension between Jim and Pam is now gone, and the antics of Michael and Dwight have gotten more farfetched and less funny. The hallmark of The Office has been in making embarrassing situations be funny. But there was nothing funny about holding a pizza delivery boy hostage in order to get a discount. It wasn’t embarrassingly funny like The Office usually is, it was just embarrassing.
Joe M replied:
How about a vote on the best/worst episodes so far? My list:
Favs:
- The Fight
- The Injury
- Diversity Day
- Health Care
- The Coup
Worst:
- Dwight’s speech
- Ben Franklin
- Pilot
- Large chunks of the 1st 4 episodes of this year including Launch Party. There were some good moments but overall a waste of 4 hour long slots.
- The Convict (having a tough time remembering that one but I am pretty sure it was bad.)
January 2, 2008 8:57 pm at 8:57 pm. Permalink.
bobsala replied:
I have to agree with you on all these except the Pilot. Have you seen the British version of The Office? The Pilot for the U.S. show is the only episode that was a remake of one of the British episodes (also the Pilot) and it worked well to differentiate the tone of the newer version as opposed to being an exact clone.
I have to add The Client (“Chili’s is the new golf course”) and Booze Cruise (“I’m king of the world!”) as two of my favorite episodes, and The Fire as one I didn’t enjoy so much.
January 3, 2008 7:57 pm at 7:57 pm. Permalink.
Joe M replied:
I agree with you on The Fire. I remember Booze Cruise as being one of the more uncomfortable ones to watch at the time. (Not that they aren’t ALL uncomfortable to some degree…)
By the way I bought my sister a Dwight bobblehead at the NBC store last time I was in NYC and she tells me it is a big hit at her office.
January 30, 2008 10:02 pm at 10:02 pm. Permalink.