Being that The Office is probably my favorite show on television and that I am all too aware of the ramifications of the ongoing writers’ strike, there is no way for me to judge tonight’s Office episode with any sort of rationality. There is a strong likelihood that this will be the last new episode of The Office we see for nine months, possibly longer, and it left a very weird taste in my mouth. “The Deposition” was an atypical episode of The Office, one that basically put the character of Michael Scott on trial and humiliated him over and over again. What seemed needlessly cruel during the deposition redeemed itself simply through Michael’s reactions at the end – another reminder of how fundamentally kind and good Michael Scott, the person, is. And just how clueless he is.
In short, Michael and Jan go to New York to the Dunder-Mifflin corporate offices so Michael can be deposed regarding a wrongful termination lawsuit Jan has brought to the company. During the deposition, Michael is hit with a barrage of embarrassing, yet vaguely apt evidence. Michael ultimately has to decide between loyalty to the company and loyalty to Jan. In the end, Michael chooses Dunder-Mifflin. The B-story centered around ping pong. The warehouse guys bring in a ping pong table to work. Darryl and Jim play an ongoing game, but Darryl dominates Jim. Kelly starts talking trash to Pam about this, so Pam sets up a ping pong table in the office’s conference room for Jim to practice. And he does, but Darryl still kicks the crap out of him.
The way Steve Carell plays Michael Scott incites sympathy. Despite his ridiculously annoying habits, the audience is meant to like Michael. He’s a child. He means well. That’s why it didn’t sit right when, for most of tonight’s episode, Michael was a punching bag while being deposed. We know Michael’s embarrassing past and are well aware of Michael’s faults before they were brought up at the deposition. That stuff (Jamaica, man-crush on Ryan, shaky start to his relationship with Jan) didn’t need to be rehashed, let alone in a context that was only meant to humiliate Michael.
But, then again, it was funny. And, that’s what a comedy is supposed to be, regardless of what the characters go through, so who am I to complain. I’m just bitter because this was the last new Office episode for a long while.
Top 5 Funniest Quotes (Boobs and Ping Pong Edition)
They fired her for having the courage to augment her boobs.
What has two skinny chicken legs and sucks at ping pong?
Were Jim’s parents first cousins who were also bad at ping pong?
To be delicate, they hang off my lady’s chest. They make milk.
All of my heroes are table tennis players.
-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of NBC)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
