Season seven of The Office has thus far established three major storylines. The first one involves the inevitable reunion of Michael and Holly. The second one is Dwight having purchased the building. The third storyline, involves Pam's promotion to office administrator. In China, Pam's new position crossed with Dwight's ownership and management of the building.
Since Andy made his debut on The Office, he had always taken the role of a character with an odd side to him. But with Jim and Pam not awake enough to pay much attention, and Andy remembering quite well what it was like to be cheated on in a relationship, Andy ended up being the voice of reason in this episode.
In the absence of a conflict between Dwight and Jim, another conflict took place, that was very reminiscent of the every man versus the workplace goofball. Unlike Jim, Darryl is much more spontaneous with his pranking, and Andy, unlike Dwight, was not out to cause any trouble. Darryl just happened to remember an incident from two years ago, and he was exacting his revenge on Andy.
When Pam set Michael up on a blind date with her landlady, it ended in a disaster. When Michael ended up dating Pam's mother, it too became a disaster. In Happy Hour, it comes off as ironic, that Pam would dare to set Michael up another time. As predicted, Michael made himself look like a fool, especially with his obnoxious clothing and behaviours.
The leadership of Sabre has brought on more changes to the Scranton branch, not just in procedures and policies, but also in workplace attitude. As the sales staff have been given a greater importance in the company, they have also displayed it in their attitude towards everybody else.
Much of the appeal of The Office is a result of combining diverse characters in an office environment, with plots that are driven by workplace related themes and the interactions that ensue. The Delivery, is unlike most episodes of The Office. Instead, it relies on slapstick, and the characters acting very much over the top.
Manager and Salesman has got to be the most disappointing episode of The Office in a very long time. There was minimal characterization, a predictable plot, and a love story that's going nowhere. And where there is characterization, there is nothing memorable.
After a near-two month wait, The Office returns with a new full length episode. This episode is deliberately meant to create a different feel, which succeeds, especially when contrasted with the clipshow from 2 weeks ago. The major change which everybody encounters is the acquisition by Sabre.
For the first time, Jim was able to look like the saner of the two co-managers. It didn't take much on Jim's part, as he was only being himself. This is easy, when Michael was entwined in perceived authority, sexism, and jealousy. His own personal insecurities and entitlement have led to him believing that he has the right to not only be Santa Claus, but to also take it away from Phyllis.
There are times when Michael has been able to take a situation from an inevitable doom, and turn it into a miraculous victory. These times are rare, and are dependent on Michael's invincible cluelessness, coupled with an antagonist that is all too grounded in reality.
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