The Office: Manager and Salesman

Posted by: Lawrence Lee  •  February 14, 2010 @ 6:13pm

Filed under: Recaps & Reviews

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. This should have been the episode where Jo comes in and makes a difference, not unlike Charles Miner coming in to replace Michael last season. Instead, she falls into the background of her two dogs, the battle for a demotion, and the diabolical plan turned stupid.

This season, Dwight actually looked like he could finally sabotage Jim, and Ryan seemed to finally get some real storyline after his short lived stint at corporate. Instead, in this episode, the two are reduced to looking like complete idiots, in an out of character way. This could have been a promising storyline, considering Jim's recent fumbles, Dwight's proven success this season, and Ryan's knowledge of the corporate structure. Instead, these two end up crushing an apple and an empty can of soda, as an attempt to create intimidation.

This episode was just badly written. It seemed like the conflict between Michael and Jim was very forced, with little reason to exist. It's hard to imagine Michael wanting to step down for any reason, considering how much he identifies with his manager position. If there's any redemption in this plot, it's that Michael actually remembers the perks of being a manager, and pursues the position again.

Tags: Steve Carrell, The Office, season 6, sitcom, Kathy Bates, Sabre, John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, Ed Helms, Jenna Fisher

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