Review of Local Ad

The Office: Local Ad (2007)
Season 4, Episode 5
8/10
Shooting an Ad... Michael at his best/worst
27 October 2007
Warning: Spoilers
This is the fifth episode in this season, and also the first episode to go back to the 1/2 hour slot. Most regular watchers probably viewed this switch back with a mixture of emotions, because it has been a joy to have an hour of The Office every week, but I think there's a part of most people that know the hour-long slots are best saved for the really pivotal episodes that need that much more time for exposition.

This episode was a great example of the love/hate relationship that probably a lot of us have with Michael Scott. Steve Carell imbues Michael with those glimpses of vulnerability that make us keep coming back and putting up with him, but there are still those moments that just make you want to throttle Michael Scott. For me, in this episode, it was the really fun theme song Darryl was putting together with the other singers in the office... and frankly, if Michael had gone with it, it might just have been what convinced David Wallace to allow them to go with their own ad. But, then again, he wouldn't have been Michael Scott if he HAD gone with it.

The writers are doing a great job at doling out the Pam/Jim relationship in small doses. This is one of the first times a series has succeeded in keeping a successful relationship interesting once it is official (of course, they are using the Dwight/Angela/Andy plot to sustain that area of tension.

Questions that are starting to surface for this season, have to do with past characters: Is Karen Filippelli going to make any more appearances. Here's a piece of trivia on Rashida Jones - she sang a capella in college. Will she maybe hook up with Andy at a singing conference? (probably not, Karen seemed to have objections to singing (Diwali/Initiation).

Where will we see Roy again? Will Pam and Jim run into him at some inopportune time? (maybe out to dinner with Katy) The most satisfying thing about this season is watching this show continue to improve AND gain a larger and larger following (in my own office, Schrute Bucks are pinned up in more cubicles every week.)
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