Anyone who needs to know what characters like Jim and Pam bring to The Office needs only to watch an episode like "Mafia," where their absence helped the show devolve into something too broad and cartoony.
A quick recap: a pushy insurance salesman with an Italian last name shows up to sell Michael a policy. Michael, Dwight and Andy assume he's a mobster.
Having the three most delusional characters -- aside from Creed -- function unchecked is never a good idea. As Oscar points out, there's usually a "coalition of reason" at work (and it's interesting that he thinks of it the way we do), but with Pam and Jim on their honeymoon, it's left to Oscar, and he's just not up to the job.
There were some things that made me laugh, like the way the schedule Michael creates for himself sounds like that of a pre-schooler ("free play" and "creative space" take up big blocks of time), and Kevin's assertion that Jim's office is nicer than Kevin's house. And this line from Dwight was classic: "The only way to defeat a bully is to stand up to him. I know, I've bullied a lot of people." But overall, I want the coalition of reason back.
Tom Coombe
Time for Jim and Pam to ask for a raise because The Office is terrible without them. I saw John Kraszynzki at Lake Como, Italy this summer. If I'd known that he was on his honeymoon with Pam, I would have sent him back to Scranton.
Posted by: Mister Whirly | October 17, 2009 at 11:16 AM