"The Office" Strays Over the Edge with "Viewing Party" Episode

NBC's Thursday night hit, "The Office," is often one of the funniest comedies on TV, but, let's face it, it is also the most uncomfortable to watch. Sometimes-in fact, usually-the comedy outstrips the discomfort, but not always.

An example from the present season of where the awkwardness of the episode exceeded its comedic values, was the eighth episode, titled "Viewing Party." In this situation, Andy's former sort-of love interest, Erin, and her current boyfriend, Gabe, invite the staff over to their place to watch an episode of the Fox hit show, "Glee."

By way of background, keep in mind that this fellow Gabe, in addition to being in a relationship with Erin (the office receptionist), is the parent company's representative, even though the actual running of the office continues to be left up to Michael Scott. Such unclear lines of authority have the very strong potential to lead to trouble and, sure enough, in this episode, they do.

In an otherwise casual conversation with Michael, one of the employees happens to refer to Gabe as the boss. That is a most unfortunate development, despite the employee's strenuous attempts to retreat from what he just said, in that it triggers a storm of self-doubt (no great surprise here) in Michael's mind.

Meanwhile, the jilted suitor, Andy, has a problem with going into the lair of the girl he still pines for and her lover. In the end, though, he accepts the invitation, setting the stage for yet another unpleasant confrontation.

So, on one hand, you have Gabe vs. Andy over the issue of Erin's affections. On the other, you have Gabe vs. Michael over the issue of authority. Such conflicts as these can make for some truly awkward moments, but they do not have to.

Consider the first conflict, for example. "The Office" handled an earlier manifestation of it, Andy's struggles to win back Erin's affections, in the season's third episode, titled "Andy's Play." Feel free to check out this Associated Content article if you need an update. The issue was handled there with grace and good humor, despite the difficulty of the situation. In this eighth episode, not so much.

As to the other matter, you can always count on Steve Carell to play Michael Scott at his embarrassingly inept worst, often to hilarious effect, but, when the portrayal misses the mark, it is an ugly thing to watch. That was the case here, where, for example, Michael tries to reassert his authority by setting the volume of the Glee episode a lot higher than Gabe is comfortable with. As ridiculous as that act may seem, it was not in the least funny.

The episode was not entirely without redemption. A new, quirky development emerged regarding the malevolent Dwight Schrute., whom Pam and Jim have grown to detest even more in this latest season. It seems they brought their baby to the viewing, and when nothing they can do will stop her loud, incessant crying, Dwight shows unforeseen skill as a "baby whisperer," as he quickly gets the child to calm down.

To be sure, the line between uncomfortably funny and just plain uncomfortable is a fine one. This episode was too uncomfortable to enjoy, but it certainly had its comedic moments. On the other hand, really excellent episodes, such as the aforementioned "Andy's Play," as well as "Costume Contest" (#6) and "China" (#10) had their awkward moments, largely thanks to-you guessed it-Michael Scott.

We should not turn away from this show, just because its creators sometimes stick their necks out too far. We should commend them for their willingness to take risks, because it is through risk-taking that we get the very best entertainment, both on screen and on stage.

Sources

http://www.nbc.com/The_Office/episode-guide/

Wikipedia

"The Office," Season 7, episodes themselves