Why The Office Deserves a Promotion

Note: The following will contain spoilers, so if you haven't seen the season finale, you are advised to read the following with caution.

Network television, especially sitcoms, generally makes me cringe. Andy Kaufman once said the sitcom is the lowest form of entertainment, and I agree wholeheartedly with that statement. Even on the rare occasion when a good sitcom comes along, it usually ends up being dragged on for far too long by company bigwigs looking at very little other than the bottom line, and the show reaches a less than dignified end. So when a show like "The Office" comes along, one with both genuine laugh-out-loud premises and emotionally involving characters, it can't help but stand out.

Last night, "The Office" (the American version) ended its third season, and on just about the perfect pitch. To quickly recap the plot, Michael and Jan get back together (thanks to a particularly well-augmented play by Jan for Michael's attention), Dwight assumes control of Regional Manager while Michael is away, Michael is turned down for the job at corporate, and it is discovered that Jan is being fired and the open position is actually hers. And at the end, Jim, having not received the position at corporate, barges in on Pam as she talks to the camera, and asks her out for a date (to which she obliges), and Ryan is given the job at corporate.

Watching "The Office," you know that it is in expert hands. It somehow manages to be edgy while still providing the typical network sitcom gimmicks (Jim and Pam's on-and-off romance/friendship being the most obvious example) to make the viewer continually tune in. The season finale does exactly what it's supposed to do: resolve most of the issues brought up in the current season (the position opening at corporate for example), while still opening the door for new directions for the show to take in season 4. We know good and well that as long as "The Office" is on the air, Michael will be around (unless Steve Carell decides it better to move on), and we can expect plenty of friction both from Michael/Jan (the dysfunctional, awkward kind) and Jim/Pam (the hopeful, teasing kind).

My only problem with this episode was actually the very last scene, where Ryan is informed of his promotion to corporate. As soon as he finds out, he completely dumps Kelly, and the episode ends there. I don't have a problem with the scene as it flows with the rest of the episode, but painting Ryan as an unarguable jerk, just to comfort viewers of what will probably be his loss from the show, seems kind of cheap. Aside from this however, "The Office" has shown itself to be as strong as ever and leaves much to look forward to in season 4.