The Shadow-gloom and Weight of the Sacred

A while ago I had another blog written under the auspice of my miniature beagle, Sharkdog. That blog is now in retirement, but there were a couple of posts that I saved because I never really finished what I was writing about. Since I'm having a little difficulty sitting down and writing, I thought it was a good time to revise, repost and complete some of these old ideas.

For several years now The Office on NBC has been one of my favorite television shows. Living in Vienna without a television does make it difficult for a beagle to keep up with his favorite programs, but I have always made a point to never ever miss an episode of The Office. And, I never have missed one, single episode. Over the years, The Office has gone through some subtle changes as well as some major shifts, and these have always been handled with superb professionalism that pleased even the most snobby and elitist of critics (i.e., me). I've not always been convinced that the direction in which the show was headed was a good one, but the writers always surprised me with their ability to keep it strong, fresh and hip. I think the first three seasons will go down in the annals of history as some of the greatest television ever made. Not so much the fourth season, though it had some great moments. The fifth season...well, let's just say I've been schooled in the many varieties of disappointment, most of which I was unaware existed. (And I thought I knew disappointment!!!)

I think the real tragedy of The Office goes back to Season 2 Episode 28, "Casino Night," when Jim finally confronted Pam with his feelings for her and they kissed. Even though season 3 provided a very good program, I still think it was the "Casino Night" episode when The Office jumped the shark. It was just a long jump that didn't really land until the give-or-take 4th season, but by the end of season 5 even the most devoted of fans (that's me), must admit that the shark has been jumped.
But, it's taken me a while to figure out what it is exactly that has changed in the show that has moved it from "must see" to "slightly better than American Idol". (For the record, I have never watched an episode of American Idol. I'm just assuming it's as bad as I imagine it to be.) The first season was only six episodes and characters weren't really characters--they were caricatures of people with which we could all identify in our own jobs. The temp. The receptionist. The annoying boss. The stickler-for-the-rules salesman and his counterpart, the nice-guy-everyone-enjoys. The company on the verge of downsizing and ruining the lives of its employees

Slowly, there was a shift in the nature of the show. This happens to most television shows, but when it happened to The Office it changed the nature of its identity so greatly that it turned into something sad. Kind of like hearing Evander Holyfield is coming out of retirement or that there's doing to be another Rocky movie.