Grade: A-
As Season 7 of The Office drew to a close, we said a tearful goodbye to Michael Scott (Steve Carell), the manager of our friends at Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. Admittedly, I sat down to watch Thursday’s season premiere with low expectations, skeptical that a suitable replacement for the one and only Michael Scott existed in this world. Yet, television never ceases to amaze, as writer and director B.J. Novak, better known to fans as Ryan, pulled out all the stops and started this season off with a winning episode.
In the first few minutes, we’re introduced to the new manager, Andy Bernard – professionally known as “Nard Dog;” the new CEO, Robert California, played by newcomer and three-time Emmy Award Winner James Spader; and to the unborn children of the expecting Pam and Angela.
Spader’s character proves to be a fitting balance to Andy’s innocence and ridiculousness, as his stoic exterior and hardedge remind views of the similar contrast that existed between Jan and Michael in previous seasons. The winning combination almost makes viewers forget about Michael’s absence.
Laughing from the start, audiences are reunited with all their favorite employees who have caught on to the “planking” craze. However, as the plot thickened, the hilarity died down a bit, but the storyline itself was original, as the CEO pitted those he referred to as “winners” against those he believed to be the “losers” of the office.
Having a soft spot in my heart for Kevin, I was pleased that he was considered a winner and that he received the airtime he deserves. In general, with Michael out of the picture, each character seemed to have a bit more of a voice, whereas previously only a few characters had a role in each episode. An “aww” worthy Jim and Pam moment was even managed to be included; something I felt had been missing in too many of last season’s episodes.
There’s only one thing from which I continue to feel withdrawn: Jim and Dwight confrontation – one prank is all I wanted. Nevertheless, I am hoping to see great things from this season; it will certainly be an interesting one with so many added elements. And maybe next episode we’ll have the treat of a classic Jim prank on Dwight.