Please be aware that there are several spoilers in this review.
I have always loved "The Office." Sure, it has had a lot of less-than-great seasons lately, but I still love the characters and want to see what they are doing every week. Last season ended with a pretty big bang - Michael Scott (Steve Carrell) quit his job to move away with his fiance, Holly Flax. A lot of people, myself included, thought that the show should end with Carrell's departure. Sure, the show has been praised for its ensemble cast, but it really centers on Michael Scott as the boss of these lovable workers. A lot of people doubted that the show would last for long without him. I am EXTREMELY pleased to say that I was wrong to think that. This Thursday's episode, entitled "The List," was a fantastic episode that showed off the strengths of the cast and showed everyone that "The Office" will be around for a long time - even without Carell.
The plot of the episode was simple - the gang at Dunder-Mifflin Scranton find a list left behind by new CEO Robert California (James Spader) that separates them into two separate columns. They try to figure out why certain people are on the side that they are on for the majority of the episode.
Let's just talk really quick about the cold open - the scene before the credits. There were enough laughs and enough info packed in there to fill up an entire episode. Pam is pregnant again! Angela is too! And she is married to the gay (?) senator! Robert California got the regional manager position, but on the first day convinced Jo (Kathy Bates) to give him the CEO job! So Andy Bernard gets Michael Scott's old job! WHAT IS HAPPENING!!! Also, the scenes of people planking were hilarious, as well as Stanley's "shove it up your butt" joke. My wife and I had to rewind the opening scene because we were laughing too much to really get what was going on. I thought it was a brilliant way to start the episode - as an ensemble cast. It was like they were saying, "Yes, Michael Scott is gone. But we are still a hilarious cast and here is why you love us." Speaking of Michael Scott - I'm glad they had a little reference to him in this episode. I'd love for them to refer to him every once in a while. Oh - and in the opening credits when Andy tried to rearrange his desk toy and he knocked it over: I thought that was brilliant. If the opening credits can make me laugh, we know we are in for a great episode.
And that's really what this episode was. It reminded me of the show in it's hay day, circa season 2. I think Carrell leaving the show helped breathe new life into the show. I really like what is happening with all of the characters. And I think that Andy replacing him as the boss is a genius move. They have already established that he is a terrible salesman - but maybe he really is good at managing. He definitely stepped up to the plate this episode. And I'm glad they didn't pick someone new, who would just have been a Michael Scott wannabe. We already know and love Andy, so we can just see what he does as a manager now. Pam's story line had me laughing a lot too, and there was even a cute Jim and Pam moment towards the end. About Robert California - he was my least favorite of the candidates, but I am enjoying seeing him interact with each person in the office more and more. I think it was an inspired choice to cast him and then quickly promote him to CEO.
I know this was a long review, but there was a lot riding on this episode. And it absolutely delivered. I can't wait to tune in next week.
Final score: 9.5 out of 10.
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