Another season of The Office down. We’ve had our laughs, our cries, and our slew of other emotions and ended with the big season question of who’s going to replace Steve Carell unanswered. As Billy Bob Thornton would say, “It’s kind of like dating a German chick.”
That said, this season did go out on somewhat of a good note. Although the barrage of guest stars is a classic sitcom staple, The Office was wise to stick with well-worn comedians and spare us the caterwaulings of an out-of-place musical guest (though Carrey’s appearance comes close).
I really enjoyed Will Arnett, Ray Romano, and James Spader (whom I thought was Judge Rheinhold) working their magic, and I may be showing my old-man tendencies here, but Romano seemed the clear victor among the group, playing the sad-sacked, whiny defeatist so well I wonder if it’s a character he was saving for the darker days of Ray Barone. Catherine Tate, Ricky Gervais, Warren Buffet, and, yes, Jim Carrey, I could have taken or left—they were there simply to be there and didn’t add much.
