Moments don’t usually make the show. But in “Lotto”, The Office relied on little snippets of cleverness rather than a show filled with plot and comedy-centric interest, and it worked. And this episode had me wondering about who on the production team, writing specifically, is behind The Office episodes I would ordinarily not be so thrilled about.
"Lotto" was written by Justin Spitzer. While this statement clearly does not necessarily shine either a good or bad light on the episode, it does raise one notable parallel. Many of the episodes which Spitzer has written — with particular reference to “Costume Contest” (Season 7, Episode 6) and “Product Recall” (Season 3, Episode 21) — have included enjoyable scenes dedicated to individual character relationships.
A common complaint with The Office is that the show in inconsistent in having great stories to go along with its talented actors. Often times, the show will run with several different plot lines — all very disconnected — almost as though they should have been written as vignettes in a larger plot. This is a gimmick that Spitzer seems to latch onto more than others, and it’s not necessarily as bad as it might be made out to be.
Tonight’s episode was laden with good one liners and witty verbal sparring between characters. From Jim and Pam’s exchange on what kind of living they would have were they to win the lottery to Jim and Dwight’s conspiring on how best to ship boxes while working in the warehouse, the giggle-filled moments of the show were the ones that were stand-alone and cute. They’d be good as short clips on YouTube, but maybe not in the grand scheme of Office history.
And this made me think about what my favorite aspects of The Office were in general. While I do believe that there is a great quality to episodes such as “Goodbye, Michael” (Season 7, Episode 22) or “Dinner Party” (Season 4, Episode 13) that are story-centric or emotion-filled, if I think back on all of my favorite Office moments, I don’t always remember the episode or the respective plotline from which it came. In Spitzer’s “Costume Contest”, Jim and Pam are as cute as ever when he concedes to dress up as Popeye the Sailor Man alongside Pam’s Olive Oyl. And like the “Lotto” moment when the Halperts decide that they’ll live in a Civil War brownstone on a mountain top, there’s a quaintness and reality to their romance, a character development that really makes you love them as a couple.
Similarly, in “Product Recall”, Spitzer created one of the infamous Jim-on-Dwight pranks that is just the essence of why The Office is still one of the best series on television. Jim imitating Dwight, including his most legendary and slightly over-used quote — “Bears, Beets, Battlestar Galactica” — is one of those moments that qualifies The Office for the award it already has — as one of the most well-liked shows of the past decade. And when Jim and Dwight, in “Lotto”, looked to each other and to the camera in a moment of hesitation, as well as when they concocted the theory that boxes on grease equals easier transport, the “clippable” moment was reestablished.
And think about it: When you’re searching for scenes from The Office to prove to a friend how great it is or when you’re even reminiscing yourself on why you liked it in the first place to, which clips do you go? At least for me, it’s those little moments that have made the show — in its eight seasons on the air — so funny and beautiful. Plot-rich or not, The Office can still do its job and make for great television.