Photo courtesy of NBC.
After tonight’s episode of The Office, I think we can safely assume that Will Ferrell will not become a series regular, or if he will, then a change is in the works.
Chalk it up to the writers wanting to give Michael the farewell he deserves by making him seem marvelous compared to his potential replacement, but was it really right to paint Will Ferrell as such a blockhead in this role? Pardon the light, Disney-fied cursing on my part, but why would they choose Will Ferrell to play a role so idiotic?
Looking back at Ferrell’s career, it is universally understood that he is a slapstick funnyman. If a zealous elf and a neurotic anchorman weren’t the two roles that characterized this actor, then I suppose giving him such a dull role as lame-duck manager Deangelo Vickers would be acceptable, but that is the precise issue. Ferrell is Buddy the Elf. He is Ron Burgundy. He is not a dry-humored, boring-tastic actor.
Despite the reports saying Ferrell was only signed on to the series for four episodes, I harbored some hope that he might continue on the show for at least a few more episodes. But after seeing the character they’ve created for him, the only logical conclusion is that my hope was as futile as it was uncertain. There are two reasonable explanations for such a bland character at this point in the series. One, that the producers are taking The Office in a new direction. Or two, they are gearing viewers up for something completely mind-blowing. I can only hope it is the latter.
There’s been a trend in The Office over the past few seasons, a downward spiral from the great shows of yester-seasons to the truly uninspired (and often disjointed) vignettes of the most recent episodes. What has happened?
The issue lies in the loss of honesty. It is true that some characters in the show entered in as complete caricatures of normal human beings. Andy, for instance, appeared early on in the show’s history, at the height of The Office’s funniness. His first few episodes featured serious wackiness on his part. But that was mildly justified as he was later revealed to have had mental health issues, leading to his return to anger management classes after punching his arm through a wall (The Office: “The Return”, Season 3 Episode 14).
But looking at the episodes of today, where is the sense? Where is the justification that they gave Andy in season three? There is no explanation for Kevin seeming to be learning disabled and still maintain an accounting job for more than seven years. There’s no reasoning for Michael Scott being a screwball comedian who you can assume at any moment is going to pull a fish out from behind his back and start hitting someone in the face with it à la Monty Python. Are these developments in character a natural progression?
It’s hard to say, considering more than half a decade has passed since The Office premiered. But looking back at both this version and the UK version (which the US version was based on) does make a very clear statement about The Office: it used to be believable (at least to some extent).
Michael Scott was not always supremely idiotic. His jokes were inappropriate at times and his ability to run a company branch absolutely nil, but besides the questions of how he came to the position of branch manager, there was really no concern for his or anyone elses’ sanity. And Kevin, though always slightly odd, was certainly not to the extent of comparing himself to Ashton Kutcher pre-season seven.
It makes a long-term fan wonder what the writers, the producers, even the actors are thinking as they continue on with season seven and presumably onto season eight in September. Is this introduction of a new, less cartoon-y character of Deangelo Vickers a sign of them realizing that exaggerations are not always funny? Or is it just a move to normalcy that will end up with the audience being completely floored by a Michael Scott reincarnation with some new actor come season eight?
Their motives may remain undefined, at least for the next three episodes. I guess we’ll just have to wait and learn together.