After foolishly resigning his post as regional manager of Dunder-Mifflin’s Scranton branch during the previous episode, Michael Scott had painted himself into a real corner.The TV boss played to idiotic perfection by Steve Carrell was literally crawling along the office floor last Thursday, begging his former employees to join him at the new – and destined to fail – Michael Scott Paper Company.
As committed as I've been to The Office, it's clear this shift in its dynamic came just in the nick of time.
The Office had been getting stale. To me, Michael's stupidity was too over-top; Dwight's sociopathic tendencies had become implausible (he brought in deadly weapons for his duel with Andy); and the relationship between Pam and Jim was no longer interesting. Bit players like Creed, Meredith and Andy were being underused.
Nobody thought Michael would actually leave the company, but, now that he has, The Office has opened itself up to a new world of comedy, one where Michael can finally discover his own true incompetence.
Two seasons ago, Michael fired Dwight for insubordination, forcing him to take a job at Staples. Dwight was a fish out of water, and the situation breathed new life in The Office. The Michael Scott Paper Company has a chance to be even funnier.
Just don’t expect Michael to stay away permanently. On TV, they always come back.
