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The Office Review: “Promos” (Season 9, Episode 18)

The Office begins its final run of episodes this week with the latest episode, "Promos", as there are no more breaks or stops until the finale. The episode sees the characters react to the promos airing for the documentary that is The Office, and revolves mostly around Dwight, Pam, Angela, Oscar and their storylines. There's also plenty of throwbacks and references for long-time fans to catch.

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While I enjoyed Andy’s battle with an internet troll (who turned out to be Nellie), I wish they had moved forward in his storyline. I feel as if his relationship with Erin isn’t over, and what he did with Pete and Erin a few episodes back was so cruel that I still feel like they need to redeem him and bring back the likable Andy, rather than just letting his last few episodes slide.

Back to the documentary though, when I first saw the promo I wondered if they would deal with the fact that some of the moments they filmed were meant to be private for the characters. Luckily, they did and I was pleasantly surprised when it was dealt with right away.

Realizing they’ve had no privacy for the last ten years, both Angela and Oscar scrambled to make sure that the Senator knew what was happening before the show messed up his entire political career. This was one of the better moments of the episodes, and I hope we see the Senator back one more time.

Pam, on the other hand, tries to find out from Brian what other private moments were filmed. While I’ve generally enjoyed the season so far, especially the whole documentary storyline, I wasn’t a huge fan of Brian and I didn’t like seeing him return. I felt the actor, or maybe the character, was just too bland.

Pam and Brian’s friendship was never that convincing and that’s probably another reason why I don’t like his character. When he first appeared, I worried that he would come between Jim and Pam leading to Jim winning back Pam. Thankfully that didn’t happen, and after this episode, the possibilities of that happening are even less than before.

What I did like was Pam asking Brian about Jim’s change in attitude lately, being more focused on his work. There is clearly a wedge in their relationship and I’m glad she pointed it out. Perhaps the reason I am so looking forward to Angela and Dwight getting back together and Jim and Pam fixing their relationship is because The Office nails all their heartwarming, emotional moments. I know that along with the finale, they’ll do something great with these characters on an emotional level. And that’s why that while I liked the episode, it felt more like a set up of things to come, rather than moving forward itself.

Pam had every right to be mad knowing that the entire office had no privacy for the past 10 years, but I also liked her sort of resolving that at the end when she hoped she could get a DVD of it herself, because even if they had no privacy, some of her favorite moments were caught on camera for her to relive anytime she wants. Like I said, I’m hoping we get more moments like those as the show nears its end.

Overall, “Promos” was a decent episode. It reminded me why the show is great in the first place, and made me feel incredibly nostalgic. At the same time, it focused too much on plot and less on humor. It was nothing more than a set up for the final episodes of the show and I can’t wait for us to get there.

On a side note, I just want to say that I wish they’d go back to using the full theme song every time. I understand time constraints, but I do wish they’d find a way around it. Hopefully they won’t forget to for the finale as it’s sorely missed.

What did you think of The Office this week? Let us know in the comments.