The Office - "The Incentive"

Season 8, Episode 2

Same old, same old

“Can I inspire people? I don’t know.”

-Andy

So that’s it then? After last week’s protection of thestatus quo, I guess it shouldn’t be surprising that this episode played out similarly to so many episodes of the Michael Scott era, but it is a bit disappointing. What’s surprising is that while reaction was fairly consistent with the premiere, it’s a bit more divisive with the second episode. Some critics seem willing to accept the change in the status quo and let it go, while others clearly won’t let it go.

Me? I’m in the latter camp, but not because I disapprove of the original decision. Like I said last week, I understand the financial decisions of that move, and I hoped that the show would use the next few episodes to differentiate Andy slowly from Michael, so that the energy of his era could eventually feel different than the one under Steve Carell’s helm.

Unfortunately, the show doesn’t even seem to want to make that change. What I kept noticing throughout the episode is that Andy has a different energy with the rest of the office because unlike Michael, he worked with these people before he became their boss (at least, I’m assuming that’s the case), and that should in theory lead to all kinds of problems with respect and whatnot. Unfortunately, the show only stuck its toe in the water with this one, which frustrated me to no end.

Sure there were some funny things surrounding this – I particularly liked the cold open with Kevin talking in rudimentary English, and Dwight’s attempts to just not care anymore about the job – but it still felt like another late-era episode of the job. The show has a chance to change things up, and it didn’t. At two episodes in, I’m out of reviewing the show – for now, anyways. I’ll come back when something more interesting pops up, be it for better or for worse.

Quotes, Etc:

I must have missed it last week, but apparently James Spader is part of the official cast, as he’s in the opening credits. Really? Kevin got more lines than guy.

Oh, so apparently we’re back to that ol’ Andy-Erin romance. Expect in the next few weeks for them to be kept apart by a rule that states bosses can’t date underlings. You heard it here first.

“Me feel good. Body strong. Sleep big last night.”

“Me mechanic not speak English. But he know what me mean when me say ‘car no go’, and we best friends. So me think why waste time say lot word when few word do trick.” (Surprisingly, very little of that received the green squiggly line treatment from Microsoft.)

“What we’re talking about is basically the speech equivalent of just wearing underpants.”

“Your friend Neil Patrick Harris really made me laugh the other night.”

“Dwight, any ideas?” “We can talk about how fast children grow up, and then they move out of the house.”

“DARRYL! A GIRL!”

“Is that vibrator?” “How does one get points?”

“Why is it all kids’ stuff and a vibrator?”

“What are your strategies? I’m looking for a real blow to morale.”

“My ass is only so big. I can’t do this every day.”

“Obviously you can go the ass tattoo route. And obviously I’m going to like it.”