The Office: “Work Bus”

An episode about the desire for affection and pie.

It’s the final season of The Office, that much is clear. The only questions that remain, or at least what we really care about, pertain to how we are going to leave these characters. Michael Scott got the sendoff a character of his stature deserved when Steve Carrell decided that season 7 would be his last. And while I’m not expecting that kind of resolution for every character, I’d like to see most of them go out on a high note.

“Work Bus” really had that great sense of vintage Office as we got a good amount of workplace comedy intermixed with solid emotional moments as the employees of Dunder Mifflin struggle to keep those they love happy and try to avoid a future of loneliness.

Jim is still feeling guilty about leaving Pam in the dark for so long about his potential sports marketing job in Philadelphia so in an attempt at a grand romantic gesture, Jim is able to get them out of the office for a week with pay. The only problem is that it backfires when Dwight decides to keep business going by renting a mobile office. The last couple of seasons have been really lacking when it comes to anything interesting Jim/Pam related, but I’ve slowly found myself caring for these two crazy kids again, and I was positively elated by the fact that Jim was able to get Pam that Peach Cobbler before closing time at Laverne’s pie stand.

Dwight has a whole other host of romantic/family problems than what Jim is facing these days, mostly because in that he is lacking any tangible problems. Ultimately, this looks like the perfect set-up for the eventual Dwight spin-off that’s in the works. He’ll come to the realization that he wants to improve his actual family (the Schrute’s that will be populating Schrute Farm), and we’ll probably watch his pursuit of the future Mrs. Schrute as/if that show progresses. So as far as the final Dwight resolutions will go on The Office, is that I think we need him and Jim to have one last acceptance of each other and their realization that they’ll miss each other as they progress separately in their future careers.

There was really only one glaring problem throughout this episode and it stems from Andy Bernard. I still don’t understand why they've made Andy so unbearable and mean-spirited this season when last season was all about how he was a sweet, incompetent goofball who needed the loving support of his coworkers. His new personality, coupled with the Nellie’s story line just didn't work until the end where it allowed for Andy to get in on the sentimentality most of our characters have joined in on the episode. At this point I’m kind of hoping that Erin ends up with the new guy, like they've been hinting at, because I just don’t see how we can root for Andy at all at this point.

A few other thoughts:

• Bryan Cranston appears as part of NBC Thursday for two consecutive weeks, this time behind the camera directing the episode. Based on the rare high quality of this episode of The Office, I think it’s safe to say Cranston is a genius and we should make sure he’s involved with everything, everywhere, from now until the end of time.
• I really liked the pairing of Clark and Darryl. First, when Clark asks Darryl about Jim: “So Creed is that dude’s step-dad? “…. “Correct.” – Darryl. And secondly when they both start lamenting over the fact that the work bus is leaving without them. “Stop. Come back. Too late.”
• “Thanks. Playing a little hooky from work today.” – Creed when he accidentally gets a ride from the work bus while hitchhiking.
• For Germany’s sake, I really hope "buildingkinder" is not actually a thing.

Comments are certainly welcome, whether they are for agreement, disagreement, or indifference.