What I’m Watching: The Office

The Office: Season 7, Episode 14 “The Seminar” (B)

The premise of this episode is actually somewhat of a strong one, giving some of the more minor characters a chance to shine as they attempt to share their considerable knowledge with some interested learners. What didn’t work quite as well was the extravagance of the situation, that Jim thought it was a good idea but bailed at the last minute because someone in the crowd was an old acquaintance, that Andy didn’t actually have much content and was really just relying on everyone else, and that a legitimate presentation only really attracted an elderly crowd. It wasn’t terrible, of course, and there will still plenty of laughs. I like how Michael is approaching his friendship with Holly, seeming to be slightly more mature and reserved in the way that he goes about it. Yet he did manage to win her over and have a great time with her as his horrifically Italian-Greek hybrid of a character, and even if they’re not completely back to normal yet, they’re certainly getting there. Jim is most definitely having a hard time these last few episodes, with those people he picked on getting back at him. I like how Darryl has accidentally become a bit of a true friend to Andy, warning him that Dwight, Phyllis, and Stanley were taking advantage of him. The Scrabble stuff wasn’t that great since both Oscar and certainly Pam can definitely be used better. The Ricky Gervais cameo at the start of the episode was pretty fun, and it’s good that it was relegated to just the cold open.