1 [Report This]Date: June 03, 2021 11:38 pm Title: All this feels strange and untrue
So this was fun. Michael's thoughts there at the start were nicely in character. A bit of cluelessness, a touch of ego boosting, but under it all a heart of gold.
Fun seeing the changes now with everyone in Scranton and Jim and Pam together again. Good job switching some of the lines around too.
So Karen and Ryan? That could be interesting to say the least. Nice job.
Author's Response:
Many thanks!
Michael was a lot of fun. I think he's one of my favorites thanks to his genuineness. Yes, he can be absolutely clueless and can show off his ego... but that's Michael. Plus there are times where he legitimately wants to help people but either falls short or makes empty promises.
I appreciate the switching lines compliment, because to be honest that's the hardest part for me when doing these revisionist works. I still want them to be delivered as the character saying it would deliver it, which can prove difficult. Making the changes was fun too, especially incorporating Dwight.
Yup, Karen and Ryan. Have most of that planned out, but I'll also let things come to me. What I will say for certain is that their stories will end the same way they did in S3, just no animosity towards Jim and Pam from Karen.
Thanks for the review!
1 [Report This]Date: May 31, 2021 05:03 pm Title: All this feels strange and untrue
Yay! I loved reading All I Needed, so I'm super excited to see that this is out! I'm looking forward to seeing your re-imagination of the rest of season 3. The latter part of the season has some amazing episodes. I'm also looking forward to seeing how Karen's friendship with Ryan progresses... interesting pairing. I know a lot of people have said this, but I would have loved to have seen Karen and Pam develop a deeper friendship than what they had during Benihana Christmas. I hope things don't get too messy between her, Pam and Jim, but I guess that's what keeps things spicy. I have really mixed feelings on Karen sometimes, but I was really glad she and Pam were on good terms in Lecture Circuit.
I honestly forgot about Michael and Carol being a thing lol.
Author's Response:
Appreciate the compliments, and I'm glad you enjoyed All I Needed!
A lot of people forgot about Michael and Carol... I thought they were rather compatible (considering the obvious) but his obsessiveness and impatience constantly gets the better of him. Thank goodness he eventually learned the value of patience.
I personally really like Karen, but I understand others' opinions on her, especially her adamantly wanting to keep Jim for herself even after "The Return". Karen's dynamic with Jim and Pam will become... interesting. What I will say is the three will stay friends, but Ryan will constantly affect the dynamic, especially with his ties to Jim (which I've hinted at but won't go into detail just yet). "Lecture Circuit" was a fun reunion episode and the closure that most fans wanted, since she's not nearly as hated as Roy. As for her and Ryan, well, it makes sense on paper. At least to me.
I'm looking forward to the rest of the season, it's my second favorite and just has a lot of stellar moments, great writing, and excellent character development. I may hate the Jim/Pam arc in it, but everything else is just so sublime that watching it won't be nearly as frustrating as S9's Jim/Pam arc.
Thanks for the review!
1 [Report This]Date: May 31, 2021 02:20 pm Title: All this feels strange and untrue
The Buddy Love references were very Michael. As was him no remembering his moment of genius - it seems very realistic to Michael that this one moment where he was actually giving sage and useful advice really cast no shadow over him at all. He's at his best when he's not trying.
HA. Pam turning the Andy-dating prank into setting up an Andy v. Dwight feud is a nice touch.
I'm interested to see where you're going with Ryan and Karen, and how long Karen's going to make it in general... seems to me she stuck it out a lot longer in canon than she would have if she didn't have, you know, reasons.
If you haven't seen the Superfan cut of this episode yet, FIND IT. There is a lot of great Dwight-Angela added, and it's SUPER entertaining.
Author's Response:
Much appreciated!
There're deleted scenes for this? Dang, glad I did some Dwight/Angela plot here! Serendipitous stuff keeps happening when I write on this site. Probably not gonna bother rewriting this to incorporate some, there's still a lot I need to write as it is. Hate I missed the opportunity to do a Jim/Pam "I Spy" session, tho.
You put it best: Michael is at his best when he doesn't try. That's what makes S7 such a well-executed conclusion to his story: the combination of Holly, maturity and genuine sincerity created a man who not only realizes the impact he's had on others, but also takes pride in that, which is downright beautiful. A lot of people were disappointed of the lack of him in the finale, but it makes perfect sense. Why dance in front of the cameras if there's no more need to try?
I wanted to play on what Pam noticed during Jim's BBQ. Given the amount of times Angela has been noticing her, it's no surprise that Pam would want to help her in return. And given pre-Anger Management Andy is far worse than Dwight, who helped her in a time of need, of course she'd want to boost his confidence.
I won't say too much, but Karen's definitely gonna be around for the whole "season." I'll delve into that next time, but those reasons for her sticking around are definitely similar.
Thanks for the review!