Date: November 09, 2020 09:40 pm Title: The Farm
There's some very funny material in this episode, but I have to confess I was less than heartbroken that The Farm never went anywhere. A show focused around Dwight would have been A Lot. There are some great lines in this that I'm glad you preserved though.
Pete catching the cupcakes before things went awry is a nice touch - it fits in well with his character and with the idea of him as The New Jim, because this is definitely a moment you would have expected him to step up a few years ago. And obviously they want some decent cupcakes as their reward for not eating the tainted ones - very Dunder Mifflin!
Sending Jim and Pam on slightly different paths to New York sounds like it would fit well. It works with the idea of Jim as someone who just wants MORE and maybe isn't so much attached to particular career path (which kinda came out of nowhere for this season?), and with Pam as someone who has been thrown off by some bad choices as opposed to by lack of talent. Good choices there.
The end of Andy and Erin is hard, but this leaves them both with a certain amount of dignity, which is nice to see.
Looking forward to Promos!
Author's Response:
Thank you!
To be honest, I had no idea that the spinoff even existed until, like, two months ago. Dwight's culture is best in small doses. There was a lot of it in S9 but considering it was Dwight's sendoff (and the best part of the season) I'm fine with it. Plus it gave us Zeke!
It is indeed very Dunder Mifflin, and very Andy. Like I've said, Pete's character (at least from deleted scenes and such) can almost be compared to a dog: short attention span, likes to pick up and fiddle with things, happy-go-lucky some of the time, etc; and there's the fact that he's had a pet dog and worked with them. I wanted to present that. And yes, Jim would have done the same thing, but it's red velvet. Can't blame the man.
Athlead was fascinating as a concept, and it makes sense why Jim would go for it, but there's also the fact that his love of basketball is only sprinkled throughout the series and, aside from a few games (and a brain dead Will Ferrell), it's not really focused on. I genuinely think Jim and co. created a great company, but sometimes mixing business with hobbies could make you hate the hobby. That's why I went with DM, it gives him more time with his family, a job he can really sink his teeth into, while still having a higher paying job and doing something he majored in. Darryl got in because 1) He's a different person than Jim despite their close friendship and are in completely different phases in their lives, and 2) Let's face it, he needed the hell out of that place and who can blame him?
As for Pam, I figured if Jim wanted to better himself, why not her? She didn't not enjoy her time in Pratt from what I recall, she just hated graphic design because it's not her strength. Pam does get a lot of flack for her paintings that aren't watercolor (her hand-drawn stuff is her best work IMO), so her working to improve can give her the confidence to become the freelance muralist she's always wanted to be.
As for Andy and Erin, I wanted to break them up in a way that was full of understanding, not like the explosive arguments they've had in the past. Their "final curtain" and some more JAM development will be in "Promos", which I'm excited to share actually.
Thanks for the review, as always!
Date: November 03, 2020 05:58 pm Title: The Farm
Go right ahead and keep everything the same with Dwight. You're right, comedy gold.
Glad you didn't have them eat the cupcakes. Packer is an ass and he doesn't deserve the satisfaction. good change there.
Looks like a move to New York is in store. I'm hear for that. Many have said Illustation was always a better route for Pam than Graphic Design and I love that is seems like you're going to lean into that.
Honestly I can't say I'm sorry about Erin and Andy. She deserves better and Andy still needs to grow up some more. That and I like Erin and Pete as a couple more than Erin and Andy.
Nice job.
Author's Response:
Many thanks! Like I said, Dwight has been pretty much the saving grace of the season. His arc felt like a proper send-off to the character and it's hilarious to boot.
David Koechner deserves an award. He's a likable chap from what I know, and it takes someone of that talent to play someone that's the Scranton equivalent of Joffery Baratheon.
I like the angle the show went with the Pratt arc, it allowed Pam to grow as an artist and explore a medium that she's weak in, thus focusing on where her talents lie. (There's a great S5 deleted scene where that's explored.) And yup, they're NY bound. I found the idea of Jim moving up in DM despite everything fascinating, what with Stamford and his short stint as co-manager; there's a pleasant irony in the quote I grabbed from 1x03 "Health Care".
I too prefer Erin and Pete as a couple, it allowed Erin to mature in a relationship. And while I agree with the decision that of them maaaybe breaking up in canon (Pete's going back to school and Erin's traveling the country with her parents), I think they'd make a good fit for the long haul. Andy, however, does need to grow up. I didn't want to make him a total asshat like in-canon, but he definitely still has some maturing to do. He'll get to where he was at the finale in due time.
Thanks for the review as always!