This week’s Office featured a weak cold open about Stanley’s moustache and an even weaker episode. While Erin and Andy break up with Andy’s old girlfriend at a bachelorette party, the office throws Nellie an “un-welcome”/”imperfect” party.
While I wasn’t crazy about this week’s Office, I found the dialogue surprisingly funny, including the back and forth between Dwight and Jim in Nellie’s apartment, the group’s hatred for Nellie — code-named “Pam,” Creed’s awful original music, watching Jim and Pam screw with the magician on Nellie’s behalf, and the security guard who just didn’t care. Wait, where was he when the pre-adolescent girls kicked Andy’s ass? But, seriously, make that guy a regular.
I love watching Dwight and Jim grow closer together, especially helping Nellie unpack. Their mutual grudging respect after eight years makes sense. Keeping Dwight as both a power hungry meglomaniac and the clueless butt of Jim’s jokes worked for the initial seasons. However, watching Dwight show more awareness of Jim’s pranks by manipulating him into providing free meatballs or conceding to Jim’s tipping his seatless body over, works for this season.
Thinking about it, maybe I just didn’t like the first half. Nellie’s deliberate awfulness was racist with the “ay caramba” and “basketball” court comments. However, it wasn’t funny in the Michael Scott season one sense, where his rampant racism and sexism were funny because of their base in reality (I’ve met a couple real life Michael Scotts). However, Nellie’s comments felt more like softball desperation, where the writers wanted to make her hideous but couldn’t think of anything else to do — save borrow a few watered-down lines from season one.
I’m torn. While this character doesn’t work for me in any sense, I LOVE Catherine Tate. LOVE her. Her brash humour reminds me of Tracie Ullman. But, unlike Tate, Nellie is aimless and doesn’t play to Tate’s sarcastic strengths. All the same, because it’s Catherine Tate, I’d still rather have her in this crappy, watered down version than not at all. But, I won’t lie. I’m looking forward to when Andy returns and retakes the office.
Speaking of Andy, I’m totally on-board the Andy and Erin train. I enjoyed watching their adorable road trip. While Andy’s initial bachelorette party declaration wasn’t funny, I enjoyed the group’s reaction when he returned.
This week, I didn’t notice the return of the Jim-as-married-man flirtation. While I’m glad, I wouldn’t mind seeing the continuing usage of Cathy as The Office’s Britta.
Quote:
“This cake has vegetables in it. Like a salad bar, Robert. How do I get this taste out of my mouth?” – Kevin
Clacked by An Nicholson 
on Apr 13, 2012 @ 10:10 EST5EDT
Granted, I don’t watch The Office much anymore, but I’m the same way with Nellie. I love Catherine Tate for being the only female companion in the “newer” Doctor Who to not fall madly in love with the Doctor … plus as a character Donna Noble had real growth where I went from hating her in her Christmas Special to crying like a mad woman at her departure as a regular. I can’t bring myself to watch The Office regularly anymore, but her Nellie is super awkward and borderline unpleasant.
Nellie and Catherine Tate need to go away, and Andy and Erin need to get together, so we can move on to something interesting. At some point, it will be Creed doing something and Stanley rolling his eyes at that. That will be great, but there could be so much more before then.
Catheter Tate has ruined The Office.
I hate Catherine Tate and her Nellie character. I will never watch The Office ever again as long as she’s on it.