The Officewas at war last night and there were many casualties. Season 8, in my mind, hasn't delivered many laughs and episodes like "Gettysburg" suggest that Office writers are running out of ideas.
"Gettysburg" felt like a rehash of several past episodes, and Andy, the new Regional Manager, is still acting very much like Michael Scott. Ed Helms is a terrific actor, but he's not suited for the job of Regional Manager.
Eight episodes in, The Office no longer feels like the Office, it feels completely different. Need more evidence? Just pop in any episode from Season two into your DVD player and you'll see how far this series has come crashing down to.
I was at war last night watching "Gettysburg." On one hand, I don't want to abandon a show that I've watched for the last seven-eight years of my life, but on the other hand, I'm not totally sure this is even the show I fell in love with eight years ago.
There were a few laughs from "Gettysburg," moments that reminded me of the series' earlier run, but I felt mostly cheated by the rehashed storytelling this episode offered. Andy wasn't supposed to serve as a Michael Scott 2.0, but the writers made Andy that way.
The Robert California character, meanwhile, is still ineffective. I find him neither funny or annoying. I'm just, "Oh look, there's James Spader. What's he doing on the Office." Seriously. The guy is underused on the show, and I'm entirely sure why he's even on this show.
Overall, I'd give "Gettysburg" a 5/10, which in my mind, is a generous score considering the type of season we've been given this year. Hopefully, The Office rebounds next month with the annual Christmas episode.