Welcome to another edition of TV or Not TV where I was blown away by the series finale of The Office.
OK, don’t get worked up, I know that last Thursday’s special hour episode of the Jim & Pam wedding on The Office wasn’t in fact a series finale but It would have made an amazing one. It was funny, it was romantic, and it almost achieved the high standard that the Christmas Specials of the original UK version of the show set a few years back (“Never give up”).
It would probably be a gross abuse of column space to go into each and every thing that I enjoyed about this episode. The “mental picture” bit that was introduced as what seemed like a throw-away element in the beginning was played out perfectly througout the episode. Jim’s question that, “Is there something about being a manager that makes you say really stupid things?” resonates with me still. Pam’s crying and “knowing too much about Andy’s scrotum” and it leading to the couple running away to have their own private ceremony aboard the Lady of the Mist, and that footage being used as intercut with the madness of their co-workers and bridal party hijacking their wedding to recreate the JK Wedding Video not only delivered the sentiment to us but also gave us a window into how these two sensible people could actually work in this office and survive it.
The aforementioned wedding dance as well as the final moments aboard the Lady of the Mist (preceded by Jim’s comments about how he bought said boat tickets the day after he saw that video) really tied the entire story together that would have been the crown jewel of series finales as we saw Jim and Pam’s story forming a complete circle. All of the key players were featured, it was a happy and joyous moment, and even had that feeling of riding off into the sunset (or the mist of Niagara Falls as the case may be).
Now that we’ve dispensed with all of that here are your listings for this week. Enjoy them while I go watch The Office Christmas Specials and chase them with some SPACED.
MONDAY
DISC – 8:00 PM: I missed the original pre-Land of the Loss release airing of this episode of Man vs. Wild where Will Ferrell accompanies Bear in the Artcic. I bet this was 100 times better than his movie.
TLC – 8:00 PM: Matt is determined to finish Molly’s castle on Little People, Big World.
NBC – 8:00 PM: So Sylar woke up in a grave with no memory and… oh who am I kidding? I have no idea what is going on with Heroes this season and I think neither do the writers.
TUESDAY
GSN – 6:00 PM: George Takei and Brad Altman are the first gay couple to be on The Newlywed Game. Based on how well they did with the same type game on the Howard Stern show I’m not sure if this is a step forward or a step back for the gay community.
NBC – 8:00 PM: The last time The Biggest Loser let a challenge winner make decisions in the game Tracy went all kinds of nutty. Here’s hoping she wins the decision making challenge tonight as well.
DISNEY – 8:00 PM: Where would Ruben Studdard be today if not for the animated feature Aladin?
WEDNESDAY
AMC – 8:00 PM: Lethal Weapon 3 followed by Starsky and Hutch. It’s like a mediocre cinema buffet!
E! – 8:30 PM: Now that it’s been a few years it really seems clear that Knocked Up sent Seth Rogen into the stratosphere and gave Kathrine Heigl dillusions of granduer.
FXÂ – 10:00 PM: The new season of NIP/TUCK premieres as the recession affects the world of nose and boob jobs.
THURSDAY
ABC – 8:00 PM: So for the past few weeks the babysitter Nicole has been missing on Flashforward. Her terrifying flashforward vision is finally revealed!
NBC – 9:00 PM: I worry that coming back from last week’s wedding is going to make this week’s episode of The Office feel empty. Luckily right after we can enjoy…
NBC – 9:30 PM: 30 Rock is back! Can’t wait to see how the final minutes of the show are as a lead in to Leno since Fey hasn’t exactly made her opinions on the programming of his show a secret.
FRIDAY
CW – 8:00 PM: Hopefully by this time I’ll finally get caught up on Smallville and know what exactly is going on. These darn Friday shows.
ABC – 8:00 PM: A brand new season of Ugly Betty premieres and I’m pretty sure I’ll not watch a single episode.
HIST – 8:00 PM: Just because I can’t get enough I’m pretty sure I’ll be watching JFK: 3 Shots that Changed America.
SATURDAY
SYFY – 4:30 PM: There’s nothing like a nice wholesome movie marathon to make you feel good on a Saturday afternoon. Snuggle up on the couch with a nice blanket, some popcorn and take in the Americana that is Saw, Saw II and Saw III.
AMC – 8:00 PM: AMC redeems itself from the debacle earlier in the week with the pairing of Rambo: First Blood Part II with the original Lethal Weapon.
SUNDAY
FOX – 8:00 PM: It’s been twenty years in the making! The Simpsons Treehouse of Terror XX! Zombies, Hitchcock and a musical number to boot!
IFC – 9:00 PM: If you’ve always wanted to know more about the classic comedy troupe than you’ll enjoy the week long miniseries Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer’s Cut).
TOON – 12:00 AM: OK, Midnight is technically Monday but I wanted to make sure you knew that The Venture Brothers was back tonight. Even my wife likes this cartoon. Trust me folks, that says something.
– Will Wilkins wrote this while engrossed in Series 2 of SPACED.
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