THE OFFICE

S07E20 - "Training Day" (C+)
                         or:
"The One Where Will Ferrell Makes a Funny"

          Steve Carell and Will Ferrell go back a ways.  In fact, Carell's audition tape for Anchorman (in which he nails the part instantly) recently surfaced in internetland.  That being said, one would expect more of a dynamic between the two.  Instead, what we get is a near-clone of Michael Scott in the form of Deangelo Vickers.  The differences between the two are subtle, and they're both none too bright, with Vickers possessing stronger social skills.

          Everyone takes an immediate liking to Michael's replacement, or at least does their best to outwardly seem so.  Jim and Pam play the "hey, look at our baby" card, Kevin dons his hairpiece, Andy becomes the latent office funnyman, and Darrell takes a keen interest in all things southwestern.  Michael, feeling somewhat rejected in the process, goes into petulance mode and tries his best to one-up Vickers and preserve his legacy at Dunder Mifflin.  This is far from the first time something like this has happened on this show, but this is one of the few times that you might actually feel pity for Michael, far-fetched as that might sound.
          Overall, it's a very lean episode, marking the beginning overtures of Steve Carell's departure, and what better way to begin his send-off than to give him one last moment of excruciating awkwardness, which for me was the best part of the episode.  Will Ferrell seems somewhat constrained in his character, and at times is an outright dick.  Andy accidentally makes Deangelo laugh, and when Deangelo prompts him to do so later, he fails to tell a joke, tells a bad one, and then falls down, the latter being what puts Deangelo in stitches.  And just like that, Andy Bernard has become Dunder Mifflin's court jester.  I'm wondering how long that will keep up before Andy has another collapse.

          Meanwhile, Jim and Pam continue on their quest to officially become the least interesting characters of the show.  Remember when they were the center of everything, had conflicts and desires, and were more than just the generic "show couple" they've become?

           Most people seem to agree that this episode was somewhat disappointing, but I still have hope for the remainder of Will Ferrell's arc.  The Office has never really done big guest stars before, so it's understandable that the show's first attempt to do so wouldn't hit the ground running.


Potent Quotables (all Will Ferrell)

• "I saw a hawk today...just sitting right there on the overpass...lookin' at me."
• "I missed the OJ verdict.  I had to read about it in the paper like an idiot."
• "I'm telling you, that baby could be the star of a show called 'Babies I Don't Care About'."

Tags: The Office, NBC Thursday, Steve Carell, Will Ferrell, John Krasiniski, Jenna Fischer, Don't Read This, That's Not Why It's Here, Just Pretend It Doesn't Exist, B.J. Novak, Michael Scott, Holly Flax, Jim Halpert, Pam Halpert, Ryan Howard.