The Office – “Inner Circle” – review

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This is a big moment in The Office‘s history. It’s the very first episode in seven seasons without Steve Carell. How did it go, you ask? Actually…it went pretty well.

With Michael Scott gone, a lot of characters that have gotten pushed into the background over the years came to the front to fill in his absence. Jim and Ryan were two of the main characters at the show’s inception, but their storylines slowed down, and they took the backseat to allow the supporting characters some spotlight. Ryan disappeared more so than Jim, sometimes not getting a single line in an episode. This made it a pleasant surprise when Ryan was given a pretty entertaining B story. Ryan and Kelly have the most bizarre relationship, and watching these two play off each other has always gotten a laugh out of me.

Jim’s been pretty busy raising a child (and John Krasinski occasionally has to film a movie) so he wasn’t involved as much as previous seasons where he was often the focus. He still appeared to offer some funny quip, or pull a prank on Dwight, but he hasn’t been that interesting to watch. Now he has a new boss to impress, or in this case get in line. It was like seeing Jim revitalized, with a new purpose in life.

Deangelo (Will Ferrell) has been annoying so far. Too much like Will Ferrell for me. Now that he’s left on his own, he had time to grow on me, much the same way Michael eventually did. He’s still annoying, but we understand him a bit better. He rounds up a select few men to be in his inner circle, including Darryl, Jim, Kevin, and Gabe. He tries to get Dwight, but Dwight’s not having any of it.

The way Deangelo manages has the women thinking he’s sexist. They’re probably just reading into things, but Deangelo doesn’t really make a great defense for himself. Jim eventually decides to put him in his place and indirectly causes the incident that leads to him having to leave the manager position. I won’t ruin what happens, since it’s pretty surprising and awesome in its own way.

Things felt good watching this new version of The Office. I actually feel reassured that the show can go on without Steve Carell. This could have also have been a fluke; only time will tell if the show can truly last.