Fri, 15 May 2009
WARNING: FINALE SPOILERS I'm not going to get into my thoughts on the finale until we do the podcast, but I've seen this crop up in various blog postings and forums and thought it was worth asking: Has THE OFFICE jumped the shark with the JAM plotline in the finale? According to Wikipedia, "jumping the shark" is "a colloquialism coined by Jon Hein and used by TV critics and fans to denote the point in a TV show or movie series' history where the plot veers off into absurd story lines or out-of-the-ordinary characterizations. This usually corresponds to the point where a show with falling ratings apparently becomes more desperate to draw viewers in. In the process of undergoing these changes, the TV or movie series loses its original appeal. Shows that have "jumped the shark" are typically deemed to have passed their peak." WARNING: FINALE SPOILERS One of the "signs" of JTS, according to the site is: Birth, when a new baby is added to a show's cast (and often unnaturally aged to a preschooler the season following the birth), sometimes to accommodate an actress's real-life pregnancy but usually for the same reasons a New kid in town might otherwise be brought in. (Ex: Malcolm in the Middle and the introduction of Jamie) Of course, another one of the JTS "signs" is also: They did it, in which two main characters have sex, particularly if their sexual tension was deemed part of the show's appeal. (Ex: Who's The Boss? or I Dream of Jeannie) WARNING: FINALE SPOILERS But I think many people agree that the writers managed to keep the show afloat despite having JAM officially hook up. CAN they do it again with this pregnancy plot? Do you actually look forward to a Mini-Halpert on the show? How do you think this will play out? Will they dare pull a "miscarriage" plot of some sort? Give us your opinions below and we'll definitely reference them in TWSS #72!
Category:general
-- posted at: 12:09pm EST
Comments[34]
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The show jumped the shark on the past two-season-long \"everything is perfect\" arc for Jim & Pam. Season 2 was endearing because we longed for their happiness. That sense of wanting was what kept the show emotional. With that taken away, the JAM storyline has become smarmy & tired.
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I don\'t think this was a jump the shark moment. On other shows where babies/little kids have arrived it\'s generally been to make up for the \"cute\" factor that\'s missing since the little kids have grown up (\"The Brady Bunch,\" \"Family Ties\" etc.) or because the writers have run out of ideas (\"Murphy Brown,\" \"Mad About You\" etc.) On those shows the new little ones were prominently featured. On \"The Office\" we see very little of people\'s lives outside the office. Pam and Jim will talk about the little one and we may see a couple scenes with the baby, but as long as it doesn\'t overwhelm the show it should be okay. We\'ll just have to wait and see how the writers handle it. If it\'s handled badly then this could be a jump the shark moment, but it\'s really too early to tell.
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I don\'t think this means The Office has \"Jumped the Shark\". The act of Fonzie jumping a shark was kind of stupid and a sign that Happy Days had run out of ideas and that the shows writing was going down hill. I don\'t think that applies to The Office. Just because other shows had a character get pregnant (assuming Pam is in fact pregnant) and the quality of the show became poor doesn\'t mean it has to be in this case. And I think it should be called a \"Cousin Oliver\", not \"Jumped the Shark\".
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I know this is probably too late to be read on the podcast, but for my two cents, the pregnancy thing doesn\'t bother me nearly as much as the rest of you. Just another step in the ever evolving relationship between Jim and Pam. Nothing to get all up in arms about. I was more excited over the fact that Dwight is friends with Dr. Venture than Jam\'s baby.
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I was thinking that this development with the \"Jambino\" (agree with the Kaiser-awesome word) might actually be interesting in a way I haven\'t seen discussed yet. In the last 2 seasons, Pam has really stretched herself and tried not to be the doormat she was at first. Going to art school and insisting that she come back to DM as a salesperson are all growth. She truly was the Fancy New Beesley. Now she\'s pregnant and all of that might have to be put on hold or stop for a while. That will be interesting developments for her and Jim in the office. If Pam isn\'t free to go out and pursue an art career of some sort will she feel stymied in the office even if she\'s not the receptionist anymore? Would she possibly resent Jim a little even though this is a great thing for them personally? I\'ve had a baby in the last year, and believe me these are some of the things that go through your head. I am 2 years into a job level that I should only have a year to go to get promoted out of, but if I my husband and I want to have more children, I will have to wait a minimum of 3 years to get promoted up. This could even be written as more of an issue in an unexpected pregnancy like Pam\'s. I think people here are having a discussion worthy of a great season finale, and I\'m looking forward to what Matt & Kevin have to say.
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Given that I\'ve always the PB&J moniker over Jam, I\'ll call this one PB&Jr. :-) P.S. - There was a typo on my earlier post. it was supposed to read: But so far, the writers have done a mostly decent job of *avoiding* falling too far into typical sitcom formula and being able to give The Office its own unique voice in the world of TV dramedy.
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as long as they keep the baby off screen for the most part, the show will be fine. maybe bring him/her in to show everybody at first, but the rest of the time they put the baby in daycare or some other excuse for pam/jim leaving. obviously pam will have to be gone for 6 weeks or so for maternity leave, and that\'ll be alright. maybe lead to jim realizing that he hates working at DM if pam isn\'t there. i don\'t know. the only way this could make this show jump the shark is if the baby is a \"regular\" character ON the show. if they just talk about it, that won\'t be a big deal. when shows jump the shark with a baby is when the baby is in every episode, plots centering around whatever mischevious thing the baby did, etc... i don\'t think that will happen. the show will stay focused on the actual office like always.
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I\'m starting to feel like the term \"jump the shark\" has jumped the shark. I think people are using that way too freely. For some people, it seems, if they don\'t like where the story is going then the show has jumped the shark. On another fan forum some have already written the show off, assuming that this development can do nothing but ruin the show. Personally, I feel the writers deserve more of our faith than that. I think they\'ve proved that they can successfully navigate story lines that have brought other shows down. Some thought the show would be ruined when Jim and Pam finally got together, but it wasn\'t, so let\'s give these writers the benefit of the doubt, shall we.
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Hey guys, you have a few listeners over at NorthernAttack and I thought I\'d participate in this discussion. I\'m surprised that a lot of the blogs you read have been calling this Jim/Pam plotline \"jumping the shark\" because I think most of the blogs or forums I\'ve read have been very supportive of this move. I\'m going to paste a NA post by a friend named Anque (with her permission , of course), because she really said everything about how I feel about this new storyline: \"It\'s been shown, over and over again, that Jim and Pam are just a regular \'under-achieving\' couple. It\'s sort of the premise on which their connection with the audience as the every-man/woman is based. We\'d all like to believe that nothing in our lives happens that wasn\'t well thought-out and planned, but truth is many of us live our lives responding to what life throws at us, as opposed to planning what we want and making it all happen in a timely fashion. There are many people who spend their whole lives, some successfully, exacting this control over every aspect of their future, past and present, but the truth is a majority of us do not. It\'s the whole basis of the show really, the fact that these two clearly intelligent people stay in this dead-end job in the dead-end town. It\'s amazing, in fact, that they\'ve managed to find real love amongst all of that. Beautiful, and particularly heart-warming to the masses of us who slog away in jobs that feel just as pointless as theirs. Life can be fulfilling even without Jim or Pam climbing the corporate ladder. There\'s more to it than that. They love each other, clearly. Like Jim has said, they\'re going to be fine. Their evolution is so absolutely true to the way that so many people of my generation have started \'growing-up\'. In fazes, later in life than they used to, but we eventually figure it out. Jim and Pam will too. I just don\'t see the pregnancy as being not true to their characters or a cop-out or anything. It seems as natural to their characters as pranking Dwight or coddling Michael. It fits.\"
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I totally agree with you Lem! I enjoyed this episode and I am estatic about the JAMBINO/A I personally think this route is better than for them going the route of them breaking up which would be unnatural from them. Also we have had very little Jim and Pam this season so I think this shows a great set up for next season.
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Can someone explain to me how a couple (who have been basically in love from day one and who have been dating/engaged for 2 years) having a child is \"jumping the shark)? You\\\'re comparing having a child to jumping over a shark on skis? Really?People often complain that the show isn\\\'t \\\"realistic enough\\\" anymore, but when a dose of reality is introduced, its suddenly bad? Michael and Dwight + a pregnant Pam will lead to plenty of laughs, Pam will have the baby, and then you probably won\\\'t see much more of it. I mean, there are other office workers who have kids, but you don\\\'t hear much about them. You knew they would get married/have a baby eventually, as that\\\'s a natural progression in their reationship. I really don\\\'t see what the big deal is. Its also funny to go back and read some comments about Casino Night on Officetally. There were several people upset that Jim and Pam might (\\\"GASP!\\\") actually get together, and the term \\\"jump the shark was actually thrown around even then.
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The stunty \"jump the shark\" moment would have been if Angela would have discovered she\'s pregnant... This show and these discussions are such a paradox. When \"something\" happens, people are upset, when \"nothing\" happens people are upset. People want small office-centric episodes, and then complain that they\'re repeating themselves.
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Gazzoo: Why shouldn\'t pregnancy be addressed? What do you mean by \"addressed\"? When something is part of the foreground plot of a show it must be either dramatic or comedic. If it\'s just something that happened, it should be be left in the background. \"one of the things that happen in offices is women get pregnant\" People do all kinds of things in an office, but it isn\'t made part of the foreground plot just because it happens.
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If the definition of jumping the shark is absurd stories or out-of-the-ordinary characterizations, then I don\'t see how Pam being pregnant fits that criteria at all. Jim and Pam have been together for nearly two years, they live together, they\'re engaged, so what is absurd or out-of-the-ordinary about them having a baby? It happens to people all the time. I didn\'t feel at all like this was some kind of stunt to save a failing show, rather it felt like a natural progression of their story. In the long run, I don\'t think this baby is going to affect the story telling on the show all that much. Stanley, Toby, and Meredith each have a kid and that fact rarely comes up, so once the excitement of the pregnancy and birth subside, then I don\'t see why the Jam baby should come up much either.
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haha, I totally agree with the person who says \"let\'s not use \"jump the shark\", let\'s go with \"lick the cat\". That is the EXACT moment of when they did \"jump the shark\". I think this episode would have been a really fantastic series finale, but it was lame as a season finale. I am so over Jim and Pam. She cannot be pregnant, and if she is, I am through with this show. Done. Their reaction were so OVER THE TOP happy that I think we are all of course supposed to think \"pregnancy\", but that\'s not really what it is. I think realistically they would have been surprised, stunned, maybe even excited or anxious, but to be THAT exuberant? Not realistic, for an unplanned baby, in my opinion. Earlier in the season Pam told Jim she\'d never live with someone again unless they were engaged, but it\'s all hunky-dory to get knocked up outside of marriage? I don\'t buy it. Also, I know she\'s got her job back and Dunder Mifflin, but there\'s been references all season about how money is tight for them. Throwing a baby in to the mix is just a really ridulously stupid ploy by the writers, so that\'s why I\'m holding out hope that the final scene was about something else. JAM is a cheesy roller coaster of a ratings ploy that makes big promises, and just doesn\'t deliver (anymore), and I want off the ride. That being said, I LOVED Michael in this episode. If Steve Carell doesn\'t get at LEAST an Emmy nom, if not the Emmy, he is being ROBBED. He was brilliant, and I want the The Office crew to chain Amy Ryan to their set and make her never leave. Holly and Michael are too perfect for each other. Matt, I agreed with you and thought Holly would seem like a distant memory, but her and Michael immediately clicked back in. When they were \"practicing\" I wanted so badly for Michael to lean over and kiss her, but I think the way things played out was even better. He got to spend time with Holly, and had some good personal growth. But most importantly...WHO WON THE VOLLEYBALL GAME?
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I think that other than a few key episodes along the way, the Jam baby storyline could be kept in the background. Honestly, John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer sold that scene so well that I don\'t care right now. It totally caught me by surprised. When the nurse asked if there was any chance that she was pregnant, I thought it was a throwaway line that would send some sector of the fandom into speculating over it during the summer. I didn\'t think that it would lead to an actual pregnancy.
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We may be jumping the gun in terms of judgment. For example, I will agree that I was a little apprehensive when Jan\'s pregnancy was announced, but the writers handled it in a way that I felt was an appropriate way to edge Jan out of the series and push Michael further towards Holly. I\'ll admit that I have mixed feelings about a PB&J baby. But so far, the writers have done a mostly decent job of falling too far into typical sitcom formula and being able to give The Office its own unique voice in the world of TV dramedy. Regardless, I will say that those final moments allowed Jenna and John to once again show what excellent facial actors they are. It was almost akin to Pam\'s final moment in \"The Job.\"
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Sorry guys, \"jump the shark\" doesn\'t work anymore! It is all about \"nuking the fridge!\" (from the new Indiana Jones) I still have faith in the writers. The Office isn\'t a campy sitcom, so don\'t worry. Anyone remember \"I Love Lucy\"? I thought the pregnancy episodes were so sweet on that show!
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One commenter made the point lamenting the industry of grasping for \"jump the shark\" moments that has cropped up, and I agree. However, we can still debate the merits of the Jam pregnancy and whether it constitutes a desperate turn for the worst. It has, I believe. #5 has been the most inconsistent season of the series for me. Season 2 was classic, must-see material, I enjoyed 3, and I liked 4 even better (although I\'m still sour on Ryan\'s devolution into a cartoon character; they could have gotten more mileage out of a more realistically-written villain). I can\'t shake the feeling that they\'ve run out of ideas. Jim and Pam\'s relationship this season has been joyless, lame, and utterly contrived. What about the constant fear of break-up we\'ve endured? Remember \"Stress Relief\" when Jim\'s undying commitment to Pam broke up her parents marriage by making her father realize he didn\'t feel the same about her mother? Recall \"Cafe Disco\" when they suddenly and inexplicably decided to elope only to come to their better senses while jumping up and down to the Village People? This isn\'t beautiful writing. It\'s cheesy and lame. After the resolution of the Holly romance and his well-overdue victory over Corporate, Michael\'s arc has weirdly been depressing and fulfilling all at once. It\'s as if the internal conflicts of these various characters we\'ve come to know and love are finally being resolved. If Pam and Jim are married (with child) and Michael has finally been established as an undeniably brilliant person (if misunderstood and tactless), where does that leave us? Random, inconsequential \"Earth Day\" and \"Tax Day\" episodes? I\'m not entirely sure if I blame them given the inevitability of it all, but it seems these people are exhausted and out of ideas. It wouldn\'t surprise me one bit if season 6 was the last.
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i definatly dont think theyve junped the shark. the pregnancy will bring more comedy with pam and jim having all these new plots. i actually love it to tell you the truth. in my honest opinion this season has been my favorite. i think that the pregnancy will be fun and that itll stall a wedding til season 7 after the baby is born (maybe.. i dont know lol). im not worried at all and i think that people should stop being so negative and give it a chance! i cant WAIT for next season =] GO JAM AND BABY! haha. (also, if they have a misscarriage or give it up itll be HORRIBLE!!! i know they wouldnt give it up cuz they were so happy and a misscarriage will bring everything down and suck the life out of the show!)
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Watched 2 great things last night: the Hurricanes advance and yet another great performance from Steve Carrell. I know all anyone will talk about is THE OTHER THING but I think the hidden gem in last night\'s episode was the touching Michael & Holly story. Carrell was communicating so much with his eyes and his face when he was with Amy Ryan, and the 2 of them are gold together. I hope they have the long story and THE OTHER THING is the short one. I think I\'ll reserve judgement over whether or not Pam\'s pregnancy goes too far; it could actually be funny. But the audience knows and the writers should know that babies on sitcoms and other TV shows are limiting in their possible story lines and actually turn viewers off. I just don\'t hope we have one of those contrived awkward scenes with Dwight delivering Pam & Jim\'s love child on the conference room table in the middle of a workday, which I can totally see them doing. Ewwww.
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Although I agree that jumping the shark is a term that is used far too often nowadays, truth be told, if you\'re going to call THIS jumping the shark, there are far more Office shark jumpy moments prior to this: too many relationships in the office, Ryan getting promoted to corporate, Jim and Pam actually getting together in the first place, the whole Andy/Dwight/Angela love triangle, and as much as I loved the storyline, The Michael Scott Paper Company, particularly how quickly they ended up back at Dunder Mifflin. The honest to god truth is if these characters kept going week to week, episode to episode, doing the exact same thing and never changing, then I would start worrying about the quality of the show. I\'m not saying The Office has been a perfectly realistic attempt at showing life in an office, but the truth is the characters have to grow. We haven\'t even seen what\'s going to happen with babyJam. We got a hint -- a subtle hint that its coming. But how much of Jim and Pam\'s relationship have we REALLY seen on the show? How much of their engagement have we REALLY seen on the show? And outside of the episode where Michael freaks out about Pam giving birth and the inevitable \"Day Care\" episode where Michael tries to convince Jim and Pam to bring the baby in so he can take care of him/her, do you really see this becoming the driving point of the show? I don\'t, but I\'m guessing since you\'ve posted this in the first place, Matt, that you just might. Of course, I could be wrong. Don\'t jump the gun about jumping the shark! Ryan
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I don\'t see what the problem is. It\'s a logical occurrence considering Pam and Jim\'s relationship, and once the baby is born it\'ll be mostly an offscreen presence. And for the most part the writers have avoided falling into the traps of other series. I am not worried.
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Obviously everyone\'s reaction is that Pam is pregnant. That\'s my reaction too, and I hope it\'s not a fake-out like they thought she might have cancer but it was a false alarm, or something. The King of Queens had a plot line where Carrie was pregnant and she lost it, so if they are willing to have that plot line on a straight comedy show, they could do it on a show that is more of a Dramedy, I think the Jim and Pam relationship is what hooked most people on the show, and I look forward to more plot lines with them next season.
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A few comments have stated that we should \"trust the writers\" on this. Well, the writers showed us their stuff -- they revealed a pregnancy and it was neither funny nor dramatic. Does anyone seriously think there is any possibility of an abortion or a miscarriage or break up or giving up the baby for adoption? Well, then, there\'s not even a remote possibility of drama in this.
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I think that the term \"Jump the Shark\" is a little over-used these days. I almost think that in the age of internet message boards and blogs about TV shows it becomes a race to see who can point out the shark-jumping first. I actually get really annoyed when I read posts that say, \"The shark, she has jumped.\" I personally haven\'t been as invested in or in love with the show since the end of season 3, but I wouldn\'t say the shark has jumped. (And, I don\'t think that\'s because of the \"They did it\" thing, more that the show is running out of plotlines that would believeably occur amongst a group of co-workers.) Perhaps because my expectations have been lower for the show and I haven\'t spent as much time analyzing and anticipating what will happen next, I really enjoyed the finale episode and was just able to go along for the ride. I think the last scene is my favorite PB&J moment since the end of \"The Job.\" (Italian food and the proposal didn\'t do much for me.) Plus, since this show is about an office, a baby wouldn\'t have the same shark-jumping effect as in a show like \"How I Met Your Mother\" (which is set mostly in a bar). I love it when \"The Office\" has (gasp!) office-related plotlines, so perhaps there is some good material for a show based on maternity leave policies, lactation rooms, etc. \"The Office\" is no longer the gem it was in Season 2--perhaps one of the best seasons of television ever--but I don\'t thing any sharks have jumped.
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I think last nights show would have made a great series finale. Much in the spirit of the final british The Office special, everyone takes a step forward. Michael gets to where he needs to be emotionally with Holly. Dwight stands up to his friend and shows some maturity in dealing with Angela. And, of course, Jim and Pam leapfrog the marriage issue and show that their relationship is for real. I do hope that when the show does end that it could end with the simple of act of these characters taking the kind of small steps forward they did in this episode. Then again, perhaps the show can still end on a high note with Michael and Holly getting together and the birth of Halpert 2.0? I think it\'s quite possible to use this all to build towards a wonderful ending suitable to the original office. I do fear that NBC does plan to run the Office into ground and that this might end up in retrospect being the shark jumping moment. However, until that happens, I\'m more than willing to give the show the benefit of the doubt.
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Just wait until it\'s revealed that Ryan is the father. Or at least I can hope. Baby-making on TV is neither dramatic nor funny. It\'s just lame and cliched and will probably ruin all of next season. A happy couple having babies and getting married is so BORING.
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