The Office Premier

Season 8 Episode 1

Andy Bernard(Left) and
Dwight Schrute(Right)

The first episode of the new season of The Office begins like every other season premiere, but seeing new faces makes us wonder if the season will continue strong like previous episodes that old actors kept the humor side of The Office alive. James Spader (Robert California) has now been promoted to lead actor and CEO of Dunder Mifflin Sabre instead of the very humorous Steve Carell. When Steve announced his departure of the show the producers and cast were desperate to find a actor that would fill in the comedy role of the legend himself. It might as well be a former Daily Show correspondent. I was skeptical about California at first, but he rapidly became one of my favorite characters on the show. His style and humor is unique to the quotes he mentions in the first episode. Darryl, being the alpha-male he is is also skeptical of the new guy. As The Office humor continues with humorous quotes that the cast trade off in, we see a new humor right at the beginning.

Robert California

Now this time, we get to see some of the officemates “planking.” Don't even bother looking it up if you don’t know what it is not worth wasting of anybody's time. I think became viral over the summer of the last episode which was included in the beginning as seeing many of the cast planking on the job. The main plot revolves around a list California created form a personal journal left on the counter that separates the names from The Office into two groups. After everyone try’s to figure out what the separation could mean, the new boss invites one of the groups (of Jim, Toby, Oscar, Phyllis, Darryl, Angela, and Kevin) out for lunch where he reveals that he considers the second group losers. 

Lunch With the "winners"

The manager Andy Bernard (New regional Manager) said to California that why is the list separated in half, and why he considers the left side to be achievers and the right to be non-achievers. After a lot of chicanery, California responds right away saying that what he really said was “ you mean I said, Winners and losers” which I thought was humorous and the cast felt segregated. The people who had to stay since they were not invited made a pizza party in sorrow and felt bad they were left out. 

Clarification with the group about
"winners and losers"

The cast that did get invited came back saying they are the true winners and Toby started squirting Angela with a water gun while she was making a sales on the phone. One question I ask is if California considers Andy a loser, why did he name him branch manager? But he reassures everybody for the losers to prove him wrong, and the winners to prove him right. Meaning everybody is in the same boat. 

Overall

I think season 8 opened nicely in the post-Carell era. Those who feel the show’s best days are long past are probably still in the same boat, but with Andy as regional manager and the mystery of California’s continued performance can bring humor still to a show that is addictive of its humorous quotes of lead actors. I will be looking forward to the new cast performance.