As "The Office" is set to return tomorrow night, I thought it'd be helpful to gain some perspective on what we've seen so far. The show's writers reached an interesting point going into the season. The initial draw of the show, aside from Michael's crazy antics, was the relationship of Jim and Pam. By the end of the fourth season however, the couple was together and Jim was planning to propose. With wedding bells in the future for the high drama couple, the plot appeared to be left to Michael and the rest of the office.
The brilliant addition of Holly however changed all of this. Though only in a few episodes, Amy Ryan's character was the female Michael Scott and made him both more human and more likable. A character that was hard not to like, Holly made Jim and Pam take a backseat to her burgeoning romance with Michael. The closure to his relationship with Jan was also a nice touch. Holly's departure (due to Amy Ryan's departure) was heartbreaking, not only for Michael, but for the plot of the show. If Holly doesn't return, then someone else needs to fill her place.
The Dwight-Angela-Andy love triangle also helped make things interesting. Dwight, originally the stupid brief comic relief, has been transformed into a character that is as likable as Jim, despite his more brash approach to everything. Though Angela is still quite shrill, she has become an enjoyable character that is just as flawed as all of her co-workers. The decision in season 3 to change Andy from an over angry prep boy to an overly cheery prep boy was a wise choice. He's funnier than he was before and I find myself wanting both he and Dwight to be with Angela, and her to be with both of them. Phyllis' revelation of Angela's affair with Dwight will make things interesting. I can't wait to find out what will happen with that.
On the note of Phyllis, having the other office workers start to have their own day in the sun has been really a stroke of genius. On the British version of the show, the other workers were largely ignored and used only as background for the antics of David, Gareth, Tim, and Dawn. But the American writers have done a good job of using these characters. Whether it's Stanley's grumpy observations to Oscar's dry remarks, to Phyllis' ability to come into her own as head of the Party Planning Committee, the minor characters of The Office have become just as lovable as the main ones, making the story even more interesting than without them.
That brings us last to the former cornerstones of the show, Jim and Pam. In the season finale of last year, Jim was all set to propose to Pam when Andy interrupted it all with a proposal of his own. As a result, there was a missing part of the (as Kevin called it) PB&J Relationship. The show picked up wisely with sending Pam to New York, a world of possibility, away from her boyfriend. By giving Pam freedom, suddenly it seemed like she might not need Jim anymore. But his proposal was a moment Office fans had been waiting for, and her subsequent return to Scranton has made the show's idealized couple even more idealized. Not making their relationship stagnant will be a major part of keeping this show going, despite all of the other improved elements of the show.
Overall, Season 5 has been good, but not great. Holly's departure really has been the only part that has held it back from that greatness. It appears, however, things will get interesting when the show returns, tomorrow night.
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