TMC
12-29-2022, 09:19 PM
https://www.looper.com/1151788/the-offices-rainn-wilson-thinks-the-show-made-some-mistakes-after-steve-carells-exit/
Rainn Wilson loved the Tallahassee storyline
Wilson participated in a virtual question-and-answer session with Redditors (known as an AMA or "Ask Me Anything") r/IAmA (https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/11isz9/comment/c6mucj0/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3), allowing "The Office" fans to pick his brain about the iconic series ahead of its ninth and final season. In the same thread that saw Wilson provide his take on the British version of the show (https://www.looper.com/1151546/the-offices-rainn-wilson-has-a-very-strong-opinion-on-the-british-version-of-the-show/), u/jlomann (https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/11isz9/comment/c6mucj0/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) asked a relatively open-ended question — "How do you feel about 'the Office' post-Steve Carell?"
Surprisingly, Wilson got candid, seemingly sharing his honest thoughts as respectfully and positively as he could. "I think some mistakes were made in 'The Office' last season [Season 8] creatively," he began. "That being said I think some of the best, most interesting, and funniest stuff we've ever done was last season. The Tallahassee stuff was pretty sublime I thought [sic]. The episode when I had an appendectomy was brilliant [sic]." Despite Wilson's fondness for this period of the series, it ultimately led to one of the most polarizing storylines in "The Office" history, likely turning off some fans of the show for good.
The storyline eventually led to Nellie becoming manager
Colloquially known as the "Tallahassee arc," this sequence of episodes saw "The Office" use its serialized, half-hour format to tell a longer, complete story (somewhat of a rarity for the series as a whole, with notable examples like the "Michael Scott Paper Company" arc in Season 5). Told over the course of six episodes in Season 8, the story followed Dwight and a team of Scranton employees as they traveled down the coast to oversee the establishment of the first brick-and-mortar Sabre store.
It's understandable why Wilson would hold the storyline in such high regard, as Dwight's increased responsibility allowed him to develop as a character into a viable regional manager candidate (his previous stint in the boss' chair ended in chaos after he brought a loaded gun to work).
The fallout from the trip to Florida shifted the status quo for the series in an arguably negative way. In addition to Jim Halpert ( Krasinski) narrowly fending off the advances of a coworker and Dwight nearly falling victim to Robert California's (James Spader) cold business machinations, the Tallahassee arc also resulted in the absurd promotion of unlikable newcomer Nellie Bertram (Catherine Tate (https://www.looper.com/208610/the-truth-about-catherine-tate-on-the-office/)) to regional manager. For a brief moment, it felt like this development would ruin "The Office" for good (https://www.looper.com/162276/how-nellie-bertram-almost-ruined-the-office/).
Rainn Wilson loved the Tallahassee storyline
Wilson participated in a virtual question-and-answer session with Redditors (known as an AMA or "Ask Me Anything") r/IAmA (https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/11isz9/comment/c6mucj0/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3), allowing "The Office" fans to pick his brain about the iconic series ahead of its ninth and final season. In the same thread that saw Wilson provide his take on the British version of the show (https://www.looper.com/1151546/the-offices-rainn-wilson-has-a-very-strong-opinion-on-the-british-version-of-the-show/), u/jlomann (https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/11isz9/comment/c6mucj0/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) asked a relatively open-ended question — "How do you feel about 'the Office' post-Steve Carell?"
Surprisingly, Wilson got candid, seemingly sharing his honest thoughts as respectfully and positively as he could. "I think some mistakes were made in 'The Office' last season [Season 8] creatively," he began. "That being said I think some of the best, most interesting, and funniest stuff we've ever done was last season. The Tallahassee stuff was pretty sublime I thought [sic]. The episode when I had an appendectomy was brilliant [sic]." Despite Wilson's fondness for this period of the series, it ultimately led to one of the most polarizing storylines in "The Office" history, likely turning off some fans of the show for good.
The storyline eventually led to Nellie becoming manager
Colloquially known as the "Tallahassee arc," this sequence of episodes saw "The Office" use its serialized, half-hour format to tell a longer, complete story (somewhat of a rarity for the series as a whole, with notable examples like the "Michael Scott Paper Company" arc in Season 5). Told over the course of six episodes in Season 8, the story followed Dwight and a team of Scranton employees as they traveled down the coast to oversee the establishment of the first brick-and-mortar Sabre store.
It's understandable why Wilson would hold the storyline in such high regard, as Dwight's increased responsibility allowed him to develop as a character into a viable regional manager candidate (his previous stint in the boss' chair ended in chaos after he brought a loaded gun to work).
The fallout from the trip to Florida shifted the status quo for the series in an arguably negative way. In addition to Jim Halpert ( Krasinski) narrowly fending off the advances of a coworker and Dwight nearly falling victim to Robert California's (James Spader) cold business machinations, the Tallahassee arc also resulted in the absurd promotion of unlikable newcomer Nellie Bertram (Catherine Tate (https://www.looper.com/208610/the-truth-about-catherine-tate-on-the-office/)) to regional manager. For a brief moment, it felt like this development would ruin "The Office" for good (https://www.looper.com/162276/how-nellie-bertram-almost-ruined-the-office/).