5 ms·

Flanderization is so obviously employed in The Office. Characters get crazier or weirder over the seasons. Kevin was initially a slow guy, but understood everyt

Flanderization is so obviously employed in The Office. Characters get crazier or weirder over the seasons. Kevin was initially a slow guy, but understood everything and got things done. They ruined his character by turning him into a "stupid fat guy". Really bummed me out.

haram_masala 6y ago
In some ways Dwight was un-Flanderized. He stopped being a hapless sycophant to Michael, and he started showing comprehension of other peoples’ feelings. Mellowing him out like that made him more relatable but ultimately not as much fun.
- plibither8 6y ago
  Exactly. Character development is one thing, and I do appreciate it. But they way it was done in The Office seemed sort of off to me.
brundolf 6y ago
Other than Kevin (you're right about him), I feel like all the characters had several focal traits, not just a one-dimensional schtick. They definitely refined and brought these to the forefront over time (especially right after season 1), but I don't feel like they ever got flat. Also, a huge part of that show is the number of "main" characters, and seeing how those handful of traits among a large number of characters mix and mash and interact, both with each other, and in varying situations. I.e. Andy and Oscar may not be that complicated individually, but they hardly interacted until like season five and then suddenly got put in a situation or two together, which made for something fresh. That kind of thing happens constantly over the course of the show.
- plibither8 6y ago
  Yep! The comedic cringe and the awkward, ludicrously brilliant situations were amazing, and very well written. One of the reasons why it's still one of my go-to shows when I have nothing to watch :).
tomcam 6y ago
Agreed, but look who got the last laugh. https://news.avclub.com/cameos-top-earner-of-2020-is-the-offices-kevin-malone-1845864487 https://news.avclub.com/cameos-top-earner-of-2020-is-the-off...
- plibither8 6y ago
  Interesting! I don't agree with how his character was developed, but Brian Baumgartner is definitely a great actor.
  - tomcam 6y ago
    Definitely a best case scenario when you have been inadvertently typecast for life...
buzzerbetrayed 6y ago
I agree they went too far with Kevin. But at the same time, they hadn't gone far enough in season 1. He's just too boring and uninteresting at the very start, in my opinion. They needed to find a nice middle ground.
dagurp 6y ago
The Office was interesting because they only had a handful of actors but they couldn't work in an empty office so the rest of the characters are played by the writers of the show. I bet they didn't even have names for them to begin with.

haram_masala 6y ago

In some ways Dwight was un-Flanderized. He stopped being a hapless sycophant to Michael, and he started showing comprehension of other peoples’ feelings. Mellowing him out like that made him more relatable but ultimately not as much fun.

plibither8 6y ago
Exactly. Character development is one thing, and I do appreciate it. But they way it was done in The Office seemed sort of off to me.

brundolf 6y ago

Other than Kevin (you're right about him), I feel like all the characters had several focal traits, not just a one-dimensional schtick. They definitely refined and brought these to the forefront over time (especially right after season 1), but I don't feel like they ever got flat. Also, a huge part of that show is the number of "main" characters, and seeing how those handful of traits among a large number of characters mix and mash and interact, both with each other, and in varying situations. I.e. Andy and Oscar may not be that complicated individually, but they hardly interacted until like season five and then suddenly got put in a situation or two together, which made for something fresh. That kind of thing happens constantly over the course of the show.

plibither8 6y ago
Yep! The comedic cringe and the awkward, ludicrously brilliant situations were amazing, and very well written. One of the reasons why it's still one of my go-to shows when I have nothing to watch :).

tomcam 6y ago

Agreed, but look who got the last laugh. https://news.avclub.com/cameos-top-earner-of-2020-is-the-offices-kevin-malone-1845864487 https://news.avclub.com/cameos-top-earner-of-2020-is-the-off...

plibither8 6y ago
Interesting! I don't agree with how his character was developed, but Brian Baumgartner is definitely a great actor.
- tomcam 6y ago
  Definitely a best case scenario when you have been inadvertently typecast for life...

buzzerbetrayed 6y ago

I agree they went too far with Kevin. But at the same time, they hadn't gone far enough in season 1. He's just too boring and uninteresting at the very start, in my opinion. They needed to find a nice middle ground.

dagurp 6y ago

The Office was interesting because they only had a handful of actors but they couldn't work in an empty office so the rest of the characters are played by the writers of the show. I bet they didn't even have names for them to begin with.