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[email protected] Has The Office jumped the shark?

ing and obviously madly in love with Gaby Arevalo each other, the awkwardness isn’t SENIOR STAFF WRITER there anymore. The romantic tension is now gone, leaving only romance, I love The Offi ce. I really love it. I and while everybody wants romance don’t try to hide the fact that I’m ob- in their real life, our fi ctional friends sessed with the Jim and Pam dynam- should have tension and drama. ic, and quote Dwight Schrute inces- Think about it, fairy tales end with santly. But lately, I’ve been getting a a “happily ever after,” but they never little worried about the show. People tell you about the ever after in detail. are starting to say that The Offi ce is Come on, it’s just not interesting, and close to jumping the shark, and I’m quite frankly, that saccharine bullshit very upset about this. What if it is? gets a little old. Unless the producers For those of you that don’t know bring in some drama, Jim and Pam what the phrase “jumping the shark” will quickly become like that couple is, here’s a quick history lesson. On in high school that everybody hated the hit television show Happy Days, just because they were so in love with one of the characters (The Fonz) lit- each other. erally jumped over a shark while on Issue number two: Dwight and An- water skis. Critics quickly agreed that gela. Mainly, Angela and Dwight not this was the beginning of the end for being together. Their weird love was Happy Days, as it had strayed from endearing and hilarious, and now IRESE WONG — TRW > The Mama’s Boys was one of many musical acts that performed at the show. its original premise so much that it that they’ve broken up, Dwight is just could never go back to it. So, jump- really depressed and crying, and who ing the shark is a nice way of saying wants that? Dwight is funny because “this show is starting to suck.” of how confi dent he is, and seeing SGA talent show runs smoothly Now you may be asking “Gaby, him down in the dumps over an up- what makes you think that The Offi ce tight cat-lover is infuriating. How can Katrina Cohen believed the show might not be tions without a second thought. has jumped the shark?” And because he rant about bears and Star Wars if SENIOR STAFF WRITER shorter than last year’s, but would The Musical Theatre Club did a I like to talk about television and get he’s too busy sobbing in a stairwell? be filled with quality acts. mini-showcase of quirky-funny paid to be a narcissist and talk for HE CAN’T. Because of this, he needs Technology is a magical thing. What I found once the perfor- tunes from Tony-award-winning paragraphs on end, I will tell you. a new love interest. Or he needs to get Except for maybe when you’re mances began was a hit-or-miss musical Avenue Q, known for its But if you’re not caught up with the over Angela, because when Jim takes on stage in front of a large audi- night scattered with spot-on acts lewd puppetry and pitch-perfect season so far, stop reading this article, pity on him, you know it’s bad. ence and the CD you’re using as a like that of Edwards and Roberts, Sesame Street spoofing. Liz Kuhn because I fully intend on describing Issue number three: The humaniza- musical accompaniment breaks in making sticking around until the performed a self-written flowing the episodes in great detail. tion of Michael Scott. He’s the boss; half inside the CD player, which is end worthwhile. folk tune on guitar. And SGA Vice Issue number one: Jim and Pam. we’re supposed to hate him a little exactly what happened to musical The talent show was, like last President Elani Odeyale, along Aww, they’re adorable and every bit. And admit it, it was funny when duo Joseph Edwards and Daniel year, heavy on the musical acts, with fellow talented singers Alisha time they kiss the world collectively he was super obnoxious. Now that Roberts during their performance many of which appealed to spe- Thomas and Rachel Gaskill, gave squeals. But part of the appeal of the it’s the Michael Scott Pity Party Hour, at UMBC’s annual Homecoming cific audiences of which I was a lovely a cappella rendition of Jim and Pam romance was the fact I feel bad laughing at him for driv- Talent Show in the U.C. Ballroom probably not a part. For example, Tamia’s “Officially Missing You,” that they were both in love with each ing into a lake. OK, no I don’t, but it on Friday, October 19. the first band, Mother Nature’s while the professional baton- other but for some reason or another > see OFFICE [17] The two pros (Edwards on sax, Recipe, performed a piece of rock/ twirling skills of closing act Stasi weren’t together. As they are now dat- Roberts playing guitar), however, experimental craftsmanship that Kowalewski were a surprise (“pro- took the glitch in stride. In fact, I essentially boiled down to several fessional baton-twirling” is not ex- was unsure if anything had defini- minutes of what sounded like the actly a commonly heard phrase). tively gone wrong until the end of continued chant, “Do you want to The talent show did suffer from show, when Edwards confirmed as move your head?” (I did not.) some technical glitches, including much. The young men riffed and The show did contain traditional sound feedback, which unfor- improvised their way to winning UMBC crowd-pleasers, including tunately obscured performances Best Duet, after receiving a stand- the hip hop dance troupe formally like that of guitar duo Partners in ing ovation and perfect scores knowing as Common Ground Crime. And sometimes, from my from all of the judges. (now Major Definition), and the back row seat (I didn’t think I was Prior to the show, I spoke with ubiquitous Mama’s Boys, whose late, but the event was free, and SGA Homecoming Crew member tee-shirts proclaiming “Because many did not get seats at all), I Gabe Rettaliata, who assured me Your Mom Loves Us” originally felt a little like I was witnessing an that this year’s talent show would had me thinking we were in store inside joke on the part of the SGA. be “awesome,” and better than last for some sort of sex comedy skit As the microphone was passed be- year’s. Unlike last fall, this year the (Mama’s Boy Nate Fillmore had to tween SGA dignitaries and candy SGA held auditions. (Having gone clear things up for me). Both Ed- was hurtled at the audience, I be- to last year’s show, this explained wards and Roberts were previous gan to wonder if I needed to be- a lot.) winners at last year’s show. come more involved to “get it,” or After whittling down the forty- And this year’s stage welcomed if (ducking as a Tootsie Roll flew some acts that wanted to perform new favorites, all of which surely > see TALENT [17] COURTESY NBC to twenty, the SGA, Rettaliata said, made it through the SGA audi- > Has The Office overstayed its welcome? Only time will tell.