The Office Season 6 Episode 7 (Lead In): The Lover - Post Honeymoon Jitters

The honeymoon is over for The Office. If the promos for Episode 7, “The Lover,” of Season 6 of the NBC comedy are any indication, Jim and Pam are scheduled to return to the show from their honeymoon. However, last week’s “Mafia” episode has left this viewer hoping the honeymoon would last forever.

The Office has generally continued to provide laughs this year, despite the fact that the show is only a few episodes away from reaching its 100-episode benchmark, but seems a bit more subdued and formulaic than in the past, a bit more silly – with Steve Carell still portraying Michael Scott as someone more on the border of a mental handicap rather than an endearing guy who just doesn’t get it – and a little less edgy humor.

But NBC did an interesting thing two weeks ago, placing what is usually reserved for a season finale, a wedding, near the top of Season 6 in an episode titled “Niagra,” finally tying the knot between Jim and Pam. In a sense, it is a relief, as it ends what could have been another season of trials and tribulations on the wedding front between the tiring couple, but fans shouldn’t expect the drama to stop. Pam still has a baby on the way, and no doubt the writer’s will find some sort of complication to spice things up.

But the never-ending relationship saga culminated in one of the worst episodes in the history of The Office just two weeks ago. The laughs were thin in the hour-long extravaganza – it could have easily been condensed to 30 minutes – which concluded with a YouTube gag that was only interesting in its original form because it actually happened. As script for a show, it seems lazy on the part of the writers.

This scene was spliced with footage in which viewers learn (Spoiler Alert!) that Jim and Pam were really previously married aboard a ship near Niagra Falls before the ceremony, with the couple having anticipating chaos at the ceremony. People that watch the show for Jim and Pam likely found it to be a sweet moment, and it was constructed very well, but it was hard to find resonance in the moment after the saga has continued for so long.

When Tim Canterbury and Dawn Tinsley (Spoiler Alert!) finally got together in the Christmas special of the British iteration of The Office, it was a great moment that concluded two seasons of struggle for Tim in triumph. Similarly, seeing Jim and Pam get together after she finally got away from Roy provided a good feeling, especially seeing as the two at the time provided an incredibly engaging chemistry. But seasons later the two are still going, and it’s hard to feel much but apathy for the moments surrounding them.

Which is why it seemed like a nice compromise NBC offered viewers the week after, with “Mafia,” which included Jim and Pam only in audio through phone calls made by members of the office. Giving viewers a break from the couple, the episode focused on an amusing story in which Michael is led to believe an Italian insurance salesman is a member of the mob and trying to strong arm him into a policy. Andy and Dwight don’t make things any better with their conflicting approaches to the situation, while the rest of the office is left thinking the three of them are nuts.

The episode was as entertaining as The Office has been this year, and begs the question whether the writers are better off focusing on characters other than the couple, or at least letting their relationship fall to the background so that they can be involved in funnier material. Luckily, tonight’s episode might be an answer to that question. From the look of its commercials, “Lover” features the return of the newlyweds, only to find out Michael is dating Pam’s mother. Inevitably, mom jokes will be made. Let’s just hope they’re good, otherwise The Office might as well ship Jim and Pam back to wherever they were vacationing for good.

About the Writer
Bill Jones is the editor-in-chief of padsandpanels.com, a site dedicated to coverage of comics and games.