Season 4 of The Office aired during the Writer's Strike, meaning that it had a truncated length compared to the other seasons. Despite this, however, I don't feel like the strike negatively impacted this season at all. As a matter of fact, Season 4 is still one of The Office's best.
Season 4 takes a much darker tone than the last two, exploring the dysfunctional relationships of many of its characters, particularly Michael and Dwight. Michael's slow falling out with Jan is the most compelling part of the season and gives the first half of Season 4 a tragic sense of energy. Dwight losing Angela to Andy is also sad, and gives him a great amount of sympathy.
The first half of Season 4 is pretty great, for the most part. It has a great blend of comedic, dramatic, and cringe-worthy episodes scattered throughout, culminating in an amazing double-whammy of strong episodes in the middle of the season. The second half is a bit weaker, however. Losing Jan left the season feeling a bit directionless and some characters like Toby and Michael start to make some really iffy decisions that feel uncomfortable more for the sake of it. The first few episodes are also a bit strange, as the season starts with a series of four consecutive double-length episodes that could have easily been shortened or split into two separate episodes.
Despite my gripes, Season 4 was still a solid season with some of the best episodes in the show, many of which are listed below:
Local Ad: A simple but effective premise of Michael Scott trying to make an ad. I'm a huge fan of these types of filmmaking episodes and The Office executed it really well, packing in tons of cute and funny character interactions. I also like how Michael's ad was actually competent, a surprising subversion of the show's usual endings.
The Deposition: The titular deposition works as an analysis of Michael and Jan's dysfunctional relationship. Their entire past is explored, culminating in a realization in the audience that these two just don't belong together. Yet, Michael and Jan try to make it work anyway. There's still a lot of humor as well.
Dinner Party: This episode is iconic and for a very good reason. The cringe comedy is cranked up to 11 and pretty much every joke lands. Every character is brought together as Michael and Jan's faux-happy relationship slowly falls apart until it hits its brutal conclusion, which is simultaneously devastating, uncomfortable, and hilarious.
Goodbye, Toby: Despite the Writer's Strike, the writers behind The Office managed to end the season on a strong note. Goodbye, Toby is stuffed with comedic moments, big twists, huge status quo shifts, and a general feeling of finality. Toby's departure was a lot of fun, Holly's debut is great, and the cliffhangers are exciting.
Overall, Season 4 is a great time in spite of its truncated length and myriad flaws, taking a darker turn after the lighter Season 3 and packing in some of the show's best episodes to date.
4/5 Stars
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