Coming after the relatively darker Season 4, Season 5 of The Office is arguably the lightest and most comedic to date. This results in probably the show's funniest season, even if it means it's slightly light on plot at times.
Season 5 has a strong start and a strong end, at least when plot is concerned. The first few episodes are about Michael and Holly's relationship, but it sadly ends way too quickly. From then on, the season doesn't have much in the way of plot until Episode 19, which introduces the amazing Michael Scott Paper Company arc, in which Michael leaves Dunder-Mifflin to form his own paper company. This arc is one of the best in the whole show, fleshing out pretty much the entire cast and adding a great sense of conflict and propulsion, even if it doesn't impact the show all that much.
Despite the lack of direction at times, the comedy is pretty top-notch throughout the season, reaching its height in the iconic fire drill scene, which I will elaborate on further later. The tone is also a lot lighter, for the most part, and there are some great moments of character development, especially during the penultimate episode which is pretty much just one long dance off. This season also introduces Erin, who is definitely one of the best new characters the show introduced in its second half. Her optimism and naivety leads to a lot of great humor.
As expected, Season 5 has a lot of really great episodes, but here are the absolute best:
Weight Loss: An absolutely excellent season premiere that follows up on the plot points of the previous season finale, with more fun moments for Holly and a very heart-warming proposal for Jim and Pam. The main storyline of everyone's attempts at losing weight is also very funny.
The Duel: The conflict between Dwight and Andy over Angela reaches an excellent resolution during this episode, which is packed with the comedy you'd expect from pitting these two characters up against each other. There's also a cute subplot as Michael tries to figure out what he does so right as a boss.
Stress Relief: This episode has the best cold open out of any episode ever. That fire drill sequence is one of the greatest comedic sequences ever put to film. It's frantic, it's hectic, and it's gutbustingly hilarious. As funny as the rest of the episode is, it can never manage to top this brilliant sequence.
Broke: The resolution of the Michael Scott Paper Company arc is funny and very satisfying, as Michael Scott himself gets one of his most badass moments yet. I think it wraps up the conflict a bit too cleanly, but it doesn't take away just how much I enjoy this episode.
Despite its aimless plot and slow middles section, Season 5 is yet another strong season for The Office, taking a much lighter and comedic tone, and packing in one of the show's best arcs.
4/5 Stars
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