Episode 123

In an era of Reality TV (not complaining), it's really refreshing to watch character-based shows. I'm sure there's a more technical term for this (Charlie, help me out here), but I'm talking about shows that, in order to keep viewers interested, don't rely on plot points but on the characters. This can often be a simple distinction between dramas (plot-based) and comedies (character-based). But there are certain shows whose characters are so brilliant that it doesn't matter what they do, as long as it's in character.

As if you couldn't already guess, I'm thinking of Michael Scott. The cold open of last week's episode was one of the most hysterical moments we've seen in recent The Office history. Why? Because it was just Michael being Michael. Absolutely nothing happened, yet it was tear-jerkingly funny.

Think about Seinfeld, the show about nothing. One of the most brilliant TV shows ever written, and it is based 100% off of character. Anyway, these are often the best shows: with the tiny attention spans we all have, it's sometimes nice not have to wonder "Wait, what happened last week?" when sitting down for our favorite shows. We just put our feet up and Michael Scott takes care of the rest.

P.S. I have some pretty hard core visitors coming into town for the next week, so I can't promise daily posts. While television may be severely more important than schoolwork, it has not yet surpassed friends. Although, friends and television are just about the best combination ever.  Yeah, my visitors will be having a super-exciting week.