Tale of Two Walbergs, Episode 1: Hope for the Weary May 31, 2008
Posted by tvcrawlspace in : Antiques Roadshow, Moment of Truth, PBS, Reviews , add a comment
Life is a war between two opposing forces: people who collect lots of junk, and people who throw junk away. Those of us who save our stuff view those who don’t as cold and unfeeling, lacking in sentimentality. To justify ourselves we claim that our old Star Wars figurines, magazines and broken appliances might be worth something on eBay. Beaten down and weary from our struggle, we were starting to lose hope. But what’s that in the distance? Could it be something riding to our rescue? Yes! It’s Antiques Roadshow, the PBS production that travels to different US cities so that viewers can bring in their old antiques, collectibles, and junk to be appraised by the show’s team of experts. This ingenious program allows the clutter bugs to fight back against the neat freaks, and say things like, “honey, the old rug they almost threw away turned out to be worth half a million dollars!” As a fellow junk hoarder, it’s hard not to share the joy when participants hit the jackpot. Interesting items of the past have included: A collection of puzzles, games, and cutouts from the backs of 1930’s cereal boxes appraised at $3500; a confederate punch bowl; a napkin with an Andy Warhol doodle valued at $25,000; a painting worth big bucks found in somebody’s attic; an early edition of the book The Picture of Dorian Gray worth $10,000; and a creepy ceramic jug with a face on it.
The host of Antiques Roadshow is the cheerful Mark L. Walberg (no, not the guy from Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch), who introduces the show at the beginning, and does informative segments later in the program. Walberg is clean cut and likable, but there’s something strange about him that I can’t put my finger on. He seems like he might be more at home selling cars, or hosting a game show of some kind. I’ll bet he secretly wants to throw away everyone’s junk. No, wait….that was just wrong, I didn’t mean it. We should give Walberg a chance. He’s as earnest as a Jehovah’s Witness, the kind of guy who would help little old ladies across the street. After all, he’s a perfect fit for Antiques Roadshow, the most inoffensive program you can watch with the possible exception of old John Denver Christmas specials.
Weird Geometries at Amorous Dunder Mifflin May 17, 2008
Posted by tvcrawlspace in : Reviews, The Office , 3comments
In the recent hour long 4th season finale of The Office, the workplace romances were raging out of control. With the writers having to pack many developments into a shortened season, the episode was replete with much merriment, mayhem, and a parking lot carnival in honor of Toby’s last day. Jim (pictured above) saw the occasion as an opportunity to pop the question to Pam, but our collective jaws dropped as the blunderous Andy stole Jim’s thunder, jumping up on the band riser, grabbing the microphone, and proposing to his ice-queen girlfriend Angela, who conceded with a reluctant “ok”. Stunned at the horror of this development, we gasped as Jim-n-Pam’s perfect moment was ruined, and a seeming death blow was simultaneously dealt to the Dwight-Angela Romantic Axis (hereafter known as “Dwangela”). In the final moment of the show, however, Phyllis discovered that Dwangela still burns bright when she entered the office after hours and found the conservative couple acting in a very non-conservative manner.
After the last minute derailment of Jim-n-Pam’s story book engagement, their future together remains uncertain. Pam commented (to the omnipresent mockumentary camera) that she had anticipated Jim’s proposal and was disappointed when he didn’t deliver the goods. During this episode, she also showed affection for Toby (she said he was cute), and it was revealed that she will be leaving for 3 months to attend art school in New York. These things taken together would seem to indicate that there is turmoil in store for our self-satisfied love birds next season. Personally I find this possibility disappointing, but I guess we should be grateful to the producers for allowing J&P to have one season of happiness together. That’s probably all we can expect in the world of television, where long and happy relationships are as hard to find as tasteful humor on My Name is Earl.
Jim, Pam, and Toby aren’t the only Office characters aggressively pursuing the ill-advised practice of romance in the workplace. As of now there are four love triangles between current or former Dunder Mifflin employees, most of them based at the Scranton branch:
1. Jim, Pam, and Toby (or “Jamoby”)
2. Dwight, Angela, and Andy (”Dwangelandy”)
3. Micheal, Jan, and Holly (”Mijolly”)
4. Kelly, Ryan, and Darryl (the currently dormant “Rykeldar”)
I’m not going to speculate on the masonic significance of the four triangles, and whether they for-tell the coming of the apocalypse, and so forth. I will only conclude by saying that I hope, for our sakes, that the season 4 finale of The Office was not a realistic portrayal of life in the American workplace.
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