Photo: Remote Access

So sad, so sad… Tonight saw the first real casualty of the WGA strike (no offense, Mr. Leno) with the airing of The Office’s unofficial season finale. This blow is especially painful considering it was just a few weeks ago that we finally abandoned the tired hour-long episodes that soiled the beginning of the season and returned to the snappy, digestible norm. So how did they (accidentally) leave us? Was it just a normal episode or did they go out in true Office fashion - with hilarity culminating in a cliffhanger?

Actually, it was something kind of new. The Office has always been the sad, crying clown of primetime, but, on occasion, they take it too far. We’re used to Michael Scott’s annoying creepiness generally balancing out his heartbreaking earnestness. While our allegiances for all other characters are clearly defined, we never quite know what to think of Michael. The writers created an ambiguous yin and yang to keep us from ever feeling too sympathetic or repulsed. But in last night’s episode, “Deposition,” that balance was entirely absent and Michael was exposed for the unwitting whipping boy we all know he really is.

Apparently Jan is suing Dunder Mifflin for wrongful termination, and she and Michael had to drive to New York for him to give his pre-trial testimony. Michael tried to stick to Jan’s script, but he kind of fell apart after getting curveballs like his diary used as evidence and public readings of Jan’s bitingly critical performance reviews and testimony of Dunder Mifflin’s utter lack of faith in his abilities. Sure, there was a funny side-story of ping pong tournaments back at the Scranton office, but for the most part, this episode was just depressing – possibly more miserable than Phyllis’ wedding. And that’s all she (er, they) wrote, folks. Expect to wait as long nine months for another episode.