Manipulation

How Jim and Pam and dogs in movies get my goat.






Last night was the season finale of The Office. It was going good; Jim was all ready to propose and I turned to AP and excitedly said, "I hope it goes ok," to which my husband replied, "it won't. You know it won't. It can't."

And though I hoped that these last few years of emotional trickery on the part of NBC, that the secretary and the salesman of paper would finally join, I knew it wouldn't happen. And, spoiler alert, it effing didn't. I don't even care if I spoiled it for you. What did you think was going to happen? That a season of proposal hints and escalating emotional tension would rightly pay off?

Look, I know when I am being manipulated. It's like that dog, Sam, in "I am Legend." It is adorable and loyal and loving, the only real relationship that Will Smith has. And it's got those expressive eyes, dogs and horses have the most human ones (see Seabiscuit). Did you think for one second that the filmmakers weren't going to kill that dog? No. Did you still weep at its passing? Bet your ass.

All of this has me thinking that I am no longer going to allow myself to be duped by Hollywood's too easy manipulative tactics. That I won't watch The Office and, when I see a cute dog, that I will say, "Fuck you, dog, You are just a plot device."

Maybe one day. We will overcome.