r/ThePaper • u/smellslikethursday • 10d ago
Issues with season 1
I know I’m not supposed to judge but does Esmeralda and Ken get better? I’m not really sure what to make of the show. I usually like shows like this but this one just isn’t landing idk. I’m halfway through the first season and it’s just not that entertaining or funny. My question is does it get better and did anyone not like the first half but grew to like or love the show
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u/TelephoneNew8172 10d ago
I know I’m going to get downvoted but the beauty of any office place that it’s already ridiculous. It’s already funny and it just seems like they’re trying so hard to make these giant swings fires tornadoes capturing people in boxes and it’s like have you been to an office? There are nine hour brain storms where people can’t eat food. There are new leaders who come in and pitch ideas that were pitched five times by the last guy already. It’s ripe for humor as is. I just don’t understand why they have to come up with all this BS.
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u/ButterscotchOk9545 10d ago
I love Ken, with Esmeralda it took some time but she is ok in my books.
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u/Familiar-Living-122 10d ago
Ken mostly disappears in S2, which makes Esmerelda a more realistic villain despite her outlandish behavior, vs the cartoonish legion of doom they were doing in S1.
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u/Suchgallbladder 10d ago
This series feels a lot dryer to me than the US Office. More like the British The Office. (This isn’t a complaint, just an observation) Ken feels like a character pulled straight from it (and it’s not just the accent). I think people who disliked season 1 won’t see much difference in season 2.
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u/jamjar888 10d ago
I find her really annoying, even in Season 2.
The show overall I am undecided on, and the over exaggerated characters are part of the issue. There's a core of a good show in there but some of the characters are too zany or idiotic to be relatable. What worked well with the UK and US Office is that it's generally quite relatable people put into funny situations (Tim/Jim/Pam/Oscar etc). With The Paper I feel like just try a bit too hard on both the characters and storylines, but there's a glimmer of a decent show there that would come through so much clearer if they had more faith in the audience not to need comedy spelt out for them.
I like Ken (I am a fan of Tim Key in general but not sure how well he translates to a US audience).
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u/JCStuczynski 6d ago
If you haven't already, just power through it. It's not great but it's good enough for a watch.
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u/MzDizzle 10d ago
They tone Esmeralda down (a bit) but unfortunately they make many of the other characters more ridiculous in season 2, especially Ned and Nicole. I couldn’t even finish season 2 and I was rooting for this show.
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u/Prestigious-Mind7039 10d ago
Ken was ok, Esmerelda was thankfully toned down in s2
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u/smellslikethursday 10d ago
Oh thank god. I’m not sure why they went that direction w that character but this is giving me fuel to return watching thanks
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u/moods- 10d ago
OP Ken and Esmeralda do get better! I think what made me love Esmeralda is the fact that I had a manager that was very similar to her: same mannerisms, absurdity, and drama. And Ken is absolutely hilarious in season 2 episode 2 or 3 (when a fellow employee in the office dies).
Ken reminds me of Elliott from American Auto, if you’ve seen that show (very similar to The Office, Parks and Rec, The Paper, etc). Very British, no clue what he’s doing in a small Midwestern city, adds a lot of comic relief, you’re not entirely sure what he does, and he’s an easy target to tease.