The last four episodes of The Paper bring the show to a close, but the ending doesn’t spark a burning desire for more episodes.
While I actually quite enjoyed the middle of the season, the sitcom doesn’t quite stick the landing for a couple of reasons.
The main one that stands out is that the show pushed Mare and Ned’s relationship quite heavily in the latter half of the season, while also neglecting to foster the on-screen friendships between the rest of the characters.
Of course, a good will-they-won’t-they relationship draws audiences in for sitcoms, but the show can’t entirely rely on achieving this dynamic to drive the story forward.
Unfortunately, The Paper doesn’t prove itself memorable at the end of the season, raising questions about whether Season 2 will see it reach its full potential.
Slow Burn Turned to Fast Fire
Mare and Ned’s potential relationship has been teased since the start of the season, though it wasn’t a huge focus of the show.
However, the last four episodes heavily push their romance.
It wasn’t really until the last episode of the season that I started to root for this couple. For the most part, I was somewhat ambivalent about whether they should get together or not.
The final episode ups the chemistry between Mare and Ned, but it feels a little fast considering that energy was largely missing from the scenes that were supposed to build up to the kiss.
On the point of the kiss, I truly wish the show had held off on it instead of having it happen only 10 episodes into the season.
Especially since slow burn romances are a staple of sitcoms, I thought that there would be at least another season before we saw Mare and Ned finally get together.
So, although Mare and Ned’s kiss was as steamy as another sitcom kiss, it wasn’t nearly as rewarding as Ben and Leslie’s first kiss on Parks and Recreation or Chidi and Eleanor’s first kiss on The Good Place.
It certainly doesn’t hold a candle to Jim and Pam’s first kiss on The Office.
If The Paper continues, I’d be curious to see how the show handles Mare and Ned’s romance, as it seems to be moving at a swift pace.
You’ve Got a Friend In Me
Ken and Esmeralda are arguably the most iconic duo in the sense that they are a match made in hell.
Their overbearing personalities are compounded when they’re around each other more in the last few episodes of the season.
It’s entertaining to watch two people without any self-awareness try to fit in with their co-workers. Their friendship absolutely reminds me a ton of the humor that helped The Office succeed.
But other than Ken and Esmeralda’s friendship, The Paper doesn’t spend enough time developing rapport between the other characters.
In the finale, Mare is shown to be comforting Nicole, but during the season, they don’t spend enough time together to establish that they’re close enough friends to be doing that.
The rest of the cast is very underutilized in the last four episodes of the season.
Travis, Adelola, and Detrick both steal the show with the few minutes of screentime they have, but they rarely appear, mainly because The Paper focuses heavily on Mare and Ned’s relationship.
Oscar does get a chance in the spotlight when he wins an award and breaks the fourth wall by talking to the camera crew. But I really wish we saw more of him earlier on in the season, so his win would’ve felt more rewarding.
What’s Next for The Paper?
If the kiss between Mare and Ned was supposed to be a cliffhanger for The Paper, it isn’t enough to justify future audience investment.
With how many great shows are currently populating streaming platforms, The Paper sort of blends in with the background, with a bland ending.
I had my initial doubts about the show, but they were largely confirmed by the fact that the final episodes didn’t elevate the series enough for me to be excited about a potential return.
Especially since sitcom friendships and slow burns are my favorite parts of the genre, I was sorely disappointed that The Paper missed the mark on those two fronts.
Plus, I think the show would’ve done better if they had found more relatable stories that could interest the audience.
The Paper had all the right potential elements to establish itself as a successful, long-lasting sitcom, but in the end, it doesn’t deliver on its promise to be as rewatch-worthy as The Office.
Did you enjoy these episodes of The Paper? Are you rooting for another season of this show? Who were your favorite characters, and are you rooting for Ned and Mare?
Comment your thoughts below (I’m especially keen to hear what others have to say about this show!), and check out our other posts for coverage of the previous episodes!
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Watch The Paper Online
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The Paper Episodes 5-6 Review: Finding A Voice Through Esmeralda’s Complexity
The Paper Episodes 5 and 6 give a chance for established characters to show new sides of themselves, finally making use of the ensemble cast.
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The Paper Episodes 1-4 Review: A Tame Follow-Up To The Office
In its first four episodes, The Paper establishes itself as a sitcom with a lot of potential but falls short of memorability.
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