it kind of bugs me that Pam got prettier once she started dating Jim. I cannot really articulate why, though.
I love Pam, though I think she's pretty passive-agressive in a major way. I think it makes sense that she got prettier. You're around a new boyfriend all the time, you're going to try to impress him. Roy, she had that shit in the bag and she knew it. Jim's more tenuous.
I think the only reason BJ Novak's character appears is because he is a producer of the show, and all the writers are too afraid to tell him how much he, and his character, suck. He's just a complete comedy black-hole.
The hour episodes are a bad idea. Viewers can only take some many facial-takes and awkward pauses and after a half-hour they move from funny to uncomfortable.
A) On Ryan - I think that they're developing the character so that he'll be a fairly incisive satire of the condescending wunderkind yuppie. Previously, he was kind of a straightman amid chaos, but now he's becoming a slightly sexier Michael.
Also, Kelly is HILARIOUS in reaction to Ryan.
B) Complete agreement about the hour episodes. They are RAD once in a while, but it doesn't sustain itself.
I think the show's still really funny.