Sam and Tim are dubious of a tech company moving into their building and being heralded as the saviors of Detroit.
The most enduring lesson I took from college is probably from Professor Ingram my freshman year: What the author intended isn't as important as what the reader derives from the work.
At first blush, the pacing of "3rd Floor" is so offbeat that the episode almost seems plot less. Sam, Tim and Leah are trying to fix an ad for a mirror company that's behind schedule. Sam and Tim make a show out of using the restroom on the third floor to take a dump. A new company moves into the third floor the partners are united in their disdain for—until Sam becomes smitten with one of the workers there.
However, the simplicity of the plot is bolstered by a consistent through-line of the contributions newcomers can make writer Zach Branin and director Bill Benz manage to execute without bludgeoning the audience. The episode makes a salient point of outsiders eventually becoming indigenous and viewing the next batch of newcomers as encroaching on their domain. By episode's end, Branin and Benz manage to tie the disparate plot lines together into a coherent whole.
As with the previous episode, "Happy Birthday, Mr. Duvet," "3rd Floor" is lean, with almost no extraneous elements. The "awkward scene" this time (Sam having to use the restroom behind the receptionist's desk), which would have run to the point of being interminable in the first three or four episodes, doesn't overstay its welcome. And Sam's reaction to the third floor being occupied was the funniest use of slo-mo to demonstrate Sam's surprise yet. One might question the need for an establishing shot of Tim and Sam's building coming out of commercial instead of just starting in the office, but that's a minor quibble, especially in comparison to the travelogue approach of the first few episodes. The production team is clearly learning, and applying those lessons to improve their product.
I laughed steadily from the beginning of this episode to the scene in the elevator at the end, and the show had identifiable situations and interesting observations on dealing with change and the role of immigrants in a society that wouldn't hurt supporters of Trump's travel ban to learn.
At least, that's what I derived from the episode.
