Weird or not, I fucking loved last night's episode. Myabe I liked it because it was so weird, not sure. But the whole "Michael fooking Dwight into thinking he ws promoted" bit was one of my favorite things in the show's history. Not just that he did it, but that he kept it up. Too much awesome.

I franticly watched all of season two on dvd over like 10 days, and missed the first two episodes of this season, so I was massively lost for the first half last night. But it all made sense from where season two left off, so i was able to slowly put the pieces together. I know they hugged it out at the end, but it's obvious the Micheal-Dwight relationship is only going to get more and more strained. Dwight walking around the parking lot trying to psyche himself up was classic stuff.

I don't have anything to add to the episode - I thought it was great - so I'm just going to say that I really hope they don't go back to having Pam be with Roy again, if only because it renders the whole point of having them break up in the first place completely moot (I think they did it the best way by not making a big deal out of it - you want a huge emotional blowup, go watch The Young and the Restless) and it'd make their second relationship REALLY feel like "we're stretching this out until the show is no longer profitable or everybody goes off to make movies". There's a ton of stuff the writers can do without going back to that well.

Yeah, that's pretty much it. They're all weird now, no matter what, but this episode was more a showcase of it.

I miss Oscar too.....I would love to just see little 10 second clips of Angela shooting him dirty looks.



Watch the deleted scenes. First off, they're hilarious and involve the best Creed scene ever. But, it completely sums up what I'm saying.

Jan doesn't care about what Stamford does (something Jim seems to be happy about); she cares about Scranton. It's probably a little bit of Scranton doing worse than Stamford and Michael rejecting Jan (kind of). If you think about it, Jan's hinted about this shit before, but let it go, but now with Michael rejecting Jan, she's pushing it all full power, always chewing him out, always looking up on him, et cetera.

Jan killing Jim was classic, by the way.

Michael saying "Let's hug it out bitch" to Dwight was AWESOME!

I totally marked out for it... hell, I got excited at the mention of him making the crew watch Entourage over and over.

It's so funny cause that is totally a show Michael would love because it is about really close friends. Michael likes to think of the Office as having a relationship like E, Vince, Turtle, and Drama.

ultimoDANK

Great episode, I finally saw it.

Dwight begging for mercy in front of all his co-workers and girlfriend and then being shamed at the end is one of the highlights of the show for me. I also love him namedropping Ann Taylor outlets -- not only is it hilarious, but it's georgraphically correct because about one hour east of Scranton you'd hit the Marshall's Creek/East Stroudsburg area which has a lot of outlets. That kind of detail to northeastern Pennsylvania really impresses me.

The Creed outtake was unbelievable and should have made the regular cut.

More accurately, if you are heading out on 84 towards NY/NJ there are the Tannersville Shopping outlets which has a Liz Claiborne outlet, AND a diner right down the road from the outlets.

Don't think anyone mentioned it, but I loved the part about Dwight dissing Michael's car being the thing that set him off to reveal the prank. Perhaps if Dwight said he liked the car, the prank would have gone on longer. The mystery that is Michael never ceases to amaze me.

For other Karen fans, livejournal's Office community provides PICSPAM.

PICSPAM~!

I thought it was a good episode. But the scene where Dwight is begging for his job and he sticks his ass up in the air and when he gets up he's drooling was perhaps the funniest thing i've ever seen. Another thing I liked about the Ep. was Michael keeping his copy of Varsity Blues in his fucking safe!!!

The scene when Dwight gets back from seeing the dentist is one of the best Michael/Dwight interactions in the shows history. Michaels look when Dwight eats the M&M's followed by "Good, huh?" had me rolling on the floor.

"The dentists name is Crentist."

Omagod. I die every Thursday night.

EDIT: Best episode ever.

"Did you check...your butt?"

I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.

This episode is perfectly ludicrous. Ryan's Mufasa story just put it over the top.

Great stuff.

The movie deaths section is genius.
"Oh, it'd probably take me an hour and a half to tell the whole story...". - I love Ryan more than Michael does.
Other good quotes -
“If I can get them depressed, I’ll have done my job.”.
"YOU CAN'T GET DISEASES FROM A BIRD!!!".
"My grandfather was buried in an oil drum.".
"I remember feeling too old for this. AND I WAS 5!".
"There's such a thing as good grief. Just ask Charlie Brown.".

I just realized Kelly cut her hair, she looks hotter then ever.

Crap, if there was a little bit after that last break, I missed it. Anyone wanna' help me here, what'd I miss?

best episode ever. this was the first episode where both offices came into their own, and all the relationship possibilities seemed real. tons of quotables, and Pam taking over the Jim role of caring for Michael. Not the funniest ever, but i think the best ever.
i don't like Kelly's haircut, though. i realize she's in Scranton, but Kelly reads enough magazines to know that bangs are not hot these days.

-jlowe

"I now have the strength of a full grown man and also a baby"

Beyond all the great and intelligent comedic parts of this show, the best thing about the Office is the simple fact that they treat their audience as intelligent people. Subtile character development like Michael being deeply lonely and awkard in making friends or finding love (see various aspects like the Dundies/take your kid to work day/etc) gets introduced and hinted at through the seasons, so when they do something like tonight (his repeated mentioning of "dying alone"), it hits perfect because a casual viewer can get his character and a hardcore fan can remember other shows that showcased this.

Also, if this Jim/Pam thing ends up with Pam being back with her guy, Jim being with the new girl and then the branches become one and they both realize that while they are happy now - they will always wonder what COULD have happened then I will make it a point to buy every piece of merch from NBC, watch no other network besides NBC and do everything in my power to show thanks to a mainstream show not going for the happy ending and instead doing something real.

I could've sworn he said "re-buried". Somebody check on that.

My closed captioning said "re-buried"

Yeah, after an initial viewing I think this is maybe the best episode that didn't have something absolutely monumental happening (The Booze Cruise, Casino Night.) The "why don't you check your butt" line was great. Ed Helms' character needs more screen time and NEEDS to jump to Scranton. The end with Dwight was maybe the best moment ever on the show. The funeral was oddly touching, too. Just a super episode.

that's what i heard. he also said something about "5 more minutes", but that they have been more about the bird and the can.

-jlowe

My mistake. I'll have caps up soon, and after the last break, Dwight destroys the coffin and tells the warehouse guys to clean it up, then the credits rolled. After the past two weeks of weird shows, this one felt great. Both branches have developed characters now, and the Jim/Karen dynamic is fantastic, as they already have Helms' character turning on them. One thing I loved about tonight's episode was Dwight just not giving a shit about that bird. Most characters would seem like complete dicks doing what he did, but Dwight just seemed like... Dwight.















This is just a happy accident shot that I love -

Dwight was just amazing in the episode. I couldn't believe the crap he was doing, his facials, his reaction to Michael (in the beginning and during the rest of it), his interaction with Angela, and the talking head. Oh, yeah; can't forget about the grown man + baby strength. I feel like if Dwight ever won a fight, he'd bust out that fact.

Only thing I didn't like about the episode was there was no HOLY SHIT moment with Creed. Yeah, he had a very funny moment, but not like with "Andrea" the office bitch and telling Pam "in a minute." Of course, while I say that, I also applaud them for not doing it every episode....they are taking the slow road with everyone, not just Michael.

Oh, I also kept remembering that both Kevin and Phyllis are engaged (to other people for those who don't normally watch). I wonder if we'll get to see the weddings, especially if just to see "Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Bob Vance, Vance Refrigeration" on a huge banner.

Solid episode, and it continues the streak of characters feeling weird. After seeing Dwight show his true colors last week, it was weird to see him like this and it was definitely weird with Pam and Roy.

After the last break, Dwight comes out & stomps out the fire. You can see charred feathers under his foot. He walks off ordering the security guards to get a broom to clean up the mess.

I still don't really see the point of having Pam call the wedding off with Roy at the start of the season, only to get back with him later. What would've been the point? Jim had moved to Stamford anyway - when the branches merge, you'd have had the same payoff with the Jim/Karen and Pam/Roy dynamics (assuming that's the way the writers are going). I still hope that the writers had Pam and Roy split off for a reason, and they're going to build to that eventually. To do the "now they're on, now they're off" business really doesn't advance either Pam or Roy in terms of character development. I mean, j9479's hypothesis sounds good in theory, and I'm really sad I have to dust off the old "escapism" canard, but I watch shit on TV for escapism, and the whole "what if?" business is a bit too goddamn close to home for a 30 minute sitcom.

That being said, this was a great episode, absolutely full of laugh lines and moments. Speaking of character development, we got to see that Jim is perfectly capable of going to great lengths to make Karen happy as he did Pam. Karen speaking French gave me a little thrill, I ain't gonna lie. And Kevin downright stole the show with his Weekend at Bernie's run. I could watch that scene all day. In fact, I think I just might.

In the "Casino Night" episode, he said that the tuxedo he was wearing was a family heirloom because "[his] grandfather was buried in it."


--S.

I don't know why, but I think the Vance/Phyllis wedding will be the season finale.

Here's a completely random prediction for the future: Ryan & Pam end up together. I think they started slowly planting the seeds tonight for Ryan becoming the new Jim in the Scranton office during the movie deaths scene. I see her getting together with him, possibly as soon as the season finale. The Vance/Phyllis wedding would be perfect for it, as they could create this whole dramatic deal with Jim about ready to confront Pam and....BOOM!, Ryan & Pam kiss. That'll drive Jim to Karen, make Roy almost like the Screech to Pam's Lisa, create a Pam/Kelly rivalry that would be made completely up in Kelly's mind, and delay the inevitable Pam/Jim moment much longer.

Should I be embarrassed that I shed a couple of tears during Pam's speech??

MUSH!

I really wish Michael wouldn't have caught on to Kevin and Kevin pass it on to Stanely who just goes, "Well, I don't know any movies to quote," leaving everyone laughing but Michael. The Stanely-Michael dynamic has died down, but episodes like this make me remember one of my favorite scenes ever:

"Peach Iced Tea.....you're going to hate it."

Of course, Toby-Michael's still going strong.

You're such a girl.

Theoretically, where could one watch this episode online because they were retarded and forgot to set their timer?

PLEASE?

I totally agree with the "escapism" deal; there is a place for that in shows. I just brought up my hypothesis because The Office has shown brilliance in having character developments and stories that veer towards more realistic situations. the Jim/Pam thing is extremely plausible just because it was "boy likes girl secretly/girl is going out with another guy/boy who likes girl knows that him and her are a better match" thing. Where The Office got it right was the fact that they didn't (yet at least) have the boy get his girl in the end. Jim took his shot and kissed her, and Pam turned him down. Jim transferring to Stamford and now flirting with Karen shows us that Jim took his shot, was bummed about it but decided that the best possible thing for him was to re-invent his life which was moving away.

As for Pam calling the wedding off and then getting back together (maybe) with Roy... well that would reek of suspension of disbelief a bit, but if they took the angle of her realizing that Roy was taking her for granted, Roy learning that and realizing what a great girl he had and then changing for the better because of it then that would be a nice way of continuity. Then if Roy/Pam did get back together it would be "right" in the story because Roy learned from the error of his ways. And if Jim/Karen got together in light of that then that is also "win win" for Jim.

(haha wow I can't believe i spent that much time thinking about a TV show.... but fuck it; The Office is incredibly provocative and deserves such analysis)

Yep, he was talking about the bird. The line was something to the effect of 'If he would have just given me five more minutes, I would have had it."

Dwight may be the most entertaining character on TV. The sheer cold heartedness towards Michael's "bird project", contradicting with the look of pure glee on his face when Michael was doing his "going down to the warehouse" bit is the kind of stuff that keeps Dwight so fucking awesome.

Damn..you found me out!! :-)

I have no problem with Pam getting back with Roy if he continues his current streak, because it shows that he learned from Jim. Rescuing her from that meeting was a very Jim thing. If we look back, Roy was never a total dick, he just didn't appreciate Pam for who she was. I love that the writers are allowing him to be "human" and be multi-dimensional. It also gives them a plausible scenario for getting them back together again, only for him to screw it all up once and for all. I'm also completely open to the possibility that this show is so fucking special that they won't go for the "they were meant to be together" romance (although I think we all pretty much want that).
USA Today had an article today about incorporating TiVo/DVR into the Nielsen ratings, and percentagewise The Office was the #1 show that was being recorded for viewing later that same night, as well as the #1 show for viewing later in the week. USA TODAY story
I gotta think some of that is for multiple viewings, to catch the nuances and quotes, and for posterity. The continuity on this show (as pointed out by SDAusmus tracking down Dwight's "re-bury" reference) as well as the gestures and unspoken cues demand repeat viewing. Which reminds me to go buy the 2nd season already!

-jlowe

I've had extremely limited computer access, so this is a week late , but ... last week's episode, I can't believe I am the only one who loved Michael saying "... with you as Regional Manager and me as Assistant Manager", and Dwight saying "Assistant *to the* Manager."

Win.

Our Creed line of the week was:

"You know a human can go on living for several hours after being decapitated."

Dwight - "You're thinking of a chicken."

"What did I say?"

We got Kevin's Weekend at Bernie's story though, and they're pretty much using those two back and forth to keep either of them from being played out, which is smart.

And even if Pam and Roy get back together, it still showed that Pam (i) finally saw that Roy wasn't appreciating her and (ii) wanted the relationship with Jim, even though it was already too late. I see it as, she thought (hoped) that if she broke up with Roy, Jim would come running back and she'd live happily ever after. He didn't do that because he didn't know for starters, and he's moving on with his life. So now she's pretty much miserable and feeling lonely, so she'll go right back to her security blanket in Roy. You can already see that Roy hasn't really changed, when he couldn't keep himself from criticizing her car and asking if she still drives too fast. So he'll do what he can to get her back, then things will go right back to the way they were.

Which is my gripe. That sort of thing is quite common, and even quite understandable. Stagnation happens all the time in real life. Stagnation is death on television. To have Pam go back to Roy, even though he hasn't really changed as a person, does absolutely nothing for the show except make Pam less likeable. Who wants that?

But Michael not knowing Weekend At Bernie's would be 100% out of character. The scene was made funnier because you just knew that Michael was going to catch on because he probably has some gold-plated special extended edition of the Weekend at Bernie's flicks sitting on a shelf beside his Caddyshack and Police Academy sets.

What I thought was interesting about this episode and I am not sure if the writers were showing this but, both Pam and Jim did stuff that they would normally do with eachother. If this was last season a Jim/Pam angle definately could have been the whole bag of chips thing, and the funeral would have been another excuse for Jim and Pam to "team up". I thought this was a great example of the parallel universes Jim and Pam are in right now, except Pam has no "Jim" right now.

I swear, the entire decapitation angle to the Ed Truck story had me rolling on the floor. Michael slowly covering the man's head in the newsletter with an envelope while totally ignoring Jan was something else; the timing along with everybody's constantly horrified looks worked perfectly. I haven't laughed that much since mst3k was on the air. This season just keeps getting better all around.

I love how Michael is finally starting to get sick of Jan's shit. On a related note, kind of weird that Carol hasn't made an apperance yet.

You summed up just what I was thinking on this ep and I would definitly imagine that was what the writers were going for. To me it seems like Jim is kinda a pimp, he just likes to flirt with the prettiest girl wherever he works. I can relate, makes work way better as long as she doesn't think your a creep...

ultimoDANK