Ugh. That defeats the whole point of why The Office is so awesome. Everybody goes through excruciating agony and are rewarded with nuggets of happiness. Michael GOT his happiness this season, he should be done until the season ending cliffhanger.

I liked tonight's episode, I really wish they would dig a little deeper into the Michael-Toby dynamic. It's clear Michael hates Toby and Toby is a giant pussy, but until Toby just loses it (and you gotta think when it does it will put any Andy outburst to shame), there isn't anything that can really happen that we haven't seen before.

I don't know if the Pam-Jim pseudo-cracks are building to anything or not. It's funny how I'm now having the reverse anxiety where instead of wondering if they're finally going to get together, now I'm wondering if a moment is going to lead to their downfall.
I do like the subtleness of the office starting to turn on Pam.

Dwight's perfect crime was far and away the best part of the show.

"Just act like we're talking until the cops leave" wins line of the year.

Eh, I don't even think that beats "that's all-inclusive!" as the best Creed line of the season.

I don't know -- Michael's initial reaction to seeing Toby may have been my personal favorite television moment of the year.

This, I had to pause the show on my DVR because I couldn't stop laughing. Even my fiancee, who usually laughs at the show, but not as much as I do, lost it as well.

Yep. It was one of those moments you knew was coming, and yet still managed to exceed expectations.

I never thought in a million years that there would be a Scream 2 reference on prime time television, let alone in 2008. That was awesome. I really hope there is a deleted scene of Michael eating the salad.

Hanging around the quarry and throwing STUFF in it cracked me up. Just the passion with which Creed wants to do that with Jim...awesome.

This season, especially the last three episodes, has been hilarious. I can't wait for more!

Michael's face when he saw Toby was amazing, although I thought the "NO! NOOO! NOOOOO!" stuff was a bit much, at least they cut it off half-way towards the end. Jim buying Pam the house, expecting her to love it, having a moment of doubt during the tour, and then seeing her eyes light up was amazing. And made even better by him stating that he really, really couldn't move the clown painting. Scream 2 - Michael Scott learning aid was awesome too. This season rules.

No love for this episode yet is criminal. SOOOO many great moments. Mose hitting Andy in the head; Andy going nuts about not seeing Angela naked; "Motherfa--!"; AMBUSH WEDDING! and so much more. Michael having the best day ever for a while, Pam trying to 'play the game' I loved this episode. Even though the wardrobe people totally dropped the ball on not putting Pam in a top she could unbutton suggestively/awkwardly, still a huge thumbs up episode. This season kicks the ever loving shit out of last season.

It was nice to see an episode with absolutely no "long term" plot development (I don't count the increasingly ridiculous wedding plot that is starting to kill the three characters involved). This was like a season 1 episode. Just any old day at the office with an incompetent boss.

Hank the security guard stole the episode. "It's nice and warm up here..."

and Stanley warmly greeting Michael was just so bizarre. Also Toby's "You'll see."

Pam just ticked me off in general this episode...I think it was the lunch room conversation she had with Jim...Halpert got her in the end though..."I'm sorry, I meant 4."

ML

If by "ticked off" you mean "turned me on with her pyscho antics" then yeah, Pam ticked me off this episode. In this crazy world of ours we sometimes forget that Jenna Fischer has an awesome rack. Last night was a special reminder.

My wife's remark was, "Have they gotten bigger?"

"It was more like a ... boob handshake."

That's kinda how I felt. It was more of a "funny moments" episode than a funny show. And yes, count me in on the "tiring of the Andy-Angela-Dwight" coupling. It's gone from unrealistic to almost insulting that Andy would still be this clueless.



I'm starting to wonder if the show is making her a little more annoying on purpose. Now that she's got her man, she doesn't seem to be the cute, innocent receptionist so much.

Any episode that takes us to Shrute Farms is a plus to me. A Mose cameo is even better. Just a good, silly episode this week, that cracked me up alot. Psycho Pam was great.

I enjoyed it more than the regular episodes with all the character development. Sometimes its good for the viewer to not have to worry about where the plot is going and just let the characters be who they are with no advancement.

Michael's "urkel-nomically correct" line about the chair had me cracking up. As did Pam's faked enthusiastic "No, don't take it away!" line at Michael as he stopped shaking his booty and went back into his office.

Part of me wonders if Andy is ever going to find out about Angela and Dwight. And if so I'd bet it isn't from catching them in the act, more like somebody mentions it at an office function, possibly while drunk.

"IT'S NOT MY FAULT YOU DIDN'T TAKE GERMAN! I'VE BEEN TELLING YOU TO TAKE IT FOR YEARS!" - just about the only funny thing about the wedding deal except for Andy constantly stepping in shit. Angela making out with Andy was glorious. Michael's "plan" for the money blowing up in his face in every possible way ruled.

I finally caught up on the last two episodes, and holy shit were they great. I really was expecting Pam to hate the house and tell him not to go through with it. The art studio caught me by surprise a little, making it a pretty F'n nice ending. Great stuff. The one last Thursday is definitely one of my personal favorites of the season by far. Pam going all psycho about the chairs was wonderful (right on, Lazy Samurai, right on) but Jim getting her back at the end with the "Oh shit" reaction made it better.

I still can't believe thinking back through the seasons how much Pam has changed. Her going from the relatively sweet and quiet receptionist to the still sweet but definitely not quiet receptionist has been I think the biggest transformation of the show. Jim is a very close second, going from the lovestruck guy falling for another guy's girl to now having the girl and dealing with whatever is thrown his way in terms of marriage. I guess others on the shows have changed, but not nearly as much as them.

Technically, Kelly has changed more than anyone.

Ah, I forgot Kelly. Good point. Maybe I should have stuck with saying that of the major characters Pam and Jim have changed the most.

Yeah I think this is like Season 4 when they started to turn against Jim slightly. Pam's standing up for herself, which in turn, is so unexpected that she's coming off as kind of a bitch.

Very good episode, despite the German wedding which was very telegraphic. Michael was classic in this one.

I could never, ever forget this.

Part of me believes that Andy is using the whole Dwight and Angela thing to go all Uber-heal and usurp a higher position while Angela and Dwight take a honeymoon. It's probably because I don't want to believe that he is this dumb as he is one of my favorite characters.

EDIT: And I hate the forthcoming Jim and Pam friction that will split them up for awhile. I just get the bad feeling that this is going to turn into a Ross and Rachel thing.

I am pretty sure they want you to have that feeling so that they can swerve you.

That's what I keep telling myself. After all, they've been teasing little bits of friction but it never amounts to anything. Besides, how long did it take for them to actually hook up in the first place? He didn't ask her out until the end of the third season, right?

The first episode they were a couple was S4 episode one, I believe.

End of the second season. I also don't understand how others don't understand that this show deconstructs the paradigm created by laugh track sitcoms. I really wouldn't worry about Jim/Pam becoming Ross/Rachel.

Straight conditioning my man

He didn't ask her out until the third season. The end of the second season was Casino Night and their kiss.

Well there are examples of shows that started out like that, but eventually disintegrated into convention. HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET was like that. It started out as a brilliant take on the police show genre itself, and by it's 4th season had become more like a standard police drama, and by the end was simply not the same thing it had started as.

Now THE OFFICE is not under the same ratings pressure as HOMICIDE was, so they are probably not getting the same level of tinkering by network types but I'm sure there are other examples I'm forgetting...and while I have faith that the OFFICE writers have plenty left (the slow build left them with a lot of room to maneuver still)...I can see why people might be on the lookout for trouble.

One would think that Jim making his move after casino night was essentially asking Pam out...

True. I should have been more clear in my question. I meant after Jim left Stamford and Pam agreed to date Jim

I can't get over that they waited a whole season after Casino Night to get them together. Pam being way happier to see Jim that he was to see her because he HAD to get over her, Pam breaking down in the stairwell after helping Jim from screwing things up with Karen just because she's a good friend, Pam's Casino Night moment with her post coalwalk speech, and then the yogurt lid gold medal acting in the same way the watercolour set did in the UK version... all were brilliantly done, and not at all conventional. When did Rachel angst in Friends? Just before the wedding to Emily, which she ruined by being selfish (and not a good friend like Pam) in a really sitcommy ploy. They have been so great and against convention in handling this, that I have the utmost faith that it will always be well done. I think I've said before that my wish for them is for them to remain together, happy, and basically be the only well-adjusted people in an office full of crazies.

It was mostly that you knew they were going to wind up with each other, and there were little annoyances along the way. The time they were going to sleep together (Monica's engagement), Ross dating her younger sister, Ross dating, Rachel Dating, anything having to do with Emma, stuff like that. Overall they were barely together as a couple (out of ten seasons), but you knew that that's where it was all going.

I had totally forgotten about Rachel during the time Ross was with Julie. Of course, getting one over on your rival by tricking someone into giving her a Dudley Moore haircut is funny but a bit cliche. Greatness is the angsty one helping their rival through a problem with your guy just because it's the right thing to do even though it crushes her. I can't get over that moment because Pam crying in the stairwell is one of the most powerful in the whole series. It was even remined when Jim comforted Dwight in nearly the same spot, and then lead to the "Italian food" moment.

Agreed, that is angst. But my point stands, all of those little moments throughout the 10 season series added up for a seemingly never ending chase for the pot of gold. We finally got to the end of the rainbow and we didn't even get to enjoy the gold. But all of this doesn't matter, I think Bank is right, The Office is not Friends, and thank god it's not. Friends had good moments, but it was essentially the SitCom of its day. The Office is sooo much more.

Tonight's preview looked glorious...it said something about Meredith's hair catching on fire.

Oh man, this started off slow but got better and better as it went on. Michael literally dragging Meredith into rehab, Phyllis telling everyone that Dwight & Angela were sleeping together, and ANDY BEING IN THE OTHER ROOM AND NO ONE TELLING HIM, and what could have been the best moment in Office history...Toby's conversation with his daughter, him begging Darrell for the doll, getting the doll...and it being black. I nearly pissed myself.

I agree. I cannot state enough how much I am LOVIN' season 5 so far.

My wife literally howled about the Dwight's desk gag for 10 minutes. I had to pause the DVR and let her recover. The doll being black was just a brilliant pay off to that kept Toby in the Charlie Brown role. Really unusual to see an ep with so much face time for Meredith and Phyllis, with Jim and Pam basically in the background but I did not mind at all. The Office Christmas tradition continues. I really wish one day they would go back and shoot/release a "lost" Christmas episode from season four.

Dwight's instant answer of "Wooden stick in the head" followed by a confident and knowing look at the camera to "What would happen if Meredith showed up at work dead?" had me howling.

It's funny that Phyllis has been WAY worse with Angela than Angela was before the roles were reversed. What is being married to Bob Vance, Vance Refrigeration doing to her?

I'm sort of glad I worked tonight, because Global spoiled the payoff to the wrapped desk gag during a promo aired during Survivor. It had me in stitches because I didn't see it coming. It was almost better than the fitness orb gag.

I forgot Meredith still worked there.

The opening gag and the last five minutes were absolutely brilliant. Maybe it's the sadist in me, but I do wish the episode had ended with Andy finding out too but cutting out right when he found out.

Man, and we were THIS close to Toby finally losing his mind.

Michael bouncing the pen off Toby's head made me crack up. The black doll made me cringe as it was just so uncomfortable.

Watching Toby slowly go insane is a guilty pleasure.

How exactly did Meredith's hair catch fire in the first place?

She was dancing around pretty wildly after those 'drinks' Michael made and I"m guessing she got too close to the candles. They didn't really show it in enough detail to actually see.

Anytime Andy sings, and especially anytime I get a "ruh duh duh duh" from him...is a good day for me. I watched that part about 4 times. I think it was even funnier because he's being his clueless, moron self while everyone else is uncomfortable as hell around him.

Was his "tough room" line a Popeye reference?

To the person that had to pause the DVR as the desk gag to let their lady recover, same here...my wife's new favorite Jim prank.


EDIT: Completely unrelated, but I glanced at my join date, then scrolled through this thread again. Am I missing something or is this the official "We all joined in the Fall of '05, specifically mid-September" thread?

We pretty much all joined the day that the forum reopened after the Dutch incident, which happened to be in mid September.

Ditto. This whole show was fantastic, with Meredith getting more screen time than ever, and Michael hoping that he can send her down into the depths he took Jan to. The desk gag was fantastic, and not what I was expecting when I saw a promo image of it on OfficeTally the other day. Toby finding out the doll was black was excellent, and it was all due to Toby's face selling it. Dwight was probably the star of this episode, between the talking heads, the cold open, and everything involving the doll being hilarious.

One thing I loved about this ep was how nice Andy was - he took requests, was in a very jovial mood, and came across as deserving so much better than Angela. He was sweet here, and the change in his character from cutthroat braggart in S3 to nice guy by season 5 has been done very well, with him retaining just enough of the old character to still seem like Andy.