This made me feel bad because if I got a phone call that I wasn't expecting like that, I could totally see myself screwing up in similar fashion as Kevin. I liked this episode but nothing that I think I'll recall fondly months from now. Sorta like some of the lackluster season 4 eps, although I've got to admit I really fell in love with a lot of those on DVD later. Oscar might be my favorite of all the secondary characters and I loved the talking head where without PB&J it was up to him to be the sane one. Pam getting attitude on the phone was great. Also I genuinely love how Dwight has actually evolved, all things considered, into one of the smarter characters. It's kind of like that Cornette quote where he said Ole Anderson told him that he used to think he was a dumb fuck but so many fucks dumber than him have come along since then that it elevated Ole's opinion of Corny. I really feel like Dwight was supposed to be a dunce in the early seasons but with Andy taking that role and Michael becoming more and more of a live-action Homer Simpson, Dwight is actually pretty well adjusted in comparison.

The segment with Andy jumping that woman's car will go down as one of my favorite Office moments of all time. I dunno, man, that just touched a funny bone nerve with me and I was laughing 'til I cried.

In case you were wondering since it was in the episode description, the Erin subplot is being put up on deleted scenes:

Erin doesn't have a beef with Pam.

Eh?

My Fonzie theory is still on the table. Not a good ep, with Michael in full on stupid mode. I'm really starting to worry about this show.

It's sad for me, but honestly, I knew in my heart of hearts, when they satiated the female audience and went with the JAM storyline, I knew they would run out of material.

Kevin totally fucking up Pam and Jim's honeymoon by canceling his cards, but being happy that they don't know he did it ruled. The mafia stuff was a little too broad - again like some of the worst S4 stuff, but it was nice to see Michael kind of get a backbone in some way. Even if it was completely misguided and led to him treating Erin kinda badly.

I hate to say this, but if the jokes weren't still clicking, I might be ready to give up on the show. After the strong second half last season, they are really disappointing me now.

I'm not giving up on the show, but I have resigned myself to the fact that the show isn't what it used to be, and most likely won't return to that level again. I laugh at the small jokes (the murder-muckduck joke was pretty great, and anything Toby did was pretty funny) but the plotlines are so thin and predictable now. The mafia thing felt like a Three's Company script.

And seriously, Jim goes on his honeymoon, and now the entire staff is retarded? I thought the whole point of Jim's promotion was showing that he maybe wasn't as smart as he thought he was. Apparently he's a Mensa member compared to everybody else.

And the Oscar getting screen time = anal sex joke is getting REALLY old.

I really hope they pull the trigger on Pam revealing her true self and becoming more of a bitch. I thought some seeds were planted in season four that she wasn't the sweet thing we all thought she was, and there was a little more evidence of that tonight, since Jim at least was humoring his co-workers, and she was having none of it. At least then maybe we can get some drama SOMEWHERE.

I think the show had two great seasons and has been a solid dependable show since season 4. Thats about as much as you can expect.

I think the show had one spectacular season, one very good season, a season (or season and a half) that was decent and one season that was poor. The bad part is the internet backlash is coming on huge, and a decent episode like this one is going to be raked over the coals. Even when an episode is great (and season five had a number of them) nobody will go all out with praise like they did with season two because season 4 has tempered everyone's love for the show.

I see that 30 Rock is starting to get the same thing. Not here yet, but in a few other places I go the backlash is starting up nicely.

I think its a fact of life any successful show will get the "old stuff was better." tag if it goes past two seasons. Heck you can go back to 94 and see people calling Homer Goes to College the worst Simpsons episode ever. The good thing about tv is if if you don't like this weeks episode, there is always next week.


I liked this weeks episode. Not the funniest thing ever but it had some laughs.

This. I am starting to see shades of alt.tv.buffy-v-slayer circa 2000-01, including this thread. Now, I know this is discussion and shouldn't be everyone looking through rose-colored glasses. But it seems the trend is starting when a new episode comes along and the very next day someone is just waiting for the chance to come along and take a shit on it. The next phase will be someone dredging up a past plot point and beating it and arguing it to death (see: atbvs and the pages-long "Xander's Lie" thread of arguing whether Xander was justified in lying to Buffy in regards to Willow being able to do the soul-restoration spell on Angel).

I really don't know what some people expect sometimes.

seriously. now every single thing about oscar seems to have to do with the fact that he's manly beyond my wildest expectations. it was nice to see him have something to do on this show (be the sane one since jim and pam were gone) other than be the excuse for manly beyond my wildest expectations jokes. they're really painting themselves into a corner by making all the secondary characters be so one-note. jim and pam are stale, they can't seem to find the balance with michael, and i'm not sure what's the deal with dwight. beyond that, you have a bunch of supporting characters that, instead of fleshing them out, they seem to want to make as shallow as possible. remember when holly got fooled into thinking kevin was retarded? now they're fooling me into thinking kevin is retarded.

it's like they looked at this episode, with jim and pam being absent, as something they needed to tread water on, when they could have looked at it as an opportunity to give us something to invest in besides the stuff everyone is sick of.

This week's episode was bad I thought. I won't give up on the show but I've accepted the fact that it is not what it used to be and never will be again. This episode just was bland, there was no substance to it and yeah. There weren't really any jokes in it that I found funny. The funniest thing in it was when Andy screwed up that woman's car, and even that I didn't laugh out loud at.

There really just doesn't seem to be any drama to the show anymore, it's predictable and has gone stale.

Well take me for example. I like to watch a show and understand what's going on without having to consult youtube and have a some silly video explained to me.

Rob

I dunno, I had no clue about that wedding video while watching the episode, yet I still found the end segment of the wedding video to be great. It took a bunch of great characters and put them in a silly/fun situation that was a perfect counter to the footage of Jim and Pam having the sweet and romantic ceremony on the boat.

I mean, without knowing what the video was spoofing, yes, it was a bit out of context, but for an hour long special episode ending in a wedding, I thought it was a fun way to cap off the end of the episode.

That goes for me too. I had never seen the Youtube video but I knew what was going on. I actually liked it less after I saw the video.

The Youtube video thing is such a nitpicky thing to harp on. The show has always made pop culture references (usually about lame things that Michael likes, or cool things that Michael wants to like but obviously doesn't understand) and that Youtube video was huge. Like seriously, if you have a mom or an aunt with internet access you probably had that video sent to you 15 times.

I think you're reaching to protect your show b/c I have both (mom/aunt) who constantly forward me stuff and hadn't even heard of it. I even have a little sister who is constantly on facebook and myspace and all that jazz but never mentioned it. I could see your point if it was just a few people who didn't get it but the wedding thing seems to be a pretty common complaint amongst people who watched the show so it's not like they just confused 0.0001% of their audience.

Also there is a major difference between Michael making a joke refering to Entourage (also something I didn't get since I don't watch the show) and a wedding being built up from the first minute of the first episode ending with an inside joke about a youtube video.

Rob

I'm not sure how so many of you are isolated from it, because I've seen it posted on Facebook approximately 9 million times before the episode. Those of you who have never heard of it, do you have a large number of female friends 16-30 who aren't alternametalnerds?

I had never seen the video coming into the show.

Once the joke was explained by Jim, "I booked the boat as soon as I saw the video on YouTube", I got it. Somebody had done what they were doing at their own wedding and posted it on YouTube. So, Michael decided to do it on their wedding. That's pretty much all that went through my head. I wasn't irate because there was some joke that I didn't fully get on the show. I think most people realized that it was just a spoof of a video on YouTube.

And to add to your sentiment, even without knowing anything about the video, the segment was still just really funny and a fun way to end the episode. Well, Kevin icing his feet while Michael hooked up with Pam's mom was the ending, but anyway..........

I just don't see how something so minor could just ruin the episode for anyone.

I didn't like it because it went so far out of the reality that the show has set for itself. Not so much the actual act happening, but the way it was presented on the show, more or less in a music video fashion. Kinda like the end of the Dinner Party episode, which I recall everyone hating. Also, count me in the crew of people who never saw the video. I'm just accepting the fact that it's become a standard sitcom, and trying to find humor in the jokes.

God I remember people losing their shit when the Dundies had like 10 seconds of "Tiny Dancer" piped in at the end of a scene, so I can understand people not liking the "music video" feel of the ending of the wedding episode. That said we've all seen "documentaries" using similar techniques so it doesn't really bother me.

Having rewatched that episode I enjoyed it quite a lot more. "Mafia" wasn't as good on a second watch. It was a flat episode, and the Kevin B story was better than the A story for sure.

Outside of the Charles story arc from last season (not including the finale which was shit), the show hasn't been good for over a year. I'm not trying to harken back to the "old stuff", which is what people do to U2 all the time (and deservedly so), but there is always a time for the plug to be pulled on a show with very rare exceptions and I think we are at those crossroads. Is the show still better than any sitcom not named "modern family" or "parks & recreation"? Yes, but I would still feel comfortable letting it go now, than waiting until Ted McGinley joins the cast as Chip, Todd Packer's cousin, who is going to be Michael's best man at his wedding....

I will still watch the show, but I prefer good things to end, than to dwindle into insipid crap.

"Outside of the Charles story arc from last season...the show hasn't been good for over a year." reminds me of those people who say "If you take away DVD sales, international tours, and merch sales the WWE would be LOSING money!!!"

Also Modern Family is very, very good but it's had what...4 episodes? Let's not put the cart before the horse.

Ted Mcguinley joining the show would be awesome. Personally im not very impressed with Parks or Modern Family. Modern Family would be unwatchable if not for Ed O'Neil making it good on sheer will alone. As for Parks, one Office is enough. I've had my fill of the docusitcom.

I'm in disbelief that there are people who hadn't seen, or at least heard of that wedding video. Even if you didn't see it on YouTube, there were a couple of weeks where it was on virtually every soft news show. The morning shows had a field day with it. I think one of those shows even had them recreate it live or something.

Some of us work every morning, or sleep too late to watch those shows :)

I hadn't heard of it but once they mentioned it was mimicking something on youtube I was fine with it. It didn't have to be a crazy popular thing, just something Michael thought was funny. I do think there are things with the show that shows it is declining, but that wasn't one of those things. Having the youtube wedding spliced with Pam and Jim doing their own wedding was prefect, I had no complaints with that storyline.

For the person that is filling out their spreadsheet: I'm a 37yr old male. I knew about the wedding video (but had actually seen the divorce spoof first), had no idea about the background of the wolves shirt and thought the wedding episode was great.

Or just don't care to watch mindless crap "news" shows

The way they did the YouTube wedding video (which I also had never heard of) looked like something that would run over the credits of "Madea Gets Married". Absolutely awful.


Eric

What was the scene tonight after the Deedle-Dee production credit? My DVR cut off. Thanks.

Dwight did a fake out with the MALLARD tape recorder...he secretly had been recording with a pen cap.

Nifty. Thanks.

I enjoyed tonight's episode. I don't know if it's because I was just in the right mood, but tonight was probably my favorite of a so-far lackluster season. The Office is SO much better when it revolves around conflict, and pissy Pam and pussy Jim made for a pretty entertaining 22 minutes.

I loved how Pam took a stand, said what everybody was thinking, and yet NOBODY supported her (except for Stanley slightly.) And I loved that first shot of Ryan's fedora. I almost wish they had just left it at that rather than keep calling back to it.

That being said, oh my God, between the "fake picture clicks" and the "frank and beans," Jim and Pam are one step closer to becoming one of the most annoying TV couples ever. Pam and Jim in conflict = awesome. Pam and Jim in love = cringing.

Jim was great tonight for all the wrong reasons. Although that car wash was a really lame way to let him off the hook.

I felt pretty bad for Micheal by the end. You can understand why Pam was upset, but it got to the point you would think Micheal was a serial rapist or something.

To me it didn't seem like a far fetched reaction, given the characters.

Imagine having a boss as incompetent as Michael. You've seen how badly he screws up at work, how terrible he is at relating with people, and just as importantly, you have seen how crude and dysfunctional his relationships with women turn out. Now pretend you find out that said boss is fucking your mom. And you find out at work.......then everyone else at work finds out too.

Having said that, I was pretty surprised that Creed had an objection to it. :)

Another great thing worth mentioning..........Ryan (in his fedora) negotiating a price for the mallard, taking the $10 that is rightfully Kelly's and pocketing it, then telling her she owes him $3 in gas money was one of the most subtle and funny Ryan/dickhead moments ever.

Definately a rebound from last week, which was sitcommy and not funny, but I still thought that this ep wasn't written as well as it could have been. There were several opportunities for well layered gags that were hot-shotted (The scene with Michael telling Pam wasn't nearly as funny as it COULD have been, and of course the Mallard interaction between Jim and Dwight). That being said, I liked the return of the Michael enamored Dwight, with the Blind Guy character cold opening and I loved the co hosted meeting, with the exception of Pam acting totally out of character. Let me ask a question....are they going to give Pam more moxie now that she's been promoted and she's married to the co-manager? I hope not.

I think Stanley just hates meetings.

I'm definitely on a different wavelength from everyone else. I've liked most of this season, but last night's episode didn't do much for me.

Last night was the first episode this season that I've really enjoyed, even though I dislike bitchy Pam. I definitely felt bad for Michael, as he seriously cares about Jim and Pam, and only Jim shows anything in return. The evolution of Jim turning into Michael is pretty funny.

Two funniest parts for me, were Creed getting choked up at the music, and Kelly saying "what is a mallard"?

This episode lost me when Jim opted NOT to use the mallard to make Dwight act out the plot of National Treasure.

Of all the season's, this one seems to be getting the most mixed reaction of any. I told my wife last night that I loved how they handled Michael breaking the news to Pam - I thought it was really well done myself.

Personally, I've liked this season a heck of a lot more than the previous two seasons and I loved the wedding episode (it reminded me of some of the great season two-three episodes).

I'm curious to see where the show goes from here, however, as last week was clearly a transitional "fill the time" episode and I'm not sure how I feel about Jim becoming Michel-esque as manager and now Michael dating Pam's mom as being the main stories on the show currently to fill out the season. I assume the finale will be Pam giving birth? Or would that be too soon?

I've been really pleased out how well some of the side characters, like Kevin, Stanley, and Oscar have been used this season.

Hehe, that was slightly disappointing, but still a great line. I thought this was an awesome episode - I loved Pam and Jim not being a perfect couple, and seeing Michael and Toby get along for a minute ruled. I also want a fedora like Ryan - that thing looks sharp.

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yeah, but the reason everyone else found out was because pam was throwing a tantrum and acting like a petulant child.

it's hard to think where they're going with this. if you would have told me a few seasons ago that, eventually, pam would be upset that michael was boning her mom, i guess i wouldn't have been super shocked. if you told me that michael was going to be set up as the character who we are encouraged to be sympathetic towards, then i'm much more surprised. very strange episode.

All of the minor characters have been reduced to a singular joke. Toby gets picked on, Kelly is an air head, Kevin is off, Angela has a stick up her ass, Oscar is manly beyond my wildest expectations, etc. The most compelling thing about the last episode was the Erin/Pam interaction.

You're right, all the supporting characters are pretty much reduced to a single joke. At least Creed is still good ol' Creed. There hasn't been nearly enough Stanley this season

How have they been reduced to a singular joke when they were never anything more than that to start with? Stanley is grumpy, Creed is strange, Kevin is fat and stupid, Kelly is the airhead, Toby is a sad sack. They are minor supporting characters and don't really need anything more than that.

I don't know what to think of this season. I've enjoyed all the episodes but nothing has really stood out as very good. I'm with you guys in wondering where the direction for show is going.

kevin, just to pick the one that is most obvious, used to have a serious girlfriend, be in a band, be a surprisingly good basketball player, and had a episode where he was worried that he had skin cancer. these types of things don't seem likely with his character anymore, because he's retarded to the point that he wears kleenex boxes for shoes. yes, they are supporting characters, and they don't need to have as much depth as michael, or jim and pam, but when this show is at its best (and obviously this is just my opinion) it contains a certain degree of "reality" that makes its world, and its humor, resonate. it's funny and interesting because these people seem actually human, because it's not like an idiotic tv show. reducing all the secondary characters to one-joke sitcom creations severely undermines that world. especially now, when the direction of the main characters is making it harder and harder to maintain an investment in the show. (again, my opinion)

supporting characters who are less developed than the principles is good, paper-thin sitcom characters who exist to be vehicles for lowest common denominator jokes (kevin's foot odor is so bad that his shoes have to be burned, but fatdumb kevin isn't mad 'cause they gave him free food) is not.

Well, his foot odor has been a long running character trait of his. So, they did have that going.

I can agree with some of what you're saying, but I think there is a little more depth to the supporting cast than people give the show credit for. I mean we've had the Stanley affair storyline this season for one example. I get what you're saying though and I think the problem is just that the reality of the show, which was sparse to begin with, has been gone for quite a bit. Even Jim and Pam who used to act like real people and a normal couple have taken a pretty big turn. Jim becoming Michael 2.0 is a funny storyline but the change should be subtle. He shouldn't just be spouting random gibberish and doing the "rewinding VCR" sound thing out of nowhere. Pam was nothing less than a screaming annoyance this week and I found myself greatly disliking her character. I can see why she's upset, I can understand her viewpoint, but I just wanted her to chill the fuck out about halfway through the show.

I hate to sound like a whining bitch here, because I really do still enjoy the show. It's one of my all time favorites and a show I look forward to each and every week. I have been one of the people defending season five, which to me was a big rebound from a bad season four. Still though the show is doing some things with the characters I don't like. I'll stick with it to the end, because I enjoy it and I want to see what happens with the characters. I will admit that while watching it this week though I found myself a little bored and getting a "so what" feeling about the show.