I still have a feeling that Jim is just bullshitting about dating Karen, or it's a case of him assuming that they're dating, but if you asked her she'd say they were just friends. Notice that in two weeks we haven't heard Karen actually confirm this at all.

Either way, I'm waiting for the big moment when Karen finds out that Jim was in love with Pam. Then things will get really interesting.

You're reading way too much into this. As stated earlier in the thread..this show is smart but not that smart. Remember Jim mentioning keeping it relatively quiet in the workplace about dating her? and how often is Karen actually in front of a camera talking or being interviewed?

Plus Karen already told the camera she was into Jim. Put two and two together.

I hope Jim and Karen stay together, if only for the reason that Karen is smoldering hot and puts Pam to shame.

Ugh.

Jim says he's seeing Karen. BUT IS JIM REALLY SEEING KAREN?????? Did Pam really text message Jim???? We need an Office-Pedia to keep all these nutty things straight....

It's either genius or lazy that the Stamford characters (besides Andy and Karen) are completely one-dimensional, so we won't miss them when they get fired/quit.

Re-watching it now. I forgot how great the part were Michael taunted Ryan was.

I would love for Ryan to file sexual harrasment on Michael one of these days.

Jesus fucking christ.

Seriously, why do people insist on thinking this show is full of giant M. Night style twists or something?

Why would Jim "bullshit" about dating Karen?

Episode A - Karen says she's into Jim
Episode B - Jim says he's started seeing someone (who any reasonable person would assume is Karen)
Episode C - Jim confirms that he is seeing Karen


Seems pretty fucking cut and dry to me.

jesus, calm the fuck down. I was not one of the people questioning the meaning of the text message. I just thought it was odd that Jim has now mentioned twice that he's seeing someone and they didn't throw in a 5 second shot of Karen somehow acknowledging it as well.

have they ever said for certain that this show even exists on planet earth? i think the big twist at the end of the season is Michael getting transferred to a branch on another planet, and then it's revealed that this new planet is actually Earth!

I just noticed that they also never showed Martin quitting. This could mean big things for the finale.

What? He packed up his stuff at the end of his episode.

sarcasm

The wrong question is being asked about that text message. It shouldn't be "Did Pam really text Jim?", but rather "Why did she call him?" Like whether she just wanted a phone convo or if she wanted to meet up with him.

Anyways, last night's episode was pretty good. Not the season's best or anything, but good nonetheless. Dwight bending over with the cash in his pocket, Andy's call to Jim for help scouting the ladies and Creed's bit were my favorite parts of it today. And I loved the little part after Andy shushes Jim and then Jim turns around halfway towards Pam, grinning.

Agree on Karen being hot, do not agree with Pam getting out to shame by anything walking this planet.

I see what you did there.

... or tried to do there.

The only thing I didn't like about the episode is that Karen was almost absent. Though I'm not sure how to take Jim's discomfort over the Pam prank other than some wierd guilt over still "playing around" in the office with Pam when technically he should now only be "playing around" with Karen, since for Jim affection is expressed through inside jokes...and so...misdirected affection remains.

But Jenna Fischer was pretty amazing in the scene where Andy is hitting on her. She managed to be just...overwhelmed at how wrong this man standing in front of her is, without needing to be "in on it" with Jim...it's like she didn't suspect that it was a setup, but he was so perfectly the most horrible person on earth that you could see Pam trying to compute how this all came to be...and not quite putting it together...maybe until Jim gave her the smirk.

I think I've gotten that look from women when asking them out. It's not a good look to get...but the fact that I recognized it shows that 1) Jenna Fischer is brilliant, 2) she's method 3) she has been hit on by many, many, sad men with horrible flirting technique in her lifetime, and 4) I may well have been one of them.

I liked that Toby's knows exactly how to handle Michael when he has to. That moment was like cigarette-smoking man reaching out to Mulder...only not, you know...like that at all because it's just the Office and it was just a text message.

I'm surprised there hasn't been a "number one office bitch" showdown between the woman with the kid and Andrea (er, Angela) yet.

Good episode, but since the merger I think the writers are feeling the strain of trying to give all the secondary characters "their moment" of the show. I don't mind there being a real lack of Meredith and Kelly this week, or the focus not being on Dwight as much. Maintaining a good Andy/Dwight ratio may be a challenge, though I love both characters.

Fuck I hope all of the Michael fuck up shit with the new branch isnt leading to his character leaving the show. He fuckin makes it. It would be like Jerry leaving Seinfeld.

Stephen Carrell IS taking time off to do a movie later in the season. I would assume Martin and the fat guy from two weeks ago is setting up him getting suspended/fired later on.

where do you guys get these spoilers from?

I thought it was a perfectly fine episode that probably had higher expectations than most because of the supreme goodness that the names Gervais and Merchant carry with them. I'm reminded of John Lennon's quote about Bob Dylan at the 1969 Isle of Wight Festival, his first live appearance in 3 years: "He played a reasonably good set, but people were expecting Jesus, or Godot, to appear."

Prison Mike is one of the funniest sequences to come out of this show, though. Everything was spot on - the retardedly bad Noo Yawk accent, the goof questions, "don't encourage him", and Toby having a rare moment where he's not getting crapped on.

You are dead on about the Prison Mike segment. The highlight just had to be the dementors slip.

I can only imagine how UK fans took this episode since it's probably the only one they'll give a chance.

I agree with this. I thought Thursday's episode was just a base hit, which on its own is fine but it came in the middle of a season that's averaging a home run every week. It was alright, but definitely my least favorite episode of the season so far, as thus far Season 3 has owned.

Ratings are in: The Office did a 5.8 with a 9 share.

Season to Date:

9/21: Gay Witch Hunt [5.6 / 9 share]
9/28: The Convention [4.8 / 7 share]
10/5: The Coup [5.5 / 8 share]
10/12: Grief Counseling [5.3 / 8 share]
10/19: Initiation [5.1 / 8 share]
10/26: Rerun of Gay Witch Hunt [4.1 / 6 share]
11/2: Diwali [5.2 / 8 share]
11/9: Branch Closing [5.0 / 8 share]
11/16: The Merger [half-hours of 5.2 / 8 share and 4.9 / 7 share]
11/30: The Convict [5.8 / 9 share]

Consistency, thy name is Office. Also interesting to note that ignoring the second week attrition, overall viewership is UP.

How did the rest of the new Must See TV lineup fare?

Why the hell not?!

MY NAME IS EARL:
9/21: Very Bad Things [5.7 / 9 share]
9/28: Jump for Joy [5.1 / 8 share]
10/5: Sticks and Stones [6.0 / 10 share]
10/12: Larceny of a Kitty Cat [6.0 / 10 share]
10/19: Van Hickey [5.3 / 9 share]
10/26: Rerun [4.9 / 8 share]
11/2: Made A Lady Think I Was God [5.7 / 9 share]
11/9: Mailbox [5.7 / 9 share]
11/16: Robbed a Stoner Blind [5.8 / 9 share]
11/30: Born a Gamblin' Man [6.2 / 10 share]

SCRUBS:
5/16: [3.9 / 6 share and 4.2 / 6 share] (season finale)
11/30: [4.9 / 7 share]

30 ROCK:
10/11: Pilot [5.4 / 9 share]
10/18: The Aftermath [3.9 / 6 share]
10/25: Blind Date [3.9 / 6 share]
11/1: Jack the Writer [3.2 / 5 share]
11/16: Jack-Tor [3.2 / 5 share]
11/30: Jack Meets Dennis [4.0 / 6 share]

Wow, it looks like the new Thursday lineup seems to be a success as everything is up across the board, especially Scrubs. Very good to hear since that's pretty much the only night of TV I care about.

The mighty New Yorker weighs in on the US vs UK Offices:

http://www.newyorker.com/critics/televisio...crte_television

A tremendously good article, IMO, that intelligently breaks down what makes both versions of the show so brilliant and great. Bonus points for acknowledging the comedic force of nature that is Creed.

I think he's dead on that what sustains the U.S. Office probably longer than the UK version could have kept going is

1) the much more detailed depictions of the tertiary characters.
2) that Michael is not only horrible, but also has moments of great charm (both the end of "Halloween" and "Take your Daughter to Work Day"...and is a genuinely good salesman given a particular, and common enough type of product/client.

and I'm glad he mentioned Jim's line from Branch Closing: "Say what you want about Michael Scott, but he would never do that."

That moment sort of defines the quality in this version of the Office manager that makes it possible to keep wanting to watch three years on. That and the moment in "Conflict Resolution" when he sits down to have his I.D. photo taken and catches Toby's eye and hangs his head, and Toby sort of shrugs his shoulders to say "I warned you..."

I think the Michael/Toby relationship is the key to that part of the show that is just about Michael as a character, rather than about romances or pranks or downsizing.

And yet, highbrow critiques aside, I still can't help wondering if Creed ever slept with a drunken Meredith. He is in the office sleeping four nights a week, and I'm sure she's pretty stumbling drunk by 5:00 some days...

He is in the office sleeping 4 nights a week? I don't remember that bit, where is it from?

Deleted scenes for one of the Season 3 eps.

I gotta get in on those.

Creed spends 3 days a week in Toronto, Stuttsy! We'll have much Office talk at the CWA show this weekend if you're coming.;)

Rob

Anybody else catch the commercial for next week's episode during Earl last night?

This coming week looks to be TREMENDOUS.

Oh, man...we may get to see Ping!

Just been catching up on the recent episodes, and I have to again underline this simple fact: the show is absolutely incredible. I cannot wait for the Christmas-themed episode, as it sounds intensely hilarious.

If you haven't seen last year's Christmas party episode yet, then you need to. I have a feeling you haven't. Every time I watch it I really, REALLY hate Michael Scott, but then the second half of the episode totally makes me feel the love.

"Is this enough for an office Christmas party?"

"13 bottles of Vodka? Yup, that should be enough."

I did, actually. I had the episode on my PC just a while before the machine died on me back in mid-April. Anyways, I remember the Jim/Creed bit about the latter's present fondly. Creed's nonchalant response to Jim's theory about the present was great. Then, we had the whole iPod/teapot plot which also showcased Roy's unique way of thinking.

Good times, ha.

Even better is the follow-up on the iPod plot in "The Injury" episode.

Also, the classic line begins with:
"In your professional opinion, is this enough to get 20 people plastered?"

I'm hyped for the episode tonight. I found myself falling asleep at 11ish and got up, I can't risk missing the episode tonight, even if they do play a rerun next week. The clips I saw (Rashida Jones had one on Conan and the promos on NBC) look tremendous. I can only hope for another line like, "Happy Birthday Jesus. Sorry your party's so lame". Does anyone think Jan will show up?

What's the ipod followup........drawing a blank.

I dig that in the xmas episode, Jim is later shown with the keychain. Obviously Creed traded to get his shirt back.

I think Roy got her a regular MP3 player instead.

He did. And Dwight, due to having a concussion, was being very nice by giving her a cover for the MP3 player and showing her a Russian music site where she could download music for like a penny or some small amount.

Man, I'm pumped about tonight's episode!! And it's an hour, right?

Yes, the episode is an hour long.

Yeah, the MP3 player was a Prism Durosport, to quote Jim (talking about Dwight's middle name), It's sad that I know that. :). I just searched it and someone reviewed it and said it was the worse digital audio player ever.