The Office

Has it really been a whole year since the last season finale, when Michael, Jim and Karen all competed for the corporate job in New York City? So much has changed, and yet so much remains the same: Michael and Jan might be getting back together (again), Jim and Pam are still a couple and are unengaged, and Toby's love for our favorite secretary will go forever unrequited.

On the other hand, Ryan's gone from the big time to doin' time, which is clearly a huge change. I thought this episode was hysterical, but if I do have one criticism it's that a lot is still left up in the air by the end. It's tough to blame the writers for this: the shortened season caused by the writer's strike no doubt forced them to alter some of their plans and end this year on a more ambiguous note than they had originally planned. Given the choice, I'd definitely rather let The Office play out its storylines in full next year than rush everything to fit inside a single one-hour finale.

For example, we got introduced to Holly, the new HR rep played by Amy Ryan (who apparently cleans up real nice – I didn't realize at first that it was the same actress who played a coked-up mom in Gone Baby Gone). Could she be a new love interest for Michael? She's still under the impression that Kevin is mentally challenged, but what's nice about her is that she's able to finally draw out a more mature side of Michael, one who's able to almost make small talk about Yoda and refrain from saying "that's what she said!" for I believe the first time in the show's history. And there's a really small moment where he takes the microphone at the carnival/going away party for Toby and thanks Phyllis for organizing everything and Darryl for performing with his band. The old Michael would have never thought to acknowledge someone else's contributions, much less thank them publicly. Maybe it is possible for Michael to grow into a better man. Too bad he backslides and is willing to go crawling back to Jan by the end and act as a father to her child (points to all the readers who saw their reconciliation coming a mile away).

It does seem weird, though, that the episode barely touches on Ryan's arrest. While Kelly fantasizes about tormenting him in prison, I think it's more likely than a big chunk of next season will revolve about his trial. Just think of the laughs the writers could get by having the entire staff of The Office take the witness stand. By the time Michael and Dwight get done testifying, Ryan could be facing charges for drug possession as well.

And does this mean the corporate job at NYC is open again? I'm sure I'm not alone in having my expectations completely messed with. I thought the ending would have Jim and Pam getting engaged and moving to the Big Apple so she could go to art school while Jim works an upper-level job. Of course, the show also planted subtle hints that Jim could be getting fired due to Ryan's meddling, or even worse, that Jim and Pam might be growing apart due to her three months away.

Instead, the third plot twist of the show involves Andy hogging the spotlight and proposing to Angela. After she refuses to join him on stage, Andy follows her to her seat (but not before ripping the mic out of Darryl's keyboard, natch) and gets her to agree by muttering, "Okay." Poor Andy – he actually makes Michael look wise and self-aware by comparison.

For that matter, why doesn't Angela have the courage to tell Andy no and admit that she doesn't love him, or even really like him? And why wasn't she able to say it before now? It's not like the woman lacks a cruelty streak: she spends the episode trying to take down Phyllis simply for handling the planning for Toby's party (and doing a ridiculously good job of it). And at the very end, we get confirmation of whom her heart truly belongs to when Phyllis walks in on her and Dwight sans clothes. What's wrong with using Dwight's beet farm? It's very romantic…..

There's still so much to discuss, so I'm going to have to use the Dundies to cover it all:

Best Prank by Jim: Tonight we got the long awaited return of Jim punking Dwight, this time by rigging Dwight's cellphone to go straight to his earpiece. I especially loved Pam's involvement in the prank, and her "I'm confused!" when Dwight tries to set the record straight. And have you noticed how she's becoming more like Jim in general? When Michael insists he wants an anti-gravity machine at the party, Pam just plays along exactly like Jim would have.

Best Creed is Insane Moment: His sudden moment of panic when Holly asks him what does in the office.

Best Michael Seduction Technique: Making Holly a mix CD full of Dave Matthews. I think that only works getting a girl into bed if she's a college freshman and it's still the late nineties.

Best Almost Goof: Did you notice Brian Baumgartner (the actor who plays Kevin) suppressing a laugh when Holly picks through the change in his hand and notices, "this is a button!"

Best (and last!) Michael/Toby Confrontation: Michael explaining that Toby has been cruising for a bruising, and he's the cruise director for the job. And when Toby's gift is revealed to be a rock with a note that says "Suck on this!" Michael tries to blame it on Dwight ("You made me wrap it!").

Best Sad Jan Moment: Her reasoning for visiting a sperm bank rather than having Michael's child – "I need to make this one count."

Best Overall Moment: I know this is going to generate some controversy, but I loved Oscar explaining that Ryan was being arrested for fraud. "But the real crime, I think, was the beard." You said it, man.

Okay, so we didn't get the big Jim/Pam engagement, but it's got to be coming first thing next season. At least I hope so. Until then, life goes on for our Dunder-Mifflin crew. Will Holly ever realize that Kevin is of average (or just slightly below average) intelligence? Will Michael finally be a (sort of) daddy? Will Toby find true love in Costa Rica?

Let me know how much you're going to miss these guys, and since I won't be posting for a little while, have a great summer everybody.

Update: As a number of readers have pointed out to me, the reason why Holly treats Kevin like a child is because Dwight told her he's slow. Sorry for not catching that the first time around (I need TiVo badly).

For more clips and full episodes of The Office and all your favorite shows, check out our online video guide.

Maybe I’m just nitpicking here, but do high schools really have job fairs? The event apparently contains both job offers and possible internships, but either way it seems much more like something you would see at a college campus. For example, how do you sign up for an internship that might give you college credit if you haven’t even enrolled in a college yet? Not that this is exactly a huge deal for me; I’m just surprised because The Office is usually pretty convincing when it comes to the smaller details of how a workplace functions in the real world (although they’re a bit looser when it comes to the characters within said workplace).

We get a welcome break from coked-up Ryan in this episode, although his presence is still felt when Jim hits the golf course in order to land a new client. Thanks to Ryan’s warning that he’s been goofing around too much lately and his own desire to make a little extra money in order to provide for Pam in a long-term relationship, Jim is willing to do something he’s never even attempted before at Dunder-Mifflin: “Try.” Such is Jim’s smoothness that he’s able to overcome Andy’s unctuousness and Kevin’s gambling addiction to convince the skeptical businessman (alright, I didn’t catch his name and I don’t have TiVo – anyone want to help me out?) to come back to Dunder-Mifflin. It’s good to see Jim back on top after getting humiliated by Ryan and Toby last week and made to look like a fool when he locked everyone into the parking lot the week before that.

But while Jim is actually trying to improve his lot at Dunder-Mifflin, Pam has her eye on bigger and better things. If the high school job fair felt unrealistic to me, the moment when the recruiter at the graphic design company told Pam that she needed several crucial skills and more schooling just to get her foot in the door was sadly believable. It’s that old Catch-22: you need experience to get a job, but you need a job (or an expensive grad school) to get experience. Still, the finale is right around the corner, and the producers of the show are promising some huge life changes will be happening. Could Pam be moving away to pursue her dreams?

Oh yeah, and one thing I didn’t catch – when Pam went into the art room, the camera fixated on some discarded art project right after she walked out. I feel like I show know what it was (since the show obviously was trying to make it look important), but it’s not ringing any bells. Was it supposed to be something of hers that she gave to the school at some point?

Nothing new on the Dwight and Angela front, except that they’re able to work alone together in the office with only the bare minimum of communication. I was sure they were either going to get back together or have a violent confrontation, but no such luck. And Michael continues to be a tool (no surprise). His behavior at the school job fair demonstrates yet again one of his defining characteristics: he judges every person he meets in terms of how cool he or she is, and then treats that person accordingly. When he’s around Pam in the office, he’s eager for her to be his friend. But when he’s trying to recruit a hip new intern to replace Ryan, he’ll treat Pam like dirt in order to impress somebody new. No wonder Pam is so desperate to leave.

And now, tonight’s Dundies:

Best Creed Does Nothing Productive Around the Office Moment: His rallying cry to Angela is “Let’s ditch this bitch!” (Runner-up: admitting “I finished my work months ago.”)

Least Romantic Jim/Pam Moment Ever: Making out while Kevin does his best impression of a porn soundtrack and Michael advises him to “kiss her… kiss her good.”

Best Michael Ruins Everything Moment: Telling everyone else at the job fair (including the people manning the concession stand) that their companies suck – although he does have the common sense not to insult the Air Force.

Best Overall Moment: Andy crashing the golf cart. Into the sand trap.

Just one week left to go before the season finale. Post your thoughts on what the plot twists might be and join me back here next Thursday for my blog recapping the super-sized episode.

Check out full length episodes of The Office and more at our online video guide.

I just bought a car last week, and I’m already wishing I had used some of Dwight’s psychological tactics to negotiate a better price. After several weeks of watching Dwight act beaten down by life as a result of Andy and Angela’s relationship - even to the point of groveling to Michael to get invited to his exclusive dinner party – we finally see the return of a Dwight hungry for power. First there’s his flow chart which neatly summarizes the office politics of Dunder-Mifflin, complete with a plastic overlay that provides an emergency back-up plan in which Dwight is put in charge of everything and everyone (and apparently several people are now trapped in cages). Then he humiliates Andy by buying his car for cheap and cleaning it up in order to sell it for a profit. If he can’t win Angela back, he’ll at least try to take his romantic rival down a peg or two.

But the real character development this episode involved Stanley’s confrontation with Michael. I think the important detail in this “clash of the titans” (to borrow Kevin’s description) isn’t that Stanley yelled at Michael in the middle of a meeting, but that he refused to even consider apologizing later. Michael is used to dealing with people who insult him to his face, only to turn around and take those words back later when they realize how pathetic Michael is and how he’s unable to handle any suggestion that someone doesn’t like him.

But Stanley isn’t having any of that. He’s a stubborn man who apparently isn’t even willing to compromise with his own wife (hence his divorce and remarriage), and when Michael breaks down in tears in front of him he’s still unmoved. It’s interesting that Michael realizes he isn’t going to convince Stanley to respect him, so he actually makes the best practical decision and reminds Stanley that, at bare minimum, he must refrain from openly insulting him in the office. Stanley agrees. This represents a rare moment of intelligence from Michael, who understands he has to make the best possible decision under the circumstances and move on rather than pretend to be Mr. Popular. His nervous babbling at the end is clearly the act of a man trying to hide how badly his nerves have been rattled.

My co-worker Matt is always telling me how much he dislikes Toby and I’ve been defending Dunder-Mifflin’s HR employee – up until now. Toby’s infatuation with Pam has reduced him to complaining about Jim’s poor job performance to Ryan, and Jim looked genuinely scared for a moment that he might be fired. He’s fallen quite a ways from last year’s finale, when his track record at the company was good enough to be considered for a position at corporate. Just check out his reaction shot after Michael fake-fires Stanley: he turns to face the camera, only he isn’t smiling. I think Jim is actually worrying about his job security now, and maybe he’ll start wondering soon if there’s any kind of a long-term future for him at Dunder-Mifflin. He’s got the girl of his dreams; maybe it’s time to start looking for a better job to go along with her.

Oh yeah, and Darryl continues to be the man. I loved his list of gangs he’s belonged to and his description of the “Fluffy Fingers” conflict resolution technique (to say nothing of Michael’s assumption that Darryl had been in a gang to begin with).

Ladies and gentlemen, the Dundies:

Best Dwight Getting Drunk on Power Moment: The alternate power structure within the office in which he’s put in charge.

Best Jim and Pam Moment: His offer to hold her hand and lead her out of the office when the Clash of the Titans begins. Runner-up: Pam forgetting her contact lenses at a “friend’s” apartment.

Best Creed is a Dirty Old Man Moment: “I’d also like to see (Pam) topless.”

Best Stanley Isn’t Always Mellow Moment: His speech about how every one of Michael’s ideas is stupider than the last.

Best Andy Gets Owned Moment: Dwight convinces him to sell his car for cheap because all it’s good for is to “drive it off a cliff” or “sell it to someone you want to die.”

Best Overall Moment: The rough gang Darryl was a part of? The Newsies.

Check out full length episodes of The Office and more at our online video guide.

The Office is a terrific show because most of its comedy is rooted in real human behavior (no matter how exaggerated), and this episode demonstrates another essential truth about humanity: when you’re drunk, people you normally can’t stand are suddenly your best friends. As soon as you’re buzzed on a few nine dollar martinis and dancing at a (semi-)exclusive club on a Friday night, even your annoying former boss is worthy of a hug. So I wasn’t surprised in the slightest that Ryan was thrilled to see Michael and Dwight when they decided to crash his night out in New York City.

Of course, it’s not just alcohol that’s impairing Ryan’s judgment; it turns out this wunderkind has a drug problem, and by the end of the episode he’s become so desperate that he’s actually asking Michael and Dwight for help on what to do. Michael doesn’t see through the flimsiest of cover stories and starts babbling about The Wire and explaining what you need to do in order to bring down a drug cartel. Frankly, I saw this coming pretty early on: no amount of alcohol alone can make someone interested in asking about Dwight’s beet farm.

I never would have thought I’d feel sorry for Ryan, with his pretentious half-beard and constant need to prove to everyone how awesome his life is. Even when talking to the Scranton crew he has to punctuate his speech with hand gestures like an air punch, and after Jim makes a suggestion for the online store he shoots it down by reminding Jim that another Dunder Mifflin bigwig heard the idea and rejected it. But Ryan is clearly lonely in NYC – while it might feel great to be a corporate honcho who parties in nightclubs, sooner or later you’re going to wake up hung over in your apartment, and then who are you? He may have gotten the job, but he desperately needs someone in his life to keep him grounded the way Pam does for Jim.

In fact, we see new dimensions of a number of characters tonight. Dwight is able to surprise me from time to time with rare flashes of intelligence (like his stroke of genius to get into a more exclusive club), only to follow it up by returning to his usual moronic self (insisting he’ll never call the beautiful woman he hooked up with). And we learned that Toby can get serious air after he clears that gate in one try. Granted, he’s being propelled not only by a heretofore unannounced athletic prowess but also by his humiliation after accidentally putting his hand on Pam’s knee and leaving it there for an uncomfortably long time. I’m assuming that the writers (which include Paul Lieberstein, the actor who plays Toby) aren’t going to have him follow through on his fantasy to flee to Costa Rica, so I guess we have many extremely awkward moments between Toby and Pam to look forward to in the future.

Another shock in this episode: Jim doesn’t exactly come off as the greatest guy ever. After forgetting to remind the security guard that they were planning on working late, it’s revealed that he never tipped the guard a Christmas bonus like he was supposed to, and he even forgets to tell him when the cleaning crew let them all out (although he probably assumed the guard wasn’t coming in the first place). Jim has never exactly spent a lot of time worrying about his job, but you can tell that for the first time he’s genuinely disappointed with himself for letting his co-workers down. Or maybe he’s just scared that Stanley was serious about killing him.

And now, tonight’s Dundies:

Most Unnecessary Over-explanation: Michael explains that he’s going to NYC to get laid, and Dwight helpfully adds, “with sex!”

Best/Worst Ryan is a Tool Quote: “Stay real Scranton, alright?”

Best Disconnected from Reality Dwight Moment: See above regarding his decision to blow off the girl in the club.

Best Clueless Michael Moment: Somehow he declares his trip to visit Ryan as “Best. Night. Ever.”

Best Overall Moment: Either Toby jumping over the gate or the fact that Dunder Mifflin Infinity was hijacked by sexual predators.

So what do you think? Will Toby head for the sandy beaches of Costa Rica? Will Ryan’s drug problem cause trouble at corporate? Will Dwight and/or Michael ever find a woman to meet their exacting standards? (my best guesses: no, yes, frak no)

Check out full length episodes of The Office and more at our online video guide.

Although it’s not exactly a remake or anything, this episode borrows a crucial plotline from the Christmas special of the original British version of The Office, in which David Brent (their equivalent of Michael Scott) starts to feel the desperation of loneliness and signs himself up for an internet dating service. Although the American version of The Office is usually described as being wackier and less dour than its predecessor, it’s interesting that Michael Scott is still holding onto his delusions of meeting and marrying a supermodel, while David Brent managed to find some measure of love and acceptance with a woman that his friends made fun of (one of the best moments of character development in the British version was Brent finally telling off his bullying “friend” Chris Finch when he insulted his date).

Could it be that the American remake isn’t as light-hearted as we’d always believed it to be? Certainly Michael comes off as almost a monster in this episode, displaying just about zero empathy in any situation that doesn’t concern his own well-being. Early on he has a pathetic moment when he admits that the real reason he wants to meet women is to have children and start a family. He’s scared of how old he is already, and worries that if he doesn’t meet his soulmate soon it will be too late (and for once I was correct with one of my predictions: he apparently dumped Jan after realizing their relationship was beyond repair). But right after he demands that his employees solve his problem by recommending single women to him, he’s confronted by Andy and Kevin over the parking lot situation and can’t bring himself to care because it doesn’t affect him.

Michael doesn’t think to repay his employees’ kindness towards him or even listen to what they’re really saying. Likewise he blows his date with Pam’s landlord by not even pretending to be interested, even telling her their conversation “was like talking to the sweet old lady on the bus.” I almost wanted to cheer when she told Michael off. Sure he’s miserable, but until he can grow up and learn to act like a decent human being, he deserves it.

And I have to admit that I didn’t like the joke about the chair model being dead at first: it seemed like a cheap bit of cruelty out of Family Guy (yeah, I never really liked that show – feel free to send me hate mail). But they did have it pay off in the end by having Michael and Dwight visit her grave. Is this a sign that Michael is genuinely trying to become a better person – however misguided – or that he’s still stuck in delusion and the endless worship of unattainable women? I know which way I’m voting.

But let’s talk about the big twist of the episode instead of wallowing in misery…. Kevin’s fiancé broke up with him! Kidding, of course. Jim has the ring ready, and an engagement could happen before the end of the season. Even more shocking, he bought it a week after they started dating. Now there’s a man who knows what his heart wants. I wonder what he’s waiting for in that case. Most likely it would just look weird if he proposed so soon, and he might be a little bit paranoid after Pam was engaged to Roy for so long despite being completely wrong for him; he knows she loves him, but he just wants to make absolutely sure she’ll say ‘yes’ when he pops the question. Now I’m just hoping that the show’s writers don’t decide to emulate Friends and every generic mid-90’s sitcom it inspired that used the following template for relationships:

1. Boys meets girl, falls in love with her
2. Shyness/various contrived circumstances prevent him from declaring his love for her
3. Girl finds out about his feelings from a friend
4. More contrived circumstances prevent her from telling him that she knows
5. Both boy and girl are paired with other bland love interests
6. Boy and girl briefly get together in a very special episode
7. Boy and girl break up after a misunderstanding gets blown way out of proportion and neither says the obvious things to correct it (in another very special episode)
8. Repeat until series finale

Hopefully the creators of The Office are too smart to fall for this formula (please note that these are not spoilers – I have no connection to the powers that be at NBC and I don’t know how this will all turn out) and resort to breaking up Jim and Pam as a cheap way of holding our attention. I know it isn’t always easy to make a couple in love as interesting as two people flirting together, but it can be done.

All in all, I laughed out loud more than a few times during this episode, even though it was one of the darkest I can remember. Let’s hope that, like David Brent, Michael finds some shred of self-awareness soon.

The Dundies:

Best Insensitive Michael Moment: His attempt to back away slowly from his less-than-flawless date, which almost works before the cashier at the coffee shop calls out his name. Runner-up: Referring to Oscar as the “Oscar Meyer Weiner Lover.”

Best Kevin Moment: Admitting that winning back his parking space made him feel good for the first time since his fiancé broke up with him.

Best Creed is a Creepy Old Man Moment: His unexplained obsession with hoarding office chairs.

Best Clueless Andy Moment: Dancing by himself to no music in the parking lot.

Funniest Overall Moment: Michael calls up Kevin’s friend “Wendy,” only to realize that he’s actually calling a Wendy’s restaurant. Then he places an order and forces Dwight to go pick it up. And his reaction to Pam’s offer to set him up: “What’s her name, Burger King?”

Check out full length episodes of The Office and more at our online video guide.

I always knew Michael and Jan’s relationship would end badly, but I could have never imagined that it would flatline with the cops showing up to a domestic disturbance and telling Michael to stand up for himself and press charges against his abusive girlfriend. Of course, I am assuming that these two are broken up for good this time, and that fixing his beloved Dundie and replacing the world’s smallest flatscreen TV isn’t enough to convince Michael to come crawling back to Jan. But maybe I’m giving him too much credit. Low self-esteem and inertia might reunite them yet again.

It’s hard to believe it’s been almost five months since the last episode of The Office, but thankfully they’ve made up for the long absence with an episode that absolutely nails both the comedic and dramatic aspects of the show. On the one hand it’s a hilarious, brutally awkward look at the relationship (and apartment) from hell, a train wreck that you just can’t keep from staring at. But it’s also a study of four couples: one hideously dysfunctional (Michael and Jan), one loving (Jim and Pam), one mismatched (Angela and Andy), and one, ahem, “purely carnal” (Dwight and babysitter). The venom of Michael and Jan’s arguments is countered by Jim’s devotion to his own girlfriend, and his realization that he can’t abandon her to take care of his “flooded apartment.” He tries to take her with him, but when Michael shoots that plan full of holes, Jim briefly considers making it every man and woman for himself and escaping solo.

Pam isn’t having any of that: If she has to suffer, so does her boyfriend. And perhaps influenced by Pam practically blinking out in Morse code that there will be consequences if he leaves, Jim agrees to stay. And that’s the moment every relationship comes down to in the end: Are you willing to sacrifice for the other person and maybe share the misery together, or will you just cut and run during the bad times? That’s a tough call when commitment means having to listen to how many vasectomies Michael has had.

Andy is out to lunch as usual, taking about two seconds to decide to invest $10,000 in Jan’s noxious candle-making business. And he needs to wise up and realize that dating Angela is a dead end, although hints like her slamming the ice cream against his car door somehow sail right over his head. Can you believe that she and Dwight managed to stay together for so long? No wonder he’s still stuck on her – there’s nobody else compatible with either one of them.

Give Dwight credit at least for always being there for Michael and offering his beet ranch as a place to stay after he has to leave the condo. How can it get any scarier for Michael than being whipped by Jan all day long to a soundtrack of bad coffee-shop tunes? Four and a half words from Dwight: “You’re sleeping with me.”

I do have one concern, though,: I hope the writers shift the focus away from interoffice relationships and have the main characters occasionally date someone they meet outside of work. Yes, I realize that the show is called The Office and it’s tough to spend a lot of time away from Dunder-Mifflin (although this episode accomplished just that), but I think the writers have reached the limit of how many people at the same workplace can end up in real relationships or even just casual dating like Kelly and Darryl.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Dundies:

Best Jim and/or Pam Look of Horror: I’m going to have to make this a five-way tie. There’s Pam reacting to the video camera in the bedroom, Jim and Pam both looking like they’re about to scream when they’re told how long it will be until dinner, Jan trying to dance with Jim, Jim smelling the candle, and Pam freaking out when the cooking isn’t even close to being finished.

Best Jim and/or Pam Look of Joy: Pam looks like she’s a drowning woman being offered a lifesaver when Dwight unexpectedly shows up to crash the party and maybe interrupt the nonstop bickering between Michael and Jan.

Most Emasculating Moment for Michael: He sleeps on a bench at the foot of the bed. On a bench.

Best "Angela Could Lighten Up" Moment: Her “No. No.” response of when Michael attempts to hug her.

Overall Favorite Moment That Makes Me Thrilled The Office Is Back: Either Dwight insisting Michael crash at the farm or everyone eating dinner under the florescent glow of a tasteful St. Paulie Girl’s sign.

Sorry if there are fewer Dundies this week – it’s harder to come up with a lot of them when there are fewer cast members featured (no Best Michael Abusing Toby Moment this time, I’m afraid). Until next week, remember to learn from Jim and Pam’s example and only date your coworkers if you’re sure your feelings for them are real. Otherwise you’ll just end up awkwardly avoiding each other every morning on the way to the coffee machine like Dwight and Angela. And nobody needs that.

Update: Here's some more good news for fans of The Office. Not only was this episode one of their funniest ever, it was also one of their most popular, bringing in some of the best ratings of the season.

Check out full-length episodes of The Office and more in our Online Video Guide.

Episode Recap: The Deposition (November 15, 2007)

Was anyone else convinced that Michael and Jan were going to break up before the end of this episode? They’re hardly a stable couple even in the best of times, but here it was practically a competition to see who could do the most vicious thing to the other (or at the very least, to reveal who had acted worse in the past). Let’s see: Michael emailed a topless photo of Jan to everyone in the company, so in turn she stole his diary and handed it over to her lawyer as evidence. She gave him a terrible performance review (okay, that one was probably justified), and he in turn sided with Dunder-Mifflin in her lawsuit, effectively destroying her case. Their horribly awkward conversation during the car ride home was nothing less than a look at a relationship on life support. Both Michael and Jan seemed committed to each other more out of desperation and loneliness than any sort of genuine affection. This might be the rare case where a break-up would be a happy ending, because maybe that’s what these two people need in order to move on with their lives. Right now they’re only enablers for the other person’s worst behavior: Michael allows Jan to lounge around all day without a job and spend his money, while Jan thinks nothing of letting Michael treat her as a sex object.

Although I’m starting to wonder if Michael can honestly listen to anyone and care about their problems. I realize that Toby is usually depicted as one of the most pathetic employees on The Office, but even still, would it have killed Michael to display a little bit of sympathy when he was telling the story of his parents’ divorce? Instead Michael turns on Toby and ends the conversation in the cruelest possible way. Maybe he deserves to be miserable after all.

Thankfully we had the ping-pong battle royale back at Scranton to keep the mood light. It’s no surprise to me that Kelly loves to trash talk (or more accurately, smack talk) even when the stakes are so unbelievably low. But it was unusual to see Kelly actually getting under Pam’s skin, which in turns drives her to force Jim to train harder. I didn’t think the ping-pong yielded that many good jokes – after all, who didn’t see it coming that Dwight has a detailed knowledge of the sport and is a master at it along with his cousin? – but I did like it because of the subtle truth that in the insular world of an office, people start to get obsessed with seemingly trivial things that don’t really matter. Also, it was revealing that while Pam and Kelly were way more competitive than their boyfriends, they were both mind-blowingly awful at the game itself.

On to tonight’s Dundies:

Best Jim Facial Expression: Nothing in particular really jumped out at me, but maybe his sheepish look of humiliation after Dwight schools him on the impromptu ping-pong table in the conference room.

Best Jan Knows Michael is a Moron Moment: Admitting that she made Michael memorize his deposition so as “not to leave anything to chance or (his) judgment.”

Best Insensitive Michael Moment: Oh, I don’t know, how about knocking Toby’s food to the ground while he was talking about parents’ bitter divorce.

Best PB&J Moment: Pam talking about how she watches Jim play ping-pong and brings him juice, before adding “my boyfriend is twelve.” (That was the age she said, right? I don’t have TiVo and so I’m reduced to quickly writing notes down during these episodes.)

Best Overall Moment: The quick recap of Michael’s deposition by the stenographer, in which he tried several times to leave the room by going to the bathroom in order to avoid questioning.

Unfortunately this could be the last episode of The Office we get in quite a while if the strike isn’t resolved soon (and to make the wait even more agonizing, the cast was just bragging that they were in the process of filming their funniest episode ever). In the mean time, let me know your thoughts on this episode and let’s hope for a speedy return of the Dunder-Mifflin crew.

Check out clips from The Office and all your favorite shows at our online video guide.

Sadly, this might be our last fix of The Office for quite a while: it seems that until the strike is settled no more new episodes are being filmed (though I'd love to be proven wrong on this). Still, tonight's episode looks like a worthy sendoff, with Jan suing Dunder-Mifflin and Michael caught in the crossfire when he's called upon as a witness. Will Michael be torn between his loyalty to his company and his loyalty to his ample-chested girlfriend? Post your thoughts and check back after the show for my recap.

Episode Recap: Survivor Man (November 8, 2007)

Like any good sitcom I’m sure every episode of The Office is written as a collective effort by the entire staff (who are currently out picketing their own show, but let’s not dwell on the strike for now), even if Steve Carell is listed as the sole writer in the opening credits. Nevertheless, I want to congratulate everyone involved on this one: “Survivor Man” has got to be the funniest episode of this show in a long time. It’s certainly my favorite of this season thus far. I was laughing out loud during the surreal montage of all of the weapons Dwight has stashed around the workplace (you didn’t think he gave them all up after attacking Andy last year, did you?), including one inconspicuously hidden away in a file marked “Mr. A. Knife.” Dwight’s smug look of superiority as he displays his arsenal away from home was terrific, especially when it came to a blow dart hidden away in a toilet tank.

The episode split nicely into two subplots, each of which demonstrates a brand of humor which The Office excels at. Out in the wilderness we have Michael’s insanely pathetic attempts to find food while fashioning survivalist gear out of his business suit (and it looked to me like the one he found out was from a women’s clothing line). Meanwhile Dwight was keeping watch over him from a comfortable distance using a sniper rifle’s scope. That’s the show in its over-the-top mode, while back at the actual office Jim finds himself uncomfortably transforming into Michael when he decides to celebrate everyone’s birthdays all at once in one massive holiday. The question Jim begins to wonder is: does being the boss, and having to deal with everyone’s problems and hang-ups all day long, slowly drive anyone crazy? That’s not to say that Michael Scott wasn’t self-absorbed and totally lacking in social skills to begin with, but maybe life as the Regional Manager has made him even worse.

Oh, and I have to ask: did they shorten the opening theme song at some point? Maybe I’m just going crazy, but I swear I thought it used to be longer. That’s a shame, because so few shows even bother to have opening credits anymore, and The Office has one of my favorites. Granted, the credits always did look a little bit cheap, like it was made in fifteen minutes on someone’s Mac, and the music sounds like a much catchier version of elevator music. But that’s part of the show’s charm: it’s supposed to feel vaguely thrown together and homemade, and I loved that the establishing shots of Scranton, with its snow-capped buildings, made the town look oddly beautiful yet not at all glamorous (and apparently that footage was filmed by John Krasinski and his buddies just driving through).

A lot to cover, so let’s get right to the Dundies:

Best Jim Facial Expression: This one’s no contest: his wide-eyed look of horror when he was accidentally referred to as “Michael.” (although he does have a more subtle look of horror when Michael tells him that he also promised himself that he wouldn’t be working at Dunder-Mifflin in ten years. People in the comments section have said that the writers are setting us up for a Jim-Pam break-up further down the line by introducing reasons why Pam would get frustrated with Jim. Actually I think the biggest stumbling block to their relationship might be Jim’s desire to move on to something more meaningful in life than being a paper salesman and breaking free of Dunder-Mifflin.)

Best Insensitive Michael Moment: Pointing out the wrinkles around Stanley’s eyes and yelling “Blacks do crack!” (I was drinking a soda and almost did a spit-take when I heard that. It’s a shame I don’t have TiVo because I wanted to rewind and make sure he actually said that. How on Earth has Michael not been sued?)

Best Disconnected from Reality Dwight Moment: Almost too many to count. The best is definitely the weapons montage. Taking the silver: maybe his description of what kind of serial killer he would be (the “Overkill Killer”). Of course, there’s also his beating Michael with a shoe and cooking wild eggs for a meal.

Best Easter Egg: Michael is sporting a Battlestar Galactica sweatshirt after being rescued from the wilderness. Frak yeah!

Best Kevin is Useless Moment: Saying that he deserves a break for how hard he works, then turning around and admitting that when he knows a break is coming up he just sits around and kills time waiting for it.

Best Overall Moment: I’m letting everyone in the feedback decide this one, because I enjoyed the whole episode too much to boil it down to one specific gag or line of dialogue.

With the strike still on-going, nobody seems to know how frequently we’ll be getting new episodes from now on. I believe there will be a new one next week, but whenever it is, make sure to check back here for my ramblings. In the meantime, discuss the Dundies, whether the credits are shorter (or I’m going crazy), and whether or not bears actually beat Battlestar Galactica.

Check out clips from The Office and all your favorite shows at our online video guide.

Ryan holds a corporate retreat out in mother nature, and Michael, angry at not receiving an invite, decides to go camping alone. Considering his survivalist skills, I'd say the odds are pretty good for a Michael Scott bear attack. And really, if that doesn't make you want to watch this episode, what would?

Post your thoughts and join me after the show for my recap.

Episode Recap: Branch Wars (November 1, 2007)

Jim has spent the past few weeks punch drunk happy over finally getting together with Pam. So it figures that karma is ready to pay him back by putting him through hell tonight. First he gets manipulated into taking the worst car ride I’ve ever seen on The Office (and considering how many times Michael Scott has gone on a long journey while annoying the bejeezus out of his passengers, that’s really saying something). And by the end of the half-hour he’s face to face with his ex-girlfriend and you can almost hear him praying that he could just disappear.

The last time Joss Whedon directed an episode of The Office it was, ironically, the one where Dwight fought a vampire bat. (Whedon swore that was just a coincidence and that the episode was written before he came in to direct). But in some ways this episode (written by Mindy Kaling, who also plays Kelly) is an even better fit for Whedon’s talents: he’s a master at turning on a dime from laugh out loud humor to real emotion. It was hilariously pathetic to watch Karen stare down Dwight and Michael, whose only response to losing Stanley was to threaten to burn the Utica offices to the ground.

But when Karen was left alone with Jim, we get to chance to see how she’s really feeling and it’s no joke. She’s still angry over Jim dumping her for Pam, and when she realizes that he’s truly happier now it looks like her heart is being broken all over again. It’s telling that Karen acts confidently when she’s in the process of humiliating Jim for his part in Michael’s bungled prank, but is almost beside herself with rage when she no longer has the power in the conversation. Karen’s still in the stage of the break-up when she hasn’t moved on and has to see Jim uncomfortable or miserable in order to deal with talking to him.

And thankfully Michael and Dwight’s prank didn’t get off the ground. (And it was even funnier to hear them attempting to steal the copier machine over the walkie-talkie than it would have been to see it.) Why are they so eager to hurt another branch of Dunder-Mifflin in the first place? It’s still their company! You’d think Karen had done something to them personally, what with their trunk full of homemade stink bombs.

And back at the Scranton office, we get a glimpse of the long-running “Finer Things Club.” I liked that Andy’s reaction to being rejected from the club is so perfectly suited to his character. He’s desperate to be included simply because it’s exclusive, even if he probably has no real desire to discuss books. Like Dwight’s Second Life addiction, I hope this plotline is brought back in the future, since it’s too promising for comedic material to just throw away.

And now, tonight’s Dundies:

Best Jim Facial Expression: His oh-my-god-I’m-going-to-be-arrested look of horror when he sees what’s in the trunk of Michael’s car.

Best Disconnected from Reality Dwight Moment: his attempts to piss during the car ride, ending with the line: “I think I cut my penis on the lid!” (runner-up: his debate about how to subdue a security guard with the jumbo chalk.)

Best Pam and Jim Moment: Jim’s attempts to prove that he actually read Angela’s Ashes, and Pam whispering “sorry” in response to Oscar and Toby.

Best Insensitive Michael Moment: Telling Jim to distract Karen: “Just climb on top of her and think about Stanley!”

Best Overall Moment: I can’t decide this one. The copier prank going horribly wrong over the walkie-talkie? Karen’s confrontation with Jim? It depends on whether or you liked the drama or comedy best from tonight’s episode.

Was it just my imagination or should this episode have been one of the hour-longs? It felt a bit rushed now that I think about it. Discuss whether or not I’m just being picky and I’ll see you next week.

In the meantime, check out clips from The Office and all your favorite shows at our online video guide.

We got a nice Halloween treat last night: Joss Whedon has a new television show in the works starring Eliza Dushku! (Read the full story here.) But you don't have to wait until The Dollhouse premieres to get your Whedon fix - he's directing (although sadly, not writing) tonight's installment of The Office, in which Karen returns to lure Stanley away to another branch of Dunder-Mifflin. Considering Whedon's past shows, could a Pam versus Karen fight be in the cards?

Post your thoughts and check back after the show for my recap.

Here are the romantic “fax” of life at the office: Jim and Pam are hot, Dwight and Angela are not, and Andy and Angela are giving it a shot. And this episode marks the return of Jim's ex, the long-missing Karen (Rashida Jones). But she stirs up a biting branch battle when she tries to lure Stanley away from the Scranton facility, causing Michael to return fire. Meanwhile, a “Finer Things Club” impacts the staffers. — Dean Maurer

Just as fans of the original version of The Office learned about the existence of the industrial town of Slough, where the U.K. series was set, now everyone knows about Scranton, Pennsylvania, where employees of the U.S. version report to work. In fact, thousands of fans of NBC's hit half-hour comedy ventured to northern Pennsylvania this weekend for the first Office convention, which runs through Oct. 28.

The event began Friday morning on the Today show, with Al Roker introducing the University of Scranton cheerleaders. Throughout the town, local businesses, including but not limited to those that have been featured or referenced on the series, made the most of the influx of visitors, setting up special booths, hawking souvenirs and inviting fans to revisit memorable scenes from the show...read more

Episode Recap: Local Ad

If you think about it, this episode is really based around one of the longest-running character traits of the entire series: Michael’s inability to accept the compromises of reality and the corporate world, and his need to rebel against anyone who shoots down his ideas. Was the official, professionally created version of the Dunder Mifflin commercial pretty crappy? Well, yes. It might have had slicker production values, but the idea was lame and the whole thing was forgettable. It’s interesting that Andy spends the entire episode trying to remember the end of a simple jingle: it proves that if your advertisement doesn’t get the person to remember what you’re selling, then it’s a failure no matter how well-produced it is. (Obviously that’s a bad example in Andy’s case, since everyone probably knows that it’s “break me off a piece of that Kit-Kat bar”.)

Michael’s version of the commercial looked cheaply made and was unintentionally hilarious at times, like Dwight showing up as Phyllis’s son. Also, I’m not sure that “Limitless paper in a paperless world” is the best marketing slogan (see if you can spot the flaw in there). But the unofficial ad was just plain better, and more likely to make somebody remember Dunder Mifflin. Isn’t that what matters? And that’s the The Office in a nutshell: it’s about the life and individuality that still manage to thrive in a bland, soul-numbing workplace.

That said, as much as I appreciate the times when everyone in the office gets along and reluctantly helps each other, I’m desperately waiting for prankster Jim to make a comeback. What is this, the third episode in a row where he’s helping his co-workers feel better about themselves? I want the old Jim Halpert, the one who filled Dwight’s phone full of coins slowly and then removed them all at once so he’d clock himself in the face. I guess dating Pam has mellowed him more than I would have thought possible.

I hope Dwight playing Second Life turns out to be a reoccurring plotline, because they barely did anything with it in this episode. Just imagine the possibilities if Jim managed to hack into Dwight’s life and mess with the entire world! At least he got a shred of his self-respect back when he found out that Angela is moaning his name during a very disinterested makeout session with Andy. I just wonder how long it’s going to take Andy to get a clue that a real relationship with Angela probably isn’t going to happen.

Oh, and my prediction from last week turned out to be a bust: Darryl and Kelly are still together, apparently, as demonstrated when he had his arm around her at the bar. I lose.

And now, your first half-hour version of the Dundies:

Best Facial Expression by Jim: His wide-eyed look of horror as he explains that he’s getting a ride home with Meredith.

Best Darryl-is-the-Man Moment: He can play the keyboard and sing surprisingly well! Who knew?

Best Reference to a Previous Episode: Michael’s reaction to Darryl saying that he’s never heard of rap – “You need to learn more about your culture!” – is the exact same thing that Kelly said to Oscar for not knowing who Lance Bass was. What is this, Arrested Development?

Most Disturbing Moment: Meredith saying that she’s “not used to making videos with so many people around.” Let’s just move on, shall we?

Best Overall Moment: If I had to pick just one moment from Michael’s commercial, it would either be Dwight showing up at Phyllis’s doorstep as her son or Kelly in front of the blue screen.

I realize this is pretty late (I just found out about it!), but there’s a convention for The Office being held in Scranton this coming weekend, if you’re in the area. (And a special thanks to my friend and former professor Brian Bialkowski for pointing this out to me.) Find out more information here.

Next week, Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator/geek messiah Joss Whedon returns to direct his second episode. Until then, debate what Jim’s next big prank should be and leave your comments here. And check out our video guide for clips and past episodes of The Office and all your favorite shows.