The Office: Double Date

Sure, the drama between Michael and Jim was temporarily resolved last week thanks to a certain koi pond, but there’s still lingering tension between Michael and Pam. Michael is still dating Pam’s mom, so what could be worse than a double date? Let’s find out, “Office” fans.

We open on Dwight bringing everyone bagels so they’ll all “owe him one” when he tries to dethrone Jim. Later on, Dwight struggles with doing favors for Andy because Andy always immediately returns favors. The two engage in a battle of courtesy!

After the credits, Michael takes Jim, Pam, and Pam’s mom, Helene, out to lunch. Pam tries to get out of it with a fake sales call, but Jim puts a stop to that. (This totally reminded me of season four’s “Dinner Party,” when Jim tried to pretend his apartment was flooded/on fire to escape Michael’s condo.)

The lunch reveals some complications in Michael’s relationship with Helene. He realizes her real age and the fact that she’s about to be a grandmother. Helene, Pam, and Jim gush over Michael’s romantic scrapbook birthday gift, but Michael keeps trying to downplay his now dwindling feelings for Pam’s mom.

During birthday cake, Michael breaks up with Helene. Knowing Pam is angry at him, Michael bribes Pam with either a raise or a free punch, so Pam plans to hit Michael in the parking lot. Toby gives Pam punching lessons and thus creates the funniest moment of the episode.

When it comes down to it, Michael apologizes and Pam relents… but then Michael points out that Helene was the one who came on to him, so Pam slaps him. (It was way better than the Kelly slap from season one. Just saying.) Michael limps away with Dwight following close behind.


Quotes of the Week:

Andy: You do me a favor? WHAM. Favor returned. Do not test my politeness.

Jim: Burn. Burn on you. And a little on me, too.

Pam: I have the worst attitude of any person here.

Dwight: Why are you limping?

Bonus points: Andy writing “BienvenNEATo” on the dry erase board, Ryan’s photography (which looks like the shots from any Intro to Photography class), and Jim’s toying with Michael before the fight.

I deem this week’s MVP to be Steve Carell as Michael Gary Scott. His horror at Helene’s age and his resolution of the Pam struggle was hilarious and very true to Michael’s character.


This episode wasn’t much in the way of gut-busting laughs, but it wrapped up the Pam/Michael drama nicely. Mostly, it made me miss Amy Ryan as Holly. When, oh when will she return? Speaking of returns, the storyline of Dwight and Andy returning favors was funny, but went on for a little too long on one note. And do we think Dwight will ever give up on taking down Jim? I hope so… it’s not terribly funny.

Next week on the “The Office:” In “Murder,” Michael’s world is rocked by troubling rumors about Dunder Mifflin. He forces the office into a day of strange diversions, upsetting Jim and leading others to wonder if Michael has gone insane. Meanwhile, Andy finds that his chief obstacle in courting Erin is his own awkwardness.

The Office: Koi Pond

I never thought I’d look forward to any seasonal television other than Christmas episodes of sitcoms and animated series, but “The Office” has made me look forward to its Halloween episode every year.

We open on a haunted house that Michael has set up in the warehouse for the kids of the office park. Michael tries to share an anti-suicide message with the kiddos before offering them candy.

After the credits, Michael and Jim attend an important business meeting together (much to Jim’s chagrin) and Michael comes back soaking wet. Turns out, he fell into a koi pond. The office mercilessly mocks Michael, who holds sensitivity training and is accused of being a hypocrite. Jim teaches Michael how to make fun of himself, but Mike takes it a little too far and mocks himself to tears.

Later, as the employees get their hands on the security tape and watch the video of Michael falling, they see that Jim leaned back, allowing Michael to fall. The employees turn to gently mocking Jim as Michael and Jim reconcile for now.

Elsewhere, as Pam and Andy have to make cold calls together, they’re mistaken for a married couple. Pam vehemently denies it, which hurts Andy’s feelings. He strikes back at the next meeting by embarrassing Pam. The animosity causes them to lose sales, so they start to embrace the couple image, which means Andy getting uncomfortably close to Pam’s pregnant stomach. As they talk on the way home, Andy reveals his feelings for Erin, the new receptionist.

Costume list:
Darryl: “Gangster” pumpkin
Michael: D*** in a Box
Jim: Facebook
Angela: Black widow
Dwight: Jigsaw
Erin: Fiona from “Shrek”
Kevin: Paul Blart
Kelly: Leeloo from “The Fifth Element”
Oscar: Sarah Palin
Creed: Dracula
Ryan: Edward Cullen from “Twilight”
Andy: Michael Jackson
Meredith: Hobo

Quotes of the Week:

Darryl: Label yourself or take what you get.

Darryl: You’re not as scary as ol’ Bookface over there.
Jim: Yes, I am the popular social networking site known as Bookface.

Andy: Except it was going to resolve the melody. Now my head hurts. It feels like I held in a sneeze.

Michael: I’m not going to bump! I’m not going to bump!

Jim: Truthfully, it’s not the way he fell in, but how long it took him to get out.

Dwight: They’re mocking you with wordplay!

Creed: Did you find Nemo?
Michael: I can name Pixar movies, too. “Toy Story!”
Oscar: Don’t you mean Koi Story?

Michael: I’m not usually the butt of jokes. I’m usually the face of jokes. I wish Jim had fallen into that pond. Then he’d have to wear my suit and he’d look… damn it, he’d still look good.

Bonus points: A blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo from Mose Schrute, Ryan’s glasses (last week, he had that fedora), Dwight’s insecurity about his nose, and Michael’s story about buying a phone.


I deem this week’s MVP to be Craig Robinson as Darryl Philbin. Even though he was only in the cold open, his deadpan delivery as he led the kids through the warehouse was hilarious.


I’m gonna say it: “Koi Pond” was the best episode of the season. I knew the episode wouldn’t disappoint because it was the Halloween episode – so I was nervous when it wasn’t Halloween after the credits. But this episode really nailed it by Nard Dog standards. The office dealing with Michael’s issues is always a great source of comedy on the show. Just watch “Grief Counseling” from season three if you don’t believe me. And we saw a return to what I referred to last week as “Classic Dwight:” weird and paranoid but not too clever.

The conflict between Jim and Michael seems to be the main source of drama this season, which makes sense since something had to take the place of Jim and Pam’s now-resolved tension. I like it, but I hope we turn to something else soon.


Next week on “The Office:” In “Double Date,” Jim and Pam are out of excuses so they have no choice but to go out with Michael and Helene. Meanwhile, Dwight is strangely doing nice things for everyone in the office.

Review: THIS IS IT

Rating: 8/10
Director: Kenny Ortega

I haven’t missed Michael Jackson. I’m too young to have grown up watching him perform, so all I knew of him was his phenomenal music and the creepy way he’s portrayed in the media. Since he died, the media has focused on what’s happening with his kids and which of his family members stands to gain an inheritance. For every brief clip they showed of Michael performing, they showed hours of off-putting interviews and replays of bizarre moments in his life. Even his televised memorial had too many moments that rang false. So I haven’t really been given the chance to appreciate the man and what he meant to music. Until THIS IS IT.

Edited from over 100 hours of footage, THIS IS IT shows us the Michael Jackson we want to remember. It shows us the compassionate artist, not the weirdo in handcuffs. Every moment on film is onstage or backstage during concert preparations – you won’t find cloying moments of crying family members or paparazzi chasing the King of Pop. Instead, we’re given Michael at his finest: when he’s performing.

Viewers will be surprised at how much Michael was involved with the concert production process. He’s there when they cast the backup dancers, who provide some nice commentary throughout the film. He’s there at band rehearsals, making sure each note is perfect. He’s there at the film studios where footage that would be used as background visuals was shot. He had a hand in every aspect of the production, which makes you realize how meticulous about his music he was.

Even more surprising is how funny Michael could be. Many moments had the audience, who were prepared for a more somber film, laughing out loud. When Michael’s discussing the instrumentation of a song with the music director, he emphasizes that he wants the song to sounds like the original because that’s what the fans love. The director agrees, but adds that he’s open to putting more “booty” in it and asks Michael if he knows what that means. Michael begins to walk away, then turns around and says, “I know exactly what you meant … I like that.”

There are these small little moments in the film that make it come alive. As Michael finishes one of the more complicated numbers, the spotlight begins to fade as you see a smile slowly spread across his face. Later, as he’s on the cherry picker during rehearsal, he laughs about the picker being on the low setting, then notices someone beneath him and says hi. And throughout the movie, viewers will notice that he can be eccentric about letting his music and certain moments in the concert “simmer” or “sizzle.”

When you’re watching THIS IS IT, all the frightening images of post-surgery Michael and all the disturbing interviews and accusations simply melt away. Despite being a perfectionist, he treats the crew with compassion and patience. The artistic choices that he makes during the concert preparation are brilliant. He sings and dances with the skill of someone much younger than his 50 years. In short, THIS IS IT shows us the Michael that we always wanted to memorialize: the musical genius. I miss him a lot more now.

Originally published at gordon and the whale dot com.

The Office: The Lover

Last week’s “Mafia” was an offer we could easily refuse. Hopefully this week’s journey into DunderMifflinLand will have a little more pizzazz. Let’s go!

Jim and Pam return from their honeymoon with candy, which I think is more than generous. Michael pretends to be a character named Blind Guy McSqueezy… sigh.

After the theme song, Michael reveals to Jim that he’s been fooling around with Pam’s mom. Understandably, Jim flips out and wants to keep the news from Pam. As the couple presents Michael with some rum from Puerto Rico, Pam eagerly wants to know who Michael has dinner plans with. Pam runs out screaming.

Later, Michael has a meeting about volunteerism and caring about the community at which Pam flips out and tells Michael what she really thinks about him. The office is horrified when they discover the news about Michael and Pam’s mom, but Michael makes an emotional appeal. Pam is still furious, spurring a showdown between her and Michael.

The situation gets so bad that Michael turns to Toby for some conflict resolution. That doesn’t work, so Michael and Pam have a screaming match in the kitchen that goes nowhere.

Meanwhile, Dwight plants a bug in a wooden mallard to be placed in Jim’s office. Jim outsmarts Dwight by first playing an opera loudly and then giving the duck to Kelly. As punishment, Jim makes Dwight clean Pam’s car. Jim tells Pam that Dwight did it to make her feel better and then cheers her up by reminiscing about their honeymoon.


Quotes of the Week:

Michael: Good, a pact. Although I may have to break it tonight when Helene and I tell Pam over dinner.

Michael: I think you’re underestimating Pam. I think, more than anything, she wants me to be happy.
Jim: Not more than anything.

Michael: I’m gonna start dating her even harder.


I deem this week’s MVP to be Jenna Fischer as Pam. Honorable mention goes to Leslie David Baker as Stanley. He made an art of being a background character in this episode. Every facial expression was priceless.

Bonus points for: Creed’s tears during the opera, Ryan’s fedora and Jim and Pam’s honeymoon inside jokes. Also, did anyone else notice there were two bleeps this week due to profanity? I don't think we've ever had more than one.


This was a much more solid episode than last week’s outing. I guess Jim and Pam kinda hold the office together – which is why it was so great to see the once mild-mannered Pam go ballistic. It was also nice to see Jim working on being a good husband and trying to support Pam, whether through inside jokes or hot chocolate.

Are we to assume that Pam’s mom is collapsing in on herself like a dying star like Jan once did by dating Michael? It’s easy to understand Pam’s disbelief and hysteria when you’ve known Michael as long as she has.

As for the Dwight subplot, I liked the idea of him bugging Jim’s office. That’s classic Dwight. But him ultimately outsmarting Jim was not only creepy, but out of character – something that’s been a theme for Dwight since late last season. He’s become less dorky and more creepy… and a little clever. I guess he’d learn a thing or two after awhile, but his snarky comments just ring untrue for me. Bring back classic Dwight.

Next week on “The Office:” In “Koi Pond,” it’s Halloween and the office plans a haunted house for the children in the community. And at an important business meeting, Michael falls into a koi pond. Meanwhile, Pam and Andy go cold calling to drum up more sales.

The Office: Mafia

I have to hand it to “The Office” for having the big wedding episode in the middle of the season and not as a season finale or even during sweeps. That’s extra awesome for Dunder Mifflin fans like us because we can jump right back into crazy office shenanigans this week. Let’s go!

We open on a typical conference room meeting: Michael teaching, Toby correcting, etc. Ryan tells Michael to write a book if he knows so much about business. This later proves difficult for Michael.

After the shortened theme song, a man is waiting at Dunder Mifflin to sell insurance to Michael. Dwight and Andy suspect the salesman is a mob man. (Oscar notes that, since Pam and Jim are gone, the voices of reason are becoming fewer.)

Dwight and Andy accompany Michael to meet the man for lunch. Andy wears a mechanic’s disguise so as not to attract attention to his weapon, a tire iron. (I loved the hilarious touch of Andy wearing his Cornell hat.) But Andy is called away when a woman needs to jump start her car. Naturally, he makes the car explode a little bit.

Mike signs with the insurance guy, then panics. He calls Jim, who pretends to be lost in the Bermuda Triangle. Oscar tells him to just cancel, but Michael seems to think it can’t be that easy. Dwight and Andy tell Michael the salesman is not part of the mob (which, of course, he’s not), so he yells at the guy and backs out of the deal.

Meanwhile, Kevin has taken over Jim’s office to literally fart around in. He gets a call about someone using Jim’s credit card in Puerto Rico, and accidentally gets a hold put on Jim’s card. Oscar tells Kevin that what he did counts as fraud. By the end of the episode, Jim and Pam are dealing with the cancelled credit card, but have no idea it is Kevin’s fault.


Quotes of the Week:

Andy: When somebody threatens you, you need to give in right away.

Kevin: (to Oscar) Oh, you would love jail.

Michael: It’s only the price of a cup of coffee an hour.

Dwight: (to Andy) We let Michael down and it’s 85 percent your fault.

Michael: If there’s one thing I hate more than the mafia, it’s liars. I wish the mafia would go out and kill all the liars. And bury them in my yard.

I deem this week’s MVP to be Ed Helms as Andy Bernard. That mechanic bit… brilliant.


Obviously, this episode was somewhat of a letdown after last week. But even without last week’s wedding, I think this episode was one of the weaker ones of the season so far. The mob concept was funny, but I much prefer episodes that involve the entire office. And frankly, the hijinks were carried by Andy, and to a lesser extent, Dwight. Seeing Michael as a pushover wasn’t as much fun as it sounds. However, I thought the Kevin subplot was hilarious.

Next week on “The Office:” In “The Lover,” Michael shocks Jim and Pam when he reveals the identity of the new woman he has been dating. Dwight apologizes to Jim for years of torment with a strange peace offering.

The Office: Niagara

It’s here, “Office” fans: the Jim and Pam wedding that’s been five seasons in the making. Did television’s cutest couple indeed tie the knot? Did Michael manage to ruin it somehow? What’s with the wig Kevin’s been sporting in the promos? Answers to all this and more in my Jam Wedding Recap Extravaganza! Mazel tov!

We open on Pam making a plea to the office to wear less perfume and eat less smelly lunches. Dwight insists on peeling eggs and Pam throws up, setting off a chain reaction of vomiting in the office. The grossest cold open ever… so perfect.

After the credits, the employees are in a meeting, learning the dos and don’ts of going to the wedding. Among the don’ts: Firecrackers and telling any of the other guests about Pam being pregnant. Michael warns everyone not to embarrass him because he plans on picking up women at the celebration.

At the rehearsal dinner, Jim starts the amazing toast he’s prepared… and accidentally mentions Pam’s pregnancy. Michael tries to gloss over it by talking about “accidents” and Jim and Pam living together. Pam’s grandmother is horrified and wants to leave.

Later, Dwight woos the ladies with his horse stories while Andy throws a real “Bernard throwdown” in his room just before tearing his scrotum while dancing. Pam has to take Andy to the hospital because Michael’s gotten Jim drunk.

The next morning, Kevin’s still trying to decide whether or not to wear a hairpiece and is dealing with the destruction of his shoes. (He ultimately wears the hairpiece and dons Kleenex boxes on his feet.) Michael is baffled by Dwight having scored with an attractive bridesmaid.

A quiet Jim and Pam moment finally comes when, after tearing her veil, Pam breaks down in tears. To make her feel better, Jim cuts his tie in half. The couple commiserates about all of the stress and then bolts from the church. They return as Michael and Pam’s mom are hitting it off and before the guests can steal back their gifts.

Then… the wedding party imitates that ridiculous JK Wedding Dance video from YouTube while it’s revealed through flashback that Jim and Pam already got married on a boat next to Niagara Falls just before coming back to the church. Perfect.


Quotes of the Week:

Pam: We should have hired a professional to take the mental pictures.

Dwight: Hello. My name is Dwight Schrute. If you’re listening to this, you’re a lucky woman that Michael has seduced.

Andy: I’ll break in the bed.
Pam: I’m going to need the name and cell phone number of the housekeeper responsible for changing the sheets.

Oscar: You thought I was dating HIM? What the hell is wrong with you?

Michael: I have another one of them in the nude. But that one is for me.


I deem this week’s MVPs to be John Krasinski as Jim and Jenna Fischer as Pam.


Obviously, I was looking forward to this episode on a number of levels. One of which is that it’s simply good television and a step forward for comedy shows. (Check out this article that says so better than I can.) Another is that I’ve simply grown attached to Jim and Pam as fully-fleshed out and well-written characters. Not to mention that they’re easy to identify with, especially for me, as one half of a recently married Jam couple.

So did the episode live up to my expectations? Absolutely. “The Office” often suffers in the hour-long format, but I think this was their strongest hour-long yet. (Yes, even better than “A Benihana Christmas.”) Writers Greg Daniels and Mindy Kaling did an incredible job of spreading the comedy out among the cast and making the stress and chaos of a wedding realistic. (Well, except maybe for Andy’s injury… but I’d never want that cut out.)

Most importantly, the saga of Jim and Pam took another real, heartwarming, adorable step forward. I couldn’t have imagined anything more perfectly suited to these character’s arcs.

Next week on “The Office:” In “Mafia,” Michael meets with an insurance salesman who visits the office and is later convinced by Dwight and Andy that he is part of the Mafia. Erin accidentally ruins Pam’s painting.

Review: Capitalism: A Love Story

Rating: 7/10
Director: Michael Moore

You already know if you’re going to see this movie. You either like Michael Moore or you don’t. You either appreciate his talent for exposing corruption and swaying opinion or you think he’s a chubby Communist. If you fall into the former category of documentary enthusiasts, you won’t be disappointed by CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY.

This time around, Moore tackles big business, economic corruption, and Wall Street.
Using montages and stills from the sunny 1950s, Moore shows the audience when capitalism seemed to be working and how, suddenly, it wasn’t.

He pinpoints the exact moment of America’s economic downturn as the moment we elected Reagan. One of the more uncomfortable parts of the film is when Moore shows what the greed of that era has done to businesses today. He often returns to Flint, Michigan, his hometown, as an example of how corporate greed ruined an entire city.

One discouraging section of the film involves time spent with airline pilots. Moore discovers that many pilots have to work second jobs as dog walkers and waitresses because they make less than $20,000 a year.

In his films, Moore always has one example that sticks with you. In this film, he finds families who have lost a loved one, only to discover that the company they worked for took an insurance policy out on them and profited from their departed family member’s death. Moore sits with one man who lost his wife and discovered that her employer, Wal-Mart, had taken out one of these “dead peasant” policies on her, making them a tidy profit when she passed.

Another woman is told that her late husband’s company made over $5 million off of his death. Obviously, the families never see this money. (Moore makes the point that you’re probably worth more to your company dead than alive.) Moore lists several companies that take out such policies on their employees, including AT&T, Hershey, CitiBank, Bank of America, American Express, and more. Yikes.

The film even uses religion and interviews with clergymen to point out that capitalism is completely against the teachings of Christianity, the one system aside from capitalism that American citizens are assumed to hold dear.

As with all of his films, Moore narrates the unsettling and disturbing images onscreen with a calm sarcasm. Also per usual, he pulls some kind of big stunt that’s mostly for visual effect and humor. Here, he tries to make a citizen’s arrest of the banks that received buyouts earlier this year. He refers to what happened as a robbery. Even Moore seems to realize that it’s silly and instead makes a call to action, encouraging viewers to revolt as well.

While Moore makes compelling points, he may be too specific in calling out the concept of capitalism as a whole. One gets the sense that the real enemy is greed, not the free enterprise system.

Still, Moore uses harrowing visuals and a stunningly well-utilized soundtrack to convince you that, even if he’s not completely right, it’s necessary to question what’s going on in America today.


Also posted at gordon and the whale dot com.