Hey guys! Obviously this post has been a long time coming and I apologize. But if you've been crying yourself to sleep at night, missing my Office recaps, dry those eyes.
All my content is at The Dallas Morning News' TV Blog. Enjoy!
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
The Office: Whistleblower
Holly Flax is coming back to the Scranton branch. So ends the weakest season of The Office: with a glimmer of hope and a beginning to the end.
Next season may be Steve Carell's last and if that means the end of the series - as I hope it does, since the show just shouldn't exist without Michael Scott - then bringing back the love of Michael's life would be a fitting way to send it off.
But for now, let's put season six to rest. The season finale began with Michael enjoying the tiny amount of fame he'd garnered by telling the local news that nothing was wrong with Sabre printers. Of course, that wasn't true, so Jo (Kathy Bates) returned to Scranton to figure out who was the whistleblower.
Darryl, Pam and Kelly all thought they'd done it by accidentally talking to a reporter, but Nick the I.T. guy - in a fit of rage because no one knew his name - revealed that it was Andy, as everyone had already suspected. Only Erin had any sympathy for him.
As Jo and Michael worked together, Michael talked about how much he missed Holly. Jo confessed to not wanting to be the stereotypical corporate head who has to make a public apology and recall. Michael, remembering how fun it is to be on TV, volunteered and in exchange, Jo promised to try and transfer Holly back to Scranton.
In the development most likely to fade by the second or third episode next season, Dwight took Jo's advice about buying property and decided to buy the Scranton Business Park that houses Dunder Mifflin, Vance Refrigeration, and others. (In a cute reference to the British Office, Dwight revealed that the business park is located on Slough Avenue.) Also, David Wallace and his children's toy vacuum, "Suck It," made a cameo!
Hopes for next season: the continued absence of Jim and Pam's baby, better characterization, and a solid ending to one of my favorite shows ever. See you next season!
Quotes of the Week:
Dwight: Are you referring to alchemy?
Dwight: I'm not dumb. I'm smart.
Dwight: Basement office? You mean like a lair?
Gabe: What a rich timbre your voice has.
Nick: Darryl, you're on Facebook. Why have you been telling people you're not on Facebook? People want to be your friend, man!
Next season may be Steve Carell's last and if that means the end of the series - as I hope it does, since the show just shouldn't exist without Michael Scott - then bringing back the love of Michael's life would be a fitting way to send it off.
But for now, let's put season six to rest. The season finale began with Michael enjoying the tiny amount of fame he'd garnered by telling the local news that nothing was wrong with Sabre printers. Of course, that wasn't true, so Jo (Kathy Bates) returned to Scranton to figure out who was the whistleblower.
Darryl, Pam and Kelly all thought they'd done it by accidentally talking to a reporter, but Nick the I.T. guy - in a fit of rage because no one knew his name - revealed that it was Andy, as everyone had already suspected. Only Erin had any sympathy for him.
As Jo and Michael worked together, Michael talked about how much he missed Holly. Jo confessed to not wanting to be the stereotypical corporate head who has to make a public apology and recall. Michael, remembering how fun it is to be on TV, volunteered and in exchange, Jo promised to try and transfer Holly back to Scranton.
In the development most likely to fade by the second or third episode next season, Dwight took Jo's advice about buying property and decided to buy the Scranton Business Park that houses Dunder Mifflin, Vance Refrigeration, and others. (In a cute reference to the British Office, Dwight revealed that the business park is located on Slough Avenue.) Also, David Wallace and his children's toy vacuum, "Suck It," made a cameo!
Hopes for next season: the continued absence of Jim and Pam's baby, better characterization, and a solid ending to one of my favorite shows ever. See you next season!
Quotes of the Week:
Dwight: Are you referring to alchemy?
Dwight: I'm not dumb. I'm smart.
Dwight: Basement office? You mean like a lair?
Gabe: What a rich timbre your voice has.
Nick: Darryl, you're on Facebook. Why have you been telling people you're not on Facebook? People want to be your friend, man!
Friday, May 14, 2010
The Office: The Chump
Thursday night's episode, "The Chump," was a major disappointment. It felt like filler - something to bide our time between last week's episode and next week's season finale. Jokes fell flat, characterizations were off, and storylines were dropped and picked up with reckless abandon for continuity.
Even more frustrating, the show seems to be substituting relationship problems with the workplace problems that made the show fun to watch. We've always known these characters, but their private lives were still relatively private. Now the entire office meddles in each other's affairs - it's usually funny, but it's still no replacement for the workplace humor that should be at the forefront of the show.
The employees assumed that Michael would have broken things off with Donna after learning that she was cheating on her husband with him. Pam and Erin bought ice cream and instructed everyone to laugh at Michael's jokes - but they quickly find that Michael is still enjoying an affair. The office is dismayed at his cavalier attitude and Andy takes charge. Having been cuckolded himself, Andy took Michael to meet Donna's husband, a local high school baseball coach.
The one bright spot of this episode was Andy. Without the Erin romance weighing him down, Ed Helms' performance was a return to the delightfully whimsical and near-irritating Andy of season three. His behavior at the baseball game had me in stitches. But alas, Andy's plan backfired. Shaking the hand of the man he was cuckolding made Michael feel like James Bond. He takes this attitude back to the office where, after offending nearly everyone, he realizes that he'd rather be able to live with himself than be happy. So he breaks up with Donna via text message.
While all of this was going on, Dwight and Angela were trying to get out of their baby-making contract. Angela either wanted a baby or Schrute Farms. (I'm not sure why they got to hold a mediated negotiation in the middle of the conference room during a workday, but then Michael got to go to a baseball game.) They compromised by agreeing to make love five more times. Dwight took no chances and lowered his sperm count through various painful methods.
Many aspects of the episode were lazy: How could Michael feel okay about enabling Donna's cheating when he was so against Stanley's affair? Did Andy and Erin ever officially break up? What happened to Isabel, the attractive girl who was mysteriously into Dwight when we last saw him and Angela arguing over their contract? And the Jim/Pam subplot of not getting enough sleep was cute enough, but didn't pay off until the end of the episode.
Next week looks to tackle the Sabre-exploding-printers controversy before we leave for the summer.
Quotes of the Week:
Michael: If I had a gun with two bullets and I was in a room with Hitler, Bin Laden and Toby, I would shoot Toby twice.
Creed: Curve the bullet, like in my favorite James McAvoy film, Wanted.
Dwight: Michael! Nice tie or something.
Michael: Real Sports with Bryant Gumball.
Andy: You're Ali Larter. I am Beyonce.
Michael: I am Beyonce. Always.
Andy: No. But we're gay for baseball.
Even more frustrating, the show seems to be substituting relationship problems with the workplace problems that made the show fun to watch. We've always known these characters, but their private lives were still relatively private. Now the entire office meddles in each other's affairs - it's usually funny, but it's still no replacement for the workplace humor that should be at the forefront of the show.
The employees assumed that Michael would have broken things off with Donna after learning that she was cheating on her husband with him. Pam and Erin bought ice cream and instructed everyone to laugh at Michael's jokes - but they quickly find that Michael is still enjoying an affair. The office is dismayed at his cavalier attitude and Andy takes charge. Having been cuckolded himself, Andy took Michael to meet Donna's husband, a local high school baseball coach.
The one bright spot of this episode was Andy. Without the Erin romance weighing him down, Ed Helms' performance was a return to the delightfully whimsical and near-irritating Andy of season three. His behavior at the baseball game had me in stitches. But alas, Andy's plan backfired. Shaking the hand of the man he was cuckolding made Michael feel like James Bond. He takes this attitude back to the office where, after offending nearly everyone, he realizes that he'd rather be able to live with himself than be happy. So he breaks up with Donna via text message.
While all of this was going on, Dwight and Angela were trying to get out of their baby-making contract. Angela either wanted a baby or Schrute Farms. (I'm not sure why they got to hold a mediated negotiation in the middle of the conference room during a workday, but then Michael got to go to a baseball game.) They compromised by agreeing to make love five more times. Dwight took no chances and lowered his sperm count through various painful methods.
Many aspects of the episode were lazy: How could Michael feel okay about enabling Donna's cheating when he was so against Stanley's affair? Did Andy and Erin ever officially break up? What happened to Isabel, the attractive girl who was mysteriously into Dwight when we last saw him and Angela arguing over their contract? And the Jim/Pam subplot of not getting enough sleep was cute enough, but didn't pay off until the end of the episode.
Next week looks to tackle the Sabre-exploding-printers controversy before we leave for the summer.
Quotes of the Week:
Michael: If I had a gun with two bullets and I was in a room with Hitler, Bin Laden and Toby, I would shoot Toby twice.
Creed: Curve the bullet, like in my favorite James McAvoy film, Wanted.
Dwight: Michael! Nice tie or something.
Michael: Real Sports with Bryant Gumball.
Andy: You're Ali Larter. I am Beyonce.
Michael: I am Beyonce. Always.
Andy: No. But we're gay for baseball.
Friday, May 7, 2010
The Office: The Cover-Up
It's a good thing The Office stepped up its game last night. Parks and Recreation and Community have been nearly outdoing it all season and even 30 Rock has gotten really funny again in the last three weeks. So even though Community aired what may have been its best episode yet, The Office had a terrific companion with "The Cover-Up."
The cold open brought me back to more whimsical times, as Jim and Pam showed off their knowledge of Morse code by tapping on their computer desks and clicking their pens in order to make Dwight paranoid. It was totally a call back to season three when Jim said that he and Pam would hum the same high pitched note and convince Dwight to see an ear doctor for his "pretendinitis." Loved it.
The bulk of the episode, directed by first timer Rainn Wilson, focused on Michael trying to discern if Donna was cheating on him. After hearing about how Donna always wanted to leave town to go on dates, the employees grew suspicious of Donna's intentions. Michael hired Dwight to spy on her, but Dwight decided that the best way to figure out if Donna was cheating was to try and seduce her.
Angry, Donna confronted Michael at the office and said she wasn't cheating, but when Kelly grilled her about the jewelry she was wearing, Donna couldn't come up with a story fast enough. That made Pam wary, so she checked Facebook and found that Donna was indeed cheating on Michael. (Michael isn't on Facebook yet? Surely that'll happen soon.) But when Michael asked Donna, she revealed that she was actually married and that Michael is the mistress.
In the B plot, Andy received a call from a customer about their Sabre printer exploding into flames while printing a pretty huge amount of documents. Andy told Gabe, who promised to call corporate about it. Darryl, who was still mad about a missed shipment caused by Andy more than two years ago, saw his opportunity for revenge and convinced Andy that he was now at the center of a corporate cover-up and was likely to be "eliminated."
Darryl got Andy to test out a printer in the old Michael Scott Paper Company headquarters and - lo and behold - it actually blew up. I hope this is a setup for the rest of the season, because I can definitely see the comedy in a corporate cover-up - especially if Gabe continues to try to buy people off with Dunkin Donuts gift cards.
Quotes of the Week:
Michael: We went to a little Chinese bistro. P.F. Changs.
Michael: This is the real world. Not The Real World: Scranton.
Michael: How much do you charge?
Dwight: One hundred dollars a day, plus expenses.
Michael. I'll give you fifty. Money's no object.
Michael: It's never too early for ice cream. But we didn't have ice cream, so this is mayonnaise and black olives.
Dwight: I don't quit until something tears or pops.
Creed: So there I am, minding my own business. Darnell offers me three bucks. All I had to do was walk by Andy's desk and go like this: (slices finger across neck). Darnell's a chump. I would've done it for anything. I've done a lot more for a lot less.
The cold open brought me back to more whimsical times, as Jim and Pam showed off their knowledge of Morse code by tapping on their computer desks and clicking their pens in order to make Dwight paranoid. It was totally a call back to season three when Jim said that he and Pam would hum the same high pitched note and convince Dwight to see an ear doctor for his "pretendinitis." Loved it.
The bulk of the episode, directed by first timer Rainn Wilson, focused on Michael trying to discern if Donna was cheating on him. After hearing about how Donna always wanted to leave town to go on dates, the employees grew suspicious of Donna's intentions. Michael hired Dwight to spy on her, but Dwight decided that the best way to figure out if Donna was cheating was to try and seduce her.
Angry, Donna confronted Michael at the office and said she wasn't cheating, but when Kelly grilled her about the jewelry she was wearing, Donna couldn't come up with a story fast enough. That made Pam wary, so she checked Facebook and found that Donna was indeed cheating on Michael. (Michael isn't on Facebook yet? Surely that'll happen soon.) But when Michael asked Donna, she revealed that she was actually married and that Michael is the mistress.
In the B plot, Andy received a call from a customer about their Sabre printer exploding into flames while printing a pretty huge amount of documents. Andy told Gabe, who promised to call corporate about it. Darryl, who was still mad about a missed shipment caused by Andy more than two years ago, saw his opportunity for revenge and convinced Andy that he was now at the center of a corporate cover-up and was likely to be "eliminated."
Darryl got Andy to test out a printer in the old Michael Scott Paper Company headquarters and - lo and behold - it actually blew up. I hope this is a setup for the rest of the season, because I can definitely see the comedy in a corporate cover-up - especially if Gabe continues to try to buy people off with Dunkin Donuts gift cards.
Quotes of the Week:
Michael: We went to a little Chinese bistro. P.F. Changs.
Michael: This is the real world. Not The Real World: Scranton.
Michael: How much do you charge?
Dwight: One hundred dollars a day, plus expenses.
Michael. I'll give you fifty. Money's no object.
Michael: It's never too early for ice cream. But we didn't have ice cream, so this is mayonnaise and black olives.
Dwight: I don't quit until something tears or pops.
Creed: So there I am, minding my own business. Darnell offers me three bucks. All I had to do was walk by Andy's desk and go like this: (slices finger across neck). Darnell's a chump. I would've done it for anything. I've done a lot more for a lot less.
Friday, April 30, 2010
The Office: Body Language
With the news arriving this week that the next season of The Office may be the last for Steve Carell, I find myself awaiting the end of an era. I'm of the opinion that if Carell walks, the series should end. (Though I would not be opposed to a Dwight or Andy centered spin-off.) I don't want to see the series flounder. Currently, the show isn't as good as it was in seasons two and three, but it is still one of the funniest on television, even in its weaker weeks. And this was kind of a weak week.
After one of my favorite cold opens in series history in which Michael tries to learn Spanish, Jim and Pam tried to work together on a sales pitch for Michael's new love interest, Donna, who was looking to buy some printers. (Whoever wrote for Pam in this episode is awful. Pam was funny enough - but she wasn't Pam.) Michael took over the sale and tried to woo the lady, first with Victoria's Secret magazines, then with a subliminal message slideshow. When he tried to kiss Donna in the conference room with the entire office watching, she recoiled.
The office was divided, similarly to the Hilary Swank themed episode. Was Donna interested in Michael? After all, she was wearing provocative clothing and didn't storm out after Michael's advances. Later, Michael tried to eat a mint out of her hand and she was even more horrified. But in the end, Michael ran to her car after she forgot her barrette and received a kiss from the vaguely desperate Donna.
The B plot was much funnier. After Dwight was opposed to Darryl participating in Sabre's "Print In All Colors" executive training program, Dwight tried to get Kelly interested in applying, assuming she will be a more malleable source of power. I always love when The Office shows how unfamiliar Kelly is with Indian heritage, so I was a sucker for this bit. She ended up getting the position with the program, where she determined that she would succeed, promote Ryan and together, the duo would "clean house."
Quotes of the Week:
Dwight: I have it on good authority that within 20 years, everyone will be speaking German. Or a Chinese-German hybrid.
Oscar: That's what he says?
Angela: You should see their baby!
Gabe: You have to be a minority.
Dwight: Uh, glasses-wearers, cholera survivors, geniuses, non-organic family farmers, the list goes on and on.
Creed: You ever notice you can only ooze two things? Sexuality and pus.
Kevin: Now you know how I feel sitting next to those M&Ms all day.
Andy: Well, why don't you just move the M&Ms?
Kevin: Well, why don't you shut up?
After one of my favorite cold opens in series history in which Michael tries to learn Spanish, Jim and Pam tried to work together on a sales pitch for Michael's new love interest, Donna, who was looking to buy some printers. (Whoever wrote for Pam in this episode is awful. Pam was funny enough - but she wasn't Pam.) Michael took over the sale and tried to woo the lady, first with Victoria's Secret magazines, then with a subliminal message slideshow. When he tried to kiss Donna in the conference room with the entire office watching, she recoiled.
The office was divided, similarly to the Hilary Swank themed episode. Was Donna interested in Michael? After all, she was wearing provocative clothing and didn't storm out after Michael's advances. Later, Michael tried to eat a mint out of her hand and she was even more horrified. But in the end, Michael ran to her car after she forgot her barrette and received a kiss from the vaguely desperate Donna.
The B plot was much funnier. After Dwight was opposed to Darryl participating in Sabre's "Print In All Colors" executive training program, Dwight tried to get Kelly interested in applying, assuming she will be a more malleable source of power. I always love when The Office shows how unfamiliar Kelly is with Indian heritage, so I was a sucker for this bit. She ended up getting the position with the program, where she determined that she would succeed, promote Ryan and together, the duo would "clean house."
Quotes of the Week:
Dwight: I have it on good authority that within 20 years, everyone will be speaking German. Or a Chinese-German hybrid.
Oscar: That's what he says?
Angela: You should see their baby!
Gabe: You have to be a minority.
Dwight: Uh, glasses-wearers, cholera survivors, geniuses, non-organic family farmers, the list goes on and on.
Creed: You ever notice you can only ooze two things? Sexuality and pus.
Kevin: Now you know how I feel sitting next to those M&Ms all day.
Andy: Well, why don't you just move the M&Ms?
Kevin: Well, why don't you shut up?
Friday, April 23, 2010
The Office: Secretary's Day
I've said it before and I'll say it again: the best "Office" episodes revolve around holidays. As I have learned from actually working in an office, this is because people in offices really really look forward to holidays. It is a small break from the mundane, from doing the same thing over and over.
So it's no wonder that, like the titular holiday of the episode, "Secretary's Day" was a weird little episode with a lot of fun moments. Kinda like your awkward office party.
Andy, being the sentimental schmuck that he is, forced everyone to celebrate Secretary's Day because he knew it would make simple-minded Erin happy. He convinces Michael to go to lunch with her, despite Michael being opposed to the idea. (This is actually the genius conceit of the episode: Michael's dismay at having to hang out with someone as socially-inept as Erin is how everyone else in the world feels about having to be around Michael. Brilliant.)
At the restaurant, Michael mentions Andy's prior engagement to Angela. (Could this be the first time on the show where I'm not mad at Michael for being unable to keep a secret? Why would Andy not tell Erin that - and why would he expect others to keep it on the down-low?) Erin breaks down in the middle of the restaurant, using her hair as a comfort blanket. Back at the office, she throws a piece of cake at Andy and storms out. Pam comforts her with a nice speech about it not being about who you've been with but who you're meant to find. Michael also eases Erin's pain by listing everything terrible about Angela.
In the B plot, Oscar posted a video on YouTube of the Cookie Monster speaking with Kevin's voice. This leads to some amazing/terrible/cruel Cookie Monster/Kevin impressions around the office. Kevin implores Gabe from Sabre's help, so Gabe suspends Jim, Pam and Dwight. Pam and Gabe discover separately and simultaneously that Gabe is not actually allowed to do that, so Jim and Pam enjoy a day off with pay. Meanwhile, Kevin earns his cred back by mocking Gabe's lame-o tendencies as the rest of the office joins in.
Quotes of the Week:
Dwight: Is that the program where all those puppets live in the barrio?
Angela: This is my favorite day!
Michael: Would you mind if I listened to my book on tape? Kind of a bookworm. It is a novelization of the movie "Precious, based on the book Push by Sapphire."
Erin: And then, my last job was at a Taco Bell Express. But then it became a full-time Taco Bell and... I don't know. I couldn't keep up.
Erin: In the foster home my hair was my room.
Michael: I'll have what she's having!
Dwight: Three squeezes, and I would drain you.
Meredith: This is like the Cadillac of pumps.
So it's no wonder that, like the titular holiday of the episode, "Secretary's Day" was a weird little episode with a lot of fun moments. Kinda like your awkward office party.
Andy, being the sentimental schmuck that he is, forced everyone to celebrate Secretary's Day because he knew it would make simple-minded Erin happy. He convinces Michael to go to lunch with her, despite Michael being opposed to the idea. (This is actually the genius conceit of the episode: Michael's dismay at having to hang out with someone as socially-inept as Erin is how everyone else in the world feels about having to be around Michael. Brilliant.)
At the restaurant, Michael mentions Andy's prior engagement to Angela. (Could this be the first time on the show where I'm not mad at Michael for being unable to keep a secret? Why would Andy not tell Erin that - and why would he expect others to keep it on the down-low?) Erin breaks down in the middle of the restaurant, using her hair as a comfort blanket. Back at the office, she throws a piece of cake at Andy and storms out. Pam comforts her with a nice speech about it not being about who you've been with but who you're meant to find. Michael also eases Erin's pain by listing everything terrible about Angela.
In the B plot, Oscar posted a video on YouTube of the Cookie Monster speaking with Kevin's voice. This leads to some amazing/terrible/cruel Cookie Monster/Kevin impressions around the office. Kevin implores Gabe from Sabre's help, so Gabe suspends Jim, Pam and Dwight. Pam and Gabe discover separately and simultaneously that Gabe is not actually allowed to do that, so Jim and Pam enjoy a day off with pay. Meanwhile, Kevin earns his cred back by mocking Gabe's lame-o tendencies as the rest of the office joins in.
Quotes of the Week:
Dwight: Is that the program where all those puppets live in the barrio?
Angela: This is my favorite day!
Michael: Would you mind if I listened to my book on tape? Kind of a bookworm. It is a novelization of the movie "Precious, based on the book Push by Sapphire."
Erin: And then, my last job was at a Taco Bell Express. But then it became a full-time Taco Bell and... I don't know. I couldn't keep up.
Erin: In the foster home my hair was my room.
Michael: I'll have what she's having!
Dwight: Three squeezes, and I would drain you.
Meredith: This is like the Cadillac of pumps.
Friday, March 26, 2010
The Office: Happy Hour
Love was in the air in Scranton! Last night's Office did something it used to do so well and fairly often: take a simple situation without much plot and use it to explore these interesting characters at Dunder Mifflin. One of the best examples of this is "The Fire" from season two. The plot is simple: a fire alarm goes off at work and everyone stands outside. It happens all the time in real life. But in the episode, as in real life, we use the time to get to know the co-workers.
Thursday's "Happy Hour" was based on the premise that Oscar wanted to get to know Matt from the warehouse a little better. So he asked Darryl to organize a happy hour with the warehouse workers and the Dunder Mifflin folks.
Since that really is the entire plot, it would be easier to talk about what happened to each couple on the show.
Jim and Pam: Jim used the baby excuse to get out of happy hour, but then learned that Pam was overjoyed at the prospect of seeing someone, anyone who wasn't drooling or crying. She was even thrilled to see Kevin, who spent the episode making baby noises because he thought it would make Pam lactate. (Gross.) Pam brought a friend along with the intent to set her up with Michael. Why? She laughs at everything.
Michael and his dates: Michael was actually hitting it off with Julie until Jim told him it was meant to be a set-up. Then Michael transformed himself into "Date Mike," a jerk with an unbuttoned shirt and backwards hat. When his obnoxious antics attracted attention, the manager of the bar/arcade asked Michael to leave. He told the manager, played by the lovely Amy Pietz of the cancelled-too-soon Aliens in America, that she embarrassed him and that he would have handled the situation differently. They discussed managing styles and actually got along quite well.
Andy and Erin: This Bizarro-world Jim and Pam tried to hide their budding relationship from the rest of the office, but Andy got too jealous seeing Erin trying to flirt with other men. He announced their love from the mic stand at the ticket counter.
Dwight and Isabelle: Dwight and the way-too-attractive-for-Dwight woman from Pam's wedding, Isabelle, continued their flirtation, much to Angela's chagrin. It seems that signing a contract to have a baby with Dwight had her thinking they're a couple again. As Dwight hung out with Isabelle, Angela repeatedly popped up to scare them or be awkward, culminating with Angela telling Isabelle about the contract. On any other show, Isabelle would be appalled and storm off. But here, she whacked Angela on the head like the whack-a-mole game she and Dwight enjoyed earlier. (How did Dwight get so good at that game, you ask? Whacking actual moles, of course.)
I love love love episodes like this one. I've been dying for a light-hearted outing like this to remind me of what I love in these characters. They've been so stressed and occupied lately with having babies and dealing with new management that "Happy Hour" was just what everyone needed.
Quotes of the Week:
Dwight: I love repartee. Usually means there's a battle scene coming.
Michael: I'm Date Mike. Nice to meet me. How do you like your eggs in the morning?
Michael: (On the book he's writing on management) It is called Somehow I Manage, and there is going to be a picture of me on the cover, shrugging, with my sleeves rolled up.
Heeday: In Japan, heart surgeon. Number one. Steady hand. One day, yakuza boss need new heart. I do operation. But, mistake! Yakuza boss die. Yakuza very mad. I hide in fishing boat, come to America. No English, no food, no money. Darryl give me job. Now I have house, American car, and new woman. Darryl save life. My big secret: I kill yakuza boss on purpose. I good surgeon. The best!
Thursday's "Happy Hour" was based on the premise that Oscar wanted to get to know Matt from the warehouse a little better. So he asked Darryl to organize a happy hour with the warehouse workers and the Dunder Mifflin folks.
Since that really is the entire plot, it would be easier to talk about what happened to each couple on the show.
Jim and Pam: Jim used the baby excuse to get out of happy hour, but then learned that Pam was overjoyed at the prospect of seeing someone, anyone who wasn't drooling or crying. She was even thrilled to see Kevin, who spent the episode making baby noises because he thought it would make Pam lactate. (Gross.) Pam brought a friend along with the intent to set her up with Michael. Why? She laughs at everything.
Michael and his dates: Michael was actually hitting it off with Julie until Jim told him it was meant to be a set-up. Then Michael transformed himself into "Date Mike," a jerk with an unbuttoned shirt and backwards hat. When his obnoxious antics attracted attention, the manager of the bar/arcade asked Michael to leave. He told the manager, played by the lovely Amy Pietz of the cancelled-too-soon Aliens in America, that she embarrassed him and that he would have handled the situation differently. They discussed managing styles and actually got along quite well.
Andy and Erin: This Bizarro-world Jim and Pam tried to hide their budding relationship from the rest of the office, but Andy got too jealous seeing Erin trying to flirt with other men. He announced their love from the mic stand at the ticket counter.
Dwight and Isabelle: Dwight and the way-too-attractive-for-Dwight woman from Pam's wedding, Isabelle, continued their flirtation, much to Angela's chagrin. It seems that signing a contract to have a baby with Dwight had her thinking they're a couple again. As Dwight hung out with Isabelle, Angela repeatedly popped up to scare them or be awkward, culminating with Angela telling Isabelle about the contract. On any other show, Isabelle would be appalled and storm off. But here, she whacked Angela on the head like the whack-a-mole game she and Dwight enjoyed earlier. (How did Dwight get so good at that game, you ask? Whacking actual moles, of course.)
I love love love episodes like this one. I've been dying for a light-hearted outing like this to remind me of what I love in these characters. They've been so stressed and occupied lately with having babies and dealing with new management that "Happy Hour" was just what everyone needed.
Quotes of the Week:
Dwight: I love repartee. Usually means there's a battle scene coming.
Michael: I'm Date Mike. Nice to meet me. How do you like your eggs in the morning?
Michael: (On the book he's writing on management) It is called Somehow I Manage, and there is going to be a picture of me on the cover, shrugging, with my sleeves rolled up.
Heeday: In Japan, heart surgeon. Number one. Steady hand. One day, yakuza boss need new heart. I do operation. But, mistake! Yakuza boss die. Yakuza very mad. I hide in fishing boat, come to America. No English, no food, no money. Darryl give me job. Now I have house, American car, and new woman. Darryl save life. My big secret: I kill yakuza boss on purpose. I good surgeon. The best!
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