The Office: Crime Aid
By fred | October 24, 2008
(S05E04) I guess that at first, The Office was (just) a comedy. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course, but things have obviously changed over the years, the characters of the show have evolved, and we’ve all fallen in love with them. In the mean time, this show has probably become the best at portraying relationships and might be the best place to get your fix for romantic comedy.
Love stories are legion now on the show, and one of them might be just about to break my (our?) heart. So far it’s all be good, very good, pretty perfect even, but after this episode and when trying to think where this is heading, I can’t see any other way for the show but to break my heart.
Actually, that’s not true, there is a way : make Amy Ryan a series regular. We all know it seems completely unrealistic, for many reasons, but we also know that the best material these days isn’t necessarily found in big pictures, more often than once it is found on the small screen, on TV. Do you think Glenn Close was seen on The Shield or Damages by accident ? Of course not, and again, The Office offers some of the best material around when it comes to comedy and relationships.
I know Pam and Jim have always been the heart of the show, of course, but at this moment and while I was really glad to see Jim turn around and declare “I’m not that guy, we’re not that couple“, while I fully trust the writers that Pam is only having fun a way she didn’t when she was younger and that it doesn’t mean nothing else, that the cute couple will be happy and live together forever, so far this season Pam has been barely seen, and she has never been around.
Not counting any phone calls or video chat, they’ve been together only twice I think, one being the proposal. As much as I love Pam, and I really do, these days the greatest couple that melts my heart is without a doubt Michael and Holly. Just how cute are they together ? Seeing Michael asking whether or not their coming date was gonna be the one when they have sex, and Holly responding with a “Hell yeah!“, seeing the two of them discussing they sex life together to the camera, they’re just adorable and I don’t want to lose them.
Michael hasn’t really been happy in his personal life, not ever, surely not with that monster he dated before. This time with Holly, things are just great, they’re perfect, they’re too good to be true. And when, at the end of the episode, David Wallace was saying he didn’t know they were dating, and I’m guessing they didn’t sign that same paper Jim & Pam have to – which by the way is kinda odd, maybe, given how Holly wants to follow the rules and what’s expected from her when it comes to her job and corporate, no? – and that seems like the beginning of the end.
I can already see how it will go, why it will end, why Holly will have to leave, and I can only pray that the writers will just surprise us the same way they did with Jam, that some kind of U-turn is coming up we haven’t thought of, that just when we think we know where this is going, when it seems predictable, they’ll make us all wrong. Please, The Office, don’t break my heart.
Of course, those two relationships were not the only ones at the center of this episode, in fact the main one was Dwight and Angela’s. I think it’s fair to say that, much like Dwight, all of us always assumed that Angela would never actually do it, that her marriage with Andy would not happen. She said yes out of “pressure”, but she never meant to marry him, does doesn’t love him. But now that a date has been set, it’s all getting very real.
And Dwight sought help from the only person he could actually talk to about this, the only one who knew, Phyllis. But alas, his ultimatum didn’t take and it seems that Angela is going to get married — though I would totally expect Dwight to show up that day to oppose to this union, and steal Angela away. This also gave us a great insight on Dwight more “human” side, as the look on his face when he realized all Phyllis did was being nice and trying to help him.
I still think it started to bid on hugs mostly to try and get Angela jealous, but it seems it was also a way to say “thank you” as illustrated by the look on his face on the end. he realized she only meant to help him, she wanted him & Angela to be together, and he was genuinely grateful.
A few more things :
* Michael and Holly doing the same joke over & over again… “Oh, but I can’t tonight… I’m going out with you!” They’re just perfect for each other, perfect.
* Just a great exchange :
Phyllis: You’re making a knife with a knife ?
Dwight: You got a better way ?
Phyllis: You want to talk about it ?
Dwight: About what ?
Phyllis: You know I know. You know they know.
Dwight: I know none of that. And if I did, you’d be the last to know.
* I just loved the look on Stanley’s face after Michael said “we’ll action off people, like in the older days!”
* “It squeaks when I bang it. That’s what she said!”
* Michael’s speech as he had no idea where he was going and was desperately trying to find something to say out of all the words coming out of his mouth was pretty hilarious. That said, I can’t believe that anyone of them would actually believe that Michael had any tickets, oh come on! Do they not know the guy ? Have they not been around him for years ?? It was more than obvious he didn’t had anything, how could they really buy that ??
* Roy was back, met Jim, learned about the engagement, all that without a punch. Good, and I’m glad his attempt to put doubt in Jim’s mind failed…
* “Nobody steals from Creed Bratton and gets away with it. The last person to do this, disappeared. His name… Creed Bratton.” ‘nough said.
What an episode that was! And we’re only four episodes in, not even during sweeps, so I can’t even imagine what is coming up. What did you think of this episode ? Do you think Dwight was only trying to get Angela jealous, or he really was grateful to Phyllis ? Or maybe, he just really needed a hug ? What can we possibly do to keep Holly around ?
Posted in Reviews
Shows: The Office
I thought it was the best episode of the season so far. Funny, touching, and the bit right at the end had that kind of shock ‘Noooo!’ that I’m used to in programmes like Lost and BSG.
Well done The Office.