The Office: Lecture Circuit
By fred | February 6, 2009
(S05E14) After a little “break” with a special episode on Sunday, this time we were back to normal The Office goodness. And this episode was even really good at using lots of characters, one way or another, and as an added bonus it featured a fan-favorite you can never have enough of : Creed. And while I’m not always a fan of stories that get characters outside of the office, when it makes sense and done right, it can be just great — case in point with this episode.
For the past few weeks now there’s been a piece of information that we’ve been giving, something that sounds impossible and yet it true, something no one can really understand or explain : Michael is doing a good job. In fact, he is doing a great job, a better job that anybody else. Because of all the branches, Scranton is the one to pull out the best results.
Nobody knows why, but they would like to. That’s why Michael was brought in Wallace’s office recently, so he could explain what he was doing that worked so well.I thought they might send someone in, to “spy” in Michael, but they chose a different approach.
And considering what he did say to Wallace, which was a bunch of non-sense that went nowhere, for Wallace to decide that it “made sense,” and that that was something Michael should be sent to all other branches and repeat it to everybody, because they could learn something from it, shows that maybe Michael can be an idiot, but corporate isn’t that smart either.
I mean seriously, after the answer Michael gave Wallace I don’t see how it could have led to the decision of sending him to do lectures in all other branches around, and knowing Michael they had to know that it would go the way it did : Michael being Michael, not effective, very insulting (even though I’m amazed his trick actually worked, and he remembered their names, once past the “bald guy, black woman, crazy eyes…”), and of course bringing in a chainsaw to scare people. Of course.
This is not to say this was a bad thing, this was actually a really good thing, I liked it a lot, plus we got to see Karen again. This was not just good to see Pam getting closure and everyone being okay and past that love triangle from years past, this was awesome in that Michael, in the car with Pam, turned human again. It was one of those moments where there’s no act, he puts his mask down and you can see the actual human being behind it, the one who really loved Holly and still misses her terribly.
And with a little push from Pam, Michael is now heading towards Holly! Sounds like the best news ever, doesn’t it? I’m just worried, because unless she’s coming back for good, to be a series regular, I can’t see this ending well. Not for Michael, and not for us as we’ll lose her again, too. But I have faith in the writers that they’ll do exactly the right thing, and if Holly was coming back for more than one episode that would just be great.
Meanwhile, back art the office, we have a new boss at the head of the Party Planning Committee. Actually, we got two: Dwight and Jim. This was possibly the worst choice ever to be made, so it’s not surprising that’s the one Michael went with. Once again poor Kelly paid the price, as neither of them remembered her birthday, so of course there was no party or anything.
I was actually a bit surprised, I thought Dwight, when in charge of something, would go by the book, have collected everyone’s birthday and organized a calendar with every planned ahead and whatnot. But no, and neither him nor Jim knew it was Kelly’s birthday, or even how old she was. “24. 37. – Do you think I’m calling you for your best approximation?”
Lastly, now that Angela is all alone (and fine with it it seems), single Andy was throwing himself back in the game. Of course it didn’t work, but I think it’s a safe bet that if you’re asking Creed for advice, whether or not he knows your name won’t change the fact that you’re in trouble. Andy is great though, because even when he’s acting silly he remains very lovable.
A few quotes, because they’re really good :
Jim: Hey Kelly.
Kelly: Screw you!
Dwight: Excuse me, that is no way to address a superior!
Kelly: Oh yeah, screw you too!
Pam: I hate the idea that someone out there hates me. I even hate thinking that Al-Qaeda hates me. I think if they got to know me, they wouldn’t hate me.
Andy: I’ve been with lots of beautiful woman.
Phyllis: Sexually?
Andy: This conversation is over.
Dwight: What kind of cake you want, imbecile?
Michael: (On seeing Karen is pregnant:) Wow you’re huge!! That’s, incredible! I, God, sorry, sorry. My head is… I’m, just, I’m trying to figure out the last time you and Jim had sex.
Dwight surely knows how to throw a (birthday) party, doesn’t he? Barely blown balloons matching the carpet, and of course, facts: “It is your birthday.”
Dwight: My feelings regenerate at twice the speed of a normal man’s.
Michael: This is going to be hard for me to speak today, because I just learned that my father’s died. No he didn’t! He is alive! And this isn’t even a cellphone, this is a calculator.
Creed: (To Andy:) Have I ever steered you wrong, Jim?
Pam: Perfect boobs! Of course I remember Holly!
What did everybody else think ?
Posted in Reviews
Shows: The Office
Perfect episode. I only hope when Mich surprises Holly she’s not with a new bloke