(S03E12) WOW! WOW! WOW!
What an episode! What an absolutely brilliant episode! I cannot remember ever guffawing over every single line in a single sitcom episode as I did watching this one. If the performances in this particular one don't garner the actors in this show a plethora of Emmys, there ought to be an investigation.
I believe this was Steve Carell's single best performance so far as Michael Scott. He displayed the full range of his personality--jokester, arrogant jerk, charming salesman, sensitive soul, and added a new one--anger. The look on his face when he learned of Dwight's clandestine visit to the New York office could have cut through steel.
The Sales Dream Team was hysterical! Who would have known that despite all of their complaining, backstabbing, and overall dour demeanor, that the sales staff at the Scranton office actually are good at what they do? Naturally, their methods are little off-center, such as Phyllis bringing Karen with her to get a makeover including bouffant hairdos in order to secure a contract with a customer whose wife's hair could literally touch the sky. Or how about Dwight and Jim teaming up to demonstrate to their client how Dunder Mifflin offers good customer service?
Of course, things went a little awry when Michael and Andy went on a sales call together, whereby Andy's arrogance and general suck-uppiness caused their efforts to fall short. One can definitely get the idea that the infatuation between Michael and Andy is going to lead to disaster, but more on that later.
For me, the single funniest part of the entire show was Stanley's reaction to Ryan's incompetent sales technique. As I and many commenters have said here before, Stanley's attitude and facial reactions are simply priceless! His laughing at Ryan in his car literally had me in stitches.
But what would a classic Office episode be without a few mind-bending plot twists? As mentioned above, Andy is out to get Dwight and will do anything to leap over him to gain Michael's favor. However, he has likely taken things way too far. In fact, he may have "Schruted it" for himself. After his joint sales call with Michael, you could just tell that Michael didn't feel comfortable around Andy.
Plus, Andy's sabotaging of Dwight upset Angela, and with Dwight doing his best to save Angela from a major screwup from not turning in tax forms to corporate on time by driving in to New York to do it himself, it was an easy opportunity for Andy to exploit. However, as we saw after Dwight dramatically "resigned", Angela looks like she will play a major role in the eventual ouster of Andy and the return of Dwight. Come on, does anyone really expect the Dwight character to be written out of the show?
However, Michael's anger at Dwight for lying to him showed a different side of Michael that we never saw before. He really was angry, and although he is a goofball, he apears to have no hesitation to be ruthless when necessary.
We also are on the verge of seeing some major sparks in the Jim-Karen-Pam dynamic. Surprisingly, Jim admitted his previous crush on Pam to Karen, but Karen seemed to accept it and is wiilling to move forward. However, it would seem likely that tensions will arise between Jim and Karen, and certainly Pam will be a major source of that tension, whether she wants to be or not.
Another brilliant episode. 'Nuff said.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
1-12-2007 @ 12:01AM
C. Baines said...
Andy is evil.
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1-12-2007 @ 12:09AM
SJ said...
So many f'in brilliant moments. Perfect. Some of my fave moments:
- Stanley laughing at Ryan in the car. But what really killed me was when they cut back to them minutes later and Stanley was still laughing.
- Jim smacking Dwight in the face.
- Jim hanging up on an excited Kelly.
- The opening. An easy joke, but so brilliantly executed.
- "I can't believe I was Stanley's #2 choice, right after 'pass'." Stanley = hilarious.
Steve Carell was perfect. Just when you think they can't improve the show they do it. I have to admit, Dwight leaving saddened me a bit, though it's obvious that he'll be back soon.
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1-12-2007 @ 12:16AM
shawn said...
i've been looking all over. Who wrote this episode?
yes, Brilliant.
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1-12-2007 @ 12:20AM
kurifurisan said...
"boobs!" I lost it! Great episode....most certainly emmy worthy, I concur.
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1-12-2007 @ 12:48AM
misterblue said...
Dwight Schrute just became my new hero.
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1-12-2007 @ 12:44AM
Andrew said...
I guess Andy is a poor salesman. I lost it when Pam and Angela went to the coffee shop. Angela was happy but she still was a cold cold customer (literally) at the coffee shop.
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1-12-2007 @ 12:56AM
Kurifurisan said...
I also loved Michael's line a bout betrayal.
"You know what they say: Fool me once, strike one, fool me twice...strike three"
Great stuff. I'm still smiling an hour later.
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1-12-2007 @ 2:23AM
heyroll said...
Best exchange of the night:
Michael: Think about it long and hard
Dwight: That's what she said
Michael: ...don't you dare!
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1-12-2007 @ 3:09AM
Tweaq said...
One of my top favorite episodes. Dwight and Jim sales tactics were excellent; I thought Dwight was screwing around on the phone. And the smack to Dwight's face was priceless.
And the most chilling moment of the whole episode/season(s): The ending focus on Angela as she was staring "super death daggers" at Andy/the camera.
I'm going to have to watch this episode again.
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1-12-2007 @ 8:46AM
chew said...
brilliant episode. Thank God for tivo because I had to rewind it so many times when I missed something new because I was still laughing at something else.
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1-12-2007 @ 9:12AM
Carl Winslow said...
Oompa loompa, doompadee dossum, Dwight is now gone, which is totally awesome. Why is he gone, he was such a nice guy. No, he was not, he was a total douche. Doompadee doom.
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1-16-2007 @ 8:32AM
Gordy said...
The big hair was just perfect! I thought I was back in Augusta, GA, for a minute.
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1-12-2007 @ 9:54AM
Porchland said...
I'm apparently the only one, but I think the show was a tad weak and it was because of Andy. He went from goofily calculating to just plain mean, and I think it disrupted the flow of the show.
I'm sure the show will do justice later and Andy will "get his," but it just seemed a little beyond the parameters of the show's humor.
Loved the slap! (What is it with slaps here lately? First, there was "Slap Bet" on "HIMYM," then Jim and Dwight, then the old-lady-little-boy-slap-and-slap-back later last night on "ER.")
Michael calling Phyllis "senior" in the Board meeting and throwing her keys under her car to get a head start were priceless.
I missed Toby. Was there even a Toby reference last night?
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1-12-2007 @ 10:00AM
Michael said...
classic episode from start to finish. I was just sad it ended.
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1-12-2007 @ 10:04AM
fishbonex said...
that Oompa song was the best moment of a great episode, and Jim and Dwight actually turning out to be a great Sales team was a surprisingly great twist. I thougth Dwight was being annoying and actually calling Michael or something. Jim's slap was fantastic, but the topper of it all was that photo of Jim and Dwight taken years earlier.
I will watch again tonight, thanks Tivo!
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1-12-2007 @ 10:13AM
JTS said...
My favorite part of this episode, which I agree was absolute brilliant, was that we really got to see a positive side of Michael. Sure he's always gotten an A for effort, but I feel like the writers have really been pushing the envelope in terms of what viewers will tolerate in the awkward/annoying department. In this episode, we were treated to Michael doing what Michael does perhaps better than anyone, and for the first time you really get a sense of how he rose to be head of the Scranton branch. He was Yoda like in his abilities, and watching Andy derail his efforts was very fulfilling.
That being said, it was also outstanding to see Dwight and Jim really do their thing. They've butted heads so consistently from the beginning that, like Michael as boss, it was becoming difficult to even imagine how they ever came to work together in the first place. But their teamwork at the sale was a thing of beauty, from Dwight shouting the numbers into the competitor's machine operated answering system to Jim abrubtly hanging up on Kelly, I would have to say it was my favorite moment of the episode, if not the whole third season to date.
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1-12-2007 @ 11:13AM
SpaceVenus said...
Written by: Michael Schur, Lee Eisenberg, and Gene Stupnitsky.
Loved it! I get ridiculously excited (it's borderline deranged) whenever I hear the opening credits music.
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1-12-2007 @ 11:19AM
dave said...
one way to know a show is great - I'm sitting here in my office laughing my ass off as read this and the comments having seen the episode more than 12 hours ago
I think Stanley is still laughing and so am I
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1-12-2007 @ 11:43AM
BoomFoxx said...
I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the great scene when Jim gets out of the car at their sales call and then Dwight opens the door and asks for the keys. Jim rolls his eyes a little and asks if he "still does that". And then Dwight proceeds to have his own little moshpit in the car as he rocks out to Motley Crue while Jim waits by the side of the car.
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1-12-2007 @ 1:05PM
Kyle said...
LOVED THIS EPISODE!
Everything about it was just so brilliantly written!
Andy is evil. Why did Dwight go? Hope he gets back soon, especially with Angela probably trying to get Andy fired. :)
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