(S03E13) Oh well. Another week, another great Office episode. What else is new?
At the end of the episode, I found myself wanting to place my hands around Andy's neck and squeezing until the sap oozed out. He has got to be the most obnoxious sitcom character in the last few years. Even Dwight Schrute at his most neurotic couldn't reach the heights of Andy's behavior. I, like Jim, missed Dwight.
Although the previews of this week's show emphasized the return of Oscar from his "gaycation" (as Kevin put it), that was not the central theme of the story. The story basically focused on Dwight, and how he has handled his resignation from Dunder Mifflin by finding a job at Staples, and Andy, who is doing everything he can to become Michael's confidante. Oscar's return to work was interesting, and Michael's decision to have a party to celebrate Oscar's "Mexican-ity" certainly added more hilarity to the situation.
But what really proved interesting was us getting a deeper glimpse into Angela. She displayed some real emotion over Dwight's resignation, and her expressions of guilt and remorse over what he did for her seemed heartfelt. Of course, her "Ice Queen" demeanor reared its ugly head again whenever Kevin tried to engage her into any communication.
What I'm particularly enjoying this season is that there is more exploration of Michael's personality. Yes, he's still is a boor a good part of the time, but we have seen him display more of his sensitive side as well as a seasoned businessman. This week, we got to seem him come to grips over the fact that his previous anger at Dwight was misplaced, and he was able to persuade Dwight to come back with pure conviction.
Beforehand, when Michael was surveying his staff as to how they were coping with the loss of the branch's number one salesperson, again Stanley comes out with a marvelous reaction and facial expression. If the writers developed an episode where we were treated to nothing more than Stanley's reactions to things going around him during a regular day at work, it would be nothing short of hilarious.
It seems obvious that Andy is a short-timer in Scranton. His undying quest to get in good with Michael ended up badly, and Jim and Pam's teaming up to prank him only fueled the fire. Dwight never displayed the kind of anger that Andy did when his cellphone with the "Rockin' Robin" ringtone found itself in the ceiling. Punching a hole in the wall? Not Dwight's style--he might threaten to engage in Ninja-like combat, but he would eventually settle down.
And what Office episode would be complete without another twist in the Jim-Pam-Karen saga. It was obvious there was tension in Jim and Karen's relationship, and Jim was able to rekindle his ability to engage in office hijinks rather easily with Pam. Later on, during the party, the moment we expected came to fruition when Jim admitted to Karen that he still had feelings for Pam. Karen walked out in a huff, and it's up in the air how long she will stay. However, although there have been indications lately that Pam is warming to Jim, I'm not so sure that those two are going to get together so easily. Somehow I think there will be reluctance by one of the parties in moving forward, but this storyline needs some further development.
To kind of sum things up, it appears that Andy's attempt to become Michael's friend has failed miserably, and it's only a matter of time before he leaves, whether on his own or being shown the door. No matter what, Andy will not go off quietly into the night. Plus, when Michael said that he doesn't want people sucking up to him unless they love him, it made sense, somehow.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
1-18-2007 @ 11:26PM
Rich Keller said...
I can't remember an episode where Michael was seen as this serious. Other than his little chat about Oscar's Mexicanism, Michael was downright human. These last two episodes have really shown him as a lot more than a clueless executive.
And, you're right about Andy. Good Lord, that character is annoying. Anyone who can get on Michael's bad side like that has to be doing something wrong.
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1-19-2007 @ 12:54AM
TedSez said...
Jim's immaturity is starting to get annoying, and it's making him a less likeable character. The episode establishes once again that he's Andy's superior in the office's chain of command, but then instead of simply talking to the guy about his disruptive behavior, Jim pulls an even more disruptive prank. And he certainly isn't giving his relationship with Karen the respect it deserves, whether he ends up with her or not. I hope we're going to see a little growth in him soon, because the way he's acting isn't that much fun anymore.
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1-19-2007 @ 1:14AM
Kyle said...
This was a great episode. A lot of humanness came along and presented itself in the characters. And it's great to see Dwight back, as he's such a great character.
Dear God, Andy has to go. I'm worried about Karen's time though, as she seems like she's on the verge of leaving.
Brilliant episode!
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1-19-2007 @ 1:19AM
adub said...
office pranks are baaaaaaack!
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1-19-2007 @ 2:24AM
Melanie said...
It's interesting how the writers keep the episodes fresh by playing with aspects of the characters' personalities that we hadn't seen before. Michael not liking someone for a logical reason? Serious Michael? Sensitive, sad, happy Angela?
And I hate to admit it, but TedSez is absolutely right about Jim -- I'd say Andy was justified in being pissed... just perhaps not THAT pissed. But yeah, it's definitely interesting that Jim and Pam bond by acting like a bunch of middle schoolers.
Although, I do love Office pranks.
And about Andy being annoying -- it's true, but there's just something so off, so borderline psychotic, about the way he acts that it doesn't seem unlikely that one might work in paper sales with someone like that.
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1-19-2007 @ 1:54AM
SJ said...
One of my favorite scenes:
Ryan adding the accent to the n in 'lemonade' to make it more 'Spanish'.
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1-19-2007 @ 2:59AM
Diego said...
even the human michael was able to make me laugh outloud a few times.
There has to be more depth into the Dwangela relationship, when he came back there was love in the air.
WTF is wrong with Jim, he is the 2nd in command he could've made andy shut the hell up. Kudos to Helms to be able to be so hateable. How can Jim flat out admit to karen he still likes Pam. I would hate to see karen go. she the only one, other than Pam, that makes me feel fuzzy inside hahaha.
how great was oscar's face when michael made dwight the guest of honer. and he believed it even after the big "welcome back oscar" banner.
We got repeats next week so we gotta wait till the 1st to see where this goes.
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1-19-2007 @ 1:56AM
Guffin GacGuffin said...
I miss Toby and Creed.
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1-19-2007 @ 2:02AM
Jose said...
I agree about Jim. His reluctance to be confrontational and honest with himself and others is a very unattractive quality.
He could take a lesson from Dr. House.
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1-19-2007 @ 2:34AM
Jose said...
The guy playing Andy does an amazing job. The fact that he elicits so much hatred from the viewer is a testament to that.
I think we all know people like that.
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1-19-2007 @ 3:06AM
Curt said...
Jim likes to have fun... And really think about confronting a guy like Andy... They just get more annoying. It may be a bit immature but hey, why not have a little fun at that guy's expense?
And how much more respect can he give to his relationship to Karen than being 100% honest to her when she asks if he still has feelings for Pam? He didn't try to beat around the bush. And before you say he should've brought it up before, realize he WAS actively trying to get over it, but came to the realization when Pam was the only one willing to help with the prank, that she was the perfect girl.
And I love how The Office has done their product placement for Staples. It's been unintrusive and always funny, such as Dwight here or Kevin awhile back showing the new shredder from Staples. Kudos to them for not making me cringe like other shows product placement (ie The Sopranos and Coca-Cola)
But Ed Helms, as much as I HATE And, is brilliant playing him. Though he'll be fired soon enough, I bet. In real life, the wall punching would've been grounds for immediate dismissal.
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1-19-2007 @ 3:58AM
Whitecat said...
The only reason Jim welcomed the middle management job was so he could get over Pam. I think he, like most people who work in the Office (or any office) really don’t like or downright hate their jobs. They are just watching the clock, doing their time. Now that Jim is back in close proximity to Pam, he realizes he likes coming to work, not his job, but so he can have a fun time with Pam.
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1-19-2007 @ 5:28AM
Mike said...
One of my favorite moments: Phyllis explaining how both she and Andy are "such strong personalities" they are bound to clash. Had me on the floor.
The show's always good, but the quality of the writing and the way they keep finding new layers to the various characters keeps exceeding expectations.
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1-19-2007 @ 6:13AM
Christian H. said...
I loved how John delivered Jim's "yes" about being still in love with Pam. It was kinda sad. As if someone was asked by his mother if he was still using drugs. I still like the Jim/Pam storyline the best. And these 30 seconds every second episode are still filled with more relationship-intimacy than 45 minutes of "Grey's Anatomy" or any other show. I am constantly amazed :)
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1-19-2007 @ 7:20AM
RSL said...
Melanie, I don't think Andy thinks/knows that "Tuna" is behind it all. We've seen that he has a pretty horrid, uncontrollable temper back when he thought he was fired at the Scranton branch. I think his rage was most def about his lack of control of the circumstance and just how visible his neediness and control-freakiness was to everyone in the office. Just my two cents.
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1-19-2007 @ 7:20AM
RSL said...
Dangit! I forgot to give a shoutout to my favorite part of the episode where you [and I, the viewers, whatever] begin to see that Michael has his own Michael, which reached a head when Michael remarks about Andy's lack of self-awareness. Hilarious!
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1-19-2007 @ 7:29AM
Brian D said...
I believe the Muzak in Staples was playing "Lift us up where we belong" from Officer and a Gentleman when Michael comes to get Dwight. Truly great!
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1-19-2007 @ 8:34AM
Bebop said...
Is everyone missing the fact that Ryan the former temp has been acting like the biggest dick since he got his promotion in the beginning of the season?
I can't stand when he's on camera the only good episodes is when he fails miserably at his job, last week with Stanley was the best Ryan moment.
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1-19-2007 @ 10:36AM
smikwily said...
SJ, that was my favorite little gag of the ep as well. The subtleness of it, combined with the facial expression of Ryan as he did it sent me over the edge. I believe I saw an accent mark over top of the E at the end as well.
Yes, the music was "Love Lift Us Up". As soon as Michael entered the store and I heard elevator music, I knew it would come into play. I started laughing when I heard it build and had to rewind it so the wifey could hear it (she's slowly learning to pay attention to things going on in the background).
This show brings tears to my eyes on a regular basis. You have an idea of what is going to happen, but it never quite plays out how you expect it to.
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1-19-2007 @ 9:04AM
Raychel said...
I was absolutely dying when they showed Andy searching frivolously around for Michael, and the camera panned out to see that he was hiding behind the door!
Also, thanks Brian for mentioning the song. I was wondering what it was and if it had anything to do with the signifcance of the scene.
What a great show!
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