TVSquad

(S06E08) You know, as a solitary episode, "Koi Pond" was incredibly satisfying from beginning to end. Outside the office, you had Andy and Pam making cold calls, while back at the office you had the aftermath of a different sales call Jim and Michael had gone on.

It was the perfect blend of everything that makes The Office work, when it's on its game. There were plenty of laughs, great lines and little moments for everyone in the office. We got some developments on the dramatic side, and most important of all -- an incredibly awkward moment with Michael Scott.

As for Jim, he's really struggling with aspects of his new position, and it's adding a whole new dimension to his character. He's always been a little insecure about his leadership ability, but now we're seeing that he's about as ineffective in controlling the Scranton branch as Michael ever was, thus realizing many of his worst fears.

After years of crazy in the manager's office, it's probably going to be difficult for them to respond to a more normal managerial style. Plus, they still know Jim as the prankster he was before he got this promotion. And he's trying so hard to be taken seriously, too.

As the episode progressed, I found myself hoping that we might never see Michael fall into the koi pond. It was like the Hitchcockian conceit that what the mind imagines will be far worse than anything we might present on the screen. In this case, what the office workers and what we at home were able to envision was far funnier than what we actually saw.

It took me awhile to realize in what way Jim was wrong there. It seemed like a reflect jerk back at the moment Michael began to fall into the pond, but I can see the argument that he wanted him to go down. It was good to see Michael get that moment of satisfaction. If there's one positive aspect to Michael's character, it's that he is an amazing salesman.

How else would he have not gotten fired a million times already?

I loved how Michael took Jim's advice about self-deprecation leading to others defending you ... I was even surprised when it started working for him. But, of course, he took it too far. The poor guy has been tortured by his peers his whole life. Do you think the writers will at least give him a happy ending when the series finally ends? Would you even want them to?

The rest of the episode was Pam and Andy on their cold calls. First, you had Pam laughing at the thought of her and Andy being married. Then you had Andy saying that Pam was carrying the surrogate child for the hot model he was with, so that she wouldn't lose her figure. "Who cares what Pam looks like."

I thought maybe they'd finally gotten it right when they agreed to the assumption that they were together. But then you had Andy kissing Pam's belly and things got very awkward. It's nice to know that if Michael isn't around, Andy is just as socially clueless.

But it all came down to Andy's loneliness. I guess we're heading toward an Andy-Erin relationship, because she actually thinks he's cool like Marlon Wayans. The writers are still trying to figure out her personality. We know that she's a stickler for rules and that she can't stand being "mean." Oh, and we know that she's an orphan.

I wrote down as many things as I could see on Michael's "Do Not Mock" list, but feel free to add any that I may have missed (or correct me if I got one wrong. Some were seen only fleetingly).

• Do Not Mock
  
• Michael: Koi Pond, Fountain
• Dwight: Nose too small
• Erin: Orphan
• Kevin: Huge Gut
• Angela: Stingy (or is that Squirrel?)
• (Meredith): Sex with a terrorist
• Ryan: Kelly

Good lines:

"Now my head hurts. It feels like I held in a sneeze." -- Andy, after Pam wouldn't let him finish his made-up song

"Why would you date an amateur when you can date a professional." -- Michael

"I'm not usually the butt of the joke. I'm usually the face of the joke." -- Michael

"Oh, you're paying way too much for worms, man. Who's your worm guy?" -- Creed

[Watch clips and episodes of The Office on SlashControl.]