To Dunder Mifflin Infinity, and beyond
For about 50 minutes Thursday night, The Office was enjoying one of the best extended episodes it's ever had. And then it rather literally went into the drink.
(Spoilers coming, but sorry, I don't have any gift baskets to give out.)
There were times during the episode where I nearly fell off the couch -- every single scene with Kelly, Dwight's family tree, Creed's new haircut, the subtle (or not so subtle, in Angela's case) Pam-hating was all absolutely brilliant. But it almost seemed like the show needed a few extra minutes to fill out the hour, so it tacked on that ridiculous bit with Michael's car in the lake.
As it wasn't really germane to the rest of the episode, I'd like to ignore it. But the final bit was so jarring that I can't, really. It wasn't just that Bad Michael, who had been absent for the rest of the episode, popped back up at the end. It was more that the GPS goofiness was a really heavy-handed device to reinforce his fear of technology.
Plus, come on: How can you not see a lake right in front of you?
Enough of that, though, because in the remaining 50 or so minutes of the episode, I was in love. Here's why:
Dunder Mifflin Infinity. The web site may just be a way to get you to sign up at NBC.com, but the meetings that brought Ryan back to Scranton were fodder for some great comedy. Let's start with Michael trying to reclaim control by calling out Ryan's ideas as ageism (and Pam and Jim calling him out on his re-use of the Big and Ben Kingsley pictures from past episodes). Steve Carell walked right up to the Bad Michael line in those scenes but didn't cross them, and I thought Ryan played the newly full-of-himself corporate stooge just about right.
Dwight and Angela. It's not often we see Dwight get emotional about anyone other than Michael, but his slow meltdown over Angela breaking up with him was really well handled. And up until the lake bit, I even liked the parallel between his shattered heart and the lost clients.
And I just have to transcribe this little bit about his long-lived relatives, because it was just a perfect Office ouch-laugh: "My Grandpa Manheim is 103 and still puttering around Argentina. I tried to visit him once, but my travel visa was protested by the Shoah Foundation."
PBJ goes public. Everyone's happy for them. OK, mostly. We got a classic Michael mixed metaphor ("My heart is soaring up to the eagle's nest"), a jubilant Andy ("Guess who just became the best-looking single guy in the office?") and a typically surly Angela ("I'm not surprised. Pam is the office mattress"). But who would've guessed sweet, matronly Phyllis also secretly harbored some resentment toward Pam (or maybe she just really needs those sales numbers). Best of all, though, was her shootdown of a needlessly cocky Ryan.
The wunderkind had been feeling his oats the whole episode, aided and abetted by the likes of Kevin and Andy, who couldn't get why Jim didn't think Ryan was so fantastic. "If you don't know why that's awesome," Andy said of the ex-temp's new life, including the notion that he could get any girl he wants, "then you need awesome lessons."
So yeah, Jim was maybe a little smug after Pam turned Ryan down. But you know what? The kid deserved to be taken down a peg.
Toby. Poor, sad Toby, passive-aggressively hoping that Jim and his crush Pam wouldn't last, and then having to endure Kelly and Ryan again. Paul Lieberstein, you are the man. And speaking of...
Kelly and Ryan. Holy cow. Ladies and gentlemen, I believe we have a new benchmark for nuttiness: Let's call it Kapoor Crazy. Or, if you prefer, you can just chant "Kelly is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S." Mindy Kaling knocked the whole thing out of the park, claiming she was pregnant, then shaking her head while barely suppressing a smile to the camera, then roping Ryan into talking about it and crowing, "We have a date!" And then, not understanding why Ryan would be upset that she lied, and wondering "Why not?" when he told her they'd never get back together. All of that: beautiful.
Briefly: Creed's new haircut and his demands for Red Bull in the vending machines; Garbage the feral barn cat; Michael's backfired plan to bring in the founder of Dunder Mifflin; and "Don't look in my eyes, look up here [at my forehead]. It's an old sales trick."
Your thoughts on the episode? Did you enjoy the whole hour, or was the last few minutes all wet with you as well?
I enjoyed the whole hour, though I did think that the part where they asked for the basket back was kinda pushing it. So, did they actually drive a car into a lake? I though it looked real. And Rainn and Steve handled the physical comedy quite well I thought.
Kelly was super-amazing. So was Creed. And Garbage. And apparently Angela isn't going to bury Sprinkles until she's finished greaving.
Best unmentioned moments: Pam and Jim's deadpan exchange of fake disgust now that they're public and the "magic's gone," Creed dyed his hair with the ink from the printer so Michael has to re-use the "Big" picture and the Ben Kingsley picture from previous episodes in a meeting, Kevin begins calling Jim "Tuna," Ryan's $200 haircut.
I agree the ending wasn't as strong as the first half, but still hilarious as always.
Best line of the night. Michael - "Why don't we like old people?"
Creed - "Because they're lame."
Could have done w/o the car scene, but was funny. I did not catch that Creed used the ink from the printer to dye his hair, but makes sense after what Michael said about the printer being out of ink.
i dont like how on the promos we were promised an amazing ending but then getting nothing.
i dont like how on the promos we were promised an amazing ending but then getting nothing.
I completely agree - it was a brilliant episode until the last 10 or 12 minutes.
I think how the camera followed Creed into the office, catching everyone's reactions was hilarious.
Creed used PRINTER? Missed Michael asking for more ink. L-O-F'n-L.
I liked the car-sink, the lack of renter insurance, the fight over the turtles (cl***ic Scott/Schrute tantrum), and the releasing of Garbage into "that alky's" cubicle. (Can't for her to get THAT.)
The Ryan shoot-down was needed (since the "awesome lessons" joke), but last 10 minutes still were a bit of a drag.
I can't believe no one picked up on the line Ryan fed Kelly about the email that Karen sent him and how he was so committed to Kelly.
If I recall, HE sent Karen the email!
Good call, Jennifer. My jaw dropped a little at the Karen reference (though I didn't remember the details of who contacted whom). Then the rest of that scene was so incredible, I just forgot about it.