The Office Recap: Gay Witch Hunt
September 22, 2006 by Kath Skerry
It was over too soon. Although that is my thought at the end of every episode of The Office, it felt particulary true last night. We’ve been waiting months for the S3 premiere and to finally see the ramifications of Jim’s confession of love and his kissing Pam. Months filled with speculation based on spoilers and foilers (yes, Jenna Fischer you are a sneaky girl). But the moment came and went all too soon. Here’s how it played out:
Jim: You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that
Pam: Mee too. I think we’re drunk.
Jim: I’m not drunk. Are you drunk?
Pam: No
[Jim leans in for another kiss]
Pam: Jim
Jim: Are you still going to marry him?
[She nods]
Jim: Ok
[Jim walks away]
Um, what?! Hello..what the hell happened. I thought he loved her. He walked away pretty easily, too easily in my opinion. Some will argue that he gave it a shot, “once”, and that’s all he ever wanted. But dude, she told him she had wanted to kiss him too. Doesn’t that mean anything? After all that, he just walks away like it was nothing. I’m still a little bewildered.
Well, sometimes a kiss is just a kiss. Or sometimes a kiss is a catalyst to end a ten year relationship. And that’s just what Pam did. We found out that Pam did indeed call off her wedding to Roy. She got her own apartment and is taking art classess. Go Beesly!!
Roy on the other hand, is still reeling from the breakup. Hitting rock bottom with an arrest for DUI (and one hell of a mug shot to prove it), Roy decided to take control of his life again. He started working out, and taking better care of himself. All in the name of winning Pam back. Guess he didn’t realize what a good thing he had. Roy 2.0 is looking mighty fine these days and seems to be on a mission to get his ex-fiance back.
At least Roy won’t have to compete with Jim on a daily basis. Jim decided to take the transfer to the Stamford office. Stamford is a bizarro Scranton where Jim eats tuna rather than ham & cheese (hence his new nickname ‘Big Tuna’), people get work done and seem to abide by the rules, well, with the exception of Jim. Jim’s hijinks don’t go over as well as they did with his friends in Scranton. He pulls the old calculator in the jello prank but it falls flat when his new colleague Andy (played by the Daily Show’s Ed Helms) gets angry and demands to know who did it. And Jim’s playful interaction with the camera is mocked by one of his co-workers (Rashida Jones). The highlight of Jim’s day is hearing from Dwight & Michael in Scranton. Our boy is NOT happy depsite how hard he is trying to make us believe he is.
Another person not to happy these days is Oscar. After finding out in confidentiality that Oscar is gay, Michael proceeds to out him to the entire office. Oscar has had enough and decides to quit. And in a painfully awkward moment Oscar yells at Michael and tells him he’s “ignorant, insulting and small”. Michael is devastated by Oscar’s words and Steve Carell plays the moment to perfection. Unfortunately, this exchange led to one of the most cringeworthy scenes ever to appear on the show (and that is really saying something). Michael tries to kiss Oscar just to prove how ok he is with Oscar’s sexual orientation. Everone in the office seems to be equally disturbed by all of this. Pam finds it quite amusing, but since Jim is gone, she doesn’t really have anyone to laugh about it with. I’ll admit I had to watch the scene a few times before I could really laugh out loud, and that’s becayse it took three viewings before I could actually watch the scene without turning away.
Oscar revelation led to some hilarious scenes with Michael and Dwight including Dwight looking up gay porn on his computer (because Michael said he could), Michael’s confession that he watches “The L Word” and “Queer as F@#k” and the two idiots trying to figure out who else in the office is gay. They enlist Jim’s help in trying to locate a ‘gaydar’ because Jim once told Dwight you could buy them online. And of course, in the end, Jim comes through and does indeed send Dwight the all important gaydar. Aw, Jim!
In the end, Oscar decides not to quit Dunder Mifflin and we all learn one important lesson…it’s good to be gay. Especially when being gay means you get three months of paid vacation and a company car.
…and scene!
So it’s over. I’m stil reeling a bit from it all. I’m hoping that the writers have something up their sleeves from Jim and Pam, because the build up of their relationship over the past two seasons deflated with one neatly tied up scene. We know they miss each other. Pam can’t help but continue to stare at Jim’s old desk, and Jim looks at an empty chair next to him in the conference room with longing. But I want to see these kids together. Even if not together-together, I want to see them back in the old office and up to their wacky ways.
I’m not sure how I feel about Jim’s new Stamford co-workers yet. I think Ed Helms is going to fit in perfectly with this cast. I didn’t find that there was anything false about him. I liked his interaction with Big Tuna, and I think he is going to be one of the only aspects of Jim’s new life that I enjoy. We only saw a tiny bit of Rashida’s character, but I’m not complaining. I think the writer’s are going to have to work overtime in order for us to warm up to her.
The Scranton office seemed a bit off last night without Jim. It was a little daker and seemed to be missing that element of fun. I have a feeling that it was all very intentional. I think we were meant to feel the change in the atmosphere. And that we did. But The Office did what it does week in and week out – proved it is by far the BEST comedy on television today.
And what was one of the best moments of last night’s show? Well how about when we all realized that we get another new episode next week!!!
I love your site and all of The Office goodness. I kind of liked how the Pam and Jim thing went. It would have been weird if she had said “No I’m not going to marry him now. Now that I’ve kissed you.” I would think that after a ten year relationship and a planned wedding you wouldn’t give it all up for a kiss – even a kiss that you wanted to happen as much as he did. But, I think it would plant doubts that would grow and cause you to call it off later down the road. That’s just me. And I think he did the right thing. He couldn’t slap her and say “What the hell? Why would you still marry him?” He understands her and has to let her go and that’s the beauty of Jim. He understands her.
Have to go learn about the new postage machine. But, I think it’s gonna be great.
Great synopsis! I thought that the moment between Jim and Pam after the kiss was really true to life. He told her he loves her, she refused, he kissed her, she still hesitated. At this point it’s not up to Jim anymore to make the gesture. He’s done all has to, and now it’s Pam’s turn. Calling off the wedding was just the beginning. The writing staff is so in tune with these characters and the way the audience feels about them so i’m confident they won’t do anything that will disappoint us.
I’m really happy that Pam is on her own, and taking art classes. It’s a good time for her to reflect on her relationship with Roy and her friendship with Jim, and think about what meant more to her. She’s been with Roy since High School and it’s really important for her to be by herself. Go Pam!
I like the moments of Jim and Pam thinking about one another. Jim said something about the view in Stamford, and when he was gazing out the window you could tell that the view of Pam in Scranton was better. Aw. John Krasinski’s portrayal of Jim is the most honest and comforting on television. And i’m a HUGE Tim Canterbury (BBC) fan. So that’s saying a LOT.
Thanks for this site! I check it everyday, twice a day! For my “Office” updates i wouldn’t go anywhere else.
I agree with Allie about Pam. I’m so glad she called off the wedding since she clearly was conflicted about Jim & Roy. I’m also glad to see she’s taking art classes. It’s probably the best thing for her to branch out on her own and be single for a while rather than in a relationship, as much as I do want her to be with Jim. And if Roy really does start to change, Jim might have some serious competition! It could really get interesting, and I’m sure the great writers have some good things up their sleeves.
After thinking about the episode for a while, I think it was a great premiere. I did definitely feel that things were off, but as GMMR said in her recap, I do think we were supposed to feel that way. Though we all know Jim could really go places, it seems like he just fits in with the Scranton folks, as strange as they may all be. I did like Ed Helms, but I’m cautious about Rashida Jones’ character – did they give her a name yet? With her “mocking” of Jim to the camera, she certainly didn’t endear herself to Jim fans.
The Oscar/Michael scene was awkward and I couldn’t watch the whole thing at first, but Steve Carell is just so brilliantly funny that upon re-watchnig the scene, I can appreciate the sillyness of it all. Also, I loved that they brought back Larry Wilmore to do the Diversity Day training at Stamford!
In any case, I am over the moon about the show’s return and the fact that Jim still has a chance with Pam! I’m sure they’ll be back together in some way soon. Cannot wait for next week’s Convention!
I agree that Jim did all that he could do to convince Pam to be with him. He is a sweet and passive guy, who put his heart on the line. He was not going to push her, and he shouldnt have, thats not who Jim is. I think he was taken a back that even though she wanted to kiss him, she was still thinking about Roy and getting married. That was just too much for him.
There were some excellent moments on the show, though like everyone has said, very awkward. Ryan sitting at Jims old desk really hit hard, and Pams longing looks were painful. This episode really displayed how excellent John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer are as actors. Give them an Emmy!
It seems to me that they are building up for a huge pay-off to the Pam/Jim storyline. First, I think we are going to see Jim and Rashinda Jones’ character hook up. It seems already like they are building her up to be Pams polar opposite, and we are going to hate that they are a couple. Then, I dont know when and I dont know how, Pam and Jim will finally become a couple! I cant wait.
Next Thursday cannot come quickly enough!
Great recap. You know what I am thinking, and it is just a hunch. What if something IS going on with Jim and Pam? I say this only because 1) they seem to not think the camera’s saw there Casino Night interaction and 2) they wouldn’t want the camera’s to see anything. Plus they wouldn’t want Roy to know/
I’m pretty sure this is all wishful thinking on my part, but how cool would it be if in a couple episodes we find out they have been together all this time, or for a while at least?
Whatever get’s you through the day right? Great recap, as always.
You know Jim was the one that defused a lot of Michael’s craziness and would break up his awkwardness with humor. I think that’s why the scenes with Oscar were harder to watch than usual.
Can I admit something? I am not enjoying the “day after” as much as I should because I feel miserable. No not because Jim is in Stamford, but I am fighting a horrible cold and I am having on of those weird medicine head days. Just wanted to share.
I thought this episode was a little over the top even for Micheal! But pam calling off the wedding was priceless, And Jim leaveing! When it paned to his old desk and Ryan was sitting thare i was like, NOOO!!! But in next weeks episode i bet we will be seeing more of Pam and Jim (Even if thare not togther) But over all great episode and great writeing!
Get well GMMR!
Everyone’s recaps/thoughts are pretty much right on but two things struck me from Greg’s writing of this episode.
1) The kiss’ aftermath. Jim didn’t apologize. As a guy, that struck me as a huge statement without saying a word. I think most guys in the same situation, including me, would have apologized after she denied him and said she was marrying Roy, if for any other reason, just to save some face. By Jim’s silence, I think that a loud “this is not over yet” statement was made. Jim wasn’t sorry. He did what he had to do.
Tied in with that, things just didn’t feel right in Scranton w/o Jim. It feels like things are falling apart just the slightest bit. For some reason, as I was watching the episode (and agree with you GMMR that the episode was rather dark) – the poem by William Butler Yeats that says “Things fall apart; the center cannot hold” kept running through my head. The whole Dunder Mifflinite world fell off center and on the verge of falling apart.
2) Michael’s monologue/talking head at the end of the episode was right on. Quite touching, almost as touching as the end of “Booze Cruise” though he was not speaking of JAM necessarily, I think it was a pretty good foreshadowing of what is to come. “What is love anyways? Maybe it’s supposed to break all of the rules. Like me and Jan….Or Oscar and some guy (camera pan’s to Pam) Life is short. When two people find each other, what should stand in their way? (Camera showing Jim in Stamford with an empty chair next to him, as he looks at it, and smiles)”
I don’t have such a problem with Jim walking away. I don’t think he was giving up easily. Don’t forget, she’d already shot him down once. This was him going back in. And it’s not like he knew the wedding would be called off. She’d just told him the opposite.
That said, I’m bewildered about this today too.
Not leaving any smart thoughts now, but just wanted to say sorry you have a cold, GMMR! You must’ve been really stressed leading up to the Office/Grey’s bonanza, and your immune system shut down. Take care of yourself and go watch some good TV.
Sorry you’re not feeling well, GMMR. I have to admit that I’m dragging today too, mostly because I couldn’t fall asleep last night with so many Office and Grey’s thoughts running through my head.
The part after the Jim-Pam kiss that bothered me wasn’t so much about Jim’s “okay.” What I couldn’t understand was the whole “I think we’re drunk” thing. Seemed like an odd thing to say. Then I wondered if maybe it was some sort of reference to their first kiss during “The Dundies” when Pam was drunk. I dunno.
The “gay witch hunt” angle was not pleasant or even terribly funny. The gay porn scene was unnecessary and could have easily been replaced with some of the far superior deleted scenes. The kiss between Michael and Oscar was so painful to watch! I just kept thinking *why would Oscar let Michael kiss him?*
I came away from the episode with a lot of questions, which I am confident will be answered over the course of the next few episodes. Why did Ryan accept Jim’s old job when it always seemed like he was eager to move on? How soon after Casino Night did Jim transfer? Does Jim even know that Pam didn’t get married? Time will tell, I suppose.
Big Tuna looks so sad. The gaydar prank was the funniest thing of the night!
Um, Kath… Rashida’s moment was friggin hysterical and I think the only one who really needs warming is you because of a certain obsession with a certain JKras… You’re still a little bitter I think.
And that’s why I love ya!
Who is this J. Kras person you keep talking about? I don’t know him. But they are going to make us think she isn’t interested, and the next thing you know…smoochin’ the Big Tuna. Wow…that sounds dirty.
I dont know why, but I am really sad that there is a disconnect between Jim and Pam, maybe becasue I can really connect with the characther of Jim, so it is really weird… I cannot wait for the subsequent episodes so we can find out what happens with our favorite Dunder-Mifflinites..
love the recap–with regards to Jim and Pam, I think Jim said all he could, and when he asked her about “him” and she nodded, he had to walk away, she already found out how much he truly was in love with her, and the ball was in her court. We know she loves him too (besides the obvious other stuff in the show), by her saying “me too.” The Ball is soooo in Ms. Beesly’s court. its going to be a long season….
For the record, I thought my recapped sucked. I couldn’t tell you what I wrote because I’m so out of it today..ha ha ha
LOL. hmmm, if you think that sucked, I don’t want to know what you really thought of my ‘recap’ done earlier this week LOL
and with that, i’m officially “officed out” for now – well, until tonight when I pop in the S2 DVD’s and catch more stuff that I havent had a chance to watch yet 🙂 haha
Who wrote the ep? Was it the UK guys? Maybe the Oscar/Michael scenes were weird due to the fact that we are not used to their writing. I am leaving more thoughts in the fourm.
Last night’s episode was written by Greg Daniels.
“Stamford is a bizarro Scranton where Jim eats tuna rather than ham & cheese”
GMMR, this quote made me laugh out loud. Last night, I was thinking “whats up with the tuna?”
Well, I am not sure how I feel about this episode. I LOVED seeing Jim (who was looking even finer than normal) but all the scenes of him and Pam missing eachother just broke my heart! The Scranton office is not the same without Jim.
But I couldn’t stand all the gay jokes. Some were funny at first, but then it just kept going, and some scenes were WAY too uncomfortable (i.e. Dwight’s “job” for Michael, the whole kissing scene) and I felt like they probably turned off some curious viewers gained from the Emmy win. So, really not my favorite episode (although i died laughing at both the gaydar parts) but I’m SO excited for next weeks!
Here’s info. on the ratings per TVGuide.com’s Matt Mitovich –
“… Rewinding to 8 pm, Survivor: Cook Islands led the pack with 17.7 million, followed by a Grey’s clip show (13.4 mil) and NBC’s My Name Is Earl/The Office combo (each with about 9 mil).”
So NBC came in third that hour – what will it take for everyone to realize how wonderful The Office is? As much as I love Grey’s, why did the season premiere of The Office come in behind a clip show?
Totally agree with Julia about the premiere possibly turning off potential new viewers. I got my parents (who are pretty conservative) interested in The Office toward the end of last season. Imagine my horror as I was watching the really uncomfortable scenes last night, thinking about how my parents were 1500 miles away watching the same thing. Sure enough, I got an email from my mother today expressing her disappointment regarding the show’s content.
Great, just great.
I was wondering about the episode’s impact on new viewers, too. I don’t know what to think. On one hand, it did feel a little more mainstream, with fewer pauses and uncomfortable moments of silence, and I wonder if that was by design, to recruit new viewers. On the other hand (and I think this hand is heavier 😉 some of the humor was more juvenille than usual, and the Michael/Oscar kiss was way over the top. I tried to watch the pilot with my mother-in-law over the summer and she would only sit through about 3 minutes of it. I know she’d like this episode even less. Can’t please everyone all of the time, I guess…but overall, it is definitely in my bottom 5 episodes, too. Something about it just felt off. Jim and Pam were just part of that.
My only wish for this episode was that they saved some of the “in office” drama between Oscar, Michael, Angela, etc. for a later episode. With Jim moving elsewhere, us taking in new characters, Phyllis getting engaged, the Jim and Pam saga unraveling, and Michael kissing Oscar, the whole episode was a bit … heavy. Still enjoyed it though, and still the funniest show on TV.
Oh and another thing. Did anybody notice the flashback kiss was a different take from the kiss in “Casino Night?”
I think that Jim did the right thing after the kiss. He went “all in”, laid his cards on the table, and she made her decision. And he honored that decision because he loves her and wants her to be happy.
I think he left for Stamford soon after and does not know that Pam didn’t marry Roy.
Think about this: If one office is to be closed, and some of the employees moved to the remaining office, how would Scranton ever be Jan’s choice to stay open? In Jan’s eyes, Stamford would be the perfect office. And even if there was a logistical reason to keep Scranton open and move Stamford employees, who would Jan choose to run the merged location? It would have to be the manager from Stamford. But “The Office” wouldn’t be “The Office” without Michael as the boss.
So here is my theory. Jim goes to the convention next week and finds out that Pam is still single. Now he decides that he HAS to get back to Scranton, so he begins a campaign to sabatoge the office in Stamford. That should keep him busy for a few weeks 🙂
it took me two times watching it, but yeah this episode was AWESOME. c’mon, we NEED for jim and pam to continue to yearn for each other, and maybe it wasn’t enough interaction this episode, but we have a whole SEASON to look foward to! the writers threw them together at the last minute last season to satisfy our needs, but now they want to torture us yet again. and that is A-OK with me =)
oh and also — jim aint gonna flip out on pam when she makes her decision, he isn’t going to make her change her mind about a guy she’s been seeing for YEARS for one kiss! i think buymeacoke is absoutely correct. jim did all he could do at this point … and tho id want a guy to do more, i think id also feel like gee, let me make up my own mind! basically jim is perfect. i love him.
I konw ths sounds strange but I feel like I really saw the show for the first time last night. I’ve been so sick the past few days I was in a daze the first few times I watched it.
I have since changed my mind and now I absolutely LOVE the way they handled the JAM situation. I love that he is giving her the space she needs and that she will “find” him again, but on her own terms.
Thought it was a fantastic episode to start the season off with. I actually liked the fact that it focused more on the secondary characters for once. It kinda fleshes out the environment more I guess.
Trying to figure out how they’re going to merge the two branches… maybe Andy (Ed Helms) somehow loses it again, and ends up burning down the Stamford branch. Thereby allowing Michael to stay in charge, but also transferring the newly introduced characters over to the Scranton setting. In any case, I’ll definitely be looking forward to next Thursday.
Btw, did anybody else notice it looks like Jan cracks up during the confrontation with Michael concerning the outting of Oscar? At one point, Michael asks if its possible that Oscar and Angela are having a gay affair, and the camera quickly flashes to Jan who looks like she’s having trouble not bursting out laughing. Maybe its just me…
Here’s my theory on how the (possible) merger takes place: The company needs to downsize so they decide to eliminate the Stamford branch since their overhead costs are high (that office looks pretty swanky). The Regional Manager in Stamford gets promoted and goes to work for corporate, thus allowing Michael to remain in charge in Scranton. A few of the Stamford employees are brought over to the Scranton branch, since they’ll now be covering both regions. This is how Jim and a few of the other new characters end up in Scranton.
I’ve spent way too much time thinking about this. I need a new hobby.
Hi! Very nice site! Thanks you very much! w6yMhOKg6nxPN
xuada