THE OFFICE: The Lover
October 23, 2009 by SB
Whoa, my first ever Office recap! I’m pretty excited, but also really bummed out that Kath still isn’t feeling well. But I think she’s been doing a great job keeping the site running in spite of all the pain she’s in—she’s dedicated and we love her for it!
Alright, so last night we got Jim and Pam back from Puerto Rico. Dwight is trying to bug (literally and possibly figuratively) Jim, and Michael is dating Pam’s mom. And Jim’s slow descent into becoming Michael picks up speed. Let’s dive in!
You know, I was sort of meh about the Dwight/Jim/mallard thing at first. I wasn’t that entertained by the opera music and involving an unwitting Andy in it, but giving it to Kelly was pretty funny and the payoff at the end was really worth it. I liked that Jim told Dwight he had to wash and wax their car, and Dwight agreed that the punishment fit the crime and went along with it. And I thought it was nice of Jim to tell Pam that Dwight was washing the car to cheer her up, even though I don’t really approve of lying to your significant other (btw, saying “I don’t approve” makes me feel like Angela), and all it would take would be Pam thanking Dwight to completely blow his cover, but I’m going to let this one go. I also cracked up and Jim telling Dwight he’d make a terrible spy, and Dwight trying to protest but getting cut off, but the big moment was the tag at the end, where Dwight had actually bugged the pen he accused Jim of leaving on his desk. His whole intense, low-voiced, conspiratorial speech straight into the camera was so creepy, and then when he was listening to Jim describe paper and saying, “I have eight hours of this,” followed by a “I’m not crazy” … that was some classic, vintage, grade A Dwight right there. Nice writing AND well played.
As for Michael and Pam’s mom … WOW. I don’t even know what to think. It was painful. Not “I hate this storyline” painful, just hard to watch. Jenna Fischer plays angry REALLY well, and it’s not a side of Pam we’ve seen much of, but now we know what will push her over the line. That said, I did think Pam was being unprofessional, especially in the conference room, but I can also see where if you were that mad at someone who has a long history of childishness, it would be easy to go there yourself, so as unattractive as it was, I bought it. And Stanley’s face in the background during all of this was hilarious—I love how the background actors always manage to bring something extra to the scene. And I still love Oscar. He had maybe two sentences in the conference room but they were both perfect, and he’s becoming one of my favorites this year. He’s just so sane, and it’s funny that “sanity” is a standout characteristic on this show, but we all know that it totally is.
I’m so curious to hear what everyone thinks about whether or not Pam’s anger and Michael was justified. (And who else loved Jim just agreeing with her both ways on whether or not she was overreacting—hee!) I’m inclined to say that she is, mostly just because I can picture how mad I’d be if my mom were dating Michael Scott. And Pam’s parents got divorced not that terribly long ago, so I’m sure it’s still hard for her and she’s probably worried about her mom’s mental health, and it is just generally weird and inappropriate, especially when Michael is saying he might one day be her father. Gross! And you know, I’m totally one of those people who will start out mad about something and end up mad about something else and I’m wondering if that didn’t happen to Pam a little bit, if maybe at first she was angry about Michael and her mom but then she ended up madder about the fact that he completely disregarded her feelings. And that scene in the kitchen with Pam screaming at Michael that she didn’t give a s*** about his happiness was amazing. I don’t really even think it’s true, but he definitely crossed a line and she doesn’t care about him more than she cares about her mom or maybe even herself, which I think is okay. Call me a jerk, I think you should care about your own happiness more than your boss’. And it’s times like these where The Office does a really good job of reminding us of the tenuous balance of these relationships, that it may not be a normal workplace environment with typical office interactions, but bottom line, no matter how “family-like” they may be, bottom line is, it’s still a job and they’re still coworkers before they’re friends.
As for Jim becoming Michael, yes and no. He’ll never truly be able to become Michael because he’s just not that lonely or isolated, but he has started just making weird noises in awkward situations and that makes ME feel so awkward. And frank and beans? So not funny, and SUCH an outdated reference, which is a hallmark of Michael Scott. It was totally uncomfortable, which I know is what they shoot for, so props, writers!
I’m just walking away from this episode feeling a little out of sorts, and at first if you’d asked me I might’ve said it wasn’t great for me, but the more I think about it, the more I like it. It was dark. And I like what it sets up, and I think it allowed for some really interesting character things to happen. And I LOVED how they left it with Michael and Pam, with Pam refusing to acknowledge him and Michael trying to pretend nothing had happened, after saying in an earlier talking head that he didn’t need to be Pam’s friend. He TOTALLY needs that, and she knows it, AND she knows exactly how to punish him. And in a way, she’s very much acting like a belligerent child, which is an ironic way to treat someone who will “never be [your] father”.
Alright, I feel like I hit the major plot points, but as always with The Office, there were tons of little things going on, from Creed crying at opera music to Ryan, who would rather not say where he got his fedora, and those things are awesome too! Feel free to agree, disagree, and add your thoughts and favorite moments in the comments, and hopefully Kath will be feeling better next week! Our thoughts are with you, girlfriend!
SB has been recapping for GMMR for several years and felt inspired to start her own blog at www.offcolortv.com after having so much fun here. But she’s not going anywhere, so you are stuck with her and one day, she might even start dating your mom.
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Omg, I am so in love with this episode. I thought is was so great, and I hope that Jenna Fischer submits this for Emmy consideration. I thought the tone was perfect for the situation – dark, yet juvenile and still funny. Some of my favourites:
*The blurred/bleeped out swearing. I realize that this is a network show, blah, blah, blah, but c’mon. NOBODY ever curses in this workplace being filmed for a documentary? Arrested Development was awesome at making bleeped out swearing funny and The Office should do it more often.
*Jenna’s entire scene in Michael’s office (learning of the affair) and in the lunchroom (“I don’t give a s*** about your happiness!!!). She was amazing.
*Jim’s scene in the lunchroom discovering the affair (“What kind of car does she drive?” “A green Camry.” “S***.” and “TAKE ANOTHER ROUTE HOME!!!!”)
*Thought it was funny that Erin was being all controlling with Pam over a job that Pam USED TO DO.
*”That could of gone one of two ways, but I never thought she’d get upset”.
*Ryan being all douchey about his stupid hat. And Kelly feeding his ego. I love them.
*I loved the mallard/duck/pen storyline. Classic and funny.
Great review. I’m with you when you said at first you felt this ep wasn’t great but the more you think about it the more you like it. Totally agree.
What is your take on the Erin/Pam/candy situation? So far I have loved how sweet and naive Erin is, but now I am wondering if it might be an act and she might be more manipulative than one would first assume.
Also, Jim yelling “Not now Toby!” was a great way to show how Jim is moving into the Michael Scott mentality.
Loooooved this episode. Especially crack an egg on your head. Such a blast to the past that I really apprectiated!
Great recap SB! I agree, at first my initial response was “Ehh…” and then upon thinking it over, I realized all those little moments that made the episode so uncomfortable to watch still made the episode enjoyable.
First of all this episode was amazing! I am genuinely surprised every week when the writer’s up the ante, we are some blessed viewers for a show like The Office. Now Pam: I think her reaction was justified up to a point, but she did take it a little far. We all know Michael, and he really believed Pam when she said he needs to consider his happiness so did not see the harm in telling her. The initial shock was warranted because your boss sleeping with your mom is totally weird. When Pam got to the point of throwing a tantrum that is when it got to be a little much. She needs to remember that as flawed as Michael has been he has been there for her always and deserves this whether or not it is something she wants. Back when she had her art gallery and nobody showed up, Michael was there to support her and even bought the painting. Last season, Michael gave her a dose of compassion and reality in front of his condo when she realized the severity of quitting her job. Throughout the years, Michael has always been there for Pam at times even when Jim was not. It was especially heartbreaking when Michael said his piece in the conference room and Pam continued with her tantrum, I thought his speech was really affecting and rang true.
LOVED this episode, I think its one of the best they’ve done in a while.
I have to disagree about Pam being over the top. I thought her reaction was amazing and so true to life. Was she mean? Out of line? Irrational? Yes. But considering she’s 5 months pregnant, I wouldn’t expect anything less. Anyone who’s been there will tell you something snaps at that point, you lose your filter, and all kinds of crazy things start to come out. I don’t blame her for flipping out like she did because you truly can’t help it when something sets you off, and your surrounded by people who irritate you. So i think the writer’s (and Jenna of course) did a fantastic job showing what a scary creature the angry pregnant lady is to behold
Completely agree with B.
I LOVED this episode. It was hilarious – in fact, I watched it once by myself and once when my husband got home from school. Definitely one of my new favorite episodes!
I thought that they’d bring it back to the hormones as her reason for flipping the crazy switch. Pam was fake fired and didn’t raise her voice. It was totally out of character and it would have been believable if they’d brought it back to the pregnancy as the reason.
I thought that the scene with Michael and Pam’s mom at the wedding was really sweet and I found myself rooting for them. The whole situation (with the staff finding out) would have been a NON situation if Pam hadn’t thrown a tantrum. I needed some concrete reason why Jim was so angry at the beginning and then Pam was so angry for the rest of the episode. I’d believe MORTIFIED or completely embarrassed over all that anger.
Pam should have known by the way Jim was acting in Michaels office (not wanting to give him the rum) that Jim already knew. She should have thanked him for trying to spare her and they’d have talk about how he made Michael promise to break up with her mom. The writers pitting them (sort of) against each other just so they could have a sweet “make up” hug at the window was not true to their characters.
They could have had the same idea play out much better. Pam’s mom could have told her on the phone and Pam could have been a raging biotch all day to everyone in sight and especially Michael. They would all assume it was the pregnancy hormones and having Pam rage quietly seems more honest for her character. She could have an outburst, sure, but the constant yelling and ridiculous behavior….HEY! Maybe PAM is turning into Michael?! Haha, no. Michael wouldn’t ever say he doesn’t give a $h!t about someone elses happiness…unless it were Toby.
Doesn’t sound like it, but I did enjoy the episode. I’m just thinking about the fact that Pam’s character went so far. Dwight was good. I didn’t get to see the end scene with the pen because my DVR cut off. I’ll have to look online. I liked how he readily agreed to wash the car and they showed him in his heavy coat to make it seem like winter’s coming! Nice to see Angela smiling, even if it is due to somebody’s misery. Angela got to give her bestie a big southern smile!
I liked the episode right from the first watching! I missed Jim & Pam last week while they were on their honeymoon, so to me this was another great Jim and Pam centered storyline AND had some great Jim/Dwight pranks, conference room scene, etc…very very funny! Classic Office episode.
I too thought Pam’s reaction was a little over the top and uncharacteristic – but believable with the pregnancy hormones. My favourite line – MIchael: I have recently taken a lover. HA!
I agree that at first this episode wasn’t my favorite, but i haven’t stopped watching it since thursday. It is probably my third favorite of the season so far with 1st as the wedding and 2nd as Gossip.
First of all, Jim and Pam are amazing. I thought having them married would ruin the show and all of the cutsy, flirty moments would be gone, but the writers managed to have them interact in a whole new way. They are so comfortable with each other that their love really shows. I loved the whole Frank and Beans bit. Mostly i just loved seeing them both giggle like crazy. They are so cute. And Jim is stepping up as the husband and really trying to comfort Pam. I can’t wait to see him with a baby. He’s gonna be such a good Dad. Maybe the writers will have him talk to the baby or feel Pam’s tummy for kicking or something. That would be beyond adorable.
Favorite line of the show though:
I fell into an acid tank, eye first.
Great job with the review. I couldn’t agree with it more!
When Michael said the line “I have recently taken a lover”, I was sipping on a can of coke and sprayed it out laughing. I should know better than to eat or drink during the office. Too funny!