The Office: 4x05

The Office
4x05
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And we're back to thirty minutes - which has its fair share of pluses and minuses. Plus: not filling in the gaps with Michael driving his car into a lake. Minus: thirty less minutes of funny and cuteness. Oh, well, whatever. As long as I can count on the constancy of my Thursday night, as long as I know it's going to be there for me, I'll take what I can get. (Sorry, was discussing with a friend, how TV is a source of comfort when everything else is haywire in life - moving, job searching, etc.)

Tonight was all about ensemble...

And I loved it. When they stay on site, all together, it reminds me of season 1 and 2. Less bells and whistles (not that I don' t love the occasional bell or whistle) and moments with Cousin Mose, but the idea of that group trapped in an enclosed space, for an unknown amount of time... pure comedy. And in honor of that, tonight's breakdown is by character...

Michael: Such dedication. He can be laughable, sure, but that ad was pretty dang good! I mean, come one, Chariots of Fire?! Awesome. Michael broke out of his creative lock box. He used the talents of his workers. He visualized the unicorn. It's inspiring, really. Look for Mike's Cereal Shack in a city near you.

Andy: KIT KAT BAR!! Come, on! (Though I do like "football cream.") And I'm sorry, what he and Angela were doing is called "facing." I have this on good authority from a friend. Apparently there are by-laws to facing, and I think "cheeking the earlobe," crosses the boundaries of decency. Also love that Nard Dawg has NO clue what is going on with Dwight.

Dwight: Heh. "Oooooh, D." And, I'm sorry, but his second lifer can fly? Saving the masses from overpriced paper. Plus, his life was so good, his second life had a second life. Who can top that?

Jim: I, like Pam, want a Philly Jim. Too cute. Plus, bringing in breakfast, proud boyfriend smile at Pam's animation, followed immediately by protective/jealous boyfriend arm around the shoulders... always a win. Even if he did have to catch a ride home with Meredith. Guess he pissed... (P.S. Let's not give Jim and Pam any issues yet, everyone - this is normal. People work late.)

Pam: I loved focused, artistic Pam, falling asleep in the office, but having to decide if sleeping in the same place as Dwight and Michael was better or worse than falling asleep at the wheel and dying in a fiery car crash. P.S. I need Pam to clear my phone lines.

Darryl: The song was fantastic. And the backup singers - even better! Hysterical. Why did I feel like I was watching Cheers?

Phyllis: I want to see the outtakes on that crying scene.

Angela: Who doesn't hate being titillated? Yeah, I need outtakes on that, too.

Dunder-Mifflin.
The people-person's, paper people.

The Office: 4x04

The Office

4x04
Money

I loved this episode. I know there's some debate going on about it being too dramatic, but honestly, Booze Cruise had its moments - and so does life. And I think they did a good job of interspersing the heartfelt with the funny. So much goodness.

I wouldn't wish that on my worst ememy...

Jim and Dwight are fantastic together. Yes, it's funnier when they're annoying each other and playing pranks, but I like getting a glimpse into the inner workings of their "friendship." The beet farm was funny - Dwight reading the bed time story, while Mose rocked on the bed. But more than that, I loved seeing Jim and Pam take care of Dwight while he dealt with his break up. And I adored Jim's confession (and personal revelation) that brought Dwight around. I was also a fan of the moaning and the crying in the stairwell - reaching out for Jim, but finding him gone was a great touch. I think my favorite thing is that "normal" for those two, is Dwight being hard to get along with and pushing Jim's stuff off his desk. Victory.

And speaking of Italian food...

Seriously, anyone who says that getting the couple together on a TV show doesn't work, needs to watch The Office. I swear, every week I think I'm going to die from the cuteness that is Jim and Pam. Really. I can't handle it. I mean, let's roll call the moments of the week: the look on Jim's face when he realizes Pam is booking them a room at Schrute Farms, Jim's "manure speech" about how he imagined his first night away with Pam, Harry Potter story time cuddling, the glimpse into their room where we can see the beds pushed together, the Trip Advisor review, and of course, the kiss and subsequent Italian food talking heads. *sigh* John Krasinski is really blowing it for the male population out there, making women think that Jims actually exist in the wild.

Notables and Quotables...

1. The Devil Wears Prada/Million Dollar Baby cold open with Michael and Pam.

2. Schrute Farms. From Jim's discovery of its existence, to Cousin Mose running alongside the car, using the outhouse and just... running. Everywhere. I love Mose. I feel like I learned so much about agrotourism tonight. And really hate I can't stay at the asparagus farm.

3. Darryl. Just... so funny.

4. Michael having actual friends who like him at his other job.

5. Power Point! Power Point!

6. The conference room scene! Whomever/whoever. You know that discussion had to have gone down in the writer's room. So good.

7. Andy's moonwalking moves - even though we didn't actually see them, I like to imagine that's why he was standing spread eagle at Pam's desk - his legs were tired.

8. Michael's runaway train (never goin' back).

My own little hiatus.

If a week can be considered such a thing. It is summer, you know... and therefore, not much is on my TV radar at the moment, especially considering the move and etc. STILL. I finished (stayed up until 4 a.m. to watch) season 2 of HOUSE and am very eagerly (read: impatiently) awaiting the season 3 DVDs - of that and several other shows. There's just something about that Hugh Laurie that makes him a teensy bit irresistible. Obsessive. That's me.

Things I've heard about recently:
1. Heroes is already back in production. Good grief.
2. David Anders has been cast on Heroes (hello, love him!)
3. Fandomicity, which I'll assume everyone has seen by now, but if not, there are tons of YouTube links floating around - including the one in the post below this one. Check it out if you like The Office. There's just no excuse not to.
4. Some of the Heroes cast is not returning.
5. Why is this all about Heroes?

Speaking of The Office. Today was my last day of work at the design firm. My boss and a coworker took me out to lunch and gave me a little going away gift: a DWIGHT BOBBLEHEAD. So excited! He will find an immediate place of prominence on my desk - once it's been unpacked. Isn't he cute? And I hear there are bobbleheads of other cast members coming soon!!! They're gonna suck us all in. Every single one of us.

I'm ending this pointless, rambling post now, before it's too late. I promise a return to some sort of normalcy once I'm resettled on the West Coast.

Wanna get together later?

QUESTION: People sometimes ask...

What's so great about Jim Halpert?

FACT:
A picture is worth a thousand words.

"Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica."