Grid Effect

One of the more underwhelming episodes of The Office last night. I like how they avoided touching on Pam and Jim, but set aside a few exceptions and the humor just seemed under-developed.

I do not have much to say about it really. The lecture at Ryan’s college was rife with potential, and while it exuded Michael Scott tom-foolery, it seemed like the writers were a little confused as to how to handle it. I will concede that incorporating the candy bars into the lecture was definitely in character, as well as ripping the pages out of the textbook with no segue (though at this point, after he grabbed the textbook it was obvious he going to do exactly what he did), maybe we have had one too many Michael Scott lectures that it’s encroaching on predictability.

Pam is going through something of a premature mid-life crisis. I think it was for her own benefit to hear that conversation between Oscar and his boyfriend, and not for the unmerciful constructive criticism of her art, but more so for her personality. If she was more honest with herself and others, she probably wouldn’t be stuck in an unpleasant rejuvenated relationship with her meathead ex-fiance.

Who, by the way, was really laying it on thick with the, “You’re art, was the prettiest art at the gallery” line. Even she, in all her cautious optimism, realized what a facade that was. Her deadpan, “Thanks”, is really the only appropriate response. It took someone as simple-minded and as Dundler-Mifflin loyal and obsessed as Michael to express any genuine interest in her work. I like the callback to the lecture with the Chunky being in his pocket, like at some point in tiem at a gas station he thought that might fit into his speech.

Also, Jim’s prank on Dwight was a little far-fetched, even for someone as cryptic as Dwight. I cannot imagine he would be delusional enough to believe someone had turned into a vampire. Speaking of which Karen looked exceedingly uncomfortable and joyless in the ruse on Dwight. Just another indication that the writers will eventually get Jim and Pam together (given how much Pam enjoys and excels at manipulating Dwight with Jim). Though if they go through the entire series and have them hate each other by the end of it, I will laugh my balls off. Laugh ‘em right off.

The highlight of the evening goes to Rainn Wilson, for Dwight’s psychotic obsession with capturing the bat that had broken loose in the office. His failed attempts culminated in Meredith being locked in the bathroom (because the bat was locked in the kitchen). After probably an hour of hesitancy, she tried to make her escape, Dwight coincidentally stormed through the door screaming which caused the bat to go apeshit and targeted Meredith’s head. Which lead to Dwight wrapping the bag around the bat with her head inside of it for at least 15-20 seconds. Forget the hazards of wrapping a plastic bag around someones head, let alone there being a bat in there… this is like a form of military torture. After he removes the bag with the bat safely intact, he turns around and gives a death stare to her, and creepily says, “you’re welcome”. I regrettably admit that I have probably three friends who would be just as conceited.

Short on noteworthy quotes last night, but here are a few:

“Mr. Handel would hang out with us and he would tell us awesome jokes, and then he actually hooked up with one of the students, and like twelve other kids came forward, and then he was suspended. Really ruined eighth grade for us”. -Michael

“Oh my God…. animal stool.” -Dwight, observing a half centimeter mark on the ground that was apparently bat shit.

“Business is always personal, it’s the most personal thing in the world.” -Michael, after Ryan tries to console him following the lecture.

“You’re welcome” -Dwight,

Again, not the best episode but some definite highlights. I think this is another example of needing to extend regular Office broadcasts to a full hour. On the bright side, we now have a rooting male and female interest in Survivor. More on that later today.