The Office: Frame Toby

I must admit that I was very upset on Thanksgiving because I felt that I had nothing to be thankful for...The Office was not on! But luckily, the episode that aired the week before was a great one and I have watched it on NBC many times since then. I will recap this episode and help remind you what's going on since we had a whole week off.

The episode starts with the office is having some sort of party, who knows what for, and Kelly mentions taking a brownie to Toby. Michael thinks that it is so funny that Kelly would ever say such a thing because Toby is gone. He starts laughing about how funny it is and Jim has to break the news to Michael that Toby has been back for about a week. Everybody assumed that Michael knew this, since he is the boss, but of course Michael's excuse is that he never goes back to that corner because it reminds him of Holly. He makes his way back to "Toby's" desk and doesn't see him and thinks it was all just a horrible joke, but then he turns around and there he is. Micahel's face is indescribable and he then starts yelling "NOOOOO" over and over again right to Toby's face.

When the show comes back from commercials, we see a classic Michael moment: him staring out at Toby through his blinds in his office. He then texts David Wallace saying 911 so he thought that there was an emergency. David then finds out that the emergency was that Toby is back, and he is just amazed that Michael could go a week without knowing that someone works there. I want to know how David can go months without knowing that Ryan is back at Dunder Mifflin. Anyway, Michael tries really hard to pretend to be friends with Toby and goes to talk to him and tell him that he was missed while he was gone. He asks about Toby's vacation to Costa Rica and attempts to listen to him, but just can't take it for too long. He said it was like trying to be friends with an evil snail and he feels like he is dying inside.

Michael and Dwight then try to figure out ways to get Toby fired. They find out that he could get fired for sexual harassment, so Dwight offers to be the bait and get Toby to hit on him. When Michael shoots that idea down, he decides to make Pam the bait. He gives her a note to give to Toby without reading it. Of course she is smart enough to read it first, and it says that she is in love with him and wants him to kiss and hug her no matter how much she might disagree. When that fails, he decides to try to get Toby to physically hurt him. He finds Toby trying to show Ryan and Kelly his Costa Rica pictures and takes the pictures and throws them on the floor and starts yelling at him and telling him to go ahead and hit him and just tries to egg him on. But Toby would never hit Michael, so that idea was a bust as well. So Dwight has one last idea....framing him for possessing drugs.


Michael goes to purchase drugs from workers at Vance Refrigeration (the guys who smoked the joint that was found in the episode Drug Testing). They sell him a bag of 2 lbs for $500. He then places it in Toby's drawer and Dwight makes a call to the police station telling them that there are drugs in the office being held by a man named Toby Flenderson. Then he tells the police that his name is Andy Bernard, I loved that! Dwight always knows how to stay out of trouble. The police come and Dwight takes control and takes him back to Toby's desk. Creed talks to the camera and tells them to pretend to talk to him until the police are gone. Oh Creed. Toby gets really defensive and does not want the police to search his desk because they don't have probably cause. Michael gets really nervous and starts to panic and tries to tell them to leave but they find the bag and Michael tells them that it's his bag. He actually thinks that it's weed and he tries to take the blame! I was amazed! But the police then tell them that it's a bag of lettuce and Michael just blames Toby for ruining everything. I love how it's always Toby's fault. Toby realizes what Michael tried to do so they try to talk things out.

Michael doesn't understand why Toby said he was leaving and then came back. He just gave Michael false hope and Michael now feels betrayed and lied to. Michael's great quote: "Do you want to hear a lie? I think you're great. You're my best friend." And then he gives a cute little smile that he does whenever he messes with Toby.

Pam has kind of a strange side story going on. She goes to microwave something and it is completely messy and disgusting inside. So she writes an anonymous note saying that people need to clean up their mess and that whoever left it is rude and inconsiderate. Most people think that the note is more rude then the actual mess is, but of course Angela likes the note. Pam complains about the microwave to Jim and you can tell he really just is not interested in her story. Ryan tells her that he agrees with her note, but that somebody is going to have to end up cleaning it..hinting that she should just clean it. But she comes back with a great line of, "Well I guess that's why we have a temp." I loved it!

Jim has told people in the office that he has bought his parents old house for him and Pam and that he is going to show Pam that night after work. We see him touring the house and see that it is pretty run down and has shag carpet and a hideous clown painting that won't come off the wall. He surprises her after work and the whole time he is showing her the house, you can't read her expression. I had no idea if she was happy or completely terrified and upset. Because the house wasn't the nicest thing and he just bought it without asking her first, so I could understand that she might be a little upset. But when he takes her to the garage and shows her that he has started turning it into an art studio for her, I was sold. I thought she had to love it or I was going to be really mad at her. And sure enough, she tells him that she loves it and that she can't believe he bought her a house! Then they kiss and it's really sweet, and she asks if they can please not sleep in his parent's old room and if they can take the clown picture down. It's very adorable and I loved seeing the love between them again.


Ryan and Kelly are making out again and he back away and tells her that they are over and that he is going away on vacation with his friends. She gets mad that he made her break up with Darryl for him and then dumps her like a week later. But he tells her not to be mad and to have sex with him one more time before he leaves and to give him some little extra cash. And she just agrees. Poor Kelly.



Favorite Moments:

• Dwight: "It's a good day, I'm wearing my mustard shirt."
• Michael yelling at Toby in the beginning
• Michael and Toby sitting next to each other and talking to the camera
• Pam being a smartass to Ryan
• Pam loving the house
• Dwight saying that he loves catching people in the act
• Michael peeking through the blinds
  

What to look for next week:

• Well we didn't see anything about Angela or Andy, but I hear that they will be visitng Schrute Farms this week....something to look forward to I'm sure.
• Ryan is leaving, but will he be back? I never know what to think of this guy.
• Will Kelly get back together with Darryl?
• Hopefully we will see Jim and Pam in their new house. And when will this wedding take place? I'm sure it won't be a long engagement...hopefully.
• Is Jan ever coming back? It's been a long while since we've seen her. And Michael said that he would end up going back to her. I'm sure she's coming back soon.

Top 10 Jim Pranks on Dwight

Everytime I watch The Office, I am waiting to see what prank Jim is going to pull on Dwight. It has probably become one of my favorite parts of the show. The pranks are always so funny and creative and Dwight's reactions are what make them perfect. It was extremely hard for me to narrow it down to my top 10, but I tried my best. They are in no specific order because I love them all equally!

The Pilot:
Jim puts Dwight’s stapler in Jell-O. This is a classic prank, since it is the first one we see. I think Pam's giggle in the background makes it even funnier. Favorite line- Jim: "You know what, I'm sorry Dwight. Because I have always been your biggest flan."

Performance Review:
Dwight has replaced his office chair with a fitness orb. He is bouncing up and down and talking about the great benefits of his new exercise ball and being annoying, as usual. As Dwight continues to brag about his quick reflexes and improved sex skills, Jim asks how much the ball is and when he finds out that is only $25, he decides to take his scissors and pop the ball while Dwight is completely unaware and just bouncing away. We see Dwight fall quickly to the ground as it deflates and it is hilarious! Favorite line-Dwight: "Forget everything you thought you knew about ab workouts." Jim: "Done."

Booze Cruise:
Jim puts all of Dwight’s stuff in the vending machine, including his wallet. So Dwight has no money to buy back any of his stuff. Jim hands him a huge bag of nickels and Dwight actually stands there and starts buying back everything tha'ts his. Favorite line- Dwight: "You know what, I know it was you because you're friends with the vending machine guy." Jim: "Who, Steve?"

Branch Closing:
While Jim is away working at Stamford, he sends Dwight faxes using Dwight's stationary that he stole and took with him when he left. Dwight thinks that he is receiving messages from himself, from the future. In this specific fax, Dwight is told that the coffee is poisoned and he tackles Stanley just as he's about to drink some coffee. Favorite Line- Jim: "Dwight, at 8 a.m. today someone poisons the coffee. Do not drink the coffee. More instructions will follow. Cordially, Future Dwight."

Back from Vacation:
Dwight is recording their meetings while Michael is gone on vacation. So Jim decides to have some fun and start saying that Dwight is holding a knife and taking off his clothes and wearing a babby bonnet. Favorite line- Jim: "What is this?" Dwight: "Tape recorder" Jim: "For what?" Dwight: "Uh, for recording."

Product Recall:
Jim comes into work dressed as Dwight. He has the yellow shirt and hair parted down the middle and huge glasses and watch. He even pulls out a bobblehead from his briefcase and talks about beets and Battlestar Galactica. Favorite line- Jim: “Michael!!!” Dwight: "Oh that's funny. Michael!!!"

The Fight:
Dwight comes into work and his desk has been moved. He is about to go tell Michael when Jim starts giving him directions to get to his desk by telling him if he's getting "hot" or "cold". Dwight finds his desk in the bathroom and sits down to answer the phone as Jim calls him. Jim even asks Dwight for some amounts of paper products and Dwight gets out the information and starts working at his desk. Favorite line- Jim: "Hi Dwight, what sort of discounts are we giving on the 20 pound manilla paper?" Dwight: "Jim, I've given you this information like 20 times."

Gay Witch Hunt:
After finding out that Oscar is gay, Michael and Dwight start to wonder who else is gay in the office. Dwight remember Jim telling him about a thing called Gaydar that could tell if people were gay. So they call Jim to see where to get it. Jim pretends to look it up for them and tells them that it's sold out. Dwight is extremely disappointed. Later that week, Jim sends him a metal detector and says that it's Gaydar. Favorite line- Jim: "Oh gaydar, yes, I think they sell it at Sharper Image. I'll check for you. Oh, they're soldout." Dwight: "Damn. I'll try Brookstone."

Performance Review:
Dwight happens to think it’s Friday, but it’s really Thursday so Jim decides to mess with him and purposely say things to make Dwight keep believing that it's Friday. Jim pretends to call a friend and ask him what he's going the next day, Saturday, for lunch. Pam also helps him out and talks to Jim about watching The Apprentice the night before, since it's on every Thursday night. Dwight is then late to work the next day, after obvioulsy realizing that he had been wrong. Favorite line- Dwight: "I went out and got drunk with my laser tag buddies. Damn, I never go out on a Thursday night, what was I thinking?"

Casino Night:
Jim tells Dwight that he has been able to control things with his mind ever since he was a little kid. Dwight tells him to prove it by moving the coat rack with his mind. Pam helps him by using her umbrella to move the coat rack and Jim pretends that he's doing it. Later, Dwight tries to move his bobblehead using his mind powers. Favorite line- Dwight: "I don't believe you. Continue."



This video is kind of long, but it shows clips of most the scenes I have described as well as other great ones! Enjoy!

Michael's CD Mix Tape

As I was browsing The Office's website on NBC, I noticed that you could see the songs on Michael's Mix CD from the episode "Employee Transfer." I was of course interested in what they are because all we got to hear on the episode was "Life is a Highway" at least 5 times. The website opens up your iTunes store on your computer and shows you the playlist. It also has playlists of Pam, Ryan, and Jim's favorite songs. It's pretty funny because it gives a reason for why the characters picked each of their songs. If you can't find the link on the NBC website (things seem to go on and off there randomly), then go to your iTunes store and just search for Celebrity Playlists and then look for The Office Employees. Here are just a few of the songs that are on the playlists and the reasons why they were picked. Go check put the rest of them!

Michael Road Trip Mix:

"Life is a Highway": "Perfect song to start the mix. Not only does it get you pumped, but it's about driving and life, so it works on lots of different levels."

"I'm Like a Bird": "This song only works if you're a bird that flies. Penguins and ostriches just have to face their own problems head on."

"Hey Ya!": "You're driving, you're getting sleepy, then this song comes on, and BAM! You're singing and clapping and dancing. It's saved my life several times."

"Whoomp! There It Is": "I know ALL the words!"

Jim Halpert's Picks:

"Chicago": "Heartbreaking and great. Plus, I love any song whose titly is a city that isn't Scranton."

"Rich Girl": "Yes, I am a music snob, but my ex-girlfriend Katy put this on a mix for me when it came out, and I got hooked. Try to listen to this song without smiling and/or singing along. I dare you."

"Ghost": "Buy the whole album. It's incredible. If you don't like it, I, Jim Halpert, will give you a free box of Dunder Mifflin 8 1/2 X 14 legal pads. (Then I will be fired. So, win-win.)."


Ryan Howard's Picks:

"When I Get My": "There's a guy I work with, I'm kinda friends with him, really nice guy, but...I don't know, sometimes I want to leave this song anonymously on his desk."

"I Turn My Camera On": "You know those five minutes or so on your drive to work, after you've shaken off the grogginess of waking up and after your cup of coffee has kicked in - but before your day turns into absolute soul-crushing drudgery? This is my theme song for those five optimistic minutes."

"Kokomo": "Whenever I am having a really bad day, I come home and put on this song. This song is so bad tha tit makes my day look okay by comparison."

Pam Beesly's Picks:

"At Last": "This is going to be Roy's and my first dance at our wedding. Kind of fitting, after our 42-year courtship."

"Phone Call #27": "This is the only time where I like the sound of a phone ringing in my ear."

"Those Sweet Words": "I have this CD-playing alarm clock, and I wake up to this song every morning. It's soothing and pretty - it sort of pulls me gently out of my sleep. My fiancee hates it."

Another Great Michael vs. Toby Moment

So after tonight's episode, which I will do a full post on later, I must quickly add a moment to my Top 10 list of Michael vs. Toby moments. Tonight, when Michael found out that Toby was back and working at the office again, he went back to check for himself and started yelling at Toby. He just kept yelling "NOOOOO," and he looked like he wanted to kill himself. It was an amazingly funny scene and I loved every minute of it!

Hilarious Office Videos

I found many hilarious Office youtube videos that fans have made by taking clips from random episodes and making them into different movie trailers and such. These are just a few of the many great videos. Hope you enjoy!

What The Office would be like if it were a crime show:




Brokeback Office:



Vantage Point:



The Office in Threat Level Midnight

Christmas Obsession

Besides my huge obsession over The Office, my main other obsession in life is Christmas. I love everything about this holiday and this time of the year! Here is why Christmas is so special to me.

1. Buying people presents: I absolutely love nothing more than making my list of what I am going to buy people for Christmas. I go crazy and spend way too much money, but it is so worth it to see people happy when they open your gift. I'm all about getting the "inside joke" gifts for friends and making cute meaningful things for my boyfriend and my family. It isn't all about getting something expensive and amazing, it's about taking the time to think about each person individually and come up with something unique that you know they would love.

2. Decorating: Putting up the Christmas tree is the next best thing about this holiday! Getting everything down from the attic is exciting enough, but then unwrapping all the ornaments and hanging them on the tree makes it even better. Every year I feel like I am seeing all the ornaments for the first time and I love strategically placing them on the tree so your favorite ones can be seen and the others are hidden in the back. I also love putting up our Christmas Village. My mom and I collect village pieces and we have houses and churches and ponds and stores and people and animals and all sorts of great stuff. It looks so pretty at night when we turn on the lights to the village and the christmas tree lights and turn off all the lights in the house. I love sleeping on my couch during Christmas time because I love falling asleep with those lights on around me. I brought a mini tree up to school with me last year and other decorations like garland and lights to put in my room and I left everything up until at least March!

3. Making cookies: I don't necessarily love the taste of Christmas cookies all that much, but there is nothing more fun than making dozens of them just for the hell of it. I love using the cookie cutters and making fun-shaped cookies like reindeer and santas and snowmen. Then decorating them is the best! I put on so much sugar and icing and I love buying the cute sprinkles that are shaped like snowflakes and chritsmas trees.

4. Getting together with family: This is the one time of the year that I see most of my family. I love spending time with them all and the food is always delicious as well. I have at least 4 different family Christmases and they are all unique in their own ways. One of grandparents plays certain games with me and all my cousins every year and it is something I always look forward to. One of my aunts has us over for lunch Christmas day and we watch all the movies we got for Christmas. It's just nice to have different traditions and things to look forward to every year.

5. Getting presents: Who doesn't love getting presents? It is just so fun to have something wrapped in front of you that you have no idea what it is. I love surprises and I am always surprised with my gifts. I make a list every year of things that I want, but I always get many extra random things that I was not expecting and it makes it even better. I love keeping my presents under the christmas tree for at least a week after christmas before putting them up. It's fun to walk by and look at them all and it makes me feel like they're still brand new. Once you put them away, they lose their Christmas spirit and they just become things that you own and only look at every once in awhile. I love wearing all my new clothes and watching my new movies and playing my new games! Getting presents is just a great addition to the other great aspects of Christmas!

6. Snow: If it snows on Christmas Day, my day is perfect. I love the snow and the way it looks and feels and smells. It is so fun to go outside and get all bundled up and play in the snow for hours and then go inside and make hot chocolate and watch movies. It is the best part of Christmas time!

The Office: Customer Survey

After his sad breakup with Holly, Michael copes by telling everyone in the office that they are engaged. Everyone is gathered in his office congratulating him and they make him call his mother to tell her the good news and he finally breaks and tells everyone that he was joking. Kelly had bought a bridesmaid dress already and so asked Michael if he would give her money for the dress but of course he didn’t. I wonder if Michael ever told Kelly she could actually be his wedding, or did she just assume like she has in the past.

Jim and Pam have decided to spend every minute of their day on the phone together, using a really small Bluetooth that no one can notice. They don’t tell anybody so sometimes they will be talking to each other but everybody around them thinks they are talking to themselves. I loved this storyline because I loved seeing Jim and Pam being cute together and it really showed how much they are missing each other. I loved when Kelly told Dwight to get out of her nook while Jim was there and Pam yells “That’s what she said, that’s what she said!” But the Bluetooth can also be a problem because while Pam is at work, her guy friend who we’ve seen her with a lot this season comes to visit her and ask her to stay in New York. He tells her as a true friend because he doesn’t want her to leave so soon after finally getting to study art, he thinks she needs to stay and continue her career in New York. After he tells her this and leaves, Jim and Pam don’t say anything to each other. It left me pretty worried, but he does have a point. I hope she goes back to him, or maybe Jim could go work at corporate in New York.

The main story line in this episode was a big mystery. Every year Kelly conducts customer surveys for all of the salesmen and this year, Dwight and Jim got surprising results. They both did horribly; people said Dwight was abrasive and Jim was arrogant. It was very shocking because Dwight is the top salesman and Jim is always very personable. Jim was mainly upset because he wanted a bonus to help him buy his parents’ house for him and Pam, and Dwight is just upset because he knows he is amazing and he is sure he is being sabotaged. When Jim tells Pam that he didn’t do so well on his customer surveys, Pam says it’s probably because he spent the whole year flirting with the receptionist. Michael decides that he must need to manage Jim and Dwight more personally and makes them pretend like they are on the phone together and that Dwight is the salesman and Jim is the customer. Jim tells Dwight that his name is Bill Buttlicker and puts him on hold and tells him that he is hard of hearing and makes Dwight scream at him. It is a hilarious scene and Jim is just egging him on while Michael takes it very seriously.

Dwight is paranoid all day and thinks that people are listening to every conversation he has with anyone and ends up confronting Kelly about being the person who is conspiring against him. Jim thinks Dwight is crazy but then starts to think he might be on to something when he tries talking to Kelly about her relationship with Darryl and she answers with one word and then leaves. Pam points out that you can never have a conversation with Kelly without it lasting 15 minutes at least. Jim asks Ryan if he knows why Kelly might be mad at him and ends up noticing that Ryan has a mug just like Andy’s that has their faces on them. He finds out that the mugs are from a party that Kelly had over the summer and Pam remembers that Jim didn’t go. Jim starts putting things together and realizes that he and Dwight are the only two people in the office who didn’t go to her party. The two of them confronted Kelly and told Michael and she finally admits that she messed up the customer surveys because they didn’t come to her party. Michael can sympathize with her because he has a huge problem getting people to come to his parties.

I actually didn’t like this plot; I thought it made Kelly seem like such a small person and I don’t believe she would do something like that just because two people didn’t come to her party at least 3 months ago. I thought it would’ve been better if it had been Ryan who screwed them up or if he had helped Kelly mess them up because he would at least have a real motive. But, it still had some funny parts to it, like Dwight and Jim’s fake phone conversation. And I liked seeing Jim and Dwight actually work together for a change. They seemed to enjoy each other a little bit.

Andy finally booked a person who will make a tent for their wedding and all the walls and the ceiling will be gray, per Angela’s request. Angela lets him book it under certain conditions: it must be placed in a hand-plowed field, have a barn that you can see the stars through, have antique tools to look at when you roll over, and it must be in a 5-8 mile radius. Andy finds the perfect place…Schrute Farms! I didn’t understand why Angela would want to get married there and I still really don’t, but when they met with Dwight to talk about the wedding, he was extremely excited about it as well and they kept exchanging small mischievous grins. Why does she keep stringing Dwight along?

All in all, I thought there were many funny and cute parts, but I definitely was not in love with the episode. I feel like there may be too many deep story lines this season so it is hard for them to move the stories forward while maintaining the unique humor of the show. I hope they step it up a little bit and start adding more humor and maybe moving the stories along a little quicker.

Favorite Moments:

• Michael throwing away Kelly’s bridesmaid dress receipt


• Jim: “You wouldn’t know it by looking at her, but Pam’s a Goldigger.” Pam: “ Hey, New York ain’t free!”
  
• Pam: “What color mustard is his shirt, yellow or Dijon?”


• Kelly: “Dwight, get out of my nook!” Pam: “That’s what she said, that’s what she said!”


• Jim and Dwight’s fake phone conversation
  
  

What to look for in the next episode:

• So Pam should definitely be back by now! What will happen…will she stay in New York or come back to Jim?
  
• Is Michael going to go back to Jan? Will we hear about Holly again?


• What about a replacement for Holly? They didn’t mention that at all this episode.


• Will Angela really go through with the wedding? She obviously still has feeling for Dwight.

Dunder Mifflin Store in Scranton, PA

The NBC store, which sells all official NBC merchandise, will install a kiosk on the first floor of The Mall at Steamtown (the mall Michael took all the women to in the episode Women’s Appreciation) starting Nov. 1 and continuing through Dec. 31. This store will be selling specifically The Office merchandise since it is in Scranton, PA and will be named The Dunder Mifflin Store. But for those who aren’t necessarily diehard fans of the show, the store will also sell some select merchandise from a few other NBC shows such as Heroes, Saturday Night Live and even Saved by the Bell!

The kiosk will be selling Dunder Mifflin work shirts and T-shirts, hats, mugs, key chains, magnets, and of course the infamous Dwight bobblehead, along with many other amazing products. They say that if the store does well during the holiday season, it may become a permanent fixture in the mall. I can’t wait to make a trip out there!

Top 10 Michael vs. Toby Moments

Michael has hated Toby since the beginning of this show and nobody really knows why. But it adds a lot of humor and some of the best quotes ever. I love the relationship that they share and find it absolutely hysterical. So I compiled my top 10 favorite moments that are shared by Toby and Michael.

Casino Night:
Michael: Oh, and another fun thing. We, at the end of the night, are going to give the check to an actual group of Boy Scouts. Right, Toby? We’re gonna…
Toby: Actually, I didn’t think it was appropriate to invite children since it’s… You know, there’s gambling and alcohol, and it’s in our dangerous warehouse and it’s a school night… And, you know, Hooters is catering. You know, is that enough? Should I keep going?
Michael: Why are you the way that you are? Honestly, every time I try to do something fun or exciting, you make it not… that way. I hate so much about the things that you choose to be

The Negotiation:
Toby: “Where are we going?”
Michael: “I’m going to smack you in the head with a hammer.”

Money:
Michael: No one asked you anything ever, so whomever’s name is Toby, why don’t you take a letter opener and stick it in your skull.

Goodbye Toby:
Michael: "Who do you think you are?”

The Deposition:
Lawyer: “Who is this ryan girl”
Toby: bursts out giggling

The Fight:
Toby: "Michael…"
Michael: "Hey, Toby."
Toby: "Any word on those time cards?"
Michael: "I’ve got an idea: why don’t you leave right now. Why don’t you walk away from the room, ‘kay?"

The Deposition:
Toby tries to be nice to Michael in the cafeteria after his diary has been exposed, and as nice as Toby’s trying to be, Michael just can’t take it and throws his food on the floor.

Branch Wars:
Michael: "I'll tell you what, I'll give you Toby. He is amazing, he is the best….nope I can’t even lie about it, he is horrible"

Michael’s Birthday:
Toby: Who brought in donuts?
Michael: Somebody got donuts for my birthday.
Toby: Happy birthday.
Michael: You didn’t know it was my birthday.
Toby: I guess I forgot…
Michael: Well I guess I forgot to give you a donut.

Boys & Girls:
Michael: "Everyone. Guys. Circle up, please. Come on over. Bring your chairs. Toby, come on over. You’re a guy… too… sort of. Let’s do this!"


Here is a youtube video of many great Toby and Michael moments!

The Office: Employee Transfer

So I’ve heard a lot of controversy on this episode. Some people loved it, some people hated it. I honestly have to say that I was pretty much right in the middle. The more I think about it, the more I liked it, but my first reaction was a little bit of disappointment. It wasn’t as side-splittingly funny as the past few episodes, but it did have a lot of deep plots and meaningful story lines. Overall though, I would have to say it is definitely the weakest episode of the season so far.
The opening was great though! It was Halloween in the office and everyone was dressed up!

Stanley: rubber mask from Creature from the Black Lagoon so he can sleep at his desk
Phyllis: Raggedy Ann
Kelly: Carrie from Sex and the City
Ryan: Gordon Gecko
Oscar: Uncle Sam
Meredith: Cheerleader
Angela: her usual cat outfit
Andy: a “kitten”, dressed in a costume from the musical Cats
Jim: wears a nametag revealing the name “Dave”
Creed: A very creepy and realistic Joker
Kevin: A funny and poorly put together Joker outfit
Dwight: Another creepy Joker costume, except for he kept his glasses on
Pam: Only person to dress up at corporate. She dresses as Charlie Chaplin and can’t take her hat off because then she becomes Hitler

The running joke about everyone dressing up as the Joker this Halloween was really funny and I loved Jim’s non-creative costume and Kelly trying to walk around in her stilettos as Carrie Bradshaw. It was also great how Pam is just so used to dressing up and that she ended up being the only one in the corporate office. But that was all we got…a minute and a half of Halloween costumes and we didn’t even get to see Michael dressed up! I was so looking forward to see Michael and Holly dressed up together as something really cute and corky but I was disappointed.

We then see Michael and Holly getting ready to move all of her stuff to Nashua, New Hampshire because she has been transferred after David Wallace saw them kiss and found out that they were in a relationship. Michael has made a goody bag for the long 7 hour car ride, which includes puzzles, string for Cat’s Cradle, a mix CD, and puppets. Only Michael could put together such a terrific goody bag. I was wondering why Holly didn’t stay in Scranton and find another job, and then she talks to the camera about what happened. Apparently the two of them had a conversation about it and he asked her to stay and she asked him to move to Nashua and then he said “I asked you first,” and she said “first” at the same time as he did and then called Jinx and they haven’t talked about it since then. Sounds about right for a conversation with Michael about something so serious.

Darryl drives them to Nashua in the company’s truck and helps move all of Holly’s stuff. This episode made me really appreciate Darryl because he never does nice things for Michael! But he was really sweet throughout this whole episode! The first song we hear from Michael’s mix CD is “Life is a Highway” and they all start smiling and singing along. It is very cute. When they are halfway to Nashua, Michael asks Darryl to pull over so they can find a place to stay for when he and Holly will meet in the middle. There is absolutely nothing there. They get back into the car and “Life is a Highway” comes on for the fourth time and Holly starts crying. Michael asks if it’s because Darryl touched her….hilarious moment! She says she just doesn’t see how they could stay together while living so far apart. Michael starts to freak out and starts screaming about how they can’t break up because then he’ll go back to Jan and he hates Jan.

After Holly is all moved in, Michael decides not to stay with her and ride back with Darryl. It was so sad to see him leave her, but he still won’t admit to Darryl that they are broken up. He thinks they are still together which could cause some more pain for him in the coming episodes when he has to realize that it’s really over. I was so sad to see Holly go; I guess she was just too good to be true.

Dwight comes into work that morning wearing a Cornell sweatshirt, solely to piss off Andy. And it works. Right away Andy yells at Dwight for wearing the sweatshirt and we find out that Dwight is applying to Cornell. Throughout the day, Dwight keeps pulling out more Cornell stuff such as a mug, Big Red bear bobblehead, a Cornell banner, etc. Andy calls the Cornell admissions office and gets to run Dwight’s interview. He asks all sorts of random questions and as he is critiquing Dwight, Dwight starts to critique Andy’s interview skills to send in to Cornell. It was great to see how much Dwight really wanted to get under Andy’s skin. He will do anything to piss him off and I don’t know what that’s going to do to help him get Angela back, but maybe he has a plan.

Andy comes into work the next day dressed in overalls and carrying around a huge basket of beets. He states that he now has his own beet farm and tries to bite into a raw one. It reminded me of when Jim came into the office dressed as Dwight and then Dwight came in the next day dressed as Jim. These are both priceless moments.

We finally get to hear more about Jim and Pam’s engagement! Jim’s two brothers come to New York City to take Pam and Jim out to lunch to celebrate. Pam invites them to meet her early so they can pull a prank on Jim. She wants to tell Jim that she lost her ring during an art class but the brothers think it would be funnier if they just joked about Pam being an artist and not making any money. They think it will be funny but of course it only pisses off Jim and I loved seeing how Jim stood up for Pam and got angry at his brothers for their comments. As they keep making comments about Pam’s horrible decision about being an artist, Jim gets more and more angry until they start laughing and saying how it was a prank and all Pam’s idea. She just willingly follows along and says that it was her idea. At first I wasn’t sure if Jim was going to be mad at her or not, but then we see them walking out of the restaurant and she had explained everything to him and they were just laughing about it. It was great to see them together again!

Favorite Moments:

• Seeing all the great Halloween costumes. I honestly think Phyllis as Rageddy Ann was my favorite. She didn't get enough attention from the cameras! But Creed's was definitely the best....man is he creepy!
• Michael's goody bag for Holly, so sweet!
• Darryl singing the blues with Michael
• Michael admitting that he hates Jan
• Michael having a nightmare in the car
• Dwight pulling out a Big Red bear bobblehead!
• Andy wearing a straw hat and overalls with no shirt underneath

What to look for in the next episode:

• More tension between Dwight and Andy? Is Dwight ever going to let it go and move on?
• Is Holly really gone forever? It was supposedly Amy Ryan's last episode, but maybe they'll surprise us. I just hope he doesn't go back to Jan.
• David Wallace didn't say anything about Ryan working there, I'm still waiting for that moment to come!
• Also still waiting for Pam to come back!! She better hurry!

Behind the Scenes

So we all love the TV show The Office, but how did it become so great? It all has to do with the cast and the people who are behind the scenes. So I decided to research the main people who make up The Office and tell you a little bit about each of them. I will soon do another post on the supporting cast and some more behind the scenes people, so stay tuned!

Producer:

Greg Daniels: Before adapting the popular BBC series of The Office for NBC, Daniels was a writer for Saturday Night Live for three seasons, then moved on as a writer and producer for The Simpsons, and then co-created King of the Hill. He has won an Emmy for SNL and The Simpsons and The Office. Fun Fact: He attended Harvard University and wrote for the Harvard Lampoon with Conan O’Brien.

Writers:

Michael Schur: He wrote for six seasons of Saturday Night Live before moving to The Office. He also went to Harvard and was a member of the Harvard Lampoon. He appears in a few episodes of The Office as Dwight’s cousin Mose. Fun Fact: He is married to Jennifer Philbin, Regis Philbin’s daughter.

B.J. Novak: After graduating from Harvard in 2001, he moved to Los Angeles and began working clubs as a comedian. His acting career began on MTV’s Punk’d; he was the lead accomplice on the show’s second season. He now stars in The Office as Ryan Howard and has written many episodes. Fun Fact: He attended Newton South High School with John Krasinski (Jim Halpert).

Paul Lieberstein: After writing for a few small TV shows, he became a producer and writer for King of the Hill with Greg Daniels and also worked on The Drew Carey Show and The Bernie Mac Show. After working with Greg Daniels, he was asked to come on the staff of The Office as a writer and to play Toby Flenderson. Fun Fact: His sister is married to Greg Daniels and his brother is married to Angela Kinsey.

Mindy Kaling: She attended Dartmouth College where she was a member of the improvisational comedy troupe and the a cappella group, as well as the creator of a comic strip in The Dartmouth college newspaper. Along with writing for The Office, she also plays the character Kelly Kapur. Fun Fact: Her real name is Vera Chokalingam.

Cast:

Steve Carell: He originally wanted to be a radio broadcaster, but then found his career as a performer after performing with the Chicago troupe The Second City where he first met his wife, Nancy Walls (plays Carol Stills in The Office). In 1999, he became a correspondent on The Daily Show and remained as a regular on the show until 2004. In 2005 he signed on to star in The Office as Michael Scott. He has starred in many movies such as The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Little Miss Sunshine, Evan Almighty, Dan in Real Life, and Get Smart. He has also written two episodes of The Office: “Casino Night” and “Survivor man”. Fun Fact: He auditioned for SNL but lost to Will Ferrell.

Rainn Wilson: He has a theater background from Tufts University and University of Washington and has taught acting classes. He holds an MFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and was a member of The Acting Company. Along with starring in The Office as Dwight Scrute, he has appeared in episodes of CSI, Entourage, and Monk and recently starred in the comedy The Rocker. Fun Fact: He originally auditioned for the role of Michael Scott.

John Krasinski: Before college, he took a semester off to teach English in Costa Rica. He then went to Brown University where he graduated as a playwright. He moved to South Carolina to pursue his career in acting where he did commercials and readings of off-Broadway plays. He spent the summer of 2000 as a script intern on Late Night with Conan O’Brien. He currently plays the role of Jim Halpert on The Office. He has appeared in many movies and starred in License to Wed and Leatherheads. Fun Fact: He has two of his friends filmed the footage of Scranton, Pennsylvania for The Office, including clips shown in the opening credits.

Jenna Fischer: She was born in Fort Wayne, IN and received a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from Truman State University. Prior to joining the cast of The Office, she guest-starred in shows such as Six Feet Under, That 70’s Show, What I Like About You, and Spin City. She then joined The Office as Pam Beesly and would like to stay on the show for as long as possible. She has been in movies such as Employee of the Month, Lucky 13, The Brothers Solomon, Blades of Glory, and Walk Hard. She was married to James Gunn for 7 years and they are recently divorced. Fun Fact: She was #37 in People Magazine’s 100 Most Beatiful, 2006 issue.