The Office: Moroccan Christmas

This week's episode was back to the great Office that I know and love. This season, so far, has been just a little disappointing to me. It hasn't been as laugh-out-loud funny as the previous seasons. But this episode completely changed that. I laughed non-stop and loved every minute of it!


It starts with a new, classic Jim prank on Dwight. Jim has wrapped Dwight's entire desk and chair and everything on his desk in great holiday wrapping paper. Dwight acts completely unimpressed and says that he can unwrap it all within 5 minutes. So he sets his briefcase down and sits in his chair and the enitre desk and chair both collapse. Jim had obviously replaced Dwight's work station with all cardboard stuff. This whole scene made me feel like I was back watching the great Office pranks and I knew that this was going to be a great Christmas episode.


As the new head of the Party Planning Committee, Phyllis has picked a theme for the Christmas party: Nights in Morocco. She is still very eager to make Angela's life a living hell, just like Angela used to do to her. She makes Angela put away her nativity scene that's at her desk because it is not part of the theme. We can see Angela slowly getting more and more irritated with Phyllis and she tries to tell her that she can't blackmail her anymore. Phyllis says it's not blackmail because there is no formal letter and we just continue to see the tension between them. I personally love how Phyllis is treating Angela because she completely deserves it in my opinion. Angela treated Phyllis so horribly for too long, and she's just getting her turn.


Dwight has found this holiday's hottest gift: Princess Unicorn. While personally disgusted about the improbability of a doll that's half-human and half-unicorn, he is excited about the money he is about to make. As he does every year, he has researched the demand, bought out the stock from local stores, and is awaiting the stream of desperate parents who will show up to buy the toy. Throughout the episode we see many clients come to buy the toys. We later see Toby talking to his daughter on the phone asking her about the doll. She is so excited when he mentions it and he can't wait to get a better gift for her than his ex-wife will get. So he cheerfully goes to buy one from Dwight, only to find out that Darryl has just bought the last one. Toby pathetically and heartbrokenly asks Darrly if he can buy it from him and Darryl agrees to sell it to him for $400, when Dwight has been selling them for $200. Toby quickly agrees and when Darrly gives Toby the doll, it is a black doll instead of a white princess. There is an awkward silence as Toby takes it all in and Darryl asks him if anything's wrong. Toby just says that it is even better than what he had imagined.


The party is underway and Mixmaster Michael is making some amazing drinks for people. He makes Meredith something he calls "One of Everything." It includes part scotch, absinthe, rum, gin, vermouth, triple sec, and two packs of Splenda. Meredith loves it and downs the whole drink in just a few seconds and asks for another. As the party continues, we see Meredith completely trashed and bellydancing around the office. She ends up getting a little too close to a decorative candle and catches her hair on fire without even noticing! Firefighter Dwight comes to her rescue and puts it out with a fire extinguisher. Michael recognizes that Meredith's drinking has gotten out of hand and he decides to hold an intervention, which he says is a surprise party for people who have addictions. The staff gathers around to confront her but she will have none of it. She swears that she is not an alcoholic, but she does admit to an addiction to porn, which repulses everyone. Michael insists on helping her even after everyone else has given up. He tricks Meredith and leads her to believe that the two of them are going to a bar to have some drinks together. But he really drives her to a rehab center and has to chase her all around the parking lot and drag her into the building, where he learns that you can't check someone into rehab against their will.

Back at the office, people are still trying to party and have a good time while Phyllis still bosses Angela around. Angela finally gets fed up and calls Phyllis out, saying that she would never tell anyone about her and Dwight. Angela is quite wrong though, as Phyllis blurts out to everyone that Angela is having sex with Dwight. Unfortunately, Andy is completely out of earshot and in a different room practicing songs on the sitar. But everyone else in the office finds out and looks completely stunned, except for Dwight who looks completely pleased with himself. Andy then comes in to play "Deck the Halls" for everyone and doesn't understand why nobody claps for him at the end. Angela quickly asks to be taken home and Andy never finds out what was said.

Favorite Moments:

• Jim wrapping Dwight's desk and Dwight collapsing
• Michael's creation of "orange-vod-juice-ka"
• Meredith lifting up her shirt and "bellydancing"
• Meredith continuing to dance while her hair is on fire.
• Finding out that Michael privately celebrates Groundhog's Day
• Kevin nicknaming Meredith "Fire Girl"
• Michael: "What are you going to do when you come in to work and you're dead?" Dwight: "I would stab her in the brain with a wooden stick."
• Michael chasing Meredith around the Rehab parking lot and dragging her into the building
• Phyllis actually telling everyone about Dwight and Angela
• Michael: "I need to find ways to push Meredith to the bottom. I think I can do it. I did it with Jan."

What to look forward to next week:

• Will Andy finally find out about Dwight and Angela?? I hope so! It needs to happen soon!
• Is Ryan gone forever? Will Kelly start dating Darryl again? We didn't see much of her at all during this episode.
• When will Jim and Pam set their wedding date? We know they don't want a long engagement.
• Will Jan ever come back into the picture?

The Office Christmas Episodes

The Office christmas episodes have been great in seasons 2 and 3, so I have very high expectations for this week's episode "Moroccan Christmas." I just wanted to give highlights of the previous christmas episodes before this new one comes on, just to get in the spirit!

Season 2: Christmas Party

Michael and Dwight attempt to carry a christmas tree into the office. It is extremely big and does not fit in the room. They cut off the top of it and Michael says that they are going to sell the top of the tree to charity because it is a perfectly good mini tree.

Jim got Pam's name for secret santa and got her a teapot that he knew she really wanted and filled it with inside jokes and got her a card that revealed his true feelings. Michael got a bonus for firing Devon and bought his secret santa a video iPod for his secret santa even though there was a 20 dollar limit. They start the party and turn off all the lights and count down to the lighting of the christmas tree. When the christmas lights come on, everyone is disappointed because Phyllis got tiny mini lights and they can barely be seen.

Secret Santa is going great until Ryan opens his iPod and Michael admits to getting a bonus and buying something great. Then when Michael opens his gift from Phyllis and finds a homemade oven mitt, he gets extremely upset because he thinks that Phyllis only loves him an homemade ovens mitt worth and he gave Ryan an iPod. Michael decides to turn Secret Santa into Yankee Swap. Everyone gets upset because they bought presents for specific people and now random people are getting their gifts.

Because the party is going so poorly, Michael buys 15 bottles of vodka and everyone starts drinking. Kelly kisses Dwight and Angela gets pissed off and goes outside and throws ornaments on the ground and stomps on them. Pam ended up with the iPod but traded with Dwight to get her teapot. Jim is very surprised and happy and shows Pam the inside jokes and she can't stop laughing.

Funny moments:

• Kevin: "Why did you get the tree so big?" Michael: "A, that's what she said...."
• Darryl wanting to be Santa for the day, but Michael wouldn't let him because he doesn't look like Santa.
• Dwight running around with an elf hat and ears all day.
• Jim getting one of Creed's old shirts for secret santa.
• Michael: "Happy Birthday Jesus. Sorry your party's so lame."

Season 3: Benihana Christmas

Michael's girlfriend, Carol, comes into the office because she is upset with Michael. He had made a Christmas card with a photshopped picture of him with her and her 2 kids. He had put his face in the place of her ex-husband's. She doesn't know what to do about this action and about his proposal, so she breaks it off, leaving Michael with a pair of tickets to Sandals Jamaica

Pam tells Jim that she's been sending secret letters to Dwight pretending to be from the CIA and that his Christmas present is to send Dwight on his top secret mission. Jim declines because he doesn't feel that he should do such things now that he's been promoted.

To get Michael out of his depression, Andy insists on taking him to Benihana and Michael drags along Dwight and Jim. Dwight gets separated from the group and Jim plays pranks on him all night, making him realize that it was wrong of him to decline Pam's present.

Angela kicks Karen off the Party Planning Committee and Pam feels bad for being cold towards Karen since she started working there, so she reaches out to her and the two of them start their own Committee to Plan Parties. Their party is a smash hit while Angela's is boring and unsuccessful. They later agree to merge the two parties, once Pam and Karen realize that Angela is upset.

Michael and Andy return with "new girlfriends" from the restaurant who they think were their waitors, but they are really different girls. Michael then can't even distinguish between the two girls that they do bring back and can't tell which one is "his girlfriend." So he finds his girl and marks her arm with a Sharpie. The girls end up leaving after Michael offers his girl a trip to Jamaica, which she declines, because they say the party blows. Jim consoles Michael by telling him that he'd just had a rebound relationship. He says they can be a fun distraction, but at the end of the day, you're left thinking about the woman you really love. You can tell that he knows that Karen is just a rebound.

Before they leave for the night, Jim tells Pam that he's sent Dwight a message that tells him to wait on the roof for a helicopter to take him to a welcoming party at the CIA. Dwight waits on the roof and receives a text on his phone telling him that he's been compromised and he needs to abort and destroy his phone. So he throws his phone off the roof and leaves.

Funny Moments:

• Michael: "Attention everyone. Christmas has been canceled." Stanley: "You can't cancel a holiday." Michael: "Keep it up Stanley and you'll lose New Year's."
• Michael's talk on bros before hoes.
• Michael listening to the same 30 seconds of a depressing song on iTunes because he doesn't want to buy it.
• Angela stealing the karaoke's power cord.
• Jim playing pranks on Dwight at Benihana's.

These episodes have great moments in them and I only hope that this week's episode has fun pranks and meaninful moments, just like these.

Schrute Farms

While browsing the NBC Office website, I found this great clip of Andy touring Schurte Farms. It was on Andy and Angela's Wedding Site, which you should definitely check out if you get a chance. It has their gift registry and stuff about the bachelor party and the wedding dress and honeymoon and all sorts of great hilarious stuff. But I thought this clip was so funny because it let us see even more of Schrute Farms, which is always enjoyable. We know that Dwight lives a pretty old-fashioned life, but this just helps prove it even more. There are many kinds of animals that he's obviously had stuffed and placed around his house. And the random decorations and old-fashioned technology are quite amusing. I hope you enjoy as much as I did!

Video Recaps Full Episodes Webisodes

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!