Friday, May 18, 2007

The Office Season Finale: The Job
Wow… last night’s episode has the usual tension, comedy, laugh-out-loud craziness, and insane Creed, but it had another shocking ending that I didn’t see coming (and wasn’t actually a cliffhanger, just an “AAAH!”) It was great, and while it appears things were left status quo, a LOT has changed between people. (See end of this post for comments)


Fave things:
The office reaction to Jim’s new hair.
Meredith: You got a new haircut, it’s sexy hot.
Jim: Ooohhhh.

Andy: What’s up, Big Haircut?

Jim: Karen suggested that I get a haircut for the interview tomorrow, so that I could look presentable, and not, as she so lovingly puts it, homeless.



Pam: For the record, I am not embarrassed at all. It needed to be said, and I said it, and it only took me 3 years to summon the courage, so [regal bow] thank you.

Dwight’s reaction to Michael’s letter of succession.

Jim: So I was wondering if Karen and I could get off a few hours early so we could spend the night in the city?
Michael: Why, so you can do it?
Jim: Wwwhoops.

Michael’s suggestion that they do a convoy, and could moon each other.
Karen: How would you moon us if you were driving?Michael: Cruise control.

Jim telling Kevin to take the day to think about who is hotter, Karen or Pam, and get back to him.


The screen cap of Creed’s “blog” saying his favourite kind of car is the motorcycle because they’re small and dangerous.
Creed:
www.creedthoughts.gov.www/creedthoughts Check it out.
Ryan: Last year Creed asked me how to set up a blog. Wanting to protect the world from being exposed to Creed’s brain, I opened up a Word document on his computer and put an address at the top. I’ve read some of it. Even for the Internet, it’s . . . pretty shocking.

By the way, if you WERE looking for Creed's blog, it really does exist, on the NBC site (in fact, the first post is the same one he was typing into the Word document). You can find it here. It's pretty hilarious and creepy.


Dwight: How would you like to spend the night with the Regional Manager of Dunder-Mifflin Scranton?
Angie: No, Dwight, I don’t care if that’s how they consolidated power in Ancient Rome.
(Did anyone think her response was not only hilarious, but was something Dwight has told her? Have they actually discussed this as a viable possibility?)

Dwight: I’m going to be your new boss. It’s my greatest dream come true. Welcome to the Hotel Hell. Check in time is now, check out time is never.
Jim: Does my room have cable?
Dwight: No. And the sheets are made of FIRE.
Jim: Can I change rooms?
Dwight: Sorry, we’re all booked up. Hell convention in town!
Jim: Can I have a late check-out?
Dwight: I’ll have to check with the manager.
Jim: You’re not . . . the manager? Even in your own fantasy?
Dwight: I’m the owner. The co-owner. With SATAN!
Jim: Okay. Just so I understand it. In your wildest fantasy you are in hell. And you are co-running a bed and breakfast with the devil.
Dwight: I haven’t told you my salary yet.
Jim: Go.
Dwight: Eighty THOUSAND dollars a year!

Dwight: Once I am officially regional manager my first order of business will be to demote Jim Halpert, so I will need a new number two. My ideal choice? Jack Bauer. But he is unavailable, fictional, and over-qualified.

Michael consulting with the women of Dunder-Mifflin (minus Meredith) to figure out what to do about Jan.

Michael doing the about-face when he sees Jan’s “boob enhancement.”

Creed, on fake boobs: I find it offense. Au naturel, baby. Swing low, sweet chariots.

Pam: I am what I am. [pause] That’s Popeye.

Dwight’s interview process and Andy’s wacky answers:
Dwight: What is the best colour?
Andy: White, because it contains all other colours.
Dwight: Wrong, black, it is the most dominant. How do you make a table?
Andy: You make a chair, but you don’t sit on it.

Michael: So I guess we’re getting back together.
Pam: What happened?
Michael: Your advice was good, but Jan’s was bigger.

Michael: Two weeks ago I was in the worst relationship of my life. She treated me poorly, we didn’t connect, I was miserable. Now I am in the best relationship of my life with the same woman. Love is a mystery.

Michael leaving Dunder-Mifflin with music playing.

Michael: I am by far the most qualified person they’re interviewing. Jim and Karen are here, which is cute. They’re like kid actors tagging along with Daddy on the big audition, hoping to be discovered. Except Daddy is the best actor around. Daddy is Meryl Streep.

Andy, scrubbing the mug that Dwight’s been spitting into: Three months ago, I was nowhere. I was just a Cornell grad in anger management. Look where I am now. Not bad.

Michael’s message to Jan, through her personal assistant: I want to squeeze them. It’s code. She’ll know what it means.

Dwight making Pam Assistant Regional Manager.
Pam: So… you would be the regional manager, AND the assistant regional manager, Andy is your number two, and I would be the secret assistant regional manager.
Dwight: Mmm… let’s call it secret assistant TO the regional manager. Do you accept?
Pam: Absolutely I do.

Pam: I learned from Jim, if Dwight ever asks you to accept something secret, you reply, “Absolutely I do.”

Michael giving the clichéd “weaknesses” answer in the interview.

Phyllis: I think it’s gonna be Michael.
Oscar: Do you think he’s really qualified for that job?
Phyllis: No, but he wasn’t qualified for the job he has now and he got that one.

Dwight: No more meetings!
Stanley: Amen.
Dwight: Instead, today I will begin my first lecture in a long series of lectures, designed to increase your knowledge on the world of paper.

Pam: I literally cannot WAIT to see what Dwight has planned!... And I wish Jim was here.

Pam’s over-enthusiasm when looking at the seven types of Pennsylvanian top soil.

Dwight: Stanley, when rainfall occurs, does it usually fall in a liquid, solid, or gaseous state?
Stanley: Liquid.
Dwight: Very good. You have earned one Schrute buck.
Stanley: I don’t want it.
Dwight: Then you have been deducted 50 Schrute bucks!!
Stanley: Make it a hundred.
Dwight: W— don’t you want to earn Schrute bucks?
Stanley: No. In fact, I’ll give you a billion Stanley nickels if you never talk to me again.
Dwight: What is the ratio of Stanley nickels to Schrute bucks?
Stanley: The same as the ratio of unicorns to leprechauns.

David: What do you think about Michael Scott?
Karen: He’s a very nice man. And he’s very well suited for the job he has now.
David: This is off the record.
Karen: He would be a disaster.

Dwight and Andy repainting Michael’s office black.

Jim smiling when he hears the receptionist say, “Dunder-Mifflin, this is Grace.”
(*Did anyone else think he was going to take his name out of the running and let Karen take the job?)

Michael: I guess you could… come and stay at my condo… I think I could back out of the sale. I’d probably get some negative feedback on my ebay profile.

Michael: Ryan… coffee.
Ryan: I don’t do that stuff anymore [now we know why he said this!]
Michael: No… it’s for me. Bimbo.

Michael: So I’m back, and I am never, ever going to leave. I am going nowhere. This place is like the hospital where I was born, my house, my old age home, and my graveyard for my bones.

Dwight: Pam. Hello.
Pam: Dwight. Hello.
Dwight: I wanted to thank you for helping me when you held the title of secret assistant to the regional manager. You served the office with great dignity.
[Pam salutes Dwight.]

Pam: Jim and I are just too similar. Maybe one day I’ll find my own Karen… That is a, um… a man. A man version. But until then, I can hold my head up. [pause] I’m not gay.

David: Let me ask you a question, Jim, you’re clearly a very bright guy.
Jim: Yes.David: Always hitting your numbers, personable, you make a great impression on everyone you meet.
Jim: I’m sorry, is the question how did I get to be so awesome?




The little note falling out of the folder from Pam :::swoon:::







Jim: How are your feet?
Pam: Medium rare, thanks.


Whoa moments:
Karen: Pam… is… kind of a bitch.

Michael: I sold [my condo] on eBay. The buyer was very motivated, as was I. It went for 80% of what I paid, sold in record time.

Angela, after finding out Dwight was the new manager: Good-bye, Kelly Kapoor.

Karen: I’m not stupid, okay, I was at the beach. We don’t have a future in Scranton. There’s one too many people there.
Jim: You mean Kevin?
Karen: Exactly. But you get it, right? We can’t stay there.
Jim: Yeah. I do.

David: I thought it was clear in the job description. The job you’re applying for is Jan’s job.
Michael: I don’t understand. We’re tag-teaming it?
David: No, we’re letting Jan go.

Jan is a complete nutbar.

Pam: I haven’t heard anything, but I bet Jim got the job. I mean, why wouldn’t he, he’s totally
qualified and smart. Everyone loves him, and if he never comes back again, that’s OK. We’re friends, and I’m sure we’ll stay friends. We just never got the timing right, you know? I shot him down, and then he did the same to me. But you know what? It’s OK. I’m totally fine. Everything is going to be totally…
Jim: Pam… sorry. Are you free for dinner tonight?
Pam: Yes.
Jim: All right. Then… it’s a date.
Pam: [grinning from ear to ear] I’m sorry, what was the question?

David: So… I know we left the other day on a note of uncertainty, but after some more thought, I’m very pleased to be able to offer you this job…. Great! I’m so glad. We’re all very excited that you’ll be joining us, it’ll be nice to have another MBA around here.
Cut to… RYAN: I’m excited too. Okay, bye!
Kelly: Who was that?
Ryan: Nobody. You and I are done.
Kelly: WHAT?!


So… what do you think happened? Was Jim offered the job and he changed his mind and turned it down? Was Karen offered the job, and if so, why would SHE have turned it down? Did they really think Ryan was more qualified than either Jim or Karen, just because he has an MBA, but hasn’t made a single sale in 2 years?

So what will season 4 hold?
  • Will Dwight begin to resent Michael now that he’s had a taste of Michael’s “power”?
  • How will the relationship between Dwight and Andy change now that they were possibly the manager and #2?
  • What will happen between Pam and Jim? Will we see them attempt a dating situation, or will they take it slowly? Will they just remain friends for now?
  • We know Rashida Jones is going to another show, but how will she be written off this one? Will we find out she and Jim had a long talk in NY? (Notice she wasn’t in the car when Jim was driving back to Scranton.)


4 comments:

The Chapati Kid said...

I still LOVE The Office, but I definitely think it's losing its edge. The beach outing episode was apalling, I thought -- totally contrived. The actors are still amazing, but I think the writers need a shot in the arm. Or the head. I mean, come on, walking on hot coals? That was a weak moment for me. I mean, no matter how nutty Michael is, he's not that stupid, you know. I feel like the show is veering away from realistic situations now to squeeze out laughs. The finale was definitely better than the penultimate episode. And I was totally "Aaah" too when Jim came back to Pam. And I absolutely loved Jan's meltdown, because ordinarily she's so reserved. Now we finally solve the mystery of Michael wanting to break up with her. The whole time, I kept thinking, why would Michael want to break up with her? What does she see in him? Now we know!

John said...

There is a great webiste that has a Schrute Buck shirt. The web address is, http://www.cafepress.com/unclegear/2010536.

This is a funny shirt!

Nikki Stafford said...

Chapatikid: I don't think the show is losing its edge. This week's ep was awesome. Last week's, I'll agree, wasn't. But every show has a misstep occasionally, and considering it was only 3 weeks ago when Jim walked into the office imitating Dwight, and this week was the awesome finale, I consider last week's just a down week. Go back to season 2 and you'll find a couple of them.

Where I think they ARE moving off the rails is in the depiction of Creed. Creed was always the one who ended up getting cut, and his stuff was in the deleted scenes (and seriously, the funniest deleted scenes EVER). But because of the reaction of people loving his weirdness, they've ramped it up, so he's getting people fired, mentioning he was a homeless person, peeing behind the bouncy castle, eating raw fish... he's become a caricature. In that sense I agree with you 100%, and he's become totally unrealistic.

Last night's comment of him having a blog that's just a Word document was inspired, though, and I hope they keep him at that level.

Nan: I LOVE Cafe Press. OMG I want that shirt!!!! :)

Kelly K said...

For coming to my site, you may have one Schrute Buck ...

http://kellykolton.com/