The Office Season 4 Episode 9 Dinner Party
Last night’s episode? Awkwaaaard!
A dinner party is in itself an awkward situation, particularly one where the boss tricks you into coming to it. And then to actually witness your boss and his girlfriend’s passive-aggressive dysfunction? Endure three hours of it before actually eating? Play the dumbest game of charades among people from work you don’t actually like? Have the boss’ girlfriend suspect you were once sleeping with her lover? I would really do anything to get out of it!
Unfortunately for Jim and Pam, they had to weather through a night in…hell….where Jan is the devil! At one point Jim schemed to leave the house, claiming there’s been flooding in his house. He was even ready to leave Pam behind.
The Office’s Dinner Party basically had a simple story. There was no poignant plot twists, except for the fact that we now get to see how domestic life is for Michael and Jan.
Jan is struggling with her new candle-making company, Serenity Jan and occupies two rooms of the house for it. In and around the house, we see little of Michael’s stuff. Except for that $200 13-inch (?) plasma TV. And Michael’s sleep area.
Suffice to say, there’s a strain in their relationship. And Jan has taken over Michael’s condominium while he is reduced to this little insignificant space. The couple bicker about plenty of things, personal things like having kids and Michael’s three vasectomies. I wasn’t a guest at that party, but when I heard that? Ugh…cringe!
Meanwhile, Dwight invites himself to the same party despite Michael telling him: it’s a couples party and they only have six wine glasses.
Dwight out did himself and brings not just his own set of wine glass and the date he claims is his babysitter. He even bought his own food! And was eating way before the other hungry guests were.
The reason for his wanting to join? Angela and Andy, the other couple Michael decided to invite. But alas, we don’t see enough of this conflict. Except at one point when Dwight offers Angela his packed beet salad and she coldly refuses him.
We also learn Jan’s former assistant, Hunter, is now a recording artist. Jim steals that very CD upon leaving Michael’s house, by the way. I would probably do the same, too. The music selection of Hunter’s The Hunted? I can’t decide if it’s cheesy or cool. Either way, I’d like a copy please.
It’s great to see this show back. It made me a lot uncomfortable — but that’s good for a show like The Office. So…I’m glad to see the writing is still brilliant and true to form after the forced hiatus!
The Office, The Office Dinner Party, The Office episode recap
April 11th, 2008 at 8:30 am
Nice layout on your blog! The Office is a good show. I’ve always loved Steve Carrell. I used to watch the UK (original) version. One thing that bugs me about the American version is they cast mostly good looking actors, unlike the UK version. Is it such a sin to let normal looking people on TV? It makes shows more realistic.
April 11th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
Thank you, glad you like the blog!
April 11th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
I loved this episode! I thought it was the funniest this season! My husband and I were dying of laughter throughout the show.
Did you notice the video camera in Jan and Michael’s room? And the wine, when Michael said, “It’s got a nice oaky afterbirth to it…” Hilarious!
(and I don’t think that they did a bad job casting the characters on the American version. There are some beautiful people on the show, but they also have average-looking people, overweight people, etc.).
May 27th, 2008 at 6:02 am
[...] Dinner Party - The worst dinner party ever is one of The Office’s better episodes. Jan dancing to That One Night, Michael’s flat screen TV and bed space, Jim’s attempt to ditch the party, Dwight and his guest…everything was just wrong it was funny! [...]