Watching The Office

Congrats to The Office for one incredible season finale. It was marvelous, it was surprising, it was hilarious, and it was a fantastic end to a great season. Okay, let’s go…

We open with Michael arriving one day early for his interview to the surprise of David Wallace. Michael tries to cover up and says he was just in the city and thought he would stop by and ask Wallace some questions. Michael feels this was a good run-in with the boss.

Michael: (While waiting for his call to go through to Pam) “I have go it made in the shade. I know this company. The other regional managers are total morons. (On the phone now) Hey Pam, yeah, I forgot which day the interview was and I drove to New York accidentally, I’ll be 3 hours late.”

Opening credits.

Back in Scranton, Jim walks in with a haircut that makes him look eerily like Jimmy Stewart from “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.”

Kevin:(To Jim )”What’s different about you? You look worse.”
Jim: “Thanks, Kevin.”
To top it off, Andy dubs Jim “Big Haircut”, to replace his former title as “Big Tuna.”

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

Next we hear from Pam as she retells what happened at the beach after her big speech. Jim came to speak with her, gave her a big hug and told her that he missed her too and that she meant a lot to him. Sweet.

Michael is now back at the office and has Dwight come to his office. Michael presents Dwight with the job of Regional Manager of the Scranton Branch. Dwight begins sobbing profusely and Michael becomes visibly uncomfortable and actually ends up walking out on Dwight.

Pam tells the camera crew that she is not embarrassed by what happened at the beach, yet she realizes she may have made others uncomfortable, namely Jim’s girlfriend. Pam walks into the break room to find Karen and immediately apologizes if she made Karen feel “weird.” Karen brushes it off and says that we all say things when we’re not thinking. Pam corrects her and lets her know that she was thinking and had been thinking for a long time. Karen doesn’t like Pam.

Kevin approaches Jim to see if Jim thinks Pam or Karen is hotter. Jim obviously backs down from that man-trap, but encourages Kevin on his quest to see which woman is ultimately better. We see Kevin throughout the day making notes as he or others comment about characteristics of either of the contenders.

Pam goes again into the break room for a snack and Oscar makes a bit of fun over Pam’s speech at the beach, saying, “Pam, I miss our friendship.” Pam laughs it off. Stanley butts in.
Stanley: “I’ve never heard you that much, I thought it was Kelly.”
Kelly:(Obviously missing the insult) “Are you kidding me? I would never have done that. It was pathetic-ville. No offense, Pam.”
Meredith assures Pam that no one probably remembers her speech because they were all too drunk. Creed says he remembers and blogged all about it.
Headshot Creed: “www.creedthoughts.com.www/creedthoughts. Check it out.”
Headshot 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 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.”

Next we learn, through a conversation with the accountants, that Michael, in preparation for his new job, has sold his condo.
Michael: “I sold it on Ebay. The buyer was very motivated, as was I. It went for 8% of what I paid. It went in record time.”

Dwight approaches Angela and informs her that he has become the new Regional Manager. The have an awkward, secretive, love moment and then Dwight departs. Alone, Angela realizes the power that Dwight will hold and says, “Goodbye, Kelly Kapoor.”

Dwight is relishing his new position and while sitting across from Jim, pumping away on a hand exerciser, says…
Dwight: “Jim Jim Jim Jim Jim Jim.”
Jim: “Oh, hey Dwight.”
Dwight: “I’m gonna be you new boss. 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 talk to the manager.”
Jim: “You’re not the manager, even in your own fantasy?”
Dwight:(Hesitates) “I’m the owner. The co-owner with Satan!”
Jim: “Okay, just so I understand it, in your wildest dreams you’re in hell, and you’re co-running a bed n’ breakfast with the Devil.”
Dwight: “But I haven’t told you my salary yet.”
Jim: “Go.”
Dwight: “$80,000 per year!”

Headshot Dwight: “Once I am officially Regional Manager, my first order of business will be to demote Jim Halpert. So I will need a new #2. My ideal choice…Jack Bauer. But he’s unavailable, fictional, and over-qualified.”

Jan comes back and Michael declares a Def-Con 10. While Jan waits in his office, wanting to talk to him about something, he gathers the girls in the conference room in case he needs assistance.
Jan wants to get back together. Michael needs assistance.
The girls tell him to be strong, to remember why he broke it off in the first place and above all, not to get back together with Jan.
When Michael returns to his office, Jan has taken off her jacket and it is painfully obvious that Jan has gotten a breast augmentation, if that’s what the kids are calling it these days.
Michael gets back together with Jan, citing that she’s changed. Jan parades around the office with the new girls.
Pam and Jim share a moment where they can’t believe what Jan has done to herself. Karen looks on and becomes jealous because who wouldn’t and decides to take Jim’s attention off of Pam.

Dwight posts a sign-up sheet for the position of number 2. Andy signs up and Dwight proceeds with an interview.
Headshot Andy: “I’m a great interviewee. Why? Because I have something that no one else has…my brain, which I use to my advantage…when advantageous.

They later arm wrestle, Andy loses and Dwight says he’ll let him know.

Karen and Jim head to New York. Apparently, Karen is more familiar with the city than Jim is and she leads the way. They eat, they catch a show, they go to a bar, they possibly see Lauren Michaels…they have fun.

Flash back quickly to Michael as he takes off. He knows this will be his last moment with the folks of the Scranton branch, so he wants to say goodbye. He places a small recorder on the desk and it plays “Thank You” by Natalie Merchant. He leaves as the music plays.

Back to New York quickly, we met up with Karen and Jim as Karen all of the sudden asks about what will happen to them when she gets the job. The joke for a minute about which of them will get the job, but Karen brings it back to a serious conversation. She says she’ll come to New York if Jim gets the job. She also says that if she gets the job, Jim needs to come to New York because he can’t stay in Scranton. I think she’s trying to imply that Jim will start things up with Pam if left behind in Scranton.

Back at the office, Dwight is enjoying his new position. He has made Andy his number 2, Dwight still retains the position of Assistant Regional Manager and he has made Pam his secret Assistant to the Regional Manager.

Pam: “So you would be the regional manager, and the assistant regional manager, Andy is your number two, I would be the secret assistant regional manager.”
Dwight: “Mmm, let’s call it secret assistant to the regional manager.”
Pam: “Mm-hmm.”
Dwight: “Do you accept?”
Pam: “Absolutely I do.”

Apparently, Jim taught Pam that if Dwight ever offers her anything, she was supposed to respond with “Absolutely I do.”

Pam: “I literally cannot wait until I see what Dwight has planned. And I wish Jim were here.”

Dwight’s first action in office is to institute Shrute Bucks. What was personally funny about this to me was I had a job once where they offered us “Happy Bucks” when we did something good. Although it didn’t quite take 1,000 to get anything.
Dwight: “When you have done something good, you will receive one Schrute buck. One thousand Schrute bucks equals an extra five minutes for lunch.”

Dwight is also going to have a series of lectures all about the history of paper. His first lecture is in 10 seconds. This first lecture, in a series of lectures, is about how trees grow. The office staff starts to rebel a bit.
Dwight: “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’s the ratio of Stanley nickels to Schrute bucks?”
Stanley: “The same as the ratio of unicorns to leprechauns.”

Dissention is speadly rapidly. Pam rallies the troops.
Pam: “Hey, c’mon! Let’s listen to Dwight’s presentation.”

Back in New York, Michael is having his interview. Things are going pretty good. Michael suggest that they change the name of Dundler Mifflin to something like Super Duper Paper. At the end of the interview, Michael learns that it is Jan’s position that they are hiring for. And since we all know how well Michael can keep a secret, Michael ends up telling Jan, who immediately storms into Wallace’s office in the middle of his interview with Karen.
Jan’s reaction to the news reminded me of how Michael might handle things if he were a bit more confrontational. In the end, Wallace tell her why she is being let go.
Wallace: “Your behavior in the last two years has been completely erratic.”
He deems her unstable and I’d have to agree.

Speaking of unstable, back in Scranton Andy and Dwight are enjoying the black paint job their giving Michael’s office.
Andy: “It’s like I’m staring into my soul when I look at this wall.”
Dwight: “It’s like outer space without the stars, it’s so black.”

Back in N.Y, Jan is taking her things by escort of security out of Dundler Mifflin. She hugs Hunter goodbye.
Jan: “Good luck with your band. Don’t let them change you.”
Jan’s walks out, giving Wallace a colorful farewell. Michael tells Wallace that he looks forward to hearing about the job. Wallace tells Michael that they will not be hiring him. Michael comes back with…
Michael: “I don’t think I could take my girlfriend’s job. That’s not being a good boyfriend.”
So he respectfully withdraws his name from the running. Wallace accepts his withdraw.
Michael heads out the door to drive Jan home.
In the car, Michael is now dealing with an emotionally unstable woman who is also on pain killers for the surgery, which Jan says, “makes my mood completely erratic.” Interesting. She’s goes from thinking everything is going to be okay, to crying, to thinking this will be good for their relationship. Michael tries to help.
Michael: “Well, I guess you could come and stay at my condo. I think I could back out of the sale. Probably get some negative feedback on my eBay profile.”
Jan: “I could wear stretch pants and wait for you to come home at 5:15.”
Sounds like everyone is happy…..

Michael comes back to Scranton to Dwight’s horrible dissapointment and to a newly painted office.
Michael: “Why is my office black?”
Dwight: “To intimidate my subordinates.”
Michael: “That’s stupid.”
Dwight: “It was Andy’s idea.”
Michael: “You shouldn’t have taken it.”

As everyone settles back in at Scranton to the way things once were, Dwight takes a moment to thank Pam for her loyalty while she had the office of Secret Assistant to the Regional Manager. Pam salutes Dwight, he salutes back and struggles to keep it together.

Back in N.Y, Jim is now interviewing and it’s going really well. Wallace asks for the performance reports that Jim was supposed to bring and among the papers is a note from Pam basically wishing him good luck. Then we get a rare treat for this show, a flashback. This flashback expounds more on the beach encounter with Jim and Pam.
Jim: “How are your feet?”
Pam: “Medium rare. Thanks.”
Jim: “The real reason that I went to Stamford was because I wanted to be … not here.”
Pam: “I know.”
Jim: “And even though I came back, I just feel like I’ve never really come back.”
Pam: “Well I wish you would.”

We don’t really see how the rest of Jim’s interview goes, all we know is he’s supposed to meet up with Karen afterward, but instead he goes back to Scranton.
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 okay. We’re friends. And I’m sure we’ll stay friends. We just … we never got the timing right. You know? I shot him done, and then he did the same to me, but you know what? It’s okay. I am totally fine. Everything is going to be totally …”
Jim: “Pam.” (To camera) “Sorry. Um, are you free for dinner tonight?”
Pam: “Yes.”
Jim: “All right. Then it’s a date.”
Pam: (Turns back to camera with a huge smile on her face)”I’m sorry, what was the question?”

So now we don’t know what Jim is going to say at dinner, but it seems it can’t wait because he ditched Karen is New York to come say it. Who knows?
Before we end though, we come back to see Wallace on the phone with whoever he offered the job to. We find out that the job is going to Ryan. Ryan gets off the phone with Wallace.
Kelly: “Who was that?”
Ryan: “Nobody. You and I are done.”
Kelly: “What?!”
Ryan gives the camera a look of “Free! I’m free!”

Credits roll.

I was totally surprised by the ending. It was not at all what I expected and I think some of the spoilers we got were totally intentionally misleading. Once again we all will wait in agony for 3 months or so as we wait for the first episode in season 4.

Check out this deleted scene.

One last note. This will be my last post. I have decided to give up the blog. I won’t go into why, but it has been very fun writing these many posts and hearing from you guys. Hopefully they get a new writer soon so you’re all not just left hanging.
Well…..see ya.

The Office, The Office season finale, Office episode recap, NBC, The Job”

-Anna