I have to hand it to “The Office” for having the big wedding episode in the middle of the season and not as a season finale or even during sweeps. That’s extra awesome for Dunder Mifflin fans like us because we can jump right back into crazy office shenanigans this week. Let’s go!
We open on a typical conference room meeting: Michael teaching, Toby correcting, etc. Ryan tells Michael to write a book if he knows so much about business. This later proves difficult for Michael.
After the shortened theme song, a man is waiting at Dunder Mifflin to sell insurance to Michael. Dwight and Andy suspect the salesman is a mob man. (Oscar notes that, since Pam and Jim are gone, the voices of reason are becoming fewer.)
Dwight and Andy accompany Michael to meet the man for lunch. Andy wears a mechanic’s disguise so as not to attract attention to his weapon, a tire iron. (I loved the hilarious touch of Andy wearing his Cornell hat.) But Andy is called away when a woman needs to jump start her car. Naturally, he makes the car explode a little bit.
Mike signs with the insurance guy, then panics. He calls Jim, who pretends to be lost in the Bermuda Triangle. Oscar tells him to just cancel, but Michael seems to think it can’t be that easy. Dwight and Andy tell Michael the salesman is not part of the mob (which, of course, he’s not), so he yells at the guy and backs out of the deal.
Meanwhile, Kevin has taken over Jim’s office to literally fart around in. He gets a call about someone using Jim’s credit card in Puerto Rico, and accidentally gets a hold put on Jim’s card. Oscar tells Kevin that what he did counts as fraud. By the end of the episode, Jim and Pam are dealing with the cancelled credit card, but have no idea it is Kevin’s fault.
Quotes of the Week:
Andy: When somebody threatens you, you need to give in right away.
Kevin: (to Oscar) Oh, you would love jail.
Michael: It’s only the price of a cup of coffee an hour.
Dwight: (to Andy) We let Michael down and it’s 85 percent your fault.
Michael: If there’s one thing I hate more than the mafia, it’s liars. I wish the mafia would go out and kill all the liars. And bury them in my yard.
I deem this week’s MVP to be Ed Helms as Andy Bernard. That mechanic bit… brilliant.
Obviously, this episode was somewhat of a letdown after last week. But even without last week’s wedding, I think this episode was one of the weaker ones of the season so far. The mob concept was funny, but I much prefer episodes that involve the entire office. And frankly, the hijinks were carried by Andy, and to a lesser extent, Dwight. Seeing Michael as a pushover wasn’t as much fun as it sounds. However, I thought the Kevin subplot was hilarious.
Next week on “The Office:” In “The Lover,” Michael shocks Jim and Pam when he reveals the identity of the new woman he has been dating. Dwight apologizes to Jim for years of torment with a strange peace offering.
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