118 replies to this topic

[2MuchTV]

"MOVING ON"

02/14/2013 (09:00PM - 10:01PM) (Thursday) : Pam (Jenna Fischer) interviews for a job in Philadelphia with a manager who gives her deja-vu. Dwight (Rainn Wilson) brings Angela (Angela Kinsey) with him on a mission to clean his elderly Aunt Shirley. Andy (Ed Helms) returns from his long boat voyage. Leslie David Baker, Brian Baumgartner, Oscar Nunez, Kate Flannery, Paul Lieberstein, Creed Bratton, Craig Robinson, Catherine Tate, Clark Duke and Jake Lacy also star.

[lottiedottie]

I have so much hatred for Andy Bernard. This episode was pretty bad. Maybe he'll break that thin ice and get fired at some point any way.

What do you all make of Jim and Pam? He seems pretty set on moving on with his new business venture--he doesn't seem to be even considering staying in Scranton. It is a little sad that a guy who went through so much to get the girl seems so quick to throw it away. I mean, it seems like he doesn't even care that Pam is struggling with this. It's a big deal to uproot your life--and Jim was pretty sneaky about all of this to begin with.

I wanted to punch the Real Estate version of Michael. Egads. Can you imagine working for a guy like that?

My favorite moment was Clark saying to Pete that he'd pay him $100 to wear that blue sweater the net day.

Hate, hate, hate Andy Bernard and Gabe for that matter--what a creep.

[luburch]

I really feel that they did a good job moving past the whole Brian incident, and into a more believable problem. Still not sure we've seen the last of him.

I think everyone can agree that Andy is just a terrible character now.

What is going to happen with the Toby/Strangler story line?

I did really enjoy what they did with Dwight and Angela this episode. Step in the right direction.

[tomsmom]

Wtf did Pam think was going to happen if Jim started a business in Philly??

[Contralto]

What is going to happen with the Toby/Strangler story line?

I think it's resolved. The convict's grip proved he was the Strangler after all.

"Goodbye, Dee" -- this isn't over. Loved the admiration in Dwight's eyes when Angela took over.

[Mibbitmaker]

I didn't think the whole episode was bad because of parts of it, but I will say that Andy's behavior is making it hard to enjoy the show while he's on it. Last couple episodes, I've hated Andy as much as the last time I hated him, in the episode where he drove Dwight from Dunder-Miflin. At least there he got his comeupance (twice, counting "Beach Games"). He needs to pay, and now.

In fact, I noticed that Andy was acting towards his ex and Pete like Gabe was acting towards him back in the similar situation a couple seasons back, with no clue how that made him feel - so much so that he brings the insufferable Gabe back into the mess. Really, Andy might as well be Charles Minor right now.

Considering how the show always treated D-M Scranton as an awful, dead-end place to be stuck working, it sure wants to strand Jim and Pam there, if not split them up altogether. Maybe it was only a dead-end trap to Jim, the one wanting to leave, all along? At least that storyline is back to believable conflict rather than the Brian gimmick.

It is interesting to have the Michael Scott doppelganger (awesomely cast), given that Michael was the one most in love with the D-M quicksand of a company, and was the one that got out long before Jim had the chance.

Easily the best part of the show was the tag. It seemed inconsequential until the pan to the internet ad. "Ten years in the making"! Is there a freeze frame of the ad anywhere? It was hard to take in the whole thing so quickly.

Edited by Mibbitmaker, Feb 14, 2013 @ 11:00 PM.

[luburch]

I think it's resolved. The convict's grip proved he was the Strangler after all.

That's what I was afraid of. I was really hoping it would prove to be someone we know. Unless I completely didn't recognize the name and it was some minor character along the way.

[Petunia13]

This season has succeeded in making me hate Andy. And I used to like him since he's cute and funny. Now he's just a turd.

[2MuchTV]

Wtf did Pam think was going to happen if Jim started a business in Philly??

She didn't really get a chance to think about it, did she? They agreed he wouldn't invest, then he did it without telling her.

[Sister Magpie]

What do you all make of Jim and Pam? He seems pretty set on moving on with his new business venture--he doesn't seem to be even considering staying in Scranton. It is a little sad that a guy who went through so much to get the girl seems so quick to throw it away. I mean, it seems like he doesn't even care that Pam is struggling with this. It's a big deal to uproot your life--and Jim was pretty sneaky about all of this to begin with.

He hasn't been very sneaky about it since the very beginning when he told his partners he wanted in before he told Pam. The problem isn't Jim being sneaky at this point, it's that both of them have just assumed the other person would be on board with the way it's going to go. Pam's expressed her reluctance by being less than enthusiastic. Jim's expressed his enthusiasm by not being reluctant at all. Jim felt like the more he loved the job the more Pam would get excited about their new life. Pam just kept waiting for Jim to lose interest or for the business to fail.

But Jim's got a lot more good reasons behind his plan than Pam does, since her plan is basically just that she doesn't like change. It is a big deal to uproot your life. But not as significant as it could be, and probably not as significant as it is with most people in this kind of situation. It seems like it's more the personal challenge that's getting her than any practical ones.

It feels a little like Casino Night. Pam sticks with Roy for 10 years after high school even though it's clear the relationship's kind of a dud, but the thought of leaving it for this new guy was threatening and scary. But if she actually decided to stay behind and let Jim go she probably wouldn't like it any more than she did then. (Jim quitting the new career that he's obviously energized by and loving to come back and sell paper would be the darkest possibility. It's logical he's currently not considering staying in Scranton.)

I think the resolution is going to be more about Pam figuring out what her fears are and getting reassurance. It'll be interesting to hear her try to make a case for staying in Scranton or at least explain what she wants to happen.

I liked Dwight and Angela getting together. Those two work together because you can actually see what qualities they have that the other admires.

She didn't really get a chance to think about it, did she? They agreed he wouldn't invest, then he did it without telling her.

That's probably how Pam feels but it's not really accurate. She had as much time to think about it as Jim did after he turned down the opportunity when he first heard about it. The actual money investment they made was agreed to by both of them. Jim did make the original decision to get involved before telling her he'd decided that and he was wrong to do that, but she hasn't been steamrollered relentlessly for months.

Edited by Sister Magpie, Feb 14, 2013 @ 11:17 PM.

[queenelvis]

As much as I hated Andy in the beginning of the season, I kind of liked him tonight. He's just a straight up villain now, which makes him easier to hate. I actually groaned when David Wallace said he wasn't fired (who, by the way, is also a terrible boss if he didn't realize the manager was gone for three freakin' months!)

If Dwight and Angela don't get together by the end of the show, I will be really, really unhappy. I love when he calls her "Monkey." What can I say, I'm a sap.

I've always liked Gabe, even though he's super creepy (and I swear, I thought he was going to be the Scranton Strangler), but I laughed every time he opened his creepy mouth. I loved the part where he asked Pete what kind of music he liked, and then said something about Pete liking the KKK band then. I have to rewatch it, but it just made me laugh. So ridiculous.

Nice to see Bob Odenkirk as Michael #2! I've loved him since Mr. Show, and I enjoyed how he mixed up Monty Python with Kids in the Hall, a la Michael Scott's many mistakes.

Toby...that was pretty sad, him imagining a friendship with the Scranton Strangler—and then getting strangled by the SS. Poor Toby.

And the little pop up at the end made me incredibly sad. Even though the last few seasons have been shaky, I'm really going to miss this show.

[nein]

That's what I was afraid of. I was really hoping it would prove to be someone we know. Unless I completely didn't recognize the name and it was some minor character along the way.

The strangler's last name is Scott. I kind of thought that meant he was Michael Scott's father or brother or some other relative.

[OhhhCocoa]

The part I found funniest was Andy temporarily not realizing that Plop was actually Pete. Everything else about the Andy/Erin/Pete storyline just made me want to punch Andy.

I am really glad that the Jim/Pam conflict is back to focusing on the career stuff and Philly vs. Scranton instead of the Brian thing. On the one hand, I understand where Pam is coming from, but the only resolution I see at this point is that they move to Philly. Jim returning to Dunder-Mifflin after such a bold attempt at something new would just be a very unsatisfying ending. I was surprised when the interview with Michael 2.0 went sour because I kind of thought that plot was heading toward showing Pam that she could find somewhere to be comfortable no matter where she goes. Because, really, she always understood Michael the best, whether she liked it or not. I do understand why she didn't want to be a receptionist again though.

This was the strongest storyline in the episode for sure. I loved Jim and Pam at dinner and their affection and joking combined with some lingering unease, culminating in the realization that they have still not really resolved anything. It was very real and very good.

I hated Dwight's aunt and the wackiness that ensued there but I was pleased with the Dwangela. For real, I need Dwangela to be endgame ALMOST as much as I need Jam. ALMOST.

The end tag was so exciting! I really hope that the airing of the documentary figures somehow in the resolution of the season.

[Cerpintaxt815]

I've hated what they've done to Andy's character, but I actually really liked him in one scene this episode, when he was talking to Pete and Clark before he knew Pete was with Erin. The way he was talking, and especially the nicknames he was giving Clark, screamed classic Nard-Dog to me

[vienibenmio]

I actually felt Andy had a good point tonight--it's not really Erin and Pete's place to tell him to just "get over it." He isn't justified in abusing his power, but IMO it's not cool to tell someone that you just dumped that they shouldn't have a negative emotional reaction to it. They need to understand that he's going to be angry and it's honestly justifiable, they did wrong him even if Andy's done the same thing in the past.

[KangAndKodos]

In the scene in the conference room, what item of Erin's clothing did Gabe say he still wore? I went back 10 times and still couldn't understand him. It sounded like button-down, maybe.

[InsertWordHere]

Dwangela! Hearing Dwight call Angela "Monkey" made me cheer. I so need them to be endgame. I love that he seemed to understand how much it meant to her not to dishonor her marriage vows. I love that he said they've wasted so much time.

What is going to happen with the Toby/Strangler story line?

Having Gabe return at the same moment that Toby was talking to the Strangler made me suspect something was going on there, but now it seems like it's all wrapped up, if Nellys conclusion about the man knowing how to strangle is correct.

Better Call Saul! I love it whenever Bob Odenkirk pops up on shows I watch, whether he is Marshall's boss on HIMYM or here as Michael 2.0. And I love every rare Michael mention that we get. I wonder if the show was trying to say that Pam and Jim click when they have a Michael-like figure in their lives, as they seemed to be getting along better than they have all season while they were discussing the quirks of Michael 2.0. I think, had she gotten the job, Pam would have understood Michael 2.0 better than anyone else in that office.

I thought it was odd that they had Odenkirk's character mention the camera crew. I know they've broken the fourth wall, but I can't recall any one-off character ever mentioning the fact that they were being filmed. Every other minor character has always seemed to just roll with it. Or maybe they were just edited out and the crew no longer cares if they are mentioned.

Also loved that after the discussion about chopsticks being the measure of a man they cut to Jim and Pam eating Chinese with chopsticks.

Easily the best part of the show was the tag. It seemed inconsequential until the pan to the internet ad. "Ten years in the making"! Is there a freeze frame of the ad anywhere? It was hard to take in the whole thing so quickly.

"Coming this May:
The Office: An American Workplace. Ten years in the making, a look at the lives and loves of an average American small business office."

So I think the finale will be the staff's reaction to the documentary.

Edited by InsertWordHere, Feb 15, 2013 @ 12:40 AM.

[AileenM]

That's what I was afraid of. I was really hoping it would prove to be someone we know. Unless I completely didn't recognize the name and it was some minor character along the way.

See, I thought the fact that Toby wasn't killed proved that he wasn't the Strangler. I still think Toby is the Strangler.

[MethodActor05]

I was surprised when the interview with Michael 2.0 went sour because I kind of thought that plot was heading toward showing Pam that she could find somewhere to be comfortable no matter where she goes. Because, really, she always understood Michael the best, whether she liked it or not. I do understand why she didn't want to be a receptionist again though.

I thought the same thing, but I liked that it turned out that Pam still really doesn't want to leave Scranton.

I actually enjoyed having Creepy Gabe back, and I liked Pete's ex. That whole exchange between the four of them was pretty hilarious.

Finally, I loved how Pam and Jim have this very Jim and Pam romantic dinner of chinese food with candlelight and wine- like a classic Jim/Pam moment- but then they twist it and make it clear that there's absolutely nothing resolved. I think it makes perfect character sense for how both of them are acting.

[chocolatine]

I do understand why she didn't want to be a receptionist again though.

I don't. In offices as small as Dunder Mifflin Scranton and the real estate firm she interviewed at, the receptionist usually is the office manager. She just made up the OM job for herself at DM after she failed at sales and the receptionist job was already taken by Erin. To me it felt like she sabotaged herself by turning up her nose at the job even though she'd still have had the OM title. As she told Jim, she doesn't really want to move to Philadelphia; if she did, she'd not have given up after one failed interview.

I was on Pam's side when Jim chewed her out about filming the ballet recital, but I think she was selfish in this episode. Yes, change isn't easy, but she seems to have made up her mind about not wanting to live in Philadelphia without even trying. She could have negotiated something with Jim where she moves to Philly, but if she still doesn't like it after a year or two, they move back to Scranton. But just digging in her heels and resisting all change is not going to make anyone happy in the long run.

[HyeChaps]

I'm wondering if the resolution will be the opposite of "The Job"---Pam pops in to tell a surprised Jim that she's ready to move.

[mooyoo]

The strangler's last name is Scott. I kind of thought that meant he was Michael Scott's father or brother or some other relative.

I don't think that was it - I can't quite remember what the name was, but it was more like Scrutt or Scrub. Definitely not Scott though.

I actually feel like Andy was more like Michael in this episode than the real estate boss, who seemed almost too manic even for Michael Scott. Andy tonight demonstrated about the same petulance and immaturity that Michael always did when things didn't go his way, especially the scene where he crumpled up the relationship contract and threw it at Toby, though I can't see Michael being clever enough or outright malicious enough to hire Pete and Erin's exes just to upset them. Otherwise, Andy has become a perfect stand in for Michael at his worst, most selfish/immature moments, which is too bad, because I always liked him, even before he went to anger management.

They need to understand that he's going to be angry and it's honestly justifiable, they did wrong him even if Andy's done the same thing in the past.

I think they probably would have been a bit more understanding and careful about his feelings if he hadn't immediately tried to fire Pete and then outright refused to listen to Pete trying to talk to him. That was the whole reason they were trying to keep their relationship a secret, to spare Andy's feelings (and because it was hot!). Andy completely violated Erin's privacy by looking at her phone and then tried to fire Pete just because he was upset, so by that point I don't think they really owed him any consideration anymore.

I'm glad Pam turned down the receptionist job, but it's not like that's the only job opportunity in the entire Philadelphia area, so I'm not sure why she's so quick to ditch the whole idea of moving except that I think others are right, that she generally has difficulty moving on and is afraid of big changes.

Edited by mooyoo, Feb 15, 2013 @ 1:25 AM.

[OpieTaylor]

One thing I noted about the real estate office that didn't sit right with me - why were there so many employees sitting at desks? Aren't realtors usually out "in the field"? Viewers of The Office have wondered how a smallish branch office warrants so many employees, and it's like the writers did the same thing with this real estate office - just put a bunch of people at desks.

[wheeler]

They need to understand that he's going to be angry and it's honestly justifiable, they did wrong him even if Andy's done the same thing in the past.

I don't think they wronged him at all. Andy left for three months, and in that time sent four emails to Erin. And still, Erin stayed with him... until he got back, and she realized then that she didn't love him, and did love Pete. (Or at least liked him more than she liked Andy.)

On the list of "who did wrong," Andy is alone at the top. WAY down the list comes Pete. Erin isn't on the list at all. (Because even if she should have broken up with Andy before he got back, how could she? He was incommunicado with everyone but David Wallace.)

[oakgal]

Pam frustrates me so much. I've begun disliking her and I didn't think that would happen. She's being so irritating and immature. She herself wanted to leave DM years ago and become something else. Jim encouraged her. Yeah, he sprung the investment on her but she agreed to be behind the move to Philadelphia, but in reality she just wants what she wants. Same old, same old. Her husband is miserable? Too bad, Pam loves the humdrum complacency of the expected and the familiar. Jim should just give up his dream. Maybe Pam could wrap her tiny mind around the idea that this venture could benefit her family. If she supported it, truthfully supported it. Move to Philadelphia! It's not Iceland, it's in the same damn state! I'm so annoyed by it all. Sorry. Rant over.

Hate Andy. Why can't he get strangled?

D and Monkey! I like this. Good, good.

Edited by oakgal, Feb 15, 2013 @ 2:20 AM.

[CChambers]

It was very odd to me that they would cast Michael Weston for what was essentially a cameo. Makes me wonder if we've seen the last of the real estate office.

[myriadphalanx]

What a long, long episode. Was it originally intended to be this long, or was this a quick super-sized effort since NBC needed to fill time?

Amongst the many reasons this Andy plotline/character assassination is uninteresting is that it's already happened! Couldn't ANYONE remember that Andy's already had his heart broken in an office romance before?

Bob Odenkirk was one of the actors originally linked to the Michael Scott role before the show even started, so it was fun to see him as the pseudo-Michael. The actual talking head of Pam saying "He's just like Michael Scott!" was more than a little anvilly. Give us credit, show.

You'd think Alice would've been more upset about the fact that she wasn't actually hired for a real job. Gabe, well, we know he's out to lunch, so he was just totally fixated on Erin. I think I have a new appreciation for Zach Woods after seeing some of the outtakes for the last few seasons --- he has one scene when he's clearly improvising all this stuff about weightlifting and Krasinski and Wilson are just killing themselves laughing.

Edited by myriadphalanx, Feb 15, 2013 @ 3:07 AM.

[morgankobi]

It was very odd to me that they would cast Michael Weston for what was essentially a cameo. Makes me wonder if we've seen the last of the real estate office.

Just what I cam here to post!

I also was hoping Alice would have a "real person's" reaction to realizing Andy hired her for the sole purpose of annoying Pete, in a company with no marketing department no less. These characters are such "characters" that I like a little dose and reaction of normalcy here and there.

When Michael 2.0 was reading Pam's resume, didn't he mention 7 or 8 years at DM? Then she said she was Michael's secretary for 10 in a talking head. (Which wouldn't then include when she moved away from that position into sales.)

In addition to numerous lies and foibles being exposed, the documentary team also has a lot of proof that a certain (State) Senator has a secret.

[qtpye]

I am not going to spoiler bar this, since it is just speculation.

I think Pam's Irish American Center Mural will open up some sort of opportunity for her in Philly. I have no idea if it will be another art installment or maybe something in teaching (though I have no idea what type of qualifications one would need to be an art teacher, but I doubt Pam has the credentials based on her tiny resume).

This new opportunity will quell her fears about moving and she will see that staying in Scranton would be stifling for her family in the long run. The Halpert's relationship will be stronger then ever after this mini crises passes.

I am not saying this is what I want, but this is what I think will happen. They have mentioned Pam's new commission in every episode since the infamous dance recital.

Edited by qtpye, Feb 15, 2013 @ 3:39 AM.

[Utica]

When Michael 2.0 was reading Pam's resume, didn't he mention 7 or 8 years at DM? Then she said she was Michael's secretary for 10 in a talking head. (Which wouldn't then include when she moved away from that position into sales.)

Yep, I thought the same thing during that part of the episode. I dislike little inconsistencies. Maybe the actor (Bob Odenkirk) improvised part of that interview and got facts wrong, but it was too good not to use. Maybe Pam let the inaccuracy slide during the interview rather than contradict the hiring manager who was trying to pay a compliment? Then, they had Pam make the correction of total years later for accuracy. ??