The Office: Counseling, 7.02

106 comments

1. Love the Pam storyline! I am really eager to see where it will go!

2. You’ll be sorry. Please. Thank you.

3. Wow, that was an excellent episode. The Office was, no doubt, on its game tonight. I loved every storyline from Michael connecting with Toby, Pam and her new position,and Dwight’s new “look” (haha)
   The writers are kicking it up a notch with Steve Carell leaving and I’m throughly enjoying it!

4. Oh my…that was great.

   “WE SHOULD START OUR OWN MALL!”

5. Loved it! Michael and Toby were so funny together!

   -Lt. Knife and Mr. Fork…and Mrs. Fork-

6. I thought this was a good episode although I didn’t laugh as much as last week. Pam’s story line was funny and Dwight “Pretty Woman” Schrute was hilarious. Oh and I agree with Erin, disposable cameras are SO wasteful. LOL

7. This episode was so good!

8. “Take two and call me in the morning!” BEST. EVER.

9. I haven’t rooted for Jim in a long time, but I always love seeing him and Dwight team up, that was by far the best storyline tonight! And Pam was amazing, I’m so happy she got the job.

   Erin and her camera, Mose painting in the dark/the daycare, “fancy” Dwight, Ryan’s talking head…so funny. I think this was one of B.J.’s best to date. The season just keeps getting better and better.

10. I have to admit that was a pretty weak episode. It just wasn’t very funny. I figured the intereaction between Michael and Toby would have been much more entertaining but it just seemed to drag on instead. And the Dwight storyline seemed a bit random. Still not bad overall, I just have very high standards for the show I guess.

11. I loved it! Funnier than last week. The Toby/Michael storyline was my favorite. Their facial expressions were spot on and so, so entertaining to watch. So far, very happy with the direction S7 is going!

12. Oh, and we had a MOSE sighting! Automatic 10/10 in my book.

13. I’m with you, Louis. I thought this episode was really weak (after a solid opening episode). I laughed maybe once at the Michael-Toby stuff, and even less at Dwight and Jim. The Pam stuff was okay, but also not great.

    Did love Erin’s line about the cameras. That was priceless.

14. Pretty good episode, though not as good as last week’s. i normally don’t really like Toby too much, but I loved him so much in this episode. I LOVED seeing Mose!!!! The daycare…. so….. odd :-) I loved Kelly’s line about how she just tunes herself out since she talks so much. :-) The new Dwight…. his hair basically made that look. Very nice.

15. Put me in the “funnier than last week” camp. Dwight vs Steamtown Mall was kinda dumb, but everything else worked for me. Good start to the season.

16. Bleh, I missed tonight’s episode. I’ll have to watch it tomorrow. I’m excited because it sounds like it was pretty good. :)

17. I did laugh a lot at this episode, but I think they cut the show to like 20 mins, and it seemed like it was over before you knew it. A lot of great one liners in this episode though, can’t wait to use them.

18. Best cold open ever! I love everything about this episode. Michael flipping Toby off made me feel sad for Toby though.

19. Kelly: “I talk a lot, so I’ve just learned to tune myself out.”

    Loved that line SO MUCH. I wasn’t thrilled with the episode, but I’ve also been watching a lot of Season 2 and 3 lately, and those were just perfection. Still have high hopes for the rest of the season tho :)

20. The daycare bit will go down as one of my favorite moments in office history hands down. i was not the biggest fan of the toby/michael bit…just a little bland at times considering its potential. Great ep overall!

21. Another fantastic episode!! This season is just wonderful so far. Loved Dwight’s “daycare”, and the “Pretty Woman” stuff. Pam was fantastic! Good for her on her promotion! Loved her talking head about the ways to get one, lol. The stuff with Toby at the end of the counseling session did make me a little sad for him though :(. But another 10 for me on this episode!

22. That was definitely one of the best episodes in a while. I was a little worried after the first episode, which was a bit disappointing, but this one had a ton of laughs and some good possible storylines. Will Pam get fired eventually? Will Michael and Toby’s relationship actually improve? Looking forward to the season after this one.

23. I agree with those who have said tonight’s episode wasn’t very funny but, I think the storylines was interesting which is good. A 6.5/10 to me.

    Favorite funny moments were Erin’s disposable camera and Dwight punching Angela’s card. Is it just me or am I alone in thinking Pam is gonna have trouble in justifying her new job as “Office Administrator”?

24. What day care center wouldn’t be improved with an Insane Clown Posse poster? And four buckets.

25. So is Pam basically like Joan from Mad Men now? :P

26. This episode was so refreshing. The humor was back to its original form, and the storylines fit perfectly…none stuck out. Yay for Pam and even more yay for Mose painting in the dark!!!

27. I was afraid that the Toby/Michael story would be too much Michael/Toby, but I actually liked it. It was a good solid episode.

28. Well, I absolutely loved the cold open. Best cold open moments: Mose painting in the dark (lol) and Dwight being embarrassed about the sauce packet (lol)…priceless! I was a little disappointed in Pam going through so much effort to lie about the position. I really didn’t see Pam doing that (sad). Overall, Dwight fighting the Steamtown Mall and Jim and Andy helping in the fight was just awesome! And of course, the counseling session was just priceless! Absolutely great episode!

29. Average at best. Liked the counseling with Michael and Toby. Pam’s story was dreadful, unrealistic and not funny at all. Reminded me of the time she became a college athlete in volleyball.

30. I’m in the camp that enjoyed the episode. I’m not sure how long Pam can hold onto her real job that’s actually fake. What on earth was Gabe saying to her in the conference room? I rewound that part a hundred times and couldn’t figure it out. I’m confused as to why he backed out, but maybe I’m just a dullard.

31. I agree with those who have said tonight’s episode wasn’t very funny but, I think the storylines were interesting which is good. A 6.5/10 to me.

    Favorite funny moments were Erin’s disposable camera and Dwight punching Angela’s card. Is it just me or am I alone in thinking Pam is gonna have trouble in justifying her new job as “Office Administrator”?

32. I actually loved this episode. From Kelly’s comments to the different story lines. It was just incredible

33. This episode was a big improvement over the last. I really can’t wait to see the deleted scenes for this one.

    I’m also glad they cleared up Pam’s position. She wasn’t very good at sales and it’s a wonder why they thought it would be believable that she would stay there.

34. Terrific episode! Loved the disposable camera bit and all three storylines! I was hoping we might find out a little bit more about why Michael hates Toby so much, but then again, it’s just as funny not knowing. Two great episodes in a row…keep it up, Season 7!

35. Great episode.

    But I’m worried… Michael said “Let’s bang this out.” and did NOT say That’s What She Said. Whaaaaaa?

36. In short: LOVED IT. Thrilled to see Mose again, and Toby/Michael scenes are always a good thing.

37. Hilarious episode all around! Jim and Mose in the cold open. Day Care tour. Pam’s Office Administrator, just genius on her part. Jim and Dwight team up, always a winner. Beet juice. Disposable camera. ALF.. and BJ’s last talking head, my favorite of his to date.

    This one had me laughing out loud for its majority. Excellent! The Jim and Dwight interaction was pretty much perfect.

38. Can someone explain to me exactly what happened during Gabe and Pam’s meeting at the end? Is it just that he’s so spineless he won’t even accuse her of lying?

39. Actually a pretty good episode. It was the first time I laughed out loud (a couple of times, actually) in a while while watching the show.

40. I LOVED this episode! The counseling story was awesome, especially when Toby has a brief moment of happiness, realizing that he’s getting Michael to open up. His bright eyed happy talking head was great. Andy interrupting Dwight to tell the Pretty Woman story, and getting interrupted by Kelly was hysterical. I think I could listen to Andy explain Pretty Woman for 20 minutes and I would not be able to stop laughing. And way to go sly Pam–I love her sweet side, but also love that she definitely has a dark side. What a quality show even into 7 seasons; this was great fun!

41. Personally, I loved tonight’s episode. B.J. and Mindy are my favorite writers, and this one was no disappointment. B.J. seems to have a knack for writing the best cold opens and tags. A lot of good lines too; some standouts to me were the exchanges between Dwight and Angela, particularly that whole bit with the card and the holepuncher. I thought the episode was a good episode, especially this early in the season, and definitely better than last week’s. Keep it up writers!

42. Wanted to add i gave this one a 10/10. Better than last week’s, which was also great. Kelly’s line about tuning herself out, added to the Day Care tour moment made it for me right there. Easily just added a few more moments to my “all time best” list.

    And i still say good for Pam, take charge! Forget the old method of simply “applying for an open position.”

43. I already can’t wait to see the bloopers for this; I have a feeling John Krasinski broke a lot while Ed Helms was combing Rainn Wilson’s hair & talking about “Pretty Woman.” =)

    Also loved Mose’s return (with fake baby strapped to him, LOL) & Michael flipping off Toby. I hope Pam’s little stunt isn’t going to blow up in her face later.

44. I was really looking forward to this episode since I was thinking there would be numerous scenes with Toby and Michael. I wasn’t disappointed, but I wasn’t laughing as much as I would have hoped. But I still loved their moments, especially when Michael flipped Toby off! That was hilarious. I must say, I did feel bad for Michael and his dog story.

45. I loved this episode. I’d take my kids to that childcare, if I had them.

46. I’m quite certain this episode has breached my top 10 list. Keep them coming!

47. I really liked the Toby and Michael parts of the episode. Paul/Toby should be on more often! I’m loving this season so far!

48. I absolutely loved tonight’s episode, so I’m a bit taken aback at the number of folks who didn’t. While I enjoyed last week, I found myself laughing (the kind of laughter that you just can’t control or stop – i.e. the best kind) much more for this episode. I suppose Dwight’s feud with the Steamtown Mall was a little odd, but at the same time I have no quarrel with it. Overall, a great episode to a so far great season! Can’t wait for next week.

49. Hilarious cold open. The rest of the episode wasn’t funny. Dwight’s revenge on the mall was just weird.Is it me or is it just totally out of character for Pam to fraud the company? And how did Gabe get to a management position being so soft? To me it felt unrealistic. More Ryan stuff please. He has become so weird it’s great. It makes sense since he fell apart at the end of season 4.

50. I liked it. Maybe I didn’t like last week’s due to illness, but anyway this was okay. It maybe could have been better, but fairly good.

51. The A story really fell flat and the counseling sessions were not funny at all. Pam’s story was funny, but they’ve sold out her character for a few laughs. Very uneven episode, sadly disappointed.

52. Wasn’t really digging this episode. Pam’s storyline seemed out of character, and the Michael/Toby bit wasn’t nearly as funny as it could’ve been. It did have its moments — Dwight’s “Pretty Woman” story and Erin’s line about disposable cameras.

    But overall, it kind of just fell flat for me in the end. Hope next week’s will be better.

53. I really enjoyed this episode. I didn’t think of it as Jim really teaming up with Dwight but seeing how much he could get Dwight to do, kind of like a prank that just fell into his lap. Love Pam getting out of sales and don’t think how she got the position will come back to haunt her. Gabe just doesn’t have much of a backbone and will be happy when his name plate arrives.
    Was disappointed that Michael didn’t say That’s What She Said tonight when he had the perfect chance.

54. Some funny moments, but I’m a bit concerned in that the show is starting to feel more like a normal sitcom than a documentary. I know some of the writers talk a lot about trying to be like Cheers – it seems like the show is trending that way, which, though funny, is not what the Office was for the first few seasons.

55. Two Words: Welcome Children. From that point on, this episode was hysterical. When I heard about the counseling storyline between Michael and Toby, I was hoping for something similar to “The Deposition” at the lunch table where there is a brief moment of emotion followed by Michael being Michael.

    My favorite part was Michael realizing what Toby was doing and going from “Son of a Gun” almost admiringly to “You Bitch” with more anger in his voice. Poor Toby will never win.

56. I am with Brigette and Swan. What on earth did Gabe say that sealed the deal on Pam’s job? I was hoping it was in the favorite quotes. I rewound the bit twice and still couldn’t make out his mumbling.

57. Man the Office writers are really bringing it this season. I loved it. My future child will probably not attend Sesame Avenue Daycare Center though even if there is a place for a plant.

58. Wow, what a fun episode. The scene at the mall was fun, and Rainn looked really handsome!

    If Pam gets to keep this new job, it’ll be great because she’ll have a variety of tasks to do which will allow her to interact with more characters like when she was receptionist and everyone came to her for everything.

59. Very good episode! Much better than the last one. I laughed so much at this one

60. Loved tonight’s episode! Best cold open in a long time!

    One thing that struck me, though was that if you type “Office Administrator” into most job search engines, you find job descriptions that seem dangerously close to the job Pam vacated to become a salesperson. Is she that dissatisfied with sales that she’d want to revert to her receptionist/administrator role? Then again she does seem to know the intricacies of the office better than other Dunder-Mifflin/Sabre employees. Perhaps this is a bridge towards Pam replacing Michael when he leaves? After all, Michael did once say that he would rather his replacement have some sales background. Now she has both. Hmmm…

61. Awesome episode! I loved everything it chose to be! One of those nights when I looked at the clock and thought “no, it can’t be 9:30, I don’t want it to be over.” Jenna was amazing. And Gabe would make a great boss. Lots of potential there.

62. Loved it when Dwight said he had to take Mose to Rite Aid to get his blood pressure checked!

63. While I slightly disliked the subplot regarding Pam, she (Jenna) really handled that scene when she figured out Gabe was bluffing really well. She tries her hardest to not show she basically figured him out but you can see a smirk form before she covers it up… it was well done by Jenna.

64. I am surprised by how much I liked Pam’s scheme to change her job.

65. I really loved the episode! Mose’s long overdue re-appearance was great, as was Kelly’s TH about tuning herself out. Pam proved the “Catch Me If You Can” principle that confidence can get you any job in the world. My favorite part of the main counseling plot (which was awesome throughout) was when Michael said he felt bad when the pitcher got taken off because he won’t be able to play with his friends anymore…I always felt bad for the pitcher when that happens too! Not sure if the writers intended that to be a meta moment, seeing that Steve would be leaving, but for me, it did add a twinge of sadness to hear Steve (Michael) say that.

66. Loved the episode. Especially Dwight’s daycare and his attempt to explain the plot of Pretty Woman.

67. While I didn’t like this week’s episode, I have to disagree that it was not in keeping with Pam’s character to try to change her position. She has always been a strong character, she was just in relationship rut for 2 seasons.

68. I really hope Pam’s “office administrator” job isn’t some season-long buildup to her replacing Michael. That would be really, really disappointing for me.

69. I loved this episode! :)
    My sister walked in just as Dwight was finished doing his hair and she laughed so loud. He was hilarious.

70. I loved this week’s episode! This season is already an improvement from Season 6 and there have only been two episodes! The daycare cold open was amazing, from Mose’s creepy baby doll strapped to his chest to the Insane Clown Posse poster, and for the first time in a while I enjoyed all the storylines. Can’t wait for next week!

71. I don’t think this was a terrible episode; there was a transition here which was very slight and craftily inserted into the episode; that of Michael starting to trust Toby, and that of Pam getting what she wants.

    The thing I really don’t like so much about what The Office has become is that the writers rely so much on character quirks to create humour. To make a Dwight story, they make fun of him being a beet farmer. To make a Michael story, they make him act out beyond what is even believable for Michael. To make a Kevin story, the make fun of him talking slow and being really stupid. Remember when Kevin was trying to get through the rough end of his relationship with Stacey?

    The characters on The Office have become caricatures, and that’s why the show has lot a lot of its realism.

72. Pretty cool episode…I loved seeing Mose again and I liked how excited Angela was at seeing Dwight all dressed up so he could “Pretty Woman” the store at the mall!

    I am trying to like Erin, but I’m having a hard time. I find it hard to believe that a grown woman can be that brainless and still function. There is a difference between being naive and being just plain dumb. Taking a picture with a disposable camera and immediately throwing it in the trash? How does she even find her way to work in the morning??!

    I liked that Toby was able to get Michael to open up a bit during counseling without him realizing it. And the daycare center bit was awesome!

73. This episode was hands down one of the best episodes They’ve had in years. It constantly reminded me of Season 2 (best season). Every moment was great!!!!

74. The whole episode was hilarious. I just loved the scene where Dwight was getting final approval from the office on his “Pretty Woman” makeover. The Mr. Fork and Lieutenant Knife at Sesame Avenue was priceless.

75. I loved this episode! The Michael/Toby hate and love was my favorite part.

76. This is the kind of episode that will require a re-watch before I can really gauge how I feel about it. I definitely think it was an improvement from last week, though. The daycare scheme was pretty entertaining, but Michael didn’t seem as likable or funny this episode as I have come to expect.

77. Although I think the season is off to a good start, I couldn’t get past everyone in the office being involved in Dwight’s issue for such a long period of time. Don’t they work there?

78. [from tanster: thanks!]

79. I loved this episode, like every other episode of The Office, but I wished they would have focused more on Michael and Toby’s counseling, which was hilarious. I think that both Jim and Pam have been a bit out of character this season so far, though. Last week, Jim was upset over a small trivial thing. I can understand it being maybe part of the playful, friendly side of Jam’s relationship, but it just seemed a bit forced, because their relationship has never really had a lot of pointless drama since they officially got together(after Karen left). This episode, Pam was really out of character. She always seemed like a good salesman and a hard worker, and the way she decided to become administrator also seemed forced

80. I love how Dwight gave Angela a punch card for their love sessions! haha. so ridiculous, i love it!

81. The Michael/Toby plot wasn’t as funny as I had hoped, but the Dwight storyline more than made up for it. Andy’s “I think he’s got it” from My Fair Lady was amazing.

82. I am in the middle on this one. I loved Dwight trying to be polite while he was really infuriated but I did not like manipulative Pam.

83. Awesome episode. BUT what would’ve made it even MORE awesome is if, at the end, when Michael said ‘Let’s bang this thing out’ if Toby would have said That’s what she said and they had a little chuckle over it as they left his office. That would’ve been CLASSIC and I can’t believe they didn’t think of that.

84. Mose finally coming back was great and I enjoyed Pam’s attempt to change her job title. I expected Toby and Michael’s story to be a little funnier but I’m okay with how it turned out. I was ultimately disappointed by Dwight’s story but I guess things can’t always be perfect.

85. As an unpaid intern, I’m totally going to pull a Pam on the company I’m doing slave labor for! They’ll be paying me in no time!

86. Loved Pam’s quote about the ways to get a promotion. Also really enjoyed the moment when she knew she had Gabe. Thought the counseling sessions with Michael and Toby were pretty funny. Overall I thought it was a good episode and I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.

87. I absolutely LOVED this episode! It was just classic The Office. The Office is a mockumentary, not a documentary. Things are based in reality, but are not meant to be reality. Thus, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it being a little like a sitcom. I think the writers strike a perfect balance between office life realism, entertainment, and satire. Thank you.

88. As a long-time office fan, I have to say I was seriously disappointed in this one. I had very high hopes for the counseling sessions, as usually Michael/Toby interactions are priceless. Unfortunately, I don’t remember laughing at all. I didn’t think the Pam storyline was in character, and the Dwight storyline seemed really out of place and forced. I hope they go back to reality-based office interactions of the old days (a la Sexual Harassment). I hate to say I think the writers have run out of ideas and the show is losing its edge.

89. Mose was hilarious though, “welcome children” and painting in the dark!

90. This was such a well-written episode. Nice work, BJ!!

91. I think I had too high of expectations for the Michael/Toby storyline, as their interactions are one of my favorites gags on the show, but still pretty good. I liked when Toby got him to open up and then Michael caught on and got upset. Dwight looked like Zach Galifianakis (who I think would be great for a guest appearance) from his role in Dinner for Schmucks. The Pam thing was a little out of character but I guess that’s the evolution of “Fancy New Beesley” or Halpert or whatever stage she’s in now. I would love to know what she was saying while hip thrusting at Meredith’s desk. Pretty good ep all in all.

92. Dwight and Angela have had their sex agreement for the entire summer and she’s redeeming her 1st pass just now in this episode? Sorry, just a small, stupid chronological thing I caught.

93. Well said, #87 Allen…BLEH!

94. What point were they trying to get across in the end? Michael has a psychological issue to him which makes him the way he is? And what was the point of Ryan?

95. The office should stick to the comedic tension they created earlier in the shows when they played the characters close enough to reality that it made for AMAZING comedy based on that tension. This episode had some of this with Toby and Michael’s relational posture, but the Pam and Dwight sub plots are so unrealistic they lose all the qualities that made the show (and their characters) so great in the past.

96. #68, Rebecca, and #95, Albert, you both hit the nail on the head. The storylines have become such a stretch away from finding humor in the mundane, which is what made this show so amazing and innovative. And as Rebecca said, the characters have become caricatures, and there is a BIG difference between the two. The fun quirks in different personalities have become central to the characters, again moving away from the nuanced comedy in order to get bigger laughs (in my opinion).

    Bottom line, this episode exemplified what I’ve thought for a long time – the writers are asking the audience to make way too many logical leaps for it to be enjoyable anymore, and it makes me very sad. Still, my hopes remain high for this season, because I’m too invested in the characters to ever stop watching.

97. Toby’s degree is from Temple University. We went to the same college! Haha, thanks writers, for repping my alma mater!

98. I really liked this episode of the Office. I think it’s great that the writers are already making a transition this early in the season for Michael. Having Michael take counseling sessions with Toby was a brilliant idea; we will slowly see a change in Michael throughout the season I think, and, by the time he leaves at the end of season 7 I think he’ll be more self-aware and enlightened about himself. It’s obvious that Michael has psychological problems dating back from his childhood and this episode highlighted it thanks to Toby.

    Also, I found myself surprisingly liking the more “take charge” Pam. I thought it was so funny when she was getting all the signatures from everyone and hip thrusting in front of Meredith. Maybe Pam could a potential candidate as manager after Michael’s departure?

    And, the best part of the episode was Jim and Andy helping Dwight become more like “Beautiful Girl” as said by Dwight. That part had me laughing out loud for a good minute. It was good to see Mose again and the cold open was the funniest cold open in a long while.

99. In this episode, Meredith signs for Pam as a “department head.” What dept. does she head up? I’m curious… haha.

100. Dallas- Meredith comprises the supplier relations department, making her the de facto department head.

101. Aside from seeing Mose again this episode wasn’t at all that good. It felt uneven and there wasn’t enough Toby/ Michael scenes and the Dwight subplot wasn’t as funny as I expected it to be.

102. @97 Me too! Go Owls and Toby

103. FINALLY, got to watch Counseling and I can’t believe the people that didn’t like it! “I was eating my penis”,,,,,,,,, I mean peas. Spit my drink out almost over the entire computer. Dwight’s ill timed “good morning”, thank yous were hilarious. And just having a 3 people talking head with Jim, Nard Dog, and Dwight was great, having Jim wanting Dwight to explain Beautiful Girl/Pretty Woman. Just thought it was another great episode.

104. I don’t think anyone commented on Michael saying he was raised by wolves during his counseling session with Toby! It just cracked me up when he howled into the couch cushion, made his hands into claws, and growled! He’s crazy!

105. I definitely got a few good laughs out of this episode. I loved it when Michael howled into the pillow. My dogs hearing it and jumping up made it even better (: I also agree with those who like the new “take charge” Pam. However, I didn’t like the fact that she wanted to be the Office Administrator. I know it was because she’s bad at sales. But going from sales to OA is a step down. She should have made herself the Assistant Regional Manager. And that would have allowed for some bickering between her and Dwight over who gets the ARM! And being an OA myself, I know this job sucks! So that part was a little unrealistic for me, but it was a good episode overall (:

106. was the part at the end where ryan was saying the quotes scripted or did he just come up with that and they decided to use it