The Office: The Convention, 3.02

182 comments

1. “Oh God, I hope it’s urine…”

2. wow, michael saves himself again.

3. Great Episode

4. How soon ’til the deleted scenes are posted?

5. Dwight hired a hooker!

6. toby is a big pansy

7. Hilarious … well written, and in my opinion, better than last week’s.

   “You wanna say anything to Jim?”
   “Ummmm…”
   “Um! Write that down!! Umm, dumm, um, dumm…”

8. Let me be the first to say…

   TAM

   or

   POBY

9. this was such a funny episode. like.. really really funny. better than last weeks too.
   ahhhh i cant wait for the coup! haha

10. Wow hilarious, good to see The Office back to its season 2 genius.

11. I don’t have the attention span to watch and chat at the same time, that was a big mistake, now I have to watch that episode six more times in the next 24 hours instead of the usual five more times

12. you’re right kev, way better ep than S3:01

13. Creed does it again.

14. Man, i wish they had done something more with the hooker/Angela thing – i dont know what, but it was pretty great.

    Anyone else feel like they’re focusing more on plot than jokes?
    Of course it was funny and all, I just think it felt more directed at the plot.

15. Pam and Jim NEED TO GET BACK TOGETHER…oh man, seriously..the tension is to much. It was a pretty sweet episode tonight. Besides the ending, haha..Oh my gosh, when Dwight turned off the lights!! That was pretty gross but I nearly died of laughing so hard!!

    The hooker bit was to funny as well, haha. I loved how Angela acted blind too, lol.

16. angela used to be a hooker!!!! i’ll bet big money on it.

17. Yay more Creed!
    That was a great “Michael” episode.
    And OMG, hooker! Hehehe..I wonder if Angela noticed it was Jim? Or was she asleep? I couldn’t tell.

18. did this episode seem really short?

19. amazing. “D?”

20. How do they keep being so funny week after week? I love how they never let you down. The JAM was great. I can’t believe Jim spelled it out for Michael.

21. I thought it was great, but It seemed like they could have done a lot more. I know they have to cut a lot for time…let’s start a petition to make the show an hour! :) I definitely need to watch it several more times.

22. AWESOME!! I thought I was watching season 2 all over again!

    Michael will soooooo let the cat out of the bag to Pam, BIG TIME… Can’t wait!

23. I loved it! The whole thing was awesome, but I just feel like the episodes are WAAAAYYY too short. Toby is quickly becoming my favorite character. I actually wished for a second that he would tell Pam and get to go on a fun date with her.

24. thats what nexts weeks episode is for..jam and the cat gets out of the bag!!

25. how do you think jim heard about pam calling off the wedding?

26. Reposted from Northern Attack, because I haven’t had time to think of anything else to say:

    Wow. Even before repeat viewings, I’m going to go on record as saying that last week’s episode never happened and this was the real season premier. Hilarious from start to finish, Creed with his best stuff ever — and that’s saying a lot — and just the right amount of awkwardness.

    Quite frankly, I think we were given more answers in this episode than in the premier. Just a brilliant episode. Potentially more comments later. But this was what I was waiting all summer for.

27. two observations on Angela:

    she looked hotter than normal

    and what was with that fly

    (ok an observation and a question)

28. Season 3 just keeps getting better! And funnier!! Haha!! I loved this episode!!

29. how did jim here about the wedding?? and by the way, he still loves her..i dont care what happens next week..new love interest can suck it..

30. I thought it was fair tonight. Creed was the best part. Yes Michael will tell Pam and probably everyone else what Jim said. I thought it would have been funnier if Jim noticed it was Angela. Toby sweet on Pam? I don’t think so. Everyone else seems to think it was great, so maybe I am expecting something else. When I watch it again later perhaps it will seem funnier. And there’s always next week.

31. I am really suprised at myself. I was actually rooting for TOBY for the moment he was at her desk. It was adorable!!

    Of course, as always, Jim has my whole heart. You can see so many emotions on his face. The Michael/Jim scene was sooo sweet.

    Funniest moment:
    Angela: D?
    Jim: Oh my god, Dwight got a hooker!! Dwight got a hooker!! I have to call P..I have to call someone. Who can I call?

    I love how Jim did that in this episode…start to say Pam’s name and then stop. breaks my heart.

    BETTER THAN THE PREMIERE.

32. I thought the part when Pam called Michael was brilliant. The beginning of the episode seemed to go so quickly and I felt just as shunned as Michael did when first glimpsing Jim’s relationship with Josh. It seemed like everything really is better for him over at Stamford. Then Jim gets a bit of a reality check when he hears who Michael’s talking to. Awesome.

33. I didn’t care for this one. There weren’t any laugh out loud moments except maybe Creed walking into the break room and calling Angela Andrea and introducing himself to Meredith like she’s a new employee. Oh, and maybe Stanley’s remark that she’d have to put out if she orders the most expensive item on the menu.

    Too much character and plot development, not enough jokes. The whole Toby asking Pam out was awkward; it didn’t seem to fit at all since he’s the HR guy and the one to always rat out Michael’s sexual harrassment or inappropriate racial remarks (or deliver other people’s complaints about Michael) to corporate. It just seemed out of character for a pro like Toby to do that.

34. We know how Jim heard about Pam calling off the wedding: Michael said “Good luck on your date”….

    Right, there’s nothing more to this?

35. Much better than the premiere!

36. By the by, did we learn Toby’s last name for the first time tonight? “Flenderson.” Maybe it’s just some expressions I’m not aware of, but It think Michael said it.

37. what? no, he must’ve heard it from someone else

38. The pace of this episode was very slow. There were some nice moments with Creed, Tobys crush on Pam and nice ryan and kelly moment. Other than that it was a very average episode.

39. HAHA i love that jim didn’t see that it was angela in dwight’s room. but oh my god his FACE when he heard about her date just broke. my. heart. it was so sad but he thinks he doesn’t have a chance and he so does!

    i love these episodes where its really funny and also really heartbreaking. its unfortunately bittersweet, but the romance part wouldnt be good if there isn’t any suffering and tragedy of course.

    poor awkward toby with pam too. and i love seeing angela and dwight having a conversation for once. was pretty funny.

    pretty good ep i think

40. I thought the funniest line was Pam talking about how this was her first date in nine years but then she said I shouldnt have broadcasted that.

    Did anyone catch the very last line that Michael says about relationships and can say it again cause I liked it a lot?

41. Dwight got a hooker??!!!

42. at what time do they post the deleted scenes? anyone?

43. Wow, so many hilarious moments. My favorite was Creed welcoming Meredith to the office, although Jim discovering Dwight’s “hooker” was a close second. If these first 2 episodes are any indication, it seems like they’re scaling back the emphasis on the awkward pauses and cringe-inducing moments in favor of more over-the-top hilarious moments, which really changes the atmosphere of the show.

    I thought that Jim hearing Michael wish Pam a fun time on her date was how he found out she didn’t get married & broke up with Roy (ouch!). And I agree that the episode seemed awfully short – I can’t wait until the deleted scenes are posted.

44. Fantastic episode! I keep wondering if Jim talked to Michael because he subconsciously wanted to leak info back to Pam… that he was still thinking about her. He knows that nothing told to Michael ever keeps quiet. Hmmm.

45. hey, god, do you really think jim heard about pam calling off the wedding with michael’s date reference on the phone?

46. andrea, I don’t think they post the deleted scenes until after the West Coast has seen the show, so in like 3 hours.

47. The worst thing about the popularity is the expectations that several of you have put on the show. It is a half hour show. I quit devoring all these links and just enjoy the shows.

48. I really liked this one.

    Favorite parts:

    Michael’s techno music and strobe lights.
    Jim walking into Dwight’s room.
    Kelly force-feeding Ryan. “He loves ketchup!”

    Creed. You are the man!

49. 9 out of 10 for me. back to the normal office after that disaster of gay witch hunt. excellent acting all around, jenna and toby especially.

    fav parts:
    creed introducing himself to meredith
    the cold open = the best one ever
    jim’s reaction to “the hooker”!!!

    actually, there’s too many to list here!
    very good episode

50. Okay, who else said “That’s what she said” out loud when Jan said “I can’t be on top of you 24 hours or 24/7.”? I did!

    Oh Toby :)

51. “Dwight got a hooker! I have to tell P.. someone.”
    Great stuff!

52. That Jim/Michael talk was so sweet. I think it’s more than just Pam that Jim misses.

53. What are some of you talking about..This episode was awesome.

54. Pam needs to forget about Jim and Roy and cartoon dude and go for the adorable Toby.

55. hahaha, i totally thougth thats what she said, when jan said that. I lvoed this episode. I love where they are going with the show, except the whole toby/pam thing is kinda strange. I really wish that the companies merge, the other boss seems like a good character, and especially if michael has to work under him. I LOVED jim’s face when he saw the “hooker”…well i wish it was already next thursday!!

56. You guys don’t realize that this show has not changed in realism at all. It is as great as always. wow, people realize that this show does an amazing job with a half hour.

57. Once again Creed steals the show !! “Hi, I’m Creed” priceless

58. Three favorite moments:

    – Toby being shy at his desk. I thought that this provided a new side to Toby that we haven’t seen (really the most we’ve seen out of him is how he did his job in “Conflict Resolution”), and I’m really glad we’re going to see how he functions personally.
    – Steve Carell’s facial expression when he turned on the blacklight at the end.
    – Angela being distracted by a fly in her talking head–I love little out-of-place moments that were probably improvised hahaha

59. So… it was fine for Michael to say it all the time last seaso but this year it’s not?

60. “I dont like ketchup”
    “You love ketchup! He loves ketchup.”

61. Wow…..just wow. What an awesome episode.

    First we start out with Michael wanting a little child from China. Then we see Creed calling “Andrea” at b*tch. Following that is Michael finding out why Jim actually transfered. And we end it all with Michael finding his hotel room bed covered with semen.

    So far, this is the best episode EVER!

62. Am I the only one who didn’t know what “swag” meant before this episode?

63. What is Creed smoking? He’s so random and disconnected, it’s great!

    I laughed out loud when Jim walked into Dwight’s room.

    In 30 years, Pam and Michael are going to finally get together. I can’t wait!

    Overall, good episode. It felt more like the Office I know and love than last week.

64. I didn’t know what swag stood for either. I thought it was schwag, with a shhh. I’m confused.

65. ahh! I missed the episode on TV. When does it become available on itunes…I have the season pass…

66. Swag is the name given to promotional stuff that is given away.

67. anyone know who that Josh guy was…looks familiar and cant’ figure it out.

68. You probably recognize Chip Esten (Josh) from Whose Line is it Anyway.

69. …I didn’t know what swag meant.

    …Any episode that ends in a semen-strewn hotel room is a winner.

    …Chip Esten irks me for reasons I can’t complain.

    …I’m not as big a Creed fan as most, but he had the second best line of the episode.

    …The best line, imo, was Kevin’s “If I wasn’t engaged I’d definitely hit that.”

    …SACRILEGE ALERT!!! The profile shot of Jim at the end revealed he has a very big nose. Sorry.

70. I mean explain, not complain.

71. I was rolling on the floor when Stanley(!) said, “Yeah, but then you have to put out.” What a great episode!

72. It’s getting to the point where based on the style of the episode (smaller jokes, subtle points, etc.) I can almost pick out who wrote the episode. I was not at all surprised to see that Eisenberg/Stupnitsky penned this one.

73. oh wow, josh is the guy from whos line….he looks so different

    comment back to brian sacrilege alert , i love john krasinski’s nose

74. okay that comment sounds so weird that i just left…let me rephrase that, i love everything about john krasinski

75. I was a little disappointed with this episode-I thought maybe Michael would convince Jim to come back to Pennsylvania. Although Michael and Jim’s little heart to heart was cute.

76. I’ve seen a lot of complaints about last week’s episode. I assumed that they were going to have to write Oscar out of the script for him to work on his new show “Halfway Home” for Comedy Central. The gay witch hunt was a “real” way to write him out for a while. So, considering that, I thought the episode served it’s purpose. And of course the JAM stuff had to be dealt with. With that in mind, I wasn’t too hard on the episode… but tonight’s was incredible and obviously wasn’t brought down by ulterior motives.

77. okieee

    FAVORITE MOMENTS
    -toby: didn’t see that one coming
    -jim and michael’s scene towards the very end
    -jim walking into dwight’s room and finding ‘the hooker’
    -the date and how pam and ryan looked completely not into it. poor kelly and the other dude (sorry i forgot his name!)
    -pam’s talking head
    -creed in the break room
    -kelly giving pam the once-over before exclaiming that she looked ‘great’

    i can’t wait for next week’s episode. :)

78. Call 1-800-Martini-Angel for the catholic erotica you always dreamed of

    Angela Martin… hee hee

79. Is it just me or did Michael kinda slur his words a la Jim when they first meet at the convention? If so, gotta love that!

80. Angela darting away from the check in desk in the hotel, just as Michael walks up. I’m so enjoying the Angela / Dwight Romance.

    I sincerely hope Jim and Pam can connect soon.

81. did anyone else notice that jim left the hotel door wide open after he retreated from dwight’s room?

    sorry maybe i was paying too much attention to the episode.

82. deleted scenes are now up on nbc.com…go check’em

83. PAMBY

84. i missed it! =[ so thanks for the quotes.

85. A few things I noticed:
    -Was Josh foreshadowing the future of this season when he told Michael how he respected his old work as a salesman and if the Scranton branch ever merged with the Stamford branch, he’d keep an eye out for Michael?

    -Wasn’t it kind of a big deal that Michael secured a deal with that Hammermill (or whatever) company who was only exclusive with Staples (one of Dunder-Mifflin’s big corporation competitors)?

    -For as much as Dwight ruined certain things for Michael during this episode, Michael’s relatively kind to him. He doesn’t seem to get annoyed as much and they seem quite chummy a lot during the episode (they even did two little song and dance numbers).

    -Finally, I found it absolutely hilarious during Michael’s ending monologue when he was describing what friendship was and they showed him pressing all the buttons on the giant Blackberry guy.

    Good episode, even better the second time.

86. The Deleted Scenes on NBC.com have Jan asking Josh to her room for a drink?!?!?!

    That would be interesting even though I have no need at all for the character of Josh Porter.

87. I didn’t see the second episode, and can’t find it anywhere online (youtube, bittorent, demonoid)

    Any suggestions on where I can get it? I’m in the UK for the fall, so can’t get my ‘office fix’ by tv…

    Thanks!

88. Let’s face it: The Office just isn’t the same without Jim in Scranton.

    We can’t keep this up forever…here’s hoping for only a few more episodes before the inevitable merger.

89. great episode, quick note:

    Althought Jim walked in on the hooker, Dwight still wasn’t there for the party in room 308 so maybe he and Jane Doe were busy?

    I gotta watch it tomorrow all day on itunes, then ill have more to comment on.

90. I thought the naked girl in Dwights room was Jane Doe. I couldnt hear over my screamings kids what she said when Jim walked in. What did she say?

    I give episode two an 8. Had some really funny parts, but I still think it could have been better.

    Monkey.

91. i hope they hold the merger out forever… and i hope its not at all what you whiners expect.. stay true to the show, this is supposed to be reality not predictably scripted like every other sitcom out there..

92. That wasn’t a hooker…it was Angela.

93. Better than last week, last week I gave it a 7, this week an 8, so there’s hope yet. A lot of my feelings about what makes it a good episode is if I laugh out loud or not. Last week I hardly laughed out loud at all, at least last night I was able to laugh several times. I did really enjoy the whole Angela thing. She’s such a hyprocrite. Pam is just not the same without Jim. I know they are trying to get her to branch out and become her own person, but Jim brought out the best in her personaility. She doesn’t even smile anymore really. Jim is still awesome and I’m glad to see him caring more about his life. He NEEDS to be in that office though for things to be funnier, in my opinion. If you go back and watch all the old episodes (as I do way too often) the set up for humor in the office of The Office, is perfect for all of the characters to really come alive. Maybe we do have really high expectations, but I think a lot of people are feeling this way and I am afraid the ratings might start to show it. My husband is not nearly the Office freak that I am and I have not said a word to him about not thinking last week that this season was quite as funny and last night he said “it doesn’t seem as funny this year”. That’s not good. At any rate, I’m still hopeful that once they settle everyone back in the same office again we see the dynamic improve. I’m thinking the merger will happen in episode 5 or 6.

94. So far in S3 Creed has had one line per episode, and in both cases it was the funniest line of the night (although the “God, please let it be urine.” was close.

95. I have to echo those that say Jim needs to get back to Scranton.

    For me, Jim is the “average guy” that the audience can identify with. We can sort of step inside his shoes and share his reaction to the wackier characters. Jim’s reactions to Michael and Dwight make Michael and Dwight funnier than they are on their own. Pam operates similarly as our empathy ticket into the office, but she seems to have been underutilized in the first two episodes. Moreover, having both Jim and Pam together gives us not only a character to empathize with, but a second character to conspire with (not to mention adding a nice romance subplot).

    I have a feeling nothing I have just typed makes any sense. I wish I could express myself better. Sorry.

96. Somebody asked what the “hooker” said when Jim opened the door to Dwight’s room. I think she said “D?”. Jim never picked up on that — and didn’t pick up on the fact that it was Angela either…

97. Loved this episode! I had been disappointed in last week’s, but this one made it up for me. Lots of laugh-out-loud funny stuff, but still the underlying bittersweet points – that equals a good episode to me. Excited for next week!

98. First of all, kudos to the writers and actors for keeping The Office the best show on TV.

    I’ve been visiting this site for months but up until this point didn’t feel compelled leaving a comment- but this season so far has been so great that I had to speak up. I think that it is pure brilliance that we are coming back to Scranton after months have gone by-it leaves so many questions unanswered and so many opportunities for the writers to keep us on our toes about everything! For example:

    Jim/Pam (of course): Am I the only one who thinks that there is way more to this that we haven’t been told? It’s not like Pam shot him down, then minutes later he emptied out his desk and transfered. Casino Night happened WEEKS before the wedding was supposed to happen, and Jim was supposed to go to Australia. My theory is that there was another major confrontation between them that would explain why they have stopped talking completely… Anyone agree?

    Michael/Carol: What’s up with that??? Haha.

    I personally don’t give a flying flip if JAM ever happens- I think that Jim is a bit wishy-washy and Pam needs to be more independent- and honestly the things that I love about the show have little or nothing to do with the office romances… Although Angela and Dwight are freaking hilarious. I do have to say, though, John K. has made me a fan with his great facial expressions… watching him suffer is slowly melting my cold cynical heart… haha

    Fo those of you who mentioned that they didn’t like last weeks episode, or this weeks: The reason that I like this show is that it can be so profoundly different from week to week. Everyday life is not a laugh riot, the fact that this show goes from hilarious to subdued to over the top is what makes it such a great “mockumentary”.

99. Anyone know why angela’s pet name is “monkey”? It just seems a little…ummm….different. Great episode, though. The two branches will merge soon, I’m sure. It will be really great to see the sparks fly with so many different personalities under one roof.

100. I loved this show. It was so funny!!! Michael really misses Jim. When Jim opened the door and thought that Dwight hired a hooker was one of the best scenes of the show. I wonder how much longer Angela and Dwight will get away with their affair? It has been going on for a long time. I felt bad for Michael when no one showed up for his party. Then at the end when he turned on the blue light and it showed all the stains, man how do the writers come up with this stuff!! Jim looked so sad when Michael said that Pam was on a date. [By the way, her date was very good looking and had a very sexy voice.] But we all know that Pam loves Jim and eventually they will be together. I thought that when Phyllis told her to unbutton her blouse and then Stanley told her she would have to put out if she ordered the most expensive thing on the menu and then Phyllis agreeing with him was really funny. I liked it when Pam buttoned her blouse because she alreay knew this date was going no where. I missed Oscar [even though I can’t spell his name] and I think that Kelly is expecting because they are hiding her stomach. I wonder if they will write it into the show??? Then maybe a marriage? By the way, her hair looks really nice. Great show!!!!

101. My favorite moments of the the night

     Jim: Oh my God! Dwight got a hooker! I’ve got to call _____. I’ve got to call someone.

     I loved it because, on top of the sheer hilariousness of finding out Dwight got a hooker, you know exactly who he wanted to call.

     Runner-up:

     Pam’s reaction after she talks to Michael about her date. The glance at Jim’s desk.

102. I think the first two episodes have been great, but after reading the comments about them here I feel like I missed some stuff. I had to chase a lizard out of my apartment at one point last night so I know I missed parts of the show…
     I agree with those who hope Toby and Pam don’t get together…the group-lust for Pam is just too freaky to me and Toby’s “moderator” role needs to be free from all that.

103. I love this show more and more.

     EXCEPT. THe original never filmed any Dates, or did it? I thought it was a mockumentury, not a TV show. Only workk related stuff.

     Just had to nick pick something.

104. I guess since the show is now a huge success, i.e. a bigger bidget is now available, many episodes will be filmed/take place outside of the office. I am not sure if I am encouraged by this or if it will just take some time getting used to.

105. Yeah in Email Survailence it gives it away in Jims backyard..you see angelas slippers and Dwights Burgon stalks on top of each other, you dont see anything more but it gives away that they are a couple..which makes the jokes about them being a couple a lot more funnier..If you missed that episode..you need to download it on itunes..seriously the only show ive seen on tv is Dwights Speech..and the last third of the convention..All of the rest I downloaded on Itunes.

106. Rock, the Dwangela relationship has been going on for awhile. We saw proof that they were intimately involved in “E-mail Surveillance,” when Dwight and Angela are, er, “closely embraced” in Jim’s backyard.

     In response to “The Convention,” I loved it! John Krasinski was absolutely fantastic in this episode. I loved his delivery on so many of his lines, especially the part where he finds Angela in Dwight’s hotel room, and he goes, “Oh my God… Dwight got a hooker!” THAT… was brilliant.

     And Creed? Seriously one of the best Creed-isms ever in this episode.

107. i agree with whoever said that dwight and michael are more funny when they have Jim to react….every comedy troupe needs a straight man….and it does seem alittle different than seasons 1 and 2 so far, but to be honest, those two seasons were soooooo good i am willign trust the crew and see where they take us…i know there are definitly epidsodes in seasons one and two that arent as good as others…

108. Good review, Laurie, but my favorite Dwangela moment–fighting over giving Michael the ice cream cake in “Michael’s Birthday”.

     “What about that meeting later…about finances?”
     “Fine. But no Cookie”
     “But what if I’m hungry”
     “NO. COOKIE.”

     Plus don’t forget Dwight giving Angela the key to his house on “Valentine’s Day”.

109. to be fair…andrea has always been the office bitch

110. Dwight and Angela?!

     What have I missed? I was sure I’d seen every episode, but the only thing I’ve noticed between Dwight and Angela were a couple of furtive looks as if to hint they might be interested in each other.

     Has there been any indication before that they were secretly having an affair?

111. I have to say that the episode was good in plot development, but I really would have enjoyed more skits with Andy because he was hilarious in the first show of the season. It was good to see Toby become akward in situations instead of his stone cold self.

     One very solid thing that was great about the episode was that they got everyone to feel bad for Michael again. His party went sour, and as much of a jerk he can be, we all felt bad.

112. actually, i think that it was a little bit of Michael’s perennial great insight when at the end he mentioned that “relationships should come about efforte-el-esly” if you take it in context w/ the complexity that is becoming JAM. who agrees? doesn’t he always have a pearl of wisdom?

113. I enjoyed last night’s episode so much more than the premiere! I hope we find out soon how Jim learned that Pam wasn’t married. It seems pretty clear that he and Pam have not spoken to each other for awhile.

     I like the idea of the Toby crush — not that I want there to be a “Pamby”, but I like seeing this new aspect of Toby’s character.

     Can I just ask… why is Ryan still with Kelly if he is clearly miserable? Do you think her comment to Pam about not putting out on the first date because then the guy has “all the power” was telling us a bit about Kelly and Ryan? Hmmm.

     IMHO, the best exchange of the night was when Jan said to Michael “I can’t stay on top of you 24/7.” Michael’s stifled reaction was classic!

114. I’m a little slow, perhaps a bit dim.

     What was the Angela swatting flies bit all about??

115. I liked it a lot although….I don’t know. I’m not sure if I like this venturing out of the actual office stuff.

116. Three disparate remarks:

     Jim poured his heart out to Michael because he knows Michael can’t keep a secret. It’s a great way to get word to Pam about his state of mind, even if he didn’t do it on purpose.

     I wonder if Angela is a creationist and “monkey” is some teasing term between the two of them. Can’t get a feel for Dwight’s religious level. He, after all, adores Frodo and there is plenty of magic in LTR.

     I’ve never heard of “stuff we all get” for swag. My whole life SWAG has meant “scientific wild-a$$ guess.” Coming from a military family, I assumed it was a military term (like SNAFU), but it probably has a wider usage. I think that scene showed Michael showing off by throwing around slang that he doesn’t even know–like he does with that guy from the warehouse who taught him fake urban slang that I can’t remember. (I think they had an example of that in “Casino Night.”)

     OK… four disparate things. Just when you thing Michael is completely hopeless, he goes and practically gets the Hammermill contract, who was til that point exclusive with another vendor. He is an unbelievable salesman. He never should have been made manager. His whole goofball attitude comes from his insecurity that he is doing a terrible job in charge and probably to compensate for the fact that he almost never gets to do what he loves at the office anymore–schmooze clients and make sales. Probably why he’s “mad” at Jim, too… Jim is shaping up to be another fantastic salesman. And probably why Jan has been attracted to him–he used to be flaming competent.

     OK… five disparate remarks. Toby just broke my heart. I hope he never, never gets up the courage to ask Pam out–for his own sake, not for JAM’s. It’s just a bad scene for him. But what a sweetheart!

117. great episode, though for like two seconds i felt bad for michael cause no one came to his party and he was sitting all by himself with the strobe light on…then i remembered…its michael. And then when jim caught the “hooker” in dwights room, and he was like i gotta call …. someone” my heart sank.

118. Okay, this has been bothering the hell out of me: what does Dwight say after Michael leaves the $100 tip, to which Michael replies, “No, that was a different $100 bill”?

     It sounds like “Is that your prone DM?”, but that can’t be right.

119. per diem… what offices give employees while they travel… what angela makes michael sign off for after ryan reads michael his packing list

120. Hey, the episode is now up on iTunes. Now I can finally see it!

121. Heidi – Oh I so agree with you! When Michael was sitting in that room with the lights off, I felt so bad for him…but like you said, it’s Michael, haha, he’ll get over it!

     And yeah, when Jim knocked on the door and then thought Dwight had a hooker, I felt so sad when he was like, I gotta call…*pam*…AHH, made me so sad! They really gotta get back together…soon!

     Actually, I liked this episode even more than the premiere. It was more heart-felt and more meaningful, at least to me it was. The whole thing with Jim and Pam being away from each other yet still thinking about each other…wow, it was just played so well. Can’t wait to next weeks episode!

122. I think this was yet another excellent episode! They are playing out the JAM stuff perfectly and even when they bring Jim back to Scranton, they won’t be together for a while, the tension between them has too much potential.
     Someone talked about Jim leaving the hotel room door wide open. They close by themselves, its a fire code issue.
     I loved it that Michael scored a major deal while only talking to one guy, and Josh got nothing although he was in ‘meetings all day’. That is why Jim will end up back in Scranton, because when it comes down to it, Michael is the best salesman, he just doesn’t focus very often, and they will end up closing the other branch and moving all the customers to Scranton.
     It’s great that Josh and Jan are at the convention to muster up some business, and Michael is there to party and for the SWAG. Perfect!
     Toby and Pam will go nowhere.

123. Mike: its “per diem” …money that DM gave him to cover expenses…

124. Mike- 129 – it’s his per diem. Basically, yes he gave the waiter his business allowance for the trip. So Michael of him.

125. The Convention was a return to what makes The Office great. I loved the episode a little bit better then Gay Witch Hunt, though both are equally hilarious.

     But again what was up with Angela swatting the flies? That kind of went over my head.

126. Flies=

     She is losing her mind and is seeing things.

     Roy has the food from the wedding in the warehouse and it is rotting.

     Jim left a practical joke for Dwight to find.

     Something is dead. HURRY, check the warehouse)

127. I think that the fly thing was just to show that she was more agitated than usual… haha

128. Eh. I only thought it was decent. Maybe its just that I had a bad day…
     J

129. I’m betting that the fly thing was an improvisation –while Angela was filming her “talking head” there was a fly that went by and she reacted to it. Not sure why they left that part in, if that’s the case. It wasn’t funny.

     Just a guess.

130. Jim is breaking my heart! I love the way the characters are developing now that they’re apart but it so sad to see Jim after being so rejected.

131. the bit with the flies must mean that she’s rotting or her mind is anyway…

132. Looks like someone took the slow train from Philly…Thats code for check out the slut?????

     What is Monkey talking about and to who..ahem…whom is she referring….

133. per diem: meal money that major
     league baseball players pocket because
     they eat from the free deli platter
     in the clubhouse ;)

134. My friend thinks that the fly thing was supposed to go with the whole slut bit, implying that something was dirty.

     That’s the best we can think of.

135. I’m going to guess that the fly might have just really appeared and the producers just ran with it because Angela didn’t break character.

136. This episode was alright. This season is starting out slow. Nothing really substantial has happened in these two episodes. It’s almost like they are teaser episodes.

     I must say, I was proud but sad for Toby when approached Pam. I feel so bad for him, he looks so depressed all the time. Poor guy!

     Lots of Foreshadowing!

137. Hey I love in the interview when John Krasinki pops up. Does anyone know if any clips from yesterday’s episode is up on YouTube yet? Would be much appreciated cuz I missed some of it.

138. I have some problems with the new season:

     1. For the first two seasons, the documentary crew has been filming the Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch, only venturing outside the office if a Scranton employee is leading them. I don’t think it fits the documentary style format if now, all of a sudden, the documentary team sets up a second person/team to follow the Stamford branch just because one of the people from Scranton transfers. If they want to make a documentary about the Scranton branch, it should be only on the Scranton branch, which takes away from the realism of this season for me.

     2. In episode 2, “The Convention,” Dwight is pretty ridiculously over-the-top. The “Your so immature” shrug really seems out of character to me.

     3. Whats the deal with Pam not calling Jim as a first option after Roy before trying a first date with a complete stranger?

     4. Seems like the writing is going for laugh-out-loud funnies, which is pretty much a large deviation from the original style of the first two seasons and Ricky Gervais’ original UK version. If Ricky Gervais has written an episode this season, I will be very excited to see what he has come up with.

     Other then that… it still is The Office and it still has many scenes that are very good (Stanley’s talking head about his toaster present and the entire conference room scene in “Gay Witch Hunt”

139. Oh, and I forgot one more problem: Not enough pauses

140. Maybe this is obvious to everyone else, but I just figured it out… Angela is already planning to go to Philadelphia to surprise Dwight or because they have it planned (I guess how else would she have the key?). When she gets to the hotel she checks in as Jane Doe. She’s ashamed. She’s the slut on the slow train to Philly.

     Pam couldn’t call Jim right away after backing out of the wedding because she respects him too much. It’s not a very nice thing to treat your supposed best friend (by her definition) as a definite Plan B. It’s rude. And she probably is hoping word gets out to him without her having to act. And he’d already made plans to leave the state–she had to know that. I’m glad they both have shown enough pride not to grovel. We are all rooting for them but they can’t jump into instant relationship. Didn’t we learn anything from Niles and Daphne’s difficulties?

141. Is this going to be a trend to see episodes almost completely out of the Office? I guess it keeps it fresh to film in different locations.

142. I think it makes perfect sense for the documentary crew to follow Jim to Stamford. They know they’ve got a story with Jim, so of ‘course they’re going to continue filming him.

143. It just occured to me that there must indeed be another encounter between Pam and Jim that happened over the summer…on the bed in Room 308, Jim tells Michael something like “I put it out there…twice”. But we only saw him do it once, in Casino Night, unless I’m missing something. Which means maybe he talked to her after the wedding cancellation and she shot him down again…

     Thoughts?

144. When Jim said he put out there ‘twice,’ I think he meant that first, he confessed he was in love with her. Second, he kissed her.

145. Stephanie: That could be so…my girlfriend pointed that out to me when I said the same thing to her. But it could also mean a second time. I guess we’ll see!

146. Bad news for The Office
     Survivor-16.6 million viewers
     Ugly Betty-16.06
     The Office-7.68

     http://www.tvtracker.com/daily_ratings.php

147. Keep in mind that Ugly Betty was the pilot episode. Its viewership will go down next week due to people not caring to get deeply involved in it, or will spike due to word-of-mouth support.

     The Office actually performed quite a bit better in the demo than My Name Is Earl did… both got a 10 share, but The Office rated 0.3 higher.

148. Best subtle moment…Toby does the “Jim finger tap” on the reception desk. Awww..I know it won’t go anywhere…but go Toby!

149. I loved this episode! Can’t wait until next Thursday! It’s getting harder and harder to wait!

     And, The Anti-soccermom. Concerning what you said about The Office as a show in general: could not agree more! You summed it all up. It’s realistic. Not everything is going to be roaring laughter. I don’t know. I still think the show is great and is staying true to its realism. I’m sticking w/ it, anyway. It’s just the second episode of the season! Come on!

150. I’m still trying to figure out the flies buzzing around Angela. Do you suppose they drove her to get on the slow train to Philly or do flies just like monkeys?

151. I don’t think anyone mentioned this, but when Jim opened Dwight’s door to his hotel room, Angela said “D?”… but Jim was too shocked to really have heard it, and obviously didn’t see that it was Angela.

152. Awww Toby! It was so cute when he tried to ask Pam out but got too nervous. But I hope that doesn’t go anywhere, because JAM is just too good =P

153. I really liked the episode, but what was with Josh and Jim’s matching white top button-unbuttoned shirts?

154. Hey everyone,

     First time poster. Just wanted to say a couple things about the convention that I liked.

     1) Michael making the Hammermill deal.
     (Not completely incompetent)
     2) Jim calling Michael a “friend”.
     (Thought Michael was going to cry)
     3) “…And then he (Dwight) spoke.”
     (laughed because I have been there)
     4) Kelly and Ryan’s interaction on the double date.
     (making the whip sound in my head)
     5) Jim’s reaction to Angela in Dwight’s room.
     (that reaction is priceless)

     And last, a moment I would like to see later in the season…Jim learns that the hooker was Angela.
     (Try picturing his face)

155. My theory on the flies (which is ‘bugging’ me, too). I think it was just the height of hypocripsy. She was talking about women who take trains to go have s*x, but then probably had it in her head to do it, as well. i.e., she’s kind of crazy.

156. Yes, I agree with Andy (122). I thought Andy was so funny. Can’t wait to see more of him.

157. I think that Ryan is probably the only one who knows about all the relationships in the office. Anyone remembers in “The Dundies” when Pam was leaving, they cut to Ryan and Jim and Ryan said to Jim “Are you staying?”, he had no reason to ask that (Pam was leaving w/ Roy. Also, he definitely knows about Angela and Dwight. He seems to have a sensitivity to subtleties.

158. Someone probably already mentioned this but on the deleted scenes for the episode, Jan asks Josh to come back to her room for “a couple of drinks.” I enjoy seeing these moments that make her seem a little more human. Like in Casino Night when you see her overnight bag in her car because she actually intended to spend the night down in Scranton. It also makes Michael look a little less crazy to think that he has a chance with her.

159. The Pam and Josh deleted scene is … interesting. :D

160. I like this episode, but i wasn’t very sure about the date scenes must be part of the documentary. Then i realized that in other cases (for example Michael and his condo) the cameras followed the characters out the office.
     My favorite scene: Michael touching the numbers of the celphone-man in his ‘private zone’.

     PS: Sorry for my english. Bye!

161. My vcr stopped recording before the show ended, so I didn’t get to see the end (phooey). Truthfully, I didn’t like this episode as much as some other ones. I didn’t like Jim in this episode – I felt a little like Michael, that Jim betrayed them for transferring.

     Parts that I did enjoy:

     – Toby trying to get up the nerve to asking Pam out

     – Kelly force-feeding Ryan at the restaurant and at one point, where Pam looks up at the camera, they also show Ryan looking at the camera with food sticking out of his mouth

     – The whole exchange between Pam & Kelly and the Pam & Michael regarding the date

     – Michael to Pam: do you have a message for Jim?
     Pam: Um…
     Michael: Okay, um. Um. Um.
     (That was hilarious because right then, Michael reminded me so much of someone I know – which I thought before, but esp in that part).

     – Michael sealing the deal with Hammermill. Sweet! It’s another example that Michael is a good salesman – like in The Client. You think he is totally incompetent (esp based on his awkwardness and foot-in-the-mouth incidents), but he does get the job done. And right in Josh’s face, no less.

     – Michael pretending that he was checking email on his phone (Dwight calling him out and then telling Michael that his phone did not ring).

     But I did not like Jim at all in this episode. Reminded me of the pilot episode – I didn’t like Jim because I found him a bit annoying with his pranks. Of course, I started liking his character, but this one just didn’t do it for me.

162. I thougth the 1st episode was a bit over the top, I was glad that this one had some of my favorite elements, silent pauses, Michael being Michael, and Jim still hurting over Pam… It was a wonderful twist about Toby and it could add great oportunities for another type of story line.

163. I just caught that Michael’s ringtone was “My Humps”. That was great by itself but then it was pointed out that Michael set it as his song for Pam’s incoming calls. Inappropriately hilarious.

164. Wow, thanks for posting the link to that Captain Ahab myspace site. I am so amused by that.

     Also, thanks as always for posting the quotes; your site is always a great place to reference when I need quotes from the show.

165. I’m really glad this episode was so great, because I was insanely disappointed with Gay Witch Hunt. Hope it just keeps getting better and better :)

166. Has anyone figured out why Dwight’s nametag was written with black marker instead of printed like everyone else? I couldn’t tell what was written on it.

167. Creed is the man!

168. On Dwight’s name tag it looks like the word manager is crossed out. The rest just looks like a bunch of numbers.

169. This might have been my least favorite episode – my high point was Angela being mistaken for a hooker. Of all the things that Angela would want to be mistaken for, I think “hooker” would be dead last on her list.

170. I think Dwight’s written Scranton Office’s numbers, his room number on them. Probably so he can easily access them when talking to the vendors.

171. Thanks, OfficeAddict!

     It’s nice to know that my ramblings occasionally make sense!

172. It first I didn’t like this episode as much as the 2nd season. Today on my 5th viewing it just clicked and I saw the light. This is why I love this show. It is such a deep well written show. I hope this show last a LONG time. I love Creed!!!

     Think about “general specifics” for just a second.

173. This episode was by far better than Gay Witch hunt for sure.

     Can’t wait for the next one!

     P.S. – I miss Jim. It’s just not the same without him at Scraton because no one can pull all of those pranks on Dwight and Pam is lonely, but now they have a really awkward relationship which sucks. :(

174. I didn’t like this episode as much as the first one. It got off to a slow start and sort of dragged a little. However, it finished pretty well. Overall, I’d have to say this one of the least funny episodes I’ve seen.

     But this show has gotten so good, that it can still be entertaining without actually being that funny. My favorite part was, “Yeah, well maybe next time, you will estimate me.” Just the way Steve Carell said that it was so funny.

     A few things…

     They have to explain the Ryan/Kelly thing more. They also have to explain why Ryan still works there. I really hope they dedicate an episode to this soon.

     Also I guess they were totally serious about the Oscar on vacation thing. He really wasn’t in this episode.

     Melora Hardin is very sexy BTW. She defines MILF.

175. Some more points….

     Didn’t like the Pam/Toby thing. I guess this is a stab at adding some more depth to the Toby character. But to me it just came off kinda pathetic and creepy. Some characters are better off being kinda one-dimensional.

     They need to do something with the Michael love triangle soon. I am so curious about how they are going to handle that.

     Stop begging for Jim to come back to Scranton! As good as JAM has been for the show at times it also tends to take a lot of focus away from the rest of the characters. Which are all very funny! Be patient with JAM. They have to build up the tension again. If they were together right now that would suck.

     I don’t think the merger is happening. I think some of Michael’s miraculous sales will help avoid the merger. Plus I have hard time seeing the writers going that way.

176. Insofar as why Ryan still works there…the working world is pretty hard to get around, these days. Ryan was probably like a lot of college grads and looked at a lot of different options instead of focusing on one thing. When one does that, they tend to not be able to get a job. Most employers want you to have wanted to do this job since you were five.

     My guess, Dunder-Mifflin pays him enough for him to stay, but not enough for him to like it.

177. Chris, your theory on why Ryan is still at Dunder Mifflin is pretty accurate in terms of what a lot of college grads go through these days. Im going through the same exact thing. I would still like to see some follow up from Ryan. I’m sure they’ll do a talking head soon enough were he talks about it.

     It could also be bills. The average person coming out of college these days come out so deep in debt, a lot of times you have to work a job you don’t necessarily like just to pay down a lot of your debt.

178. pretty good episode

179. What hotel were they at in real life?

180. Okay, thsi episode was not quite as good as some of the others this season. I did like it when Jim found “Jane Doe”.

181. Although I initally didn’t like the convention it holds up extremely well when you watch it a few times. There are some really good moments in this episode although it does get off to a slow start.

182. Ok this really is one of my favorite episodes. Maybe because I first saw it on TiVo without commericals. I think it flows much better that way and is a lot funnier. But Michael competing with Josh and being jealous over Jim is classic Michael Scott. Hilarious. And the actor who plays Pam’s date may be my favorite guest star in the entire series. The way he plays a full-of-himself loser is hilarious!