The Office: The Duel, 5.12

172 comments

1. UGH! My local station lost its sound! I have no idea what happened during the duel! What were they saying???

2. I really liked this episode until the duel….I’m really unsure about that entire scenario.

3. Absolutely hilarious. I do wish Michael would’ve had something better to say to David though.

4. Wow, what a hilarious yet awkward episode. The scenes with michael and Wallace were great. You gotta love all of the weapons dwight hid too.

5. awesome episode. i loved it

6. I have a need…..A need for tweed.

   bwahahahahahahaha. Great episode.

7. Good episode. I know it was supposed to be centered around that Dwight-Angela-Andy trio, but it still felt too exclusive of the other characters.

8. I loved this episode. Andy hitting Dwight with his car was the highlight for me. I was so happy to see Andy finally calling off the wedding and Dwight throw the bobble head in the garbage. I do wonder though if Angela will try to get back with one of them. Andy seems a little more capable of forgiveness but I don’t know about Dwight.

9. great episode. loved the cold open…31 mph.

   i’m surprised toby didn’t show up to stop the fight. what’s the point of HR then?

10. It was an awesome episode but one thing confuses me. WHO told Michael? He and Meredith hadn’t gotten back from the rehab clinic when Phyllis spilled the beans.

11. Wow. I really liked this episode until the Duel actually started. Then it got a little crazy out of control for me… And maybe I’m the only one, but my heart breaks for Angela. The only reason she was with Andy in the first place was to try and get back at Dwight because she was so hurt… and I honestly don’t think Andy was telling the truth about her sleeping with him… Or at least she wasn’t totally sleeping with him. I don’t know. I just have a soft spot for her! Although the cold open rocked.

12. Improv + Conversation = Improversation! HAHAHAHA

13. Creed’s smiling “you’re welcome” made me laugh so hard I missed the next several lines. I’m still laughing about it, actually.

    Great ep! Wouldn’t have expected anything less from my favorite writer, though. ;)

14. Worth the wait!

15. I have never laughed so hard at my television. The Prius is silent under 5 miles per hour, wow, perfect duel situation for Andy and Dwight!

16. The Prius is silent if kept under 5 mph.

    Andrew Bernard is a genius!

17. Hilarious episode, oh my goodness, Andy hitting Dwight with his car while arguing was probably the funniest thing ever, one of the best episodes this season.

18. It was an alright episode, nothing too great but not horrible like the christmas episode either. I am happy that both guys dumped Angela though. She was being such a horrible, horrible person and she didn’t even feel the tiniest bit of regret or guilt.

19. The Dwight bobblehead sitting on my desk suddenly seems so sad and lonely now.

    Good episode for Michael. Not a big fan of the result of the duel. I guess it is fair, though.

20. Not my favorite episode, but some funny lines nonetheless.

    GO AWAY TUNA I’M WINNING THIS

21. Okay, have to say that I missed the cold open the first time I saw it and just saw it now, and it is AMAZING.

22. sooooooooooo worth the wait!!!!!!!!!!!!

23. So what have we learned today, kids?

    Ms. Angela Martin is the office mattress. Officially.

    Also, my love for Andy Buckley increases with each guest appearance.

24. It was pretty good. I didn’t find any hilarious moments. The part that tickled me the most was the look on Michael’s face when Wallace said his branch was the only one doing well. Sometimes though I feel Michael’s been a little too stupid this season. The cold open was pretty good. I felt sorry for Andy for most of the ep and thought Angela got what she deserved.

25. Michael’s quick glance at the camera when he realizes he is being commended by Wallace and then his rambling go-nowhere sentence just once again revealed Steve Carell’s brilliance. A swell episode.

26. I laughed at that wedding commercial.

27. I think Andy’s fighting technique was so smart! I guess that Cornell education came in handy.

    Anyone remember the quote about excellence? I think Michael said it to someone in either his office or the kitchen.

28. I really enjoyed this episode. I’m glad the writers got Michael out of the office. If he was there, things would have really been pushed things over the top. Michael’s not knowing how his branch is doing so well was pretty funny.

29. Forgot to mention….Creed’s line “you’re welcome” has never made me laugh harder….haha

30. Andy is PSYCHO! Ed Helms was great in that scene.

    But man, I am so glad with the ending…Angela got what she deserved.

    Did anyone else find the speed radar in the beginning VERY creative? It was so random, but HILARIOUS!

31. I thought this was a really funny episode, much more natural than the last two. I was a little afraid that this aftermath was going to be soapy, but they handled it with such classic Office humor. John was great in his episode! Priceless reactions.

32. Pretty funny episode. The cold open and Andy running dwight over were awesome.

33. Dwight throwing away the bobblehead, no joke, cut me. I’ve never before felt like I was being stabbed in the heart, but seeing the bobblehead in the garbage quite literally killed me.

    That said, Ed Helms was insane tonight. The entire scene with him and Angela, I just wanted to give him a huge hug.

34. Well, now that’s over… I hope they can get back to the less stupid stuff now.

    I’m glad Jen Celotta wrote this and not a new writer, because less skilled hands could have turned this episode from a “hard sell” to a train wreck. Now I want Andy to become his old annoying preppy self again. I don’t particularly want to see another office romance subplot for a long time. It’s just not the best direction for the show, in my humble opinion. And my opinion really is humble, because I know that these writers often surprise me.

35. Funny. Weird. Is Angela genuinely evil now? Do all the episodes have an out of the office component from now on? Not nearly enough Pam. I get that it’s not The Jim & Pam Show, but Pam is one of the leads, not a supporting cast member. I miss seeing more of her. I also miss the realism Angela used to have, she was really sweet sometimes. Now she’s a stereotype. I understand that there isn’t enough time to fully develop every character, or maintain their personalities, but why are they giving her so much face time and so many lines?

36. I think Andy was lying about him and Angela getting it on. He knew he couldn’t beat Dwight, and thought that if he couldn’t have her, Dwight shouldn’t have her either. After all, only four episodes ago on the Business Trip episode, Andy admitted to Oscar that he and Angela had never slept together.

37. I felt like that episode had a different vibe than most other Office eps. Like, I’ve never gotten tense while watching before. I feel so bad for Andy…and Dwight…and Angela!

38. What was the significance of the bobblehead going in the trash? Was that a gift from Angela?

39. That was a really classic episode. Just perfect…and Andy was back to his awesome self, which I felt we haven’t seen in a while. And I thought I wanted Angela and Dwight to be together, but I soon realized I liked what they did with that situation. Wheover above said that seeing that bobblehead going in the trash was like a stab to the heart, they took the words right out of my mouth. Heartbreaking.

    On a less serious note, two best parts: 1) Dwight singing about the rules Schrutes must know by age 5, and 2) Andy saying “It seems…like you guys should be hearing me.” One of the best Andy lines ever.

40. @39 – Yes. Angela gave it to him on Valentine’s Day. (I think)

41. I was so excited for this episode after the long holiday break. But I was quickly disappointed in my favorite show..where did the great humor go?? It doesn’t have the same feel it used to. And where were Toby & Pam this episode. Barely present..same with Kelly.

    But the beet stained teeth quote was great!

42. Oh wow. Two of the best lines ever. “You’re Welcome”.

    “Go away Tuna, I’m winning.”

    Great episode all around. Wouldn’t mind seeing Michael at least pretending like he has a clue. Oh well. I look forward to seeing how Angela reacts to the bobblehead going in the trash.

43. I thought that was a nice episode to tie up the Andy/Angela/Dwight triangle. Angela got what she deserved. I am a huge Angela fan, but character wise, yeah, that was good.

    I loved when Andy is sneaking up behind Dwight with this car. And everyone’s like, “Why isn’t Dwight turning around??? Andy’s car is so quiet!” That was great writing!

44. It was pretty good and compared to what I was fearing it was great. I liked that Jim and Pam were back burner, they need to do that more often.

45. not bad

46. Didn’t find this episode very funny, but hopefully it puts the love triangles away for good. PLEASE!!

47. #37 I too thought Andy was possibly lying, but I think that it is very possible that Angela slept with him after Dwight married her. I think she may have been mad enough to sleep with Andy twice as a way to stick it to Dwight.

48. Loved it :O)

    I nearly wet my pants I was laughing so hard, for the entire episode!

49. When Michael was talking about not knowing where his sentences were going, what word did he use to describe that? I know it wasn’t quite improvisation. What word did he make up? Great episode!

50. In addition to the Andy getting it on with Angela debate, as previously referenced he said he never had in Business Trip, and also said he had seen Angela naked zero times in The Surplus (one of my favorite quotes from that ep) I guess it could have happened between there, but yeah, anyway, carry on.

51. I’m giving my Best Quote Award to Kevin: “I’m sorry I did such a whorish job filling out this form.”

52. I’m also surprised no more mention to Dwight and Angela technically being married. I thought for sure it would come out in this episode. It’s unfortunate there will be no wedding ceremony at Schrute Farm, if Angela/Andy are indeed over. That would be incredible.

53. Ok episode. Michael seemed a little too dumb with no comedic payoff, and the duel had no payoff either.

    And I don’t know why anyone on this board would have sympathy for Angela…slut.

54. Is it really necessary for someone to come on here after every single episode and complain that it was the “WORST EPISODE EVER!”?

    [from tanster: lol! as long as they do it articulately with no spelling errors, and it doesn’t turn into a long-winded rant, i’m good. :) ]

55. I literally gasped at what Dwight did with the bobblehead. LOVED the Schrute boys song. I liked this episode, but three hours later, I LOVED this episode. LOVED Jim’s role in it. Loved Dwight and Andy and getting an even better understanding of how their brains work.

    I still can’t believe he threw away the bobblehead.

56. One of the better of the season. Are we back it top form again?

57. I liked it. It wasn’t the best episode and it would have been better as an hour, but I still liked it.

58. This episode had several goofy moments. But the characterization of Dwight and Angela was very different from what I expected. I don’t know who Dwight really is anymore. He’s changed so much.

59. Funny episode. Not QUITE as good as I expected, but still some generally hilarious moments. Jim looking for Dwight’s weapons was the best, as was Michael with Wallace.

    Actually, I think John Krasinski very quietly stole this episode, with all of his subtle looks and actions, like walking between Dwight and Andy.

    Now as good as it was, let’s put this storyline to rest. And please, for heaven’s sake, more Pam! She’s had like 2 lines the past 2 episodes!

60. This was a “meh” episode, but I accept that because I think that this was just a bridge to the rest of the season. The descriptions for upcoming eps that Tanster has posted sound really great…ye of little faith! *tisk-tisk*

61. Best episode of a lackluster season. The whole thing with the Prius was awesome.

62. One of the better episodes of the season. Really enjoyed it actually. Hopefully this Dwight-Angela-Andy love triangle is done for good. I miss the old Andy. Very good episode.

63. who would tell michael about the affair? wasn’t he out with meredith when phyllis told everyone…

64. i LOVED it!! worth the month long wait. =)
    i agree that jim stole the episode in a subtle way.
    and the cold open is now one of my favorites!!
    =D
    can’t wait to see what next week will bring us.

65. I loved this episode! I really thought it was great and just kept me laughing the entire time. It really gave such great closer to the whole Andy, Angela, and Dwight triangle thingy. I just loved this episode; I mean how can you not laugh at Andy slowly running Dwight over in his Prius. Hilarious all around! The only thing I can say is that I really want to see more of JAM, I’ve really missed them.

66. I thought this was really well-written and well-directed. I had to get used to the serious tone, but I think it was executed nicely. Loved Kevin: “We’re not listening”

67. I thought it was a good episode overall with several funny moments. I loved when Pam said to Kevin “So maybe just try one at first and then if it’s ok have a couple more.” I don’t know why, but it made me laugh so hard!

68. Finally a good episode again. Thanks Celotta.

69. Answer to 65:

    Kevin,Dwight,Creed are capable of telling much such material.

    Great ep!

70. Jen Celotta continues her no dud episodes streak. Not her best, but i found myself laughing out loud at several points throughout the episode. She’s still my favorite office writer.

    Only part i didn’t like so much was the duel (Dwight being pinned by a car) itself. Felt kinda forced and didn’t really make me laugh.

    Michael was funny the whole episode. I loved his telling Andy that Angela was sleeping with Dwight and his interactions with Wallace in NYC.

    I agree with all those who hope the love triangle is now officially over. It has run its course.

    And if it weren’t -4 outside right now i’d be totally running past the radar gun display near my house. Awesome cold open.

71. SO happy The Office was back on tonight!
    -Cold open: 31 mph! HAHA.
    -Oscar’s look of horror after realizing where Dwight & Angela did it in the office
    -Creed’s “You’re welcome!”
    -Kevin’s “whorish” quote
    -Michael’s never-ending sentences: Improversation! =)
    -Andy’s quiet Prius running over Dwight

    Angela totally got what she deserved. Hope that isn’t the last we see of the Dwight bobblehead though! It’s like a sacred treasure!

72. Why haven’t the writers shown the AWESOMENESS of one Mr. Kevin Malone?

    Disappointed.

73. Wonderful, hilarious episode–worth the long winter wait! And what a great way to stick it to Angela at last! “Improversation” ha ha–that’s my new favorite word and perfect to apply to mindless uncomfortable yacking done just to avoid awkward silences.

    When Michael resumed eating his spaghetti after babbling, when it was clear that David was ready to leave the lunch room, it just killed me. Oh Steve Carell so deserved that Golden Globe!

74. I don’t like fancy new Beesly so unless she goes back to being the old Pam I’m fine with not seeing her as much. But this episode was awesome and The Office has made my life so much more enjoyable.

75. Much better than the last episode. The Duel was a lot more underplayed than I feared it would be. Also, no creepy Toby is a definite plus in my book ( it’s a pity they brought him back at all ).

76. Woaaa…. the quality of that episode… I don’t even know what to say…. excellent director…

    How on Earth can Steve Carell be that brilliant and constant and not have more Emmys? How?

    Favorite line: Angela’s “a little bit”

77. Did anyone download it from iTunes yet? I did and it skips around the point where Jim talks about Andy not knowing about the affair before going completely out of sync.

78. Andy’s moment of truth with Angela was outstanding. “Is it true”????
    It is hilarious how she was trying to duck Andy’s 100% SJ-ness and failed miserably.

    And I missed Pam in the conference room saying “Angela IS the office mattress !” :-)

79. This episode was one of my favorites! When Dwight started singing the “Rules” song, I about fell out of my chair!

80. It felt like a really lazy yet necessary episode, calculated to fix the error of piling on romantic subplots onto this show. Now, the only couple is Jim and Pam, that’s the way it should be, and maybe we can get back to the premise of the show, which, if I remember, is about the everyday drudgery of the workplace. Watching Dwight and Andy shout at each other just wasn’t funny. It lacked anything particularly clever. Just lazy.

81. great episode, definitely one of the best of season five, in my opinion.
    yay dwight and andy, putting angela in her place.

82. I liked the episode overall :) However, I gasped when Dwight threw away the bobble head. My husband, who has just started watching this season, didn’t get it. Once I explained, he still didn’t fully get it. I kept thinking of Dwight’s expression during the Valentine’s Day episode and how he said “I’m the bobblehead.”

83. My favorite was definitely Kelly’s “I guess people have fewer choices as they get older.”

    But Dwight’s rule-obeying song was hilarious, too.

84. I still don’t understand why Toby was not in this episode, though… doesn’t make sense to me at all

85. I loved that after Andy and Dwight decided to have their duel outside during their break they gave each other a high-five. Classic.

86. I really liked the episode. I am always a fan of Jen Celotta’s episodes. Kelly’s “I guess you have fewer choices as you get older” made me laugh out loud from the other room.

    Anyway, I’m glad Angela got hers.

87. Awesome episode! I’m glad neither one of them ended up with Angela. And I’m happy Wallace had good things to say about the branch to Michael…even though Michael’s response was terrible haha.

    Did anyone else have the “Learn your rules” song stuck in their head after watching that? HAHA!

88. Loved the cold open, Dwight’s rules song, Michael trying to explain his success to David Wallace, and so much more.

    Was shocked by the bobblehead in the trashcan — like #85 Patti, I gasped out loud when Dwight did that. I’m glad poor, sweet Andy isn’t being fooled anymore, but I feel bad for all three of them.

    Great episode! This season has been excellent, in my opinion. :-)

89. The Office is always good when it is a little uncomfortable and yet very funny. They missed on the funny this week. Although I appreciated the use of the ensemble cast. Best scenes: Oscar saying Andy’s car made no sound below 5 mph, Dwight throwing away his bobble head doll (my Dwight bobble head was stricken!), and Wallace’s “Jim face”. Most shocking scene: Andy saying he had had sex with Angela twice!! (Say what!?!) The rest was relatively dull. I gave the show a 7.

90. Director Dean Holland did a wonderful job with this episode, capturing so many fantastic reactions. The scene in the lunch room was my favourite – Phyllis little nod and Oscar’s shocked face – perfect! P.S. Oscar has had an amazing season so far – he and Phyllis have really stood out for me this season. Scary moment: after Michael told Andy the truth and then drove away, my husband said “that’s actually a really good way to tell someone bad news.” Oh dear.

91. best line was Kevin’s “whorish” comment
    cold open was hilarious also

    i think they could have done more with the Michael/Wallace scenes, but not bad

    I don’t think that this is the end of Angela/Dwight/Andy however

92. All things considered–and Prius attack aside–Andy showed remarkable restraint after finding out the truth. I was really expecting the poor guy to go ballistic and punch a lot of holes in the wall. I’m glad he made the right decision in the end though. I also think it’s great that the two characters in the show who claim to be so morally superior to everyone (Dwight with his fanatical devotion to THE LAW and Angela with her hardcore Christian views) get their just desserts after doing something so horrible.

93. To confirm for #39 Tbone. Angela gave Dwight the bobblehead look-alike for Valentine’s day and he, in turn, gave her the key to his house. Who knew that sweet and secretive episode would end like this? Oh well, that’s what happens when you become “the office mattress” (there is bound to be a good message in there somewhere.)

94. Andy: tell me about the sex
    Angela: nothing fancy
    Andy: missionary?
    Angela: I said nothing fancy!

95. I was so sad to see that bobblehead go in the trash. Doesn’t Dwight realize that those were SOLD OUT?

    Not super-genius, but had great moments. I loved when Andy asked Angela who else knew about the affair, then saw the whole office looking through the window. Also, when Andy asked “protect her from what? Bears? When was the last time you saw a bear in Scranton?” and Dwight answered “last year!”

    Pam’s shirt was so ugly in this episode. Why is she suddenly invisible in the show? Even Jim has become a one-note character. I kinda miss the JAM sizzle.

96. oh … and I was so super sad when Dwight put mini-Dwight in the trash.

97. I don’t know, man. This was the first episode I’ve seen where, to me, it didn’t feel like the Office I’ve grown to love. It may be a case of having higher than normal expectations for a show, or the characters being different than they were in season two. I kind of feel like maybe they’ve settled into their roles by now, and in doing so come across more as stereotypes of the people they’ve established as opposed to the original people themselves. Angela’s a bitch, Dwight’s militant, Andy’s clueless, etc. In addition, shots like Jim walking between Dwight and Andy making a face at the camera feel too staged.

    That said, I did find stuff to enjoy last night. Oscar’s “what you said at the end didn’t really relate to the form” line had me dying. That’s the kind of subtle humor I want from the Office, and I hope we see more of it. Michael’s stuff with Wallace also nailed the awkward humor perfectly, especially when he sat down to finish his pasta.

    All in all, I’ll definitely be back next week.

98. Who else out there wonders what happened after Dwight and Angela were married by the German Mennonite minister?? That was never revisited. That’s a BIG thing to ignore.

99. Okay, quickly scanned all the comments and didn’t see what I was looking for, so I’ll ask – didn’t anyone else think the very last quote of the show might be directed at us (when Michael says about what exciting things can happen when you leave the office). All I could think was “take that, all you people who don’t think any of the characters should leave their desks!” Just a thought…

100. 101- At the end of The Surplus after Angela kisses Andy she said she was going to take care of a legal issue, meaning she was going to cancel the marriage.

101. Did Michael’s never-ending random sentences with Wallace remind anyone else of Sarah Palin?
     Just putting that out there. [:
     All in all, good, not great episode. I loved some parts of it, was completely bored through others.
     Great use of the ensemble cast.

102. To TobyFan,

     I think the humor in that quote is that Michael thinks that exciting things happened to him at Corporate, when really the excitement took place in the office while he was gone, so he ended up missing all the action.

     He probably thinks that excitement follows him all the time and that the office would be dull and boring without him which was not the case. That’s what I got out of it :)

103. Again, a wonderful, crazy, funny, classic episode. Oscar and his panicked look was great, and the prius attack had me laughing till I was crying. Andy and Dwight doing any type of showdown is so awesome! I hope after this they end up becoming good friends. And whoever pitched the idea of the cold open understands Michael Scott perfectly haha! I thought that was so funny!

     To #101- the marriage was resolved… remember when Angela kissed Andy after he had that tuna sandwich and then she stood up and said she had some legal business to take care of? She was getting it annulled so it was already resolved.

104. This was a great episode. After I finished watching it, I felt good about the direction of the rest of the season. I just wanted to address a couple of comments that I read just now:
     -There’s just no pleasing everyone when it comes to Jim and Pam. Some people were sad to see almost no Pam last night and mainly facial expressions and one-liners from Jim. Others were happy to see the show abandon that story-line for a night. All in all, I think we can all agree that the writers of The Office are the best at balancing this issue…wouldn’t you agree? Watch Grey’s Anatomy for a night, and trust me, you’ll agree.
     -Bob Vance (comment 56): I couldn’t have said it better myself. Some weeks…it’s a little ridiculous.

105. I am so glad the Angela Andy Dwight thing is over, by far the worst plot of the season. It has provided a few (very few) funny one liners but that’s it. And Jim and Pam should simmer down, the house scene in Frame Toby and the missed messages scene in Baby Shower nearly ruined the episodes for me, it was getting too melodramatic. I like it when this relationship stuff is off to the sidelines at best but when they have a whole subplot that doesn’t in anyway connect to the main plot (which has been plaguing the show this season) it bugs me. I’ll be happy to see old Andy back. I swear if any more relationships form I’ll be pissed because there is no way so many co-workers would be sleeping together. Don’t these people have social lives outside of work.

106. Mostly, I enjoyed this episode. There were a lot of little moments that felt classic and memorable, namely the cold open and Dwight’s song. (Loved the growl!) However, there is a larger issue that’s bothering me. This may be bugging me because there was a similar storyline last night on Private Practice (I know. I judge myself for watching it. Crap.) and their characters reacted similarly, so it stood out to me, but here goes.

     I’m disappointed that we’re still at a point where on television, if a man sleeps with multiple people or does something sexually immoral, it’s brushed off/accepted, but if a woman does the same things, she’s immediately deemed a “slut” (which someone on *this board* flat-out called Angela). Why isn’t Dwight just as guilty in this situation? He knew full well what was happening, and everyone KNOWS he knew, so he is NOT a victim here. Do I feel badly for him? Yes. Was I crushed when he trashed the bobblehead? Yes. But Angela is not the only one to blame here, and I am disappointed that both the characters and the viewers are villifying her and her alone.

107. I need to watch this episode again because I got a phone call (so I missed a few minutes) but I will say I did not feel bad for Angela at the end. When Andy cancelled the wedding and then Dwight threw the bobblehead away, I thought, “good for them.” I know she loves Dwight but she treated him horribly too (If she loved him, she should have broken it off with Andy as soon as they got back together). She deserved to lose both of them and I was really glad to see that she did.

108. That was the best cold open all year. I enjoyed the episode although I thought the actual duel could have been more amusing. I’m glad Angela got what was coming to her.

109. I loved it. I watched it a second time and it is absolutely brilliant. This is Angela’s tour-de-force (even better than The Negotiation). Her separate exchanges with Dwight and Andy perfectly capture her delusion.

     “Are you sleeping with Dwight?”
     “That doesn’t sound like me.”

110. Dwight should call up that blonde girl from the Jersey State Varsity basketball team, Northeast regional champs.

111. I agree with what phyllis*farm said. It’s an excellent observation. I think that maybe some of these characters were the product of already existing stereotypes (Pam, the cute, quiet receptionist, angela the bitch, dwight the obsequious salesman, etc.) in order to make them relatable to the viewers. However, in the early years, these roles were subtle and therefore more enjoyable. Now, it feels like these subtle roles have been exploited. instead of thinking “I have my own ‘dwight’ in my office”, it’s now “How could any office have a ninja-star-toting wildcard like dwight?”.

     i still love the office very much. I’ll still be there every week. I think overall this season has been pretty good, better than S4 at least. Just one girl’s opinion, though.

112. loved the episode, but since when have andy and angela been sleeping together? it wasn’t that long ago (business trip) when angela made him go back to first base. i think andy lied to dwight about that, causing him to break it off with her too. what do you guys think?

113. I loved all the subtleties in this episode. I about died laughing when Meredith was taking about something bad happening and she nonchalantly said to Oscar: “My neighbor got murdered.”

114. 80 ASFan I downloaded off iTunes also, and YES it messes up exactly where yours does. I thought maybe it was just me.

     I think it’ll be fun to see Angela chasing after either Andy or Dwight now. Andy and Dwight can form an anti Angela alliance.

115. finally angela got what’s been coming to her! she needs to stop being such a slut, and go back to her original character from seasons one and two….

     i was very disappointed that there were absolutely no jam moments on this episode though… c’mon!

116. Oh, yes. Now I remember Angela making the call. I guess I had hoped that would have become more than it did.

     Also, I totally forgot to mention how much I loved this episode. Great one for Dwangelandy, just as I had hoped. Andy actually handled it far better than I expected. I missed the others, though…but some of the episode’s best lines were some characters’ only lines…

     Kelly…Creed…

     “You are welcome!” Perfection.

117. I really liked this episode. But please Office folks, if you’re out there reading this: Pennsylvania is starting to look more like California. I can testify as an North East Coaster – there are no flowery bushes poking through fences this time of year. Otherwise, very decent episode.

118. Not my favorite episode and not many laughs. I thought the whole tone of the show was depressing. Andy was so clueless and pathetic. One couldn’t help but feel a sense of pity for him.

     I hope this ridiculous love triangle is over… for good! The writers “milked” it far too long and it was becoming tiresome to watch.

119. Was it just me, or did Steve Carell’s last talking head look like it was green screened?

     Oh, AND WHERE WAS TOBY!?

120. @DunderMifflinfinity

     It was VERY green screened. Very noticable in HD.

121. This might have been one of the worst episodes I’ve ever seen on The Office. The only part I liked about it was at the end when I realized that both Dwight and Andy had broke up with Angela. Nothing was funny about the episode at all. Lately Kevin and Oscar have been the funniest characters. I used to love this show but now I just watch hoping that an episode will be as funny as the the earlier seasons. It’s definitely been touch and go. I’m trying to think of an episode worse than this and I can’t.

122. I didn’t like this episode very much, even though I did like the whole Angela/Dwight/Andy storyline. But I don’t think I laughed once. And I thought Andy was way too calm for having just found out his fiance was cheating on him. Like Jim said, he has an anger problem. I can’t remember Pam saying one word throughout the whole episode. And as someone who posted before me said, where was Toby??? He should have been there helping Jim . Not my favorite episode. Hoping it gets better next week!

123. Just wanted to add that I love that Angela has ended up with no one! I do love her character, but I didn’t expect this. I thought she’d choose one and that would be that. Can’t wait to see what happens now!

124. Loved the Jim-like “What say we do” comment and expression from David Wallace. Is Scranton improving because of Jim? Poor little mini-Dwight thrown in the garbage like that. There were actually several times when I put my hand over my mouth in shock during the episode.

125. 114, La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo-

     Right on about the “old” characters feeling like real people you might encounter in an office, and therefore captured in a documentary.

     This leads into why some, myself included, feel the humor has been off. It’s not that it hasn’t been funny, it just hasn’t been Office-funny. I was questioning myself last night why I wasn’t laughing as much when the same situations would have me dying on Arrested or Sunny. It’s because the Office has carved a fine niche in presenting itself as a documentary. Thus, a certain set of rules applies: no staging outlandish scenarios, no cameras predicting when somebody will speak, no actions that “real people” wouldn’t do in a “real office.” Anytime these rules are broken I find myself frustrated before I allow myself to laugh, while I’m unhindered by the far-more-broad humor of, say, Scrubs.

     [from tanster: nicely stated!]

126. Best Quote Courtesy of Dwight: “Learn your rules, you better learn your rules, if you don’t, you’ll be eaten in your sleep [makes chomping sound] …”
     I am so going to teach this to everyone I know!

127. Re: 100. phyllis*farm

     I completely agree with you. I feel like the show has lost its “mockumentary” feel and this has changed the tenor of the show.

     Recently there have just been too many implausibly ridiculous scenarios for what I’d like to be a smart, subtle, and sometimes silly show.

     Of all the Office DVDs I watch (and I’ve got ’em all), Seasons 1 and 2 still get the most rotation in my DVD player.

     Here’s to hoping The Office can rein in some of the silliness and recapture some of the intelligence and subtleties that made me a fan in the first place.

128. This episode was hilarious! I am so happy with the result of the Andy/Angela/Dwight storyline. Very unexpected but also very realistic. Angela got caught up in the romantic fantasy that two men were fighting over her and couldn’t see she was actually just hurting them. I did want her and Dwight to be together but look at the bright side…Dwight is free!!!

129. I disagree, 131-dwight is free! just glad that whole storyline is over..

130. Some of you posters are like my grandma always remembering the “good old days” from seasons 1 and 2. I fail to see how Dwight taping himself inside a cardboard box or being convinced that he is steering the ‘booze cruise’ ship is any more “realistic” than his having weapons stored around the office. Last night’s episode was hilarious, enjoy it for what it was.

131. Loved this episode! It was way better than I expected. Loved that no one picked Angela in the end…that was SO unexpected.

     And Dwight singing the rule song is officially my favorite moment in The Office history. Ever.

     Jim was awesome. Very…boss-worthy, almost. Is anyone else here seeing a bit of foreshadowing, or is that just my delusional thinking? Because, to me, something about Jim in the episode was very foreshadow-y. Which I am aware is not a name.

132. I’m sorry, I meant “not a word.”
     :)

133. There are so many reasons Dwight, Andy and Angela all should have been fired if it were a real office. I know this show is not real but that original sense of realism from the first and most of the second season has all been thrown out the window. This episode still had its moments but the over-the-topness of the situations sometimes takes me out of the show.

134. 133, bigsteve-

     Grandma Jay here. Dwight taped inside a box was to show the lengths a) he would go to unearth a conspiracy, and b) Jim and Pam would go to mess with him. They’re as taken aback by how far Dwight is going as we the viewers are. It’s a crazy situation, yes, but it’s grounded in reality. In addition, it was the broad portion of a plot, whereas fighting and weaponry last night was the plot itself.

     To each his own, though. If you loved The Duel I’m happy for you. We all find different things funny.

135. Creed: “You are welcome!” Priceless.
     Angela was only thinking of herself in that whole love triangle, but I have a distinct feeling that SOMEONE will find forgiveness. I mean the bobble-head can’t just be gone forever, can it?
     Looking forward to the Oscar/Andy love affair to begin…

136. re: 133. bigsteve

     I don’t think anyone’s ever claimed that the show wasn’t silly in the past. It definitely was. It’s just that in the past there was a good balance between the silliness and the smartness of the humor in the show, and that’s what made it remarkable to watch.

     More recently, it seems to me that the balance has shifted to having more silly and less subtle. As was commented earlier, it feels “off” this season and to me it feels more formulaic and predictable than it used to be.

137. this episode made me cringe almost every second! but it was still good. and loved loved loved michael running to see how fast he was! Oscar-“michael, that was the car.” Michael-“no. i was in front of the car!” wow. gotta love this show! :)

138. very nicely stated, phyllis*farm. I think you’re exactly right.

     take for instance, on Arrested Development. When george michael and maeby accidently got married (i got you a wedding ring…tone) it was hilarious. On the office, when Dwight and Angela accidently got married, it was little more than another outlandish twist intent on resuscitating a sputtering storyline. the difference: AD never promised to be realistic by calling itself a mockumentary.

     i thought the same thing last night, too. about sunny in comparison to the office. Can you picture Charlie behind the wheel of a Prius, trying to gently crush Dennis against a fence as punishment for sleeping with the waitress? I know I can. and it would’ve been funny. again, because Sunny didn’t want to serve as comedic homage to blue-collar-workadays. The gang does so many insane things. Blowing up empty buildings, setting each other on fire, training kids to win at basketball by means of a strategically-placed safety pin…and it’s all hilarious. it couldn’t work on the office. but it seems sometimes that the office would try things like this anyway.

     again, Phyllis*Farm, you’ve made an excellent point.

139. Wow, this was an amazing episode. It was so hilarious! I’m new to OfficeTally, my friend recommended it. It’s such a great site! I hope to post more comments soon!

140. This episode definitely exceeded my expectations. Moroccan Christmas was a huge disappointment but I thought the solution to the love triangle was really great. Hopefully the writers will write some more episodes like this.

141. I just hope they remember how to write and shoot a funny mockumentary and stop trying to turn this into Friends season 3-10. The writers are too brilliant to play for cheap laughs as they have for almost a full season now. Hate to say it, but maybe A Season 2 Marathon for all parties involved would help.

142. Meh.

     Given that I was still chuckling over the awesomeness that was Moroccan Christmas, this episode left me flat. The good news is, the Season 5 roller coaster is due for an upswing.

143. The episode was taken off of iTunes. It appears the people there have noticed the defect. It just stinks I’ll have to repurchase it, even though I’m on gift card money at the moment.

144. Hey, remember Pam? She used to work there too. Whatever happened to her?

     Seriously, why has Pam been so underutilized this season?

145. Did anyone notice the picture of Jim and Pam on Jim’s desk? It’s hard to see, but I’m pretty sure it’s them! You can see it when Dwight is asking Jim to trade seats with him.

146. I also noticed something about Jim in this episode that I think might explain the improvement in sales. Did anyone else notice that he’s always working really hard, never a game of solitaire up on his screen? Even in the break room scene, he’s sitting with Pam but he’s working on stacks of paperwork. Interesting…

147. I really feel as though the show has lost any base in realism. Strangely, the only character except Jim and Pam I find liking is…Michael. Really. Whereas in Seasons 2 and 3 every character had a likable quality, Dwight has become some sort of villian. I pray we never hear about ‘Dwandyla’ again. The show has lost that laugh-a-minute feel that it had only two years ago. I don’t care about Dwight and Andy like I cared about Jim and Pam.

148. I thought this episode was awesome…

     I also had iTunes issues- the cold open was fine, but then there was a glitch very early on and for the rest of the episode (both in HD and regular) the audio was out of sync with the video. Very distracting.

     I called Apple support about it but they couldn’t help me so I had to email.

149. Let’s keep comments focused on the episode. Thanks!

150. I find the variation in response to Angela’s behavior interesting. While I can’t deny some obvious gender bias, it also seems like we can judge Angela harsher than we would judge, say, Meredith because of Angela’s self-proclaimed morality. We can be quick to condemn her actions because of her own hypocrisy. I have great sympathy for her character’s situation: an inability to resolve her values, desires, and emotions leading to great injury to herself and those she cares about.

     But the most wretched moment? Definitely the bobblehead. Like an above poster wrote, it was a knife to the heart. I had no idea how bitterly poignant a half-hour comedy show could be…

151. #137, you brought up an excellent point. That’s why I think the fact that Toby wasn’t in this episode was the biggest flaw. I liked the episode, but that part sincerely bothered me.

     Dwight admitted that he and Angela had sex in the office, which definitely has to be an offense. And Andy tried to run over a coworker in the office parking lot! Even if Toby was on vacation or sick, he should still find out about this eventually. Maybe Kelly would update him on it or something. And he should, at the VERY least, give Dwight, Angela, and Andy some sort of formal warning.

     If that doesn’t happen, then that particular plotline has no realism to it. No one could openly do those things in an office and not get fired.

152. We should get some pasta.

     [from tanster: mmmm. pasta.]

153. My fave quote wasn’t listed.

     Dwight: Do you love me?

     Angela: I’ve already admitted that. Why do you keep making me repeat it?

     Oh, Angela. That’s why you’re my fave character. I’m just glad the Dwight-Angela-Andy storyline finally moved forward. It was becoming stagnant.

154. This episode was awesome!! For an ok Season 5, this episode was really reminiscent of Season 2’s glory. The jokes were quick and funny as they should be. Michael was over the top, but not the point where it’s unrealistic, and Dwight’s “learn your rules” bit had me busting up with laughter. I liked how Andy and Dwight settled their issue (as it appears), although I would have loved to see an outburst from Andy and Dwight and Angela together again. Pam and Jim’s cutesy relationship isn’t enough for the show. We need something more funny and awkward to watch like Dwight and Angela meeting in the warehouse. This episode was great because they stayed in the office. Episodes that are mostly off location aren’t as funny. The show is ultimately more successful when they keep it in the office building, because it really is where all the insanity goes down. I hope to see more episodes like this. A huge Office fan like myself has always been a huge advocate for the show, but it just hasn’t been as good this year. Hopefully this episode will be the first of many more well done episodes to come.

155. Well, to each his own. I don’t want to say that I hated the Christmas episode, but it was not my favorite and I feel that this episode was a great opening to 2009. My favorite part, hands down, was when Oscar asked Dwight where they had sex in the office and Dwight replies, “I think you already know.” When Oscar put his hand over his mouth in shock, I completely lost it. I was glad to see Andy handle his news without going ballistic. He has become one of my favorite characters.

     I like seeing the character growth, too. I understand the frustration with the silliness of the show but you can only go so long with the mundane before you get bored with the characters, right? If this were the exact same show with the same situations and storylines as season 2, we would all be complaining that there is no movement. Outside of the incredibly drawn out Dwight/Angela/Andy plot, I commend the writers for keeping the progression of the lives of these characters so natural and realistic.

156. [from tanster: 200-word limit]

157. Where. Were. Pam. And. Jim.

     Seriously?

     Did they say anything to each other?

     I’m kind of annoyed…

158. Best shots of Jim in a while. mm mm mm

159. I love Michael’s expression when he realizes that the meeting with corporate is actually positive. When has he made that face before? When Holly spoke Yoda-ese to him?

     My only wish would be that they could be consistent about the season. Winter in Scranton and they are not even wearing coats!

160. What happened to Dwight’s eye? He had like a red dot on it.

161. I liked how they addressed the Angela love triangle. I was happy to see Andy being more mature and handling this situation well. Go Andy. Michael’s inability to keep a secret and concern for Andy was sweet. I like seeing this side of Michael. I am just wondering if this triangle is completely resolved though. I think Angela could use some time on her own.

162. For all the people concerned with when Angela slept with Andy, don’t be. There were 17 days between Moroccan Christmas and this episode. My theory is, Angela felt somewhat guilty about her affair with Dwight after Phyllis told everyone, so she decided she should at least sleep with Andy a little bit as well.

163. Dwight also needs to remember not to turn his back on the man driving a Prius under 5 miles per hour. ;-) That was awesome!

     Trendy, I agree — I’d like to see Angela with some alone time like Pam had in season 3. I think it would be good for her.

164. #137 and #155. Very good points. If you watch the deleted scenes you’ll see that Jim did bring in Toby. To some degree I think Toby has given up on this branch. Much as I like Toby’s calming presence, he has said several times that he usually just lets these things work themselves out.(See Conflict Resolution or Goodbye Toby). A decade of Michael Scott would be enough to make a lot of people just sit back and let things be.

165. David Wallace is a pretty smart guy, right? So why, instead of talking to Michael, didn’t he just ask to watch the documentary footage to try and ascertain what is going right in Scranton? I realize that wouldn’t make for very exciting TV, but it makes better sense, considering that Wallace knows full well how helpful it usually is to talk to Michael Scott. I often wonder if any of the characters ever get to see the documentary. The only case I can think of is in Fun Run, when the crew confronts Pam and Jim with their “secret footage.”

166. I loved last night’s episode. I think season 5 has been better over all than season 4, which was much more uneven.
     I agree that the Office has changed in many ways from the first few seasons. It has indeed become more sitcom-like, which they’ve had to do in order to attract a wider audience. But I don’t think they’ve let go of the dream completely by any means and I still think it is the one of the best shows on TV.

167. I think it was a great episode! I know people have had differing opinions of this season, but I have not been disappointed yet, and this episode has been one of the best! I love that we’ve gotten to see more of the characters develop and go through real-life problems.

168. #172 BRILLIANT point! I really wish we had a Q&A session with Jen Celotta for this episode…

169. Oscar: “He deserves to win”

     163, Michael was driving his PT Cruiser convertible, which like a VW Cabriolet/Rabbit Convertible, has a “rollbar” behind the front seats. This is the car we first saw in Local Ad as Michael pulls up to Poor Richard’s at the end of the episode.

     The Sebring was last seen in Fun Run. Michael had a Taurus rental while it was being repaired, and then he told us in a talking head that it was sold to buy a Porsche for Jan. This slightly conflicts with previous information that the Sebring was a corporate lease, but there is no continuity problem if you assume that Michael had a monthly lease allowance, turned in the Sebring, and put the lease allowance toward Jan’s Boxster.

170. I really enjoyed this episode. Michael Scott was very funny – how he gave the bad news to Andy while driving away, and how his conversation with David Wallace played out. I love how polite David Wallace is, but you can still tell what he is thinking.
     As far as Angela goes, I thought the ending was perfect – she didn’t get either one. It was the best possible ending, and yet it was a surprise.
     Well done.

171. I would have to say that the cold open for this episode is one of the best from this season. Overall, I think that this was a great episode. I also love the line from Oscar about the prius being silent under 5 miles. haha!

172. my favorite quote from this episode was one that was probably overlooked by a lot of people.. it was right after everyone in the office left the conference room after seeing michael tell andy the news. Meredith and kevin are walking back and exchange this:

     Meredith: “I knew something bad was going to happen today.”
     Kevin: “You said that yesterday”
     Meredith: “Yeah, my neighbor was murdered”

     that quote just came out of nowhere, i was laughing that meredith had no emotion whatsoever and neither did kevin upon hearing the news