The Office: The Inner Circle, 7.23

140 comments

1. Yes, this sounds like a VERY interesting idea for the new boss. I bet the “funny guy” will be in the Inner Circle. Unless it’s an entire episode devoted to the guys that sing the Cops theme song.

2. New cast member!

3. This could potentially be a funny episode…

4. Deangelo=Scranton Strangler.

5. I really wish Cody Horn wasn’t added. We have more than enough characters as it is right now, and a good share of them (especially the recent additions like Erin and Gabe) could use more development.

6. @Mike Pike – I couldn’t agree more. I’m dreading these unnecessary cast additions. Not needed at all.

7. #5,#6
   I too would much rather see the existing characters have more screen time. As it is we barely get a line or two out of Angela, Stanley, Creed, etc. Do we really need to add more “hot” characters to compound the loss of realism that was once TO hallmark? I hope the writers don’t go down that road. Not looking forward to these Ted McGinley-esque add-ons as the series winds down.

8. I’ll take a guess and say Andy and Darryl are in the circle, and Dwight and Jim aren’t.

   I thought the new people weren’t coming in till season 8? I can’t stand the thought of the series ending, whenever that may be, with these new characters as part of the group. Every second of screen time should be spent on the people we’ve continued watching the show this long for.

9. Exactly, Pauley and Dawn!

   I’m a huge fan of Angela and it’s a shame that she’s been so underused throughout the show’s run. Now is the perfect opportunity to give her more of the limelight. But noooo, like Dawn said, they have to add in MORE characters who hog up and waste the screentime these already existing characters deserve to have every second of. It’s depressing, it really is.

10. What makes anyone think that someone listed as a “guest star” is any more than that? We know this is Will Ferrell’s last episode, and he’s listed as a “guest star.” The other person listed is probably nothing more than a one-time appearance.

11. If you remember though Pat, a few months back, Cody Horn was confirmed to be a new series regular. So……yeah, as much as I wish it was only a one episode appearance, that’s not the case

12. @Dan

    I think so too. DeAngelo is the Scranton Strangler.

13. @Mike Pike

    No, I did not remember that at all. Thanks for the information.

    I will agree that I haven’t been enthralled with the idea of new cast members, either, but I’m just willing to see how it all plays out.

14. If DeAngelo is the Scranton Strangler, wouldn’t Toby have recognized him at the Dundies? He was on the jury for the case, after all.

15. I think Gabe is in the “Inner Circle” as well. Yay, GAABBBEE! Also, I am dreading Cody Horn joining, even though it is next season(hopefully).

    And excited for all the guest stars on the last episode! (Ray Romano, Jim Carrey, etc.)

16. @14 Jordan: If you recall at the end of the Dundies, Toby’s speech was about how he is having doubts that the man he convicted is the strangler. What the posters are suggesting is that the man convicted was innocent and that DeAngelo is the actual strangler. A very interesting possibility.

17. I about died laughing at “The Penis Apologies” line from the promo. Looks good! I can’t wait to see how this season ends.

18. Anybody see the preview with Dwight shooting a gun off and hitting someone? Notice how in Goodbye, Michael, Deangelo says “if I took a shot in the head I’d be fine…I almost welcome it wink wink”.

    Then Greg Daniels said in an interview that Goodbye, MIchael will introduce a plot that nobody knows about yet….

    Could Deangelo get killed??

19. #18 Chris – I’d lay pretty good money that the new plot is the Phyillis’ baby/Erin’s mom plot . . .

20. I’m definitely giving any new people a chance – I remember when Erin first came to the show and I thought “No one else can be the receptionist but Pam!” But I love Erin now and think she brings something unique to the show. So does Gabe, for that matter. I do hope they put the focus on some of the existing characters, but that doesn’t mean new faces aren’t welcome.

21. @18 That’s an interesting catch, but that would mean Dwight would have to leave the show too. Don’t see that ever happening, especially not now.

22. In the promo following Goodbye Michael, there was a girl in Dwight’s desk when he shot the gun. New character?

23. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’d like to see what happens between Angela and the gay senator boyfriend.

24. I would give the new characters a chance, like TobyFan said with Erin, but for me it was when Andy came on the show, I thought, ‘A new salesman? Terrible idea, Jim and Dwight are the only salesmen that can be main characters!’ and now Andy is one of my favorites.
    Also, I think if any of the characters became the sole manager (other than perhaps Jim) it would ruin their character and make them WAY less funny.

25. I think that with Michael now gone, they should feature Creed more. Everything he does is hilarious and he gets nowhere near the airtime he deserves.

26. @Jim Bob
    LOLOLOLOLOL imagine how funny it would be if Creed became manager!!!

27. Who’s the girl that’s sitting in Dwight’s desk after Deangelo leaves and Dwight shoots off the gun? New character?!?! AWESOME!

28. @27 That is Cody Horn. She is awesome, and also eye candy. Very attractive lady

29. Seems like Gabe has been mostly dead weight this season. It’s not even clear what his job is. Is it possible that he’ll be written out of the show now that Erin has dumped him?

    I agree with the folks who say that the cast seems too cluttered. Also, let’s just be honest, the writing isn’t as good as it was the first few seasons. The show’s just not as funny, even with Will Ferrell guest-starring.

30. Someone spoil it for me as I’m a west coaster: What is the opening credits like? I hope they didn’t do that abridged version.

    Is Steve in the credits still? (doubtful, though I could see them doing it for remainder of S7)

    Does Rainn Wilson lead the cast now in the credits? Can Michael be seen with the Dundie at the end still?

31. Is it me or does Jenna sound sick?

32. I give this episode 8/10. I’m so pleased with all the lines Ryan and Kelly had, and Andy simply slayed me tonight.

33. I don’t know whether I just don’t think Will Ferrell is funny or if I’m used to/miss Steve Carell, but this episode was not funny at all.

34. Actually honestly enjoyed the show tonight. Ferrell brought something to the show he hasn’t the last couple of weeks. There were bits I definitely laughed at, and the opening made me laugh as well. I’m sure there are some people who won’t even give a non-Michael Scott office a chance, but tonight’s episode was actually good.

35. Deangelo-Meh.
    Jim, Pam, Dwight, Andy, Ryan, Kelly Phyllis, Angela, Darryl ect. still funny.

36. I thought this was a very good episode, especially for the first one without Steve. It felt like a pilot episode for an entirely new series. I’m very optimistic going forward.

37. @chris- Opening credits start with Rainn Wilson. No Steve Carell at all. They use a few different scenes to fill the time. When Michael repositions the dundie, it is DeAngelo instead. He has some other trophy or toy type thing.

    It’s hard to watch that new opening. Makes it way too real that he’s gone. (side note: episode was actually great)

38. I don’t like the new admin assistant. She reminds me of the girl from Twilight: not a good actress, and just plain.

39. The change in the credits from Michael’s Dundie adjustment to Deangelo’s similar shot was a dagger in the heart! Couldn’t they have picked another less similar shot?

    I will refrain from the obvious observation that no Steve/Michael left a gaping hole in the show. We all knew it would. It’s going to take a few episodes for the dust to settle, and the show to find its way again. But like others, I don’t think several new characters are the answer! Give the regular cast more to do.

40. Not bad at all. I thought Will/Deangelo was funny tonight, but I think another episode with him would have been too much. Great stuff from Pam, Ryan and Kelly, Andy, and Kevin (who has been on fire this season!). Verdict is still out on Cody Horn, I’ll give her a chance.

    Opening credits were good, I was kind of hoping to see Pam hanging up a picture of Michael somewhere (like Bill Cosby held up a picture of Lisa Bonet when she left The Cosby Show). I expect it’ll be different next week, and maybe after that, too.

41. The episode was hilarious and I think that the show can really go on without MIchael Scott. I think the hate relationship between Pam/Jim and Deangelo brings back some of the awkwardness back into the show. The episode overall was well paced and I felt that there was no filler, where every line needed to be there. Also, the side plot with Kelly and Ryan worked really well and the whole episode felt really cohesive. Loved the juggling scene, Bball dunk. Deangelo was awesome this episode. 8/10 for me.

42. @30 Footage of Rainn and Jenna replace the “starring Steve Carell” portion and Rainn gets the starring bill. Will Ferrell putting a statue on his desk replaces the dundie scene.

43. I loved every part of this episode, except for the opening credits. Deangelo was very funny, and I think I am going to miss him. Kevin was great as well as eveyone else in the “Inner Circle”. I thought there was an obvious nod to Darryl, and that he could be the new manager. I really hope that is the case. This episode also showed that the manager, whoever (or whomever?) it may be, must be a star on the show. Very funny episode!

44. @30. Chris- They added a few new scenes to the opening of the show. There’s a scene of the whole cast before it says “Starring Rainn Wilson” and then a few new shots throughout are shown. And as for the ending into the fade to “The Office”, Will Ferrell is sitting at the desk and turns some Southern Doll of his.
    For me, this episode was actually pretty good! I expected Will Ferrell to be just not funny, but he was great! I found myself dying of laughter at his speech! And Kevin just slayed me tonight! Although the ending wasn’t that great, I do admit that this episode proved that the cast can really hold up with Steve’s absence. I don’t know why…I didn’t too terribly miss Michael. The episode was good, and I liked Cody Horn’s character! She was awkwardly funny!

45. Most people seem to have liked this episode, but can’t say I’m in that group. I actually paused it about halfway for a break. I could not stand how they were making Jim into such a doofus. Since when is he such a suck-up and so insecure? Yes, at the end, old Jim came back, but I just hate how they are developing Jim and Pam into unrecognizable characters. I’m glad this is the end for Deangelo, I found basically everything with him unfunny.

46. I thought it was a very good episode. Back to normal office stuff after last week’s very emotional send-off for Steve. The only thing that bothered me, and this is a small thing, but the scene where Andy and Angela are sitting together casually talking with Jim and Pam. I guess we’re just supposed to pretend that the whole thing where they were engaged and Angela was having an affair with Dwight never happened?

47. I thought it was pretty good, up until the ending. The ending kind of diminished the episode overall for me because it was so unrealistic and cartoonish (honestly, I mean….really?)

48. I wasn’t feeling this episode very much, but I think I just haven’t gotten over the fact that Michael/Steve is gone yet (I saw the new opening credits and cried haha). I thought the new girl was a bit boring, but I’ll give her a chance, because I used to dislike Erin and now she’s one of my favorite characters. The end with Deangelo when he came back after his dunk was really funny.

    Also,on a sidenote, I hope Paul (Toby) is okay. He looked a little pale and ill or something.

49. It was just okay. The ending sucked… and Jim isn’t the same anymore. I miss Michael, but I think that this episode, while not my favorite, shows that it can go on without him.

50. So, he hired an unqualified applicant named “Jordan” to prove he wasn’t a sexist? Makes me think he picked the only Executive Assistant that may have been male, regardless of “Jordan’s” qualifications. Once she came in to interview, he figured it was an easy chance to save face. (Or maybe it was just because the actress’ real name is also traditionally male, and I have too much time to over-think things.)

51. I was pleasantly surprised by this episode. It was actually pretty good. I even laughed at Deangelo a couple times who I have not found to be REALLY “funny” as of yet. The only part I didn’t like was where he showed up at the end in the hospital gown. By the way, they TOTALLY don’t need to add any more cast members. In fact they could do with getting rid of one (here’s looking at you, Gabe).

52. this episode was great!
    I actually laughed in the opening credits when they showed Deangelo with his little trophy/toy thing.
    It looked so stupid! it was awesome!

    I like the idea of new characters. Possibly because Michael, Kelly and maybe more people are leaving.

    Get ready for Dwight as boss!!!

53. Nice lookin’ episode. I loved the juggling scenes with Deangelo, then Pam. And Deangelo’s slamdunk/falling scene was hilarious, even the last scene had him speaking incoherently. If you’re not back with us, Deangelo, well, you replaced Michael real good, man. Still, though, it’s gonna be hard to live without Michael. I’m already used to it, anyway.

54. Can someone tell me the ending please? My DVR stopped just when it was going to be shown…I’m curious to hear what it is !

55. Best parts were everyone’s reaction to Deangelo juggling (especially the look on Pam’s face where she suddenly realizes who he is) and at the very end when Deangelo was trying to tell the joke. I honestly don’t know how they kept it together in that scene.

    The episode was good, not amazing, but I love and trust this cast and these writers and I think they can hold their own!

56. I did laugh out loud a few times in the episode….Andy’s Penis Apologies! But couldn’t there have been something else during the opening credits where Michael/Steve used to adjust his Dundie instead of Deangelo doing something very similar? That seemed cold, almost a slap in the face. And couldn’t someone have asked if anyone had heard from Michael in Colorado? It’s too soon to slam the door and throw away the key!

57. @Mokette- Deangelo came back from the hospital, in the robe and still somewhat hooked up to an IV. He walked into the office with a bandage wrapped around his head, and clearly out of his mind. He tried to tell a “(blank) walks into a bar, bartender says (insert punch line here)” kind of joke. But he couldn’t really form any words. Jim had Erin call 9-1-1 because it was assumed he escaped from the hospital.

58. Did anyone else notice that at the very end Jim puts his head down while walking D’angelo out and totally starts laughing?

    Re: Jordan: I like that The Office constantly adds new characters. In real life people are constantly climbing up the work ladder while new people are being hired and I think the writers do a good job of incorporating that.

59. I miss Michael dearly, but I loved that his absence now gives more screen time to the other characters. I love awkward Pam, Ryan and Kelly’s little plot was brilliant (despite Deangelo ruining it at the end), and spiteful Dwight is always fantastic.

    I was actually cheering for Jim this episode (standing up for the women in the office), and I’m glad Deangelo got what was coming to him. He was an interesting character and I didn’t hate Will being on the show nearly as much as I thought I would, but I won’t miss him. Hopefully Jordan follows in his footsteps. Soon. (I can dream, right?)

60. I thought it was funny in the opening credits when Deangelo moved his Kachina doll from the Southwest on the desk right where Michael had his Dundie. That was clever. Loved Kevin’s talking head about the inner circle. He was especially hilarious tonight. Overall, I thought the episode had lots of funny moments.

61. @46 I think it has already been established that Andy and Angela can coexist around each other. Remember when Andy continually praised Angela for setting up the party for Erin on Secretary’s Day? I don’t think them interacting is that strange, or, I guess I should say, that strange for where the show has taken things.

62. LOVED THE JUGGLING SCENE!!!! However, I think they could have written DeAngelo out in a MUCH better way. Very disappointing.

63. Is anyone else bothered by the fact that they still haven’t addressed why Pam was going into a movie theater in the last episode??

64. i though this was a pretty good episode. but, i must say i really missed Michael especially in the opening credits. I loved Andy in the episode as well! “Penis Apologies” lol

65. Pleasantly surprised tonight, very funny and nice awkward moments.

    One question though; what’s the difference between Pam’s job and the new girl’s? I thought Pam was the (unofficial) admin assistant. Is Pam back in sales?

66. @63, I think we’re to assume Pam, not knowing it was Michael’s last day, just felt like taking advantage of the fact that she was free from the office for a day and took in a movie. If I may quote Michael from the “Gossip” episode: “Wait a second– do people often say they’re going on sales calls and then go someplace else? Because that’s not cool.”

    I’ll also say that I just watched this one a second time and laughed even more! I’ll miss Michael, but I think the show will be just fine.

67. Wow…

    I just finished the episode. It was pretty.

    I trust these writers, I trust my cast.. I know this will be ok.

    I still feel really sad, but this was good. God I love Pam. :)

    Can’t wait til next week!

68. Darryl’s chinese language line killed

69. Watching this episode just felt weird. Solid episode overall, but it just felt weird. I really miss Michael. I guess there’s just going to be an adjustment period.

    Oh, a Mose shout-out! Always welcome :)

70. @65 Kay Wan

    The new girl was hired as D’Angelo’s Executive Assistant, meaning she’s responsible for assisting D’Angelo.

    Pam is the Office Administrator, meaning she’s responsible for assisting the entire office.

71. Entertaining- dunno how the show is long term without Michael Scott, but the next two episodes should still be good.

    One big goof though- why does Gabe need to suck up to Deangelo? I thought Gabe was Michael’s boss (or immune like Toby), since that was the basis of “Viewing Party” earlier in the season.

    I didn’t get why Gabe needed to be in the Inner Circle.

72. It was funny and entertaining throughout. Will Ferrell was amazing during the juggling. When he first started doing it, I thought, ‘oh, c’mon, he can’t be that stupid.’ But then it was so hilarious.

    I also liked Andy and Angela’s short exchanges with each other. It seems like so long since they’ve said anything to each other, that I forgot they used to be engaged. The show never really mined their post-break-up for comedy material.

    I loved Pam’s young adult book idea, and the Rango references. Jim’s basketball challenge to Deangelo reminded me of Charles Miner’s soccer challenge to Jim. I’m really glad we got to see Ferrell yell at someone before he left. The only letdown was the ending. They could have had a more explosive or relevant way for Ferrell to leave the show.

    But the titles of the upcoming episodes are making me drool. Bring it on!

73. I really liked this episode and it’s a good start to a Michael Scott-free Office. There were some great lines in this episode, particularly from Darryl, who is now my favourite to be the new boss!

    @59 Yeah, when Will sneezes “Deangelo!” John breaks, brilliant!

74. This episode made me think Will Ferrell could have been an adequate replacement for Steve Carell. Loved the way they wrote him off. Injured while dunking in the warehouse has to be the most random way to write someone out of a TV series in the history of TV.

75. Terrible. This episode really proved that the Will Ferrell thing was a big mistake(and this is coming from someone who usually like Ferrell). It felt like Ferrell dictated everything his character wanted to do instead of the writers creating the Vickers character over these four episodes.

76. @59 (Sarah) – Yes, I noticed Jim K. laughing too. We watched it a couple of times b/c my wife did not catch it the first time. It’s fun to catch that stuff.

77. Not the best episode, IMO. I only laughed once or twice. The characters’ lines felt forced and, for the first time, I felt like the acting wasn’t that good.

    All in all, this had the feeling of a webisode, not an actual episode of The Office.

78. I really wish Will would hang around for a season. Loved his stint as Deangelo!

79. I thought this was a really strong episode. The characters all played off each other nicely. I enjoyed having Jim and Pam have some quality moments together. Jim is still at a crossroads and look forward to him moving forward somehow next season.

80. Raise your hand if you heard at least 2 TWSS moments…now raise your hand if you heard Michael Scott say TWSS in your head as you watched these moments…oh look…I have two hands up.

    I wonder what the new credits are going to look like now, we all know that the one with Deangelo was temporary, but him repositioning his little doll where Michael was repositioning his Dundie was salt in an open wound. :(

    The episode was better than I expected, but it just wasn’t the same. I’ll keep watching till the end, but I’m just wondering when that will be without Michael.

81. Welp, with Michael Scott gone, Andy is now the show’s funniest guy! Congrats Andy!

    Deangelo’s departure was stupid. All in all I think their decision to bring Will Ferrell in was a bad one. He was completely pointless. The one thing I hate about this show is when they go on a tangent, especially ones that look like they have potential (like the Michael Scott Paper Company) only find the show back where it was before. It’s like they tease us that the show is heading in a new direction, but throw in a “ha ha just kidding!” before the idea really takes off.

    I definitely agree with the people saying they need to stop adding characters. I strongly disliked Erin’s character for a while but I’ve just finally warmed up to her. Gabe I still don’t really like. Why add more characters when every single character in the show could use more development and screen time?

    This episode was about as good as I expected it to be: not so good. Michael Scott was the reason I kept watching every week, and I love a few other characters but now it just feels like there’s a huge void where Michael once was and that void will never ever be filled, try as they might.

    Could the show continue in its current state? Absolutely. This is every cast member’s time to shine. Overall a very mediocre episode. But I really didn’t expect it to be anything but.

82. So that’s it for the Deangelo character? Why would he not be coming back to work after he recovers? Are they insinuating that he has permanent brain damage? Is that funny?

    If not, how does getting hurt on company property cause someone to lose his job? If anything, that company would bend over backwards to avoid a lawsuit. Dwight fried his entire body at a company function in Beach Games, but he was undoubtedly back to work the next day.

    I’m usually not one to nitpick, but sloppy writing on a show that’s supposed to be about reality bugs me sometimes.

    And again, NO NEW CHARACTERS unless some old ones choose to leave. I’m starting to get claustrophobic watching the show, with all those people crammed into that office.

83. I have to admit watching the episode the first time was hard. Without Michael there, it was like eating the Thanksgiving Dinner without the turkey. All the other side dishes are great, but you miss the turkey.

    However, I watched the episode a second time, and I remembered why I like The Office. I thought DeAngelo was funny, but the way his character was written basically all but made him a temporary fix. Andy Bernard really cracked me up tonight. His commentary on the Penis and Vagina was hilarious. I think he may be the character that steps out in a big way, with Michael gone. I got rehooked and am looking forward to next week.

    BTW, it was good to see smartaleck Jim again, coaxing Deangelo in the dunk contest.

84. I was pleasantly surprised by this episode. I’ll confess that I was expecting a muddled mess, the show trying to keep going at its normal pace without its leader. But they managed to reinvent themselves while still staying true to their source material. Congratulations, and thanks for a good episode and hope for the future.

85. The Office is a bit like Scrubs now. Continuing on after the lead actor left the series, and refocusing its direction. It helps to think of these post-Michael episodes as a different show. Helped me stop comparing, and I ended up forgetting about Michael for a while.

86. I missed not seeing Steve Carell in the opening credits, but got over it really quickly trying to catch all the newer stuff.

    Loved:

    -Dwight being rebellious, still loyal to Michael.
    -Jim standing up for the women (mainly Pam)
    -Jim calling Deangelo on the carpet about his basketball skills. Totally something Jim would do to Michael
    -Pam’s juggling. Jenna needs more shining moments like this!
    -Kelly giving-in to Ryan
    -Jim looking at Pam and smiling when he raised his hand about loving someone with a vagina
    -John’s break at the end!!
    -Kevin’s TH to his mom

87. @57 (twothumbs): I was thinking the same thing about the complete absense of any sign that Michael still exists or ever worked there. That seems unnatural to me. There’s moving on and then there’s totally disregarding an important part of one’s life for 7+ years.

    Pam rushed to the airport, and apparently bought a plane ticket to somewhere to get past the security checkpoint (she was holding her shoes in her hand), to say goodbye to Michael. She couldn’t have said to Jim, “I miss Michael.”, when she thought Deangelo didn’t like her?

    We couldn’t get a shot of Creed drinking out of the “World’s Best Boss” mug he swiped from Michael’s trash can? That should be a weekly homage until the end of the series.

88. I see everyone on this site complaining about DeAngelo and how he isn’t funny, and lately how the episodes aren’t funny. People, the early seasons were great. But shows have to evolve, or they won’t be any good. And DeAngelo, well no one can replace Michael, You have to enjoy it for what it is, and that is still a pretty damn good TV show.

89. I loved everything about this episode. The juggling routine had me laughing out loud. Truly, insane stuff. In a weird way, it reminded me of “The Injury” which came off of “Booze Cruise” — more silly than plot driven and a nice change of pace from the last few heavy episodes (which I loved too, btw). Great work by a great ensemble. The Office 2.0 lives on!

90. Wonder if they’ll address why Jim has not been asked about taking Michael’s spot, after all, he was (co-)manager when Sabre took over…How about the person with the most management experience in the office?

91. Didn’t Jim leave the management role due to money? If so, I can’t imagine Jim even wanting the job again.

92. @90 I think it’s still because salespeople can make way more money than Managers under Sabre’s uncapped commission policy. Plus, no one really respected Jim as a boss, and I think he knows that.

93. @90 (Michael): That’s a good question! Making Jim manager again will never happen. It was not a popular move last time they tried it.

    Jim’s ambitions will probably take him away from DM-S, which is probably how they’ll end the series. The show would not be able to survive without both Jim and Pam.

    But you’re right. They should reveal that he was offered the chance to interview for the job, or explain why he wasn’t.

94. great episode. Really wish Will would stay. Loved the dunk and Dwight’s response to yelling. haha.

95. Jim would not be interested in the job. Remember, with Sabre’s un-capped commission, he can make more money as a salesman than as manager. That was what convinced him to give the sole manager title back to Michael.

96. Sorry, folks. But you’re forgetting that in WUPHF.COM that they revealed that there was now a cap on sales commissions. Remember how Jim was looking for ways to waste time, since he had no incentive to sell any more paper/printers until the end of the year?

97. I really liked it! Will Ferrell did a fantastic job (I have my moments with him…) and Deangelo wasn’t over the top. Great job and strong start to Office 2.0!

98. @95 Sabre does not have uncapped sales commissions anymore. Remember WUPHF.com?

99. It wasn’t great, but it was good! I loved how they got Deangelo off, I wasn’t expecting him to fall from a basketball hoop haha.

100. Wow, this one was hard to sit through. I loved everything Dwight did, “The Penis Apologies” and Pam’s YA book idea, but otherwise, this was a directionless and dull episode for me. It’s like nobody was setting the pacing and things went all over the place. The new Executive Assistant would be fine as a one-episode character (like the interns in “Gossip”), but not recurring. The ending with Deangelo going to the hospital was WAY too serious and out of place. Though I realize they can’t keep dwelling on it, this didn’t feel like the episode after Michael’s departure at all. It just felt… flat and sad. I hope the show picks itself up soon because there are still characters that have been around a long time and have plenty of untapped potential.

     Oh, and please tell me I’m not the only one who thought Jordan was referring to anthropology the subject (which confused me). I didn’t even know there was a store called Anthropologie until I read the transcription. I’m the most out-of-it teenage girl ever.

101. I wished that scene with Deangelo dunking the basketball would’ve been edited better – it seemed choppy and sloppy. Other than that, I enjoyed the episode.

102. I didn’t like the episode. But that doesn’t mean The Office is done for. The ending was amazing. I love Will Ferrell but I hate Deangelo. This was a ok episode because of the ending. The next episodes will be so much better.

103. I’m not sure why people don’t like certain characters like Gabe or Erin. They’re actors people! They’re playing a “character”. I think Gabe’s character is hilarious. Would I hang out w/ the guy in real life? No, b/c he’s a weirdo dork, but he’s supposed to play that role!!

104. I really don’t know how I feel. It’s almost as if a part of me has died. And it lives within Steve Carell. I did like the episode, but there’s still that part of my mind that doesn’t feel right.

105. Will’s juggling bit was hysterical. “Bring Me to Life” was a perfect song choice :)

106. I can honestly say I didn’t like this episode at all, and it’s not because it’s the first one without Michael. It was just that I felt that none of the characters felt like themselves, and a lot of their lines were just out of place.

     Definitely not gonna lose hope, though. I’m still looking forward to the final two episodes of the season!

107. It seemed like the writers were harkening back to scenes from early episodes- particularly the boss showing off in “Basketball” and Pam leading a disoriented Dwight out of the office in “The Injury”

     I thought the whole episode was pretty entertaining.

108. Wow, there’s so much Will Ferrell hate in here! I thought he did a great job, and I’ve never been a big fan of his. In fact, with a little more character development I think Deangelo could have been a good successor (not a replacement) to Michael.

     I found myself thinking of Deangelo as basically a Michael Scott without that naive, lovable, “aw shucks, he doesn’t know any better” quality. So when he says or does something offensive, you don’t forgive him like you did Michael. It would have been neat to see how that character would grow…too bad this was his last episode!

     Michael’s presence was definitely missed, but I saw enough good things last night to believe that it is possible for the show to move on without him. Fancy New Office will never be what it used to be, but that doesn’t mean it can’t still be good.

109. The juggling bit was by far the best Deangelo scene yet and there were a few other parts of the ep that worked. But wow, anyone who doesn’t think this show has turned into a live-action cartoon needs to rewatch the last 5 minutes of this episode. That was brutal. It’s especially a shame because the last few Steve episodes showed that the writers still have it in them to produce an amazing show, but I guess they reserve their A-games only for special occasions now and resort to cheap, easy jokes every other episode.

     Seeing Steve not listed in the credits really hit home the fact that he’s gone. And was Michael even mentioned at all? You’d think someone would’ve brought him up seeing as he abandoned them without a party last week, and basically just because he was their boss for so long and they could compare him to Deangelo.

110. a: I agree. I think a lot of people really don’t understand Gabe’s character. Heck, I didn’t care for Erin either but now she’s one of my top favorites.

     Gabe does bring things to the table, like his weirdness. :)

111. No, they didn’t break character. It may look like that for less than a second, but they were just “confused”…

112. was anyone else disappointed that nobody in The Office made a “Veangelo DICKers” joke?

     i mean, with that kind of name, the writers were just asking for it (:

113. Just a couple thoughts in response to comments I’ve been seeing:

     1) The show has always been cartooney at times. Remember Meredith being hit by the car?

     2) This episode took place some amount of time after Michael left- probably at least a week…this could explain why nobody talked about him.

     3) Jim sucked as manager

114. Worst episode of the series. I’ve been a loyal Office fan for 7 years and this. was. awful. Looking forward to seeing how they will get back on track after a truly pointless, unfunny guest.

115. “The Inner Circle” proves what we all suspected: The Office without Michael Scott isn’t The Office we knew & loved.
     Sure, this episode had a few small entertaining scenes, but overall, nothing worked as comedy.
     Ratings will continue to decline.

     Michael Scott was the comedy compass of the show. Steve, the comedic backbone of The Office, is now gone. Without him, the show is lost.

116. I thought this episode was awesome. I laughed out loud the entire time. The hardest part was watching the opening credits without Steve, but I feel like they kept it interesting the whole time through. The writers never cease to amaze me. Great stuff. Especially Pam’s juggling bit. Hilarious!

117. With Andy’s triumph over Deangelo in the last episode, I felt that the writers could really pull off a post-Michael Scott era. Real character development with our tried-and-beloved mainstays really hit home for me, and Andy developing into a good salesman fit the bill.

     Which is why I was kinda’ disappointed that they brought Jordan into the show. She’s way too gorgeous to be “Office” believable, and it feels as if the side characters are gonna be thrown off again! I hope the writers find their vibe, but I’m not sure this is it.

118. So i think the “mystery” mentioned about last week’s episode is that Kelly is leaving. Last week she was texting furiously and seemed really out of it, and this week she was also disgruntled and some of her lines hinted at it, and as everyone knows Mindy’s contract is up this season.

119. It seemed like there was no trace of Michael in this episode. Not a single reference, except for the second deleted scene. It’s like he never even existed :(

120. There are only a few office episodes that I don’t want to watch twice, but this is one of them.

121. There were few laughs in this episode, but the writers have always had trouble with Deangelo. The vibe kinda felt like “Training Day”, where the characters just didn’t seem like themselves. Although, I did like the mime juggling joke, and the idea of Pam’s novel. I feel really bad for Gabe (who’s my favorite character), as people seem to pick on him more than Michael ever picked on Toby. It also felt too sitcomy when they just cut to the Ambulance like that. They should have shown the cameraman running to Deangelo after he fell or something. But I think the writers will do much better in the next episode.

122. My two cents:

     The spin during Deangelo’s juggling was perfect. Pam’s juggling thing was hilarious too. Dwight’s NBA/WNBA joke was very funny, as was the Ryan/Kelly stuff. In fact I thought this was a genuinely good episode.

     I was glad there weren’t any references to Michael (although the shorts Deangelo wears look a lot like Michael’s basketball shorts). The show is going to struggle without him, constant reminders of his character won’t help, although I expect this was a conscious decision on the part of the writers with it being the first Michael-free episode. It had to be a clean break. The figurine thing at the end of the credits was enough.

123. this was definitely one of their best episodes of the season! jus wish Ferrell would have stayed longer

124. I thought this episode was hilarious!! The last few have been so sad (and reasonably so), and I found it so refreshing so have an episode that was just silly. Dwight was hilarious, so many amazing lines, but I also LOVED pam in this episode. I have really enjoyed Deangelo, I’ll miss him (I know that puts me in the minority!). I honestly didn’t think of Michael at all besides during the intro. I think next week is going to be so funny, I love seeing Dwight in charge.

     I do want to say that I thought that deleted scene with pam and jim about michael’s puppy was so cute though, i wish it could have stayed in for sure!

125. Will Ferrell exceeded my expectations. The DV character came into its own after MS departed. I laughed out loud often, and felt that he could have transitioned well as the new manager, albeit a much less sympathetic one, than MS. TO manager need not be beloved by the audience, or TO employees, as evidenced by the original British version’s David Brent. What he must demonstrate, however, is a level of incompetence and embodiment of the Peter principle that both MS and DB espoused. That is why the new manager, should have these traits to stay true to TO original spirit–and why Darryl or Jim would be inappropriate. That they actually deserve to be managers is why they shouldn’t.

126. Okay, so I watched this episode a second time, and I tried thinking about it objectively as possible, and previously I thought the episode was very mediocre, but upon a second viewing I think the writers did a pretty good job and I think the show could carry on well without Michael Scott. I’m still very sad to have seen him go, and there will never be a replacement for him, but the show must go on, and indeed it will. I didn’t really care for Deangelo after the first 3 episodes he was in, but I think in this episode he starts to grow into his own, and I think given time, he could have been a good choice for a long term replacement for Michael Scott.

127. Will Ferrell’s addition was great. The lead characters just aren’t funny anymore though. Jim, Pam, Dwight, etc. Andy really has become the funniest character without a doubt and his character always is written consistently. Pam’s book idea just wasn’t funny in the least and seemed so out of character. Great episode in general though. I’d say it’s 18 hundo.

128. One common complaint about this episode seems to be a lack of acknowledgment for Michael, so let me put this out there- if someone at your office leaves, do you spend the next week moping? Michael was great and beloved, but ultimately, the characters are responding the way any office would. They’re moving on.

129. [200-word limit]

130. Just realized that Greg Daniels announced the mystery story would start to be revealed during “Michael’s Goodbye” episode, not “Michael’s Last Dundies”.

131. Michael was referenced in this episode – In the final scene, when Deangelo walks in, someone (Erin or Angela?) says “Michael”. Did anyone else catch that?

132. I’m surprised so many people didn’t like this episode. I thought it was one of the funnier ones in a while. Ferrell’s departure could have been better, and I think the new employee is unnecessary, but for the most part I thought this was a solid (if strange) episode. This was also the first (and I guess last haha) episode that I could tolerate DeAngelo. Andy, Ryan, Dwight and Kelly were especially funny – the penis apologies line and Dwight refusing to be a suck up stand out.

133. One thing I’d like to add though, since when does Pam want to be a writer? What happened to her artwork? I feel like that hasn’t been mentioned in so long.

134. This episode was a pleasant surprise. They had a lot of pressure to deliver an episode that didn’t feature Michael Scott and I’m glad it was business as usual. Deangelo actually was growing on me.. at least for the first chunk. The other characters were funny, and Ryan/Kelly need to be featured more, they were hilarious! Overall, a solid episode but I’m REALLY looking forward to next week’s!

135. I thought this episode was pretty good considering the main star of the show is officially gone. It felt like Deangelo was starting to grow on me, only to have him leave this episode. I think he could’ve been a decent replacement for Michael Scott.

136. Hey! First time poster! I for one LOVED this episode … don’t know how long Vickers could have actually gone on, but man there were all kinds of laughs.

     That question he asked the inner circle about “where does the office get its paper?” was hilarious. The whole South Western look was a riot, too.

     I watched the episode three times!

137. I was pretty disappointed with this episode. I didn’t think it was very funny and I hardly laughed which is rare. I might have to watch it a second time to see if anything changes. I really disliked that no one made a mention about Michael. I found it hard to believe that no one would say anything especially after the way he left! It’s too bad the deleted scene where Pam and Jim talk about his new puppy got cut. Michael’s absence was greatly felt in this episode!

     The only things I did like were all of Kelly and Ryan’s scenes, Pam’s fake juggling, Dwight not sucking up to Deangelo, and Jim awkwardly leaving Deangelo’s office. I didn’t even think Will Ferrell was funny in this episode. I thought he was hilarious in the first two episodes he appeared in and then I don’t know what happened. I don’t like that new characters are being added. I’d like to see characters like Creed, Kevin, Meredith, and others get more screen time instead of bringing in new characters.

138. I can’t believe this episode was rated so low. It was awesome! My only concern is too much time on a character that will be gone by next episode. This comment is posted a week after the episode aired and I got to say my concerns were squashed.

139. man why was this episode rated so low?!

140. It felt to me like the last scene with DeAngelo speaking incoherently after leaving the hospital prematurely was a nod to the “Fawlty Towers” episode, “The Germans”, where John Cleese as Basil Fawlty leaves the hospital prematurely and shows up at the hotel.