The Office: Ultimatum, 7.13

173 comments

1. I AM SO PUMPED FOR THIS EPISODE…

   I don’t know if I will be able to wait that long.. from Dec 9 to Jan 20.

   But it is all worth it!!

   then there won’t be so many breaks from episodes at the end of the season!

2. Ellie’s sister wrote this episode! – pretty cool.

3. Given the title this eppy could go so many ways: an ultimatum between Holly and Michael? Andy/Erin/Gabe? Dwight/Angela/New Guy? Jim and his dissatisfaction with this new commission caps imposed by Sabre? Can’t wait!

4. Given this is the first ep after Holly comes back, it’s got to be the start of Michael’s exit storyline. I’m not looking forward to it for that reason. Too sad :(

5. It can’t be jim’s commision cap, it ends at the end of the fiscal year, and in January he’ll be earning commission again.

6. Or it could be something completely episode specific! (gasp!)

7. January may not restart the commission cap.
   Fiscal years and calendar years do not necessarily coincide.

8. I think this ultimatum thing is for Dwight and Angela, because of their stupid sex contract.

9. Yeah I doubt it would be Jim’s commission cap. It’s true that the scale may not reset for all companies Jan 1. But before the merger in The Surplus episode (aired in December) they had to spend the money before the calendar year ended or lose it out of the next budget. So unless Sabre changed that (and they certainly could’ve) then he’d be back in commission mode. I think probably either Andy/Erin/Gabe or Michael/Holly/AJ. Two months til we find out :(

10. Actually, i think that michael’s departure will play a role in this particular episode…half of the season will be over at this point and i am starting to think that they will wrap up how he might get out.

11. The title is probably a multiple-character reference. The writers do that =)

12. If anyone saw Mindy on Ellen today it’s pretty easy to figure out why the title is what it is.

13. Given the fact that it is the 13th epi of the season and there is about 25, I think it has to do with Michael. Most likely Michael and Holly, but there are so many Michael and ______ possibilities. Michael giving Holly an ultimatum about AJ, Michael giving one to Jo about Holly/Toby, Michael giving one about Gabe, Michael giving one to Gabe about Darryl … you get the idea.

14. Duh! Steve Carell is not signing for an eighth season so “The Ultimatum” is between him and corporate and it lays out the plot for Michael to be replaced and leave the show.

15. Wonder if one of the plot points will be Holly giving AJ an ultimatum given what we learned in CLASSY CHRISTMAS…

16. I agree with 15, I think this is definitely what the episode title is referring to.

17. This is what I think happen. Since Holly will give AJ an ultimatum, he refuses and then she start dating Michael and then she asks Michael to move to New Hampshire and that is how Michael Scott leaves the show

18. I’m going to agree with James, since the term ‘ultimatum’ was specifically used to describe what Holly would do to AJ in the most recent episode… (offer him an ultimatum about proposing or breaking up).

19. Can’t wait for this episode. The Ultimatum is between Holly and A.J. I really hope that AJ doesn’t propose so Michael and Holly can be together!

20. Yeah there’s little doubt now that the main idea is Holly’s Ultimatum to AJ. It could have other applications like Michael and corporate or Angela and Robert. But how could it not be Holly/AJ after what she told the girls in last night’s episode?

21. Ultimatum predictions?

    AJ doesn’t propose to Holly and the rest of the season is Michael leaving the office and shaking up with Holly.

    Or

    AJ becomes engaged to Holly, but she begins an affair with Michael.

    which is similar to:

    AJ becomes engaged to Holly, and Michael spends the rest of the season trying to win her back.

    my favourite:

    Michael crashes Holly’s wedding just as the Minister is saying “speak now or forever hold your peace!”

22. [200-word limit]

23. [from tanster: thanks!]

24. AJ and Holly will break up…and there will be a cameos by Buzz Lightyear and Mr. Potato Head!

25. No one’s mentioned this possibility:

    AJ does propose to Holly, but by then she’s fallen back in love with Michael (or realized she never fell OUT of love with him), so she says no to him even though he met the terms of her Ultimatum?

    But any other ones that have to do with the Holly/AJ ultimatum make sense, too!

26. And let’s not forget that Ultimatum doesn’t mean ultimatum followed by positive result. Let’s suppose AJ does ask her….

    how interesting a spring finale would it be (the type of end surprises that leave us in knots) if a certain Mr. Scott interrupts another wedding aside from Phyllis’ or his mother’s…!!!

27. I agree with #17. i mean you never know, Holly could fall back in love with MIchael. Look at her face when she sees Michael being Santa for Darryl’s daughter….that sort of hints that she’s prob loves Michael still…..

28. In the past, a lot of episode titles have been misleading as to whom it concerns.

    I noticed some people mentioning Michael and corporate, well what about Darryl and corporate?

    He made a big deal about wanting to move up in the company.

29. Somehow I don’t see a happy ending to the Michael-Holly arc. This show is a little too edgy for happily-ever-afters (aside from Jim&Pam, of course), and I think Michael’s departure may be a bit dark. As for which ultimatum the upcoming episode will address, I haven’t the first clue.

30. The Ultimatum probably refers to Holly’s ultimatum to her boyfriend. I hope they let Michael ride off into the sunset with Holly. Those two were made for each other in fictional TV character heaven. I think they’re even a better couple than Jim and Pam. At least P & J are normal and could find someone else whereas Holly is the only one for Michael.

31. This is a crazy thought but considering the titles have been misleading its could be something between dwight and jim, like the whole snowball fight thing that happened

32. Titles to episodes aren’t usually as misleading, as they are referring to multiple things; such as “The Secret” which referred to both Jim and Michael’s secret, as well as Oscar’s. Jim and Michael’s was the main secret, but Oscar’s was slightly subtle.
    Looking at like that, I think that the big picture will focus on Holly’s Ultimatum, while some other decision is going to have to be made in the ep.

33. to allow michael to ride off with Holly, while trying to keep the show in tact with dark humor, michael will give Sabre the ultimatum either he or toby leaves. when Sabre listens to michael, they decide to stick with toby, so michael, in an effort to distance himself from the office, leaves to go pursue holly, who has accepted a marriage proposal from aj but is still in love with michael.

34. There’s one thing that was set up a LONG time back that I don’t think has ever been written in yet. When Dwight caught Oscar faking sick, he told him that Oscar owed him one huge favor in exchange for Dwight not telling Michael about this. I don’t know if this will be a part of “The Ultimatum” but I would like to see that come up somehow.

35. I think the ultimatum is going to be Michael going postal and ending the show by going on an office shooting spree only to be gunned down by s.w.a.t. Subtle hints as to his instability have been thrown out there this year but he did tell Pam he has a gun somewhere in his desk. I think that’s a sign of things to come

36. @ Gina

    Yes Jim and Pam could each easily find someone else who liked them. But they’re a better couple to me because they could never find anyone else they liked to replace the other. Roy, Danny, the cartoonist were never Jim. No other guy was going to be Jim for Pam no matter how much that guy liked her. Katy, Brenda, Karen were never Pam. No other girl was going to be Pam no matter how much that girl liked him (and for sure Karen did).

    Michael’s just a little too flighty to me to ever love someone as much as Jim and Pam love each other. Holly’s the same. They’re great together yes. But there’s only one all-time great <3

37. I really hope Holly and Michael get together. They’re both so wonderfully dorky and perfect for each other!

38. I CRAVE spoilers for this episode, (and other future episodes).

39. Spoiler free for me! I don’t want to know anything more
    than the episode description and what’s shown in the
    promos/previews. I want to be surprised this season.

40. It sounded kind of predictable by the title however it’s always so full of surprises I don’t know what to expect (that’s what she said)?

41. Yeah, I always liked Jim & pam, and I still do. But now, our biggest concern is Michael & Holly.

42. I think ultimatum will have many meanings but any way you look at it, this is the beginning of the end for Steve Carell. The show can survive without him because the cast is so amazingly talented, however it won’t be the same without him. If the writers stay sharp – don’t mess with the perfection of Jim and Pam and keep the characters true to themselves this can work. Steve/Michael will be sooo missed though!!

43. As long as the writers never make me doubt Jim and Pam’s
    love and friendship, i’ll be happy. They are seriously the only TV
    couple that has never disappointed me.

44. Man, usually there are new titles available by now well
    into February. Tanster- is this a sign that things are pretty
    hush-hush for the second half of the season, with Steve leaving and
    surprises abound??

45. I kind of want to know what is going to happen (okay, I really want to know)but I think I can hang on until tonight!

46. This will probably start the end for Michael Scott but he’ll probably come back later as a guest star like in the British version. He will most likely be fired or will resign. Then I think Dwight will become manager and they’ll get someone new for a salesperson.

47. I just feel like they’re under-utilizing Rob Huebel – he needs to do more because he’s a funny man, but right now, all I see is the guy from The Olive Garden commercial.

48. I’ve been watching seasons 1 thru 6 and keeping up on season 7. I’m not crazy about the changes to Pam’s character. She is a bit mean and more often than not, isn’t too kind to Jim. I hope the writers will return Pam to her former glory.

49. @ Kurn

    I think they’ve done exactly what you want here in season 7. She’s been really sweet from the first episode. She messed up his prank (on accident) and felt really bad about it. So she went to work on pranking Dwight and filming it for Jim. I guess the meanest thing she’s done to Jim this year was to ask him to dress up for Halloween. And are you forgetting the comic book from the last episode so quickly? That thing atones for many, many errors. It. Was. Awesome. She’s also been nice to most of the rest of the cast too. Helping out Andy and Darryl, standing up to Dwight. Jenna’s been incredible this year. And they’re using her character quite a bit which I always love.

50. I think that Michael will probably try to leave the island just as Holly is getting back to the island, only it will be 1977 instead of current time. And then Dwight’s deceased father will mysteriously show up in the parking lot after some strange black smoke passes through the break room and takes over Jim’s body…. wait a minute, I’m getting my shows mixed up again. Apologies!

51. I’m ready to watch this episode now!!!!!

52. I’m in the minority but I DON’T want to see Michael Scott happy with Holly with the loose ends of his life all wrapped up. It’s too unrealistic for this mockumentary type format. I hope Holly chooses AJ. One blissful couple (Jim and Pam) is enough. Not a fan of the stupid dorky humor of Michael and Holly, either.

53. Kevin had a great episode.

54. Hilarious episode. One of the funniest in awhile, especially for Kevin. Where was Jim in this ep besides the cold open?

55. I can’t say this any other way except- this was the best episode ever! I can’t pick a favorite line because there were too many. Kevin proves again why he’s my favorite. I hope the broccoli scene has bloopers.

56. I thought it was a decent episode. Hopefully the writers will keep Michael and Holly’s subplot realistic though (if she lands back into his lap in one of the next few episodes that’ll be really stretching the line; especially given what happened between the two of them tonight).

57. Did not laugh once and I was ready to laugh after a month of repeats and too much snow in my yard. Would have been nice if they had said where Jim was, home sick with the baby, something, it was just weird and not in a good way.

58. I thought this episode was good but the Darryl/Andy/Dwight subplot felt indexed. But overall, it’s a great episode with a great cold open but where was Jim?

59. Loved it! I wish it had more Jim. I miss him when he is gone. :)

60. That was utterly terrible. I was so hoping I’d actually find it funny, after a great Christmas episode. But this was just terrible. Nothing was funny, most of the characters are out of character, and when one of the main characters is missing save for the cold open, it’d be nice to know where they are. I’m really hoping this show gets better, with 4 months left though, it’s not looking good. I miss this show when it was good consistently.

61. Kevin stole the show!!!

62. Agreed, Kevin was great and it was a great way to work in Creed too!

63. I thought this episode was great. I felt as if I laughed more than usual during this episode. Creed was in good form tonight. I loved seeing him more and disliked the lack of Jim. Kevin added some comedic punch to the episode as well! What a great episode back from the break! Great job Office crew!

64. Kevin and Creed were hilarious as usual, but what was going on with the Dwight/Andy/Darryl subplot? Seriously one of the worst B-stories the show has ever seen. Yikes.

65. Terrible. So much wasted potential. :(

66. A little disappointed. It was good (7), but not great, which is a shame, because The Office is capable of so much more. There was nothing WRONG with it… everyone was in-character, the storyline covered solid territory and wasn’t ridiculous. I guess the problem was just that the funny seemed missing to me. The one scene that made me laugh and smile was the scene where Erin and Michael were rejoicing and Michael was watching the videos. I wish more of the episode had channeled that fun energy, but instead it stayed very serious, which worked alright, but not great.

67. A step down from “Classy Christmas”, but decent episode nonetheless. I guess JK was off shooting a movie. He was definitely missed.

68. Good episode. I know it’s childish, but, I LOVED it when Kevin farted. Creed’s cartwheel and the fact that it was all he had to do all year was awesome. Best part was Dwight, Darryl and Andy rollerskating.

69. Hm…I was pretty underwhelmed with this episode. Michael seemed in character and was the only one who made me laugh. But, Creed? Was weird. And I wish they would have said something about Jim being gone..It always bothers me when a member of the cast is missing obviously because of scheduling issue and they don’t justify it, even with something little.

70. Amazing episode!!!!! It was awesome. Sort of sad to see the whole Michael/Holly thing. The Kevin scene was so funny. And I loved the Dwight/Andy/Darryl rollerskating moment.

71. Yes the Dwight/Andy/Darryl wasn’t great, but personally I thought Darryl was great. Day time strip club comment, cursing at the woman behind the counter haha.

72. Kevin was the best part of the show!! I seriously can’t blame him for hating broccoli so much!
    and I too, had no vegetables last year either.

73. This was a great episode!

74. I thought it was hilarious! For one, I was crying when Michael was celebrating Holly not wearing a ring, what with the video and the music it was just a comedy sundae.

    And I found it especially hilarious when Andy was skating alone and requested The Dave Matthews Band, since I have a teacher who looks just like Ed Helms, and loves The Dave Matthews Band. I swear, they must be twins.

75. loved this episode. until I read everyone’s remarks I didn’t even notice the lack of Jim. It really seems like everyone is having a great time on the set. And FINALLY, more CREED!!! I loved it!!!!!!!!

76. Loved the episode. Lots of laughs. I didn’t realize the lack of Jim for a while either. I have enjoyed how much fun it is with Darryl in the main office. Especially his interactions with Andy.

77. Funny episode, but where was Jim??

78. I missed Jim! But everyone else had really great dynamics going on!! And hooray for Holly and Michael!

79. I loved Kevin’s reaction when he thought Holly flipped him off! Such a good episode!

80. Overall, it was slightly better than average. Loved Kevin and the broccoli, and Michael going off at the staff at the meeting. It’s always been in character for Michael to do stuff like that, but I actually didn’t like the apology scene. Usually Michael doesn’t have enough insight, even if it was for Holly’s benefit. Then again, I’m still hoping against hope Michael and Holly don’t end up together. They are a snooze.

81. I thought creed was awesome in this episode. The cartwheel at the end? Awesome. I’ve never cracked up as much when creed said something. Pretty good episode, pretty big cliffhanger.

82. I thought this was one of the best episodes ever, with many laugh-out-loud lines. Blood everywhere! Like a croissant! The happy and sad boxes… bears sad, worms happy, c’mon Erin. Michael and Erin have a great rhythm going. Love seeing so much of Darryl, too.

83. I liked this one a lot. Kevin and Creed were on fire, the celebration with Erin is now one of my favorite Michael moments, and his hidden apology to Holly was sweet. The best part of the Darryl/Andy/Dwight story was the strobe dance party, to me. I did miss Jim in this episode, but you know, I’ll just pretend he was taking a day to spend with his daughter. Can’t wait to see what happens with Holly and Michael!

84. I want to know what all the resolutions were!

85. Jim was definitely missed. I wish even a tiny explanation was given. Didn’t feel right without him. Good episode though. Lots of great one-liners. Loved Kevin and the broccoli(oh the bloopers!) and Michael and Erin are so wonderful together. Darryl’s stripper line was hilarious.

86. The “boys” afternoon out was not very interesting — except for Dwight crossing the street in his roller skates. Kevin with the broccoli made me chuckle. No Jim — where was he supposed to be? No mention? This made the episode a little off-kilter. Not the best episode, that’s for sure.

87. I loved the episode, both the serious and funny side of it, and thought it had a good balance. As Erin said, it went immensely! Especially the scenes with Erin and Michael, prepping for the good or bad news with the boxes, and then celebrating with the pre-recorded Michael. And the Portugal line and Andy skating,and the whole fiasco of the resolution board. (‘lesson learned’). It happens to be my exact lifetime desire to do a cartwheel, so I appreciated that one, as well as people’s ‘once and done’ attitude toward the resolutions. Oddly I too didn’t think about Jim’s absence til reading a post here.

88. Couldn’t they have just had Pam throw in some small reason as to why Jim was missing? If they had included that his absence wouldn’t have bothered me so much. Didn’t take long to notice Jim was gone.

    Kelly’s “get more attention by any means necessary” and Kevin’s “Right back at ya bitch” were the best lines, had me laughing out loud. Enjoyed the resolution storyline. Michael and Darryl were great.

89. Michael force-feeding Kevin broccoli? Never thought I’d ever see that on this show, but it was hilarious nonetheless. There better be bloopers of this scene! :)

    Love that they’re still running with Erin’s hatred of Holly. Speaking of Holly, her middle name is Partridge! :)

90. This was a good episode and a nice way to kick off Michael’s exit storyline. The only thing I wasn’t crazy about was the cold opening. That was just meh. We saw Jim and then after the opening credits, he was gone for the rest of the episode!

91. Re: Holly’s name, I seem to recall that during Season 5, the name plate on her desk in Nashua in LECTURE CIRCUIT said “Hollis Flax.” So is her formal first name now just “Holly?”

92. Man, I can’t believe that Jim was missing. I didn’t even notice! It must have been because he was in the cold open. Something must have been cut explaining where he was.

    That scene with Michael and Erin celebrating was amazing. It’s going to be really hard to get used to this show without Steve Carell.

93. Liked Kevin and Erin a fair amount in it. I thought there’d be some kind of pay-off with Dwight and the strip-club, but it seemed kind of pointless.

    Holly’s “break” seemed kind of an abrupt about-face. I don’t exactly agree with eastcoastgirl in 52, but I did think them getting back together would be harder than it looks like it will be. Also when I really think about it I agree that him being totally “happily ever after” with Holly is too pat. I think I’d maybe like him to end up with Holly, but also get fired or something.

94. Dwight, Andy, and Darryl for the manager’s position. Darryl takes it. All you have to do is “read” between the lines.

95. Last night’s episode of the Office was probably the best this whole season. It was like how the older episodes were from the earlier seasons. I think focusing it more on Michael is a good thing considering he’s leaving in a few months. The Kevin and not eating vegetables joke was funny, but creed being mad at Erin for doing a cartwheel and then Michael helping him out and creed becoming all cocky. I think the whole Michael/holly thing will end in her going back to Nashua with AJ and then Michael leaving a week or two afterwards, or they could get back together since holly told AJ that she was going to leave him. Anyways, this was probably the best and my favorite episode so far this season.

96. I absolutely loved this episode! I love the Kevin and Michael bullying scene, and I loved his hidden apology to Holly. I’m really going to miss him! I missed Jim! Is his absent going to play a part in a possible promotion?……

97. Kevin stole the episode. He definitely made tonight’s episode for me… so many great lines and facial expressions. Hilarious!

98. There were some good laughs and nice moments. Like Michael’s happy celebration, and his apology to “Kevin/Creed.” And “immensely”

    The Darryl/Dwight/Andy subplot was terrible. I’ve always liked the Office’s low-key and more real-life approach, but the D/D/A stuff was like a parody of it. The three of them just wandered around aimlessly the entire ep. No humour or dramatic tension.

    Some funny ny resolution stuff, but seeing Kevin tormented never did it for me, and it’s getting old fast. The resolution to the resolution plot felt forced and stagy.

    Again Michael hints at violence in his future – attacking people or burning the building down. Hopefully all this stuff leads to an interesting twist.

    As for Jim, maybe he was away from the office keeping his ny resolution – biking more.

99. In the episode Jo Bennett’s book can be seen in the bookstore behind in a shot on display.

100. I’ve missed the show over its break but this episode was worth the wait. It had such a good rhythm and all of the characters had great material and timing –Michael and Erin were so funny with the celebration and the scene with Erin following Phyllis’ lead was outstanding! Michael’s apology after the berating really worked…he and Holly had lots of opporunities to be quirky and sweet. It’s hard to say why the bookstore/roller rink/strip club sequence worked but it was so funny…and we’d all expect Andy to be an expert skater. Best episode since the Christmas when Andy had a crush on Erin!!!

101. Michael feeding Kevin broccoli was one of the funniest scenes of the season!

102. Cringeworthy, and not in a good way. Why have the Ultimatum in the first place if only to punt the resolution to the finale? Where was the payoff for Daryl buying the e-book reader? Or Dwight visiting the strip club? And the camera angles get more unrealistic with each episode. When the boys were in the car, was the cameraman on the hood getting tight head-on shots of their faces?

103. Holly may be a sweet person, but she’s not much of an HR rep. Even Toby would have spoken up against Michael shoving broccoli into Kevin’s mouth, not to mention the whole premise of the New Year’s Resolution meeting. Telling people to “talk about how they’ve failed so far this year” is much more of an (inappropriate) Michael thing than a Pam thing.

104. I loved this episode…. all of my favorite characters with minimal appearances by my least faves…. whoever put Andy on those roller skates was inspired, he has to do that again and seeing Dwight skate over to the strip club was the best… finally who is responsible for the choreography on Erin’s dance routine?? A+ for that…..

105. I did miss Jim throughout the episode. But he did look really good in that scarf in the cold open. Why are gummy worms happy and gummy bears sad? I thought it would be the other way around.

106. I started typing what I liked about this episode and realized I liked everything (my favourite moment was Holly’s TH at the end about “being just fine” – I know so many people who’ve had that moment in a relationship). Oh, and we might not have seen Jim, but we did see his resolution (Bike More).

     P.S. Andy Bernard does roller skate like a Greek god. Seriously, is there anything this man doesn’t do?

107. dwight was A+. does anybody know the name of the song playing while andy was rollerskating before ants marching played?

108. Thank goodness for new episodes of “The Office.” I was eating pasta during the scene when Kevin spit out the broccoli and I almost choked I was laughing so hard. Kevin’s finger gesture line to Holly was hilarious. I was happy to see Creed featured more this episode but also wondered where Jim and Meredith went.

109. Good Epidode. My favorite scenes were the Michael and Erin celebration scene and all the Kevin and Darryl scenes. Also, I agree with there needing to be some type of explanation of Jim’s absence.

110. Overall, a middle-of-the-road episode. I hope someone took notes of what each person’s resolution was. I am curious as to where Jim was the entire episode. Has he simply given up after his sales commission cap?

111. I thought this was a hilarious, fantastic episode. I honestly didn’t even think about Jim being gone.

     The spat resulting from the resolutions was awkward and reminiscent of “Conflict Resolution”.

112. I liked it. The Michael dance off was AWESOME! And Creed doing his cartwheel reminds me of my “perfect” cartwheel. haha

     As for Jim, perhaps he was out getting sales so he can cap out early and have the rest of the year to goof off. After all, it is a paper and printer sales company, not a paid to party place.

113. I thought this was one of the best episodes of the season! Michael’s happy/sad boxes and celebrations were too funny.

     Kevin was hilarious … both with his one liner to Holly and the broccoli!

     The skating rink / strip club scenes, I wasn’t so crazy about, though.

     Overall, great episode, and add me to the list that didn’t even notice Jim’s absence.

114. Loved the Happy-Sad boxes. Erin and Michael’s relationship is so great.

     Interesting ending..hm.

115. Probably my fave episode of the season. There was soo much going on, and I loved every single bit of it!! Darryl/Dwight/Andy were awesome! The scene where they’re rollerskating with the family cracked me up! Loved Michael’s video! I haven’t LOL’ed that hard in an Office ep in a while. Overall, such a fantastic episode. Honestly, I didn’t notice Jim was missing until Michael was sitting at his desk..he proabably took a simple personal day!

116. LOVED this episode!! Definitely one of the best…”Knights of the Night”, broccoli, happy/sad boxes…couldn’t stop laughing the whole time!

     Loved seeing more of Creed and Kevin in this episode. They’re two of the funniest characters on the show, and we usually don’t see enough of them. Erin’s cartwheel + Creed’s reaction at the end was priceless!!!

117. #102, the shots in the car aren’t supposed to be filmed by a cameraman, they’re stationary cameras that the documentary crew put in the cars.

118. Although I was disappointed that Jim was not in a majority of the episode, this episode was phenomenal. The best part of The Office is the sensational one-liners. “My New Years Resolution was to start flossing. 12:01, blood everywhere.” I was laughing so hard I was crying at that line. And when Kevin thought Holly was flipping him off? What a riot. I was so pleased with this episode because I had missed Office while it was on holiday break. I am getting quite anxious for Michael’s departure.

119. Was there a tag at the end? Stupid sim-subbing cut in early and I missed it if there was. Can someone recap?

     Brilliant ep — loved Michael dancing with himself. Totally didn’t notice the absence of Jim.

120. I’ve never loved Kevin Malone as much as I do now….”Well back atcha bitch!”

121. why couldn’t the camera follow dwight into the strip club?!?

122. I hate to say it but I was pretty disappointed with this episode after a month long wait. It felt a bit disjointed to see Jim in the cold open and then have him gone in the rest of the episode without any kind of explanation, even something as simple as he’s home with a sick CeCe. I thought everything felt over the top with broccoli, the champagne, and especially the trip to the roller rink. I miss the subtle, dry humor that makes this show great. Oh well, at least when we have a lackluster episode usually the next one makes up for it, so here’s hoping.

123. Shocked at all the people that didn’t like this episode. Especially the Dwight, Darryl, Andy subplot. That was hilarious! If you didn’t laugh at Dwight skating across the street to the strip club, you are watching the wrong show. Even as a male, the writers have made me dying to see Michael end up with Holly.

124. Kelly screaming at Holly and Michael after enduring their cuties pie flirting was the moment of the night for me.

125. I thought it was funny…but for some reason or another, it couldn’t hold my attention. I don’t know how many times I had to rewind…but it was a lot.

     I’ll have to watch it again…

     but IMO this show tries way too hard….they did all this character development only to turn their back on it and make the characters act like circus clowns.

126. before this show is over Kevin will be a single celled organism…. drooling, and unable to even form words. They just keep making him dumber and dumber….

127. This definitely wasn’t one of my favorite episodes. I miss the slow and quiet Kevin who wasn’t so over the top. But one thing I did enjoy was seeing my old High School classmate, David Ferguson, as the Roller Rink DJ. It’s always cool recognizing someone you know on your favorite show.

128. This episode was bittesweet for me. I keep thinking that for everyone one episode, that’s one more away from Michael Scott leaving. There were some funny moments and I shall treasure every Michael Scott moment.

129. I flat out loved it! Even without Jim, it was just plain fun!

130. Loved the episode!

131. Sorry didn’t like it at all. Over the top. Bad acting. And where was Jim? I love the show just not this one.

132. Best ep of this season to me. Michael talking himself down from the computer monitor had me in stitches.

     Where was Jim?

133. Did Anyone see if Jim had a resolution on the board and what is was if he had one???

     [from tanster: the office new year’s resolutions are at the bottom of this page.]

134. hey Jimothy, can you do me a favor and find out what song your buddy Ferguson played before Andy was roller skating to Ants Marching…thanks

135. I loved it. It seemed more like the best episodes of the early seasons. True ensemble work, and fantastic one-liners… great material for talented people. Not all of us are Michael Freaking Scott. STATE senator, it’s all coming up Darryl, immensely, I know Sue (she’s not so great), I keep thinking about snot, did your baby draw that… I bet they enjoyed doing it!

136. The Ultimatum was one of the best episodes I have ever seen. I had someone drive me to a strip club at lunch just so I could quote Darryl. And then I went to the skate rink and requested Dave Matthews Band, no hits. OMG, there was so much amazingness that I am about to explode. It was awesome. I am going to do a cartwheel, right now.

137. Loved it! I just may have to start making videos of myself to talk me down from life’s best/worst moments.

     Quick question – did anyone else think that the lady behind the counter at the bookstore was Rice-a-Ronnie? I know I’ve seen her before.

138. Great episode! I really missed Jim though I wish they had addressed him not being there. But I also really love the Darryl/Andy/Dwight bromance going on. That was so great!

139. Michael “talking himself down” was too funny! Also, I think Kevin was great in this episode.

140. Definitely my favorite episode in a while! I typically love the episodes that aren’t too ambitious, the ones where most of the action takes place within the office itself. I also loved how the series lampooned Michael and Holly’s “will they, won’t they” moment by having Michael freak out in his office!! ‘Cause the writers knew that’s what everyone at home was doing too! Unfortunate cliff-hanger though….

141. Ah, rollerskating…brings back memories. Loved that part!

142. I actually didn’t even notice that Jim wasn’t there until almost half-way through the episode! Sometimes it seems like there can be too many characters – a lot get overlooked. It was actually kind of nice to have room for some more Creed/Kevin and some others that may not have been seen much had Jim been involved. I still hope Jim’s back next week though.

143. I thought this episode was hilarious. It seemed a bit different than usual but had a lot of laughs. I didn’t notice Jim missing at all until I came on this page actually… It was nice having his filler replaced by characters we otherwise don’t see. Especially since their time was golden.

144. Question (actually 2): What was Gabe’s New Year’s resolution? Wasn’t that “Car Wash” by Rose Royce also being played at the roller skating rink?

145. This episode was really good. It was well worth the month long wait. Creed flipping out on Erin was hilarious lol. “**** YOU, **** YOU!

146. Anyone else notice Stanley wasn’t in the episode at all? His name wasn’t even on the board of resolutions.

147. I didn’t really care for this episode. It just felt all over the place and there weren’t many laughs for me. The whole Dwight-Andy-Daryl outing seemed like pure filler. Not one of the better episodes of the season.

148. #99. Good eyes. Glad you noticed it.

     [from tanster: hi dave! thanks for stopping by. :) ]

149. I liked it. Not one of my favorites (I missed Jim from the first scene and was waiting for them to say something) but it is still the funniest show on TV.

150. The episode did seem a little odd to me…the fact that Jim wasn’t part of it was a bit glaring (unless I missed something really important (?), and I noticed that Stanley WAS there, but he just made a face at one of the resolutions someone chose.

     Not one of my favorites, but it was funny at times. I don’t know quite how I feel about the edginess in the newer episodes…Kevin giving the bird was a riot, and Creed’s Double-F-Bomb was pretty funny, but felt a little forced or something.

     All-in-all, it was okay, but not fantastic. Looking forward to Threat Level Midnight!

151. I had to strain to read it, but I’m pretty sure Gabe’s resolution was “Be less intimidated around people’s dogs and babies.”

152. Jim was out making sales calls.

153. Jim’s my favorite character. So i’m not ashamed to admit that without him The Office is no longer The Office. Therefore, Ultimatum was some strange situation in which Jim was kidnapped and held hostage in the warehouse while the rest of the gang were forced by threat to act out some bizarre and some humorous shenanigans WITHOUT any facial expressions made towards the camera. I don’t know how they did it. Just hope it never happens again.

154. Kevin = perfection! I laughed until I had tears streaming down my face. Brian is a dream to watch. So good!!!

155. Woops, I just re-watched it and I also saw him at his desk while everyone was chasing Holly, but I had to look for him I didn’t see him first watch. I guess they played Stanley and Jim down this episode and Kevin and Creed kinda took their places.

156. The sequence where Kevin fake farts, then real farts, then Erin does the cartwheel followed by Creed swearing at her was so funny and weird that I had to watch it twice.

     Also, Andy skating by himself to Ants Marching was priceless. This episode was kind of odd, but I enjoyed it. I didn’t notice missing Jim, which makes me feel guilty since he’s my boyfriend.

157. Close — Gabe’s resolution was, ‘Be less squeamish around people’s dogs and babies” (presumably; it actually looked like ‘babes’).

158. @TheOfficeROCKS Jim wasn’t played down, except the cold open he wasn’t in the episode at all. Scheduling conflict i guess.

159. I was disappointed in this episode, too. There were a few times I laughed out loud (Michael: “This phone is indestructable!”), but like others have said, it seemed disjointed. Creed seemed to be behaving in a manner different than the one we’ve come to know. Maybe a re-watch would do me good.

160. I don’t know if I even saw Stanley on the board. If so my guess would be he just decided this resolution frenzy was nonsense he didn’t want to have any real part in. (It would fit his character and what facial reactions we saw of him)

     I guess this is odd to admit, but I didn’t even think about Jim being gone until I went online. Now that he actually has Pam, and a baby, Jim is in some ways not that interesting of a character to me. Pam has more in the way of dreams, schemes, and insecurities.

161. Worst episode of the season, in my opinion. What’s with all of the swearing this season? It’s like as the season goes along, the different writers are replacing creativity with swearing and the increasingly-frequent penis mentions. After a promising start to the season, The Office has gone horribly, horribly off-track.

162. I liked the episode, I was reminded that aside from Dwight; Kevin is the other person who has liked Michael from the early days to now. I liked the Michael Scott dance-off, and of course I liked his apology to Holly. And like many I didn’t realize Jim was gone until much later, and it didn’t bother cause at least he’ll still be there next year unlike my favorite character.

163. Anyone know if Carrie Kemper the writer is related to Ellie Kemper who plays Erin? It doesn’t say on IMDB.

164. I feel like they had to cut too much from this episode due to time issues. It should have been a super sized one. I hope Jim’s back next week. I missed him!

165. I saw Stanley in this episode…(at least I think i did). I don’t think he said anything….I think he just shot a quick glance at Andy during the Resolution part….

166. I missed Jim’s involvement in this one and would’ve loved to know what his New Year’s Resolution was.

167. Awesome Episode, Way to come back strong guys!!!

     Loved the Andy, Darryl, Dwight trio, and I really hope we get to see more of that in future episodes.

     But I do have a question, Where was Jim?

168. I just watched the episode for my 3rd time! I LOVE IT! Best part for me was easily Kevin eating the broccoli. I thought I was going to wet myself!

     Stanley’s resolution is in the bottom right corner. It is to be a better husband and boyfriend! Haha!

169. I also wanted to point out that if you look through the door in the bookstore scene you can see big green trees blowing in the background. January in Pennsylvania?! I must say I was a bit disappointed when seeing this since ‘The Office’ is usually on top of these little details. Still one of my favorite episodes though!

170. I am going to miss Michael Scott!!!!!!

171. Hmmm… I SO didn’t notice Jim was only in the cold open, not in the actual episode at all, until I saw people mention it on here.

     I know John Krasinski is going to be in the movie “Something Borrowed”, coming out this May… I wonder if that’s what caused his absence?

     PS- SO excited for that movie:)

172. @163 i believe they are

173. Someone respond to me if you know this. Is James Spader playing the leader of Knights of the Night in the cold open?