The Office: “Diwali” and “Branch Closing”

Michael thinks they are all screwed

Well, this is late and not late.

Late because it includes two episodes, but not late because I have no damn schedule you fool! No… it is late because “Diwali” sucked, and no, not the holiday, the episode… I’m sure it is just like an “Indian Halloween” Kelly.

I talked to Ed at one point after the episode and asked if it sucked as hard for him as it did for me. I told him I laughed out loud twice, told him what scenes/lines and he pointed out several others, which I agreed were okay, but still… I didn’t really enjoy this episode. That caused me to delay, delay, delay in writing about it.

Anyway, all I had was Jim falling off his bike and declaring, “I’m a drunk driver” and Pam giving Michael a ride home after getting dissed by both Gail and Pam. His revelation that “these aren’t my shoes” was good, but what got me was:

Michael: [Sitting in backseat] This is just like that show Taxi Cab Confessions
Pam: If you say one more word I am stopping the car

Two that I remember Ed pointing out were Creed identifying “That’s the Union of the Monkey” from the Karma Sutra and Kelly’s sisters saying something about Zach Braff in relation to Ryan.

I watched the episode again, but it didn’t grow on me any more, but I guess it didn’t suck hard. A bad episode of The Office beats every episode of According to Jim, so that’s something, right? I guess I felt like they could have done a better job of it considering the subject. It could have been another “Gay Witch Hunt.”

As for this past week’s episode, “Branch Closing;” it was excellent. The opening was one of my favorites since Jim moving Dwight’s desk into the Men’s Room.

Jim: I don’t have a ton of contact with the Scranton branch, but before I left I took a box of Dwight’s stationary, so from time to time I send Dwight faxes… from himself… from the future.

[Jim reads the fax as we see Dwight reading it]

Dwight,

At 8 am today someone poisons the coffee.

Do not drink the coffee.

More instructions will follow.

Cordially,
Future Dwight

[Dwight spots Stanley coming out of the kitchen with a cup of coffee and starts running across the room]

Dwight: Noooo! [Slaps cup out of Stanley’s hands] You’ll thank me later.

Just good stuff.

I’m happy to report that I was right, folks from the Stamford branch are getting rolled into Scranton after they made it appear Scranton was closing. Well, I guess they did close it… bah, just remember that I was right Eddie. 😀

We know from the next teaser that Jim and Karen will be going to Scranton, but it would be good to see Andy follow so he can continue to think he is harassing Big Tuna. The first thing I can’t wait for is Dwight’s reaction to Jim being second in command.

Anyway, here are some of the other good quotes:

Jim: I mean, I always knew the branch would shutdown some day, I just figured it would be because Michael sold the building for some magic beans.

Roy: I don’t know if I really want to work here without Pam. You know that… Cinderella song, “Don’t Know What You Got Til It’s Gone?” That pretty much says it better than how I know to say it… in words.

Incidentally, I think they have been doing a good job with Roy this year. I have enjoyed them fleshing him out more, even if just a little.

Michael: Oh, I can’t say I was a big fan of Bowling for Columbine… because, I thought it was going to be, uh a bowling movie, like Kingpin… and it wasn’t, it was something… else.

From the teaser for this week:

Michael: [Meeting Karen] Wow, you are very exotic looking. Was your Dad a G.I. or…

Oh, one last thing. NBC did another inside tie-in (joke) between their shows with Dunder Mifflin booking another conference room on Friday’s Las Vegas and Mary recommending more security. You might remember that Hiro and Ando were tossed out of the Montecito on Heroes.