The Office: Cafe Disco

Filed under: Recaps & Reviews

This week's opener is so, so stupid and yet so, so awesome: Erin the New Receptionist suddenly screams with joy at her desk and hollers, "OMG, I won an art contest!" Dwight starts chuckling maniacally and walks over to hand her some cash while Jim and Pam share weary looks. In an interview, Dwight laughs much more maniacally, and gleefully (and slightly demonically... could I use more adverbs?) crows, "I got her! I got her!" Pam shakes her head at him as he walks back to his desk: "Not cool, Dwight." Pam looks really pretty.

In the plot proper, Michael has been using the former MSPC headquarters as his own personal café-slash-disco (complete with "expresso" machine, although he does intermittently refer to it correctly), and due to the fact that no one in the office will go out for lunch with him ever (someone instituted this very strict no-lunch-with-the-boss rule right after his predecessor left, but he doesn't know who), he declares them in need of some loosening up, and he opens his Café Disco to the office at large.

At first only Erin the Delightfully Ditzy Receptionist and Kevin (in search of espresso and imaginary cookies) will join him, but when Michael holds the speaker blasting C&C Music Factory up to the vent between the offices, Phyllis breaks. She stops by Bob's office to invite him down for some dancing good times, but his new secretary, Jessica (essentially a younger, redheaded version of Phyllis) won't let her in to see him. She heads to the café disco alone, and she and Michael cut a rug until she has a major back spasm and collapses.

Michael texts Dwight to come help, and they take Phyllis back up to the conference room in a wheelchair. Michael is fed up with the downers that work for him, and her orders Erin the Helpful Receptionist to go shut down the Café Disco. She and Kelly head down to do that, but end up starting their own dance party. A couple of Vance Refrigeration guys see GIRLS and join the party. Michael eats a sandwich alone in his office.

Dwight, meanwhile, lays Phyllis on the meeting table and employs a few old family methods frequently used to cure muscle pain in horses, including feeding her carrots and kneeling on her back. In the course of this, she confesses to him that she thinks Bob is having or will have an affair with his new secretary. And then she laughs at herself because it sounds so silly to say it out loud.

Meanwhile, everyone in the office has got dance fever and they've all ended up down in the Café Disco having a rocking good time. Michael's got a limbo bar set up, and Andy and Kelly are having a dance-off (including a spectacular chair dance from each of them). Kevin's making out in the corner with some girl Erin the Friendly Receptionist invited. Angela, however, only ventures down to get Michael's signature on some documents, but he bargains with her: one signature per song. She hates to be "that person," but she just doesn't like the general spirit of music.

Phyllis feels better under Dwight's care, and they head down to the party. Dwight even dances, because Phyllis needs to move to reduce lactic acid buildup, and also, "This song is fantastic." Bob Vance shows up and steals Phyllis away, and they dance cutely.

And lastly, Jim and Pam, who have been adorably planning an adorable secret elopement all episode long, stop by on their way out of the building (Pam in a fancy pink dress with her hair all pretty and carrying some flowers Jim picked for her) just to put in an appearance because they know it will mean a lot to Michael. They have so much fun at the cheesy dance party that they both come to the conclusion that they do want to have a real wedding, hassle and cost be damned.

As we head to commercial, even Angela's toes are moving to the music as she sits petulantly in the corner. Michael's thrilled.

In the tag, Kelly is trying to pierce Andy's ear, but he can't handle even the ice cube.

My mom's coming to visit tomorrow and frankly I need to vacuum, so you get a short recap tonight. Next week: season finale, I hear.

Tags: recap, comedy, sitcom, the office, dunder mifflin, michael scott

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