The Office: Employee Transfer

Posted by: Ariana  •  October 31, 2008 @ 12:35am

Filed under: Recaps & Reviews

Even though Halloween only lasts until the credits, I know you're dying to know what everyone dressed up as, so here you go:

Kelly is Carrie Bradshaw, blonde wig and all, and can't walk in her stilettos. Phyllis is Raggedy Ann. Stanley is wearing some giant Jabba the Hut/fish head the precise purpose of which is so that he can sleep at his desk. Ryan is Gordon Gekko. (Kelly: "Oh, from the insurance commercials!") Creed is Heath Ledger As The Joker. Oscar dressed up as Uncle Sam; Meredith, a cheerleader. Angela's a boring bunny. Kevin... is also the Joker, and isn't pleased with Creed. Andy is... well, he's a kitten, he says. He looks like he's in Cats. Jim's wearing a nametag that reads "Hello, my name is Dave." Genius. Pam, in New York, is Charlie Chaplin. No one else in New York dresses up for Halloween. (My people!) Dwight, arriving last, is also the Joker. Third time's the charm?

And where are Michael and Holly, you ask? Well, there's no telling where they were on Halloween, but on what is clearly a different day or perhaps just a glaring continuity error, they're loading up one of the Dunder Mifflin trucks (or rather, Darryl is, while they sort through road trip supplies) with Holly's things because she's moving back to New Hampshire. Corporate is transferring her because they found out she and Michael are dating. Holly interviews that Michael wanted her to quit and get a job in Scranton, and she suggested he quit and move to New Hampshire, and then they jinxed each other and never talked about it again.

On this road trip, there are many "Life Is a Highway" sing-alongs (even Darryl gets into it, because you know he loves Tom Cochrane), and things go from decent to bad, and then to worse, and before you know it, Holly's crying and thinks they need to break up because the distance can't work for them. Michael tries to talk her back into it, but she can't get past the logistics of the long drive and only seeing each other a few hours a week, and before long, Michael's crying too.

When they get to New Hampshire, Michael tries one last time to make her see (while Darryl unloads all by his own self), but he realizes it's a lost cause and tells Darryl to put his bag back in the truck because he's going back to Scranton. Michael and Holly hug and kiss goodbye, and then he and Darryl drive off as Holly watches sadly. Darryl sympathizes in the truck that breakups hurt, but Michael avers they did not break up. Darryl says it sure looked like it to him, and Michael tries not to cry. Darryl gets Michael to sing the blues with him and they trade twos until Michael starts to crack a smile through his pain. Oh, Darryl.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Dwight is having a go at Andy by pretending (or is he?) to be applying to Cornell. Dwight tells us he wants to better himself through higher education, and if he can make Andy mad in the process, all the better. He dogs Andy all day long, wearing the sweatshirt, hanging the banner above his desk, setting Cornell mascot bobblehead next to his Dwight bobblehead, asking Andy which a cappella group he should join... It's all going according to Dwight's master plan until Andy springs this on him: Andy's called Cornell admissions and arranged to conduct Dwight's entrance interview. Supposedly. Dwight is momentarily flummoxed, and Andy asks whether he would like to be rejected now, or after the interview. Dwight wants to do the interview.

The interview, of course, is a pissing contest between these two giants of intellect. Dwight's overly prepared, and Andy keeps pulling crap on him like asking him to name the eighth president of Cornell and then when Dwight gets it right, declaring, "No, I'm sorry! That is not the seventh president!" So Dwight starts taking notes, saying he's rating Andy's interviewing skills to assist Cornell. They insult each other back and forth under the pretense of taking notes for their various pretend causes until Andy says Dwight's head is shaped like a trapezoid (heh) and Dwight is all, FINE I'LL GO TO DARTMOUTH INSTEAD I DON'T LIKE YOUR STUPID SCHOOL ANYWAY. He steals Andy's interview table.

In the tag, Andy comes in wearing overalls (no shirt, of course) and a straw hat, carrying a crate of beets, which he alleges are from Bernard Farms, home of the best beets in the state. Dwight see what he's doing, but doesn't know exactly where he's going with it. Andy tries to gnaw a beet but it doesn't go well because you're supposed to cook them. Dwight, however, has no trouble biting right into his, scoffing, "Pft, Cornell" all the while.

Angela, for her part, has observed this whole debacle with nothing beyond her typical rolling eyes and sourpuss face.

And in Jim and Pam Are Still Happy, Can You Believe It Land, Jim's taken most of the day off to drive up to New York for lunch with Pam and his two brothers, Pete and Tom (in from Boston and New Jersey, respectively). Pam meets up with the brothers early to set up a prank on Jim, which as she explains to them is to make him believe that she lost her engagement ring in ceramics class. The brothers have a "better" idea, and that is to rib Pam for being an artist and how she will never ever make a decent living at such a profession. Pam, not wanting to rock any boats, agrees to the plan, but in an aside to the camera, is a little taken aback at how fast they came up with it.

When Pam "arrives" to lunch with the three boys later, Jim's brothers start in on her, and she takes it well, but Jim tries to stick up for her. In what is probably the funniest moment of the episode, Jim's equally floppy-haired brother Pete makes a Jim face to the camera and then Jim makes a Jim face to the camera.

After awhile, Pam can't take it anymore and she tries to defend herself, while Jim remains appalled at his brothers' behaviour. The guys break and explain that it's all a prank, and Pam's idea, no less. They're so proud of themselves and their hilarity, but Jim's just like, "Uh."

After lunch, Pam's telling Jim about her actually better plan when Jim gets a text from his brother that just says, "Pam cool. Welcome to the family." Pam suggests they prank Tom about being bald at Thanksgiving. And lo, they are still happy.

Tags: michael scott, dunder mifflin, the office, the office u.s., jim/pam

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Original Comments Posted (1)

sarahm says...

Creedy as the joker was the creepiest thing I have ever seen.

Nov 8, 2008 4:08pm

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