Thoughts on Night Out

Well, that was certainly an...um...interesting episode. Now, y'all know my obsession with this show, but this episode was not one of my favorites AT ALL . Don't get me wrong, it definitely had some VERY funny lines/moments, but overall the whole thing felt weird and kind of "forced" I guess. It's clear to me that they are trying to cram a bunch of stuff into only a handful of episodes. Now, having said that, there are still some funny/interesting moments to comment on:

Jim - This is the second time this season we've seen him morph into a Michael-esque persona. Not exactly sure what's going on there, but I know I don't like it. Michael is Michael because he's Michael, not because he's "the guy in charge" and anybody in charge would turn into that bumbling, inappropriate dumbass. Jim is too smart for that. Yet twice he's been left in charge of the office and both times he's made Michael-like mistakes. The jury is still out for me on this particular character development.

Jim & Pam - Anyone else catch the little Bickersons moment between them? "I thought you said you had the guard's number." "I do, Jim. It rings here. You want that phone number?" OMG they are human beings after all.

Ryan - Wow. A drug problem. That was an interesting development, but I guess not totally unexpected. I figured Ryan would let the whole New York vibe get to him and he'd take a major fall, but that's even more major than I imagined. It will be interesting to see where the writers take this. Will he return to Scranton, disgraced and demoted? Will he go into rehab? Will he be homeless & alone and have to...*gasp*...move in with Michael??!! Can you imagine?

Toby - Ok, confession time. As an avid reader of all the office blogs & fan sites, I've read that NBC had the title of the season finale posted online for a brief bit of time, then took it down. The title was "Goodbye, Toby". So I was not completely surprised to hear him talk about moving to Costa Rica. But setting that aside for a moment...what the hell was with him rubbing Pam's leg? In front of Jim? Maybe he has a drug problem too!! Talk about ballsy. I'm sure he just got caught up in the moment because he's been in love with Pam for a long time now. Poor guy. I hope he finds his Pam in Costa Rica.

Michael & Dwight hit Da Club - This had the potential to be 1000 times funnier than it was. I mean, yeah, Dwight making out with the amazon woman was hilarious, as was Michael saying he was a bank teller (i.e. "in finance"), but beyond that I was yawning at these scenes. Such a waste.

Best moments/quotes:
* The entire cold open - the gum in Michael's hair, the peanut butter in Michael's hair, the dialogue between Michael & Dwight - awesome!!!
* The sexual predator infiltrating Dunder Mifflin Infinity
* "Yeah, I have a some questions. First of all, how dare you? "
* "I'm off to get laid" "Yeah! With sex!"
* Creed actually knowing the security guard's name...and nobody listening to him
* "Show of hands, who thinks we're a better couple than Jim & Pam?"
* Pam hitting Meredith with the football
* "If I'm dead, you'll have been dead for weeks"
*...and what has to be THE BEST OFFICE LINE EVER...* Michael asking Jim "Would you have sex with Meredith?" I'm screaming at the TV "Oh please God say yes!!" My husband didn't particularly like that :)