Sign Up for the Daily TV Fodder Newsletter       
buy prednisone online no prescription buy zithromax buy strattera online no prescription payday loans buy clomid buy valtrex online buy buspar no prescription buy atarax online buy diflucan buy buspar no prescription

Office Fodder

The Office: Dream Team

Dwight.jpg If there's one thing Andy Bernard loves, it's...

Soccer?

With lips firmly entrenched on Charles Miner's boot-ay, Andy kicks off tonight's episode (the first of two new ones) by conveniently having a soccer desktop photo on his computer monitor. This catches the eye of Charles, a big-time soccer fan, although you wouldn't know that in advance by his statuesque appearance, his mannerisms or any indications in the script.

Jim says he's above sucking up.

Jim: "I've always subscribed to the idea that if you really want to impress your boss, you go in there and you do mediocre work, half-heartedly."

But he also realizes he's been in Charles' doghouse longer than Angelina Jolie's been in Jennifer Aniston's. So he lies and says he's a soccer player. He's a good basketball player, so you'd think he'd be athletic enough to pull this off, but, as Jim says, he hasn't played soccer since he was on the "Orange" team in fourth grade. Charles, finally excited about something, challenges Jim and the others to a soccer match after work.

Meanwhile, Pam's at Michael's condo to start their new business venture, the Michael Scott Paper company. There's just one problem: Michael has no idea how to start a paper company.

Pam, not wanting to see her Jerry Maguire moment flushed down the drain, gets Michael on task by creating a list of things to do. They decide to assemble a "dream team" of salespeople, and to meet with Michael's contact who is into small business investments.

Michael successfully gets his first dream team member, Michael Jordan Vikram, from Michael's old telemarketing gig. Pam gets a little too excited about this, showing how little faith she had in this company.

Then Michael stops by the bowling alley, where Ryan Howard works. Yes, the Ryan who was the youngest V.P. of Dunder Mifflin ever, and who went to Bangkok or Vietnam or something with some high school friends, returned to work as a bowling alley employee.

Michael tries to recruit Ryan, as Pam finds out what's going on and tries to talk Michael out of it, all too aware that Ryan's got all the business integrity of an Enron exec at an AIG seminar.

Michael: "Everybody deserves a second, second chance."

Ryan, now sporting blond hair fresh out of 1996, agrees to join, stealing some bowling shoes on the way. Side note: I own bowling shoes. With skulls on them. Who's cool now, Ryan?

Back at the office, Jim can't even tell Charles what position he plays. Charles, normally an excellent judge of b.s., somehow can't see past Jim's lie, and tells Jim to play striker. At one point, Charles kicks a shot toward Jim, who ducks. An unlucky Phyllis takes one to the nose. Dwight points out that any experienced soccer player wouldn't duck. Jim apologizes profusely, racing to get ice and/or surgically remove the foot from his mouth.

Things are falling apart for Michael. He tries to convince the investment group to fund his company, but they shut him down after hearing he has no mission statement and no direction. That would be bad enough, except his Nana is the investor, along with her senior home friends.

Vikram quits. Pam has realized she's a moron for quitting a job with benefits to work for an idiot. But Michael convinces her he's great at succeeding when nobody believes in him, and she agrees to stay. He even secures an office for the company... in a closet by Vance Refrigeration. Charles sees this and looks ready to explode like the Fourth of July night sky.

Michael: "The Michael Scott Paper Company is about to open a big ol' can of whoop ass on Dunder Mifflin... actually, a six-pack."

Thoughts: Steve Carell is back in force on this one, doing a superb job displaying Michael's ineptitude, vulnerabilities, optimism and passion. I'm still trying to figure out Charles' character, as it's been a little square peg character in a round hole office, but give it time. I think Jim's character is taking a weird turn, however. I can see that he really wants to succeed now that he's an engaged, grown-up, mortgage-bound man, but it's not like him to think he has to impress the boss in silly ways. It's more like him to do it the way he stuck it to Ryan, by closing the big accounts.

Favorite moment: The opening scene shows an overwhelmed Kevin, the temporary receptionist appointed by Charles, racing around the room trying to transfer Andy's phone call. It takes him three tries.

Angela: "You're bad at this too."
Stanley: "Just transfer the damn call."
(Call finally gets to Andy, the office erupts in mock cheer)

What did you think of this episode and how Michael is handling a post-Dunder Mifflin life? Is Jim trying too hard to impress Charles?


Posted by Andy Shaw on April 9, 2009 10:44 PM
Permalink |






What is the name of the actress who played Michael's Nanna in this episode?

-- Posted by: Maq at April 10, 2009 9:58 AM

I've looked high and low and am still trying to find out. I liked her, though. Once I find out, I'll post the response here.

-- Posted by: Andy Shaw at April 10, 2009 10:29 AM

My mouth dropped open when Jim announced he was a soccer player. I was sure he would do something that would prove he was above that. But he didn't.

Which was... incredibly weird. It was funny to watch Dwight win though. He never wins.

-- Posted by: Anonymous at April 11, 2009 8:35 PM

My mouth dropped open when Jim announced he was a soccer player. I was sure he would do something that would prove he was above that. But he didn't.

Which was... incredibly weird. It was funny to watch Dwight win though. He never wins.

-- Posted by: the chosen one at April 11, 2009 8:36 PM

I am 99% sure that the woman that plays Michael's nana is Connie Sawyer.

-- Posted by: Rachel at April 15, 2009 12:16 AM

This episode was better than the last one. I was starting to worry after the last two episodes that the show was going downhill.

I wonder how many takes the cheese puff scenes took!

-- Posted by: dpgr at April 20, 2009 11:14 AM

so informative, thanks to tell us.

-- Posted by: DedoVioheds at September 29, 2010 7:08 PM

Got something to say? Post a comment:

Subscribe to this post's comments feed Subscribe to this post's comments feed   (What's this?)













More Recent Stories:
Steve Carell Leaving 'The Office'
The Office: Whistleblower Review
Read Dwight & Angela's "Office" Baby Contract
The Office: The Chump Review
The Office: The Cover-Up - Review
Could The Office Survive Without The World's Best Boss?
The Office: Body Language - Review
The Office: Secretary's Day - Review
The Office: Happy Hour - Review
Rainn Wilson Wants Your Soul ... Pancake