# The Office: 1/18 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 19, 2007, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-1-18/388545 "2007-01-19T02:21:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![brewha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@brewha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brewha)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-1-18/388545/21 "2007-01-19T14:22:30Z")
I loved the ep, but I didn’t understand the Pam-Jim prank on Andy. Why did Jim need Pam to pull it off? Couldn’t he have just stole the phone and chucked it up in the ceiling tiles? I know it was likely just a writer’s ploy to show how well Pam and Jim interact, but they could have done something that required team work. The looks on Jim’s and Pam’s face when they were on the phone and trying to ignore the “Rockin’ Robin” coming from the ceiling was great. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-1-18/388545/22 "2007-01-19T14:35:44Z")
When he took the phone to Pam, Jim asked if there were any messages. I guess he wanted to make sure he didn’t screw up something consequential. I’m reckoning she checked it for messages, and handed it back off to him. ---
**Author:** ![milquetoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@milquetoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/milquetoast)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-1-18/388545/23 "2007-01-19T14:44:03Z")
[QUOTE=brewha] I loved the ep, but I didn’t understand the Pam-Jim prank on Andy. Why did Jim need Pam to pull it off? Couldn’t he have just stole the phone and chucked it up in the ceiling tiles? [/QUOTE] Pam was working as a lookout when Jim was in the breakroom lifting up the ceiling tiles. Also, I think he just wanted someone to share it with from the get-go. It wouldn’t have been as fun for him if he did it on his own and then told people about it later. ---
**Author:** ![Trion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Trion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trion)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-1-18/388545/24 "2007-01-19T14:46:09Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] When he took the phone to Pam, Jim asked if there were any messages. I guess he wanted to make sure he didn’t screw up something consequential. I’m reckoning she checked it for messages, and handed it back off to him. [/QUOTE] No, no, no. The request for messages was the fake reason for talking to Pam as he passed along the phone. (He was pretending to ask Pam if there were any messages for himself.) He needed Pam to block Andy’s view throught the glass to where Jim was on the chair throwing the phone into the ceiling. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-1-18/388545/25 "2007-01-19T14:59:35Z")
I’m so jealous. If I had prank skills like his, I’d never have to work again. I’d just sell my ideas to the masses. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-1-18/388545/26 "2007-01-19T17:22:53Z")
[QUOTE=Kalhoun] I’m so jealous. If I had prank skills like his, I’d never have to work again. I’d just sell my ideas to the masses. [/QUOTE] Then why did he need to pass the phone to her? ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-1-18/388545/27 "2007-01-19T17:28:13Z")
Sorry about that. I could’ve sworn I quoted Trion. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-1-18/388545/28 "2007-01-19T17:36:57Z")
So what happened between Angela and Oscar? I missed those episodes. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-1-18/388545/29 "2007-01-19T17:37:12Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] Then why did he need to pass the phone to her? [/QUOTE] So she could get the phone number from it…and call it. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-1-18/388545/30 "2007-01-19T17:42:20Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] Then why did he need to pass the phone to her? [/QUOTE] What Dio said below. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-1-18/388545/31 "2007-01-19T17:44:52Z")
Okay. I acquiesce to your greater knowledge of these telephonic devices. (Ahoy ahoy!) But… how do you get the number from the phone? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-1-18/388545/32 "2007-01-19T17:49:17Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] Okay. I acquiesce to your greater knowledge of these telephonic devices. (Ahoy ahoy!) But… how do you get the number from the phone? [/QUOTE] Usually it’s on the contacts list. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-1-18/388545/33 "2007-01-19T17:52:51Z")
Well, shit. One day, I’m going to get me one of those newfangled machines that transmits sheets of text over electrical lines. I hear that some can send more than six pages an hour. Then I’ll be caught up with all you young whippersnappers. ---
**Author:** ![Slacker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slacker)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-1-18/388545/34 "2007-01-19T18:15:20Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > But… how do you get the number from the phone? > [@](#): > > Usually it’s on the contacts list. Or you call your own phone with it. ---
**Author:** ![teemingONE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b4bc9f/32.png) [@teemingONE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teemingONE)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-1-18/388545/35 "2007-01-19T18:24:59Z")
From the Producer’s cut: “Hey what happened to Dwight?” - Oscar “You didn’t hear? Decapitated. We had a funeral for a bird.” - Creed. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-1-18/388545/36 "2007-01-19T19:39:27Z")
WoW!!! Was it just me or did the last two episodes feel like a end of season/start of season cliffhanger. IMHO, the writers really schruted it with 1. Andy going psycho so soon. It would have been great to see him go mano a tuna with Jim with Angela playing for good measure. 2. Dwight coming back so soon. Dwight jobhunting and at Staples would have been good for 4-5 episodes. ---
**Author:** ![jrepka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee59a6/32.png) [@jrepka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jrepka)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-1-18/388545/37 "2007-01-19T20:13:17Z")
[QUOTE=Frostillicus] The Andy character is becoming a complete freak, with no traits that anyone can even remotely relate to. Nobody acts that frickin’ weird in an office setting. It is time for Ed Helms to go. [/QUOTE] In one of Jim’s first episodes in Stamford he played a prank on Andy and Andy totally _freaked,_ threatening to kill whoever pranked him. Andy’s been a dick (hey, Andy Dick!) all along. A mere device to show us how reasonable and likeable Dwight really is. Andy is to Dwight as: [ul] [li]George W. is to Reagan;[/li][li]Reagan was to Nixon;[/li][li]Nixon was to Johnson;[/li][li]Marlo is to Avon (Wire fans only);[/li][li]‘According to Jim’ is to ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’;[/li][li]‘Saw’ is to ‘Halloween’;[/li][li]etc…[/li][/ul] [QUOTE=Raygun99] He’s “trapped” in a job he never wanted, a relationship with a person he can’t stand, both of which are keeping him from going to business school, and he’s too afraid of confrontation to quit either. It’s a recipe for a quick trip to Bitter Land. [/QUOTE] Interesting then, that he was teamed up with Stanley last week. How much longer before all Ryan has to look forward to in his life is Free Pretzel Day? ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-1-18/388545/38 "2007-01-19T20:16:58Z")
[QUOTE=jrepka] Interesting then, that he was teamed up with Stanley last week. How much longer before all Ryan has to look forward to in his life is Free Pretzel Day? [/QUOTE] After Kelly pops out her third or fourth kid and he realizes that he is trapped with a capital “pped”. -Joe, only trapped by 1 (So far) ---
**Author:** ![jrepka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee59a6/32.png) [@jrepka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jrepka)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-1-18/388545/39 "2007-01-19T20:47:27Z")
[QUOTE=Frostillicus] The Andy character is becoming a complete freak, with no traits that anyone can even remotely relate to. Nobody acts that frickin’ weird in an office setting. It is time for Ed Helms to go. [/QUOTE] In one of Jim’s first episodes in Stamford he played a prank on Andy and Andy totally _freaked,_ threatening to kill whoever pranked him. Andy’s been a dick (hey, Andy Dick!) all along. A mere device to show us how reasonable and likeable Dwight really is. Andy is to Dwight as: [ul] [li]George W. is to Reagan;[/li][li]Reagan was to Nixon;[/li][li]Nixon was to Johnson;[/li][li]Marlo is to Avon (Wire fans only);[/li][li]‘According to Jim’ is to ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’;[/li][li]‘Saw’ is to ‘Halloween’;[/li][li]etc…[/li][/ul] [QUOTE=Raygun99] He’s “trapped” in a job he never wanted, a relationship with a person he can’t stand, both of which are keeping him from going to business school, and he’s too afraid of confrontation to quit either. It’s a recipe for a quick trip to Bitter Land. [/QUOTE] Interesting then, that he was teamed up with Stanley last week. How much longer before all Ryan has to look forward to in his life is Free Pretzel Day? ---
**Author:** ![jrepka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee59a6/32.png) [@jrepka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jrepka)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-1-18/388545/40 "2007-01-19T20:52:53Z")
wow, a 34 minute hiccup! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-1-18/388545.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-1-18/388545.md?page=3)