# The Office 10/16 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 16, 2009, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-10-16/514033 "2009-10-16T15:18:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-10-16/514033/21 "2009-10-16T22:00:20Z")
I really liked Kevin in this episode, and I don’t think they went too far, (or not far enough), with it. I don’t think Kevin’s a bad person or character, (not trying to think about him in last week’s episode). One may argue that he’s one the closest in the ensemble to resemble traditional, ‘sitcom’ characteristics; But I like him for the same reason Jim chose him while the office was playing; “Who would you do?”. He’s got that “teddy-bear quality”. I thought it was hilarious that we only got a \*TASTE \*of how he accidentally effected the honeymoon, (I think that’s best left to the imagination). When I first saw Brian Baumgartner NOT in character, I was actually quite surprised how little he resembled Kevin. I know his character doesn’t seem like a challenging role, but he seems to put in a lot more to it than some of the other cast members, IMO. For the overall episode, I liked it ok. I did like the ‘Prince Family Paper’ though, which seems to be a low point for many. I think part of my being pleased with it, was that it was a more subtle than recent episodes, more of a stand-alone episode that ended up resolved at the end, and not open ended. Not that I don’t enjoy the occasional episode that deals with serial storylines, I just need a break from that. I like that Toby doesn’t dispute “checking-out” months ago. Sigh… Well my computer’s down. So I can only hope to see what everyone else has to say. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-10-16/514033/22 "2009-10-16T22:57:24Z")
I fully expected the episode to end with a fire breaking out in the warehouse. ---
**Author:** ![Clark\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c77e96/32.png) [@Clark\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clark_K)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-10-16/514033/23 "2009-10-16T23:02:52Z")
Waaay too much stupid in this episode. Every “Office” has some good moments, and this was no exception, but the mafia plot and the Dwight/Andy idiocy was tiresome. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-10-16/514033/24 "2009-10-17T01:28:07Z")
> [@The\_Controvert](#): > > I now hate Kevin. The show is repeatedly hammering the idea that Kevin smells bad, so anytime he is onscreen, I get an intense feeling of revulsion. It angers me that he would intentionally fart up someone else’s enclosed office and when Kevin laid on Jim’s desk, I envision him inadvertantly rubbing his nasty toxic foot sweat everywhere. To me, this is a violation on par with leaving a bowel movement on the carpet and shutting the door so a terrible surprise awaits someone a week later. When I was watching the show I also wondered why on earth Kevin would be such a jerk as to intentionally stink of Jim’s office with his farts, but it strikes me now that he may have been trying to be considerate of his coworkers. Angela and Oscar probably don’t enjoy being around Kevin’s farts, so maybe he figured that since Jim was gone he’d let loose in there where no one else would smell or hear him. > [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > I honestly thought at first that it was really a phishing scam and Kevin was gonna give away Jim’s info to an identity thief. That’s what I thought too! Oh, I agree with those who said that Kevin was trying to help Jim. He thought Jim’s credit card had been stolen and just went along with answering the questions. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-10-16/514033/25 "2009-10-17T02:01:33Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > Angela and Oscar probably don’t enjoy being around Kevin’s farts, so maybe he figured that since Jim was gone he’d let loose in there where no one else would smell or hear him. That’s what the restroom is for. ---
**Author:** ![Fair\_Rarity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fair_rarity/32/153_2.png) [@Fair\_Rarity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fair_Rarity)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-10-16/514033/26 "2009-10-17T02:18:38Z")
The deleted scenes online are very funny for this week. There’s one with Erin that’s funnier than the episode. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-10-16/514033/27 "2009-10-17T16:22:58Z")
> [@The\_Controvert](#): > > That’s what the restroom is for. That would be the obvious place to go, but other people do use the men’s room and might even be in there at the same time as Kevin (not sure if they have multiple stalls/urinals). No one is going to be in Jim’s office for days. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-10-16/514033/28 "2009-10-17T16:53:52Z")
> [@Ruby Sees](#): > > The deleted scenes online are very funny for this week. There’s one with Erin that’s funnier than the episode. Does it have to do with Pam and a painting? Because the DirecTV episode description for this week’s episode was about Erin and Pam, and there was very little Erin and Pam in the ep. I thought DTV got it wrong, but maybe they were describing the deleted scene. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-10-16/514033/29 "2009-10-17T17:12:43Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Meredith: I caught my son taking dump on the uppert part of the toilet seat. He likes to call it an “upper decker”… Has anyone heard that before? Like two hours before the show aired I heard someone else make a comment about doing an upper decker and had no idea what it meant. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-10-16/514033/30 "2009-10-17T18:42:52Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Has anyone heard that before? Like two hours before the show aired I heard someone else make a comment about doing an upper decker and had no idea what it meant. Yes. It’s in the urban dictionary as well. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-10-16/514033/31 "2009-10-17T19:32:33Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Has anyone heard that before? Like two hours before the show aired I heard someone else make a comment about doing an upper decker and had no idea what it meant. Yeah, if I had to guess, I first heard the term in the early-to-mid 90s. I’ve always heard it refer to taking a dump in the top tank of the toilet, not on the seat, though. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-10-16/514033/32 "2009-10-17T19:59:03Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah, if I had to guess, I first heard the term in the early-to-mid 90s. I’ve always heard it refer to taking a dump in the top tank of the toilet, not on the seat, though. Meredith just said the upper part of the _toilet_, nothing about the seat. ---
**Author:** ![Fair\_Rarity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fair_rarity/32/153_2.png) [@Fair\_Rarity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fair_Rarity)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-10-16/514033/33 "2009-10-18T01:20:22Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > Does it have to do with Pam and a painting? Because the DirecTV episode description for this week’s episode was about Erin and Pam, and there was very little Erin and Pam in the ep. I thought DTV got it wrong, but maybe they were describing the deleted scene. yes Everyone misinterprets everything Erin says and are super awful to her. So she just tries to power through it and clean. She sprays the painting Pam made of the building that Michael bought and all the colors started to run. She looked horrified and grabbed it from the wall and ran. The whole thing deserved to be more than a deleted arc. ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-10-16/514033/34 "2009-10-18T09:07:41Z")
I think this were a great episode. It’s getting more Arrested Development-esque with the self-conscious metahumor. Maybe the people who dislike it are looking for realism in the show. Like “would any real person assume that that guy was a mobster?” I’m not looking for that, I’m looking for internal consistenzy of the world they create. “Would the characters as we know them assume the guy was a mobster?” ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2009, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-10-16/514033/35 "2009-10-19T06:48:06Z")
> [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > I like that Toby doesn’t dispute “checking-out” months ago. Best bit of the episode, especially preceded by Oscar’s rising worry about being the only voice of reason remaining in the office. ---
**Author:** ![quixotic78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/3ab097/32.png) [@quixotic78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quixotic78)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-10-16/514033/36 "2009-10-20T05:05:50Z")
Can someone remind me what Ryan does in the office now? He can’t be answering the phones, because that’s Erin’s job, and I thought Michael gave Pam the salesperson position and that there weren’t enough clients for two new salespeople. So what’s Ryan’s job? Fairly meh episode. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-10-16/514033/37 "2009-10-21T00:44:39Z")
> [@quixotic78](#): > > Can someone remind me what Ryan does in the office now? He can’t be answering the phones, because that’s Erin’s job, and I thought Michael gave Pam the salesperson position and that there weren’t enough clients for two new salespeople. So what’s Ryan’s job? I think he’s there as a temp, like he was when the series began. He’s presumably doing whatever office tasks he was doing before, things that don’t clearly fall under anyone else’s job description. I seem to remember Ryan doing data entry in an early episode, and I know he was given tasks like updating the emergency contact list. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-10-16/514033/38 "2009-10-21T03:51:09Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Except the conversation didn’t give ANY indication of what it was for. It was “Mr. Halpert - could I confirm your address? Can you confirm the last 4 digits of your social security number?” THEN they informed him what it was for. Also because there is no way he could have his calls forwarded. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Smitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Smitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smitty)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-10-16/514033/39 "2009-10-21T19:30:47Z")
If you worked in that office, would you forward your phone to your cell on your honeymoon? ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-10-16/514033/40 "2009-10-21T20:21:24Z")
He might as well have. It’s not like they had any trouble contacting him. And it would have prevented that whole credit card issue. But to answer your question, no, I wouldn’t ever forward myself business calls while I’m on vacation. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-10-16/514033.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-10-16/514033.md?page=3)