# The Office 12/4 "The Surplus" (spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 5, 2008, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-12-4-the-surplus-spoilers/475800 "2008-12-05T02:47:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![accidentalyuppie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@accidentalyuppie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/accidentalyuppie)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-12-4-the-surplus-spoilers/475800/21 "2008-12-05T13:58:37Z")
> [@Electronic\_Chaos](#): > > Am I the only one wondered why they didn’t just get a $2000 copier and spend the rest on chairs? I mean, a $150 chair is usually a pretty nice one. And $2000 is going to get you a really nice copier. I was obsessing on that as well. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-12-4-the-surplus-spoilers/475800/22 "2008-12-05T14:04:02Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > You don’t buy a copier. You lease a copier. You buy chairs. Exactly. I’m all “wtf? buy a copier? who does that?” I loved the quick cutaway from Michael in the kitchen when he said “Motherf-” & cut to the talking head in the fur coat. Also liked when Pam was putting on lipstick & tousling up her hair. I was hoping she’d be in a button-down shirt so she could unbutton an extra one & go into Michael’s office to tease him a bit more, but that’s just me. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-12-4-the-surplus-spoilers/475800/23 "2008-12-05T14:34:54Z")
> [@Electronic\_Chaos](#): > > And $2000 is going to get you a really nice copier. Disagree. In an office with a large paper volume, a “really nice” copier is going to run you between $15K and $20K. I remember spending $30K for a high-speed copier in one office I ran (did it with year-end funds, too!). $2,000 would get them another crappy copier like they had. Also, good ergonomic chairs can run upwards of $400-$500 each. Back to the episode: I thought this one was a big improvement over last week’s muddled mess. The plots are seldom plausible in this series, but they’re not supposed to be. Like the original series, this is a send-up of reality; essentially just short of slapstick. So if you can suspend belief, you then have to judge the show on its writing, editing, directing and acting. There were at least some laugh-out-loud moments, and the editing was crisp. Jim’s shudder after Pam leaned in to tell him he was “on dangerous ground” was funny, as were several other elements of the ep. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-12-4-the-surplus-spoilers/475800/24 "2008-12-05T14:46:32Z")
Burlington Coat Factory is just “up da line” from Scranton, close to “The Eynon.” Maybe a 15 minute ride with average traffic. And yes, $645 makes you royalty there. I felt pretty damn regal last week with just $100 in my pockets. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-12-4-the-surplus-spoilers/475800/25 "2008-12-05T15:41:52Z")
Plus one of the ideas was fixing up the office – with the asbestos tile in the ceiling. They don’t even own the building. Why would they put money in it? Oscar would have known this stuff. Oh well, they did in the end. I love Andy Bernard. ---
**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:** [December 5, 2008, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-12-4-the-surplus-spoilers/475800/26 "2008-12-05T15:51:11Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > Plus one of the ideas was fixing up the office – with the asbestos tile in the ceiling. They don’t even own the building. Why would they put money in it? Oscar would have known this stuff. Oh well, they did in the end. Toby: Indoor air pollution is the silent killer. Michael: No - you’re the silent killer! Go back to the annex! ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-12-4-the-surplus-spoilers/475800/27 "2008-12-05T16:12:08Z")
> [@mshar253](#): > > The Bad: You could see where Dwight was taking that “marriage” thing from a mile away. It’s not a real Schrute wedding unless the bridal couple are standing in their own graves. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-12-4-the-surplus-spoilers/475800/28 "2008-12-05T16:19:38Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Toby: Indoor air pollution is the silent killer. > > Michael: No - you’re the silent killer! Go back to the annex! You’ll see. ---
**Author:** ![Trion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Trion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trion)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-12-4-the-surplus-spoilers/475800/29 "2008-12-05T19:57:35Z")
> [@corkboard](#): > > Also liked when Pam was putting on lipstick & tousling up her hair. I was hoping she’d be in a button-down shirt so she could unbutton an extra one & go into Michael’s office to tease him a bit more, but that’s just me. Was it just me or did Pam look a little … enhanced? ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-12-4-the-surplus-spoilers/475800/30 "2008-12-05T20:11:18Z")
Maybe it was with one outside the cardigan and pushed forward they looked enhanced. Maybe it was Kleenex. Maybe she asked Kelly to cover the phones while she ran out to get a Water Bra. Whatever it was, her combination of seductress dressed like Pam worked for me. ---
**Author:** ![Euthanasiast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Euthanasiast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euthanasiast)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-12-4-the-surplus-spoilers/475800/31 "2008-12-05T20:14:47Z")
> [@Frostillicus](#): > > Didn’t Pam realize that she could’ve easily gotten the new chairs from Michael if she had just shown him her tits? And it would have been the best episode EVER! ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-12-4-the-surplus-spoilers/475800/32 "2008-12-05T20:23:42Z")
> [@ShadiRoxan](#): > > At the end when Pam won with the new chairs, Jim handed her something to copy saying he needed three copies. Jim said that once he and Pam became an item that he felt uncomfortable asking her to make copies so he would just do it himself. She won the battle and got her chairs and now he’s going to make her deal with the shitty copier for his stuff from now on. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-12-4-the-surplus-spoilers/475800/33 "2008-12-05T20:58:08Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I thought this one was a big improvement over last week’s muddled mess. The plots are seldom plausible in this series, but they’re not supposed to be. Like the original series, this is a send-up of reality; essentially just short of slapstick. I liked it a lot for that reason. Especially when everyone is being so nice to Michael and he is lapping it up like he’s so happy and oblivious to why. He just wants friends–“Best lunch ever!” high five ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-12-4-the-surplus-spoilers/475800/34 "2008-12-05T21:15:24Z")
I imagine that Pam and Jim went home that day and had hot monkey loving all over the place. Nothing like a little threats and competition to get the old juices flowing. 😃 Did Michael eat the tiramisu out of Pam’s garbage? I don’t recall him coming in with a container, and he said later something about Pam being spoiled and, “throwing a perfectly good dessert away just because it has a little hair on it.” Oscar probably knows about the asbestos and stuff - Oscar knows a lot of stuff, apparently. I liked his line, “You KNOW, Michael, don’t you?” And then easily tricks him into admitting it. Oh, Dwight, you poor stupid bastard. Oh, Andy, you poor, stupid bastard. Oh, Angela, you ball-breaking bitch. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-12-4-the-surplus-spoilers/475800/35 "2008-12-05T21:40:15Z")
I’m convinced that underneath that uptight bitch exterior, Angela is a wildcat in the bedroom. A wildcat, I tells ya. ---
**Author:** ![Ichbin\_Dubist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ichbin\_Dubist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichbin_Dubist)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-12-4-the-surplus-spoilers/475800/36 "2008-12-05T21:58:16Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > Did Michael eat the tiramisu out of Pam’s garbage? I don’t recall him coming in with a container, and he said later something about Pam being spoiled and, “throwing a perfectly good dessert away just because it has a little hair on it.” That’s what they were implying. And I also recall that the tiramisu tumbled out of its plastic container on the way down. Urgh. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-12-4-the-surplus-spoilers/475800/37 "2008-12-05T22:46:51Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > I liked his line, “You KNOW, Michael, don’t you?” And then easily tricks him into admitting it. But you notice Oscar didn’t tell him he could have gotten the bonus. He never mentioned the option; he told Michael **only** that the money had to be spent. It would have more ethical on his part to have told Michael that a) they could spend the money and get it in the budget next year, or b) they could not spend the money and Michael would get the bonus and they would not get it in the budget next year. Of course, that would mean Oscar would have to explain it to Michael in terms a _4-year-old_ could understand. Shutting up was the best part of valor here. ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-12-4-the-surplus-spoilers/475800/38 "2008-12-05T22:49:30Z")
Did anyone else notice Michael pouring sugar into what looked like an energy drink:eek:? ---
**Author:** ![Ichini\_Sanshigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/d9b06d/32.png) [@Ichini\_Sanshigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichini_Sanshigo)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-12-4-the-surplus-spoilers/475800/39 "2008-12-05T23:13:23Z")
I saw that! Is the man not getting enough sleep or what? ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-12-4-the-surplus-spoilers/475800/40 "2008-12-05T23:26:31Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > You’ll see. Yeah, that was interesting! A foreshadowing if ever there was one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-12-4-the-surplus-spoilers/475800.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-12-4-the-surplus-spoilers/475800.md?page=3)