Have we? We’ve seen that Michael is a fantastic salesman, and I actually would have liked it if he’d veered into that territory with his speech. He could have shown everyone how good a salesman he is and how to be a good one.
He sure managed to slam Ryan pretty well.
But we have never seen Michael has any sort of competence at all in running a business. Just in being a salesman.
-Joe
What did Michael say were the four kinds of business? I remember the fourth was “Sales” and one of them was “Hospitals and Manufacturing.” I think he named six.
Roy is definitely trying too hard, and Pam knows it. I got the feeling that he was going out of his way to say what he thought she wanted to hear, and it looked like Pam did too. That’s why she was so touched by Michael’s genuine appreciation and excitement for her work. He really loved what she did - it wasn’t a ploy to get something for himself. That was a great moment between them, and made the whole episode worth it for me (especially after the mess last week).
I thought the artwork they created for Pam was perfect. It was all technically good, if very traditional, but the subject matter was so boring and soulless. It’s like she has no life outside the office, which I guess is kind of true. At least she didn’t draw a bunch of cute kittens or something.
Roy’s intentions:
I need to show Pam that I have really changed so things can go back to how they were.
It didn’t take him very long to fall back into his old ways and it took even less time for Pam to catch on.
That’s weird. The HD went out and we lost sound for a big chunk of the show early on. I called our local affiliate, and they said it was “network problems”. But nobody here has mentioned any problem. Did I get conned by the local broadcaster?
Tourism, food service, railroads, sales, plus hospitals/manufacturing and air travel.
Plus the five Goliaths that America is facing: Al Qaeda, global warming, sex predators, mercury poisoning, and …
While the Dwight believing Jim was changing into a vampire was a little far-fetched, I loved Karen’s “acting” as part of the charade. It had a great b-movie quality to it.
It went out here. They started broadcasting the “postage stamp”.
And Creed had all the tools necessary to turn a mop into a sharpened stake. And then the final of shot of Dwight about to leap fiercely into a battle to the death with Count Jim clutching his fearsome weapon which is still attached to the mophead 
And ditto for the HD signal going weird.
I came here just to quote that line. It almost had me on the floor laughing - he was so serious when he said it.
My other favorite Dwight quote was “You’re Welcome” after he almost suffocated Meredith[sup]*[/sup] with a garbage bag.
[sup]*[/sup]I think that’s her name, although I think Angela called her Mary Beth in this ep. She’s the one that likes to drink.
It was Creed that called her Mary Beth, I think. Which fits. Creed doesn’t know who 80% of the office is.
I liked Pam’s art as well.
The sound went out here too (triad NC). Sounded like the effects track was still there, but not the voice. I switched to the affiliate’s regular broadcast channel as quickly as possible but still missed a few lines.
Since getting HD I’ve noticed problems like this now and then. I don’t think they have got the whole HD thing down yet. Either the equipment is not quite perfected or the technicians haven’t learned how to use it yet.
Pam’s art was amateurishly done on purpose. She (and her art) was meant to look like a pair of brown shoes at a tuxedo convention. She was supposed to be outclassed and played the part perfectly.
I think Roy doesn’t so much love her as much as he loves “it” (apologies to Seinfeld). Maybe she becomes a wild thang in the sack.
Yeah- that’s what I meant. It was a nice choice.
I thought this was one of the better episodes of late, but I partially agree with the criticism that Micahel was too incompetent during his talk. I was especially put off when asked the question about what he would do if a custmoer wanted to leave for one of the big 5. I think that fell right into Michael’s strength, his ability to communicate with customers and get them to team with D-M. But he just gave a buffonish answer.
Exactly. I like how he pointed out that no one else from work came and he brought his brother. Then he stayed for just enough time (in his mind) to make the gesture worthwhile.
I thought it was consistent with the character. Michael becomes a buffoon when he is under pressure to perform his what he sees as his “real calling” - making people laugh, public speaking, being a cool manager. When he is not under self-imposed pressure, ironically, is when he is performing his real job- selling the business, sticking up for his employees, etc.
Another thing about Roy is that he just showed up because he knew he was supposed to do so. Michael showed up because he really wanted to support Pam and he was sincerely proud of her.
Funny, I thought the understatement was what made it particularly hilarious. As soon as Jim put his hand up to his neck, I knew roughly what was coming, but the way they played it was still a pleasure to watch. I love that he didn’t say or do anything too overtly out of normality. And Karen was fun, too. “Jim this *garlic * bread is cold.” Then of course the awesome shot of Jim looking over his shoulder as he leaves (thank you, Joss!).
Similarly, I loved how they did the art show. I’m no aficionado, but it was clear to me how pathetic Pam’s art was compared to the rest of the show, without her art being bad or ugly in any real sense. Gil and Oscar’s comments were right on.
No, not at all. It’s just that Pam’s art happened to intersect with Michaels obsession - that his office is meaningful, the only place where people love him and he belongs. His reverence was sincere, but more due to the subject of the art than the quality of the art itself. However, genuine appreciation was just what Pam needed at that moment, regardless of the details.
As for Creed, here are two other interactions with Meredith (a/k/a Mary Beth) that I remember. First, he had put in a complaint that he wanted his desk moved closer to “the receptionist” because he was tired of looking at “the redhead.” Second, when Angela and Meredith are eating lunch, Angela has a snit about something and storms off. Creed sits down, starts eating her lunch, and says to Meredith, “Andrea’s the office bitch - you’ll get used to her,” as though Meredith is a new employee. Gotta love Creed!
Great ep! Loved the subtle (well not that subtle) vampire joke with Joss Whedon directing. I’m guessing that was gentle poke from the writers to him.