# The Office "Broke" (Open Spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 24, 2009, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-broke-open-spoilers/494175 "2009-04-24T02:11:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-broke-open-spoilers/494175/41 "2009-04-24T13:16:45Z")
> [@Rubystreak](#): > > This episode put a smile on my face. Michael was brilliant and made me remember why I like him. He played David Wallace like a fiddle, and he was so worried he was going to blurt out, “We’re broke!” Then, he when he did finally say, “Our company is worth nothing,” he did a fantastic recovery and made it into a positive. Pam’s gamble on him paid off. > > I also loved Jim in this episode. He is a good guy who loves Pam and has genuine affection for Michael. He was their inside man and his assist was invaluable. Nice teamwork. I agree with everything you said. The fact that Jim was willing to drag out the conversation with Charles and Dwight, making himself look like more of a moron in Charles’ eyes, says something about his commitment to Pam and Michael. I really loved this episode. Also: \*I’ll start another paper company. Then another one. I have plenty of names. Michael… That’s one of them!\* ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-broke-open-spoilers/494175/42 "2009-04-24T13:36:26Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > What was Charles’ deal with Jim, where did the hate come from? I loved that Charles called Dwight and him both idiots, but Jim could walk away knowing he’d won. When Charles first showed up in the office, Jim was wearing a tuxedo. This is because: 1) he was pranking Dwight for making a fuss about the dress code; and 2) Michael neglected to tell anybody Charles was coming, even though he’d known for several days. So, Charles gained the impression of Jim as a guy who wastes time playing pranks, and who isn’t serious about his job. In one of the deleted scenes online, we see Andy and Dwight playing a prolonged game of pretending to kill each other in gruesome ways, and insisting that Jim act out the part of having been shot, stabbed and grenaded. So Jim, just to shut them up, puts his head down on the desk; Charles comes along at just that moment, and says, “Everybody keep it down! Jim’s taking a nap.” And a number of other times events conspired to make Jim look bad in Charles’ eyes; it’s like karmic retribution for all the pranks he’s played on Dwight over the years. (Highly recommend the deleted scenes online, by the way. Besides sometimes providing additional information, they’re generally hilarious, and allowed me to learn from Michael that “Betrayal . . . is not just a river in Egypt.”) I loved the last shot: Michael with his foot up on the desk, and the whole office framed for a picture. ---
**Author:** ![DudleyGarrett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DudleyGarrett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DudleyGarrett)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-broke-open-spoilers/494175/43 "2009-04-24T13:48:26Z")
The question is now, what’s going to happen to Dwight? He pretty much tried to screw Michael over in a huge way (several times in the past couple of episodes in fact), and neither David nor Charles take him seriously. Is Dwight going to be the new DM receptionist? ---
**Author:** ![teemingONE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b4bc9f/32.png) [@teemingONE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teemingONE)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-broke-open-spoilers/494175/44 "2009-04-24T13:53:51Z")
> [@Baldwin](#): > > (Highly recommend the deleted scenes online, by the way. Besides sometimes providing additional information, they’re generally hilarious, and allowed me to learn from Michael that “Betrayal . . . is not just a river in Egypt.”) Also, the creators consider the deleted scenes to be canon, so watching them can sometimes shed some light on some background events that aren’t explicitly mentioned in the show. ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-broke-open-spoilers/494175/45 "2009-04-24T13:55:09Z")
I was wondering about Dwight’s future also. I wonder if they’ll have a scene where Dwight apologizes and calls him sensei, like a prodigal son. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-broke-open-spoilers/494175/46 "2009-04-24T14:01:43Z")
> [@lost4life](#): > > I was wondering about Dwight’s future also. I wonder if they’ll have a scene where Dwight apologizes and calls him sensei, like a prodigal son. “Hug it out, Bitch.” ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-broke-open-spoilers/494175/47 "2009-04-24T14:34:06Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > What was Charles’ deal with Jim, where did the hate come from? Since Charles showed up, circumstances have conspired to make Jim look like an incompetent slacker every time Charles look his way. I loved the scene in the kitchen. “You two are both morons.” I do think it’s crazy that Ryan would be allowed to come back after having violated federal securities law. We saw Ryan abusing cocaine, but I suspect his recovery included becoming “clean” of alcohol as well. ---
**Author:** ![Mikemike2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikemike2/32/305_2.png) [@Mikemike2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikemike2)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-broke-open-spoilers/494175/48 "2009-04-24T14:34:58Z")
If this was real life, the Scranton branch has a huge problem. Michael won over many of Scranton’s best clients with his skill and promised **lower** prices which he guaranteed over a long time as owner and president. Then he killed his credibility by phoning these clients back and asking for more money. Now he is back with Scranton which he was just trashing to clients, and has to again charge higher prices. Most clients will accept that sometimes a saleman has to make a move and their loyalty is often more to the salesman than to the company (which companies forget over and over). But the clients are going to hate this yo yo ride and feel cheated with the prices. They will seek another company with lower prices and some stability. ---
**Author:** ![Cowboy8467](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5e925/32.png) [@Cowboy8467](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cowboy8467)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-broke-open-spoilers/494175/49 "2009-04-24T14:49:14Z")
I thought it was a really good episode overall, and I do like the way they finished up the MSPC story arc, but there was just one thing that kind of bugged me about the episode. When Dwight goes to Charles and tell him that the MSPC is broke it would have been trivially easy for him to at least call a few clients that defected to Michael and check up on it. While Jim did a good job of making Dwight look crazy I don’t think that somebody in Charles’ position would have given up on that potential groundbreaking news (to them) so easily. Other than that though, good job. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-broke-open-spoilers/494175/50 "2009-04-24T16:01:34Z")
**Mikemike2** , you make an excellent point. I wonder if/how the writers will address it. DM could still honor Michael’s commitment – Jim’s suggestion was a good one. The customers don’t have to know that Michael’s back as manager. **Cowboy8467** , if it hadn’t been for the bees, Charles might have listened to Dwight. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-broke-open-spoilers/494175/51 "2009-04-24T16:18:23Z")
I thought it was a thoroughly enjoyable show. The writers are very careful to set things up so you think you know where it’s going, and then twist them in a way that I, at least, usually can’t predict. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-broke-open-spoilers/494175/52 "2009-04-24T16:30:06Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > Oh, and lest it go unappreciated, it looks like in the end they just gave that Korean woman rides to church. Easier that way, I guess. Or they needed some way for their company to break even. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-broke-open-spoilers/494175/53 "2009-04-24T16:48:12Z")
I don’t think they were giving her rides to church. They gave up trying to stop her from getting on the van, but they just let her sit there without taking her anywhere. ---
**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:** [April 24, 2009, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-broke-open-spoilers/494175/54 "2009-04-24T17:40:03Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > **Mikemike2** , you make an excellent point. I wonder if/how the writers will address it. DM could still honor Michael’s commitment – Jim’s suggestion was a good one. The customers don’t have to know that Michael’s back as manager. That’s what I was thinking. I was wondering that while I was watching, thinking Michael may have burned some bridges, but it’s not as if the clients have to know. Or at least they wont find out right away. > [@Cowboy8467](#): > > I thought it was a really good episode overall, and I do like the way they finished up the MSPC story arc, but there was just one thing that kind of bugged me about the episode. When Dwight goes to Charles and tell him that the MSPC is broke it would have been trivially easy for him to at least call a few clients that defected to Michael and check up on it. While Jim did a good job of making Dwight look crazy I don’t think that somebody in Charles’ position would have given up on that potential groundbreaking news (to them) so easily. > > Other than that though, good job. I agree, I watched the part over and over, it seemed a little choppy in the editing. **AuntiePam** could be right. I think Charles just decided not to bet on that pony anymore. Still it’s something I would have heard him out on. ---
**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:** [April 24, 2009, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-broke-open-spoilers/494175/55 "2009-04-24T17:50:40Z")
Ultimately, I don’t think it would have mattered. Michael basically admitted to David Wallace that his company was broke (or at least worthless). He was playing a different kind of gambit than trying to bluff that MSPC had any future. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-broke-open-spoilers/494175/56 "2009-04-24T17:51:04Z")
Charles mentions Dwight having done a great job. David Wallace: I find that \*extraordinarily \*hard to believe. I was a little disappointed to hear Pam and Jim are having an expensive wedding, but I enjoyed what I saw as a visual reference to The Breakfast Club when they are admitting their secrets – Ryan reminded me of Anthony Michael Hall and the elephant lamp. ---
**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:** [April 24, 2009, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-broke-open-spoilers/494175/57 "2009-04-24T17:56:25Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Ultimately, I don’t think it would have mattered. Michael basically admitted to David Wallace that his company was broke (or at least worthless). He was playing a different kind of gambit than trying to bluff that MSPC had any future. You’re right, but at that time it probably would have taken the wind out of their sails. ---
**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:** [April 24, 2009, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-broke-open-spoilers/494175/58 "2009-04-24T17:56:58Z")
The episode description for the (penultimate) May 7 epsiode says that “Pam and Jim decide to take a secret trip.” I think that could possibly be a hint that they’ll elope. I think I’d rather see that than a drawn out, sentimental wedding episode. ---
**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:** [April 24, 2009, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-broke-open-spoilers/494175/59 "2009-04-24T18:04:33Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > The episode description for the (penultimate) May 7 epsiode says that “Pam and Jim decide to take a secret trip.” I think that could possibly be a hint that they’ll elope. I think I’d rather see that than a drawn out, sentimental wedding episode. That would be nice imho. I was wondering if Jim would end up asking Michael to be the best man, (not that it makes a whole lot of sense after Phyllis’ wedding fiasco, but the writers know the audience isn’t familiar enough with, (or LIKES), either of Jim’s brothers). Or be a part of the wedding at all, even being invited. Eloping might solve that. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-broke-open-spoilers/494175/60 "2009-04-24T18:10:31Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > The episode description for the (penultimate) May 7 epsiode says that “Pam and Jim decide to take a secret trip.” I think that could possibly be a hint that they’ll elope. I think I’d rather see that than a drawn out, sentimental wedding episode. That would be great. It would match the spirit of the rest stop proposal. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-broke-open-spoilers/494175.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-broke-open-spoilers/494175.md?page=4)