I identify too much with Michael’s “blind spot” to objectively talk about his character.
I’m an Awkwardosaurus Rex.
Of course she’s not, she never pretends to be and her emotions are still entirely justified if inappropriately expressed.
She ‘made’ her mom cry by calling to ask how she could possibly think dating her boss was a good idea especially given how often she’s complained about him. Of course her mom has the right to date who she wants, but Pam also has a right to be angry that she not only crossed into her space, but did it with one of the people she cannot stand. I really don’t see her getting this angry, or angry at all for that matter, if if her mom had hooked up with Toby.
Your point about her reaction being tied up in feelings of superiority is rendered moot by the reaction of just about everyone in the office upon hearing the news. It’s only after Michael plays on their emotions that they give a mumbled approval, only to have that sentiment completely undermined when they again turn in disgust after Pam says, “Fine, sleep with everyone’s mom.” The simple fact is that Michael is not the kind of person that many people want tangled up in their personal life. You can misguidedly call it superiority, high school cliquishness, or whatever you want. The point that remains is that it’s pervasive, long running, and nearly absolute. At some point you have to admit it’s not everyone else in the world, it’s Michael. And despite your personal indifference about whom your parents sleep with, I’m willing to wager that most adults would be very uncomfortable if it was their boss, never mind a boss with the character of Michael.
She definitely didn’t pose for the picture and didn’t know that it was being taken. She certainly didn’t consent to him sharing it with one of their co-workers.
He doesn’t, in general, mistreat women. Jan was worse to him on any given day than he was to her in total. That said, the picture incident was a dick move on his part. Right?
The picture incident was at the beginning of their relationship, before Jan was abusive towards him. Anyway, some one else’s bad behaviors should not be used to justify your own.
Well, Michael’s accident-prone.
Or Dio’s expressed an opinion and by the God he doesn’t believe in, he’ll defend it unto death.
This has been a subtle running theme for a little while now.
The writers are trying to point out that being a competent manager can be a tough job. Jim’s spent years thinking he’d be so much better than Michael, but I think the show’s been trying to point out that his cynicism and laid-back attitude can be problems just as Michael’s naivete and overeagerness can be. In the end, Jim’s still going to do better because he has empathy and a sense of propriety, but he’s definitely going to take lumps.
The writers have known all along that the show won’t work if Michael’s completely unlikeable or if Jim and Pam are treated like perfect. This episode did a good job of showing the flawed side of the protagonists, I think.
Do you really think that Michael dating Pam’s mom will not harm Pam in anyway? Unless Michael breaks up with Pam’s mom (which I hope he won’t,) I’m willing to bet that the next few episodes will prove you wrong.
Pam’s mom knew how Pam felt about Michael but she went out with him anyway, with what seems like little regard for how this will affect Pam. Michael most definitely did not think about Pam. And that is what Pam is so upset about. Michael and her mom have been disregarding her feelings for a long time now and he she has consistently put up with them. Now both of them have done something again without considering her feelings at all. I would be pissed too.
Maybe you feel that Pam is the one that has to bear the burden for this latest act of selfishness from her mom and Michael, but I think she has suffered enough from their childish behavior. In the end Pam will probably be the one that caves in because she has a lot more empathy than either Michael or her mom does. She’ll let them date because she’ll calm down and put their happiness ahead of her own. She’ll do it in part because she’s a pushover, but also because she’s a caring and understanding person. A lot more so than either Michael or her mom.
No, I don’t think so, it was just klutzy, not intentionally mean, and I don’t believe she was asleep when the picture was taken. I don’t remember them ever saying that.
None.
It doesn’t affect Pam whatsoever. It’s none of her business. Neither Michael or her mom is doing anything to her. She has no right to butt into their relationship. It doesn’t involve her. It doesn’t harm her. It doesn’t concern her. She needs to butt the fuck out.
double post
She was upset that the picture was sent. Micheal knew damn well that she would be upset if the picture was shared, especially if it was with someone else at the company. He shared it anyway.
(She may not have been sleeping but it was taken without her knowledge.)
It’s a reach to use that as a justification for Pam’s behavior.
I disagree. I think Pam has legitimate concerns that this relationship will affect her negatively. Either Michael will do something stupid to her mom and she will have to deal with her, or Michael will get hurt and Pam will have deal with the fallout at work. I can’t imagine Michael not dragging Pam into this relationship and asking her for help when it goes bad. Michael isn’t mature enough to do that.
If you still think Pam has nothing to worry about, then you trust Michael’s character a lot more than I do. We’ll have to wait until next week to see who’s right.
I thought this was a great episode, in part because Pam was being a “total bitch”. I don’t think we’ve ever seen anything close to this kind of anger from Pam before and her behavior was totally inappropriate for work. At the same time, it was clear why she was so upset.
I think her coworkers (and most viewers) could understand her feelings even if they disapproved of how she expressed them. In the conference room scene it was funny to see the rest of the office struggling with the question of where their sympathies should lie.
We’ve seen Jim behaving in a Michael-esque way before, but in this episode Pam also reminded me a bit of Michael…at his worst. Although he’s not typically so hostile, Michael has a tendency to interrupt meetings that he does not find interesting, change the subject to whatever he’s focused on at the time, and has certainly never been able to keep his personal issues out of the office.
As for the duck (mallard!) subplot, I thought it was funny…then a little too silly…and then with the final scene FANTASTIC. 
What Lakai said.
If Pam could trust Michael to keep the relationship out of the workplace, she might be able to sit back and let Helene find out for herself what kind of guy Michael is. How did he say it to Michael? “I have a new lover?” Not “girlfriend” or “relationship” but “lover”. Michael wants everyone to know when he’s getting some. That irks me. He’s not 17 anymore.
However, if Helene is anything like Holly, she might be able to overlook Michael’s flaws and bring out the best in him. We haven’t seen enough of Helene to know.
I liked the episode because Pam overreacted. She’s always seemed rather demure to me, and I was glad to see her let off some steam.
Holly coming back could be interesting. Maybe Michael and Helene end up having a great relationship and Pam not only accepts but enjoys it. Then Holly comes back and Pam has to fight to save the relationship.
For those who watched Parks and 30 Rock, what was with the whole ‘volunteer’ theme last night? Seems weird that everyone of these shows, touched on this in unison. Parks with a PSA at the end of it too. Not sure about Community.
It is Volunteer week. Many of the daily comics had something today or this week as well.