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First again?

Can't wait can't wait CAN'T WAIT!

Holy crap, is Packer actually going to be IN this episode and not just on the phone?

Damn, not enough PACKER!!!

Awesome episode! This season just keeps getting better and better.

Actually, this season's been good so far but not nearly as good as last season. But this one was one of the best.

My reason for saying that is that season 3 has been more plot-driven than anything. It's been all about what's going on with the characters and less about general funny business around the office.

The plot does need forwarding, but eps. like this one are a breather because they kind of set the plot aside and just focus on funny stuff going on (with exception to Karen confronting Pam about her feelings for Jim).

Where is Andy?
What son is Michael talking about? My husband says Jan is pregnant but I think he is making that up.

I loved how Pam told Ryan to set her up with some one of his business friends or something like that. It was slap in the face to Jim, which he deserved. He's still with Karen! arggg!

I have been loving this season, but this episode was definitely not up to its usual standards. There were some truly hilarious moments, as always, but it was a disappointment overall. Very few people seemed to behave in a way true to their character, especially spastic Pam who just oozed desperation. And what happened to Oscar...again?

I don't know, maybe I'm alone in this opinion, or I'll change my mind after a second and third viewing of the episode. It has happened before. :-)

I thought the episode was very funny.

Throughout the episode, however, I kept noticing how awkward things are right now for Pam. I felt so bad when she couldn't even have a normal conversation with Jim in the kitchen.

-Anthony

I'm with Emily...not my favorite episode...not VERY funny to me (this time around) and just kind of..."let's waste time 'til we figure out what to do with Pam, Jim and Karen." I mean, shouldn't the parties been more funny?? BUT, I love The Office, love the characters and I may stand alone in this, but I would LOVE for Jim to commit to Karen 100%.

Another thought, and I'm sure I stand alone on this, Pam was kind of 'silly'. I guess my thing is that she didn't want Jim until he was with someone else and that's never nice. :)

I really liked this episode, but feel the need to rant:

A) Karen needs to shut up. For serious. Because if Jim wanted Pam to know that he told Karen they'd kissed, he would have. Ok, probably not, but whatever. And stop trying to be all buddy-buddy with Pam; you're just torturing her. Back off Filipelli.

B) I thought Pam's dream speech was perfect and awkward and ridiculous and everything that Jim and Pam are right now. She's freaked out and desperate and trying not to show it. Which she's never had to do before. Give her some credit.

C) I LOVED that Pam said what she did in front of Jim. Too bad Halpert. Pam needs to date casually and build up her confidence. Tell herself that she's hot and fun and desirable and then just lay it on Jim when she's ready. POWER PAM!

I thought this episode was really funny, but nothing up to past episodes and especially not up to second seasons. I want the whole situation with Pam and Jim resolved, aka I want Karen to leave. It is agony to watch Pam and Jim be in pain and it kinda puts a downer on the show because I just feel sorry for them..The best parts of The Office are the relationships Michael and Dwight, Dwight and Jim, AND Jim and Pam, it;s just not the same without that open chemistry. I am patiently waiting for something to happen...hopefully it will be soon..: )

No one has yet mentioned Roy! I fell in love with him and forgave him and i take him back!!!

I agree with S. This is the first episode I fell totally in love with Roy. How sweet was he when he said that he found Pam's art sexy? You know that last season he would have been all over the stripper, but now that he realizes he's lost Pam, he just doesn't even care. He was so cute and sweet, especially when he just walked away from the stripper.

Poor Pam. She was totally trying to flirt with Jim like he used to flirt with her, and she was just a disaster at it. Very sad. I do think she needs to get out there and date some. I bet Ryan could set her up with some nice people...hopefully better than who Kelly set her up with.

Where is Toby?

I think we learned in the Producer's Cut of the Return that Andy is off at Anger Management for 6 weeks. Or 10. Or something. I just know he's going to get through his (anger) management course in 5 weeks. How? Name repetition, etc....

I really, really enjoy the Pam/Karen dynamic when there is no Jim involved. Pam actually does seem to like Karen, and it's nice that Pam has someone closer to her own age and mentality to goof around with when Jim is off somewhere. During the Ben Franklin scene they were so nice together...it reminded me of the Christmas ep.

I LOVED the stripper. Especially when Michael walked into the break room, called her "stripper", and she said: "Secret secrets are no fun. Secret secrets hurt someone." Ha!

I think the problem with this episode was that there were a lot of questions going in that never got resolved. Actually, I think as a whole, a lot of the plot points never seemed to get fleshed out fully. I loved the premise, especially the whole Ben Franklin-instead-of-male-stripper thing that Jim pulled, but it never really got anywhere IMO. I think they might have tried to fit too many things into a short episode, and it might have worked better if it were longer.

I have to disagree with the above comment about Jim and Pam getting together though. The entire beauty of the relationship is that one thing or another has kept them apart. Them getting together too early would ruin the show. I like Karen though, and I don't see anything wrong with her befriending Pam (Actually Pam befriended Karen) or her wanting to know what happened between her and Jim, especially when neither of them seem to be revealing the whole story in her eyes.

I think I know what's going on here. I think we got a little too close to seeing Jim and Pam together a little too soon in the season. I predict we'll see a new "business school" guy for Pam for a little while, (about the same level as Karen is to Jim) that will drag on a bit throughout the season, cause us all (and Jim) a good amount of stress about the whole situation, and then have another crazy moment in the season finale, remnant of "Casino Night?"

Ya know, after last season, and Jim moving on, I became a very big Jim and Karen fan. I thought Pam screwed up and sorta deserved what she got (and I really like Karen and think she's great for Jim). Pam had her chance (chances, many) and blew it. ...However, even after accepting that, seeing Jim and Pam back together in their old form (the cell phone prank on Andy was BRILLIANT by the way) I can't help but root for her. I mean let's face it, they belong together. They just do.

Has everyone forgotten the highlight of the episode?

Packer is back, and more awesome than ever!

My guess: Pam's frustration leads her to a tentative reconciliation with Roy next week at Phyllis' wedding, propelling the entire love quadrilateral towards a big confrontation at the end of the season.

I actually liked Pam's comment at the end to Ryan: Jim was being wayyy too condescending while joking about Pam's sparks with Ben Franklin, and it was nice to see him get his comeuppance.

I agree with the abover posters, this episode was definitely lacking in laughs. The two funniest ppl of the ep, IMO, were Angela and Ryan.

I'm with Emily; this episode wasn't up to the usual standards of the show. Having said that, I'll also add that I'd rather watch a "bad" episode of this show than a "good" episode of pretty much anything else! But still, I was a little disappointed - the characters just seemed a little "off" for some reason.

Why in the world are some of you glad Pam was a b**** to Jim at the end. He's already laid it out for her that he loves her.You can defend Pam till your blue in the face but I'm kind of getting tired of her and the way she's been acting. Poor thing has two great looking guys in love with her.

The weakest episode of the season. The stripper storyline was misguided--- there's no way Todd Packer would have missed her show, but if he had been there he would have gladly volunteered for the full-on lap dance and the NBC censors would have blown a gasket. Therefore, we were stuck with Michael's awkwardness. There should have been some mention of Andy: he's been so strong the last few weeks, and his absence was jarring. Pam's behavior was out-of-character, as was Roy's--- it was like watching Bizarro Office. Finally, anytime Michael goes off the reservation (like hiring strippers during business hours) we should be treated to a confrontation between him and Toby. I really missed that.

"you smell like Tide"

!Achtung-en!

Speaking of the absensce of Andy... Where was Oscar?

Glad Andy's off.
Back to normal with Dwight doing everything Michael says.
Now all they need to do is get Karen off.
The show was very boring this week. Perhaps the first time ever. I almost quit watching it. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!!!!

In the producers cut we see the Andy is going to a "management program" it is actually anger management... but he still tries to munipulate his way to the top...

What's with all this craziness? This episode was awesome! From the beginning with Michael and his tape, to Ben Franklin hitting on Pam. It was great! I liked Pam getting some payback on Jim. He was being a little too smug. Anyway after seeing more than half of the season, I've been having some thoughts of where season 3 might be going.

1) I believe Andy will make a comeback and go after Michael and put his job in jeopardy. If Michael gets fired at the end of this season, the beginning of next season will focus on Dwight getting him back. (Kind of like what Michael did for Dwight but it will last for more than an episode.)

2) As far as Pam and Jim are concerned, I think they will hook up at the end of this season. Three seasons is long enough. (Even Ross and Rachel hooked up after season two.) I believe Roy will be the final hurdle in this marathon.

These are just some of my feelings of where this season might be headed. Please tell me what you guys think. Not as great as season 2 but still a pretty darn good season.

Guess I'm the only one that liked it.

I liked it too, I didn't think it was all that weak. I loved Dwight and Ben's interactions.

A Guys' Afternoon In. A GAI.

I'm not sure if this would be considered a spoiler or not, so I'll just post a link to a news article discussing Andy and Karen's futures at Scranton.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070201/tv_nm/helms_dc

Check it out if you're interested.

-Anthony

The article seems to infer that Karen won't be staying. I guess that makes sense though when you think about that she only transferred because of Jim and she'll probably leave once they break up.

I'll agree that this episode felt weird... usually the painfully awkward moments come at Michael's expense, but this time they were all Pam's. I felt so bad for her. And i think this episode was definitely trying to portray Karen in a little more negative light... we have grown to like her over this season, and this time she just seemed clingy (that time she hugged Jim in the middle of the office for no real reason? come on...) and pushy.

Ben Franklin was great, though. We always knew people like that are skeezy in real life. And Dwight's "Battle of the Nerds" with Ben was the highlight of the day, perfectly timed to leave a good taste in our mouths after a slightly unsatisfying episode.

I need to watch this episode again. I totally forgot about Karen's hugging Jim. I dunno, seemed a bit childish, just to stick it to Pam.

-Anthony

I hope people realize that as soon as Jim gets over Karen (which is bound to happen), she'll be the new Jim in a way. She's a nice girl who cares about Jim and goes out of her way to be with him, and yet he doesn't return the affection because of someone else in his life. Unless Karen does something out of character and mean, she'll be as much a victim of fated love as Jim was in season 2.

The fact I can't get over regarding Pam is that even after breaking up the wedding, she never expressed her feelings for Jim. If you have the guts to call off a wedding, you should have had the guts to share your feelings for someone. And she had months to call before Karen even came into the picture.

I love this show, but one thing that irritates me about it is that in 3 years, nobody on the show has watched themselves. On the British Office, the events took place over a matter of weeks and by the special, everyone had seen the show and knew what each other thought and said. In this version, a film crew has been there for years now (example: numerous Christmases), and the workers continue to give interviews for a show that apparently never airs. To me, this element makes the show more and more unbelievable every episode, especially when it comes to the relationships in the office.

Ok, I tried to like Karen. I really did. But she is just becoming plain annoying.

Where was Andy?!?!?!?!

I LOVED Pam's sleeping speech. It seemed very real, like something you would say to a guy you like just so you could talk to him, like in high school or something.

For some strange reason, I really liked Michael in this ep. He was so up for the lap dance, but when it actually occurred he was completely out of it. "You smell like Tide..." I dunno, that just kinda stuck with me.

And my favorite part- the cold open, with the video. It was so Michael-esque. Anytime you give Dwight a video camera, it's going to be awesome. My first thought was "OMG IS JAN PREGNANT????" And then of course, he had to give a weird story about how he almost "died". The jump starting a car- brilliant. "What if he murders you?" "He won't murder me." "What if that's how you die?"

I can't believe no one has mentioned this yet (ahem)..... SHUT UP ANGELA!!!!!

CDog, I was thinking that a few weeks ago, about the documentary. A lot of times, I forget that it even is a mockumentary, mostly when I get so into the plot that I tune that out. You could make the case that it's going to be cut and edited as a 5 or 10 year look at life at Dunder Mifflin :-)

a sneak peak at the upcoming Threat Level Midnight Movie Poster is now up at my MySpace page (prisondwigt) for all you Dunderheads and Northern Attackers. More goodies to come.

PD

The tables have turned, and Pam is jealous of Jim's relationship, having none of her own. She's going into flirt mode but has no idea what she's doing.

What's with the Packer obsession, guys? Is he really that funny? He can stay on the road for all I care.

I think some of the awkwardness of this show came with a couple of the character's identity crises, mostly Karen-Jim-Pam (Ka-jam!). That's natural though, and real, which is what makes this show so great. And anyway, Office episodes are always less funny the first time you watch them, and better the second. And the third. Fourth. Etc.

Ephipery!

I loved the Ben shtick. All the dirt about his Parisian girlfriends, syphillis and so on, plus Michael's insistence that BF was once President.

I am stunned that no one remarked on the "Oh no he ISN'T" that was Michael using Dwight as a model for the bra lesson. I laughed hysterically.

Dwight in a bra is something that we can never unsee. It is etched into our retinas for all eternity.

On the NBC site it doesn't list Rashida Jones for next week's episode. I haven't seen any promos for the ep, is she in it or not?

Another hilarious line was when the stripper told Angela she loved her poster (with the babies). What a sting!

Didn't think this episode was as strong as the last few but I look at it as a transitional episode-- what another poster called a breather-- setting up for what will come. Karen's days are numbered. Jim doesn't seem that into it (Karen's interview vs. Jim's on their late night long talks), Karen is still insecure so these talks haven't fixed anything, Pam is acting weird, and of course we know that Ed Helms got cast as a regular but Rashida Jones has not. Sad for Karen b/c she is likeable. I love Jim and Pam together but I also don't know if I want to see them together; that always somehow ruins things on good shows. Kudos to Michael for being in top form, Meredith, and Roy. AND! I love how we catch Ryan smirking/smiling at Todd Packer and Michael being idiots... a rare moment!

This episode was almost embarassing to watch...what's wrong with Mindy Kaling? And for that matter, what's wrong with everyone else, for actually producing this piece of crap? I'll always love this show, but this episode had to be the weakest of the series.

Roy's sexy art comment was pitiful. It was so obvious he was lying...doesn't like strippers? Haha..this is Roy, remember? He'll never change.
Also, this is officially the first episode where I didn't like Pam.

Didn't like Pam? What did she do to make you feel that way?

I feel bad for her. She's stuck in the same position Jim was last season, and it's just as hard for her as it was for him.

Hmm, maybe I'm thinking too deeply about this show, though. I mean, it is just television. But I get so attached to these characters :-)

I just wanted to say to all those people who didn't get Pam's pathetic 'sleep' speech to Jim...right after it finishes, he leaves, she turns her back to the camera says under her breath, really quietly....

'OH MY GOD...'.

The girl was mortified and knew she had rambled on about nothing (like we all do sometimes) in an effort to communicate with Jim, something which is sadly lacking between them these days.

Overall though I agree that this episode seemed a bit odd. Character weirdness.

To be honest, the bizarre change that happened to Kelly early on in the Office has always really got to me. One minute she seemed like a quite conservative Indian woman with principles and the next she has turned into a shallow, make up laden, gossipy, clingy, Bollywood princess...what the hell?

"Michael referred me to a strip place called "Banana Slings"...

something about the way he says it CRACKS ME UP.

I used to like Karen but something I never liked was how she thought she had Jim wrapped arpund her finger. It's nice for her to see (shocker) not every guy in the world is head over heels for her. Also nice to see Jim come to his senses that, yeah, he doesn't like Karen.

Wasn't the line from Michael when talking to Jan "You are the best G.D. girlfriend ever"? as in God damn; not "You are the best cheated girlfriend ever"?

Also, I was wondering where Oscar was.
I think Darryl explains where Toby is in one of the deleted scenes. He left early or somesuch thing.

Re post 51:

Michael definitely says "G-D" girlfriend, not "cheated" girlfriend. I've read reports that the CC said "cheated" but it was incorrect. "Cheated" doesn't really make sense in this context, anyway.

I don't think the stripper's phrase can be attributed to that song... I've heard it a lot before, and it's something that little kids say

Was anybody else struck by the similarity of Karen's "It's not a big deal" to Jim's "it's totally not a big deal" in the kitchen JAM scene from "The Secret." The two scenes are similar in other ways too, but I though that one line was particularly evocative.

re: cheated vs. GD.

There have been numerous errors in closed captioning recently.

(Angela) Curt for Kurt, (Angela) correlated for quarterly, and now (Michael) cheated for G.D. I already wrote a sternly worded e-mail to Caption Max, but they mocked me. Should we start posting on cast myspace pages or here? NBC's complaint page was down the last time I tried. No one seems to care.

one thing to say(ahem)
"Are you near sighted, or far sighted?"
"Both that's why I invented the biphocals."
"Argh!!!"

Come on! This episode was heaps funny. Primae noctis, Guys Afternoon In, the foreman grill, the blurred censorship scene, Michael pretending to have a heart attack, "man-meat", making the stripper answer phones, it was all good. The only thing that bugged was Pam's flirting with Jim, I mean, he has a girlfriend, which makes him 100% off-limits and she should respect that. Geez.