• I felt beyond sorry for Michael when he was so upset about Ed Truck's death. He was making a big deal out of it because he didn't want his employees to behave that way when he died.
• Michael was able to make me see the truly lonely person inside of him. I had forgotten about Michael's main problem with the whole Jim/Pam thing going on (which I will talk about a little later). But when I was watching this episode, I remembered Take Your Daughter To Work Day, and I remember how I found out that what Michael wanted was not to be lonely, and the only way he knew how to do that was to make people part of his 'family', hence why he wanted to have a hundred kids and have all of them be his friends.
• But I saw this episode today, and I truly felt that the people in his office should have by now recognized his loneliness and made an effort to make him feel better. And for so long people just ignored him.
• But when Pam went through all that trouble to make a box for the bird and make the funeral a metaphor to Ed Truck, I think that was a good move on her part towards Michael. She is always the one who takes on this responsibility to make Michael feel better, like in The Dundies, where she starts cheering for him after the others at Chili's are making fun of him.
• I think the only way people in the office can expect more from Michael is by treating him like a peer and not just ignoring him.

• The only other part of the episode I wanted to mention is when we see Jim go through loads of trouble to get the girl in the Stamford office her chips. I really think that now that Pam is free to pursue, he shouldn't give up on her.

On another note - my brother-in-law emailed me last night and asked "Why is Pam not with Jim!?" I've been asked this question a lot. Here is how it breaks down:

1. On Casino Night (in May) – Jim tells Pam he is in love with her and wants to be more than friends. She says, "I can't." Later, Jim kisses Pam. She responds but then pulls away. Jim says, "So you're really going to marry him?" And Pam nods "Yes." Jim says "Okay" and leaves.
2. Jim transfers to Stamford – This is in May. We know he transfers because in his conversation with Jan on Casino Night she asks him if he's told anyone about the fact that he's accepted the new job.
3. Pam reveals that she called off her wedding 6 days before the wedding. Her wedding date was June 10th. So, Jim has been in Stamford for about one month* at this point. They haven't been speaking as Jim made it clear he cannot be "just friends". (I think it would be pretty awkward to assume they've been in contact over this time.)

People want to know why she hasn't called Jim all this time but you have to look at it realistically…she just got out of a 10 year relationship with her high school sweetheart. When she called off the wedding, Jim had already been living in Stamford. She has no idea what he is doing there. Maybe he has a girlfriend but even if he doesn't, what are they going to do? Have a long distance romance? I'm sure she's thought of it but it's awkward. She's not the type of person who takes a lot of initiative.

And now, it's been 6 months since she called off the wedding. She's never lived on her own. She's never had the chance to figure out who she is without a man in her life. She went on a date because Kelly set her up. I think we all know that Kelly can be pretty persuasive. She had probably been bugging Pam for a month and Pam finally broke down. But, she hasn't dated since. She's just trying to figure things out

However, i do feel that Jim has grown a little. Maybe not as much as say, Pam, but the mere fact that he's moved on (or seems like he's moved on) is growth enough. Plus, i think, for someone who was so stuck to routine, the fact that he transferred anyway was probably a huge step for him. And yes, he does have the "cutest damn smile" :)

Question: Isn't it possible that Dwight's Grandad being 're-buried' in the Oil Drum explains how Dwight came to be wearing 'the suit his Grandad was buried in' in ...was it Casino Night?

Can't say I thought this was a ground-breaking episode...But they're laying a strong, subtle foundation, thats for sure. And I don't think anyone who's a fan is in it for the instant gratification side of things :)

Did anyone catch the fact that Dwight said "reburied his grandfather in the oil drum"? Remember in Casino Night when he said that they originally buried his grandfather in the tux he was wearing, so "family heirloom." In Grief Counseling they cut to Dwight shoving the bird into a similarly shaped soda can.

Were the writers hinting that Dwight dug up his grandfather and reburied him in the oil drum? If so, the upcoming Schrute beet farm episode hinted about during a recent interview, should be terrifying and hilarious to say the least.