With just two episodes remaining this season, I was fully expecting the plot to thicken in the Pam-Jim-Karen romantic triangle, but most of the episode was typical, hilarious “The Office.” Here are some highlights of the group’s visit to the beach (and Michael’s Survivor-esque quest for his replacement):
Marilyn forgot to put on her swimsuit top!
Michael: (to Oscar) “I’m just yanking your chain…not literally.”
Kevin leading the party bus in a rendition of Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler.”
Michael tells poor Toby that he has to stay at the office. As salt in the wound, Pam later tells him that she’ll be wearing a two-piece at the beach. Michael is such a jerk. (I sure hope someday we find out why Michael hates Toby so much.)
Michael: “If you don’t like it, Stanley, you can go to the back of the bus…or to the front of the bus…or drive the bus.”
Michael: “Dwight is an obvious candidate for my job. He has the best sales record in the office. He loves the work. He is, however, an idiot.”
Dwight and Jim’s whole argument about Voldemort (“he whose name should not be spoken”) was classic.
Kelly, when blindfolded, has a fear running into big rocks.
Creed, with his bare hand, can pluck a fish out of the water.
Dwight: (to Angela, after she agrees to sabotage her own team) “If Michael institutes some sort of group hug, stand next to me.”
Oscar: “If either of [Dwight or Andy] are put in charge of the office, I will transfer to Albany; Gil can come if he wants. I’m kind of looking for a way out of that relationship anyway. I think I might try girls for a while. Angela thinks I can cross over. We’ll see.”
Dwight pins Andy in sumo wrestling and screams, “Gryffindore!”
Andy falls into the lake with his sumo outfit on and asks an unwilling Angela to help him.
Michael: “Who’s ahead in points?”
Pam: “I think they’re even. At various times you gave Jim ten points, Dwight a gold star and Stanley a thumbs up. And I don’t really know how to compare those.”
Michael: “Check to see if there’s a conversion chart in my notebook.”
Pam: “I really doubt it, Michael.”
Michael: “Please, just check.”
Michael: (preparing for a fire walk) “The mind has to wrap around the foot.”
Dwight’s f’ed up fire walk was simply beautiful.
That’s all well and good, but at the very end, the show took a GIANT step forward after Pam’s fire walk prompted the following (amazing) monologue:
“Hey, I want to say something. I’ve been trying to be more honest lately and I just need to say a few things. I did the coal walk! I just did it. Michael, you couldn’t even do that. Maybe I should be your boss. Wow, I feel really good right now. Why didn’t any of you come to my art show? I invited all of you. That really sucked. It’s like sometimes some of you act like I don’t even exist. Jim, I called off my wedding because of you and now we’re not even friends. And things are just weird between us and that sucks. And I miss you. You were my best friend before you went to Stamford and I really miss you. I shouldn’t have been with Roy. And there were a lot of reasons to call off my wedding, but the truth is I didn’t care about any of those reasons until I met you. And now you’re with someone else and that’s fine, it’s whatever, that’s not what I’m…OK, my feet really hurt. The thing that – I’m just trying to say to you, Jim, and to everyone else in the circle I guess, is that I miss having fun with you. Just you, not everyone in the circle. OK, I am going to go walk in the water now. Yep. Good day.”
How great was that? It was wonderful to see Pam finally cut loose and make a move on Jim. With just one episode left, and a corporate job in New York hanging in the balance, will Jim once again leave the office? Or will Michael get the job?
I’ll tell you what – I think Karen is the dark horse.
