stinging the competition

This recap is for the fifth episode of the seventh season of The Office. I know, I know, I'm a little late in the game, but this season, like the last three seasons, has been lacking. So without further ado, I give you our first bit of coverage on this season's The Office.

Thoughts on Cold Open
-Oscar has a new bike, and OOOOOO, it's the same model that Lance Armstrong uses-snazzy!
-And of course Michael wants to get in on this so he mounts the bike and starts to ped--yeah he can't ride a bike.
-Physical Comedy and Steve Carell are a beautiful match but I was so-so with this open. Not great. I remember every detail of some of The Office's cold opens from the past, and only a week later, this is all I can tell you about the one we have here. Yikes.

So the big to-do in this episode was a VIP sales call. It is the duty of Jim and Dwight to get this client and their confidence suddenly goes awry, upon seeing DANNY CORDRAY. I know, that name means nothing. It's actually the name of guest star Timothy Olyphant's character. Seems he's a razzle-dazzle salesman and Dwight and Jim are so scared, they call in Michael to save the day. The day goes unsaved, and Mr. Cordray runs away with the account. Darn. What makes him even MORE of a villain in this story, is that he dated Pam a few times and apparently never called her.

OK. So this problem needs a solution, don't it? Solution: a con. Not just any con, a sting. And YES, Michael referenced the classic and utterly wonderful film, The Sting. And my heart immediately melted at the sound of a film starring the late and great and at one point THE MOST DEVASTATINGLY HANDSOME MAN IN THE WORLD, Paul Newman. My colleague and I are sort of fans of his. So, Michael comes up with a fake company, Solar Tech, and a fake boss, played by Meredith of all people (her lunch break coincided with the timing). But of course, all does not go as planned, when Meredith starts flirting with Danny, and it gets AWKWARD. It gets even more awkward when one after the other, Oscar and Ryan go in to pull her out, but instead are made to be her cleaning men. It's a mess. And to be honest, the storyline itself is a mess. Eventually, Michael comes to the rescue by actually hiring Danny as the company's traveling salesman, forgetting the fact that Todd Packer already has that position, but I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get to it?

To be honest, I wasn't a big fan of this episode (a usual case with The Office nowadays). In my opinion, Mindy Kaling (the writer responsible) concocted a far more superior sidestory with Andy trying to form a band. Feeling belittled by fellow Cornell classmates, Andy decides to really get his singing career off the ground, and recruits Kevin and Daryl (with payment in Daryl's case). In the end, I loved them. Who knows, they could turn out to become quite the novelty band. I'm happy to know Creed is a fan of Andy's work--I trust his opinion greatly.

So that's pretty much the gist. And what will I leave you with? What do I want you to leave this post thinking of? What is the very image I want ingrained in your mind? That's easy.



You're welcome.