The Office: Broke

(S05E23) About half a dozen episodes ago, I started to worry about The Office. They had several episodes in a row that really didn't do much for me, and that's not something that has ever happened with this show before. So when I heard that Michael Scott may be quitting Dunder Mifflin, I was dubious. It seemed like a cheap stunt that wouldn't amount to much. Instead, we ended up with some of the best episodes of the season.

I have loved everything they've done with The Michael Scott Paper Company: From putting Pam in sales, to bringing Ryan back, to having Michael actually manage to wrestle away some of Dunder Mifflin's clients. Of course, it couldn't last forever, so it's no surprise that it had to come to an end tonight.

What's great about the Michael Scott character is that they don't make him into a complete buffoon. He's ranked higher in the company than any other people in the office, so you've got to think he got there somehow. Every once in a while, we get a glimpse into how Michael Scott may have gotten ahead in life, and it's really interesting.

When he managed to successfully negotiate Dunder Mifflin's buyout of The Michael Scott Paper Company, I was cheering along with him-- especially during the part where he was telling David Wallace how he would have to explain to the board why their most profitable branch was now bleeding. For that brief moment, Michael Scott was a master negotiator, and it was glorious.

At the end of the day, The Office is about Dunder Mifflin, so we all knew that The Michael Scott Paper company had to go away somehow. I'm glad that instead of having it end in shame and failure, they were able to instead wrest victory from the jaws of defeat and get jobs out of the deal.

The future of Dunder Mifflin will be interesting, with Pam out from behind the receptionist's desk and working as a salesperson. I'm wondering if the fact that she and Jim will be in competition for clients will hurt their relationship at all. I'm okay with it causing tension, but if the writers use it as a lame excuse to break them up, then we're going to have a problem.

Also interesting is the fact that Ryan is going to be back. They didn't really specify what position they were going to put him in, though. I would assume they would put him in sales, since there don't really seem to be any other job openings. The problem is, though, he spent a brief time in sales and he sucked at it. I can't imagine he's gotten much better, but who knows?

In all, this storyline has been really strong, and I'm looking forward to seeing where they go from here. Are you guys glad that everybody's back at Dunder Mifflin, or did you like The Michael Scott Paper Company?

Some of my favorite lines from this episode:

"Ever since I've gotten clean, there's just something about fresh morning air that really makes me sick." - Ryan

"When a child gets behind the wheel of a car and runs into a tree, you don't blame the child; he didn't know any better. You blame the 30-year-old woman who got in the passenger seat and said, 'drive, kid; I trust you.'" - Pam

"Oh, man. If only Michael had children! That's how you really apply the pressure." - Dwight

"These are our demands. This is what we want. Our balls are in your court." - Michael

"I don't care if Ryan murdered his entire family, he is like a son to me." - Michael