Just Another Day at The Office 04.12.08: Dinner Party Review

Posted by Seth Roy on 04.12.2008

One dinner party I wouldn't want to be invited to...The Office is back and awkward as ever!

Hello. My name is Seth. You can call me The G.O.A.T. Yes, I AM the Greatest Of All Time.

I have been an avid fan of The Office since before the third season started, and have seen every episode, and own all three seasons. I've also seen the British version. Why that qualifies me to tell you what I think about the program, I don't know. But here I am! Also, this is my first article on 411! I'm a former entertainment reporter/editor for my college newspaper, and now report on education in the real world.

That's enough of an introduction! Now to the lovemaking! Er. Review of The Office! THAT is why you clicked here: To find out if you either should watch the show on your Tivo, on NBC.com or on hulu.com, or find out whether you SHOULD have liked the show.

Also! Before I forget. I'm sorry this is on here late. You know, a first column couldn't go off without a hitch. My VCR didn't tape the show Thursday night, so I had to wait until Friday to watch it online. Bummer.

Cast:
Steve Carell ... Michael Scott
Rainn Wilson ... Dwight Schrute
John Krasinski ... Jim Halpert
Jenna Fischer ... Pam Beesly
B.J. Novak ... Ryan Howard
Brian Baumgartner ... Kevin Malone
Angela Kinsey ... Angela Martin
Phyllis Smith ... Phyllis Vance
Leslie David Baker ... Stanley Hudson
Kate Flannery ... Meredith Palmer
Paul Lieberstein ... Toby Flenderson
Mindy Kaling ... Kelly Kapoor
Creed Bratton ... Creed
Oscar Nuñez ... Oscar Martinez
Ed Helms ... Andy Bernard

Review: The first episode of any season — or the return of the show after a too-lengthy layoff — of The Office should be a holiday. And this first episode after the writer's strike is no exception to that rule, even if it is a bit lackluster.

Coming off The Deposition, I had high hopes for Dinner Party. I mean, Michael Scott inviting Jim and Pam over to dinner would be classic, right? I will say that the way Michael corners PB&J into coming over is pretty priceless. I mean, getting the whole office to stay late just so he can make sure Jim doesn't have plans? Brilliant! And Dwight's reaction? Good stuff, too.

Okay, so we come back from the best intro in television to Jim and Pam arriving at Michael and Jan's condo. Jan is instantly jealous of Pam, hearkening back to the Fun Run episode, and Pam seeing Michael undressed. In all fairness, Michael does hug Pam a bit too long. Then he gives her his coat later on. And did you know that Pam and Michael dated? Me neither.

Jan and Michael take the other two on a tour, and you get a glimpse into Jan's still-controlling ways. You know? For all her talk of changing, and her various tiny moments of compassion, Jan still isn't very nice to Michael. She has an office space of her own in the house, which is unused. And she also has a workspace. Pam: "You have an office space AND a workspace?" See. I told you. Viewers get to see the extent of Jan's power over Michael once we get to the bedroom...Funny moment there with the video camera. Funnier moment, as Jan explains her disdain for white walls, which feel too institutional, and her subsequent decision to paint them eggshell, which Michael points out is "still white." Why, yes, I reckon it is! Also, Michael sleeps on a small footstool-y thing at the bottom of the bed because Jan has space issues.

Who is the bread-winner here?

Downstairs, we have Michael show off his big investment: A tiny plasma screen TV. Funny stuff. Then Andy and Angela show up, and Pam learns dinner will take another three hours.

Funny moments: Jan really likes her former assistant, Hunter; Michael isn't very good at charades, or Jim isn't good at guessing; Dwight shows up with his former babysitter (AWKWARD!); this opens up an embarrassing monologue for Michael as he contemplates his multiple vasectomies.

Also! I almost forgot about the kitchen scene between Pam, Angela and Jan, where Jan accuses Pam of having the hots for Michael, and Angela corroborates that.

Then we have the climax, which is just about as awkward as it gets. Jan and Michael have been bickering all night long, and finally everyone is eating. Michael does something gross like dip his meat in his wine (OOOOOH! Aside: There is some pretty hilarious innuendo here, involving Angela and Dwight's beet salad) and Jan yells at Michael. So he grabs his neon beer/girl sign and plugs it in. Earlier in the episode, we learned that Michael was allowed to keep either the beer/neon sign or his Dundies. He chose the Dundies. Or maybe Jan did? Everyone else at the table has gotten quiet, and stopped eating. Somewhere in here we learn Michael, or Jan's, true motive for inviting people over: Jan wanted them to invest in her candles. Yeah. THAT sounds smart! Jan goes back to playing Hunter's music, which makes Michael mad. They bicker, and Jan throws a Dundie at Michael's TV, breaking it. Michael: "How are you going to pay me back for the $200 plasma TV on 0 salary plus benefits!?"

When everyone is leaving, the police are outside investigating some screaming. They persuade Michael to go home with a friend, and Dwight practically mugs him to take him back to the farm. (I think Dwight's date took a bus home...)

Final two images, that I remember, at least: Jim and Pam in Jim's car, listening to the stolen Hunter CD; and Jan trying to fix the broken Dundie.

All-in-all, a funny episode that advances the Michael/Jan, Jim/Pam, Andy/Dwight/Angela storylines, and I am So glad to see the show back on air. But something also seemed a bit off here. Maybe it was the lack of time in, oh I don't know, The Office? And the lack of my favorite character, Kevin.

The 411: Man, it's good to have The Office back! Dinner Party had its funny moments, such as the game of charades, Michael's monologue on vasectomies, the "off-white" bedroom and Michael's ploy to invite friends over. The dinner party provides for some of the most awkward moments in the show. A good episode, but not great. Even though the main stories: Jim/Pam, Michael/Jan and Dwight/Angela/Andy are advanced, this episode misses out on interactions with all the other characters that make the show great. There are also a couple touching parts, such as Jan's repair attempt and Jim/Pam at the end of the show. If you're a fan, catch the show.

Final Score:  7.5   [ Good ]