Just Another Day At The Office 04.25.08: Night Out Review

Posted by Seth Roy on 04.25.2008

The best post-strike episode, featuring drugs, football, man-hugging, drinking, making out and a hobbit...

Hello, and welcome to Just Another Day At The Office, issue number 3! Technically, I guess this episode was more about the night-life of some of the Dunder-Mifflin employees, some college basketball players and a hobbit...


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

At the beginning of the episode, Michael enters the office and has gum in his hair because he wanted something shiny under Stanley's car. It was a piece of tin foil. Pam suggests peanut butter, but Michael says he'd rather have an ice cream sandwich...Cut to Michael's office, and Dwight is evenly distributing the peanut butter on Michael's head. Dwight tastes the peanut butter. This is a VERY funny scene.

Cue intro!

After the best opening in television, we learn that Michael is still having trouble dating because he thinks all of his dates should look like Cindy Crawford. (Side note: True story, when Cindy Crawford was married to Richard Gere, I went to church with them on a Christmas Eve. Okay, so they were there. Maybe I didn't *actually* go with them).

Next we hear that the office is being made to come in on Saturday to get paperwork done (i.e.: switching everyone's own sales to those of the Web sites. Yeah, I'd be enraged, too.) This is all at the request of Ryan. When Ryan comes in and says, "My favorite branch," he has a beard he usually doesn't have, and looks slightly disheveled...The office isn't all that happy to see him. Jim suggests that the best part of the company is the personal service, to which Ryan says Jim should watch his back, jokingly.

Staff meeting: Michael tells the staff to not make fun of Ryan's short stature and half-beard just because he's making them come in on a Saturday to work. Ryan is telling them they're launching Dunder Mifflin Infinity 2.0 for a number of reasons, including a certain problem with the social networking portion of the site. Ryan: "The social networking feature of Dunder Mifflin Infinity was infiltrated by sexual predators." Apparently Ryan thinks that people will gather on a PAPER Web site to discuss music. Yeeeeeeah. Kelly: "If I had created a Web site with this many problems, I'd kill myself!" (Side note: Whatever happened to Darrell and Kelly's relationship?) Michael's recap of the presentation is pretty funny.

After the meeting, Michael hugs Ryan and tells him he needs a girlfriend, badly...awkwaaaard! Then he asks Ryan if he knows any girls who would be interested in Michael. Ryan: "No." Michael: "Well, you tried." Heh. Ryan was oddly nice during his visit to the Scranton branch....And DiShEvElEd...hmmm.

Next, we have Michael and Jim in Michael's office, with the boss asking Jim advice about girls. Michael: "Would you have sex with Meredith?" Jim: "What?" Michael: "Do you think she'd keep it quiet?" Jim: "I'm going to go." Michael: "Jim, it's not the hornyness, okay, it's the loneliness." Michael suggests clubbing in New York, and that both are single. Michael is surprised Jim and Pam are still dating. Or, he was trying to find out if Pam was available. Meh. He couldn't be that sly. Then, Michael recruits Dwight to party in New York with Ryan, and to meet girls. Dwight's reaction is PRICEless, as is Andy's, who asks Dwight if he can tag along. Andy: "The old ball and chain's been a little more chain than ball, lately, if you know what I mean." Angela: "I'm right here." Andy doesn't get to go on the trip.

Great line: Michael, as they're leaving: "I am going to go get laid." Dwight, laughing excitedly: "With sex!"

Next, Jim suggests to the staff that they stay a couple hours late at work so they don't have to work on Saturday. Staff agrees.

In NYC, Michael and Dwight enter a club, Prerogative, to find Ryan looking pretty wasted/happy. Way happier about seeing Michael and Dwight than he really should be, probably. He actually hugs the two from the Scranton branch. Michael, slightly surprised: "Ryan. It's Michael and Dwight." You can tell this is what Michael wishes would happen all the time.

Back at the office, it's a little after 9 p.m., and everyone is leaving. Cut to the staff standing in the parking lot, staring at the padlocked gate blocking them from leaving for the night. Stanley is NOT happy. Jim forgot to tell the security guard they were working late. Also, they can't get back in because Pam locked the door from the inside. Everyone turns against Pam and Jim, and turn their allegiances to the Andy/Angela duo. Also, we learn that Stanley bathes with a glass of red wine.

We learn that Dwight has both the key and the spare key to the office. Of course.

Back in NYC, Ryan introduces his really good friend, Troy. Dwight: "You resemble a Tolkein character. ... Not a wizard, a hobbit. ... Do you live in a regular-sized house?" Michael asks for cups of olives and cherries, because he didn't eat.

Back at the office, no one has the guard's phone number, to get the door unlocked, until Toby saves the day. Pam: "Toby, you're the best." Toby: "It's so random that I have it ... When I put it in I thought it would be a waste of time, but I guess it was worth it." He's practically gushing the whole time. (Toby's had a crush on Pam for a looooooong time. In case you didn't know...) Jim calls the security guard, Hank, who says he will come down (but he doesn't for a long time.) Unsure of his name, Jim tries to get reassured that he's talking to the right guy, the African American guy behind the desk.

In New York, Ryan asks Dwight about his beet farm, to which Dwight mentions weevil season. Ryan's hand is twitching a million times a minute, and he says he has to go to the bathroom. Dwight: "You've already been several times!" Ryan: "Yeah?" Dwight: "Maybe you have some kind of bladder infection." Ryan: "I don't know, maybe." After Ryan is gone, Dwight leans in toward Troy. Dwight: "Do you have powers?" Ha!

In the office, we learn that Hank will be there in about an hour. Funny moment as everyone realizes that Jim was in charge of collecting Christmas tips for Hank, but never did.

In New York, Michael is talking to a woman about Back to the Future. She's never heard of that before. Seriously? Michael wants to go where the women are a bit older, and Ryan agrees, after smashing a beer bottle on the floor. Now they're in line at Ryan's next club, but Ryan can't get them in. Dwight makes a connection with a women's basketball team from Jersey State. He is amazed that they are all so tall. Dwight tells one of the players to not step on the hobbit.

Back in Scranton, Toby found a football and tells Pam she can't throw it. Toby: "Wanna play? I'll teach you to throw." Pam: "I know how to throw a football." Toby: "Of course you do." (Seriously, Pam? you can't see him coming on to you from far away? Come on.) Andy goes long, and Pam rears back and throws the football...right into Meredith's face...SOOOOOO funny! I've seen it, like, five times, and I'm still laughing at it.

In New York, the basketball team buys Dwight a drink, but he dumps it out. Never can be too cautious, eh, Dwight? Michael continues to try to pick up girls, now by telling them he's a back teller. It doesn't work. But, he DOES take a picture of Dwight making about with one of the basketball players, which he sends to everyone in the office. heh.

In Scranton, everyone receives the text, and simultaneously groans. They are all tired, and Hank still hasn't come. Jim calls him again, and he still hasn't left home.

Back in NYC, Michael wants the girl he just met to meet his mom...Before seeing that she is making out with someone else already. Ryan talks about a nuclear holocaust and jungle warfare. Michael calls his mom, then has to hang up as Ryan appears to be getting beat up by some girls.

Back in the office, as they are in the lobby waiting for Hank. Pam suggests that Michael would've had something special planned for Saturday work. Pam: "Like scrambled egg Saturday." Toby: "More like, get your boss laid Saturday." Then Toby PUTS his HAND on Pam's LEG. And he rubs it. Jim just stares. Then everyone else stares, too. Toby catches his hand and pulls it away. Toby: "I have an announcement to make. I am moving to Costa Rica. Thought about it for a long time now, and I'm finally going to do it. So...I'm just going to hop the fence and jog home now." Which he does, as Jim kind of stares on.

In New York, Michael and Troy are taking Ryan from the club, and Ryan wonders why he isn't allowed to dance. Troy leaves quickly. Troy: "Okay, I gotta go. Do not take him to a hospital." The basketball player wants Dwight to stay with her, but he declines.

In Scranton, some cleaning staff pulls in, and Jim calls Oscar over for help. Oscar chastises him for assuming that the maids only speak Spanish. Of course, they DO only speak Spanish. And the gate is opened, and everyone leaves.

In New York, they make it to Ryan's apartment, and Ryan agrees to let them stay just this once. Ryan tries to get to sleep. Michael tells him they're going to take his clothes off...that gets Ryan up. Ryan: "Guys, I think my friend Troy might have a drug problem. What do I do?" Dwight: "I think his species might have a higher tolerance than ours." Michael: "You tell him that you're his friend and that you're going to help him and that everything's going to be all right." (And here, he is seemingly getting to Ryan...) "And then you put a wire on him and you find out who's selling him drugs..." and so on. Michael watches The Wire. Michael: "Best night ever." He's pretty happy right now.

End tag: Hank shows up to the office to unlock the gate, to see that everyone is gone. He isn't happy, either.

Final thoughts: I liked almost everything about this episode, and there were many funny moments here, from the peanut butter, to Michael's inquiry about Meredith (He had his chance in season 2 with Meredith!), to the football incident and Dwight's insistence that Troy is a hobbit.

This also sets into motion Toby's departure, as that's what the season finale is about. Toby's been a great character throughout, and he was great here, even if I hated him for hitting on Pam. But that was a great scene, still.

It will be interesting to see where Ryan's drug use goes. Are they getting rid of all of the writer-actors? Will Ryan's position open back up for someone else? Michael's comment at the end is indicative of just how he is. He says something touching and smart, then messes it up by going too far.

Also, Dwight was golden all episode. This is my favorite episode since the show returned.

The 411: This is the first time I've laughed throughout the episode, the whole way. Everything was just on during this episode, from Toby's advances, to the football scene and the hobbit. Ryan's character also got a little bit of depth, and it will be interesting to see where that goes. Toby's future is also interesting.

Final Score:  9.0   [  Amazing ]