Leave it to Michael Scott to turn the potential worst day in company history into a goofy murder mystery game: “Murder” had all the Dunderheads together, with almost no sub-story save for the minor developments in the Andy/Erin romance. I do declare!
“Murder” hit a lot of familiar notes: Michael’s an imbecile, but his tactics are grounded in some form of reality; Jim’s attempt to steer things in a more traditional direction seem cold and ill-placed; Dwight is intense; Andy and Erin have the hots for each other; Kevin is a doofus; Angela is persnickety and vaguely fundamentalist; Creed has a dark past; Oscar and Pam are both torn between playing along and being sane; Stanley would rather opt-out; and Meredith says strange things. (Not a ton from Kelly and Ryan tonight, alas.) While enjoyable, I kept waiting for the story in this episode to take off or transform or distinguish itself or…something. Instead, it felt like a remix of a lot of Office tropes — still enjoyable, certainly, but hardly a noteworthy episode.
What’s strange about “Murder” is that it only barely touched on its main plot point: that Dunder-Mifflin is in financial crisis (so much so that its expected bankruptcy makes the Wall Street Journal). Rather than confront or explore that issue, Michael decides to have everyone participate in a murder mystery game, which, predictably, everyone gets totally sucked in to, sporting comical Southern accents and staging crime scenes and such. It’s a cute conceit, but it makes me long for “Diversity Day” or something more substantive. I know this season was due for a shift in pace — between the wedding and Pam’s meltdown, the show’s been more focused on raw and real emotions than almost ever — but this still felt casual in a way, like an episode that wasn’t pitched as much at the hardcore Officers among us.
That said, it was still a solid episode, with more going for it than most other shows could ever dream of. The evolution of Jim’s attitude toward Michael is a major theme for the season, and “Murder” pushed that front and center. Sure, the game is silly, but Jim’s willing to accept and even borderline-appreciate Michael’s tactics, going so far as to put it in the context of (impending) parenthood: “If you’re a family stuck on a life boat in the middle of the ocean, one parent might want to just keep rowing. But if the other parent wants to play a game, it’s not because they’re crazy, it’s because they’re doing it for the kids,” he says, heavy with resignation. It’s not the worst lesson to internalize.
Ultimately, though, the episode was one of highlight one-liners and throw-away moments rather than one whose cohesive story made for some comic jubilee. To give these moments their due, here are my five faves:
1. Michael’s “tube city” for hamsters, which Jim vetoed
2. Andy’s ability to distinguish between drawls
3. Creed running back to his enormous ’70s-era car
4. Meredith angling for a threesome
5. Dwight, Michael, and Andy…and then Pam pointing fake guns at one another
Honorable mention: Angela and Erin, both for the entire episode. Sublime.
PopWatchers, as much as I liked the silliness of the episode (a lot! really!), I wanted a bigger pay-off. Instead, the goofiness reigned, and while it was a welcome recognition that the show’s its best when everyone’s together, I don’t know that it matches the rest of the season.
What’d you think? Whom do you “most medium suspect”? And can we imagine D-M — gasp! — going out of business?
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Hardly a noteworthy episode??? Hey, fatso, it was f-ing funny!
My favorite moment definetly was Creed coming in late, walking in on the game and then running away like a bat out of hell. Second favorite was Dwight showing how he would defend himself against… himself.
Agreed. Once again, Creed’s 5 seconds of screen time was the best part of the episode.
I laughed until I cried during Oscar’s high-pitched Southern accent announcement. I don’t know how he kept a straight face saying all that.
And Creed, as usual, so funny!
Oh my God, that was so freaking funny. His “accent” was…insane.
That part had me hysterical, as well!
That was my favorite part! I don’t know how he kept it together long enough to do that scene–I laughed so hard I woke up one of my kids—then rewound it and watched it again! Thought it was a great episode–when the gang plays along, it’s always a great episode.
best part of the episode…i was busting up listening to oscar. great stuff!
YES!!! That was sooooo funny. Oscar very rarely gets the opportunity to make us LOL. I was howling when he did this. Hysterical.
I completely agree! I almost peed my pants when Oscar was talking. I made my husband rewind so I could watch it again and it was just as hilarious the second time. Totally my favorite part of the episode!
ABSOLUTELY. Oscar’s high picthed accent was so wonderfully bizarre and random, I loved it.
Oscar’s the sneakiest funny person on this show!
I thought Oscar was doing a cajun “Waterboy” accent.
That was the best!
Absolutely the funniest…I sincerely hope the outtakes on this make it on the DVD.
I watched that 3 times -I was laughing so hard at Oscar. I also liked, “He lives on Seseame Street, dumbass.” I laughed so much last night. I loved it.
I agree. The Seseame Street line was classic!
We replayed this part over and over – I haven’t laughed this hard the entire season!
Oh my God. Funniest moment of the whole episode.
I would’ve loved to see Kelly’s take on the Southern accent, too.
The “greenbacks”!! YES… hilarity in a hilarious ep.
I think DM going out of business could be an amazing series finale; we’ve watched these characters grow and change over the series and then all of a sudden they’re thrown out possibly to never see each other again (JAM excluded) and they have to go meet a bunch of new people who have to get used to their weirdness.
That will never happen. And they have faced this possibility before- when corporate tried to close the Scranton branch. Phyliss tried to get everyone to go to a final lunch and no one would cooperate. No seafood!
End of Dunder Mifflin= end of the office.
Yes, but that was in the third season or something. They are now in their . . . what? . . . sixth? While I love the show and would miss it if it goes, how much story do the writers actually have left? Sure, they could have Michael/Holly and Dwight/Angela reunions, but wouldn’t those be retreads of Jim/Pam? I like my shows to stick around, but I also like my shows to bow out before they become completely stale shadows of their former selves too.
No, I agree that they could be coming to an end soon, but the part where they go their separate ways and the show goes on will never happen. I’m with you 100%
Yeah that’s not happening anytime soon seeing as the entire cast is signed on till I believe 2010 or 11.
I believe from an EW article, most of the cast is signed for two more seasons after this one, but Steve Carell is only signed on for ONE more season after this one.
If D/M goes out of business, then it’s the end of the show.
Maybe then the Michael Scott Paper Company really could take off and be a “family-owned” business.
I think this whole episode was just a promotion for the Clue board game.
They were playing one of those “packaged murder mystery games”, not Clue (one of which you should get and I don’t mean the board game)
There is an Office version of Clue the board game, so you need to get a clue and may be the board game too.
http://www.amazon.com/Clue-CL051198-the-Office/dp/B001SN8GA4
The lady that plays Erin was on the today show pimping out the game yesterday, the same day they aired a murder mystery episode.
Oscar trying to pull off a southern accent was tear-worthy hilarity! I had to rewind that part again to catch everything I missed because I was laughing so hard!
LOVED it! I thought it was a GREAT episode – just silly and funny – everything I LOVE about The Office
YES YES YES!!! I am not trying to slam this reviewer, but sometimes I wonder if she’s watched this show from the very beginning ….you have to understand the quirkiness of what makes it so different – not expect it to be ‘real’ …..
What was up with Ryan’s get-up last night? Did B.J. just tell wardrobe, “screw it, I’m going with my own gear.”?
I wish Pam would just step in and get Erin and the Nard Dog together… that was killing me last night.
I think the Ryan thing is a developing background story. It seems like the character is experimenting with different looks, and I think this Ryan-trying-to-find-himself thing will come to the forefront for an episode or two this season.
Yes! I think it was last week’s episode or the one before where he was wearing the fedora the whole time, then this week it was the glasses and tie…his efforts to develop a hip personal style are so funny…he always tries so hard to be cool. Some of the best Office humor is in those little details.
Yeah.. He looked ridiculous in that outfit. Not Ryan Howardish at all.
I just thought that was part of his costume, like Pam’s gloves.
I thought it was a great episode actually…very funny with lots of great moments for individual characters. It’s what The Office does best! Loved it!
I loved it. I love when the whole gang is together. The very end with Andy, Dwight, Michael and Pam was so freaking funny, as was the cold open with Dwight beating himself up. I also liked when Jim shared that Michael Wallace hadn’t given any more information, but then said “i do have bad news, there has been another murder!”. I TOTALLY want to host a murder mystery party at my house now!
I want to know what is up with Ryan’s fashion sense? Loved his outfit last night.
It evoked a “meh” from me.
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Funniest moment: Oscar’s attempt at a southern accent
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Not really funny: Most of the rest of the episode. The showdown at the end *could* have been funny, but was drawn out well beyond any interest I had in it.
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They should have explored the awkward exchanges and misunderstandings between Andy and Erin a LOT further, IMHO.
There was a more elaborate fake-gun shootout on an episode of the Brit sitcom SPACED, with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, that played out far more elaborately than this one, like a real incident sans bullets and blood. That’s what I immediately thought of when I saw this one, which was great in its own right but came across like 12 yr olds who’d seen RESERVOIR DOGS. Funny.
That is exactly what I thought of too! I thought the Spaced crew did it better but enjoyed the shout-out nonetheless.
>> It evoked a “meh” from me.
What are you, a goat?
Brilliant.
I also like how this show keeps with continuity. Notice when Creed ran to his car, Dwight’s old school red firebird (or whatever his car is) and Andy’s Prius were in the shot. I like small details like that.
What’s up with Ryan’s outfits. First the hat, now the natty hipster look?
I was wondering if I missed some type of explanation about Ryan’s outfit??
I am really hoping that they explain what has been up with his outfits…
Ryan’s always been someone who thought he was better than the environment of D-M. Now that he can’t really climb the corporate ladder but has no place else to go, really, I assumed the hipster outfits were a way to express how he’s till superior to his square colleagues. It’s another embodiment of his inherent doucheyness, I think.
I kind of love that they haven’t explained his outfits. They’re so random and they seem to go with his character. The outfits are keeping Ryan mysterious. It could also be because he’s now ‘Mr. Understood’ featured in the latest hit from Subtle Sexuality as well as a budding photographer.
I’m with you. To me, that’s the best part of the joke: no explanation. I look forward each week to see what our former exec will be wearing.
I think it’s hilarious that they’re not telling us.
I’m pretty sure Ryan is going through and identity crisis ever since his fall from the top, coke problem, “Thailand trip,” and the failure of the Michael Scott Paper Co. He was so driven as a B-school drone that he is rudderless now that his singular purpose blew up in his face. In other words, hilarious.
Maybe he is so broke that he has to shop at a thrift store.