Hey, Mr. Scott, what you gonna do? Whatchu gonna do? Make our dreams come true? Er, not quite. Scott’s Tots — the graduating high school seniors Michael had apparently promised to put through college — were understandably disappointed to discover that Michael had written a check he couldn’t cash. More specifically, a vow his bank account couldn’t cash. Bahahaha. Wait…wha?
“Scott’s Tots” raised two important issues that I hope The Office has the balls to confront: What universe is it that this show exists in? And what are we supposed to hope happens for Jim and Pam Halpert?
The Office wanted (wants?) to have it both ways — to be the most recession-cognizant show on TV and to be a traditional comedy, completely detached from credible human existence. Can Dunder-Mifflin be hilarious based on both “omg, too true” and abject nonsense? Not on this episode, at least.
I like when Michael’s schemes accidentally undermine David Wallace. Or Dwight. Or Jim. Or any of our DMHQ pals. But the show’s intense realism is completely obliterated when the shtick of an episode revolves around something as socially abhorrent as promising to pay for a class’s college education and then backing out. One of The Office‘s strengths, part of the reason so many of us embrace it, is the icky sensation we get thinking, “this is so my life.” I never got that feeling tonight, even with Jim’s Dwight-orchestrated employee-of-the-month scheme.
We’ve seen Michael through some pretty turbulent times, but he rarely harmed anyone but himself or loosely complicit by-standers; tonight’s episode robbed us of whatever last shred of compelling humanity Michael may have had left.
The misbegotten employee-of-the-month construct emphasized just how bleak Jim and Pam’s prospects are at D-M. Once upon a time, these two were brought together by a common workplace; now that they’re so, so together, how much do we want them to stay there?
Other observations:
++ Stanley’s uproarious laughter was golden, as are any Stanley moments when he gets the spotlight
++ Dwight and Andy are such perfect foils for each other I worry if their combined dorkitude will form a black hole or something
++ Dwight’s impersonations of his coworkers — namely Kevin — were so good I wonder if Rainn Wilson had these at the ready beforehand
What’d you think of “Scott’s Tots,” PopWatchers?
It was an ok episode. Things aren’t going great for Jim and Pam, but since they have dinner with David Wallace on the weekends I think it’ll all work out somehow. I missed Oscar and Meredith this week. My husband and I still giggle when we talk about Oscar’s southern accent from the murder mystery episode.
I’ve lost my love of The Office. For some reason, ever since Jim & Pam got together I haven’t found the show too funny. Also, there’s too much good competition in that time slot so I don’t even DVR it anymore. Just watching the promos for the ‘Scott’s Tots’ dancing I knew it wouldn’t be a good episode. It’s too bad but something on the show has just altered and I can’t watch anymore.
“ever since Jim & Pam got together I haven’t found the show too funny”.
How does them being together effect how funny the show is?? The show has had a tough season b/c it hasn’t been up to par. Jim & Pam were the sweet of the show. Their relationship has never been the funny of the show. The only great ep this season was the wedding. Some have been ok and others have been blah. This one falls under the ok category. Dwight, and now Ryan, plotting Jim’s demise could be great.
I really hope the plotting device turns out to be great. I got worries last night that it could be really awful. But you’ve convinced me to remain positive until proof exists that I shouldn’t be. Thanks!
No, I’m sorry. I don’t agree — the wedding ep was pretty bad as well.
Hey Josh – I didn’t mean to imply that the root cause of my dissatisfaction with the show stemmed from Jim & Pam’s getting together. I just offered that up as the timeline for when I didn’t find the show funny anymore.
I liked the wedding episode up until they tried to recreate that godawful Youtube wedding clip. Then, the ep left a bad taste in my mouth. Up to that point, I thought it was going to break the trend of weddings and babies=comedy death, but no!!!
Let’s get this straight .. .you have so little interest in The Office now that you can’t even be bothered to record it. But you do check out recap blogs and comment on them? Sure, that’s believable.
Wow Paul – what’s with the antagonism? I read the recap b/c I do still have some interest in what’s happening with the characters but not enough interest to devote time to recording or watching the show.
Exactly! Mells is full of it.
Again, you’re not disproving Paul’s point here. Way to go, doofus! Now that was antagonistic! Hey-O!
I sometimes read recaps of several shows I don’t watch – like Heroes and Flash Forward. Spending two minutes on the recap is better than sitting through an hour of show.
Mells you said it perfectly. I’ve even freed up space on my dvr by dumping the rest of this season… The office has become soooo underwelming I don’t even look forward to it anymore. Even the wedding was m’eh!
m’eh? is that what a goat says?
The last episode I saw was the wedding episode. I too have lost my love for this once great show.
Totally agree with Margaret. This episode just depressed me–except for Dwight’s co-worker impressions (which were awesome).
Yup. The impressions were the only good thing.
the impressions were awesome. at first i even thought they were being dubbed in.
I really dislike how the gang has completely turned on Jim since he became co-manager.
The best part was the last 30 seconds……”My Diabolical Plan” by Dwight K. Shrute.
No, I disagree. I don’t like it when The Office gets into internal warfare and this “enemy of my enemy is my friend” stuff. It’s like a bad version of “Dallas”.
Yeah, I didn’t find it that believable that they suddenly turn to ugly that they won’t even listen to him. When antagonism developed before, it was less cartoonish, more believable. The entire Dwight plot thing was intensely stupid.
Thank you! That has bothered me since Jim was promoted. Obviously, people had their problems with Jim for whatever reason, but they wouldn’t even let him explain himself. I also don’t understand how Jim couldn’t see through Dwight’s offer to “help” him with the spreadsheet. He should know better!
The old trickster Jim would NEVER trust Dwight’s point system.
This recap was miserable.
I KNOW! All she does is complain each and every week that it’s not the way she wants her Office. Can’t she just recap the funniest bits and thoughts she had during the episode? How about stand-out quotes like the 30 Rock recaps??
agreed! and it took forever to come up.
Interesting complaint: I hated this recap and I had to wait so long for it!
Just like the old joke about the bad restaurant: the food was terrible – and such small portions!
Agreed. Margaret you need to give the recapping of this show to someone who actually enjoys The Office.
Someone should tell her this is a recap and not a review.
Nail on the head.
Bring back Whitney Pastorek!!
I wouldn’t even mind being called a little binder clip. At least Whitney seemed to enjoy the show.
Whitney was awful.
That was pretty much an forgivable post.
Hey, who you calling Whitey?!
Whitney. Oh, my mistake.
Hey now, the binderclips thing was always lame, but at least the actual recaps were decent. Oh, and more than 2 paragraphs of complaining.
Yes. It’s not worth it to read all these recaps, because they’re such downers. I’m just now realizing how much they affect my feelings about the show, and I don’t think I like that.
It was an okay episode, Dwight’s impressions were the best, until Ryan’s presentation of “My Diabolical Plan by Dwight K. Shrute” which I found my self thinking about and laughing over way later.
Oh, and I haven’t felt good about the dynamics of Jim in the office since this stupid co-manager thing, I think they missed out on some fun of Pam’s frustration being in competition with her husband who was the second best salesman in the office.
Great point, Kate! I’m not liking Jim as co-manager.
Also, this episode was too painful to watch… I couldn’t laugh at it… OK, I did but only at Dwight’s impressions and “Dwight’s Diabolical Plan”! The 3 teaming up against Jim could be the only thing that makes continuing to watch this ever-worsening, weak show worthwhile… or at least tolerable!
yeah that is a really good point about the potential competition…jim used to be one of the funniest most entertaining characters and now he is hands down the least entertaining. erin is great though, i laugh everytime she’s on screen
I love love LOVE Erin!! She’s so funny. Also Rainn Wilson’s impressions were amazing.
I liked this episode because it put Michael in a very AWKWARD situation, and that’s what the Office is known for. Also, I got butterflies when Dwight said “Jim Halpert will be fired in 6 hours.” I was like, whaaaa??
I agree with you.
i loved stanley’s laugh
and pam’s ‘yup’ to the camera men when they said her sales doubled from 2 to 4 
this was a great episode. this show works for many reason like micheal’s good intentions gone wrong and this was a prime example. i loved this episode. classic!
I agree. This episode rocked!
Your head rocks.
I know I don’t look to The Office to be completely realistic. In what world would Michael Scott still be employed, and as a manager no less? Michael has ALWAYS been in his own world, so it shouldn’t be a shock to anyone that he would have made a promise like this. Last night’s episode was one of the few of the season that had me laughing out loud.
I hate it when people talk about the Brit version vs. the U.S. version, but there was a reason why the U.K. version was only two short seasons and a Christmas special. I did like last night’s ep and have been a huge fan in the past, but the show is straining under the weight of its own longevity. The Brits knew they had only so much story to sustain. The Americans did a good job of extending it for a while, but the stretches in credulity and credibility are starting to show more than ever this season. Nonetheless, the is one of the biggest hits struggling NBC has still got in its stable, so expect no euthanasia of this once-proud series anyime soon. Thank God P&R has gotten better, and so has Community.
My husband literally had to walk out of the room, as he couldn’t watch Michael destroy the kids’ lives. Yeah, it defintely took it a little too far. As a working stiff, I appreciate it when Michael’s buffoonery ends up costing the corporate weasels, however, taking it out on innocent children was a little too much. On the otherhand, Dwight’s impersonations were one of my favorite Office segments EVER! The guy in the next cubicle does spot-on imitations of EVERYONE we work with, and I just completely related!
My wife couldn’t watch it either. I had to tell her what happened later on.
Redeye and Daniel….are you kidding me? You had to walk out of the room because you just couldn’t watch these kids’ lives being destroyed? You do realize it is a freakin’ tv show, right? You realize that the “kids” were actors and that their lives were not ruined in real life, right? WOW – really?
T-Dawg, I hear what you’re saying. However, I have to say I can understand where Daniel and Redeye’s husband are coming from. While I didn’t have to leave the room, I DID have to keep reminding myself, “this isn’t real, it’s just pretend, it’s just pretend,” like I’m some kind of 5-year old frightened by a scary monster on TV. Maybe it’s because the show is so realistic, it makes it hard for people to accept when something brutal like this happens.
Yes, T-Dawg, we are not morons. We do understand that the box in the room is full of make-believe people. The beauty of the Office is that I have always been able to completely relate to these people. I work with a “Jim” and an “Angela” and yes, my boss acts more like a “Michael” than I care to admit sometimes. I watch this show because it pushes these sterotypes and makes me laugh at them. This just went too far. It wasn’t funny to watch or entertaining. If I want to see people having their dreams crushed, I can see that every day in real life.
Um, I watched it online and fast forwarded through that part. It was just too akward and heart breaking. Not to mention relevant in today’s economic climate. Part of the joy of really investing in a tv series is letting it become real to you in a sense. That’s why we humans enjoy story telling so much. So, yeah, it affected me. That’s kinda the point. No, i’m not stupid. I just let the story do what it was intened to.
I also covered my eyes and told my husband I couldn’t watch, I had to tune out. That’s just too awful. And there was no resolution, which is disturbing. I don’t think the concept of taking away kids’ educations is fuuny.
It wasn’t meant to be funny.
Exactly. I don’t mind uncomfortable, but that was painful.
thats the problem with this season-there never is any resolution/consequences to what these people do. Jim shouldve known Dwight was screwing with him. Michael shouldve been able to come up with some kind of solution that helped the kids (besides useless laptop batteries). The show is now filled with caricutures rather than characters.
I couldn’t watch that moment either, had to lower my eyes and listen to it…and yes, we all know it’s fiction, but TV can often create situations too painful to watch (insert According to Jim joke here). Yes, we know it’s fiction, but the empathy factor (“OMG, what if that were ME?”) exerts a strong pull. I give the show credit for being daring enough to try it (without even a last act deus ex machina to get the kids into college), but I think in the end the reality of Michael’s “ruining 18 lives” was a little too much, even with the kind word from Erin.
I completely agree – I almost bailed out of the episode at that point, I felt so bad for the kids. A comedy shouldn’t make a person feel so bad!
Oh, grow up.
Seriously, your screen name is teenage text-message-speak and you’re telling anyone to grow up? You sad little troll. Oops, sorry – OMG, you sad little troll, STFU and STFD.
psss…its a show. those kids arent real. how could anyone be THAT upset or affected by the show??
Seriously you guys, grow a pair.
Of what exactly? Why do you watch shows if you don’t become invested in them? That’s most of the fun right there. It’s inteded to be an akward show. I felt akward. Mission accomplished.
EW editors, please find another show for Margaret to review. She doesn’t get it. The latest episode applied Michael’s good-intentions-as-disaster scenario play out in yet another wonderful satire for our times. Can you transfer her to something like “Private Practice” or “Brothers & Sisters”?
HAHA!!! LOL!!!
Becareful what you wish for – Remember when Whitney PastorHACK was writing The Office recaps? I shudder just thinking about it…
I loved Whitney’s recaps. She never would have turned in crap like this.
This BINDERCLIP misses Whitney!
BINDERCLIP solidarity!
wow, i totally laughed out loud at how uncomfortable the whole Scott’s Tot’s story line was — it was classic Michael! Didn’t love the Employee of the Month, and really don’t love Jim as boss, but how could you not love Erin singing along with the kidns when you know she is supposed to be helping Michael tell them he can’t pay for college? Hilarious!
That’s true…I forgot about that part in my hatred of the rest of the episode lol. Erin was hilarious-especially driving back to the office still singing the song! Well done!
For me, it was the most cringe-worthy storyline of the season!
and thats why i liked it. its what makes this show work…the uncomfortable scenes, the all too real situations. what the lame reviewer missed was how michael knew all the kids names, and how invested he was in their lives. despite being a bone head, he just wants to be liked. this episode truly highlighted that aspect of his personality.
It was also truer in spirit to the British original. I know Americans like escapism–heck, I’m American, too–but there is such a thing as black comedy and last night’s ep was an attempt to get Americans to laugh as they stare into the abyss. These are the times we’re living in, folks, when you think you’re doing okay and then the rug gets snatched from under you–by someone who thinks he or she can do it tastefully, too, no less.
Last night when i was watching i vowed i would never watch it again if, having destroyed the dreams of 30 kids, Michael, the character didnt either learn something about himself or pay dearly for what he did. Neither happened. Someone once again pointed out a bright side to what he did so he can go on thinking he is some kind of hero. The same thing happens every single week. Michael does something so insane, in a real world he would be in jail or fired neither of which happens to him.
in regards to the Jim: i dont understand how he can normally see through every single one of Dwights ploys but not this one. The other members of the office are also generally pretty aware of when dwight is scheming but again not tonight. Nothing happens in this show anymore that doesnt serve the plot, smart people are stupid, there are no laws and one group of peoples feelings are sacrificed so that a main character can end the show smiling. that isnt funny and it isnt heart. there are additional people in the world besided michael scott and those people have feelings. but as the office has exhibited all season no one’s happiness matters besides jim, pams and michaels. everyone else is there to serve their needs.
So i will stay true to my commitment and swear off the office forever. i honestly dont think i will miss it too much which makes me sad because i used to really like this show.
totally agree. I was so aggravated that Jim or Pam wouldn’t figure out that Dwight set them up on the EOM thing. Wasn’t it Dwight who gave Jim the scores to figure out who was the “best”? Please.
Yeah I don’t get that either. How did Jim NOT realize what happened and out Dwight? It was soooo obvious and Dwight left so many holes in his “diabolical plan.” Now that he’s co-manager has he just become stupid or something? I want the old Jim back.
I’m gonna disagree. What Michael did was aweful, but Erin was right about what he did helping those kids. Sure it’s going to be harder for them now, but not as hard as it’d be if they didn’t graduate from high school. They will be much better off now.
I didn’t feel as strongly about it as you did, but I did wonder when Jim became stupid. Why would he use Dwight’s numbers?
Not only should Jim have figured it out- and got back at Dwight- but how was Dwight able to get $20 out of people afraid of losing their jobs so easily?
As for Michaels broken promise-these kids thought they had a free ride- so they probably didnt even attempt for other scholarships they might have won. Double burn. Its one thing when his stupidity hurts himself- but destroying others lives? thats not comedy.
This is the low point of the entire series. The show has completely lost its way. The way Michael is portrayed to the hatred of Dwight towards Jim is neither entertaining or interesting. I know the show cannot return to Season 2 but I cannot believe how far this show has degraded from that year to what it is now. Series should have ended with the Jam wedding IMO.
Right on, Chad. The Michael storyline was abhorrent, and the way Jim was blindsided by the cake, etc. was waaaay out of bounds for his character. He’s much smarter than that. Hadn’t the writers already used the “bug in jim’s office” bit just a few weeks ago? Very lazy writing. Seems like the writers are really coasting until Pam delivers.
Actually Dwight’s Mallard was a decoy for the pen which was the recording device
I think the point of Dwight using the pen again was to show that he’s actually still using it since it was first introduced, not because the writers were lazy and couldn’t come up with anything else.
All true, though I don’t care when Pam delivers. It’s just a ratings-grab. Carell is out of control awful anymore — does anyone actually direct this guy? It’s all so sad, because the reruns are on 24/7 it seems, and he was so much more natural before he got the hairplugs.