Thu, 22 October 2009 From Wikipedia: THE LOVER | 10.22.09 Jim and Pam return from their honeymoon and are shocked when Michael
reveals the identity of a woman he has been dating recently. Dwight
makes a strange peace offering to Jim after years of torment. -------- This plot line has the potential to go horribly, horribly wrong if not handled correctly-- I almost wonder how they could possibly surprise us with the way this story will play out. Can't we already imagine it? Pam (and Jim) are disgusted, Michael acts like Pam's father, etc., etc. I hope writers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky can wring something new out of a rather tired premise. The Dwight plotline sounds interesting, and hopefully it connects back into the season long arc of "Dwight getting revenge on Jim" that they've ignored for the past few episodes. As always, leave your thoughts in the comments section below and join
Kevin and me in the TWSS Chatroom during and after the show to share
your thoughts (click on the green "chat" button in the right sidebar). Category: general -- posted at: 12:37 PM Comments[46] |
posted by: Eric Olsen on Thu, 10/22 01:10 PM EDT
(Ok, Debi...Pam's Mom isn't real...)
posted by: Debi on Thu, 10/22 11:31 PM EDT
Just like ya'll mentioned on the last podcast, I was really nervous about how they'd handle Pam's mom situation since they introduced it two episodes ago, it could have gone bad so easily.
But Pam's real emotions, Jim's position between the two, this developing standoff, it's all going well so far. It's actually working, and I'm kind of surprised!
Yeah yeah yeah... moms are off limits. But I felt bad for Michael anyway. He may not be a deep thinker or the most considerate of men, but I still think his heart is in the right place.
I'm surprised he didn't cry at Pam's reaction.
posted by: BrianK on Fri, 10/23 01:52 AM EDT
posted by: Rick on Fri, 10/23 03:39 AM EDT
Apparently, there’s a major comeuppance in the cards for Ms. Halpert and it's a pretty natural course. For the longest we've known that Pam is sort of the power behind the throne in The Office, even before she left for New York. Then suddenly she returned to the small pond, jumped ship with Michael on a moment's notice, and what was the result? She succeeded! No one thought they could; more importantly, she didn't bet they would. If this isn't enough, when backed into a corner and faced with the decision of hiring her or his favorite Ryan as a salesman, Michael goes with her! Fast forward to season 6 and her soon-to-be husband is promoted to co-manager. Basically, Pam has it all. Naturally, she's beginning to smell herself. She's insufferable and cocky because of repeated wins, and she's also flighty and emotional because of the pregnancy. As cringe-worthy it is to watch Pam as of late, I have no problem because it's a fairly plausible route.
Having said that, the Michael-Helene angle is unforgivable. I'm talkin' worse than the pregnancy deal, which was only bad because of its sappy, gratuitous nature. The Michael-Helene storyline is awful for a much more serious reason. It requires a dramatic amount of suspension of disbelief and it counts as probably the worse bit of disregard for continuity in the history of the show. I don't mind Pam's mother being portrayed by a different actress. For God's sake, the other woman was somewhere else doing whatever--so that's fine. But they've rewritten the character. Come on! This obviously isn't the woman we literally met in "Sexual Harassment"--one of the most memorable episodes ever, by the way--and (as someone else pointed out), I find it hard to believe this is the same woman Pam confided in on "Casino Night." Someone important should inform the writers that continuity means a great deal. I mean, if you don't take your own Universe seriously, no one is going to either. I almost don't care what the payoff is; they should never sacrifice such a major point of consistency. And in such a blatant fashion!
I suppose it's imprudent for me to pass such a final judgment before the plot's conclusion so I'll just say they had better do some character development and have Helene explain--in a convincing manner--this flight or I'm going to be turned off big time. This sucks, man.
"The Lover": 6/10 (Because of Dwight's ambitious designs and Mike's likeableness.)
The Jim/Pam/Michael scenes were brilliantly done, I thought, even if I felt that Pam over-reacted to the news. I actually felt really sorry for Michael during the episode, especially at the end when he left the office and said goodbye to Pam. Great acting on his part, also.
The Dwight/Jim scenes were also really well done - I loved the scene involving Andy! And I may have been the only one, but I didn't click until it was revealed that the duck was a decoy, so to speak!
When you throw in the the Toby, Creed, Erin and Ryan/Kelly moments in this episode - I think we have ourselves a classic in my opinion, and a very re-watchable episode. But hey, this may just be "Friday Luke" writing (I'm in Australia). :)
Looking forward to reading some more comments and hearing the podcast. Keep up the great work Matt & Kevin!
I understand where Pam is coming from, but if I were in that situation, I'd be happy (albeit a little grossed out) for my mom and my friend. Pam didn't seem to have a problem with her dad's poptart girlfriend, and at least she knows, or should know that Michael has a good heart. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out, but the end when Michael said goodbye to Pam and hesitated at the elevator broke my heart.
As for the rest of the crew - loved the Toby stuff. When Jim and Michael were yelling at Toby and he says, "What I'd do?" I was laughing out loud. And when Michael apologized to Toby I thought it would be interesting to see Michael and Toby as friends...although I should have known the writers wouldn't keep it that way. But I was surprised how much I actually liked that bit, especially since I'm not usually a Toby fan.
Overall, I was really pleased with this episode. There were some good laughs, emotion, and I think episodes work best when the focus is on the main four characters, with the supporting cast acting as just that.
Michael's speech at the meeting was spot on. Despite his problems he's a nice guy deserving of love and he treats women well, sometimes too well. I was glad to see the other people in the office were mature enough to respect his new relationship.
For those saying that the character of Pam's mom has changed radically, let's keep in mind that since the last time we saw her she's gone through a divorce preceded by probably years of an unloving relationship, then has to see her ex-husband at Pam's wedding with some young woman on his arm. For her to be bitter and open to hooking up with someone unexpected is completely believable.
posted by: Ink Asylum on Fri, 10/23 10:40 AM EDT
posted by: BrianK on Fri, 10/23 11:40 AM EDT
Basically this episode was Michael being yelled at and he not knowing or understanding why, did the steal this script from Curb Your Enthusiasm?
As for the main plot, I thought Pam's freak-out was hysterical because, for as over-the-top as it was, Jenna Fisher played it straight. Sometimes things in the Office get a little cartoon-y and there's humor in having someone react to the craziness. It reminded me of Stanley's outburst in "Did I Stutter" So much of Michael's behavior would never be permitted in the real world. We accept that, and it's what the show is built on, but sometimes it's nice to have someone step out of the conceit and point out how unacceptable it is. (Even though in both this episode and "Did I Stutter," Michael's not being called on the really bad stuff he does.)
I was in the West Coast chat room (I recommend it to everybody, by the way, it's fun and full of interesting insights and extra information) and we had a small conversation about our favorite episodes. I was wondering what would be everybody's favorite episode of all seasons of "The Office".
Matt&Kevin, is there any way you guys can post a poll in this blog?
The sidebar stupidity of the Helene angle notwithstanding, I am enjoying Jim and Pam. To be more specific, I enjoy hating them. And that’s the way the writers want it to be, or at least that’s the way it seems to me. Both of them have been elevated to positions that are arguably undeserved, and they're so smug and entitled. That last scene when we see them hugged up in the conference room looking over Dwight wash and buff their car ("For me," Pam thinks) was vomit-inducing. They're the villains, so far, of season six and their payday is shaping up to be a sweet one, like Ryan two years ago.
Also: someone attempted to address the change in Helene's personality by pointing to the recent divorce, and I don't really buy it. It's early, sure, but the writers obviously rewrote this woman's entire personality for plot purposes. It's crude "bad writing," as my favorite podcasters are always reluctant to say.
I think one of the under-stated strengths of this episode was Stanley. With him following Pam's chant, and his reaction to Michael's comment about Pam being as stubborn as her mother...Stanley is priceless.
And what was up with Pam looking like she had lost weight. She looked more pregnant last episode. Once again, I am not pleased.
The rest of the episode was pretty great but honestly, the Pam stuff pissed me off so much I couldn't enjoy it properly.
Been reading the various posts going back and forth over this episode. I agree that Pam's reaction to Michael dating her Mom is TOTALLY justified, and the writer's even bring up the various arguements the fans had within the episode and address them, thus making this so far the strongest ep of the series. And I totally agree with Ink Asylum on how Pam's mom had changed. Given the radical character transformations over the years of the show, why should a character we had only ever seen once change off-screen be considered bad continuity.
The conference room scene is another favorite of mine. It's ironic that Pam would be chanting "NO MORE MEETINGS" since this is the first meeting in ages where it was actually an important one with serious issues (and a peek into how corrupt DM is and how people like the characters could be so gainfully employed over the years) and Michael for once was being an actual boss with his humor non-awkward and actually organic.
Also, I too loved the unintentionally weird power play over the candy, and I especially loved Jim and Pam's gift to Michael of the rum with the plush parrot. That is EXACTLY the kind of gift Michael would love.
All in all, I really liked the episode and think Jim and Pam being the "villains" of the season total bull. What do they have to do to win back your love?
And finally I liked Jim!!!!! His scene with Michael in the kitchen was really funny. And everything that happened with him and Dwight was hilarious too. I wonder if that will go anywhere.
So really I think that this has been my favorite episode this season! I hope that the rest of season 6 continues this way!
Steve Carrell, meanwhile, continues to add layers to Michael. Please let him win the Emmy this year.
posted by: TWSS on Sun, 10/25 10:21 PM EDT
Agree with you about Jim though, it was the most I've liked him all season.
That said, the Toby stuff was incredible! Michael's facial expression when he is hugging him was priceless. And the "what did I do?" line was fabulous.
What was the thing with the hat? Didn't get that, Ry.
Overall, not my favorite episode. I left wishing Pam would grow up and shut up. Maybe you can only be a nice, relate-able character if you're the receptionist, cause Erin is growing on me.













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