Thu, 10 December 2009
From Wikipedia: SECRET SANTA | 12.10.09 Michael is outraged when Jim allows Phyllis to be Santa at the office Christmas party. Jim and Dwight try to get everyone into the holiday spirit despite the uncertainty with Dunder Mifflin. Meanwhile, Oscar has a secret crush. ---------- It's Christmas time again, and the new season brings a new holiday themed episode. I loved the original Christmas Party, enjoyed Benihana Christmas, and was pretty disappointed in Moroccan Christmas last year. Hopefully Secret Santa can recapture some of that past magic. I tend to be pretty split on many Mindy Kaling written episodes, so I guess we'll see how things turn out. 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: 4:05pm EST
Comments[43]
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I must have missed the episode where Stanley\'s affair was confirmed. If I recall, Pam and Jim deflected the rumor about Stanley by announcing they were pregnant. In Secret Santa Michael says Stanley will go to \"H-E-L-L double hockey stIcks\" for his infidelity and nobody seems surprised.
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Hoorah! TWSS is still alive, and with corporate sponsorship to boot! My only question is, where is the \"The Pit: A P & R Podcast by Matt Sommer and his sidekick Kevin\" ??? I\'m waiting with bated breath... In the meantime, this episode was okay, for once I actually enjoyed the edited version vs. the producer\'s cut. The extra side interviews weren\'t funny. Nothing really stood out, though I\'d like to know what Vance would\'ve done had Phylis not called off the wrath of the dogs. Anyhoo, love you dudes, keep doing what you doing. PEACE!
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Hold on now on all the Comcast is the Devil talk. CEO said internet presence would be expanded. Hulu takes away from cable revenue, but expands internet revenue. I\'m a DirecTV subscriber, therefore, I am God, and you all should be too, but, that said, it\'s time to go ahead and have a little faith that the Comcast suits recognize how much new media is playing a role in television revenues these days. As for Matt Sommer\'s Time Warner subscription, well, that thing is little more than toilet paper these days. But, there is hope, get a dish.
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I loved the Christmas episode on 2nd viewing. I am a Christian, and while I would never do what Michael did- I truly believe Michaels character would and that it was funny. If anyone watching the show thinks that what Michael says, does and thinks isn\'t selfish and blasphemous then they haven\'t been paying attention. I hope the company being sold brings some fun new plot lines. Maybe, like last season, they will have a stellar story line in the 2nd half (like Michael Scott Paper). I have to say that if the writers didn\'t mean to make it look like there is something between Angela and Darryl, then they really f\'ed up, because the vibes were there. And I am NOT a fan. Angela does not need to be romantically involved ever again as far as I\'m concerned, except maybe with Dwight (in a Friends Ross and Rachel finale kind of way). I would love to hear a Hot Girl retro. Great episode and love Amy Adams
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Anyone catch the Producer\'s Cut? I actually really enjoyed it a lot, particularly the office workers vs warehouse workers angle. There were just a few bits that were unnecessary (like the extended scene of Andy trying to play off being Erin\'s Secret Santa), but overall a great extended episode. I do think that it\'s interesting and possibly hypocritical for Angela to give an \"Amen!\" to Jesus\' insistence that Stanley will be going to hell for his treacherous sin of adultery. What was Angela doing last season?!?
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Just watched the Producer\'s Cut, and it made the best episode in a long time even better! I\'m calling it here and now, Bob Vance is the buyer. When Phyllis complains to Jim about Michael dressing as Santa, she threatens, \"Don\'t make me get Bob involved.\"
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I\'ll take whatever retro episode you guys want to do. Season 2 has some awesome episodes that you haven\'t discussed. A few years ago I used to mistake Isla Fisher, Amy Adams and Jenna Fischer for each other. I guess a lot of people had the same issue with Amy and Isla. One of them jokingly addressed it in an interview. Now I see The Office connection between Jenna and Amy. Amy was the hot girl.
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Hey Matt and Kevin! you guys are awesome and I love the podcast:) I thought this episode was one of the best of this season, right below \"the lover\" and \"Murder\" :) I loved all that Toby crap....\"oh look the anti-christ!! LOL and the shot of Creed on \"santa\'s\" lap made me bust a gut. I love this new plot twist with the company being sold I hope this is a chance to add some new people to the show. I sorta kinda liked Pam and Jim in this episode and that ugh from Ryan was HE-LAR-E-OUS:) I also like how Dwight is putting his evil plan on hold for all the little children...NOT lol I think the capper for me was the twelve drummers drumming:) SO sweet I hope we see more of them in future episodes. Also this new plot with Oscar Im not sure about but what can I say?! The god ones are never straight!:) all-in-all a bittersweet 8:) I also wanted to say that what was up with all the crappy reviews of Scotts tots?! I mean that was a stellar episode I laughed the whole time and the Erin stuff...classic..Oh and Michael plus Santa equals..Jesus?! Thanks guys for listening to me and I cant wait to hear what you guys thought!!
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@Kimm: Wow, you really deserve a bump from intern to - at least - assistant to the assistant to the regional manager. Nice work there with the missing retro-episodes! I would like to see them do \"Hot Girl\" (that\'s what she said). Great answer to my question, by the way, with the gaydar.
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Kimm, I vote for Basketball as well. And if I\'m allowed to choose another, it would have to be Casino Night. I love old Jim and Pam, hence the name- Jim+Pam= Jam! So seeing their relationship in Basketball, while she was still with Roy and \"the big kiss\" of Casino Night are great. I would love to hear Matt and Kevin\'s take. However, I don\'t believe our \"vote\" will count. :-(
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Having done the only season 1 episodes that were worth a damn, I\'d be fine if they never touched another season 1 ep for the rest of the podcasts run. As for season 2, the ones I\'d like to hear are \"Performance Review\", \"Booze Cruise\", \"The Secret\", \"Boys and Girls\", \"Conflict Resolution\" and \"Casino Night.\"
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I really enjoyed the episode. Yes, it was a little \"KISS saves Christmas\" with the staff at Scranton being saved from the unemployment monster, lol but I enjoyed it just the same. Moroccan Christmas was ok. I was turned off by the intervention but everything else about the episode was hilarious. Bennihana Christmas wasn\'t that great to me. I guess I will call that my least favorite of the bunch.
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I loved this episode. Props to Production Design for decking out the office. We got a bit of Jim and Dwight as the party planning committee which we need to see more of. Andy\'s idea of a gift was perfect and the Drums and dancing was a real christmas miracle. A shameless plug: I made this video for my TV News production class. Some of you might get a kick out of it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dIiAZnmGOs
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For Jack Landsman and anybody else interested in a retro podcast over the break...It doesn\'t seem likely based on Matt\'s tweets but if he and Kevin are so motivated...which episode gets your vote? Matt started the podcast at the beginning of Season 3, and they\'ve already done retro episodes of: From Season One: The Pilot Diversity Day Christmas Party The Injury Health Care From Season Two: The Alliance Valentine\'s Day The Dundies Office Olympics The Client Sexual Harassment Dwight\'s Speech For a show with over a hundred episodes in can, that doesn\'t leave many; in fact, the only episodes left are: From Season One: Episode 5 - Basketball Episode 6 - Hot Girl From Season Two: Episode 4- The Fire Episode 5- Halloween Episode 6- The Fight Episode 8- Performance Review Episode 9- Email Surveillance Episode 11- Booze Cruise Episode 13- The Secret Episode 14- The Carpet Episode 15- Boys and Girls Episode 18- Take Your Daughter to Work Day Episode 19- Michael\'s Birthday Episode 20 - Drug Testing Episode 21- Conflict Resolution Episode 22- Casino Night So what\'s your choice? I\'d vote for Basketball, but I have a feeling based on comments here and there in the podcast that Matt and Kevin would (will?) go for Casino Night first. (And PS if there are any retro episodes you haven\'t heard, I think \"The Dundies\" is their best retro effort, lots of historical tidbits and so forth.)
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I\'ve got to start thinking of these things all at once... I think Kevin Crossman may be exactly right...that Michael is going to be the next CEO of Dunder Mifflin. I thought he was talking out of his hat before, but now, if distribution is the only thing the new buyer is keeping, who is the most likely new CEO (assuming they\'re not going to put in their own guy)...the manager of the most successul branch of the distribution system,eg Michael. In that role, Michael would presumably show up as much as David Wallace does now...and maybe Steve Carell\'s movie career is such that that\'s what he\'d like to do. Having said that, Jim would be the obvious choice for sole manager. Obvious maybe, but not comedic. It would be funnier if he came through with the big sale he mentioned in \"Murder,\" the new buyer figured they couldn\'t do without his skills in sales, and so they picked a worse salesman (but funnier character), like Andy or Todd Packer. I guess we\'ll see...I haven\'t been close to right yet, after all.
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First off, Kimm: Michael\'s sweet diminutive plasma TV was smashed in a blind fit of rage by Jan at the end of \"Dinner Party.\" Also, Bob Vance\'s affair with the secretary was but a baseless suspicion circling Phyllis\'s brain. \"Secret Santa\" was awesome, guys. Unlike most, I suppose, I\'ve always been a big enthusiast of all of the Christmas episodes. (The classic \"Christmas Party\" warrants no justification; \"Benihana Christmas\" was buoyed by an awesome bit of interaction between Dwight and Toby in the show\'s cold-open, and the hilarity of the business at the Benihana joint; Again, swimming against the tide perhaps, I thought \"Moroccan Christmas\" was a very memorable and commendable effort.) \"Secret Santa\": Michael\'s recidivist idiocy can be a bit disappointing and tiring if you think about it too much but then again, I don\'t. We know from Mike\'s indignant reaction to Darryl\'s request to portray Santa in the original \"Christmas Party\" that he\'s particular about the role. His jilted Jesus routine was hilarious (\"More space garbage; Dwight can build himself a friend\"; \"Are you kidding me, that is so offensive\"). And the writers continue to intrigue us near the close of every episode with the uncertain future of Dunder Mifflin. I\'m loving \"The Office\" these days. Can\'t wait for the Retro TWSS episode to chew on for this year\'s winter hiatus.
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This week\'s episodes had all the elements of a classic Office episode, and I think is able to hold its own against the other holiday episodes. Bravo! One final note: I didn\'t know Jesus could fly and heal leopards. Boy have I missed out from not going to church. :-)
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Hey Kimm Walton I too was a fan of \\\"Moroccan Christmas\\\". While the Meredith intervention plotline was a little iffy, it was the back and forth between Phyllis and Angela, Phyllis dropping the bombshell to everyone except Andy and Andy obliviously singing \\\"Deck the Halls\\\" to the most awkward crowd imaginable that made me love it.
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Well i gotta feeling that I\'m gonna be in the minority here, but I really liked this episode. The Jesus and Oscar bits were great and it felt more old-school then other recent episodes. The explanation; The office people worked together in a hearwarming way. It touched me. (TWSS!) SO I can\'t wait to hear your thoughts guys!
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My heart, frozen and left for dead after \"Scott\'s Tots,\" has grown three sizes this week! Charming and sweet episode, with just enough Michael dickishness to keep it grounded. I\'m not a fan of Dwight\'s diabolical plan, so was glad for the respite. I love it when he and Jim work as a team, especially their epic ineptitude as the party planning committee. Like several others, I\'ve hated Phyllis for ages now, but it was nice to see a more vulnerable side of her again. I got the feeling that being Santa meant so much to her because, like Michael, she is a middle-aged person with no children. I agree with the other poster who thought they saw something between Angela and Daryl. Is this good or not good? Also, I\'m loving Andy\'s and Erin\'s awkward romance more every week. Oh, and does anybody else think that Dwight wears those elf ears a lot at home? Enjoyed the episode, and I love the podcast. Merry Christmas, TWSS!
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I don\'t know if this happened in any other markets, but in NYC just before the show started they showed that Charmin ad where the little beat has s**t sticking to his ass, and I thought, wow, I hope this isn\'t an omen... Phew. It wasn\'t. What a great episode. As far as I\'m concerned, they\'re batting a thousand on the Christmas episodes, even Moroccan Christmas which I, along with I guess one other Office fan, really enjoyed. I thought it was HILARIOUS when David Wallace said to Michael, \"I really shouldn\'t tell you this...\" DUH- YOU THINK? How many times does this guy have to take it in the you-know-where to learn what any five-year-old could tell you - you never, ever ever confide in Michael Scott? Has it EVER worked out well for him? I\'ll be sad to see David go - I really like the character - and who knows maybe they\'ll find a way to keep him. Like others I thought there were tons of great lines. \"Tranny Claus.\" I\'m still laughing. I wasn\'t so crazy about Michael\'s malapropisms with David Wallace (\"uslurp\") especially since he so quickly thereafter used the word \"petulant\"; you wouldn\'t expect both of those from the same person. Pam is back!! Loved her helping out Oscar. I guess the hormones are subsiding in her third trimester.... Little continuity bit: Notice that Michael asked Phyllis for a TV that would be compatible with an XBox. I guess he never replaced that sweet 7\" plasma screen TV Jan wrecked in \"Dinner Party\"...but in other continuity news, I guess there was no fallout from Bob Vance\'s affair with his secretary in \"Cafe Disco\" (and I say thank God for that, I thought that was an unfortunate development) -- also, WHEN did Phyllis ask to be Santa Claus? eleven weeks ago? When she was loudly denying Jim\'s authority after boozy 2-hour lunches? Hmm.. In other historical news: In terms of the age of the planet, it\'s really not so long since you couldn\'t say the word \"pregnant\" on TV (In the 50\'s Lucy had to be \"Enciente\"), married couples couldn\'t sleep in the same bed (the 60\'s with the \"Dick Van Dyke Show\"), gay men couldn\'t be characterized as such (just about every role Tony Randall ever had), and here we are with Oscar\'s gay crush and nobody bats an eyelash. As the Beatles said, it\'s getting better all the time. I guess none of my predictions are panning out: Andy and Oscar getting together, Erin secretly being evil. I\'ll leave predictions to the professionals: I\'m doing a comprehensive review of Matt/Ian/Kevin predictions throughout the podcast. So far they\'re right 55% of the time on \"current\" episodes and a whopping 100% of the time on the retro episodes ;) Incidentally I really enjoy reading what you all have to say here. I was a little taken aback when I read Kaiser Soje\'s comment \"How do we know Matt is gay?\" until it dawned on me which Matt he was talking about... Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays everyone!
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I finally saw the episode this morning, and I\'ve already watched it three times. Not only one of the best of the season, but also arguably the best Xmas episode yet. They pretty much granted everything on a fan\'s wish list for a final ep of the year. Jerk Michael/Nice Michael (Hurt Petulant Jesus brought the laughs and awkward humor while Michael the Boss got David Wallace to tell them they still have jobs as well as an apology to Phyllis) The Pam We Know And Love (playing matchmaker for Oscar) Competent Jim (for fulfilling Phyllis\' Santa wish and keeping Michael in check) Non-Diabolical Dwight Blossoming Love Between Andy and Erin (and I did the math, it\'s 23 birds) Good Small Moments from Everyone Else Dunder Mifflin lives to work another day (although I will miss David Wallace) We got all of these, as well as fake snow that looked pretty real for once. This ep has gotten me in the spirit, so thank you THE OFFICE for a fantastic episode and Matt and Kevin for what I\'m sure will be an awesome podcast. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!
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Honestly, this was the best episode I\'ve seen since The Injury in season 2! There were so many great little jokes sprinkled throughout the show, Michael redeemed himself by the end, Pam wasn\'t totally annoying, and the 12 Days of Christmas idea of Andy\'s was so much fun... I thoroughly enjoyed this episode and will probably watch it multiple times in the next week.
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I felt so weird about this episode (seems I\\\'m not alone). I had a few laughs, but overall I mostly felt bored. In theory, the episode really reflected everything I love about The Office. It had awkward humor, Michael being a jerk, and in the end, an emotional, touching conclusion. But I think this episode has finally made me realize that I\\\'m just growing tired of The Office. Unless something drastic starts happening, I\\\'m afraid my fondness for the show has started fading beyond repair.
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Best line from the episode: \"...but when you need my help because I am ruining everything, don\'t look at me.\" - Michael Scott Loved Andy\'s 12 days of Christmas. Loved Creed\'s \'What if you\'ve been really bad, like evil.\' Pam should keep out of Oscar\'s crush - even if they\'re the only 2 gay guys she knows. :) Michael as Jesus - \"you\'re going to H-E-L-L-double hockey sticks.\" Can\'t wait to hear your take on this one...
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Erin\'s smile at the end was the best moment for me since Jim came home from the New York interview and asked Pam out. Pam\'s and Jim\'s expressions during their unrequited love phase will always be my favorite moments (yes, I love the pranks and humor). But I\'m loving Erin\'s innocence (shown through her expressions) at the moment. It\'s keeping me hanging in there during the past season of bad writing and mostly lame humor.
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There\'s something about this time of the year that brings the worst in Michael Scott. In every Christmas episode, one or more of his bad qualities is pushed to the extreme. I\'m glad that in \"Secret Santa\", like in \"Christmas Party\" (season 2) and \"Benihana Christmas\" (season 3), he redeemed himself in the end after being a complete douche during the first half of the episode. The development of Dunder Mifflin being bought by another company, although improbable (who would buy such a company in a dying industry?), gives a quick end to the bankruptcy plot line and brings several interesting possibilities. I\'ve been underestimating the writers and producers of this show. This was a genius move. One more time I have to mention the chatroom at TWSS. Watching the show with other people with the same level of interest and knowledge of \"The Office\" intensifies the pleasure (that\'s what she said). A quick question: how do we know Matt is gay?
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I have to watch this episode again, but I will say on first viewing it was pretty good. It started off annoying because Michael\'s childish petulance wore thin about three seasons ago, but he improved his attitude. It was also funny when he played Jesus and damned everyone to hell. I was waiting for him to get to Angela. Dare I say it? This did have the season two vibe to it. However, Wallace\'s announcement that Scranton will stay in business was a little too icky for me. Too clean cut. But then again I\'m a living breathing Scrooge, so I\'m always going to be cynical about an outcome like that. Still - decent episode. Kelley getting the Robert Patinson poster and choking up? Perfect. Loved that to bits.
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Maybe Christmas brings out my sentimental side but I really really loved this episode. Even despite wanting to punch PhylliSanta every time she opened her mouth. Pam was sweet. Jim wasn\'t pathetic. Dwight wasn\'t pointlessly diabolical (loved his reasoning). And we rarely get to see Michael being nice to Dwight so I loved that too. Even the Toby bits were funny. There weren\'t so many laugh out loud moments but the episode kept me smiling the whole way :)
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Ok...this episode was weird. It went from one of the worst episodes ever to one of the best ones ever. I have NO clue what was up with Oscar & the crush thing, & I sorta understand the ending as Andy redeems himself. What I loved was the transition from that stupid competing Santas plot to the switch over as Michael saves Christmas. Just when I thought Michael Scott couldnt\' be any dumber, he goes ahead & does this...and totally redeems himself!
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