Thu, 3 December 2009
From Wikipedia: SCOTT'S TOTS | 12.03.09 Written by Lee Eisenberg & Gene Stupnitsky. Directed by B. J. Novak. Michael (Steve Carell) is forced to face the music after he realizes he can't keep a promise he made to a group of kids 10 years ago. Meanwhile, Jim (John Krasinski) starts an employee of the month program to increase employee morale. ---------- Definitely curious to see what exactly this "promise" entails, although it sounds like this might be pretty heavy on the "awkward" humor that many people love (and I tend to not be too thrilled with). Shall we assume Michael promised to pay these kids' way through college, or something equally ridiculous? Michael always has loved making people happy and promising things. It's that damn FOLLOW THROUGH that always seems to kick him in the butt... Lee and Gene wrote this season's (arguably) best episode THE LOVER, and B. J. Novak is hot off his directorial work on SUBTLE SEXUALITY, so I hold out high hopes for tonight's installment. 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: 3:00pm EST
Comments[26]
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I guess when I heard about Dwight\'s plan to demote Jim I didn\'t realize how serious he was. I thought that Dwight was just going to do some mindless pranks. Guess I was wrong! And what is up with David Wallace? While I don\'t want Jim fired there should have been some consequences to what happened.
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I love The Office and That\'s What She Said jokes! Michael Scott always makes himself look like a fool lol. I all office fans are fans of That\'s What She Said and wasn\'t sure if you were aware of a new site that is dedicated to That\'s What She Said jokes and stories. It is http://www.TWSSstories.com and has even been listed on College Humor as a hotlink. I didn\'t see it in your link section and figured I would mention it.
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I\'ll throw in with those who enjoyed this episode for reasons already elucidated by others. I wasn\'t a big fan of the past couple of episodes, especially not Shareholder Meeting. I knew what was coming on Scott\'s Tots as soon as I saw the episode title and description and didn\'t have high hopes, but I felt the writers delivered.
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I usually try to find something to like about the episodes, but this one stank from beginning to end. I cannot believe that Lee, Gene and B.J. thought this episode was a good idea, considering their clout in the Office universe. They have written some of the true classics, and yet they decided to make an episode where Dwight comes off worse than ever, Michael is downright cruel, and Jim has somehow lost his brain on his way to work. I sincerely hope this episode was just a temporary fiasco.
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Thanks TWSSMatt! Thank you Kathy and a few others for your comments. I don\'t feel alone! I have to correct myself about something that I wrote in my first comment- I really haven\'t liked any episode after Niagra, except The Lover. I really laughed hard on that one! Hope Jenna Fischer gets an Emmy! Who fake fires someone?! Only Michael Scott. Who promises children scholarship money knowing they can\'t pay it?! Yes, Michael Scott. Who sleeps with a man\'s fiancé for months then challenges said man to a duel over her once discovered?! Only Dwight Schrute. Who would create a diabolical plan to overthrow Jim as manager?! You guessed it- Dwight Schrute. I guess what I\'m trying to say is that I agree with Kimm Walton. It\'s so weird, awkward and mean that it just makes you laugh. (This episode does lean more toward the British version season two- which is painful yet hilarious.) And again I repeat- it\'s what The Office writers do best. I\'m really sorry some of y\'all don\'t see it that way.
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At first viewing, I abhorred this episode. And on second viewing, I still didn\'t like it, though I did enjoy just a few small character moments. I really liked the story about Kevin having initially applied for a warehouse job and Michael having seen something special in him. Now whether or not Kevin has become a competent accountant remains to be seen, but showed a nice side of Michael, and was a good bonding moment between Michael and Erin. And of course, I am eagerly awaiting to see how the Dwyan Alliance will turn out. Of course, I can\'t see it succeeding in the long run, but it will hopefully make for some good TV.
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Thank you Eric Parashos for the movie recommendation; I have a couple of friends who adore so-bad-they\'re-great campy movies. I went to Amazon where you can find \"The Room\" for 8.95 and people there back up your assessment; curious to see if Kevin Crossman sees it and likes it... For everyone who didn\'t like this episode btw go back and watch it again...I think you\'ll like it more on a second viewing. And PS: NO comebacks after last week? Michael called the CEO of the company a moron, hijacked the limo, and...nothing? HE\'s got serious blackmail photos of somebody important...
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I loved how Michael treats Erin, they\'re interaction was comedy gold and her reaction to his \"nip slip\" e-mails were hilarious. It was great to see Stanley laughing so hard over Scotts Tots, whenever Stanleys having a good time you know it\'s going to hit the fan. And for once Dwight had a good plan, it was well thought out, untracable back to him and had a decent chance of working, the only downside, it didn\'t make any sense as to why Dwight would be making copies, still Ryan will make a fine addition to this diabolical plan, this is a 2 man job, that\'s what she said! Overall I loved this episode, and is by far the best of the season
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I was just rewatching Launch Party, & Dwight remarks that he can beat the Dunder Mifflin Infinity website because he is the best salesman in the company. In fact, he has been employee of the month 13 out of the last 12 months. One month, in lieu of a pay raise, they gave him two plaques. CLEARLY, Dunder Mifflin already has an employee of the month program! And how is Jim able to be eligible for this, since he specifically said that Michael can\'t be because he is co-manager?! It is an unrealistic premise. Loved Dwight\'s impressions of Toby, Stanley & Kevin.
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I really liked this episode in the way that I found the second season of the BBC version of the Office excruciatingly funny. The emphasis is on the excruciating, I guess; it’s funny in a way that makes you wince. It’s the kind of humor you like if you liked the book “A Confederacy of Dunces.” (And if you liked this episode and haven’t read that book, you’d love the book.) Cold open: I laughed out loud. I just hope that by next week, Andy has put his irritable bowel syndrome behind him. Re: the Jim/Dwight story line…has anyone actually worked somewhere where there was an “employee of the month,” not with a cash prize but with, say, a name on a plaque? EVERYONE I know who’s been there was mortified when they were actually named employee of the month, but maybe I just have cynical friends… Next week, I’m guessing that Dwight will be busted when someone in the office is somehow confronted with what “they” told David Wallace. Re: the Michael story line…as I was watching this I thought, wouldn’t the first thing Michael would do would be to get the kids college scholarships? Erin suggested they could get financial aid –definitely true – but if they’d done as well as they seem to have done, a scholarship would be a feasible alternative. And I’ll tell you one sure way Michael could accomplish it really fast: get his failure as much publicity as the original “gift” got. People would be racing to open their pocketbooks to these kids, kind of like the way everybody throws money at the kitten they read about in the NY Post who got stuck in an airplane bathroom or whatever… also scene with Erin/Michael on the way home; it\'s the first time I really liked Erin. Very touching. The end bit, I don’t know what Matt and Kevin call it: Ryan finding the copy of Dwight’s diabolical plan…hysterical. I can’t wait to see what Ryan and Dwight cook up. Ideally Jim will spank them both but how? I’m totally into finding that out.
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I must be drinking the Kool Aid then because I think it was this season\'s best episode yet. Michael leaves the office, does stupid things and the rest of the gang entertain themselves. What\'s not to like? It\'s a classic! Yes, the Michael plot line made me cringe and it feels cruel to the kids. But it\'s a perfect example of something Michael would actually do. Delusional (he thought he\'d be a millionaire in 10 years as a Regional Manager), eager to please, procrastinator and clueless. Dwight\'s plan was hilarious! Well planned and executed, perfect. I\'d have like it better if it had been a prank on Jim rather than a plan to get him fired, but still pretty good. And it sets up a new partnership that can be very interesting in future episodes. Highlights of the episode: 1) Dwight\'s impressions. It was perfect when he did Toby (that\'s what she said). 2) Pam\'s reaction when she was declared \"employee of the month\". She\'s somehow reluctant to take it but also happy.
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Hey Kevin, On the episode for \"The Promotion\" you mentioned \"You\" done by Melora Hardin, and you described it as being a drama that\'s so bad that it\'s funny, and it made me think of a movie I heard of over summer (though it has no Office connections that I can think of) but since it kinda came from the LA-ish area and you\'re from California I thought you may have heard of it. It\'s called \"The Room\" and it\'s an independent movie made by a guy named Tommy Wiseau (who nobody knows where he\'s from) and he wrote, produced and stars in this movie..and it\'s so fucking bad..it\'s (or at least I find it) hilarious. It\'s sold out midnight screenings across the country for 6 years. I know there are no office connections to it, but when you mentioned \"You\" the way you described it made me think of that movie, and I was wondering if either you or Matt have heard of it?
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This episode was disheartening, disappointing, and not funny in any way. I don\'t understand why the office is always so quick to gang up on Jim! They\'ve known him for over 5 years, shouldn\'t they know by now that he wouldn\'t do anything that deceitful and stupid? I am incredibly tired of Dwight and his crap, now every time he is on screen I just want to whack him upside his eggplant-shaped head! The only possible way they could redeem this ridiculous plot line is to have Jim and Dwight have it out, a heart-to-heart conversation that would finally make Dwight accept Jim\'s promotion. This whole plot line was so distracting and upsetting that I\'ve barely had time to process the total and complete debacle that was \"Scott\'s Tots\". All I can say is, thank god for Erin! I suggest you shape up writers, or you will soon be losing this dedicated fan.
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To Jam4Eva: As much as I hated this episode, I have to agree with you that Dwight\'s impressions were excellent, and I enjoyed Erin\'s singing along with the kids\' song, as well as her little bonding moment with Michael on the drive back. She is so sweet, and a breath of fresh air that this show desperately needs. I think I could sit back and enjoy the Dwight/Ryan Alliance of Idiots more if there wasn\'t such a cold meanness behind it. Maybe I need to just chill out (it\'s only tv, after all!), but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
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Wow, I thought there was a lot to like in this episode. Yes what Michael did was cruel, but maybe Erin had a valid point in the car ride back when she said Michael may have prevented some of them from dropping out? The rap and break dance they did was hysterical, and Erin getting into it was funny too. I am tiring of Dwight\'s failed efforts to get rid of Jim, but those impressions were very funny. I don\'t know, I laughed a lot. And that\'s usually my only criteria. And I am intrigued by the Ryan/Dwight alliance. Come on, finding \"Dwight\'s Diabolical Scheme\" in the copier? That\'s not funny? Were we watching the same episode? That was hysterical!
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I am a huge fan of your podcast, however, this is my first time writing. I really enjoyed this episode and am really upset with the last two comments. I have deeply disliked the last few episodes (pretty much everything after the wedding.) Shareholder Meeting was actually the worse- except for the Pam and Jim connection. Pam is really falling into her wife/mother role nicely. Her \"I\'ve heard you exclaim\" comment was priceless. Getting to the point- This episode I really enjoyed! Both plots were awkardly hilarious, which The Office writers do best. I loved Erin\'s expressions and chiming into the students\' song as if she didn\'t know what would happen! I really enjoyed Dwight\'s imitation of his co-workers (especially because Rainn Wilson is known for not doing great impressions.) I can\'t wait to see how the Ryan/Dwight conspiracy unfolds! Someone agree with me, please! PLEASE!
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Not outright terrible. Just average. The last five minutes or so redeemed the ep slightly with Michael and the kid and the drive back with Erin and Dwight\'s pitch perfect imitations and Ryan joining forces in an idiot\'s alliance. But I won\'t be going back to the ep anytime soon. I dunno. Maybe this is a run-up to next weeks hopefully better Xmas episode.
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Oh dear Lord. Is there anything about these characters to like anymore? Dwight is absolutely hateful. Jim\'s an idiot. Michael should be in jail for what he did to those kids - not before being fired for what he did at the stock holders meeting the episode before. DMI, as Oscar said, \"stands for Dummies, Morons and Idiots\". He didn\'t realize that he was speaking about himself and his colleagues. What a bunch of despicable people. Dwight. Angela. Phyllis. What am I supposed to be watching here? A bunch of morons all going to hell in a hand basket? At least on Seinfeld, whenever Jerry and his cohorts did something bad, it was something we could relate to - so there was an emotional connection. But these DM people are hateful, gossipy, back stabbing, wimpy baffoons who I wouldn\'t turn my back on in the subway. Why? Why do I put myself through this?
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I\'m a big fan of your podcast and wanted to take my first opportunity to write and say this was the episode of the office ever. Both he a and b stories were unfunny and border line cruel. How many times must we see hapless Jim screw up again in Michaels absence? Very disappointing indeed.
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I\'ll be curious to hear your guys take on this. As always, I\'ll look forward to Matt saying \"I gotta say\" 50 or so times :) For my part, this episode was just terrible. Brutal. Not funny at all. Made me seriously think that maybe they just need to hang it up.
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What the ... ??? I have to agree that this episode was both unfunny and cruel. And things had been going so well the past few episodes! My only hope is that Jim will clue in to the sabotage and get his revenge, but he\'s pretty, not smart, so I\'m not holding out too much on that front. Of course, in the real world, Dwight\'s actions would get him not only fired but facing criminal charges. What\'s funny about that? And I don\'t even want to think about the Michael plotline -- EVER AGAIN. Hated, hated, hated this horrible episode.
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