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: 12:37pm EDT
Comments[41]
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I guess I\'m the minority here, but this might be my least favorite episode of the season. ANB (Angry New Beasly) is a brat. Really, it\'s none of her business who her mom dates or who Michael dates. She was fine with it being someone else in the offices mom, she just wanted the gossip at first. And her mom is an adult that can make decisions for herself. Michael didn\'t even bring it into work, Pam did. She doesn\'t seem to care what bimbo her dad is dating. Can\'t she be happy with her own marriage and let the Michael and her mom thing fissel out on it\'s own, without acting like a petulant teenager? I really hated her this episode. 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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Back stabbers ALL of you. Pam went to the wall for Michael just last season. She quit and followed him to the Michael Scott Paper Company. How soon you Judas\'s forget. He should 100% have just gave up her mom. This was a very funny episode and I feel TERRIBLE for Jim & Pam. You guys have forgotten that they are the normal ones and the fact that u disagree with them makes you crazy.
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Molly- I was the one who said Pam was being a spoiled brat but I didn\'t mean particularly towards her mother, more towards Michael. That crap she pulled in the conference room and then the kitchen? Not cool. Agree with you about Jim though, it was the most I\'ve liked him all season.
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So disappointed with Pam\'s character. She was extremely unpleasant, and no, being pregnant does not let her off the hook. Completely inappropriate and just plain mean to treat anyone, let alone your boss, like trash. Steve Carrell, meanwhile, continues to add layers to Michael. Please let him win the Emmy this year.
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I knew they would bounce back!!! There were a few lame episodes the last couple weeks, but this in my one in my opinion was one of the funniest episodes of all time. When they showed Creed crying I was laughing so hard I could barely breathe. He is quickly becoming my favorite character!
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I think Pam\'s extreme reaction to Michael\'s relationship with her mother stems from fear. She\'s seen what happens to people involved romantically with Michael and doesn\'t want her mother to become the next Jan. Michael Scott tends to destroy the people he loves. Like Lennie from \"Of Mice and Men\".
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If this episode doesn\'t win Carell an Emmy then the judges really need to get their collective heads out of Baldwin\'s big butt!! A+ episode, easily in my top 10 and made me realise all over again how much i LOVE this show, after a lot of so so episodes. Gene and Lee hit a complete home run. Non stop laughs, finally a sympathetic Michael, Pam understandably loosing the plot, Jim being stuck in the middle of it all and Dwight actually being one step ahead of Jim. I thought the fine line of understanding both characters points of views was perfectly struck. Only question for me is can they keep it up? Thats what she said :)
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Hey All 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?
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Thank you for a wonderful episode! If I were to find out my supervisor were hooking up with my mother, I\'d be mortified, and I would probably have a similar reaction as Pam\'s. For everyone who thinks she\'s being bitchy, let\'s not forget that hormones, pregnancy, and stress do not mix well. 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.
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Wow. Pam? What a bitch?! She was just like she has been before, and Jim needs to stand up for himself, and not let Pam walk all over him. And what was up with Pam looking like she had lost weight. She looked more pregnant last episode. Once again, I am not pleased.
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I cannot believe how many people think Pam\'s reaction was justified. Pam doesn\'t get a say in who her mother dates, as I\'m sure she would expect her mother to keep out of her own dating decisions. She was a spoiled brat in this episode and I for one hope her mother and Michael aren\'t guilted out of happiness. The rest of the episode was pretty great but honestly, the Pam stuff pissed me off so much I couldn\'t enjoy it properly.
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I forgot to mention how utterly contemptible Jim Halpert was this episode. Forgive me, but I\'m beginning to feel Mr. Halpert--like Michael Scott--is also an embodiment of the Peter Principle, if to a lesser degree. For some reason this guy can\'t rise to the challenge. On paper the promotion was probably long overdue (Dwight, with reason, would disagree but someone with a more detached, less-informed view like Wallace wouldn’t). But Jim doesn’t have much in way of leadership skills. He failed miserably to harmoniously preside over The Office in \"Survivor Man\" and found himself tripped up over something as small-bore (and hilariously delightful, btw) as birthday arrangements. His idiocy in \"Night Out\" was somewhat excusable as it amounted to a small oversight. But what about \"The Duel\"? Two Office guys were at each other\'s throat in a major way and Halpert was hapless! Has anyone forgotten how lame he was avoiding the conflict of “Casual Friday”? That scene in “The Meeting,” where Michael reads the profile filed by Toby to Wallace was fascinating in that it showed the chasm between what Jim appears to be and what he actually is. He’s all talk and charm but little substance and certainly no balls. The case for me is closed with last night\'s episode. Can anyone imagine Jan Levinson or Charles Miner tolerating Pam\'s juvenile behavior that seems to have lasted the duration of the day? 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.
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Wow- I have never had such a complete turn around on an episode before. Absolutley HATED it on the Thursday watch, but on rewatch I totally love it! I rewatched the scene of Michael telling Jim about three times, and I was dying every time Toby walked in and they both yelled at him. It\'s funny to watch Jim picking up more and more of Michael\'s mannerisms. I also ended up really liking the conference room scene, especially Stanley in the background of Pam\'s chant and Oscar\'s reaction to the news - \"you have no sense of boundaries, man\". I saw this plot twist coming in the wedding episode, and greatly hoped they wouldn\'t go there, but I think they handled it very well, LOVE \'The Lover\'!
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I thought this episode was really, really great, a perfect mix of the drama and the comedy. Pam\'s reaction was perfect, and anyone who thinks she should have handled it any better is insane -- finding out that Michael Scott is dating your mother is literally nightmare material. I would have gone out to the parking lot and screamed, too, and then probably thrown myself in front of a car. The duck--I mean, mallard--plot was pretty good, and I loved the stuff with Ryan\'s hat (I don\'t know if there were deleted scenes about the hat, but I\'m glad they didn\'t go into any more detail about it than they did, and just kept it running in the background). A very solid episode, much more satisfying than last week\'s.
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Oh, and I was glad that Pam\'s anger that Jim knew about it before she found out didn\'t seem to be a big deal. I mean, he found out about it like thirty minutes before she did and didn\'t want to bring it up at work -- he didn\'t do anything wrong. I just cringe at any sign that we might be headed for one of those tiresome, idiot-plot clichés, but the writers have been pretty good at avoiding them.
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Does anybody remember in \"Sexual Harassment\" when Pam tells people her mom is coming and Kevin goes \"MILF!\"? More prophetic words were never uttered. 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?
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This episode reminds me why I miss Holly. On the Emmy red carpet Steve Carell said he wanted Amy Ryan on the show fun time, if she was back, we wouldn\'t have to suffer from episodes like this. The Dwight spy plot was a good idea, my only problem is that it was poorly executed, Jim trying to trick Dwight was neither funny nor clever, and while it was nice to see who got the upper hand in the end, his final talking head seemed forced, as though they were trying to recreate the classic \"Spud Gun\" \"Can you imagine if I were deranged?\" talking head. Basically this episode was Michael being yelled at and he not knowing or understanding why, did the steal this script from Curb Your Enthusiasm?
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I laughed out loud at an episode of The Office for the first time in a long time last night. The stuff between Dwight and Jim was great. I also loved Erin\'s weird power-play/territory-marking of asking Michael if Pam could put out the candy. 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.)
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This was a good episode and more than made up for last week\'s. Kudos to Steve Carell. He is amazing and every week I find myself applauding his performance. His facial expressions and ability to convey so much emotion with just his eyes is wonderful. 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.
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The best episode of the season easily. The opera scene, Jim\'s bleeped out swearing upon learning the truth, the way they cut back and forth from Michael to Pam as she\'s slowly figuring out what\'s going on. All brilliantly directed, paced, acted. It makes you forget how absurd and unbelievable the premise actually is.
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Could we PLEASE go back to episodes that make us actually like Pam instead of having her act like a huge, entitled b****? Seriously, Pam, grow up. Your mom\'s an adult, Michael\'s an adult, and neither of them did what they did just to creep you out. Your feelings about Michael do not override whatever attraction they have for each other. You act all gossipy and excited when you think Michael might be sleeping with someone else\'s mom but when it turns out to be your mom you throw a day-long hissy fit? You laugh and snicker with Jim when Michael\'s dysfunctions affect other people, but it\'s not so funny when it affects you, is it? 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.
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Hey, finally a funny episode this season. I don\'t think Pam\'s reaction was out of line at all, though maybe a little inappropriate for the workplace. As far as Pam\'s mom having a change of \"character,\" it\'s worth remembering that she\'s just gone through the break-up of her marriage. That changes a person. And as for Michael -- Boundaries! Man! Boundaries!
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So irked by the \"in case you didn\'t get it, Dwight will explain every detail of his plan for you\" ending, I had to delurk and complain about it at 5 am local time. \"I\'ve got eight hours of this\" would have been such a funny, sharp place to end. And I probably would have liked Ryan\'s hepcat hat thing better if there had been no acknowledgement of it until Kevin asking where he got it at the end. Maybe I needed more subtle background madness to balance Pam\'s freak-out. Which was an understandable emtion--but a little self control, Pam, please. See how controlled and quiet Toby is when he\'s vexed? Don\'t we all want to be like Toby? Anyone?
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Hi everyone. I feel compelled to write this week (first time!), as I strongly believe this latest episode of The Office is the best one I\'ve seen in a number of seasons! 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!
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This episode was good for me because of Dwight. It\'s weird that I can so capricious and sometimes minimalist in how I rate these episodes. 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.)
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Good episode, finally!!! 7.5/10 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.
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I liked this episode! From Dwight\'s Mallard to Jim messing with him through opera (as Creed cried), it was certainly the funniest episode I\'ve seen in this season so far. There are some on other boards who think Pam went over the top. Are you kidding me? If Michael told me he was dating my Mom, I would have done a lot worse. And her Mom must be in a pretty bad place to date her daughter\'s boss and not even care about her feelings - after all the things Pam has probably said about him over the years. That\'s not the Mom from season two - the one Pam called after Jim kissed her in Casino Night. So, I have to say - over reaction aside, I sided with Pam here. (Ok, Debi...Pam\'s Mom isn\'t real...)
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I\'m calling it the best episode of the season so far. 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!
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