After having almost a month between new episodes of "The Office", I was really hopeful that this episode would be pretty strong. Really, it was a bit of a letdown.
The gist of the episode: David Wallace brings Michael to corporate to try and find out why the Scranton branch is actually succeeding. The Dwight-Andy-Angela love triangle finally hits the fan.
What worked: Actually, the opening might've been the highlight. Kinda like the Halloween episode, the opening rocked, and then from there ... kinda downhill. Anyway, the opening featured a radar gun outside the office -- with Michael and Dwight trying to get the top speed ... running. At 12 mph, Michael's "Eat that, Carl Lewis" line was great. ... I thought the way Michael broke the news to Andy, as he was literally driving off for his meeting with Wallace, was awesome. ... The "you're welcome" from Creed after Andy sarcastically thanking the staff for lying to him was really well-timed. More Creed, please. ... Meredith's few lines were good, too. Her "I call loser" of the duel was funny. ... I also liked Kevin's scene with Angela and Oscar, talking about the form -- but really talking about Angela's affair. ... Andy pinning Dwight up against the bushes with his Prius wasn't bad, either. ... There was plenty of stuff that "worked" but it just wasn't as hilarious as usual. Some good moments, but this wasn't an episode that had a lot of great moments.
What didn't work: The meeting between Michael and Wallace was pretty lame. I appreciated how Wallace was just baffled about Michael's success -- and how Michael's answers indicated he had no idea, either. But it just wasn't really laugh-out-loud funny. ... While I liked Andy using his Prius, the rest of the whole duel was just kinda weak. ... I could take or leave Dwight's weapons.
So...: The Dwight-Andy-Angela story line might be done. That could be fine. They're all good characters, and I'm not sure they need this story line. While it can be a nice break from Jim and Pam ... I dunno, I'm just ready for next week's episode. Michael and Dwight go undercover at a competing paper supply company, and the office staff debates if Hilary Swank is hot. I predict a bounce-back episode.
