“A little close to my engagement there, Tuna. What’s your game here?”
“To get married?”
Jim reveals to Pam that he didn’t tell anyone about their engagement. And after her subsequent gripe, he finally does and absolutely no one is surprised.
Holly looks forwards to running her first meeting on business ethics. Cute opening to the meeting with Michael and Holly singing “Let’s Get Ethical.”
Talking head with Michael has him looking forward to merging their friendship into a relationship without her even aware of it. What about Jan and the baby?
“People expect a lot from these meetings…sudden twists, surprise endings. You need to be Robin Williams and M. Night Shyamalan. Robin Shyamalan.”
Holly mentions time theft as a form of stealing money directly from Dunder Mifflin. Michael encourages everyone to provide an example of an ethical dilemma they’ve faced in the office. Michael’s example: “When I discovered YouTube, I did not work for five days.”
Angela tells Oscar that she once called the INS on him, but that he’s clean. Dwight says that he has never stolen any company time.
Michael: “You are a thief of joy.”
Meredith reveals that she’s been sleeping with a Hammermill representative for supply discounts and Outback Steakhouse coupons once a month for six years.
Finally, a Meredith-centric episode!
Holly and Michael butt heads on how to handle the situation, Michael desperately tries to avoid conflict in excellent show of incompetence.
“After we did it, he’d give me those coupons…I just felt good about myself.”
Jim begins timing the amount of time Dwight wastes during work hours after his assertion that he never takes any personal time.
Michael asks Holly to a “business-romantic” lunch, ironically on Dunder Mifflin’s time. Holly says that she cannot write a report that doesn’t end with Meredith being fired. Michael suggests a chastity belt for Meredith rather than firing her.
Jim starts a conversation with Andy about Battlestar Galactica, ripe with misinformation to annoy Dwight who squirms uncomfortably.
“He has not stopped working for a second. At 12:45 he sneezed with his eyes open.”
Jim catches Dwight returning to his desk after 19 minutes and 38 seconds — following a quickie with Angela. Dwight admits that he is perhaps not ethical, and mugs to the camera.
Corporate HR rep Kendall admits that Meredith’s sex discount is actually benefitting the company and that Holly’s job was only to get signed statements from the employees stating that they’ve completed the ethics seminar. Holly is obviously torn, her own ethics compromised by Dunder Mifflin. She decides to follow protocol and finish the meeting to appease corporate.
When the office refuses to go into the conference room, Michael, in a rare show of aggression, stands up for Holly and forces them to complete the meeting.
The episode ends with the staff having lunch from Outback Steakhouse, lauding Meredith.
Very well done. It was interesting to see an episode that did not feature Pam and Jim save for the first minute or so. Also, the focus on the relatable issue of office ethics gave the episode a more grounded feel than “Weight Loss.” What surprised me a bit was the slight lack of inconsistency in the writing this time around. No mention of Jan during any of Michael’s talking heads? Still, it was wise to give PB & J a breather this week after the touching proposal in the season opener. Season five continues to deliver.
Mike Trevino is a rabid fan of House and The Office and blogs out of San Antonio, TX.
