Speaking of people with no willpower (do you like that segue? I knew you would), Jan, the girlfriend and former boss of Michael Scott, is suing Dunder Mifflin for wrongful termination. This is basically a Michael-driven episode, and that’s not a bad thing after the goofiness that was ‘Survivor Man’. This is a more serious, believable Michael Scott, and a more serious episode overall. As usual, I feel bad for Michael. In one direction, he finds out just how poorly Jan thinks of him as a branch manager. On the other side, he finds out just how poorly everyone at Dunder Mifflin’s corporate offices sees him. Even worse, one of Jan’s big entries into the deposition is Michael’s diary, which is copied and distributed to Ryan, Dunder Mifflin’s lawyers, and even arch-nemesis Toby. The poor guy is humiliated at every turn this episode, and I really felt bad for him. The B plot concerns a ping-pong table in the warehouse. Darrell, as it turns out, is an amazing ping pong player who routinely clobbers Jim. This, of course, leads Kelly to talk smack, not trash, to Pam. Talking smack takes place in real time about what is currently happening, talking trash is about hypothetical situations. Kelly explains this all to us. Apparently she’s more streetwise than her Valley girl accent might suggest. Obviously, the A plot is worlds better this week, both in terms of content and in terms of laughs provided. It’s heavy on Michael and Jan, and as such it’s really good. I feel bad for Michael, of course, but I think at this point we’re supposed to feel sorry for Michael more often than not. He’s so misguided; he’s a nice guy, but he’s thoughtless and blunt and awful at his job, and that really shows through this week. Line of the Night: Kelly – Your boyfriend is so weak, he needs steroids just to watch baseball. Who Has Been Deducted 50 Schrutebucks: The entire B-plot was cute, at best. At worst, it was unnecessary. Ron Hogan receives adequate marks on his performance evaluations at Den of Geek. Find more by Ron at his blog, Subtle Bluntness, and daily at Shaktronics.
