TV Review: The Office 5.10 – The Surplus
Posted by Adam Sweeney (adam@filmschoolrejects.com) on December 5, 2008
The Office, NBC, Airs Thursdays 9/8c
Episode: “The Surplus” (Season 5, Episode 10)
Synopsis: Michael (Steve Carell) has to spend a budget surplus of $4300 by the end of the day or lose the money all together.
Review: It took me a little while to warm up to “The Surplus” episode. I saw a side of Pam (Jenna Fischer) that I really didn’t like, the controlling hyper-competitive person that pressures her boyfriend to do what she wants. (I think we all have dated a person like this, guy or girl, and it was the first time I found myself disliking Pam) and the first half wasn’t joke heavy. But the second portion of the episode evened my opinion, the highlight (in my opinion) being Angela’s (Angela Kinsey) touching realization that she was in love with Dwight after all … only to find out that Dwight (Rainn Wilson) had tricked her into marrying him. Sigh, good times.
The episode focused heavily on Michael’s poor decision making skills, a smart choice as it always seems that he can find a way to screw up a pretty easy decision. And seeing Michael in a fur coat like Huggy Bear from Starsky and Hutch is hilarious, even if it means protesters throw red paint all over you. Hmm, what would pimp protesters throw on pimps? Maybe we shouldn’t look too deeply into that.
I wouldn’t categorize the episode as a throw away but it doesn’t rank as one of my favorites either. I felt like some excellent joke opportunities were missed. For example, Michael said something to the tune of “I hate disappointing someone and I hate disappointing everyone, but I really like The Burlington Coat Factory. ” I was for sure he was going to say, “but I hate disappointing myself even more,” or some line that would show his selfishness. We saw a ton of those one-liners in the first and second season. I kind of miss them, but then again I am just happy to see the show getting back to where it used to be. This episode was still better than half of what I saw in season four. So you take the good, you take the bad, you take them all and then you have the facts of life. Someone find out what happened to Tootie from that show. Maybe we can get a petition going for a guest appearance on the show. Okay, let’s not. Friends whored themselves out enough in their television run to make up for every NBC show into the next century, let’s not taint the hallowed halls of Dunder Mifflin.
Now comes the Christmas episode, always one of the funniest episodes of the show. So grab some cocoa and be prepared to hold your side from laughing so hard. Maybe even put a towel near your lap to prepare for when the hot cocoa hits your crotch, which is NEVER a good experience.
Up Next Week: Phyllis’ (Phyllis Smith) Moroccan-themed holiday party goes up in flames when Meredith’s (Kate Flannery) hair catches on fire and Michael is forced to deal with the accident. Meanwhile, Dwight (Rainn Wilson) corners the market on the hottest toy of the Christmas season.
Read More: The Office Recaps
Did you watch “The Surplus” episode? Is there any couple on TV cuter than Jim and Pam? Would you have chosen the copier, the chairs or a fur coat?
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