TV Review: The Office – Blood Drive
Posted by Adam Sweeney (adam@filmschoolrejects.com) on March 6, 2009
The Office, NBC, Airs Thursdays 9/8c
Episode: “Blood Drive” (Season 5, Episode 16)
Synopsis: The office park hosts a blood drive and the Scranton gang hosts a Valentine’s Day party for the single people in the office.
Review: Love, or lack thereof, is in the air in Scranton. Thankfully, we have Michael Scott to play cupid on the company’s time. It’s nice to know that even the most selfish person can help produce sweet outcomes in others’ lives. The connection made between Kevin, a man who we can’t get over how much he looks like a real life Ziggy cartoon, was pretty cute. Yep, a guy used the word cute. We are progressing as a nation!
The title of this week’s episode is appropriate considering our hearts got pumping at the thought of one of our favorite comedies returning after a brief break. Blood Drive brought us Dwight’s (Rainn Wilson) mood swings, Stanley’s (Leslie David Baker) desperate attempts to get cookies and a little bit of backstory concerning Angela’s (Angele Kinsey) love life. It also taught us a lesson that sometimes love isn’t about getting the princess so much as it is about picking up the slipper, a profound thought for a show that bathes in the humor of idiocy.
It took a quarter of the show for us to get adjusted to the Valentine’s Day theme. For future reference, NBC, it works better whenever you have a holiday inspired episode somewhere around the time the holiday is happening. But I really do look forward to the next Christmas episode that airs in April. That ought to be fun. Can you get eggnog while filing your taxes?
We have to admit that we’re glad Michael (Steve Carell) didn’t end up with the glove girl (Or will he?) after the blood drive. At some point you have to add a bit of reality to the show. Michael, as funny as he is, isn’t exactly a catch. So how the hell does he keep ending up with attractive women? If a guy is a loser, help us buy into the failures of his attempts at courtship, and not just the ones that end up badly after he has already been involved with women far too good for him.
Even though we found to be a bit creepy that Michael would get so hung up on a girl he just met, the generosity of the entire office to stay back with him in hopes that he would find a valentine was one of those moments that make you smile. The gang may not like each other but that doesn’t mean they can’t show random acts of kindness for each other. Wow, I sound like a Hallmark card.
For some reason, the awkwardness that occurred when Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer) happened upon Phyllis (Phyllis Smith) and Bob (Robert R. Shafer) having a quickie in the handicapped bathroom at a restaurant (And who hasn’t had one of these at least once, right?) didn’t bother me so so much as Pam insisting to eat Bob’s food while they waited. We’ve noticed an increase in selfish acts from Pam this season. If you count the opening where Pam has to get Jim’s brilliant Fonzie defense to save her job, you see what I mean. But hey, in this economy you gotta do what you can to preserve job security. You don’t want to know what I have had to do to stay at Film School Rejects. (Shudders.) I’ll be right back. Gotta take a bath. Feel … so … dirty.
On a side note, is there a way I can get a ballot for Sexiest Woman of the Year 2009? How the hell has Phyllis not received this award? The woman is smoldering with seduction. Cough. Anyone? Fine, we will stick with the crush on Pam.
Though it was awkwardly placed on the season’s calendar, Blood Drive is a welcome entry into The Office archives and proves that the show still has a lot of heart.
Up Next Week: Michael comes up with the idea to put “golden tickets” into packages of paper for clients to redeem for discounts.
Read More: Office Recaps
Did you watch this week’s episode of The Office? If so, what did you think?
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