The Office: Employee Transfer

Urban's Take: I felt “Employee Transfer” was a step up from the past two weeks of little humor and a lot of plot moving.

In the cold open, after showing our favorite Dunder Mifflin Scranton employees in their Halloween costumes (which I'll list below), we see Pam embarrassed when she is the only person at corporate wearing a costume. Meanwhile, CFO David Wallace did as I predicted and transfered Holly back to the Nashua branch. Darryl helps out and the three set out on the eight hour trip to take Holly back to her old home and office. Michael searches in vain for a good halfway point for the two to meet up for a romantic rendezvous. After some talks that Darryl desperately tries not to listen to, Holly and Michael decide to break up. Good bye, Amy Ryan! We'll miss you!

Back at the office, Dwight torments Andy by pretending to apply to Cornell, Andy's alma mater (as if you didn't know). Jim takes the day off and has lunch with his brothers and Pam. Pam wanted to play a prank on Jim by pretending to have lost her engagement ring, but Jim's brothers had a "better" idea: to tease Pam about wanting to be an artist. Their comments hit a little close to home before the prank breaks up, leaving Pam in doubts about her art but confident in her place in the Halpert clan.

The Michael/Holly story had a good resolution, and a few fun moments in this episode. The Dwight/Cornell plot was the funniest thing Dwight's done in weeks, so I was glad to see him back in full form. HOWEVER, I can't help but notice that the writers are recycling old gags again. The whole Dwight/Andy Cornell/Beet farmer thing is eerily similar to the episode in Season Three when Jim dresses as Dwight and Dwight dresses as Jim at the episode's end. Are they seriously out of jokes?

The Jim/Pam storyline was painful to watch this week. Attention to "The Office:" get Pam back in Scranton a.s.a.p. I'm sick of the calls and the halfhearted attempts to create drama. Get our favorite couple back within 50 feet of each other again, please.

Halloween Costumes:

• Stanley... a fish man? He's wearing a fish mask so he can sleep at his desk.
  
• Kelly: Carrie Bradshaw from "Sex and the City."
  
• Phyllis: Raggedy Ann
  
• Ryan: Gordon Gekko
  
• Oscar: Uncle Sam
  
• Angela: cat... the same exact cat costume she's worn in the other Halloween eps.
• Andy: a Jellicle cat from "Cats," the musical... though he says he's a kitten.
  
• Jim: "Dave." He just wears a nametag that says "Dave."
  
• Pam: Charlie Chaplin
  
• Creed, Kevin, and Dwight: Heath Ledger's Joker

Best quotes:

• Ryan: You look amazing.
  Kelly: Inappropriate. Thank you. Who are you, Larry King?
  Ryan: Gordon Gekko.
  Kelly: Oh, from the insurance commercials!
  Ryan: ... Yeah.
  
• Pam: So apparently no one dresses up for Halloween here. I wish I had known that before I used greasepaint for my mustache. And I can't even take off my hat, because then I'm Hitler.
  
• Dwight: Well if somebody who barely out-sells Phyllis, can get in, I should be fine.
  Phyllis: I'm sitting right here Dwight.
  Dwight: I meant that as a compliment to you Phyllis, as well as a slight to Andy.
  
• Pam: They came up with that idea really fast.
  
• Michael: You know what I want to do, I want to pull over and find little bed and breakfast for when we meet in the middle. Emphasis on the bed. And the breakfast.
  
• Michael: Holly thinks that this relationship is over. Well, you know what? I am not gonna give up that easy. I'm gonna make this way harder than it needs to be.
• Michael: I'm not strong! And I'll go back to Jan, and I hate Jan! Oh God!
  
• Andy: If I had to put Dwight's chances into a percentage, I would say he has none percent chance.
  
• Pam: Hey, how about at Thanksgiving we prank Tom about being bald?
  

And there are some brilliant moments that can't really be quoted, like Jim's reaction to pretty much everything in this episode as well as Darryl trying to teach Michael how to sing the blues. Darryl is rapidly becoming my favorite character on the show. So... question for next week... is Toby coming back?!

Urban's Rating: Sooo good


Rucker's Take: Well since Urban recaps so magnificently well, I will just assume that you either watched the episode or read her recap and share with you my comments on the episode:

1) I was EXTREMELY disappointed that the only Halloweeny part of this episode was the portion before opening credits. I was hoping to see the costumes play out into the entire show, but whatever, I guess it's OK.

2) Is Holly seriously gone already?! I liked her so much! I mean, surely she'll be coming back, but what's with all the long distance relationships on this show? Can't anyone just be together and stay together at the office?

3) It was weird/hilarious to see Dwight take over the role of Jim-the-prankster whilst Jim was out of the office. Andy then became Dwight, the receiver of all the pranks, and I loved it- even if some of the pranks and the outcomes of said pranks were very similar to those that Jim has played on Dwight- which I think may have been the point? (To show how all the characters had switched places.. just a thought.)

4) I wish Kelly had a more prominent role in this show. I know that Mindy Kaling, the actress that plays her, does a lot of work behind the scenes as a writer and co-executive producer, but she's so funny when she's on the screen! Her Carrie Bradshaw was awesome...5) And Sam, my guess is that Toby will come back, much like Oscar came back after being absent from a few of the first episodes of the following season after he left... How horrible will it be for Michael to both lose Holly and gain back Toby? So horrible that it's HILARIOUS.

I was pretty much pleased with this episode too, except the whole thing with Jim's brothers and Pam made me extremely uncomfortable, and I agree with you Sam, GET HER BACK TO SCRANTON ASAP!

Rucker's Rating: Soo Good.

Check out a deleted scene from last week's episode: Holly saying goodbye to the branch.

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