Urban and Rucker: October 2008

Urban's Take: It feels like an eternity since the season premiere of "The Office!" You'd think there was some kind of important thing going on in our country that sometimes uses up prime time to promote itself. Weird.

I'll just throw this out there: every time I say the title of this episode, I say it like Adam Sandler does at the end of "Billy Madison." "BUISNESS. ETHICS." What a classic.

Anyway, thanks to Ryan's fraud charges at corporate last season, Dunder Mifflin is having each branch go through an ethics seminar, to be performed by their respective HR reps. So Holly is faced with the task of running her first meeting - and, since she's the only person in the office who doesn't think Michael is insane, she asks Michael for help. This leads to Michael and Holly dancing into the meeting in sweatbands, singing "Let's Get Ethical" to the tune of Olivia Newton John's "Let's Get Physical."

Holly has some trouble in the meeting, what with Ryan admitting that what he did was wrong but that it might have been worth it because of all the hot chicks he met in New York and everyone admitting to wasting company time (except Dwight, which we'll get to later). Finally, Michael initiates an immunity time where everyone can say whatever they want, and Meredith reveals she's been sleeping with Bruce Myers, the Scranton rep for Hammermill, in exchange for discounts on supplies... and Outback Steakhouse gift certificates. (Good call, Mere. Back when I wasn't allergic to fish, I'd have maimed someone for their Shrimp on the Barbie.)

Naturally, Holly was horrified, but Michael (and Meredith) didn't see what the fuss was about. Michael took Holly to a "business romantic" seafood restaurant, where he tried to explain that they might punish Meredith, but she wouldn't be fired because she's part of his family- to which Holly replied that employee/employer relations should be nothing like a family. That's sacrilege to Michael Scott. That's basically what he bases his entire management methods on. So he and Holly don't quite get along until Holly gets reamed out by the corporate HR rep for not just blandly going through the seminar and getting the required signatures. Michael feels bad and the two reconciled for now... I really hope they end up together.

Meanwhile, Jim calls Dwight out for claiming that he's never wasted company time by using a stopwatch to time every yawn and conversation that Dwight has. This led to one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen on "The Office:" Dwight peeing into a two liter bottle and putting it on his desk for all to see. However, Jim's stopwatch didn't stop Dwight from continuing his warehouse rendezvous with Angela- which caused Dwight to admit to Jim that he might be a little unethical.

This was a really fun episode- but I felt like it was a little inconsistent. For example, last week, Ryan was pining over Kelly again- this week, he's bragging about sleeping with someone who looked like a "Survivor" contestant. Last week, we got to see Pam at art school- this week, we only heard her over the phone. I miss her glances at the camera and interactions with Michael. However, I'm glad Amy Ryan as Holly is still around, because it's allowing us to see a new and different side of Michael. We're getting further into his head, which is scary but hilarious.

Favorite quotes of the week:

Holly: Today is ethics day. After they finish their quiz I'm going to run my first ethics meeting here. It's gonna be insaaaaane. No, it's not. I have to read from the binder.
Holly: Recently, without mentioning any names, there has been some misconduct at corporate and we have a very strict ethics policy and that employee has been fired.
Kevin: Oh come on! He's right there. [points at Ryan] He was hired. [to Jim] Oh check it out, "Hired Guy."
Michael: People expect a lot from these meetings. Laughter, sudden twists. Surprise endings. You need to be Robin Williams and M. Night Shyamalan. You need to be Robin Shyamalan.
Andy: I'll drop an ethics bomb on you. Would you steal bread to feed your family? ... Boom!
Dwight: It's a trick question. The bread is poisoned. Also, it's not your real family. You've been cuckolded by a stronger, smarter male.
Michael: When I discovered YouTube I didn't work for five days. I did nothing. I viewed Cookie Monster sings Chocolate Rain about a thousand times.
Angela: I once reported Oscar to the INS. Turns out he's clean, but I'm glad I did it.
Michael: I just don't want my employees thinking that their jobs depend on performance. I mean, what sort of place is that to call home?

And the award for best quote of the night (it's a long one... that's what she said) comes from when Jim is baiting Dwight by incorrectly discussing "Battlestar Galactica" in the hope of Dwight engaging in a non-work-related conversation:

Jim: By any chance, did you see Battlestar Galactica last night?
Andy: No, I did not. Was that any good?
Jim: Actually not. It was really so-so.
Dwight: Ok. [Dwight turns around, but Jim holds up the stopwatch, threatening to start it]
Jim: I mean I like all the crazy monsters and stuff. You know, like klingons and wookies and all that but... [Dwight begins to turn around again, Jim holds up the watch] Sorry, was there something you wanted to add, Dwight?
Andy: Is that anything like the original Battlestar Galactica?
Jim: You know, it's weird. It's practically a shot for shot remake.
Andy: Really? [Dwight closes his eyes, crumples the paper in his hands] Huh, that's cool.
Jim: Story's kinda bland. It's about this guy named Dumbledore Calrissian who needs to return the ring back to Mordor.
Andy: Really? That doesn't sound right.

One of the best exchanges ever held on "The Office."
Urban's Rating: Soo good

Rucker's Take: No doubt about it: this episode was hilarious. Back to the golden days of "The Office."

My favorite part from this episode was the aforementioned "Battlestar Galactica" conversation with Jim and Andy.

I also loved Michael asking the camera after Holly was told by corporate that she had mishandled her ethics meeting, "How do you tell somebody that you care about deeply, "I told you so." Gently with a rose? In a funny way, like it's a hilarious joke? Or do you just let it go, because saying it would just make things worse? ... Probably the funny way."

But quite possibly some of the BEST parts of this episode are parts you didn't see. Each week NBC usually posts deleted scenes from the episodes and yall, these things are hilarious.

To begin, a heated exchange between Kevin and Ryan following the ethics meeting:

Did Phyllis KILL A MAN?!:

Also, check out Angela&Andy's wedding website!

Man, this is just such a great show. Such a great cast. Here's to hoping none of them, including Steve Carell, get too big for their britches and leave to pursue exclusively movie careers *COUGH-Katherine Heigl- Not that I think any of them COULD sustain a movie career besides Steve Carell, but still. They're all essential to the flow of the show.

Rucker's Rating: Sooo Good

URBAN'S BLOG: Life on the Couch
RUCKER'S BLOG: Can I Please Just Say...

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The second season of Pushing Daisies, a favorite of Urban&Rucker's, premieres tonight! If you haven't yet caught on to the Daisies craze, check out ABC's starter kit for a quick rundown of the show:

The show stars Lee Pace as Ned, Anna Friel as Chuck, Chi McBride as Emerson, Kristin Chenoweth as Olive and Jim Dale as the narrator.

Here's a sneak peak from the season premiere airing tonight:

Urban's Take: Pushing Daisies is like a storybook come to life. It's a really magical show with fast-paced dialogue and action. It's filmed and scored beautifully... and narrated by the great Jim Dale, making it seem even more like a televised fairy tale. Any show that has the ability to make me laugh and cry in a single episode is worthy of your time.

Rucker's Take: I agree with Urban. I also like that each of the characters brings a unique personality to the mix (my favorites are Olive and Ned). There's a certain genuine-ness with each character that makes you like them even if you don't really like them-- does that make sense? Yes. They frequently take advantage of Kristin Chenoweth's background in musical theatre with hilarious musical numbers featuring Olive. Another thing I like about the show is that it doesn't rely on gratuitous violence or graphic romantic encounters to entertain its viewers, which is refreshing considering all the shows out there that do. Basically it's just a lot of fun-- and I wish I was Ned.

So don't miss out! (It's OK to jump on the bandwagon). Check out the season premiere of Pushing Daisies tonight at 8/7 central on ABC.

Season one is also available on DVD and Blu-ray at Amazon.com

URBAN'S BLOG: Life on the Couch
RUCKER'S BLOG: Can I Please Just Say...

E-mail Us! UrbanAndRucker@gmail.com!
Pass it On:

Monday, October 27, 2008

High School Musical 3: Senior Year Review!

Sunday, October 12, 2008

The Office: Business Ethics

Friday, October 3, 2008

BOLT: Early Response=Good!

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Inside Pushing Daisies with the Stars

Don't miss Pushing Daisies TONIGHT!

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