please avert your eyes

1. If you're sick of hearing me talk about television, more specifically The Office

2. If you fall into the category of Jim&Pam naysayers (you know who you are and you know our friendship is sufficiently wounded).

Holy Crap this post is so long. I make no apologies, just be warned.

After my most recent post re: Jim and Pam, I was going to let lie my musings on Thursday night's Office. However, and much to the music of my heart, many asked what I thought. Can't decipher if they ask me because they care or ask me because I care, but either way it is something I love discussing. So like I said, consider yourself warned.

Let me begin with saying that this wasn't my favorite or most funniest episode. Although the plot in general was, well...magical, a few things were a bit off:

1. Is it just me or does Pam seem a little more demanding and high maintenance? She seems to have lost a bit her of Dunder Mifflin Secretary charm that we know and love. I thought her asking Phyllis to refrain from her perfume soap was kinda odd and rude. And she seemed to be more annoyed and frustrated than usual. Maybe it's just a pregnancy thing. I feel like a traitor even bringing this up.

2. I was floored, and so heartbroken, when Jim was the one who ousted Pam's pregnancy. That was so un-Jim. I hope The Office stops it with this whole let's-make-Jim-and-Michael-the-same-person bit. It's just annoying.

3. My next quam will only make sense to my True-Blood-Office-Lover readers, but Pam's mom was not actually Pam's mom! This only grates me because the Pam/Pam's mom dynamic in "Sexual Harassment" (season 2 ep. 2) is one of my most favorites. Pam's mom comes to visit and Pam is beside herself with excitement to show her mom around. I believe the direct quote was, "I love my mom. Okay, that's probably the most obvious statement ever." All this to say, the "Pam's mom" we saw in last night's episode was not the same actress, and not the same character. She was bitterly glaring down Pam's newly divorced father and was quipping with Pam in the wedding dress room. Just not the Pam's mom I loved oh so many years ago.

And I sound like Pam's grandmother, so I'll now move on to....

What I LOVED about this episode!

1. The Wedding. duh.

2. The full cans of soda Michael and Dwight attached to the car Jim and Pam didn't leave their wedding in. Then Michael falling asleep, while driving, because his sunglasses were too dark.

Ridiculous.

3. Anything and everything Andy. He usually bugs me, but he was so funnily absurd and right on target with his quirks, my favorite being the puking scene at the beginning.

4. Michael setting up room in the soda vending/ice machine closet.

5. Dwight thwarting Michael's potential hookup with the tempting offer of "I found twins...", followed by Dwight leading Michael to a booth of 40 yr. old male...twins...sitting awkwardly together sipping their respective drinks. Top it all off with an absurdly classic Dwight quote:

"I love finding a good set of twins."

6. And Finally! Loved Jim and Pam's "silent" vows. Perfectly fitting for the PamBeasley&Jim relationship of eye rolls, silent stares, and knowing glances; always giving the audience all they ever needed to know with no words needed. And! the paradoxical flashbacks during the "wedding" showing everything PB&J ever wanted from their relationship and everything that's ever prevented it from being so.

I think this classic be-still-my-heart quote from Jim just about sums it up:

"I bought those boat tickets the day I saw that you tube video. I knew we'd need a back up plan. The boat was actually plan C, the church was plan B, and plan A was marrying her a long time ago. Pretty much the day I met her."

sigh.

Ok, so maybe I enjoyed the episode more than originally admitted.