“The Lover” Review

I also approve of the fact that Jim and Pam actually spoke to each other in this episode. What? Yeah, I know. Crazy. So many scenes (five? six?) that they were in together. First the double talking head full of “Frank and Beans” dorky cuteness, and then that deliciously awkward scene in Michael’s office where Jim just wanted to get the hell out of there before the inevitable freak-out, followed by Jim’s attempts to cheer up Pam. Okay, it still wasn’t quite the level of adorableness or mushiness that I would have liked, and I am still extremely perturbed by the complete lack of attention that Jim and Pam are paying to the huge event happening in their lives … you remember, how they’re expecting heir first baby and all. But at least this was a step in the right direction. It was really sweet how Jim faced the music, and went looking for Pam with her coat and some hot cocoa in tow. Granted, he went with the whole ‘distract with her a story about Dwight’s ridiculous antics’ which wasn’t exactly the way to go. But at least he tried. But here’s what I love about Jim and Pam … when they are actually allowed to speak … and that’s the communication. I mean, Pam told him right out that she wanted him to be more upset about the situation. She pretty much told him how she expected him to react, and let him know that she wasn’t about to be cheered-up and coaxed out of her freak-out. So maybe she failed to appreciate his gesture, but I don’t fault her too much. She just wanted someone on her side to tell her that she had a right to be angry. Which, of course, just made her more irritated with Jim when she found out he’d knew before she did. Again, justified. She could have let him explain, as he was just trying to protect her from the upset. Since they won’t ever spell this out for us, I’m just going to go ahead and assume that the Jim I know wouldn’t want the mother of his unborn child completely wigged out and on tear … for her sake as well as their baby’s. I can infer that, but I still would have liked to see a talking head saying as much. Anyway, Jim’s heart was in the right place, and once Pam calmed down a little bit, I think she knew that. That’s another thing that’s great about their relationship. Even when they get upset with one another … it never lasts. And so we got a little bit of resolution at the end of the day … Pam might not have been speaking to Michael, but at least she was speaking to Jim. He got Dwight to wash their car, after all. Oh sorry, Dwight felt bad for Pam and wanted to wash the car to cheer her up. Whatever, it worked. I suspect that Pam was also just relieved that Michael was gone, and maybe she could pretend none of it was happening. But also, Jim was sweetly recounting highlights from their honeymoon to help her think happy thoughts, and I love that we got to hear just a tiny bit about the honeymoon, and that Pam can take solace in those memories. Still, I was kinda sad to see angry Pam gone. But maybe she’ll be back. It’s not like this story has come to an end since Michael fully intends to date The Mom even harder. So gross, Michael.

So thanks to Gene and Lee (writers and directors) offering up a nearly perfect episode, my faith in the show has more or less been restored. When and if they finally remember that Pam is having a baby and that maybe she and Jim should discuss that fact, especially together once in a while (all the time), I will probably be entirely happy. Not that we really needed any baby talk in this episode, although clearly they could have fit some in, but we just need some in general. Other than that, though, I don’t have any complaints about this episode. I know one of the reasons that I loved it was because it focused so much on the main four. (I know, it’s the main five, but really … who counts the temp anymore?) I’ve missed having episodes that are mainly about various interactions between Michael, Dwight, Jim and Pam. Not that I think that every episode needs to be that, but I think more should be that way. Because the four of them, in whatever pairing have the greatest chemistry, and they shouldn’t waste that. Sometimes it seems as if they are so busy trying to stay fresh and innovative, that they get away from what works. And what still works now is what worked before: Michael’s an idiot, Dwight’s nuts, Jim and Pam are adorable, Jim and Dwight variously drive each other crazy, Dwight sucks up to Michael, and Michael scorns Dwight’s advances while sucking up to Jim and/or Pam who are forced to baby-sit the lunatics they work with, all of whom have their quirks that make them hilarious. But, in my opinion, as much as I love the supporting characters for those quirks of theirs, we don’t need to dwell on those quirks every week. And it seems to me that lately they’ve gone with a formula that involves focusing at least one of the storylines each week on the supporting characters. And that’s great … but not at the expense of focusing on the four main characters and their interactions with each other. That’s what made the show work in the first place, and at least some of the time they really should attempt to keep the show firmly in that place that worked so well the first four seasons. And to me that means the focus is on Michael, Jim, Pam and Dwight. They are the main characters for a reason, and they should get the lion’s share of the storylines. And in The Lover, they did. Which made it feel like an instant classic to me. There was hardly a moment that I wasn’t laughing or chuckling or cringing. I felt Pam’s pain, was grossed-out by Michael, and empathized with Jim being stuck in the middle. Dwight and Jim up to their old tricks was a delight, and all the various contributions of the other characters were spot on. To me it was simply a quintessential episode of The Office, that I don’t doubt will make my list of favorites for a long time to come. Aaaaaand that’s what she said?

1. “Did I Stutter?” Review
2. “Night Out” Review
3. “The Meeting” review
4. “The Promotion” Review
5. “Gossip” Review