We knew this day would come.
It took seven years, but Michael Scott finally came face-to-face with David Brent this week, as Ricky Gervais — hot off of skewering thin-skinned celebrities at the Golden Globes — reprised the role that started it all on The Office.
Their chance meeting outside the elevator during the show’s cold open instantly set the tone for the rest of the episode. As you might expect, the pair got a little goofy, made a few inappropriate racial jokes and pondered what exactly it means to be offensive. Gervais reportedly shot his cameo back in September, but it almost felt like a rebuttal to the firestorm generated by his recent hosting gig. “Comedy is a place where the mind goes to tickle itself,” he tells his Yankee counterpart, adding “that’s what she said” and earning a hug from Mr. Scott.
The laughs didn’t disappear after David Brent’s departure. Many of our favorite supporting characters got a chance to shine this week when Andy hosted a seminar for small businesses in an attempt to lure in new clients. After Jim bails (one of the attendees is an old friend from elementary school he accidentally offended) and Dwight, Phyllis and Stanley decide it’s not worth their time, Andy enlists the help of Creed, Kevin and Kelly.
Creed and Kevin in particular deliver some truly hilarious speeches, but when it comes time for Andy to close the sales, it’s Michael to the rescue. He takes Andy outside, forcefully tells him, “You have to close right now” and talks him through it. Once again we get a sense of why he’s actually qualified to manage Dunder Mifflin.
As a whole, the episode managed to produce plenty of laugh-out-loud moments while also laying the groundwork for future storylines. Sure, we saw Kevin rock out to “Crazy Train” and puke into a trashcan this week, but we also saw Gabe ignoring Erin’s movie tastes while Andy cooly hands her a copy of Shrek 2. Michael and Holly spend a whole day together perfecting silly voices. As we inch closer to Valentine’s Day, it’s beginning to look like love will be blooming soon in Scranton. This week The Office, as it so often does, gave us the perfect balance of slapstick, awkward moments and subtle plot advancements. Consider our minds tickled.
Stray observations
-Ricky Gervais has said on record that he won’t be replacing Steve Carell, but can he at least come back for the interview process? After all, David Brent DID ask if Dunder Mifflin was hiring…
-Kevin, on replacing Jim: “The only way I’m Jim is in the movie version when Jim sees what his future would be like if he never met Pam.”
-The best small business idea all week? “I was thinking we could buy up a bunch of abandoned mine shafts.”
-Where has Meredith been hiding lately? She seems to be the only character who didn’t get screen time this week.
-Andy, after making a few sales: “The rest of you are dead to me, and you made the stupidest decision of your life. But it’s been a pleasure meeting you, and you have my number, so feel free to call any time.”
-Jim’s friend Tom, relishing the fact that Jim’s only a paper salesman: “Where’s your jetpack, Zuckerberg?”
-Creed gave the best speech of the night: “I’ve just described to you the Loch Ness Monster. The reward for its capture? All the riches in Scotland. I only have one question for you: what are you still doing here?”