Adam Lenhardt
Senior HTF Member
Those were my two favorite aspects of the episode, and they were enough to push the episode into series classic territory.
The moment in the hospital was played with complete earnesty, which it had to be. Having the audience find out when the characters found out allowed us to see their rawest reaction and neatly sidestepped an overblown melodrama about Pam not telling Jim or Pam and Jim not telling the office.
The Michael/Holly storyline was a mirror of their arc at the beginning of the season. Then it was Holly watching Michael stay with the absolutely wrong guy despite them being perfect for each other. Now Michael has to watch Holly stay with the wrong guy despite them being perfect for each other. Of course, it's possible that the Nashua beau connects with an aspect of Holly we didn't get to see much of.
What I didn't like:
The moment in the hospital was played with complete earnesty, which it had to be. Having the audience find out when the characters found out allowed us to see their rawest reaction and neatly sidestepped an overblown melodrama about Pam not telling Jim or Pam and Jim not telling the office.
The Michael/Holly storyline was a mirror of their arc at the beginning of the season. Then it was Holly watching Michael stay with the absolutely wrong guy despite them being perfect for each other. Now Michael has to watch Holly stay with the wrong guy despite them being perfect for each other. Of course, it's possible that the Nashua beau connects with an aspect of Holly we didn't get to see much of.
What I didn't like:
- Michael and Holly announcing the closing of the Buffalo branch in their comedy skit. Yes, it was shocking -- but it was also season one level cringeworthy. I can almost buy Michael being that stupid (although he hasn't been shown as being that clueless in quite a while) but there's no way an HR rep like Holly would have thought that that was a great idea.
- Charles just being a colossal dick to Jim. It made sense when Jim was coming up short at the office during Charles's reign, but it felt really shallow and cruel here. Charles went from being the professional in an unprofessional office to just being a colossal dick.
- The resurrection of the Angela/Dwight relationship. As hilarious as mini-Dwight's comments were, just let it die already. Please.