‘The Office’: Murder at Dunder Mifflin
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What does a manager (whoops! that’s co-manager now) do when the company he works for is in danger of filing for bankruptcy? Well, if you’re Michael Scott, you play a murder mystery game, I do declare!
In this week’s ‘Murder’ episode, the benefits of having co-managers came into play. With the staff fearful of their fate after reading of Dunder Mifflin’s money woes from the Wall Street Journal online (really? but kudos to Jim for paying to view the full article! Keep the industry alive!), Michael attempted to ease their worry with a game of ‘Belles, Bourbon and Bullets.’ The staff totally got sucked into it -- well, everyone except Creed. He was too busy getting rid of the evidence of an actual murder? Oh, Creed. And, of course, Michael forced everyone to speak with a Southern accent (my favorite was Oscar’s ... not only because it was bad -- really bad -- but also because he went along with it without hesitation).
Meanwhile, Jim tried to stay focused on the situation at hand. But he didn’t really get anywhere being the more serious one. And he eventually began to see that there was a method to Michael’s madness in getting the staff involved in the silly game. The story continued the development of Jim’s outlook on Michael and his managing style: ‘If you’re stuck on a life boat in the middle of the ocean, one parent might want to just keep rowing. But if the other parent wants to play a game, it’s not because they’re crazy, it’s because they’re doing it for the kids,’ Jim says. Look at that. He’s slowly starting to think like Michael, using a family metaphor!
Oh, and Andy’s attempt at a relationship with Erin is still a no-go. He was close. But the game -- and the accents -- got in the way. The will they/won’t they tension isn’t quite up to par with that of Jim and Pam from past seasons, but it’s cute.
Other notable moments:
--Andy’s weird skill of distinguishing between accent drawls. Apparently, a Savannah accent is supposed to sound like ‘molasses spilling out of your mouth.’
--When Stanley and Angela opt out of the game ... until they hear there will be sandwich platters and baby carrots.
--Meredith’s attempt at a threesome.
--Michael, Dwight and Andy ... wait, and Pam? pointing fake guns at each other. The look in Pam’s eyes was intense.
--Michael’s ‘tube city’ for hamsters
What did you think of the episode? Think Andy should stop dating people in the office? Is a ‘tube city’ for hamsters so bad?
— Yvonne Villarreal
