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NickF227 wrote:

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No one but a local will get the opening joke. There's like a weird Korean Christian community here. Whenever I walk to school I pass by the church and everything is translated to Korean and Chinese.

Whew! I am SO glad you cleared that up for us! I was totally confused about the Korean Church thing because here in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex (and, I'm certain, any other medium to large metropolitan area) there is no Korean community at all. Yes, if it weren't for folks like you to explain the jokes, many of us would still be completely perplexed.

Total agreeance with most everything else posted here.

Michael's handling of the deal: Pure Brilliance! I was momentarily convinced he would blow it, but once he got in there he was great! "I don't think I have to wait DM out. I just have to wait YOU out." Also, for him to think long-run instead of immediate payoff was great as well! "I don't even want to know what your first offer was!" Another example of how, deep inside the goofiness that is Michael Scott lies a seed of genius.

Pam being promoted to Sales: YY for Pammy! (I still call her Pammy, despite her talking head moment from a couple seasons ago where she insisted she not be called that.) I see some golden moments ahead for her as she struggles in the "real world" of sales, with shining successes and massive failures, as well as some competitiveness with Dwight, Jim, Stanley, and Phyllis. As evidenced in the past, Phyllis can be a real ball-buster. Remember her comment when it first came out that Jim and Pam were dating: "You have to transfer calls to random salespeople, not who you're sleeping with." But our Pammy will perservere and be a great salesperson! Where will her desk be? In the Annex? Close proximity to Toby could provide some fine moments as well, what with him still pining for her.

Ryan thinking only of himself as he refers to Michael "costing him $60,000." Nice, subtle touch to show he's still completely self-centered. They'll also have to find a place for Ryan. Will he be placed in the Annex, next to Kelly? That, too, could provide some great moments? Will he hook back up with her voluntarily or will Kelly beat him over the head until he submits? (I still laugh over his comment just before their first date: "Oh my God. I hooked up with her the day before Valentine's Day." )

Charles finally seeing Dwight for the idiot that he is: Outstanding! Especially after he had told David "He's got promise" and then the whole bee thing and Charles peering at him out of the corner of his eye. A talking head moment from Charles would have been good at that point. Also his whole kiss-ass routine and Jim's smoochy noises were great!

Charles: "I was just going to say that."
Jim: "Yeah, but you didn't."

Jim presenting the buyout option to MSPC and then making sure it didn't get derailed: Exquisite! While he probably doesn't relish the idea of Ryan returning, he was able to be the Knight in Shining Armor for Pammy and, while he, no doubt, also thinks Michael is a doofus, he genuinely likes him and enjoys the freedom of working for him - particularly when the alternative is Charles.

I'm not certain that hiring them back was truly a multi-million dollar deal, however. Perhaps, in the long run, over ten years or so, but not immediately. For instance, they would have had to hire a new manager regardless, so whether that was Michael or someone else, that salary and benefits package was going to happen. The sales staff works on commission so the salaries for Ryan and Pammy are minimal; their benefits package will, presumably, add some burden to the company, but having been a business owner in the past, when it's group coverage, the addition of one or two more is not that significant. I'm not sure if the package was $60K PLUS jobs, or jobs in lieu of $60K. Either way, I don't think he'll get fired for it. If Wallace has any chops at all as a CFO he's a spinmeister and will be able to convince the board that the deal he struck was good for the company in that it regained them the customer base that MSPC was rapidly depleting. From a writing standpoint, the Wallace/Scott dynamic is too good to let go.

Also, was Charles' firing part of the deal? I didn't get that. I know Michael insisted on it at least twice, to which Wallace vehemently said "NO" both times. I got the impression that David wasn't budging on that, particularly when coupled with Idris' comments that his character would be returning to NY. But, Michael's final comments about Charles "being done" and cutting him off, along with Charles' non-response, makes me think otherwise. Anyone have any concrete evidence one way or the other?

I was also surprised that this arc was so short, but it did end up the way so many of us had projected, with the buyout and Michael's triumphant return. I suppose, in retrospect, we had seen all we could see: the startup, siphoning off clients, and the crash-and-burn. If they had continued to milk it for the rest of the season we might have gotten burned out on it. Kudos to the writing staff for taking it in a different direction for a while. And, with Michael's recent disasters of the whole "Jan thing," his corporate interview bomb, his undisclosed office romance with Holly, etc., it's nice to see him get a little hand now (to borrow a phrase from another comedy stalwart).

I do agree that Angela's storyline was awkwardly cut short. In my DVR synopsis it actually had the majority of the plotline, so to see it begin and then just stop, was a bit surprising. I was actually looking forward to her being a complete Nazi in her handling of expense reports as Kinsey does such a good job at that role.

Will Michael view Dwight's actions as treasonous, akin to when he tried to effect a coup? Or will he see them as simply "company loyalty?" If the former, how will he discipline him this time? Obviously Angela and Kelly will not be happy that Charles is gone since they were both so hot for him. How will the new receptionist handle Michael? We haven't had enough exposure to her yet to know her personality. She seemed to be getting along with Andy and Dwight, while Kelly was a bit jealous of her, so there are some new dynamics to explore with her character.

All in all, a fantastic arc within a great season for The Office! Emmy worthy eps and performances and a sure-fire lock for renewal next season!