They would call me the Overkill Killer.

The Office - Survivor Man
Ryan organizes a woodsy corporate retreat but excludes Michael, who in turn enters the wilderness for his own survival adventure. Meanwhile, Jim tries to put a new spin on office birthday parties. Photo © NBC.

Yawn. The Office continues it's up-and-down trajectory with a decidedly "down" ep. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't that good. The part that had the most possibility turned into a cute but pointless "that's what she said" yuk-fest.

The time of Michael's 20s is shrouded in mystery. We have seen pathetic moments from his childhood, but last night was the first time (that I can remember) we learned that perhaps Dunder Mifflin has not always been Michael's be-all and end-all. That moment came at the end of the episode, when we clearly saw that Jim has the very real potential to become Michael, and that 10 years ago Michael did not think he would still be at Dunder Mifflin in his own future. I was expecting the show to end with Jim quitting (I know, too dramatic) or at least sitting dumbfounded in stunned horror.

It did not.

After chatting with various other Office viewers in my own office this morning, I have realized the scene that did take place was much more realistic than my fantasy scene. Jim is both horrified at the notion of being at Dunder Mifflin for the rest of his career, and comforted by the realization that it might not be such a terrible thing. Like many of us, he does not love his job, but he doesn't hate it enough to get off his ass and look for a new one. Though Pam might have something to do with that.

Also, Michael knows the word cathartic?!? I doubt that very much.

The good moments:
"Blacks do crack! Not crack the drug."
"At birthday parties, Micheal always does something horrible ... or inappropriate ... or both."

Enjoy next week's episode, as it will be the last one for a while.