'The Office' - 'Koi Pond': Something's fishy

"Jim is my enemy. But it appears that Jim is also his own worst enemy. And the enemy of my enemy is my friend, so Jim is actually my friend. But he's his own worst enemy, and the enemy of my friend is my enemy, so he's my enemy. But ..." - Dwight

Leaving Dwight's circular logic aside, the first part of his talking head near the end of "The Office" this week is dead-on. Jim so far is showing himself to be not really at all up to the task of managing people. I'm glad that the show is committed to the bit, but I'm starting almost to feel sorry for the guy -- it's like he's turning into a somewhat more well-adjusted version of Michael right before our eyes.

What Jim's discomfort with his new job means for the future is a question for another time, though, because "Koi Pond" was one of the show's better efforts this season. I really enjoyed the slow unfolding of the story behind Michael coming back to the office soaked -- no joke was rushed, and consequently  several of the show's usual complement of throwaway lines really landed.

The whole episode was an example of how the show can use the documentary conceit to its advantage. Because a crew was following Pam and Andy as they went cold-calling, the cameras couldn't also be with Michael and Jim on their call (which seems pretty consistent with the show's usual practice; I can't immediately recall any instance of there being two locations filmed at the same time).

And because neither of them really wanted to talk about what happened when they got back, we got the story in bits and pieces, which only served to make it funnier. Had we seen the footage as it happened, or had Jim just walked in and announced, "Holy crap, you guys, Michael fell into a koi pond," I don't think it would have worked as well.

In those cases, we wouldn't have had Erin popping her head in the conference room to tell Michael about the koi Michael stepped on ("It did not suffer"), or Stanley mocking Michael with his wordplay, or Meredith putting "Sex with a terrorist" on the Do Not Mock board. Nor would it have built as effectively to the revelation that Jim, either consciously or not, let Michael fall into the pond. Jim's overly compassionate defense of Michael had me wondering if he didn't actually push his co-manager in out of frustration for not getting to make the sales call solo, but at least for now, his self-sabotaging streak isn't that wide.

And yeah, maybe we don't need any more evidence that Michael Scott has always been a pathetic figure. But Steve Carell plays Michael's vulnerable moments so well that this latest recitation of his past woes (in the name of self-deprecation and defusing the koi pond jokes made at his expense) didn't feel old.

Oh, and if you want to see the full tape of Michael going for a swim, you can do so right here, courtesy of this deleted scene.


Other thoughts on "Koi Pond":

• Andy and Pam's not so excellent cold-calling adventure didn't all work for me, mostly because I don't quite get why everyone would assume that because Pam's pregnant and they're making a sales call together that they're married. That said, Andy's overshare about having already scouted birthing coaches and being so very sick of the single life was a great moment from Ed Helms. And even though Pam does not get Erin at all, it was nice to see her do Andy a solid by talking him up to her at the end of the episode.
• I also kept thinking during the Pam-Andy story that man, is she gonna be bummed out when she hears what happened back at the office.
• The Halloween opening was great, but it played more like a formality in service to NBC's themed comedy night -- sort of like when the lights came on for a half-hour during "Seinfeld" on NBC's Blackout Night stunt in the mid-'90s. Loved Michael's two-years-too-late costume, Jim's minimalist "Bookface" and especially Darryl's bored and way too literal description of everyone's getup ("No one told me what y'all were going to be, so label yourself or take what you get").
• Ellie Kemper got maybe her biggest showcase since joining the series (though maybe not as big as "Male Prima Donna" is sure to become), and she handled it well. Erin is becoming a more specific character week by week, and I'm loving the weird little quirks she's displaying, like having Pam turn a document upside down so she wouldn't accidentally read it.
• One more Erin moment -- this exchange with Michael: "Erin, do we have any of those clips that hold paper together?" "Staples?"
• Creed Bratton moment of the night, after Michael balked at the cost of replacing the dead koi and said he could get a fish with a five-cent worm: "You're paying way too much for worms, man. Who's your worm guy?" Creed, if you're reading this, we'd love to have a drink with you sometime.
• Because I'm writing this recap, I probably won't get around to watching "30 Rock" till Friday. But "Community" and "Parks and Recreation" both put on very good Halloween episodes earlier in the night. Feel free to discuss Abed's turn as Batman or Leslie's teenage nemesis in the comments.

What did you think of "The Office" this week?

Related:

'The Office': Subtle Sexuality will invade your brain
Get ready for 'Subtle Sexuality' at 'The Office'