What I’m Watching: The Office

The Office: Season 6, Episode 16 “Manager and Salesman” (B+)

Alas, the incredibly inefficient and less-than-sensible dual manager trial period always had to come to an end. Michael’s inability to process anything or think a decision over until it’s far too late comes in handy for Jim, who finds the idea of unlimited commissions in sales quite appealing. Seeing Jim as the sole manager wasn’t terribly satisfying, and it’s certainly not nearly as entertaining as having the hapless Michael in charge. What’s particularly fun about having Erin around as the secretary slash receptionist is that she’s far more into all of Michael’s shenanigans and impressively willing to play along. Her delivery of the ants on a log to an uninterested Jim was somewhat sad, and her delighted celebration with Michael upon the reclamation of his office was a nice moment for both of them. Unfortunately for Erin, however, Andy’s still just as clueless as he’s ever been, giving Valentine’s Day cards to everyone in the office so that Erin wouldn’t suspect that he liked her. Kelly’s reaction to the whole thing was funny, especially since we haven’t seen much of her lately. Erin in many ways is the new Pam, silently longing for companionship at the receptionist’s desk from a seemingly uninterested coworker, but as I mentioned before, she’s really very different and is definitely her own person. The mutiny being engineered by Dwight and Ryan is not going too well, but it’s still a lot of fun. The guest appearance by Kathy Bates was highly enjoyable, and her interview with the cameras where she talked about how she slept with three of the same men as Truman Capote was a highlight.