What I'm Watching: The Office

The Office: Season 7, Episode 2 “Counseling” (B+)

I've never been a big fan of the ridiculous relationship between Michael and Toby on this show, and therefore an episode centered around them being in a room together didn't appeal to me too much. Yet this installment did work pretty well, and it was fun to see Toby get excited about the idea of inadvertently getting Michael to talk during their rather dull-seeming game of Connect Four. Similarly, I'm not sure how much I bought Dwight's determined boycott of the mall since he's an inconsistent character who only sometimes actually seems to care what people think. Somehow, however, it worked decently enough, as Jim jumps at the chance to mess with him and then shakes his head in embarrassment when it's revealed that Dwight wasn't helped because he had beet juice that looked a bit too much like blood on his hands. It also gave Kelly a brilliant opportunity to say something smart but not realize what it was since, as she said, she talks a lot and she's learned to tune herself out. I have always loved Pam, but I'm enjoying her presence infinitely more than ever before. Her decision to invent her own position that didn't depend on commission to determine her salary was extremely ballsy and inventive, and it proved quite entertaining. I especially liked how she refused to back down and wasn't going to reveal her lie if Gabe wasn't going to accuse her directly. The best moment of the episode came from a character that needs to be featured more prominently: a lovely but dimwitted Erin throws away her disposable camera as soon as she finishes it since she thinks there's no way to get the pictures off of the camera.