What I’m Watching: The Office

The Office: Season 7, Episode 6 “Costume Contest” (B+)

After seven years, it’s refreshing to see this show pull off a fairly original Halloween-themed episode that works pretty well. I’m speaking mostly about Pam’s costume contest, and particularly the reactions it elicits out of Oscar and Angela. The two accountants are great characters who at one point were spotlighted but haven’t really been given a chance to develop their characters, and therefore it’s a nice treat to see them front and center, especially when they’re on opposing sides of an issue (not a rarity). Oscar was once again the lone man of reason in an office of crazy people, and the fact that he won this supposed $15,000 when he was the only one who didn’t actually want it was hilarious, as were the explanations given by others about why they voted for him. Angela’s excitement about the prize and simultaneous desire not to pay Pam a compliment was great, and her dressing up as a nurse was quite unexpected and funny. I don’t have much to say about Michael and Darryl’s feud other than the resolution with them quietly agreeing not to talk to Gabe as he sat by, hopeless to be heard, was entertaining. At this point, Timothy Olyphant’s talents seem to be a bit underused, though Jim and Pam’s dogged pursuit of the truth about why he didn’t call Pam back was fun. I especially liked Jim’s sweet follow-up comment to the revelation that he thought she was dorky: “who wouldn’t call a nerd like that back?”