A Michael Scott Joint: A Benihana Christmas

(SPOILER ALERT: If you don't want any of this week's episode of The Office spoiled for you, do not scroll past the picture of Michael Scott)



Well you know it was good, because I have resurrected the dormant "Michael Scott Joint" to discuss this episode.

NBC gave The Office a full hour for its Christmas episode this season, and as a disappointed-on-the-whole fan of this season, I am very glad they did.

As previously mentioned and known to all it is the holiday season and for Christmas Michael has bought he and his girlfriend Carol an "all-inclusive" trip to the Sandals Resort in Jamaica. However, upon finding that their Christmas card is a photoshopped picture of Carol, her ex-husband and their kids with Michael's image superimposed on top of the ex-husband, she flips out and breaks up with him, causing Michael to go into a state of depression.

For Christmas, Pam gives Jim all the recon work she has done to convince Dwight that he is receiving messages from the CIA and gives the duty to Jim to come up with the "Secret Mission", however Jim thinks it might not be a good idea to keep picking on Dwight as he sees his promotion as a chance to operate under a "clean slate". This disappoints Pam as she worries things may never be the same.

While seeing Michael listen to the ultra-depressing James Blunt song "Goodbye My Lover" on loop THREE TIMES, Andy comes up with the idea that he, Michael and Jim go to Japanese restaurant Benihana and enjoy good tempura (and nagasaki) while scoping out the Asian chicks on staff.

Meanwhile, The Party-Planning Committee headed by Angela is demeaning Karen's ideas from Stamford while planning this year's Christmas Party. In protest her and Pam form "The Committee to Plan Parties" and throw a competing party with booze and karaoke and it instantly becomes more popular than Angela's "Nutcracker Christmas" themed party.

At Benihana, Dwight is outcasted from the other 3 gentlemen while seeing Michael's spirits slowly come back. While Michael and Andy are picking out which waitress they want to bring back to the Dundler-Mifflin party, he instructs his girlfriend Angela to go ahead and start her Christmas party and consequently Pam and Karen's.

Andy and Michael bring back two Benihana employees, neither of which were one of their waitresses, prompting Coach to ask me if they did an actress switch. However as the nagasaki and margaritas set in. Its plain to us and to some extent the employees that Andy and Michael are having a hard time telling the two employees (or any Asians) apart.

Roy and Pam exchange gifts, as do Jim and Karen. After the Benihana girls leave, Jim tells Michael that he has successfully "rebounded" from the breakup from Carol, while inferring that he is currently "rebounding" with Karen. Michael ends up inviting an unknown person (we are to assume its Jan, but for some reason I think they're throwing us a curveball) to Sandals and receives a "yes" answer.

The episode ends with Jim going ahead with giving Dwight the "Secret Mission" telling him to wait on a helicopter pad for his pickup. After texting him that "you have been compromised, abort immediately, discard phone" Office fans everywhere can look for better shows in the new year.

This was the best episode of the third season and possibly of the series in general once I get the image of Stan with a card with the word "Black" on his forehead out of my head.

For those of you that are DVR-less. NBC will air the episode AGAIN on Thursday, November 21.