Can I Have the File for Mr. A. Knife?
Never anger a man with easy access to a blow dart. Rainn Wilson by Justin Lubin/NBC.
Episode Recap: Survivor Man (November 8, 2007)
Like any good sitcom I'm sure every episode of
The Office is written as a collective effort by the entire staff (who are currently out picketing their own show, but let's not dwell on the strike for now), even if
Steve Carell is listed as the sole writer in the opening credits. Nevertheless, I want to congratulate everyone involved on this one: "Survivor Man" has got to be the funniest episode of this show in a long time. It's certainly my favorite of this season thus far. I was laughing out loud during the surreal montage of all of the weapons Dwight has stashed around the workplace (you didn't think he gave them all up after attacking Andy last year, did you?), including one inconspicuously hidden away in a file marked "Mr. A. Knife." Dwight's smug look of superiority as he displays his arsenal away from home was terrific, especially when it came to a blow dart hidden away in a toilet tank.
The episode split nicely into two subplots, each of which demonstrates a brand of humor which
The Office excels at. Out in the wilderness we have Michael's insanely pathetic attempts to find food while fashioning survivalist gear out of his business suit (and it looked to me like the one he found out was from a women's clothing line). Meanwhile Dwight was keeping watch over him from a comfortable distance using a sniper rifle's scope. That's the show in its over-the-top mode, while back at the actual office Jim finds himself uncomfortably transforming into Michael when he decides to celebrate everyone's birthdays all at once in one massive holiday. The question Jim begins to wonder is: does being the boss, and having to deal with everyone's problems and hang-ups all day long, slowly drive anyone crazy? That's not to say that Michael Scott wasn't self-absorbed and totally lacking in social skills to begin with, but maybe life as the Regional Manager has made him even worse.
Oh, and I have to ask: did they shorten the opening theme song at some point? Maybe
I'm just going crazy, but I swear I thought it used to be longer. That's a shame, because so few shows even bother to have opening credits anymore, and
The Office has one of my favorites. Granted, the credits always did look a little bit cheap, like it was made in fifteen minutes on someone's Mac, and the music sounds like a much catchier version of elevator music. But that's part of the show's charm: it's supposed to feel vaguely thrown together and homemade, and I loved that the establishing shots of Scranton, with its snow-capped buildings, made the town look oddly beautiful yet not at all glamorous (and apparently that footage was filmed by John Krasinski and his buddies just driving through).
A lot to cover, so let's get right to the Dundies:
Best Jim Facial Expression: This one's no contest: his wide-eyed look of horror when he was accidentally referred to as "Michael." (although he does have a more subtle look of horror when Michael tells him that he also promised himself that he wouldn't be working at Dunder-Mifflin in ten years. People in the comments section have said that the writers are setting us up for a Jim-Pam break-up further down the line by introducing reasons why Pam would get frustrated with Jim. Actually I think the biggest stumbling block to their relationship might be Jim's desire to move on to something more meaningful in life than being a paper salesman and breaking free of Dunder-Mifflin.)
Best Insensitive Michael Moment: Pointing out the wrinkles around Stanley's eyes and yelling "Blacks do crack!" (I was drinking a soda and almost did a spit-take when I heard that. It's a shame I don't have TiVo because I wanted to rewind and make sure he
actually said that. How on Earth has Michael not been sued?)
Best Disconnected from Reality Dwight Moment: Almost too many to count. The best is definitely the weapons montage. Taking the silver: maybe his description of what kind of serial killer he would be (the "Overkill Killer"). Of course, there's also his beating Michael with a shoe and cooking wild eggs for a meal.
Best Easter Egg: Michael is sporting a
Battlestar Galactica sweatshirt after being rescued from the wilderness. Frak yeah!
Best Kevin is Useless Moment: Saying that he deserves a break for how hard he works, then turning around and admitting that when he knows a break is coming up he just sits around and kills time waiting for it.
Best Overall Moment: I'm letting everyone in the feedback decide this one, because I enjoyed the whole episode too much to boil it down to one specific gag or line of dialogue.
With the strike still on-going, nobody seems to know how frequently we'll be getting new episodes from now on. I believe there will be a new one next week, but whenever it is, make sure to check back here for my ramblings. In the meantime, discuss the Dundies, whether the credits are shorter (or I'm going crazy), and whether or not bears actually beat
Battlestar Galactica.
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