Night Out
The Office
is a terrific show because most of its comedy is rooted in real human behavior (no matter how exaggerated), and this episode demonstrates another essential truth about humanity: when you're drunk, people you normally can't stand are suddenly your best friends. As soon as you're buzzed on a few nine dollar martinis and dancing at a (semi-)exclusive club on a Friday night, even your annoying former boss is worthy of a hug. So I wasn't surprised in the slightest that Ryan was thrilled to see Michael and Dwight when they decided to crash his night out in New York City.
Of course, it's not just alcohol that's impairing Ryan's judgment; it turns out this wunderkind has a drug problem, and by the end of the episode he's become so desperate that he's actually asking Michael and Dwight for help on what to do. Michael doesn't see through the flimsiest of cover stories and starts babbling about
The Wire and explaining what you need to do in order to bring down a drug cartel. Frankly, I saw this coming pretty early on: no amount of alcohol alone can make someone interested in asking about Dwight's beet farm.
I never would have thought I'd feel sorry for Ryan, with his pretentious half-beard and constant need to prove to everyone how awesome his life is. Even when talking to the Scranton crew he has to punctuate his speech with hand gestures like an air punch, and after Jim makes a suggestion for the online store he shoots it down by reminding Jim that another Dunder Mifflin bigwig heard the idea and rejected it. But Ryan is clearly lonely in NYC while it might feel great to be a corporate honcho who parties in nightclubs, sooner or later you're going to wake up hung over in your apartment, and then who are you? He may have gotten the job, but he desperately needs someone in his life to keep him grounded the way Pam does for Jim.
In fact, we see new dimensions of a number of characters tonight. Dwight is able to surprise me from time to time with rare flashes of intelligence (like his stroke of genius to get into a more exclusive club), only to follow it up by returning to his usual moronic self (insisting he'll never call the beautiful woman he hooked up with). And we learned that Toby can get
serious air after he clears that gate in one try. Granted, he's being propelled not only by a heretofore unannounced athletic prowess but also by his humiliation after accidentally putting his hand on Pam's knee and leaving it there for an uncomfortably long time. I'm assuming that the writers (which include Paul Lieberstein, the actor who plays Toby) aren't going to have him follow through on his fantasy to flee to Costa Rica, so I guess we have many extremely awkward moments between Toby and Pam to look forward to in the future.
Another shock in this episode: Jim doesn't exactly come off as the greatest guy ever. After forgetting to remind the security guard that they were planning on working late, it's revealed that he never tipped the guard a Christmas bonus like he was supposed to, and he even forgets to tell him when the cleaning crew let them all out (although he probably assumed the guard wasn't coming in the first place). Jim has never exactly spent a lot of time worrying about his job, but you can tell that for the first time he's genuinely disappointed with himself for letting his co-workers down. Or maybe he's just scared that Stanley was serious about killing him.
And now, tonight's Dundies:
Most Unnecessary Over-explanation: Michael explains that he's going to NYC to get laid, and Dwight helpfully adds, "with sex!"
Best/Worst Ryan is a Tool Quote: "Stay real Scranton, alright?"
Best Disconnected from Reality Dwight Moment: See above regarding his decision to blow off the girl in the club.
Best Clueless Michael Moment: Somehow he declares his trip to visit Ryan as "Best. Night. Ever."
Best Overall Moment: Either Toby jumping over the gate or the fact that Dunder Mifflin Infinity was hijacked by sexual predators.
So what do you think? Will Toby head for the sandy beaches of Costa Rica? Will Ryan's drug problem cause trouble at corporate? Will Dwight and/or Michael ever find a woman to meet their exacting standards? (my best guesses: no, yes, frak no)
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