Joining Together in the Fight to Cure Rabies!
The Dunder Mifflin crew does its part to fight rabies. Angela Kinsey, Bobby Ray Shafer, Phyllis Smith and Steve Carell by Mitch Haddad/NBC
Episode Recap: "Fun Run"
How's that for starting the episode with a shock: Michael leaves his apartment for another day at work (one of the rare moments in the series where we're allowed to venture beyond the office and see the characters' personal lives), gets caught up in talking to the camera, and
hits Meredith with his car. Always ready to go into damage control mode rather than act responsibly, Michael tells his coworkers that she was injured and that he took her to the hospital, before finally adding, "I was able to get on the scene so quickly because I was in the car that hit her." Way to build up your heroics beforehand.
I thought this was one of the funniest episodes of
The Office in a while, not to mention one of the most satisfying. After three seasons of flirting, Jim and Pam finally get together, although they're both insisting that they're only good friends and single by choice at first. Not that anyone in the office is buying it though. Kevin's response to the camera - "Are you kidding me?" - could stand in for the audience, potentially angry that the two still didn't get together after another season finale that promised to change everything. Thankfully, the writers aren't jerking us around anymore, and the pair are finally busted when Jim hops a ride home with Pam after work.
In fact, that shot of Jim getting into the car while Pam talks in voice-over about how she's happy to be single really reminded me of one of the great moments from the original British version of
The Office: Jim's U.K. counterpart Tim Canterbury removes his microphone just before confessing his love to secretary Dawn Tinsley, and we see his speech but all we hear is silence. Both of these are great examples of the shows taking advantage of their documentary format instead of just playing it as a straight-forward sitcom.
Meanwhile, Dwight and Angela's relationship hit the skids, thanks to Dwight's decision to euthanize her beloved cat Sprinkles, denying her a shot at entering "cat heaven" in the process. And his choice for a final resting place for Sprinkles wasn't the most sensitive either, as he had to solemnly tell Angela, "She's in a better place. Actually, the place that's she in is the freezer, because of the odor." I laughed out loud at that one; I think Dwight is at his best when he's trying to force himself to act like a normal, compassionate human being, only to realize that it's like banging a square peg into a round hole.
Meredith's injury and Sprinkles' not-so-untimely death motivate Michael to coming up with one of his most insane ideas yet - holding a "fun run" to raise money for a cure for rabies, a disease that, we're told, kills as many as
four people a year. I liked the way that everyone's reaction to the fun run perfectly captures their personality: Jim and Pam wander off into a garage sale, Dwight is ordered to give Toby Ex-Lax but screws it up, Andy takes the contest way too seriously, Michael fails miserably, and the trio of Stanley, Creed and Oscar care so little that they take the nearest taxi to a restaurant. That all sounds about right.
Other tid-bits: We learn that Karen left the office in a fit of rage after being dumped by Jim, although I wouldn't be surprised if she comes back for a guest appearance later on and creates havoc for his relationship with Pam. Also, Ryan is now Michael's boss, and his promotion apparently came with a new all-black wardrobe and a constant five-o-clock shadow.
Since there was so much great stuff thanks to the hour-long episode, I think I'm going to hand out my own personal Dundies and reward this show for its finest moments:
Best Facial Reaction by Jim: His grossed-out look when Michael informs Pam, "You don't know me - you've just seen my penis." You know that's a mental image Jim would do anything to erase.
Best Creed-is-a-Creepy-Old-Man Moment: The encyclopedic knowledge of painkillers that he demonstrates at Meredith's hospital bed.
Best Insensitive Michael Moment: His reaction when everyone moans about how Meredith looks at the hospital: "She's always looked like that! That's not my fault!"
Best Disconnected-from-Reality Dwight Moment: His assertion that it's a waste of electricity keeping Meredith alive when that much power could make a fan run for two days! (I laughed just
typing that one).
Funniest Moment Overall: Michael presenting an oversized check - which cost most of the money the office had raised - made out to "Science," to a stripper dressed as a nurse. And Michael recognizes her.
Join me next week as we find out more about the Jim-Pam relationship, whether Dwight is back to being dateless, and whether or not they'll ever update the credits. Oh, and why do I have the sudden urge to go to a Nissan dealership and test drive a Rogue?
Be sure to check out our online video guide to find clips and episodes of The Office,
including "How the Office Spent Their Summer Vacation!"
