Phyllis's Wedding

• Dwight:  "The Shrutes have their own traditions.  We usually marry standing in our own graves.  It makes the funerals very romantic.  But the weddings are a bleak affair."

This week's episode of The Office featured Phyllis's wedding and a whole lot of Michael, which can be a bit difficult (even though he's the "star" of the show, I find Jim and Dwight-centric episodes more entertaining), but this one works pretty well.  Michael makes a complete ass out of himself, over and over again, but it all ends well.  Except for Jim and Pam.  That wasn't so good.  This was, though...

• Michael: "Webster's defines wedding as the fusing of two metals with a hot torch."

Wait for it... think about it... all right, you can laugh now.  What a great show.  And we got to see SCRANTONICITY live!!!

• Michael: "It's a big day for Phyllis, but it's an even bigger day for me - 'employer of the bride'."

Michael's out sized visions of the wedding of Phyllis and Bob Vance takes on ridiculous proportions after Phyllis invites Michael to be part of the wedding party by wheeling her wheelchair-bound father down the aisle while he gives away the bride.  Phyllis ended up with 6 weeks of vacation time for the honeymoon as a result.  Michael ended up with the shaft when her father miraculously stood up halfway down the aisle and walked the rest of the way on his own.  Michael was not pleased at the amazing and tender moment.

• Michael (to the camera as the crowd applauds for the bride and her father): "This is bullshit."

In the meantime, Jim convinces Dwight that there may be some "wedding crashers" in their midst and that he should do his best to ferret them out.

• Dwight: "I saw Wedding Crashers accidentally.  I bought a ticket for Grizzly Man and went into the wrong theater.  After an hour, I figured I was in the wrong theater, but I kept waiting.  See, that's the thing about bear attacks.  They come when you least expect it."

Michael continues to try to upstage the ceremony by announcing that they are wedded as soon as the priest finishes - twice (he jumped the gun the first time), and then attempts to give a "40-minute toast" at the reception, which Bob Vance eventually cuts short.  He is banished from the facility, along with "Uncle Al", who suffers from dementia and was removed by Dwight after he couldn't name the bride and groom.  He ends up wandering into the street and nearly getting run over.  Good times.

In the meantime, Pam is reacting well to the wedding, despite the fact that Phyllis stole every single idea from her own aborted wedding to Roy, including the flowers, the invitations, the band (SCRANTONICITY!), and even the dress (I guess she only means in reference to the pattern).  But she reacts less well to seeing Jim dancing with Karen.

• Kelly: "If I was you, I would just freak out and get drunk, and then tell someone I was pregnant."
• Pam: "Well, that's a lot of good ideas.  Thanks."

Eventually Roy sits down beside her and they have a rather tender moment.  He reminds her that he's the one who actually wanted to get married, which does a bit to melt her heart.  When Kevin starts singing "their" song (by request from Roy - "I thought they only played The Police?"), she accepts his invitation and goes home with her ex, which Jim notices before heading back to Karen.  Nooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!  All right, now this Jim-and-Pam thing is getting frustrating. 

But the best two moments from the entire show were throwaway shots tucked in between all the dialog and action.  First, we see Creed switching a card with his name on it with the one on the largest gift box on the gift table (and tossing the actual card into the garbage).  Then later, in a hilarious shot of the bouquet tossing, we see Ryan jumping in and knocking the flowers away from Kelly's grasp.  She doesn't notice, I don't think.  Priceless.

In the end, Michael and Uncle Al are talking outside when the glorious couple come out amongst the throng of revelers to go away in the "Bob Vance Refrigeration" truck.  Michael tries to apologize for "ruining her honeymoon," but Phyllis simply notices her missing uncle, thanks Michael for finding him, and kisses him on the cheek.  Ahhhh.... Michael is redeemed, in his owned incredibly warped mind, which produces one final mixed metaphor of incorrect references.

• Michael: "They say you can't have your cake and eat it too.  I say let them eat cake.  Margaret Thatcher said that.  Smart broad."

Comments

[uwmryan]

I just have to say that your office recaps are golden! Thanks for doing them!

[Bill]

Thanks for reading. I feel like an idiot for not having watched the show until recently. (And no Lenny, I don't feel the same way about '24').

[JR]

I told you to watch this show a year ago. Once again if you had listened to me your life would be so much better.