The Office – Recap & Review – Counseling

photo: nbc

The Office
Counseling

Original Air Date: Sep 30, 2010

Shannon – Associate Editor
shannon@thetwocentscorp.com

Cold Open: Dwight plans to open a daycare in the old Michael Scott Paper Company room. Pam and Jim decide to take the tour, just for the laughs. The daycare has an eye chart in the old rusty shower, a toy box full of plastic silverware (and a soy sauce packet) and buckets for the bathroom, feeding trough, and plants. Oh, and no one will be there to supervise the kids because the door locks from the outside. Jim wants to test that door so he locks Mose (who was in there painting in the dark) and Dwight in the room together while he and Pam take off.

Toby and Michael start their counseling sessions in the break room. Michael stares menacingly at Toby and says he hates him and wants to smash his face.  He also accuses Toby of wanting to molest him. This is going to be fun.

Michael plans to just sit there with Toby until Toby says he can’t count the hours unless Michael talks. Michael decides he’s gonna talk alright. So he talks about getting probed by ALF and how he was raised by wolves. Toby suggests they just kill the rest of the time by playing some games. They play Connect 4 and Michael unconsciously talks about his stepfather. They play cards and Michael talks about his dog running away and how important it is for Michael to be liked. Michael catches on to Toby’s plan and calls Toby some names and says that he doesn’t need Toby’s help. He throws Toby the double deuce and walks out after he fills out a survey form. Little does Michael know when he haphazardly checks boxes that he’s stating that he’s suicidal. Michael blames the screw up on Gabe and decides to go ahead and talk to Toby after all so he doesn’t lose his job.

Pam is not good at sales so she decides that she’s the new office administrator. She tells Gabe that she’s the office admin since right before Sabre took over and hey, you know, she’s never gotten paid. He tells her to get the department heads to sign off on it. She gets the signatures but Gabe says they can’t find any paperwork and could Pam just admit that she’s lying. He won’t come out and say she’s lying so Pam uses that to get the position and the salary.

Dwight thinks the Steamtown Mall is corrupt and is sabotaging everyone’s business deal with all their customers there. Apparently, Dwight was mistreated by some salespeople and rather than lose customers, Jim wants to get back at them. Kelly suggests he go Pretty Woman on them so Andy pretties Dwight up. Everyone gives Dwight pointers on how to be snooty. Dwight, Andy, and Jim go back to the store where Dwight was treated rudely only to find that the store clerk remembered Dwight and the blood on his hands the day before. Dwight argues that it was beet juice and Andy and Jim usher him out. So he was “mistreated” because he was being creepy Dwight. Figures.

I was pretty pleased with this episode. I think it had a good mix of all the players in some funny situations. It was more like the old seasons that I’m so fond of. I especially liked the interaction with Toby and Michael. I don’t know why I love that Michael hates so much about the things Toby chooses to be, but I do. What’d you think? Leave a comment!