“Ben Franklin” Episode 3.15 [Throwback Thursday #2]

“Ben Franklin,” Season 3, Episode 15

Quick Recap

Click “More”…it got a bit long this week!

Comments

What a fun episode! One thing I didn’t pick up on during my first viewing was Dwight’s telling question to Jim re: the stripper. “Redhead or brunette?” Jim refuses to choose, saying, “Blonde.” Then the camera cuts to Pam and Karen, the redhead and the brunette (though I’d consider Jenna a brunette as well). Another awesome and true-to-character moment was when Dwight, Jim, and Michael first meet the stripper. Jim admits he’s never seen a stripper, Michael texts Jim “Is she hot?” and Dwight tells Jim (right in front of the stripper) to text back, “Kind of.” Finally, I loved Michael’s insistence that Ben Franklin was a president.

I’ve read a few criticisms of Jenna’s performance (we know she was very sick while filming the episode) but I thought her semi-out-of-it state was pitch-perfect. After all, her scenes with Karen and Jim were supposed to be uncomfortable. She stammered, she had a Freudian slip, she made bad jokes . . . and it worked for me. What did you all think?

WINNING HAIKU:

by Elisabeth

Agent Michael Scarn
Gets his Catherine Zeta
Jim finds his.

The votes were super close! jacsonian would have tied, but two votes were cast after midnight, and Quessadilla was only one vote out of first place. Thanks for everyone who entered & voted–hopefully the Haiku contests will return to their former glory, with lots of entries and votes!

Further Reading

1. Wikipedia for “Ben Franklin”

2. Quotes from “Ben Franklin” at OfficeTally

Homework

1. VOTE FOR NEXT THROWBACK THURSDAY IN THE FORUM!

2. Find the Deleted Scenes somewhere on the InterWebs, and I’ll post them on the site. I apologize that I couldn’t find them for you!

Quick Recap

Quick Recap

Michael prepares for the upcoming Phyllis-Bob Vance (Vance Refrigeration) nuptials by planning “separate but equal” bridal showers. On the JAM/Jaren/Ram (is Ram the correct term for Roy/Pam? Poy? I don’t know…) front, there are some serious developments. We find out that Jaren has hit a ‘rough patch’, which Karen combatted with long, late-night talks, which just make Jim sleepy. Pam tries to tell Jim about the power of sleep, and he’s amicable, but the exchange is awkward. Roy declares that he’s not really into strippers, but he thinks Pam’s art is sexy. Things get even MORE awkward for Pam when Karen asks if Pam still has feelings for Jim. Pam, ‘misinterprets’ the question and says, “oh, yeah” in agreement. She bumbles through a clarification, saying that Karen and Jim are great together, but you can practically feel the tension through your TV. Elsewhere in the episode, the guys head down to the warehouse for their stripper, Elizabeth, while the girls stay in the conference room to meet their own stripper. Jim has hilariously hired a speaker from Scholastic: Ben Franklin. The ladies have fun teasing him about his promiscuous ways and underwear preferences, while Michael grills some man meat (Dwight wants some man meat!) on the infamous George Foreman he cooked his foot on. When Bob Vance defers a lap dance from the stripper, Michael says he’ll take it. But when the shirt comes off, he freaks out and calls the whole party off, feeling guilty because of his relationship with Jan. Dwight decides to put the stripper to work for the remaining time they have paid her for, and instructs her to answer phones. She tries to make friends with the gals of the office, complimenting Angela on the musician babies poster, and telling Pam she could strip. Ben Franklin hits on Pam, and when Kelly and Jim tease her about the newest office crush, Pam has a passive-aggressive moment and says that she’s totally ready to be set up with one of Ryan’s business school friends. Michael takes the stripper’s advice and confesses to Jan about the almost-lapdance. She is more concerned about his job performance than his boyfriend performance, which delights Michael. He sums up the episode so well, I will just use his words: “So you know who turned out to be kind of a creep? Ben Franklin. And Elizabeth, the stripper, gave me great advice. Which rhymed. Kind of makes you wonder, how ben franklin can beocme president, but someone like Elizabeth can’t?”

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