Ah, Casino Night. Possibly my favorite episode, though I constantly change my mind. It’s got everything you could want or expect out of a season finale without losing any of the comedy of a typical episode–in fact, it’s one of the funniest, in my opinion. The Dwangela slap…Kevin’s “I suck…”…Pam’s ‘practice runs’ for Michael on the phone…Toby’s “I’m gonna chase that feeling”…”Dinkin’ flicka”…all totally in character, all totally hilarious!
Then, in the final moments, Jim lays it all on the line. And even though Pam stops him with a crushing ‘let’s-be-friends,’ JAMmers got to see that fabulous last-minute kiss. Knockout performances by both Jenna and John, not to mention Steve Carell and his ‘girls’, Melora and real-life-wife Nancy. Actually, knockout performances by EVERYBODY, as usual. I think the major reason why I loved, loved, loved the Season 2 closer was that it was so REAL. I completely believed (okay, I still believe, I admit it!) that Jim and Pam were real people who couldn’t be together despite this deeply intimate connection; I believed that Jim would finally tell Pam how he really felt exactly the way he did; I believed the dialogue; I ate it up. It wasn’t trite, it wasn’t expected, it wasn’t conventional. It was just…life. And I love it.
And in the spirit of Throwback Thursday, check out this awesome post Brian wrote after Casino Night: “>Even More Info on Kevin’s Band.
Deleted Scenes (I know I say this every Throwback Thursday, but they are a MUST-SEE if you haven’t seen them yet!!):
So, since Throwback Thursday was posted so late last week, and since voting was practically tied this week, I’m doing TWO Throwback Thursdays this week! Just a warning: the second one will probably be posted later Thursday evening.
Directed by Joss Whedon, this episode featured everything from VampireJim to Pam’s art show (some of the saddest scenes all season, in my opinion) to Michael’s hilarious candy bar presentation at business school. I often read complaints about Ryan the [Former] Temp’s smug attitude and cocky demeanor. I get that, but I never found BJ Novak’s character to be smarmy or annoying–I always thought it was funny. Essentially, Ryan is like the viewer-he was introduced to “The Office” at the same time we were, way back in the pilot episode. I always though his deadpan looks and Michael-avoidance techniques were to be expected. But in “Business School,” Ryan outs himself as a tool by dissing Dunder-Mifflin and feeding Michael to the [MBA-hungry] wolves. Maybe ‘outs’ is the wrong word, since we kind of knew he was a tool all along. But I think you get my drift. Or maybe not. Hash it out in the comments section, I might be on my own here.
But I digress. Jim convinces Dwight that he’s been bit by the bat and has turned into a vampire:
Dwight: If a vampire bat was in the U.S., it would make sense for it to come to a “sylvania.” Like PENN-sylvania. Now that doesn’t mean that Jim is going to become a vampire. Only that he carries the vampiric germ.
Karen plays along with the joke, and does a nice job as Jim’s sidekick. Meanwhile, Pam spreads the word about her art show. I have to say, I was completely shocked when Jim didn’t show up. I was just watching and waiting for the last moments of the episode, sure he’d show up, apologize for being late, and slip into that easy, breezy, Halpert-Beasly conversation we love to see. But no! Roy, on the other hand, shows up with his brother, and gives Pam this amazing compliment:
Your art.. was the prettiest art of… all art.
Roy demonstrates that he feels like Pam’s art show is just a way to score points with her now that they are back together, and it’s just another indicator that Roy just doesn’t understand her. By the way, how cute was Jenna Fischer in that smock, and how bad did you feel for Pam as each ‘guest’ commented on her work? I harbored a little resentment towards Oscar (and a LOT towards Gil) after their inconsiderate conversation.
Finally, Michael saves the day in a touching Michael-Pam scene. For all the grief that he gives her, Michael was the only one from “The Office” who truly came through for her. At the end of the day, they are good friends who take care of each other (though Pam is usually the one doing the taking care of).
I couldn’t find the deleted scenes anywhere on the Web yet (let me know if they’re somewhere!) so a life lesson from Michael Scott will have to suffice:
Today, we salute you, Ms. or Mr. Office Fan. Whether it’s sending faxes from the future or forwarding inappropriate emails like it’s hot, you support the fine men and women of Dunder-Mifflin Scranton. While most people are content to sit on the sidelines in their workplace, you forge ahead, participating in the party planning committee or hunting down the person who left a joint in the parking lot. No one realizes the stress of your modern office or how often you die of boredom at your desk, but you carry on, finding strengths in the simple things of life, whether it’s posters featuring babies dressed as adults, Pink the person, pink the color, beets, art, soft pretzels, or a Big Gulp of vodka.
So put that annoying co-worker’s stapler in shiny Jello, pusher of the paper. You deserve it after the day you had. It was long, hard, and you have to do it again and again if you want to stay on top.
LITO reader Peter James Patrick had an awesome experience meeting John Krasinski during the taping of Late Night with Conan O’Brian.
That’s Peter on the left in the blue shirt.
The backstory is that John is just an incredibly nice guy: Peter’s mom works for NBC Universal, and had sent a DVD backstage for John to sign for Peter. But John insisted on meeting him in person, so Peter and his friend got to go backstage and talk for a while! John claimed he didn’t want to ‘ruin the beautiful artwork’ on the DVD, so he gave Peter his press pass and signed that.
If you’re on Facebook, check out Peter’s profile picture and friend him! While you’re at it, join the LITO Facebook group that Adam started way back in the day!
