Continuing my Countdown to The Office series with a review of the second super-sized episode of this season, Dunder Mifflin Infinity. Click here for the second half of the episode.
The overlying storyline is about the announcement of the company's new Web site, and new overall direction. Ryan is adamant that the company is going to streamline the business. The world is moving toward technology (some might say it's already there...I think Dunder Mifflin missed the boat on that...) It's time for the company to get younger, yada, yada. This storyline leads to a couple humorous moments, such as Creed's dye job and part of Michael's ageism presentation. Other than that? While Michael's insistence on the value of gift baskets is funny and believable, from the second he decides to drive into the lake through the retrieval of the gift basket is a bit too over the top, even for this show. Upon first viewing, I was okay with it. The second time, I was just really bugged by it.
The other two major story lines were the outing of Pam and Jim's relationship by Toby (which leads to a wonderfully awkward scene between the three.) and Ryan's return to the Scranton branch, just to learn that Kelly is pregnant (well...maybe not.). This episode really helps establish Ryan's new, smarmy "I'm better than you" attitude, while showing that he's a little bit in over his head.
The other story, and possibly my favorite part of the episode, is the continued erosion of Dwight and Angela's relationship. He seems to be trying whatever he can to stay with her, but everytime she looks at him, she thinks of her dead, frozen cat (which, somehow, went through an autopsy last episode and is back in the freezer this episode...Continuity?)
Any way. The show won't have you rolling on the ground, or anything, and the main story is a bit bleh. But it's The Office, and there's plenty still to like in all of the underlying stories. Look for the technology story line to be prevalent the rest of the season.
Here's the scene where Ryan comes back to the branch for the first time...:
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