(no subject)

[dollsome]

While putting off my reading for class tomorrow (who, me? Shocking!), I sat down this afternoon and rewatched "Goodbye Toby"! And it was a ... weird, verging-on-spiritual experience? Or, okay, maybe not quite that intense. (Well. Maybe. There is the "Suck on this!" rock to consider.) It's like, all of a sudden, it was brilliant and everything that tormented me throughout the fourth season was gone and the future, from this point on, seemed boundless and beautiful! Or ... something. This whole reconciliation-with-The-Office process has been odd and far more emotional than anything has the right to be. And also AWESOME.























... Gosh, I love Michael/Holly. Which the picspam made very subtle, so I figured I'd actually spell it out for you. But, jeez, the fact that, within the span of one episode, the show managed to so completely sell that relationship is so awesome to me. That moment where he talks in the Yoda voice and there's that horrible, awkward silence, that Michael's Frightened Yet Another Woman, Big Surprise silence that we have come to know so, so very well over the years -- and then Holly Yoda-talks right back? THAT is excellent TV, my friends! The shock and the unexpected sweetness of that moment just SLAYS me. And then later, when she touches his arm and it is just, I swear, one of the sweetest things that has ever been on this show. And considering it's the show that provided a little couple you may or may not have heard of called Jim/Pam, well, that's saying something! And, GAAAH, the END with Michael totally not getting that she's asking him out because he's so boggled by pregnant Jan, and then the LOOKING BACK. The MUTUAL LOOKING BACK.

The end of this episode, with that in combination with Pam being disappointed about Jim and that horrible sad bit with her and Toby taking the picture, switching to Toby sitting by himself and just looking at the pictures -- it's so bleak and made me feel so sad and hopeless for these poor people, and then I nearly perished of joy because GOD, I MISSED THAT SHOW GIVING ME THIS FEELING. It hurt the way that Michael doing his stupid voiceover in "Halloween" matched against images of him cleaning pumpkin off his car hurt! That is what makes this show magic, man.

And, okay, maybe also things like Michael looking at Toby in the exit interview scene. It's mesmerizing.

Also -- "The real crime, I think, was the beard" = greatest line of the whole season, right? RIGHT.

Also-also: what is up with Jim's hair in this episode?

Comments

[crackers4jenn.livejournal.com]

The MadLibs! Oh MAN! You just know that one of their 'dates' included matching puffy-sweaters with cats on them and the sweet, crooning sound of Harry Connick Jr. to properly cap the evening of rigorous puzzle-doing off. You know it! And I think that THEY are my biggest hang-up in enjoying the Dwight/Angela reunion (well, that, and: HELLO, ANGELA, WORLD'S BIGGEST HYPOCRITE!) As pitiful as Dwight was during their woeful break-up, there is just something WONDERFUL about Andy courting Angela. By a capella! By phone! It's just--I wish the show didn't get so hung up over its main 'ships, the way that they are over Michael/Jan, Jim/Pam and Dwight/Angela. When you have BETTER 'ships come along, dammit, it's okay to deviate from the original! I would so much rather see Michael/Holly, Toby/Pam, and Andy/Angela than ANY of their deemed Big True Love counterparts.

Aww, that line really IS enchanting, and what's even more enchanting is the idea of Toby coming back and still harboring his non-creepy, determined-to-keep-platonic-but-eventually-failing crush. I hope! Which isn't lame of us, oh no, it's it's own form of enchanting.

[dollsome.livejournal.com]

By God, I'm enchanted! I'm enchanted A LOT. I wonder if maybe I could use the fact that my mother was in the theatre department at the University of Washington with Rainn Wilson to somehow finagle my way into a writing gig for this show, and then I could sneakily, subtly Toby/Pam-ify the whole show. And it would be AWESOME.

Maybe if I have a light course load next semester.

You know, I don't even have big problems with Jim/Pam, really -- like, when I just watch the show, and they are cute and a couple, I'm like, 'Okay, you guys are cute, that's fine with me!' But then I think about Jim proposing successfully, and them getting married, and it kind of makes me want to throw up. So. That might become an issue. I GET THAT THEY ARE PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER AND REALLY, REALLY HAPPY, I DO. I just ... there's a sick, little big part of me that wishes they weren't, and yearns to plant seeds of discontentment and illmatched-ness between them. I am wicked.

Andy serenading Angela will always be one of the greatest romantic moments on this show ever, EVER. Also, hey, show, if you need to be hung up on one of your main couples, FOR GOD'S SAKE, GO BACK TO RYAN/KELLY. For me. Come on. I remember the good ol' days when I never had to worry about them parting, because there was no way Kelly was gonna let him go!

And OH GOSH, YOU'RE RIGHT, Angela has finally found someone who can share her appreciation for Harry Connick Jr.! I feel like there might be some actual affection lurking beneath her disdainful ambivalence that we just haven't gotten to see. It's like ... weird reverse Ryan/Kelly!