"The Seminar": The Good, the Bad & the Ugly

An episode centered around the Nard Dog -- just what the doctor ordered. I think Andy is my second-favorite character on the show, next to Michael, and it's a close second. But rather than gush about my love for the well-dressed harmonizer, I will move on to my Good, Bad and Ugly for "The Seminar." Ready? 1-2-3, Creed!

*Hover over the pictures. You know you want to.*

The Good:

• Andy. Okay, so I'm not done gushing yet. Master of Ceremonies Bernard just strikes a chord with me. Not only is he super flexible when he's nervous, but he's just so darn endearing. We know Andy would never lose his job at Dunder Mifflin, but seeing his name below Madge, Glenn and Hidetoshi on the sales list, you can't help but feel a little pang of sadness. If this were "Curb Your Enthusiasm," Andy would be Larry. If this were "Seinfeld," he would be George. Nothing ever goes right for the guy...until today. The seminar was a minor victory for our lovable salesman and a well-deserved one at that. Andy Bernard, I jlp you!

• Creed. Yet again, Creed's bizarre nature came through beautifullyThe blank stare on his face before he went to speak to the seminar attendees was great. And his Loch Ness monster anecdote? Well, all I can say is that I think he and Michael need to team up and enter the movie tagline business. "He had two eyes, two ears, a chin, a mouth, 10 fingers, two nipples, a butt, two knee caps, a penis. He couldn't see, hear or speak. This is how he led a nation." That Oscar is so close I can smell it (and I'm not talking Martinez).

• Darryl pulling a "Wilson" from behind the newspaper and protecting the oh-so-naive Andy from the "jackals."

• Mikinos's gyro recipe (Michael's pep talk). I love when Michael shows some semblance of wisdom, and if there's anything he's good at, it's sales. My heart just gets a little bit warmer when I see Michael looking out for his ducklings.

The Bad:

• The cold open. I know I'm going to catch some flack for this since Ricky Gervais/David Brent's appearance was so highly anticipated, but I thought the cold open was a bit of a letdown. Maybe it's because I only watched the first episode of the British "Office." Maybe it's because a Brit speaking quickly might as well be speaking Chinese to me. I couldn't understand half of what Michael and David said, let alone laugh at it. I'm not putting this in the ugly category because I do think it had its moments ("Comedy is a place where the mind goes to tickle itself."), but I was hoping for more.

• Michael & Holly's communication skills. I guess the barrage of voices Michael & Holly went through upon her return to the office was foreshadowing for the way they would communicate to each other, well, indefinitely. I like a good impersonation as much as anybody, but I'm hoping Michael and Holly will have a heart-to-heart as Michael and Holly soon.

• The Scrabble subplot. Erin is an airhead. We get it. Gabe is lacking in social skills. We get that too. Having to watch them compete in Scrabble over a cellphone for the entire episode was not enlightening or exciting. Even Oscar's righteous anger could save it.

• Jim's absence. John Krasinski, if you're out there, hear this: your movie career is hurting the show that made you who you are! The "avoiding an old classmate" story was just another lame excuse for Jim to be out of the office for the episode, and I honestly didn't enjoy seeing Jim berated by another frenemy, just like he was by Dwight in "Classy Christmas." Last week it was Pam who was the helpless puppy, and this week it was her husband. Those Halperts need to get their groove back!

The Ugly:

• Kevin's motivational speech. He was off to a good start. I actually laughed out loud when he waited for the right part of "Crazy Train" to begin his laps around the room. But this gag could have been cut wayyyyy short and still had comedic effect. Did we really need to see (and hear) Kevin barfing in a trash can? This scene made me feel worse than the time in high school I got mono and had my first period ever in the same week. Writers, editors -- have some restraint, if not for my sake, then do it for Lu Peachman.

Miscellaneous Tidbits:

• Did Michael say that Holly's Greek name was Necropolis? That's just funny, I don't care who you are.

• If Kelly hadn't coined the term first, Andy would make a great Etiquette Bitch. He was even polite when he told Dwight, Phyllis & Stanley to take their offer and shove it!

Quotable Quotes:

• "Thank you so much, Tuna Turner. You are simply the best."
• "I like 'Grease,' or, as we call it, home."
• "The only way that I'm Jim is in the movie version when Jim sees what his future would be like if he never met Pam."