The Office: PDA

Upon first viewing, I walked away feeling like this was one of the worst Office episodes in a long time. This could have had something to do with the fact that I was exercising while watching (and I hate exercising more than Stanley hates it when someone does his Sudoku), but my second viewing didn't prove much different. I laughed a little more, but I still felt that "PDA" was irritating, unappealing and largely lacking in humor, much like PDA in real life!

The Good:

• Gabe. Zach Woods was possibly the saving grace of this entire episode. Though his relationship with Erin is kind of like a benign (B-9) tumor, growing but not really serving a purpose, seeing Gabe plan an intricate treasure hunt (not to be confused with a scavenger hunt) for Valentine's Day was quite entertaining. For any other girl, this would probably be a great Valentine's gift, but for simple-minded Erin, a copy of Shrek 2 and a shiny object would have been more appropriate. And not only did we get to see Gabe dominate Valentine's Day, but he played a major role in the Michael/Holly storyline, too. Apparently when the HR rep is breaking all kinds of HR protocol, the corporate lackey steps in. I don't know what Gabe's title actually is, but if Holly elopes with Michael and Toby gets killed in a freak jury accident, I would like to see him take over in Human Resources. After all, he may not have a clue when it comes to his own love life, but he can be quite insightful about other people's relationships.

• Andy & Erin. As much as I like watching Gabe struggle romantically, I really want Andy and Erin to get back together. It's got to happen eventually because they're clearly perfect for each other, so I wish they would stop dragging it out so much! I was glad that Erin's inability to complete a fifth-grade-level jigsaw puzzle served as a reason for Andy to escort her through the treasure hunt. Now buck up and tell the girl how it is already, Andy!

The Bad:

• The cold open. How much longer will I have to wait to get a decent laugh before the opening credits? I haven't liked a cold open since "Classy Christmas," and this was the worst one yet. So, let me get this straight: Darryl's 97-year-old grandma dies, and Pam has everyone sign a card. Somehow everyone thinks they're signing a birthday card, so their messages are clearly inappropriate, but WHY would Pam ever give it to Darryl? I'm not even doubting the chances of something like that happening because I could see Stanley, Oscar and crew just blindly signing without realizing what the purpose of the card is, but to think that Pam would actually hand over the dud is just stupid. Maybe I could have accepted this opening if the birthday greetings inside the card were even remotely funny, but they were just generic celebratory messages. Are these the same people who signed Meredith's birthday card back in season one?

The Ugly:

• Michael & Holly. I, much like Sabre, am 100% tolerant of Office romances. But when romance crosses the line into booby-honking, butt-honking, all the honkings, the one where you start in a crouched position, then you leap -- I can't handle it. Holly may suddenly find Michael irresistible despite his DayGlo goatee made of cheeseball powder, but I would have preferred her response to his animal magnetism to have been a little more subtle. We went from zero to 60 in the Scott/Flax relationship in one week, and, if this is what we have to look forward to, it may have been better had it crashed and burned. There are a lot of times in the show when the things the other characters may find annoying or disturbing are entertaining for the viewers, but this was a case where I felt like I was one of the cast, creeped out and annoyed at Michael and Holly's extreme lack of tact. No matter how many times I cleared my throat, I couldn't get them to stop being so ridiculous, and it really took a toll on my enjoyment of this episode.

Miscellaneous Tidbits:

• Did it seem like Darryl's facial hair was in various stages of growth at different points in the episode? At the beginning and then later, he has a normal, subtle goatee, but in the conference room it looks like he is clean-shaven.

Quotable Quotes:

• "Blue Wasabi is so good, but get the cheeseburger. They say they won't do it, but they will if you make a scene." - Phyllis
  
• "It goes to show that everything you want in life, you get. And you can't work for it. It just comes to you." - Michael
  
• "Boner Bomb, starring Jason Statham. Or we go against type with a Jesse Eisenberg or a Michael Cera."