The Office: "Training Day"

The Office has finally returned, and it's time to start bidding adieu to our dear Michael Scott. To Oscar, Michael's departure may be nothing more than "a lot to process, paperwork-wise," but to me it's the end of an era. I've heard mixed reviews about the first leg of Michael's race out of Scranton, "Training Day," but I was more happy than not with the episode.

The Good:

• Deangelo Vickers. I truly feared the day that Will Ferrell would tread on the hallowed grounds of my beloved Office set. I've never liked the guy (no, not even in Anchorman), and I was dreadfully afraid of the frown lines I might develop after having to endure his antics for a four-episode stint. However, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised with the way Mr. Ferrell played his cards. I thought Deangelo was a perfect combination of quirky and straitlaced and definitely not overly Ferrell-ized. If The Office is going to be causing me permanent facial indentations of any sort, at least it won't be a result of a bad guest star.
• Darryl's sister! Not since Dwight and Toby mistook her for Darryl and told her to eat dog food have we seen the warehouse-upgrade's baby sister. I'm glad that she has nothing better to do than deliver cowboy paraphernalia to aid in Darryl's brown-nosing, but I'm even more glad that I was reminded of one of the most hilarious hijinks people other than Michael have gotten themselves into.
• Ellie Kemper. It takes a lot to get a role on a well-established show like The Office and become a standout, but that's exactly what Ellie Kemper has done. She usually gets more screen time than some of the show's veterans, but she certainly doesn't squander her chances to become a star. I think Ellie is so great at playing the ditz in a believable yet lovable way. The expression on her face when Deangelo corrected her phone greeting ("oh, assist") was key, and it proved to be one of the episode's most entertaining vignettes.

The Bad:

• The office funny guy. As much as I love Ed Helms and as well as he did with the physical comedy, I hope Andy's stint as the office funny guy doesn't last for long. There's only so many times you can see a guy pour hot coffee on his crotch and not be tempted to change the channel.
• Holly. Where was she? In the absence of his voice of reason, Michael was back to his usual antics. I'd have to think that if Holly was present, there was no way Michael would have attempted to trigger Deangelo's peanut allergy just because he was feeling a bit jealous of the new guy. Holly is the angel on Michael's shoulder, and it seemed a bit odd that, after making such a life-changing decision when we last saw the pair, she was nowhere to be found this week.

The Ugly:

• Jim and Pam, AKA JAP. Someone tell me because I tend not to remember little details about shows I watch: were Jim and Pam always this annoying, or is it just recently? Maybe it's a true-to-life scenario where parents become so absorbed in their child's "cute" activities that they lose a grip on what's actually funny and entertaining, but Jim and Pam have become almost intolerable to me lately. I could totally sympathize with Deangelo when he told them to "just stop."

Quotable quotes:

One of the best parts of this episode was the abundance of one-liners. Here are some of my favorites:

• "Everyone I know who skis is dead." - Deangelo
• "One of my favorite things if fanfare for its own sake." Michael
• "I happen to like the hilarious hijinks that I get myself into." Michael
• "Are you kidding? I'd come anywhere to see a turtle." Michael (again)

What did you think of "Training Day"?