The Office - The Meeting, or Secrets

"Secrets, secrets, are no fun" was the lesson this week on The Office. Don't have secret meetings, don't keep secret the real reason you hurt yourself at work, and especially, don't keep secret whether or not you're coming to Jim and Pam's wedding.

This week, we learned that Jim is both up for a promotion, and has another job offer. Naturally, he kept this information secret from Michael, understandably. But when he flaunted it by having a meeting with David Wallace under Michael's nose, he should have known that antics would ensue. And ensue they did. An unexpected moment of hilarity: Andy's strangely elegant discussion on the types of cheese served on his ad-hoc cheese platter. You're right, Andy, it is a lot of fun to let the Goldfish take a swim in the blue cheese. Bon appetit, indeed!

Then, this episode took an interesting detour into the psyche of Michael Scott. He threw Jim under the bus, but was actually telling the truth. Jim is not going to be a good manager. Does anyone remember what happened when Jim was faced with the tough managerial decision of birthday cake? All of Toby's critiques are real - Jim is a distraction, and does (well, did, I suppose) spend way too much time at reception. Which brings us to the biggest shocker of the episode: Michael is wiling to align himself with Toby? TOBY? If anything shows how serious Michael is about this, it has to be that he cited Toby's notes.

But, of course, when confronted, Michael tried to slither back into Jim's good graces. And, it goes without saying, insulted Toby in the process. Michael considers Jim his best friend, and wants him around, but doesn't want to lose his power. At the end of the episode, friendship triumphs over better reasoning, and Michael unwittingly gives up most of his day-to-day responsibilities to keep Jim, Pam, and the baby in the office.

The other great secret this week was what really happened to Darryl's ankle. Dwight and Toby (Toby is getting SO much play this episode - excellent) go on a detective adventure to find out what really happened. Dwight turned out to be right, and Darryl really was scamming Dunder Mifflin into paying his worker's comp. So, Dwight wins? Well, Dwight also sexually harassed Darryl's sister, so Darryl filed a complaint to corporate. In the end, everyone wins except Toby, who has to fill out mountains of paperwork. Dwight and Toby have some excellently awkward chemistry together, and they should team up more often.

Finally, Pam tries to reveal the secret of who's coming to her wedding. Is a long weekend in Niagara Falls better than working? Turns out most of the office is deciding yes. But a question: didn't Ryan get fired? I'm pretty sure the last we heard from him was when there were only enough clients for either Pam or Ryan, and Pam reigned supreme. Then, he's just hanging out in the break room (though with his hair back to its original shade, thank goodness). Am I missing something, dear readers? Although, I wouldn't put it past B. J. Novak to re-insert himself with no explanation just so he could screw with Kelly's head a little bit more.

Overall, a good episode. Everybody's scheming, and it will be a treat to watch Jim flounder, and perhaps succeed, in his new role as co-manager. Plus, Dwight's machinations to destroy Jim will only get funnier and funnier. You can count on it.