Episode 22 - Secretary's Day
27 April 2010
Review
Synopsis: Andy makes a big deal over "Secretary's Day" and pushes Michael to take Erin out for lunch. Michael reveals that Andy used to be engaged to Angela and Erin freaks out. She ends up throwing cake at him and yelling in front of everyone. She calms down after speaking to Angela and Pam but tells Andy she needs some time. Meanwhile Oscar put together video of Sesame Street's Cookie Monster with Kevin's voice. Everyone loves the parody except Kevin. Gabe tries to clamp down on it to show his authority but the plan backfires.
The Good: What a mish mash of an episode. Each joke or line had me liking or disliking something.
One thing I can't fault was the acting. It takes a special skill in both acting and casting to get the right actor for the right character. When that character has to be believably stupid, weird or just unconventional that job gets even harder. Yet watching Andy, Erin and Gabe here I was thoroughly impressed by all three.
The right tone for Andy to play is definitely the smitten boyfriend. The sheer effort he went to to make Erin happy was undeniably sweet. And each thing he did was just for her, not even for them as a couple. He pushed Michael into taking her out because he knew how much it would mean to her. His hopeful and then dismayed expressions when she came back from lunch were terrific.
Erin too has been excellent ever since she arrived. Here I found her behaviour pretty plausible given the way she has been written. She has been drawn as a simple girl with simple ambitions. That idea continued here as she confesses that she couldn't keep up when her Taco Bell Express became a full Taco Bell. So when she freaks out and hides behind her hair I felt sympathy for her and found it a convincing reaction to news of Andy's past. I'm also very fond of Michael trying to grab attention for himself by exclaiming "I'll have what she's having!" and then looking hopefully around the restaurant.
Back in the office I appreciated Angela and Pam's attempts to make Erin see the situation in a new light. Pam heading over to kiss Jim was a very nice touch too. The physical affection between them is kept to a minimum so it always means something when you see it.
As for Gabe, he plays the awkward put upon corporate shill very well. His body language and tone are very convincing as he tries to be popular and a leader at the same time. It's a more subtle and relatable version of Michael in a way. I particularly enjoyed his reaction to Erin's freak out where he tries to cover up the fact that he has no stomach to handle a very real office situation. Everyone mocking Gabe in the end was a kind of justice for his attempt to capitalise on a bit of fun for to boost his authority.
The Bad: The Kevin-Cookie Monster plot was a little problematic though. The endless impressions weren't particularly funny and seemed mean spirited when their target is Kevin. He seems so helpless that it was a little rough to see everyone gleefully continuing the joke throughout the day. Seeing Jim joining in was particularly difficult. I never know whether to be impressed that the writing shows Jim makes these errors in judgement or whether it just shouldn't have been written that way. It was a particularly odd choice because Jim was so recently the boss and therefore ought to know better than mock a co-worker, essentially to their face.
Equally off was Michael's reaction to Erin throughout the episode. We have seen him treat her poorly before but recently it seemed like they had formed a stronger bond. I think the writing walked just the wrong side of a line. I can believe he would still see her as a rube, but cringing throughout their interactions seemed out of character because he happily banters with her at work.
Once more the judgement of the writers came into question with several moments. Dwight getting down on one knee and kissing Gabe's hand was too much and that has happened with his character again and again this season. There was something about all the characters mocking each other which didn't quite sit right with me by the end either. Everyone mocked Kevin, then everyone mocked Gave, then Michael mocked Angela and so on. It just seemed a bit negative.
I also felt there was a sequence where they tried to squeeze too many jokes out of a relatively serious situation. First Angela and Erin have a hushed conversation while ignoring Toby who is standing right next to them. The joke just didn't quite land but it also reminded you of his presence in another way. As in why wasn't he as the HR Rep stepping in to help out with the two personnel situations in this episode? Immediately afterwards Pam steps in to help Erin out and Erin misses the point and wishes Pam luck in finding her true love. It just felt like a joke too far where Erin could have heeded the advice and the scene would have been just fine.
Comic Highlight: I may be missing something obvious but I laughed out loud at this line because it seemed so bizarre and entirely fitting Michael's confused brain:
M: "Other than the fact that he dated Angela, I don't think he is a snappy dresser."
E: "What?"
M: "I don't think he is the best dresser, reminds me of Easter."
That's what I said: A confused episode, like a lot of this season. But I actually liked it more than I disliked it. I think the writing have found a charming couple in Andy and Erin and when they are being sweet they are fun to watch.
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