Okay, just finished the new episode of The Office, and I want to take a stab at calling the season finale, three months from now. I will most likely be wrong. But I want to get this down in digital ink, just in case I’m not. (Office spoilers to follow, obviously.)
In this episode, Michael goes up to Nashua to get closure with Holly, his soulmate who was transferred out of Scranton at the very beginning of the season. She’s away at an HR retreat, but he finds out she’s dating a salesman up there. Devastated, he wanders over to her empty cubicle to steal a sleeve of her sweater, and notices a document on her computer desktop called “Dear Michael.” He quickly puts it on his USB thumb drive. At a diner later, he confesses to Pam, who forbids him from looking at the letter… but offers to look for him. She reads it and deletes it, and tells him Holly still has feelings for him.
So here’s my fairly-obvious prediction: Pam was lying. It’s just too convoluted a setup for Pam not to be lying. The letter was addressed to another Michael entirely. Michael Bolton, I’m guessing. But Pam felt sorry for the guy and told him what he wanted to hear. I was actually surprised that didn’t come out in her confessional at the end of the episode, but I bet it’s still coming, down the road.
And here’s my less-obvious prediction. The season finale will be a company picnic, in which all the branches are invited down to Scranton. This will include Holly. Michael will be convinced she secretly loves him. Pam knows she doesn’t, and will desperately try to keep him from doing anything stupid. But of course, he’ll do something very stupid, like grab a microphone and propose in song. When she rejects him, he’ll reveal that he read the love letter, and she’ll tell him the letter wasn’t about him (and that she hates him forever for spying on her). Humiliated and furious, Michael will fire Pam for lying to him. This will leave Jim in an awkward position – does he quit to support his fiancee, or does he stay on the job because he really needs the money to pay that expensive new mortgage? And knowing The Office, we won’t learn what he decides until September.
Anyway, like I said, probably wrong. But it feels plausible, doesn’t it?
(UNRELATED OFFICE COMMENT: Does anyone else feel that the whole yearlong Dwight-Angela-Andy saga ended with a whimper? They had that duel in the parking lot, which was great. But ever since, it’s like it never happened. C’mon, they couldn’t write an episode where Andy takes a week of vacation to get over the end of his engagement, and comes back engaged to a Hooters waitress or something? Like Michael said, I feel like I never got closure.)
Agreed on the Angela/Dwight/Andy whimper. I figured there would be comedy gold in a new Anti-Angela Andy/Dwight alliance, but I guess not.
I dunno, I think for you’re prediction to be true you have to assume Pam can lie. Fooling Micheal may be pretty easy but what she’s really thinking always shows on her face. If anything the show has proved that Pam can’t lie very well. Personally I’m just hoping that holly doesn’t show up pregnant on her return. 100% of women that disappear from the regular cast have returned pregnant so far, you can’t argue with those kind of statistics.
It does seem like there setting up some sort of multi branch finale though.
It’s not in Pam’s nature to lie about something like this. Why would she set him up for further heartbreak?
I agree Pam must be lying. But I don’t think Michael would fire Pam. After all, she is part of ‘the family’, no matter how annoyed he is at her. He would make Pam and Jim coming round to his place for dinner as her punishment or something. Or even do his laundry for a year.
I don’t know Matt, I can’t see Michael firing Pam- and if he did, I think Jim might seize the opportunity to transfer as well… hmmm, but he did just buy the house. I see your dilemma.
Would David Wallace really sign off on a company picnic in Scranton? Seems like he’s making a huge effort to keep Michael away from Holly.
Also, does anyone else object to the fact that Holly is ONCE AGAIN openly dating a co-worker- and this time isn’t being reprimanded? What gives?
@RachDB –
EXCELLENT point about Holly once again dating a co-worker. Only thing I can say in the show’s defense in that maybe it’s not such a big deal with her boyfriend is just a salesman, as opposed to the boss.
– Matt
And people, Pam definitely lies, to protect other people. She lied to Karen about being over Jim. In another episode, Pam was supposed to be keeping track of everything Michael does all day for Jan – she lies and makes up stuff.
In THIS episode, she watches Michael literally crawl out of the conference room, a broken shell of a man. Not to mention, she started to tell him earlier how devastated she was when Jim was dating Karen. Pam doesn’t ordinarily lie – but she’s big-hearted and compassionate, and if the letter really was addressed to Michael Flatley, Lord of the Dance, I 100% buy her deciding not to tell Michael Scott. And even if it’s borderline out of character, I still think the writers might have done it just to set something up down the line.
And just from a storytelling perspective, something is up. A chain of events took place in this episode ending in Pam reading Holly’s private document and then deleting it so Michael never can. The writers COULD have had Michael read it himself – they didn’t. My spidey sense is telling me it happened this way for a reason.
I haven’t been following The Office recently, but I’m curious: is the show addressing the current recession at all? Is everyone worried that Dunder-Mifflin is teetering on the verge of collapse?
EXCELLENT point about Holly once again dating a co-worker. Only thing I can say in the show’s defense in that maybe it’s not such a big deal with her boyfriend is just a salesman, as opposed to the boss.
– I think the only problem with Holly dating a coworker was when the coworker was Michael Scott. David Wallace saw what happened to a good, viable, intelligent woman when she dated Michael Scott [see Jan] and I think he just didn’t want to lose another good employee.
Also, I don’t think Michael could ever fire Pam. She is his ‘only hot daughter’, and I think that even if she did lie to him and cause him heartbreak, he would think that the only reason Pam could ever lie to him would be because she loves him so much. His naivety and ignorance would always work in her favour.
But it really did seem like she was lying!
It’s been confirmed that the season finale will involve a company picnic, and that Holly will be there:
http://www.officetally.com/the-office-company-picnic
I am pretty confident that the truth about the “Dear Michael” letter will come out. As for Pam getting fired, who knows. I think the fact that she just quit and returned makes it less likely.
Then again… things are going well for Pam, right? Great new job, engagement on track. Maybe it’s time for the world to come crashing down on her shoulders, let all the fans freak out for the summer.
Straight from the NBC.com The Office website “Season Finale! Michael is reunited with Holly at the annual company picnic, where he has some big plans for her.”
Nice call. Could you possibly give me some lotto numbers? It’s up to $109 Million this Saturday.