For Your Consideration: The Office, 2.05 “Halloween”

I’ve written about my favorite episode of The Office here before and thought it was high time that I share another, this time with a Halloween spin- it is October after all.

OBSERVATIONS

I think it’s rare to find an office where everyone dresses up for Halloween. My last year in an office only two other people dressed up (because of course I did). I find it especially hilarious that there are three ladies dressed as cats. Way to be original.

Pam as a cat

Phyllis as a cat

Angela as a cat

Michael is so awkward with Sherry, Jan’s assistant. Always make sure you’ve fully hung up the phone before saying you’d like to fire the person on the other line. That’s just basic phone etiquette.

Michael is tasked with firing someone on Halloween. Why on Earth would he put it off until the most joyous day of the year? He would have been kinder to fire them on their birthday or Christmas. Any day but Halloween!

It’s really hard to take Michael seriously with the paper mache head on his shoulder. If I was Pam I would never be able to have a conversation about who to fire in the office while looking at that thing. He had it custom made from a catalog and it’s not even a good likeness. Maybe Michael sent them an idealized description of himself?

Ideal for sure.

Dwight’s jealousy over Jim’s three-hole punch version of himself is hilarious. I love the disdain in Phyllis’s voice when she asks Dwight if he’s a monk.

She’s giving him the look my grandma used to give when someone would say something foolish.

Michael never knows when to keep his mouth shut. Just because Oscar is gay does not mean he’s a cross-dresser that wishes he could come to work in a dress every day. I often wonder what it must be like to be Michael. What is his thought process before he says things like that? Does he even think before speaking or do the words just blurt out and he feels awkward about it afterwards? Oh to be Michael Scott.

The casualness with which Michael asks the accountants to find a full-time employee salary plus benefits is incredible. As if that wouldn’t spread through an office like wildfire. FYI- there are no secrets in offices. Everyone knows everything about everyone else.

The exchange between Michael and Kelly about her choice of costume is fantastic. Naturally Michael would assume the Indian girl would dress as an Indian girl for Halloween.

Only Dwight would think it was appropriate to punch one of your coworkers. I’d like to watch the series and keep a running tally of all the offenses Dwight should have been fired for over the years. Has someone already done this? If so, please share.

Fired, immediately.

I enjoy Jim’s pranks but he puts way too much time and effort into them for it to be realistic. While it seems like it would be easy to come up with a fake resume, you have to spend the time formatting and filling out the applications to online jobs. When I was doing my recent job search, it took about 45 minutes to complete the application process. FOR EACH JOB. It’s serious, time consuming business. WAAAAYYYYY too much for a silly prank.

Of course the accounting department is the one department that could lose a full-time employee. How exactly has Kevin kept his job all of these years?

Michael starts talking to his fake head and Dwight responds as if the fake head was a real person suggesting that he be fired. And- spoiler alert- he hasn’t even had his concussion yet! “Quiet you!”

I can relate to Angela’s exasperation with Pam not bringing chips and dip like she was supposed to. Having planned all of the birthday lunches, BBQs, pizza parties, etc. at my last office, it’s a pain trying to coordinate things so you don’t end up with an all cookie party (even though that kind of sounds amazing), and when people say they are going to bring one thing but bring something entirely different, it can throw off everything. And now you all think I’m crazy.

Jim does an excellent impression of Michael over the telephone. But how seriously would you take a manager who referred to his office as an ‘orifice’? I probably wouldn’t hire the person recommend by a crazy manager. Just saying.

Plus the introduction (?) of the across office high five!

Stanley refuses to follow Dwight and (even better) refuses to be fired. The fact that he just chuckles through it proves how little respect there is for Dwight in the office.

The Donald Trump hand gesture dates how old this episode is. Is Donald Trump even alive anymore?

Dwight’s official resume sounds even better/more insane than the one created by Pam and Jim. It has a section for martial arts training. I wonder if I would be taken more seriously at work if I had included that on my resume.

Dwight tells his potential new manager to go to hell and thinks he still has a chance at getting the job. Oh Dwight. The silliness of you.

Jim gets busted making fun of Michael and Dwight instantly assumes it is a death sentence. He’s awfully cocky for a man that Michael was trying to get rid of about five minutes ago.

Bringing the hood down really completes the look.

Michael asking Jim to role play firing Creed is priceless. I love that Jim pushes the tissues to the edge of the desk before saying anything. Of course he couldn’t predict that Michael would launch into hysterics, threatening to kill himself over being fired and blaming Jim. Way to go from zero to sixty.

I love that Michael tries to use sales tactics to convince Creed that he wants to leave the office. Creed is too smart (something I never thought I’d write) and flips it around on Michael, convincing him to fire Devon.

Michael’s cowardice and Creed’s scariness lead to Devon eventually being fired. And to add insult to injury, Michael tries to give him a gift certificate to Chili’s. At least Devon gets to go out with a bang.

Poor Angela never did get to have her Halloween party.

Can we please see a picture of Michael dressed as Janet Jackson’s boob? What does that even look like and why does my brain want to see that?

I’m glad that Michael got to end on a happy note, giving candy out to trick or treaters. I bet that little bumblebee was mighty cute.

COSTUME WATCH

Michael as two-headed Michael

Jim as three-hole punch Jim

Dwight as a Sith lord

Kelly as Dorothy

Kevin as Mr. Dunder Mifflin

Oscar as a lady

Creed as Dracula

QUOTABLES

MICHAEL: “It’s not a popularity contest. Although it does make sense to fire the least popular because it has the least effect on morale.”

DWIGHT: “Cumberland Mills?! And how did you get my resume? Oh no, no. I’m very flattered. Don’t get me wrong. I’m just not sure that it’s my official resume or if it’s something that maybe a satisfied customer posted online. What does it say under martial arts training? Oh. Okay, I’m gonna have to supplement that. Could I have your fax number?”

DWIGHT: “Would I ever leave this company? Look, I’m all about loyalty. In fact, I feel like part of what I’m getting paid for here is my loyalty. But, if there were somewhere else that valued that loyalty more highly, I’m going wherever they value loyalty the most.”

MICHAEL: “Yeah, I went hunting once. Shot the deer in the leg, had to kill it with a shovel. Took about an hour. Why do you ask?”

Tags: Halloween, The Office