I was waiting for this episode all week, as it was the Halloween episode, but I was very disappointed when I saw it.  I expected so much more from Employee Transfer, but they didn’t bring it.  The only stories that went anywhere and developed were Michael and Holly.

Now on to the Holly transfer:  After Holly tells Michael that she can’t do long distance, Michael has his first human moment after he has his initial expected breakdown.  I liked that Michael confesses to us about Jan and Holly what we’ve been seeing all along…it was a nice twist for Michael’s character and very human of him.

Onward, let’s NOT forget about the Dwight story line…Dwight and Andy were at each other’s throats this week.  The Cornell mockery was priceless.  I can’t wait until the Dwight and Angela story is revealed, it’s going to be so dramatic, and Andy is going to flip.

All in all, this episode wasn’t great.  The only funny part was the cold open, but I know in my heart of hearts that next week will be great, it just has to be after all this set up.

Something to think about for the coming weeks…a new cast member now that Scranton has an HR position open.

I give this episode 3 out of 5 stars

This episode was not as good as last week, but still great for story set up. I especially like how Dwight’s character has come back down to earth now that Andy and Angela have now set a date. I feel like Dwight isn’t an arrogant ass anymore, and he’s acting more human.

Now on to Jim and Pam: Jim went to the bar with Darryl and the guys from the warehouse and ran into Roy putting doubt in Jim’s head about his relationship with Pam. That was a great twist, because for the first time there is good internal conflict with Jim. It’s going to be interesting to see how Jim and Pam interact when Pam comes back.

I would have liked to see less of the Michael and Holly story as it’s not going anywhere for now, but c’est la vie.

I give this episode 3.5 out of 5 stars

This episode was amazing! I’m glad that this week was more ensemble cast vs. just Michael. I know that Michael was the focal point of this episode, but there were a lot of subplots and they brought the comedy this week for everyone.

I don’t know where to start, the baby shower, Jan, Dwight or Jim and Pam???? Let’s start with Jim and Pam…I’m glad they spent a little time on them this week. It’s starting to show that their long-distance relationship is wearing on them. They used to never fight and now their relationship is becoming more “real” and believable. Can they survive it, will they?? Oh the drama.

But now on to the funny…

So some of the highlights of this episode: Michael practicing giving birth with Dwight (as his water breaks into a trash can) using a watermelon instead of a baby, Dwight’s stroller testing and Jan talking about birthing in a tub. All priceless moments!

This episode sets up for interesting story for the weeks to come. I LOVED it.

I give Baby Shower 4.5 stars out of 5.

Not as good as the premiere episode, but still very funny. I really missed Pam in this episode after last week’s big show. There was a lot of Holly and Michael, which was good, but it’s getting too serious. However, I will say that Holly is starting to grow on me for Michael, I think they’re the perfect pair. This episode needed more Jim and Pam, and more laughs, but it was saved with the amazing Dwight and Jim struggle. Onward to next week…

I give this episode a 3.5 out of 5 stars

For the first time I was not disappointed in the hour-long episode of The Office. The Office continues to be one of my favorite shows, but I must say it took a while for them to gain stride doing one-hour episodes. However, last night, the hour-long season premiere had arrived!

The big theme of last night’s episode was Weight Loss. The whole office becomes weight obsessed, well, Michael, Kelly, and Dwight do at least…

The episode starts off with the employees of Dunder Mifflin stepping on a scale to weigh themselves and Pam leaving for art school. The episode moves on to Michael being usually awkward and trying to be friends with Holly before making a move on her, Holly calling Kevin retarded, Holly starting a relationship with Oscar’s yoga teacher, Michael growing a beard, Phyllis sneaking a cake party (reminded me of the old holiday party episode), Michael in a fat suit, Pam and Jim getting engaged at a rest stop, and Holly being dissed by the yoga teacher. That was all in one hour.

Of course one of my favorite scenes was Michael in a fat suit making Kelly get up in the middle of their office meeting so everyone could give her a compliment to boost her self-esteem. I don’t know what it is about Michael Scott’s character that makes you want to love him and cringe in the same breath, but it works.

In all, I thought last night’s episode was a great way to start the season. What did you think of last night’s episode? What did you think of Holly and Michaels’ rap? About Pam and Jim getting engaged? About Michael ripping Holly’s County Crows’ tickets?

You’ve already missed this one on Hulu. Don’t fall any farther behind!

With 4 seasons under their belt, The Office isn’t going anywhere.  It’s amazing because a lot of the time international formats don’t last when they’re adapted, but The Office is a mainstay in the U.S.  I think the reason this show has been able to sustain is because Ricky Gervais is involved in the US series, keeping it true to original “Office” tone.

There are a few things I am curious about season 5:  How are they going to spin it off?  How they’re going to tie the webisodes into the series?  AND… most importantly, how does Amy Poehler get involved or does she at all??