Season 4, Episode 9 - Dinner Party

If there is one word in the english language to describe this episode of ‘The Office’ that word is “awkward.”

Almost the entire episode takes place at a dinner party at Michael an Jan’s condo - and we really get to see how their relationship is going post “The Deposition”. The verdict? Not well.

The party goers consisted of Pam and Jim, Angela and Andy, and eventually Dwight and his former babysitter. In possibly the most disturbing line of the night we discover that Dwight and the aging babysitter are together for “purely carnal” reasons. ugh.

The real story, though, is the monumental break-down between Jan and Michael. From her playing a CD that her former assistant obviously wrote about a night the two slept together, to Michael stopping in the middle of dinner to hang his neon bar sign - to Jan smashing his very tiny $200 plasma TV - it just kept getting more and more awkward…you know, until the police showed up.

I can’t say that this episode was great, mainly because I don’t consider it great to sit in a chair and squirm for 30 minutes while watching a television show. Like Pam, Jim, and I assume everyone else except Dwight, I wanted to escape from the dinner party. It was uncomfortable, awkward, and disturbing.

Having that said, it was brilliantly written, and its this kind of writing that makes the show so great. I hope, however, that next week we get back into the actual office, and keep Jan away for an episode or two. I don’t know about you, but I really need a break from that crazy woman.