Crash Dummy

The episode's bleakest scene was, for some reason, much funnier when I rewatched it. Michael — devastated over Angela's dead cat, Pam's computer troubles, and Meredith's ''unavoidable tragedy'' — called for a meeting to establish whose religious beliefs were to blame for the office curse. (Phyllis: ''I'm Lutheran, Bob's Unitarian. Keeps things spicy.'' Toby: ''No, I did not violate an Indian burial ground.'' I.T. guy: ''If you're going to reduce my identity to a religion, then I'm Sikh. But I also like hip-hop and NPR.'') The mini-inquisition ended inconclusively, but Michael's next brainchild was given the most awesome name in the history of charity: Michael Scott's Dunder Mifflin Scranton Meredith Palmer Memorial Celebrity Rabies Awareness Pro-Am Fun Run Race for the Cure. The ''Support the Rabid'' bracelets and the ''giant check'' made out to ''Science'' exemplify why I adore this show. Satire-wise, everything's fair game.

The night's funniest scenes came during prerace prep, with Phyllis' rabies quilt, Michael's inadvertant crotch flash while changing in his office (Pam: ''You said, 'Come in!' ''), and pasty Andy taping his nipples, as well as the race itself, with the Creed-Oscar-Stanley threesome hailing a taxi and Angela accusing Dwight of feline foul play. I, for one, will think of Sprinkles every time I open my freezer. Or defrost french fries. Or call my secret lover a mercy killer. Seriously, the daffier Angela and Dwight's relationship gets, the more I hope they never break up.

The race through ''Scranton'' (how SoCal did that neighborhood look?) wound down when winner Toby sagely observed that the race should've taken a circular route back to the office, and fluid-deficient Michael collapsed, steps from the finish line, to have an emotional meltdown about all the causes he'd never be able to help. Frankly, I can relate! But, unlike Michael, I manage not to drool semidigested Alfredo sauce while feeling sad about all the suffering in the world. After Michael rallied, in typically melodramatic fashion, I wondered if he had insisted on being taken to the hospital for dehydration, or if nurturing Pam had called paramedics to take him in. At least he got a red lolly. (Meredith, take a memo: Licking another person's lollipop is germy. Ick.)

Something I started marveling at last year is this show's ability to work within the original premise, in which an unseen (by us) camera crew follows the staff's every move. During the two years of the U.K. Office, it seemed not implausible for cameras to follow the Slough staff for that time span. Four years in, I find myself asking why Scranton staffers are still being documented. (For a reality TV series or film? Do they see footage of what others do or say? Will the last episode take the Scranton characters to a premiere of the documentary the crew finally put together?) My point is what a feat the Office team continues to accomplish: an insane level of comedic brilliance within a framework that, some would argue, gets less credible over time. Naturally, I enjoy the show most when I forget about the camera crew, but if it crosses your mind too, let me know I'm not alone!

What else did you think of the episode? Has the Pam-Jim buildup paid off? Will Ryan abuse his new power? Will tech-support guy become a regular? Will Jim stop at nothing, including taking off his shirt, to mock his boss? And has Jan hit bottom yet?

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