The second part of the episode begins with everyone, shivering in the cold, after Jim accidently broke the window while throwing a snowball at Dwight. Yup, the snowball fight continues for these two. This results in a peer mediation counseling session with Jim, Dwight, Holly and Michael. Michael shares his own input, and points out the following possible scenario: “What if Meredith was taking her smoking break below that window. You know what would have happened? The shards of glass would have shaved her face right off, and yes, it might have been funny, but also, it would have been incredibly tragic.”
Dwight, in fact, wants to sue Jim for “acute psychological distress.” When Jim tries to throw it back at Dwight, Dwight retorts, “with snowballs Jim, fluffly little snowballs? I though we were just playing.” All I can say is, Dwight is good. He’s so sinister and evil that even I’m worried about what he might do next. I don’t know about everyone else, but I’m actually worried for Jim’s safety.
Regardless, Holly yells at Jim because she is troubled by the fighting. She remembers how they were such good friends the last time she was there. Say what? She left me, Dwight, Jim and tons of viewers quite confused. Sometimes, I wonder why Michael goes through such great lengths (making up a fake girlfriend) to win Holly back. I (along with Erin) don’t see the big deal anymore.
After failing to impress Ryan with her comic book for Jim, Pam shows it to Phyllis. The first thing that comes out of Phyllis’s mouth, “So, you went homemade this year. Money problems, is that what this is about?” So, all in all, it looks like Phyllis isn’t the biggest fan of Pam’s present either.
She isn’t the only unhappy person. A very angry Holly comes into the room and asks everyone about who defaced her Woody doll. Michael blames Toby, who points out that it looks like something Michael would do. Kevin has a revelation – by far, one of my favorite moments of this episode. Kevin thinks, “Wait guys, Toy Story is all about toys that come to life when people aren’t looking. You don’t think that Woody did this to himself?” Remember when Holly that that Kevin was actually stupid? Well, I doubt that he changed her mind.
In any case, everyone else thinks that Michael is behind it. Eventually, Michael caves and admits that he ruined the doll, telling Holly, “Someday we will laugh about this when we tell our kids.” Major awkward moment – that’s all I can say. Michael admits that it was accident born out of jealousy, and he also admits that he made up a fake girlfriend to see if Holly would get jealous.
When Holly asks Michael what is wrong with him, he finally lays it down for her. He is distraught that she gave up on their relationship because of distance, and yet, she is willing to continue her long-distance relationship with A.J. He also lets her know that everyone did the entire party for her. As Holly goes towards Michael, Erin (who won’t let her go through) and the rest of the staff glare at Holly, blocking her. This is when you know that everyone is more than just co-workers; they are, in a sense, a dysfunctional yet lovable family.
When Holly tries to make an excuse for herself, Kevin really let’s her have it – he lets her know that she isn’t as innocent as she plays. Kevin screams (and I was rather scared), “Nothing is ever your fault, just like when you ate those maple candies that you brought for us.” You tell her, Kevin! These are moments when you are pleasantly surprised by the multiple layers of each character.
The father-daughter relationship can be seen as Erin comforts distraught Michael. Erin finally asks, “Is she an amazing cook or something.” She still can’t see why Michael is upset over losing Holly. It’s rather ironic, considering that she is with Gabe and not Andy. Just putting that out there.
The staff moves on from the Michael-Holly drama, and the focus returns to Dwight and Jim’s snowball fight. A naïve Jim opens a present, thinking it came from Pam. Instead, he is again pelted with snow. I can see how Jim would start to be paranoid.
Perhaps, one of the best parts of this episode involves Stanley and Toby.
Stanley: “So do they bring food or do you have to go out?”
Toby: “No they bring it in.”
Stanley: “You lucky son of a bitch”
Courtesy Stanley, this conversation then brings in, by far, my favorite and most painfully honest line: “I have been trying to get on jury duty every year since I was 18 years old. To get to go sit in an air conditioned room, downtown, judging people while my lunch was being paid for – that is the life”.
Another smaller subplot appears when little Angela brings her boyfriend, the state senator. Right after Oscar shakes his hand, he excitedly tells the camera, “Robert seems great. He’s very handsome, has a firm handshake, he’s gay and has a good sense of humor.” All I can think is, poor Angela!
Angela isn’t the only one I feel sorry for. As A.J. walks into the office to surprise Holly, I can only think of Michael. Michael handles A.J.’s arrival with a lot of grace, unlike Erin and Kevin, who think that A.J. should leave. However Michael admits, “I am dead inside.” Don’t blame him.
One of the sweetest moments of the episode comes when Daryl wins over his daughter, Jada, by taking her into the room with vending machines. A struggling Daryl wants to impress his daughter, and wants to give her the best Christmas possible. The vending machines give her endless choices, and she goes around, giving everyone a snack.
Then, we see a montage of people giving each other gifts. Kevin gives Uggs to Oscar; Phyllis gives a handmade sleeve to Ryan. This brings up two questions: is Phyllis having money problems? And how does Ryan afford an ipad? Moving on, Angela gives deodorant to Creed, and Andy receives a cute card from Erin.
The best gift exchange occurs between Jim and Pam. Pam cries when she opens Jim’s gift, a beautiful (and rather expensive) bracelet. She then get’s scared about giving her gift, but is comforted when Jim opens it and goes through the comic book with a joy, like a little child getting the present they want for Christmas. We see a speechless Jim in front of the camera, truly a moment where the office hit our hearts in all the right ways.
Another heartfelt moment comes when Michael decides to leave the party, but Pam stops him, letting him know the details about Holly and A.J.’s relationship. She reassures Michael, telling him that he has a fighting chance because Holly’s relationship is built around an ultimatum – recipe for disaster. A happier Michael returns to the party.
An unhappy Jim, however, sits down and begs to end the snowball fight. However, Dwight will only relent if Jim hits Pam in the face with a snowball … while he watches. To this, Jim can only say, “You’re a psychopath.”
In between this snowball war, Michael overhears Holly, covering up for Michael. When A.J. asks about her broken doll, she tells him that she ruined it while cooking. This proves that, maybe, Holly still has feelings for Michael. She even looks over adoringly as he pretends to be Santa and comforts Daryl’s daughter.
The episode ends with a very paranoid Jim, who is greeted by thousands of snowmen that surround his car. He destroys every single one of them, and I can honestly say, in one of the creepiest office moments, Dwight looks on from the roof smiling.
Dwight: “In the end the greatest snowball isn’t a snowball at all. It’s fear. Merry Christmas.”
This episode did a great job, finally giving Michael the balls to stand up to Holly and tell her directly what she did to him. The rest of the staff also fully backs Michael in a way that shows that, through thick and thin, these people always support each other. Whether it’s Pam and Andy (trying to make Daryl’s daughter happy) or everyone putting on the party for Holly, they try to make things work for each other.
I can’t wait for the next episode; hopefully, we’ll see the even crazier and scarier sides of these characters.
Original Author: Aishini Thiyagarajan