Yeah! One of the biggest moments, which we have all been waiting for, finally happened this week on The Office. I should wait until the end to talk about it, but honestly, I might as well say it, MICHAEL AND HOLLY FINALLY GOT BACK TOGETHER!!! It was, quite possibly, the happiest I have ever been for Michael. However, before I get to the best part of the episode, I probably should give a brief summary of the events leading up to this glorious moment.
The episode begins with my favorite couple of the show. No, not Jim and Pam – Ryan and Kelly. Kelly comes in, saying that she has a very important announcement and as she pulls out the ring, she yells, “Over the weekend Ryan Bailey Howard and I got divorced.” Everyone is confused as to when they actually got married. Andy complains about not being invited to the wedding while Kelly and Ryan suddenly realize they don’t have an amicable divorce.
The episode then moves on to Holly and Michael fighting. Jim and Michael need to drive and Jim is scared about going with Michael who seems to be in a really pissy mood. Pam tries to console Jim who tells her that he did “something with her artwork.”
Meanwhile, Erin talks about how Michael treats Holly like a “perfect 40.” She clearly still doesn’t approve of the relationship the two of them have with each other.
Michael and Jim are driving when Michael realizes that he has to pee. So, they stop at a gas station, where Michael does his business. Jim gets a call from Pam’s mother, who was babysitting Cici. He finds out that the baby was locked in the car while she had a fever. Jim, being the wonderful father that he is, runs over to help Cici and with him takes Michael’s phone and wallet.
Jim later calls Pam to alert her about the situation, and she sends Holly out to look for him. Dwight and Erin tag along on their quest to find Michael Scott.
At the gas station, Michael thinks that Jim has been abducted. The guy at the gas station tells Michael that Jim ditched him. Michael wants to call someone, but doesn’t know any numbers. Michael then thinks that he has been ditched and that no one cares about him. He does not walk towards the office and goes the opposite direction.
At the office, Pam realizes that people have put captions under her doodles. People are now interested in playing the caption game. Gabe, unfortunately, tries to put rules on the game much to everyone’s dismay.
Dwight, Erin and Holly try to find Michael and go to the gas station, where they find out that he has left already. Although Dwight thinks that Michael walked back to the office, Holly knows that he might have walked by the bakery just for the “smell of it.” Turns out, Michael actually did walk in that direction.
In the office, everyone is so sick of Gabe’s rules that they decide to have fun with the captions via Instant Message (IM). Basically, they exclude Gabe, who seems to be Debbie downer. Everyone is intent on playing the game, and they will play dirty if they have to.
Dwight’s manhunt seems to be going well. Holly fills out a form for a new cellular phone plan, which Dwight finds rather stupid. However, she fills it out under a made-up name (in order to get a free stress ball), and the gang realizes that Michael did the same thing moments before since he sometimes goes by Orville Tootenbaucher (sorry for the misspelling). It is, at that moment, that Dwight realizes that Holly is the key to finding Michael. He asks her, “What would you like to do next.” Holly actually thinks exactly like Michael.
She looks at a poster for Chinese food, and the trio head over there. Moments before, Michael tries to dine-and-dash, but his conscience stops him. So, the restaurant owners take a picture of him and label it thief (just think of Steve Carell in the classiest mug shot). They hang it next to a photo of another familiar face: Creed. When Dwight, Holly and Erin arrive, all they see is the picture, and then, head downtown to find Michael.
At the office, the staff is still playing the game through the IM chat. Gabe eventually finds out and realizes that all the chats are about him. I actually feel a little sorry for him, but alas, he did bring it on himself. Also, his inability to understand humor is a little too much for me. Then again, that’s what makes him Gabe.
Dwight puts immense pressure on Holly and tells her to tap into “their common mind” and find out where he could be. Holly thinks that everything that has happened is mere coincidence, and she doesn’t believe in what Dwight is saying. Holly just wants to climb somewhere high to get an aerial view of the city. Dwight thinks it’s a stupid idea, and goes away, leaving Erin to decide whom to follow. Even though we all know that Erin hates Holly, she still decides to follow her, perhaps realizing how perfect Holly and Michael might be for one another.
Holly climbs the stairs to a building, and on the rooftop, she finds Michael Scott. Both of them confess that they missed each other a lot and that their minds are actually alike, meaning that they know they are meant for one another. They finally kiss, and Erin walks in, realizing with the rest of us that Michael is finally happy.
The episode ends with the staff continuing to make fun of Gabe. Poor guy.
This week’s episode was not only funny, but also, more emotional than any other episode this season, and overall, this season has been emotional. One of the best things about The Office is its ability to showcase the simplistic natures of the characters . This week, Holly was seen in an even more humanizing way, acting like Michael. It’s as if they had twin brains, which allowed them to reconnect with each other. The moment on the rooftop was tear-jerking. Erin’s realization that her “father” finally had the woman of her dreams made her happy too. The entire journey was fun to watch, especially Michael’s dine-and-dash scenario with Mr. Choo. I love those feisty Asian men! The rest of the staff focused on demoralizing Gabe, which was fun to watch, although a little sad for Gabe, who has become the office pariah.
Overall, the episode gets an A. Not the typical Office funniness, but the emotional reunion of Holly and Michael was well worth the watch.
Original Author: Aishini Thiyagarajan