The Office Recap: Worst Birthday Date Ever

While I wasn't a fan of the “Koi Pond” episode of The Office, I truly enjoyed tonight's return to the drama between Pam's mom Helene and Michael. And what was more, the favor-fight between Andy and Dwight delivered some great laugh-out-loud moments.

To start off, I have to say that I loved how the A-story met the B-story in tonight's episode. While Dwight and Andy went back and forth trying to pay each other back, Pam ended up getting a little payback with Michael and the rest of the office's presence during the moment made it feel like all of them had a little something behind the punch.

I don't think any of us thought that Michael and Helene's relationship was going to last. It started as a random post-wedding hookup and tonight, we saw it end when Michael realized that Helene was well past her child-bearing years and not up for going sky-diving or snow-boarding, should Michael decide he feels like it. Is 58 old? No, not by normal standards and Helene certainly looks good for her age. It's not hard to see her and Michael as a couple, despite Michael being in his forties. But learning about Helene's age, Michael thought he might be robbing the grave. It didn't help that Pam and Helene discussed whether Helene would be “Nana” or “Grandma.”

What amazed me about the scene at the restaurant was how it seemed to emphasize how great Michael can be and also how completely insensitive he is. I'll blame the insensitivity on panic. A normal person, when they start to realize they need to breakup with someone, might think it over and find a more appropriate time to do it. But when Michael panics, he's nothing like a normal person. So after giving Helene her own little birthday party at the restaurant and presenting her with a thoughtful scrapbook of their first memories together, and a plagiarized Shel Silverstein poem, he dumped her while she was eating her cake.

He tried to blame it on Pam, but when Pam offered her genuine consent, he admitted that it was because she was too old for him. He didn't come out and say it that way. No, saying that would've been too nice compared to the things he said to her, like how she has “lived a great life” and should find someone who gets her references because he has no idea who Kafkaesque is or the cherry on the top of Helene's butter cream cake, that when it came to having kids, she'd already finished her “journey down there.” Yeah Michael. Smooth.

To make amends to Pam, Michael offered to let her hit him after work in the parking lot. And Pam was really planning on punching him. Even Toby, who's the one person in the office who would normally have to put a stop to the altercation, offered Pam some tips on how to pack a good punch.

When Michael apologized and Pam withdrew the punch threat, I felt a moment of disappointment. Then I remembered that this is Michael and the man can't keep his mouth shut to save his life. So I smiled when he mentioned that it was Helene who came onto him and Pam responded by hitting him in the face. Phyllis' “holy crap” said it all. Again, this is another thing I love about The Office. While the show often dips into the absurd with its story arcs, so many of the reactions are spot on. The staff wanted to see Michael get hit but actually seeing it happen seemed to come as a surprise to them. And Pam admitted that she didn't feel any better than she did earlier, which apparently confirmed what Jim must have told her.

The B-story balanced out the episode perfectly. Dwight's still dead set on getting himself on even footing with Jim. And somehow, by Dwight-code (or maybe the Dwight Schrute Survival Guide of Niceness), if he does you a favor... any kind of favor... you owe him. So he thought that by giving the DM staff “authentic New York bagels,” he would be able to use the favor they all owed him to get Jim fired. The funny-factor that came out of this was watching Andy attempt to immediately repay the favor. As Dwight wanted to keep everyone in debt to him, he went back and did another favor for Andy. And the two battled it out, attempting to out-nice each other as the day went on. In the end, Andy presented Dwight with a Starbucks gift card from the whole office. Favor re-payed.

On a random note, Ryan stepped up the creep-factor tonight when we watched him show off his photography to Erin. Oh sure, show the girl a few snapshots of random things you took around town then bam! Turn the page and there's Kelly, sitting at her desk working... naked. So is he just getting off on showing off his girlfriend to her friend? Or does Ryan have plans to lure Erin into his next photo shoot? Either way, this adds a new level of douchebaggery to Ryan's character.

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