The Office 09/25/08

Review-Season finale
Toby's leaving for Costa Rica and it is his last day at the office. He starts training Holly his replacement in HR. Michael is overjoyed with Toby's leaving, but suspicious about Holly since all HR people must be evil. Holly quickly wins him over by offering Michael sympathy when Ryan (the former temp turn corporate VP and Michael's perceived best buddy-only on Michael's part) gets arrested for fraud(the entire office watches on YouTube) and Michael is upset. His initial reservations about Holly take an abrupt 180 when she responds with a Yoda voice and Michael decides he's in love.

Jim advises Michael to take it slow and become her friend first. He says that's what happened with him and Pam. They got to know each other and joke and become friends right here at the office. In the next talking head segment, Jim decides that Toby's goodbye party is the place for him to propose to Pam. Pam has some good news that she got accepted into a 3 month graphic design program in New York.The goodbye party is growing more and more elaborate as Michael contributes money (because he is excited to see Toby leave) and Jim adds in money (for fireworks so he can propose) as Phyllis oversees everything after Michael asks her to when Angela refuses to increase plans from the cake and slide show she had planned.

The party's going along well and everyone is incredibly impressed (Darryl from shipping has his band playing, moonwalk, barbecue). Kevin runs to the store for more sauce and calls Michael and tells him to come down immediately. He has run into Jan (Michael's recent ex) and she is very pregnant. Michael thinks the baby is his and Jan says no, but she didn't cheat on him. Her talking head confesses that at her age, she didn't want to take a chance and she went to a sperm bank. At the party, the fireworks have started and Jim reaches into his pocket and is starting to speak. Then Andy grabs the microphone and proposes to Angela who responds with "yeah, I guess" and Jim puts the ring back in his pocket. Phyllis returns to the office to put away some things and walks in on Angela and Dwight in a compromising position.

The new season!
The various branches of Dunder Mifflin are having a weight loss challenge. All the employees step onto the freight scale and weigh in on Monday morning. At the end of the challenge whichever branch loses the most weight gets three extra vacation days. Andy keeps trying to plan the perfect wedding to Angela who shoots him down and then texts Dwight and they meet for some extracurricular activity in a room in the warehouse.

Pam leaves for New York and starts her classes. The office gets a new receptionist Ronni briefly. Michael decides she's no fun though and Ronni doesn't last long. The new receptionist is none other than temp-turned corporate VP-turned arrested for fraud.. Ryan! He makes a little speech about how he knows he did wrong and now he's returning to his favorite branch and hopes that the can accept him again. Kevin and Jim both make comments and Ryan mentions that he's keeping a list of people who have wronged him in someway and he'll remember when he's back on top. Phyllis is now the official head of the party planning committee since catching Angela in her compromising position.

Meanwhile the weight loss competition is heating up. The first week they lose 30something pounds. The next week they gain 4 lbs. Kelly shares her dedication to her lemon juice, cayenne pepper and something else drink diet. The next weigh in Kelly faints and has to be on IV fluids for 2 days. Stanley has decided to diet on his own and shares his weight loss on the talking heads and starts taking the stairs and doing exercise at his desk. Corporate ups the prize to five vacation days because every branch is doing dismally. Dwight lectures the office and suggests that three people should get weight loss surgery and will randomly call out three names-Phyllis, Stanley, and Kevin- and announces that they will be responsible for their own expenses. Later Dwight apologizes to Phyllis and says to make amends he will include her on a sure-fire sale and they can split the commission 60-40.

A few scenes later, Phyllis comes in sweaty and enraged. Dwight dropped her off in a bad neighborhood and made her walk five miles back to the office. He says she should thank him for making her exercise. She calls corporate and the competition is suspended for a week and sensitivity training is scheduled instead. Michael, per usual, begins by wearing his Sumo suit and saying being fat is okay and beautiful and being generally offensive. Then he has Kelly stand up on her chair and tells everyone how beautiful she is and has others compliment her as well (including Ryan who stands up and states that she is perfect) and this scene really shows how big Michael's heart can truly be.

Oscar tells Holly that his yoga instructor is really hot and offers a fix-up since Holly is into yoga as well. Holly initially declines (maybe because of the flirting with Michael?), but when Jan shows up at the office and is getting her feet massaged by Michael , she gives Oscar her number to pass onto the yoga guy. She goes on a couple dates with him and is supposed to go to a concert with him the night on the day of the last weigh-in, but he hasn't called her back yet. Jim IM's Pam and arranges to meet her for lunch between Scranton and New York. They meet and Pam jokingly complains about how she had to drive farther when Jim drops to one knee and tells her "I can't wait any longer. Will you marry me?" Pam, of course, accepts and then they have to drive back to Scranton and New York.

Holly tells Michael that yoga dude stood her up and how she hates to waste the tickets and Michael offer to buy them from her and she's smiling saying ok, when Michael rips the tickets up. Scranton loses by eight pounds to another branch.

Next week the VP debates are on so no new Office.