The Office: We Need a Bert, Not a Big Bird

At this point, I feel like we've seen a lot of episodes of The Office that have this kind of story: Michael misjudges/overestimates how much of a "family" Dunder-Mifflin really is, with disastrous results.

 But in this case, I don't mind it as much, because the end result was a new direction for the show: Michael and Jim both become "co-managers" of the Scranton branch.

 It means Michael will have to share power with Jim, Jim will have to overcome Michael's...well, just Michael. The move puts two of the main characters into new roles, while a third character (Dwight) has to deal with what I'm sure he sees as a nightmare coming true. (As evidenced by Rainn Wilson's from-the-pits-of-hell scream at the end.)

 Speaking of Dwight, I could have happily watched a whole episode that was him and Toby investigating Daryl's workplace injury, Law & Order style.

 Things that made me laugh this week:

• Michael's drawn-out comparison of Jim to Big Bird, an extended Sesame Street metaphor that grew to include "the grown-ups" like Maria and Gordon.
• Dwight telling Daryl that he wasn't living in "Communist Sweden," and Daryl's retort -- if he was in Sweden, he'd have universal health care.
• Pam's pathetic attempts to finalize her guest list. Do either she or Jim actually like anyone at Dunder Mifflin at this point? And aside from Michael, does anyone really like them?

 Tom Coombe