Quick Take: The Office, "Happy Hour"
"You can be gay with Matt, but be straight with me." – Darryl
Review: The Office, "Happy Hour"
(S0621) One of the things that The Office specializes in is mining the comedy that comes from an office worker battling valiantly to conceal a secret that is blazingly obvious to everyone else. Such it is with Oscar (Oscar Martinez) and his crush on warehouse worker Matt. Where in real life or even in many traditional sitcoms the office would never tell the secret-protector to his/her face that the jig is up, on The Office the cast takes extreme pleasure in reveling in knowledge of the secret in the face of the secret-holder.
When Oscar sheepishly suggests that the whole office (office + warehouse) should go out for a Happy Hour, the amazingly understated Darryl (Craig Robinson) deadpans, "You can be gay with Matt, but be straight with me." Other not-so-secret secrets at play here included Andy (Ed Helms) and Kelly's (Ellie Kemper) new relationship, which is headed into thankfully fresh territory now that they are more or less "officially" together.
I enjoy Michael Scott (Steve Carell) best when he is a bit understated (well, for his character anyway). Therefore I appreciated the subtle wonder that Carell/Scott expressed at being invited to a Happy Hour in which his favorite Pam (Jenna Fischer) is in attendance, and then asked to join as "fourth" for pool by Jim (John Krasinski). It was then a beautiful set-up for him to shine early on in front of Pam's friend, whom she hoped would hit it off with Michael ("she laughs at everything," she explains).
Of course, as soon as Michael figures out/misinterprets that he is on a "date," things go straight off the rails. Date Mike, the Michael that reappears with a cap and butterfly collar shirt, bumbling and unrealistically over-the-top, is the version of Scott that is wearing thin for me after six seasons. But thankfully that "mode" lasted briefly as he oddly found himself hooked up with a "free lunch" with the attractive bar manager.
More thoughts on "Happy Hour":
Video: The Office, "Happy Hour"
Catch The Office at your office (go ahead, we give you permission) from the Hulu, while available:
Recap: The Office, "Happy Hour"
Michael tries to impress one of Pam and Jim's friends; Erin and Andy try to keep their relationship a secret.
From Around the Web: The Office, "Happy Hour"
