# The Office - "Classy Christmas" - 12/09/2010



## Fool Me Twice (Jul 6, 2004)

This wasn't as complete and tight an episode as last week. Not everything worked for me. None of the mushy stuff worked for me. The Jim/Pam stuff was too cute (gotta keep the Jam shippers happy, I guess.). I was completely cold to the Daryll/daughter stuff. I was excited about seeing Michael/Holly again, but what we got was underwhelming. They're clearly preparing for Michael's farewell and setting up some sort of conclusion to that storyline, and that's really all it felt like.

Dang! Dwight destroyed Jim. I guess Rainn Wilson had fun directing this episode and got a lot of satisfaction from making Jim Dwight's *****. Unlike last week with Pam, no last minute change of heart about his sinister plan. He was evil all the way through. It was kind of awesome. Despite laughing at Dwight a lot, I didn't care for how easily Jim was emasculated. And it was weird how little people cared about the beating Jim took--especially Pam. Mindy Kaling seems to be one of the worst writers about changing a character to make a gag work. Even Jim's initial snowball to the face was too much--not so much a prank as an attack (Though, he has slapped Dwight in the face before. More than once. But, this was way over the line.)

At the end when Pam was about to tell Michael about Holly's upcoming ultimatum to AJ, I recalled the episode where Michael copied a letter addressed to him off of Holly's computer, but rather than read it himself he had Pam read it then delete it. I kinda wish they'd referenced it. 

Stuff I remember liking: Dwight's wigs (I laughed through that whole montage). Erin's reaction to Holly (I thought that part was especially good). Toby (I'm always happy to see him). "How 'bout icing it? LOL. Dwight." "Nora Ephron!" Pam's boobs.


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## Jesda (Feb 12, 2005)

Yeah, the pranks are a lot less funny when they aren't subtle. I enjoyed watching Michael screw it up with Holly, I just wasn't sure how he was going to do it. That's the old 'Office' I enjoy.


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## mpar1 (Feb 14, 2005)

2 strong episodes in a row. Dwight's wigs were hilarious.


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## BradJW (Jun 9, 2008)

The best part of the episode was Erin.

"I don't get it. Is she a good cook or something?"

And Erin stopping Holly from seeing Michael was very nice.


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## betts4 (Dec 27, 2005)

BradJW said:


> And Erin stopping Holly from seeing Michael was very nice.


I loved that! Stepping in front of Holly so she couldn't get in there. Nicely done. Subtle and just what she would do.

I really hated the snowball thing. If that had been taken down a notch I could see it, but that was just over the top. I thought the snowball in the gift box was more of a thing that Jim would do to Dwight rather than the other way around.

Daryl having his daughter at the office was an interesting side story but I think it could have been written better.

The Senator is gay!! That was funny. Best part was him looking at Ryan's ass.


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## pudding7 (May 13, 2002)

I loved Oscar's comment on the senator boyfriend. "Robert(?) seems nice. He's smart, he's funny, he's gay, he successful. <smirk>"


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## JYoung (Jan 16, 2002)

Hmmm, I wonder if Holly will end up replacing Michael as Regional Manager


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## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

The personality's right, but she's HR - not business mgmt. She knows nothing about sales (I presume).


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## Jesda (Feb 12, 2005)

They're doing a nice job developing Erin's character beyond just an airhead. I almost want the show to continue for another 3 seasons if they keep it going at this level.


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## MickeS (Dec 26, 2002)

"I don't have kids or anything but... if my grandmother ever dies, I'll kill myself."


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## zaknafein (Jul 17, 2001)

Those were the creepiest snowmen I have ever seen.


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## Fool Me Twice (Jul 6, 2004)

They reminded me of Calvin and Hobbes snowmen.


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## jschuur (Nov 27, 2002)

betts4 said:


> The Senator is gay!!


State Senator 

Oscar's initial delivery was hilarious. One of the funniest scenes in the episode.


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## Tracy (Mar 12, 2000)

We recently did a play by Neil Simon called "Rumors". It is about several well-off couples attending an anniversary party. It is really really funny. Anyway, in it, one of the couples is fighting--she thinks her husband is having an affair. He says to her, "Cassie, I don't know why you are acting this way? Are you threatened because I am running for Senate?" And she says, "_State_ Senate! _State_ Senate! Don't make it sound like we are going to Washington. We are going to 23-degrees-below-zero Albany!" Such a similar joke.

I loved Erin. Hated the way Jim reacted to the snowball thing. I thought it was bizarre the way Michael threw away all that perfectly good food. I was kind of sorry to see the party planning committee go. I always enjoyed that storyline.

I didn't like Holly as much as I usually do. It felt like her Michael-style goofyness was sort of overdone this episode. I felt really bad for Michael.

Loved the scene between Ryan and Pam talking about the comic book.


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## appleye1 (Jan 26, 2002)

Fool Me Twice said:


> They reminded me of Calvin and Hobbes snowmen.


Which reminds me of this cartoon:


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## Jesda (Feb 12, 2005)

"She's one sassy black lady"


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## trainman (Jan 29, 2001)

Tracy said:


> And she says, "_State_ Senate! _State_ Senate! Don't make it sound like we are going to Washington. We are going to 23-degrees-below-zero Albany!" Such a similar joke.


Although there's a much bigger difference between New York City and Albany than there is between Scranton and Harrisburg.


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## YCantAngieRead (Nov 5, 2003)

Something that's bothered me before about the Christmas episodes.

If I worked with my significant other, I definitely wouldn't be giving my main gift to him at work.


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## busyba (Feb 5, 2003)

YCantAngieRead said:


> Something that's bothered me before about the Christmas episodes.
> 
> If I worked with my significant other, I definitely wouldn't be giving my main gift to him at work.


But that's where the cameras are! 

Is it just me or did Erin's boobs look bigger than usual this episode?

Oh, and "Yes, I'm still dating Erin. Why do you keep asking me that?" had me LOL.


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

YCantAngieRead said:


> ....If I worked with my significant other, I definitely wouldn't be giving my main gift to him at work.


That's exactly what I said my wife...how stupid....


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## mmilton80 (Jul 28, 2005)

YCantAngieRead said:


> Something that's bothered me before about the Christmas episodes.
> 
> If I worked with my significant other, I definitely wouldn't be giving my main gift to him at work.


I thought about that too...I imagine the producers of the documentary asked Jim and Pam to do this at work. While we have seen cameras travel to cover some of the activities out of work from the Office, perhaps it is more difficult to get a camera crew to follow around Jim and Pam on Christmas.

I don't know for certain, but that would be my hunch.


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## bigrig (Jul 1, 2004)

When the show used to be good, Jim would prank Dwight.


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## ct1 (Jun 27, 2003)

YCantAngieRead said:


> If I worked with my significant other, I definitely wouldn't be giving my main gift to him at work.


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## YCantAngieRead (Nov 5, 2003)

ct1 said:


>


Bwah ha ha.


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## MickeS (Dec 26, 2002)

busyba said:


> Is it just me or did Erin's boobs look bigger than usual this episode?


Not sure if it's just us, but I noticed that too.


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## MickeS (Dec 26, 2002)

By the way, I liked the way Dwight was terrorizing Jim. It cracked me up to see Jim a complete wreck towards the end.


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## markz (Oct 22, 2002)

YCantAngieRead said:


> Something that's bothered me before about the Christmas episodes.
> 
> If I worked with my significant other, I definitely wouldn't be giving my main gift to him at work.





busyba said:


> But that's where the cameras are!
> 
> Is it just me or did Erin's boobs look bigger than usual this episode?
> 
> Oh, and "Yes, I'm still dating Erin. Why do you keep asking me that?" had me LOL.


My wife asked about Jim & Pam "Why are they exchanging gifts at work?"

I answered "So we can see it."


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

MickeS said:


> By the way, I liked the way Dwight was terrorizing Jim. It cracked me up to see Jim a complete wreck towards the end.


Me, too....hardest I've laughed during an ep of the Office in a long time. I thought it was hilarious. Don't understand the hate here....


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

Bierboy said:


> Me, too....hardest I've laughed during an ep of the Office in a long time. I thought it was hilarious. Don't understand the hate here....


I think the hate is because it was completely out of character for Jim to be so easily defeated. Dwight always gets pranked and never is able to do anything about it. Jim always ends up the victor in the prank war. It's OK that they turned the tables a little, but this was too much.


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## markymark_ctown (Oct 11, 2004)

dwight having a wig for everyone in the office? classic!


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## betts4 (Dec 27, 2005)

DevdogAZ said:


> I think the hate is because it was completely out of character for Jim to be so easily defeated. Dwight always gets pranked and never is able to do anything about it. Jim always ends up the victor in the prank war. It's OK that they turned the tables a little, but this was too much.


I agree.

It would have been interesting though if Pam were somehow able to help Jim and do something to defeat Dwight. Or the whole gang did. Or maybe even better in the end scene, Jim showed us, pam and the rest of the gang that he really wasn't defeated, he was acting that way as a christmas present to Dwight.


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## wouldworker (Sep 7, 2004)

I found Jim's destruction to be in character for both Jim and Dwight. Jim's pranks are seldom physical; he usually does something psychological. This time Jim simply assaulted Dwight. Dwight gave it back to Jim 100 times over. Dwight can't outwit Jim but he can certainly out-crazy him, and this time he didn't hold back.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

wouldworker said:


> I found Jim's destruction to be in character for both Jim and Dwight. Jim's pranks are seldom physical; he usually does something psychological. This time Jim simply assaulted Dwight. Dwight gave it back to Jim 100 times over. Dwight can't outwit Jim but he can certainly out-crazy him, and this time he didn't hold back.


Right. There was nothing out of character about what Dwight did. It was the fact that Jim basically lost all his fight and curled up into a fetal position that was so off.


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## wouldworker (Sep 7, 2004)

DevdogAZ said:


> Right. There was nothing out of character about what Dwight did. It was the fact that Jim basically lost all his fight and curled up into a fetal position that was so off.


Jim has never shown any toughness. When Roy attacked him he started curling up rather than standing up to fight. They might have exaggerated his wimpiness for a joke, but I don't think it was way out of character for him to collapse in the face of a physical attack. He got his ass kicked the first time he ran into a snowman in the parking lot. He was looking at an even bigger whipping and he fell apart.


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## DreadPirateRob (Nov 12, 2002)

Yeah, we've seen Jim play basically panicky before - he did back down to Roy, and he lost in both in the hospital when the baby was born - so I don't think it was completely out of character. He's a bit of a wuss.


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## DougF (Mar 18, 2003)

I think this was great. They've had some really good Christmas episodes and this one ranks up there with the best.

As for Jim, I didn't see anything wrong with how he acted. I felt that way last season, too, when everyone said he'd suddenly been dumbed down as co-manager. Jim is witty and likeable, and even sometimes clever. That fools people into believing he's extra capable. However, when confronted with real challenges, he stumbles. I've known plenty of people like that in school and at work. That being said, the last scene with him and Pam walking to the car was a bit over the top.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Fool Me Twice said:


> Even Jim's initial snowball to the face was too much--not so much a prank as an attack (Though, he has slapped Dwight in the face before. More than once. But, this was way over the line.)


I mostly really enjoyed this episode, but I agree with this part. That was a REALLY hard throw right in the face. If it had been the same kind of throw and just hit him in the chest, I probably wouldn't have noticed it. But seems to me in a real company this would definitely get someone sent to HR (err, I guess Holly wasn't there yet!!).


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## Ment (Mar 27, 2008)

Fear Is the MindKiller. Dwight's physical attacks did seem over the top but when seen in his overall strategy it made sense. I can see this carry over to Jim being very hesitant to prank Dwight anymore which would be bad for the show; they'll have to devote some time to showing how Jim gets over on Dwight again.

Erin stole this episode. Each of her lines and expressions were marvelous. Great gift for Andy!


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