What Is A Koi Pond,Coy Pond
October 30, 2009
What Is A Koi Pond,Coy Pond:Koi Pond” turned out to be another awkward episode of The Office, with the drama between Pam and Michael being put on hold as the office obsessed over Michael’s most recent, ridiculous blunder. Was the episode as silly as “Mafia”? No. This one had some good moments but still, I hate to say it but I think this ep might be nearly as forgettable.
“I am going to scare these kids so bad.”
The episode opened with the Dunder Mifflin staff awaiting the arrival of some little kids who were visiting to see the haunted house that was set up in the warehouse. While Kelly sported a Fifth Element costume and Meredith dressed as a hobo that Darryl mistook to be the old crone from Drag Me to Hell, Michael topped them all, rocking a “Dick in a Box” costume. I’m not sure which aspect of this look was worse; the fact that he wore a costume like that for an event that involved kids or the ridiculously dated-ness of the ensemble. I think most of us would agree that if he wanted to be slightly more topical, and more fitting to his recent behavior, dressing as Justin or Andy from the SNL Mother Lover short would’ve been truly hysterical. But “genuinely funny” has never been Michael’s forte, has it? Instead, he opted for creepy, choosing to scare the kids not only with his costume but also by hanging himself from a harness with a noose around his neck. Too far, Michael. And that box is just… gross.
Points to Jim for his “Book Face” costume. The facebook gag was as dryly amusing as his three-hole-punch costume from a few years back. And points to Creed for getting some use out of the stuff he stole from the blood-truck.
“I know what a flounder is.”
Michael and Jim left the office for a business meeting and when they returned, Michael was soaking wet. It came out almost right away that he fell in a koi pond that was set up in the lobby of the office building. I loved that they didn’t start this story out by showing the trip into the pond. The lead up to the main event made what was otherwise just another bit of typical Michael-mess up more interesting than it would’ve been had they shown what really happened from the start. But in the end, it still wasn’t all that great. After spending a good portion of the day teasing Michael for falling in the pond, the staff got a hold of the security footage from the building and saw the fall, which included Jim leaning away from Michael as he slipped into the pond, rather than reaching out to catch him.
The point of the story seemed to emphasize the power-struggle between Michael and Jim. Earlier, we saw Jim resisting Michael’s attempts to coach him on the meeting before they left. So maybe when he saw Michael starting to fall, he decided to just let it happen, giving himself a lead in the situation. If that’s the case, it was pretty cold on Jim’s part, though he ended up being the butt of the rest of the jokes that ensued after the staff saw what actually transpired at the koi pond.
“Anything you put on this list, you cannot be teased about.”
The list could have turned the episode around. Each of the office staff seems to have no shortage of quirks, yet, when Michael decided to put a stop to the koi pond ribbing by creating a list of things that were off limits for teasing, I found myself wishing I was laughing more than I actually was. Is Dwight’s nose all that small? Not really. And sure, Angela wanting people to stop teasing her for eating like a squirrel was followed up later by a shot of her nibbling on nuts but still, the joke was just “eh” for me. Kevin didn’t want to be teased for his “huge gut” (as Michael listed it) and Meredith decided to out herself for sleeping with a terrorist, despite the fact that no one had teased her about it before because apparently, it hadn’t been public knowledge until now.
Jim’s attempt to get Michael to see the humor in the situation enough to let the joke die might have worked if Michael hadn’t taken it too far. He made a few jokes at his own expense and Phyllis actually came to his defense, speculating over who would put a koi pond in a lobby. Then Michael went on about once falling in a fountain at the Steamtown Mall and not having anyone to put in his “Five.” And then he felt like a big loser. At this point, he’s kind of right.
more info:http://www.cinemablend.com/television/The-Office-Recap-Koi-Pond-20803.html
