The Office: A.A.R.M. (9x22/23)

I actually had this whole review written and then I lost it, which is beyond annoying, so you'll have to apologize for my brevity. I'm not writing all of that again.

The biggest compliment I have for this episode was that each of the plot lines were intertwined. Everything came together very nicely and it felt like the perfect penultimate episode for such a long running sitcom. Briefly, here were the main plot threads:

Jim messes with Dwight, having him select himself for the assistant to the assistant to the regional manager, effectively making him a subordinate of his own subordinate. There were funny trials as Jim and Dwight tried to find the right person for the position, and it was a great callback to earlier seasons when Jim's pranks were a big part of the show.

Meanwhile, Jim also does his best to assure Pam that he cares about her more than anything, and he doesn't regret staying instead of leaving for work. He makes her a video showing all the times they've had together over the years, which is super romantic.

Dwight is all set to propose to Esther, but when he thinks that Phillip (Angela's baby) might be his, he changes his mind and asks Angela instead. She says that Phillip isn't his, because she doesn't want Dwight to marry her just because of the baby. After getting some helpful advice about love from Jim, Dwight forces Angela to pull over to the side of the road and he proposes to her. Angela gives him an impassioned yes, and tells him that Phillip is indeed his child. 

Some of my favorite scenes in the episode came from Oscar and Angela basically acting as mom and dad to Phillip, while Kevin played the role of jealous older brother. Angela has been living in Oscar's closet, which he makes a pretty funny joke about.

Andy is trying to get on an a capella competition show, but when he finally forces his way in front of the judges, all they do is laugh at him. These scenes were tolerable but nothing special. They do have a really great payoff in the finale, though, which I'll talk about in my next review.

Lastly, Darryl apparently left the office permanently without any real goodbyes, so when he comes back to return a truck, everyone is hurt and angry. He agrees that they can all do one last thing with him in order to say goodbye, and they choose to have a dance party. This was a great scene as it meant we got to see all the characters grooving with Daryll. He has a funny line, here, too. He says that he originally wanted to leave quietly, because he finds it more classy, "but having Kevin grind up on my front while Erin pretended to hump me from behind is a more accurate tribute to my years here. I'm gonna miss these guys!"

The episode ended with the whole gang (including Andy) gathering to watch as the documentary began to air.

This review used to be longer and probably better, but I was pretty frustrated about losing all my work and I really wanted to get this out tonight, so this will have to do. I think this episode was perfectly average, and it had a lot of funny moments. Ultimately, the Jim and Pam stuff was very romantic but felt a bit contrived, while the Angela and Dwight story was beautifully constructed. I had fun watching it, and this final season has been doing a great job of upping the nostalgia so we all feel the emotional pull to these characters that we've been with for so long.

7.5/10