"The Office": Episode 5 – “The Sting” Television Review

"The Office": Episode 5 – “The Sting”

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Megan O'Malley

Oh, Dunder Mifflin, how you surprise me! I wasn’t expecting much from this episode, especially not after the journey into Michael’s past. Fortunately for us, “The Sting” brought capers, a Meredith seduction and a frog novelty song.

What more could you ask for?

Timothy Olyphant, best known for his part on “Deadwood,” is guest staring in a two-episode arc as Danny, a salesman who keeps stealing Dunder Mifflin’s clients. Ever since his mustachioed days as Deadwood’s sheriff, I have harbored a crush on Olyphant. While his work usually veers towards more dramatic characters, it was nice to see this comedic change of pace.

**Spoilers Ensue**

In an effort to keep their clients, Dwight, Michael and Jim come up with a plan to figure out how Danny wins over his clients. These three have been known to have silly capers together, but this one tops them all. The plotline not only set the show up for great comedy, but it also got back into the group dynamic of the show. Plus, when a plan involves Meredith, you know its going to be cringe-worthy and wonderful. The plan was to set up a fake meeting with Danny and Meredith, aka Meredith Van Helsing, with her acting as an executive looking to buy paper.

The whole scene between Meredith and Danny was genius. Using her inner temptress she turns the tables on Danny and makes the whole scene as uncomfortable as it is funny. She refers to herself as a “vodka man” and unbuttons her blouse a bit, which turns an already funny scene into something that's way over the top. The writers deserve top marks for this episode as well as for their efforts to bring the show back to its ensemble heyday.

Even the secondary storyline was fun to watch. Andy, Darryl and Kevin forming a band! How awesome is that? This has been a very musical season for Ed Helms and I wouldn’t be surprised if his name appeared on some Broadway marquees come summer.

The episode was “The Office” at the top of its game. From the cold opener to the musical closer, there was something funny happening in every scene. After seven seasons, it’s expected that a show can be a bit stale, so it's good to know that the writers at “The Office” are making an effort to keep it fresh and funny.


Top 3 lines of “The Sting”:

“A horse is a bike that pedals itself.” – Dwight
“I could see someone ice skating to it, like at the Olympics.” – Andy about his song

“Then you hire this homeless woman to impersonate an executive.” – Danny talking about Meredith