The Office Conference Room - "Grief Counseling"

[Updated 6/8 11:41AM]

Repeats, usually we hate them, but when talking about "The Office", it's just another opportunity to enjoy it all over again!

Last night was no exception as we look at "Grief Counseling".

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Top 3 All-Time Creed Moments!

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Grief Counseling
Original Airdate: Thursday October 12, 2006
After learning that the former regional manager has tragically died, Michael attempts to compel an appropriate show of grief from the Dunder Mifflin staff as he searches for the right way to honor a company man. Roy helps Pam duck out of the session. And in the Stamford office, Jim and Karen go on a hunt for snacks.

Everyone in the Conference Room - RIGHT NOW!

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Name: Adam Tidwell
Office Site: www.OfficeQuotes.us
Review: This episode really gives us a glimpse into Michael Scott. When he finds out that Ed Truck has died, he thinks about his own life, and how, if he died today, he would die alone. And that scares him very much. Michael compares his life with Ed Truck and of course a dead bird (that Toby "killed"), and luckily, Pam is the only one in the office who puts two and two together and very creatively comforts Michael. I absolutely loved the cold open of Michael pretending to go down the stairs. Michael's character is so committed to making his co-workers laugh that he's willing to go to great lengths. I would also like to mention that I do not think that Ed Truck died the way that Creed so vividly described. Creed is Creed. Do not believe a word he says. Remember the scene of Creed describing what happened to Dwight? (Was that a deleted scene?) Yeah, Creed is a senile old man. Ed Truck died, confirmed by Jan, but I don't believe for a second that he died the way that Creed said. This is basically a feel sorry for Michael episode, but it's still a good one.
Favorite Moment: Michael freaking out when he hears that Toby saw the bird die.
Favorite Quote: "I lost Ed Truck. And... it feels like somebody took my heart and dropped it into a bucket of boiling tears... and at the same time, somebody else is hitting my soul in the crotch with a frozen sledgehammer... and then a third guy walks in and starts punching me in the grief bone... and I'm crying, and nobody can hear me, because I am terribly, terribly... terribly alone."

Overall Episode Grade: B+

Top 3 All-Time Creed Moments:
1) Defending his right to use the women's restroom.
2) Explaining his "Old Man Smell."
3) "Creed: Andrea's the office bitch. You'll get used to her. [introducing himself] Creed."

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Name: Lauren
Office Site: Flonkerton
Review: It's taken a few viewings but I've concluded that I rather
like this episode. Despite the somewhat serious topic of death, there's plenty of laughs to be had, along with some Office-trademarked awkward scenes and even some poignant moments. This episode features great ensemble acting, and it's fun to watch Pam somewhat filling Jim's roll of "Office Prankster" when she asks Michael for "warehouse coffee", initiates the movie-death storytelling in the conference room, and puts together the bird funeral. I'd give this episode an A if it weren't for the Stamford scenes. Like in "The Coup", I feel like I'm watching two different shows, and while Karen and Jim's chip search is initially funny and cute, I quickly lose interest and just want to get back to the antics in Scranton.
Favorite Moment: Pam, Ryan, and Kevin telling their oddly familiar
stories of death.
Favorite Quote: Tie between Michael's "His capa was detated from his
head!" and his detailed description about how he feels about Ed's
death in the conference room scene.

Overall Episode Grade: B

Top 3 All-Time Creed Moments:
* Creed gives a shout out to his friends in Hong Kong in "Dwight's Speech"
* Creed telling Jim "You're not real, man!" in "The Merger"
* Creed gives the baby some paper clips to play with in "The Convict"

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Name: Melody
Office site: The Office Alliance
Review: Who really needs the grief counseling here? Sure, Michael's broken up about the fact that Ed Truck died and no one cared, meaning someday he is going to die, and no one is going to care, but his grief is secondary to the real sadness in this episode. Both Pam and Jim are trying to figure out how to go on without the other. We see Pam step it up a notch in the office and try to become the pranking ringleader that Jim once was. We see Jim go on a quest for chips for Karen - exactly the kind of game that he would have played with Pam. We see Jim and Pam try to learn how to cope, while simultaneously getting hints of how their characters would develop throughout the season. One of my favorite episodes of the third season.
Favorite Moment: Pam's eulogy
Favorite Quote: "Look, I gave him a six-foot extension cord so he can't chase us." - Dwight

Top 3 All-Time Creed Moments:
3. A man could have slipped in. There would be no way of knowing.
2. Which one is Pam?
1. Deleted scene from Booze Cruise in which he shows his true rock star self

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Name: MissDunderMifflin_TOC
Office Site: www.theofficechat.com
Review: I absolutely loved this episode last night! I thought the cold open with Michael going down to the "warehouse" was great, especially when Pam through in a prank of her own- the warehouse coffee tastes so much better! But this episode really centered on Michael Scott and how afraid he is of ending up alone. He starts to think about this as he gets the news from Jan that his old boss Ed Truck has died. From this point on the laughter never stops between Creed telling Michael & Dwight that a human can live for hours after being decapitated to Michael trying to revive a dead bird that flew into the building to a grief counseling session that Michael organizes to help the employees deal with the loss of Ed Truck, but he soon realizes none of them really care. This gets Michael to thinking about his own life and if anyone will miss him when he's gone and if he'll end up alone. This brings about Michael's idea to honor the bird that "Toby killed" at 4pm in the parking lot. Pam reads Michael's subtext well and is sensitive to him which I thought was a beautiful part of the episode. She goes so far as to make the bird a burial box, writes a eulogy and sings a song while Dwight plays the recorder. This seems to satisfy Michael's fears (for now) and he end the episode with the pearl of wisdom "there is such a thing as good grief- just ask Charlie Brown." Though I wish I could leave it out I must also say that it made me happy to see Jim happy even if it was with Karen. Their hunt for Herr's chips all day so cute! "What is my store number….6…I'll have to call you back." Overall, I thought the episode was very funny and touching at the same time. It is definitely one of my favorites for season 3!

Overall Episode Grade: A+

Top 3 All-Time Creed Moments:
1. The Secret " Which one is Pam?"
2. The Job "I find it offensive. Au naturelle, baby. That's how I like 'em. Swing low, sweet chariots."
3. I remember. I blogged the whole thing.

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Name: Fancy New Beesly
Office Site: FNB on MySpace
Review: This was probably the first episode that I truly loved after season 3 began. The beginning of the season was so weird & off-putting because Jim wasn't there & there were all these new characters to get used to. I thought everyone was at their top game in this one! It also made me really sad for Michael in the end & I loved that they made Pam so sympathetic to him because she understood what was really going on.
Favorite Moment: When Michael tells everyone that Toby killed the bird.
Favorite Quote: "Did you check..in your butt?"-Andy

Overall Episode Grade: A

Top 3 All-Time Creed Moments:
1) I loved when Creed manipulated Michael into not firing him in the Halloween episode in season 2.
2) Creed giving Jim the old shirt of his in the plastic grocery bag in the Christmas episode of season 2.
3) The Creed blog created for him in a word document by Ryan.

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