The Office Conference Room - Marathon #1

[Updated: 6/22 12:05pm]

It was a nifty little gifty for us last night as NBC showed up THREE episodes!

Casino Night (season 2), Branch Closing and The Merger.

Our panel of Office Fan Site Admins have again sent in their thoughts on these episodes, including full reviews of Casino Night, and their answers to our new All-Time Question!

This week we are looking for:
THE TOP 3 ALL-TIME Jim/Pam (JAM) Moments!

If you want to share your own TwoCents of this topic - head to the FORUMS and do so!

Be sure to check back throughout the day as we add more reviews to the list!

Everyone in the Conference Room - NOW!

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Name: KP
Office Site: TheTwoCents.com
Casino Night Review: This hour long end of Season 2 delivered on so many levels I could probably type forever. The cold open with Dwight in the tux his grandfather was buried in, Jim being able to move the coat rack and the wink Pam gives him. Michale having two dates but only after Pam would screen his corny comments first. Toby listing the reasons they didn't invite the BoyScouts including it being catered by Hooters! Kevin being a poker champ, and then losing to Phyllis. The kiss and slap from Dwangela. Creed stealing everything that wasn't locked down. The crazy impressed smirk on his face as Bob Vance gives away a mini fridge. Toby beating Michael in poker and loving it. Oh so many great moments. And then the flip that the writers gave us with Jim. He's talking with Jan about his transfer to Stamford and she tells him that he needs to tell someone. Jim finds Pam talking with Roy (who is leaving her there looking VERY cute). Jim has something to say, my mind was locked on it being about Stamford and then BAM! What did he say? Read my favorite quote below and you'll find out. My heart SOARED and then BROKE all within in 20 seconds. Then Pam is on the phone with Mom, you can make up what she's talking about. Does she love him too? They kiss! Roll credits. NOO!!! What a way to end the season keeping us ALL hooked all of last summer. The same way they did this year! A phenominal episode all around!
Favorite Moment: That very slight pause JUST before Jim says it. Pam just smiling and staring at him.
Favorite Quote: Jim: Yeah. Hey, can I talk to you about something?
Pam: About when you want to give me more of your money?
Jim: No, I...
Pam: Did you wanna do that now? We can go inside. I'm feeling kind of good tonight.
Jim: I was just... I'm in love with you.
Pam: What?
Jim: I'm really sorry if that's weird for you to hear, but I needed you to hear it. Probably not good timing, I know that. I just...
Pam: What are you doing? What do you expect me to say to that?
Jim: I just needed you to know. Once.
Pam: Well, I um... I... I can't.
Jim: Yeah.
Pam: You have no idea...
Jim: Don't do that.
Pam: ...what your friendship means to me.
Jim: Come on. I don't wanna do that. I wanna be more than that.
Pam: I can't. I'm really sorry if you misinterpreted things. It's probably my fault.
Jim: Not your fault. I'm sorry I misinterpreted our friendship.
Overall Episode Grade: A+

Branch Closing
Favorite Moment: Faxes from Future Dwight
Favorite Quote: Michael: It is an outrage, that's all. It's... hey're making a huge, huge mistake. Let's see Josh replace these people. Let's see Josh find another Stanley. You think Stanleys grow on trees? Well they don't. There is no Stanley tree. Do you think the world is crawling with Phyllises? Show me that farm. With Phyllises and Kevins sprouting up all over the place. Ripe for the plucking. Show me that farm.
Overall Episode Grade: B+

The Merger
Favorite Moment: Pam hugging Jim as he walks through the door.
Favorite Quote: Jim: Hi, I'm Jim. I'm new here.
Pam: Oh my god! It's really you!
Jim: Yeah, I was just doing a little joke there about how we'd never met...
Pam: I know. I don't care.
Overall Episode Grade: B+

ALL TIME QUESTION:
Top 3 Jim/Pam (JAM) Moments:
- Jim's confession on "Casino Night" / Jim asking Pam on a date on "The Job"
- The moment of silence on "Booze Cruise"
- Jim and Pam shopping for Kevin's get-well stuff on "Michael's Birthday"

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Name: Lauren
Office Site: Flonkerton
Casino Night Review: I feel like this episode has entered a mythical status in Office fandom because it always will be "The episode where Jim told Pam he loves her", so it's difficult to review. I sometimes forget how funny and entertaining this episode is before those last 4 minutes. Michael's not-so-secret hate of Toby is in full force, Jim and Pam pair up for a great prank on Dwight, Darryl can barely contain his laughter as he talks about teaching Michael phrases "from da hood", Ryan is reluctantly getting deeper and deeper with Kelly, and Michael ends up with two dates at the casino night. And, of course, this is the episode where Jim tells Pam he loves her. His confession is so simple and honest it makes such a beautiful and at the same time heartbreaking scene. It helps that John and Jenna's acting is pitch perfect; you can almost feel Jim's heart breaking when you look at his eyes, and at the same time you can see the panic on Pam's face as her world is being turned on it's ear. A year and many, many viewings later, the confession and the kiss still gives me goosebumps.
Favorite Moment: The Kiss
Favorite Quote: I have two.
1. Michael (to Toby): Why are you the way that you are? Honestly, every time I try to do something fun or exciting, you make it not... that way. I hate so much about the things that you choose to be.
2. Jim: I just needed you to know. Once.
Overall Episode Grade: A+

BRANCH CLOSING
Favorite Moment: Everyone's reaction when Jan announces the Scranton
branch is staying open.
Favorite Quote: Jim: I mean, I always knew that the [Scranton] branch would shut down someday. I just figured it would be because Michael sold the building for some magic beans.
Overall Episode Grade: A

THE MERGER
Favorite Moment: Jim and Pam seeing each other again (you know, before it all goes to pot)
Favorite Quote: Andy: Hello.
Michael: Ah! You must be Andy Bernard. Aloha and welcome!
Andy: And you must be Michael Scott. Aloha and... hello.
Michael: A-ha-ha-ho. Very good! Welcome to our little kingdom. Ah, we
have a bag of nifty gifties for you.
Andy: Michael, thank you for welcoming me to your little kingdom, Mike.
Michael: Oh.
Andy: Nifty!
Michael: They are nifty! They're nifty gifties.
Overall Episode Grade: A-

ALL TIME QUESTION:
Top 3 Jim/Pam (JAM) Moments:
3. Pam falls asleep on Jim's shoulder in "Diversity Day"
2. The 27 seconds of silence in "Booze Cruise"
1. (tie) The Casino Night Kiss AND Jim asking Pam out in "The Job"

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Name: Fancy New Beesly
Office Site: Fancy New Beesly on MySpace
Casino Night Review: I watched this episode when it aired with my best friend & just remember being really proud of Steve Carell for writing something SO great. It was the perfect season finale...in fact, if it had ended slightly differently it would have been a perfect SERIES finale! Every single actor got a great part in it & realizing that Creed was a much bigger oddball than we'd all realized was too fun. Of course the end scene when Jim confesses his love to Pam was totally unexpected & I remember feeling like he was saying it to me because it was SO realistic! I also remember audibly calling Pam a "bitch" repeatedly after she told him that they were just friends. HAhaahhahah
Favorite Moment: Jim kissing Pam.
Favorite Quote: "Why are you the way that you are? Seriously. Every time I try to do anything fun you make it...not that way. I hate so much about the things that you choose to be."-Michael to Toby
Overall Episode Grade: A

BRANCH CLOSING
Favorite Moment: the cold open with Jim's prank on Dwight...faxing him faxes from Future Dwight...
Favorite Quote: Michael Scott: It is an outrage, that's all. They're making a huge, huge mistake. Let's see Josh replace these people. Let's see Josh find another Stanley. You think Stanleys grow on trees? Well they don't. There is no Stanley tree. Do you think the world is crawling with Phyllises? Show me that farm. With Phyllises and Kevins sprouting up all over the place. Ripe for the plucking. [long pause] Show me that farm.
Overall Episode Grade: A

THE MERGER
Favorite Moment: Pam running up to Jim & hugging him when she first sees him.
Favorite Quote: Dwight Schrute: The Japanese camp guards of World War Two always chose one man to kill whenever a batch of new prisoners arrived. I always wondered how they chose the man who was to die. I think I would have been good at choosing the person.
Overall Episode Grade: C

ALL TIME QUESTION:
Top 3 Jim/Pam (JAM) Moments:
- making up diseases together in the Health Care episode
- the 45 seconds of silence on the Booze Cruise
- Jim confessing his love to Pam

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Name: Jade 6_TOC
Office Site: theofficechat.com
Casino Night Review: Ahh...Casino Night: the season two finale. It was a great episode packed with fantastic quotes from Michael, Darryl, Dwight, Jim, Creed, and Toby. Jim's cold open prank concerning his ability to move things with telepathy worked amazingly well on Dwight, even by Dwight's standards. His reaction was PRICELESS..."Oh my God".
Michael announces to the office employees that the person with the most chips at the end will get to donate 500 dollars to a charity of their choice. This leads to one of the funniest and memorable group discussions ever. Michael says he wants to donate the 500 dollars to Afganistanis with AIDS, and when Jim joking says that they are called "Afganistanannies" Michael says that there is nothing funny about AIDS. Funny, I don't remember Jim mentioning a thing about AIDS.
It’s not going to happen Dwight, stop trying to move the bobble head.
What a fun time Pam and Jim had looking through the wedding band videos. We finally get to see Scrantonicity and Kevin shows us his stuff! I'd hire him, alongside that photoghrapher in "Conflict Resolution", that would be one slammin' wedding.
Once the Casino charity actually starts, Dwight tries to help Michael juggle his two queens, but fails miserably. Jan and Carol , a.k.a. "Lan Jevinson" and "Codename: Remax" meet and Michael explains that he had already asked Carol. Jan pretends she's OK with it, but regrets ever getting together with Michael. Does she even know what she wants?
Towards the end of Casino Night, it seemed as if Michael had a good time with Carol, Pam enjoyed winning money from Jim, Creed won a mini-fridge from Vance Refrigeration because he stole the most chips, Phyllis and Bob were happy they won the all-in battle with Kevin, Angela was Dwight's good luck charm at the tables, Ryan is his usual miserable self ordering weird cherry drinks for Kelly, and Roy made himself scarce by leaving early. This leaves Jim and Jan, who are both unhappy and down. There's even a moment when we thought the two of them would get together and comfort each other. That didn't take, Jan leaves the Casino very fustrated.
Back to Pam and Jim! They meet up outside the warehouse, Jim catches Pam off guard by blurting out that he's in love with her. Pam lets him down saying their friendship means a lot to her. Jim says he wants to be more than friends, but Pam didn't cave in, not even when Jim teared up. She calls her mother from her desk at the office, and Jim soon follows her. Pam hangs up while Jim slowly approaches her, he embraces her then kisses her, she kisses back and places her hands on his head. They break apart and the episode along with the season ends there. Many thoughts go through our head, did it finally happen? Are they really together now? Will Pam leave Roy for Jim? Did she just admit to her mother that she thinks she loves Jim? Unfortunately for us viewers we had to wait many months to find those things out.
Favorite Moment: The conversations they have while Michael is sitting on Pam's desk, including the Afghanistanannies conversation and Toby's explanation and Michaels response to why the Boy Scouts will not be there
Favorite Quote: "I taught Mike some phrases to help with his interracial conversations, stuff like" fleece it out", "going mach 5", "dinkin' flicka"....you know, things us Negroes say"
Overall Episode Grade: A+

BRANCH CLOSING
Favorite Moment: Dwight reads Jim's fax from "future Dwight", then knocks the cup of coffee out of Stanley 's hand
Favorite Quote: "Oh really, what role is that? King of the stupid universe?" - Michael Scott
Overall Episode Grade: B+

THE MERGER
Favorite Moment: Dwight and Andy fighting over the cars they drive.
Favorite Quote: Dwight replies, " Do you mean, from you, to me? Cause that's how it works" after Andy says "Anything new to report?"
Overall Episode Grade: B

ALL TIME QUESTION:
Top 3 Jim/Pam (JAM) Moments:
- Pam falls asleep on Jims shoulder in Diversity Day.
- Jim tells Pam he's in love with her in Casino Night.
- Pam and Jim on the Booze Cruise, standing in silence on deck, in the cold.

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Name: Elyse Moretti
Office Site: Life in the Office
Casino Night Review: Oh, man. The season finale of the year, or maybe even the decade, for sure. Including drama series as well. This was definitely one of the defining episodes of the show for me--the night I watched it, I realized how completely invested in these characters and their lives. Furthermore, it's HILARIOUS, and you can watch it over and over again and find new, funny things to laugh at.
Favorite Moment: Jim's speech
Favorite Quote: See above
Overall Episode Grade: A++

BRANCH CLOSING
Favorite Moment: Dwight receives faxes from Jim--er, FROM THE FUTURE!
Favorite Quote: Michael: It is an outrage, that's all. It's... hey're making a huge, huge mistake. Let's see Josh replace these people. Let's see Josh find another Stanley. You think Stanleys grow on trees? Well they don't. There is no Stanley tree. Do you think the world is crawling with Phyllises? Show me that farm. With Phyllises and Kevins sprouting up all over the place. Ripe for the plucking. Show me that farm.
Overall Episode Grade: A -

THE MERGER
Favorite Moment: Jim & Pam see each other for the first time!
Favorite Quote: entire Lazy Scranton rap
Overall Episode Grade: B+

ALL TIME QUESTION:
Top 3 Jim/Pam (JAM) Moments:
How can I answer this question?! Ahhhhhhh...there are WAY TOO MANY! Here are just a few of my top JAM moments, in no particular order:
- The celebratory hug and kiss at the Dundies
- Right after the end of jinx, when they are smiling at each other and Jim says "Hey"
- The hand-holding/withdrawing in Casino Night/Gay Witch Hunt. HEARTBREAKING!

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