The Office 9.22/9.23 FAQ
What’s it called?
“AARM.”
What says NBC?
“As the office readies for the premiere of the documentary that night, Jim convinces Dwight, who is planning to propose to Esther (Nora Kirkpatrick), that he needs an Assistant to the Assistant Regional Manager, and holds tryouts to find the best candidate. Angela brings her baby to work after her daycare turns her away. Meanwhile, Andy attends auditions for ‘The Next Great A Cappella Sensation.’ Guest stars: Aaron Rogers, Clay Aiken, Mark McGrath, Santigold, Jessica St. Clair.”
Do we get to see everyone watching “The Office: An American Workplace” tonight?
Yes.
How does it start?
With Kevin Malone exiting the elevator into a newly Shrutified Scranton branch.
Is Dwight now seen behind the manager’s desk at the end of the opening titles?
No. Andy Bernard continues to knock the sea captain off that desk.
Does Andy rejoin Dunder-Mifflin this week?
He does not.
Is Dwight still manager at episode’s end?
He is. And more.
Do Jim and/or Pam quit Dunder Mifflin this week?
That would be telling.
What is all that dancing in the promo?
The dancing is in tribute to someone no longer employed by Dunder-Mifflin.
Is the AARM thing actually a way for Jim to find his own replacement?
No.
Angela confessed last week that she loved Dwight. Does Angela try to bone Dwight this week?
Not this week.
The big news?
It turns out “The Office: An American Workplace” airs in its entirety on PBS in a single night, and this episode is set entirely on the day it airs. (So I guess at this point the cameras are following everybody around for the second, “reunion” documentary?)
What else is NBC not telling us?
Tonight’s episode is not billed as the series finale, but it certainly feels like the series finale. Also, the AARM is chosen much earlier in the episode than one might expect. Plus Andy finds himself in a very long line behind a hot blonde fellow contestant.
What’s great?
This is the series’ funniest episode in some time and some viewers will find it enormously moving as well. The tale of Kevin’s television. The seriousness with which Kelly Erin takes her enhanced role as gatekeeper. The Shrute clan’s long-ago brush with the gangster-patriarch of a beer dynasty. The painting in the conference room. Kevin’s regard for Angela’s son. The way Dwight leans over his Battlestar Galactica model. PFN. The Heirarchy Mobile. The opposite of a horse. The name of the beanbag. “Now they’re protecting America’s real treasure.” “But the prices are absurd.” “Break protocol!!” “Failure of any kind is failure!” “I’ll have to get some more wire and string.” “Not the van though.” “Run, old man, run!!” Much more.
What’s not so great?
It turns out Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers isn’t even as good an actor as Clay Aiken.
How does it end, spoiler boy?
“Let me show you how it’s done,” says Michael.
9 p.m. Thursday. NBC.
