The Office: Koi Pond, 6.08

« Previous episodeNext episode »

the-office-koi-pond

Writers: Warren Lieberstein and Halsted Sullivan
Director: Reggie Hudlin

Summary (NBC): It’s Halloween and the office plans a “Haunted House” for the children in the community. And at an important business meeting, Michael falls into a koi pond. Pam and Andy go cold calling to drum up more sales.

Michael Scott Falls In The Koi Pond

The Office Koi Pond: Michael roasts himself

https://youtu.be/jhMLXdujErY

The Office Koi Pond extras

The Office Koi Pond rating

In a poll conducted October 29-November 2, Tallyheads rated this episode: 7.75/10

See all The Office Season 6 ratings.

The Office Koi Pond quotes

Michael: Join your gangster pumpkin on his pallet truck of doom.

Darryl: This is a surgery with an octopus and a burn victim.

Darryl: Label yourselves or take what you get.

Jim: Yes, I am the popular social networking site known as Bookface.

Michael: Why is Christmas the only holiday that can have a message?

Michael: Who wants candy?

Michael: I can’t believe it’s yogurt.

Michael: Why would you date an amateur when you could date a professional?

Michael: Let me go get your stroller.

Michael: This is not the phone, this is real life, baby, and you gotta own it.

Jim: He’s trying to micro co-manage me. Or … co-micromanage me.

Andy: Now my head hurts. Feels like I held in a sneeze.

Michael: Jim and I got caught in a little flash rain, flash wind, flash lightning.

Meredith: I don’t think it rained. My hip would be throbbing.

Andy: Looks like somebody’s got a case of the “definitelys.”

Oscar: Did Michael fall into a koi pond?

Michael: I’m not going to bump, and it was not hilarious.

Jim: Truthfully, it wasn’t the way he fell in, it was how long it took him to get out.

Andy: My girlfriend, on a scale of 1 to Gisele, uh, a 9.

Andy: We put our baby in Pam. It doesn’t matter what Pam looks like.

Stanley: Michael, don’t listen to them. You just ignore their carping.

Dwight: They’re mocking you with wordplay!

Creed: Hey boss, did you find Nemo?

Oscar: Don’t you mean, ‘Koi Story’?

Phyllis: When you fell in, did you flounder?

Michael: I’m not usually the butt of the joke. I’m usually the face of the joke.

Michael: Who here has been koi ponded?

Andy: I love to dance …
Pam: … I love to watch him dance!

Phyllis: So now you’re comparing yourself to a cute, tiny animal?

Creed: Who’s your worm guy?

Andy: Omigosh, like a little magical foot just high-fived me!

Andy: Message received, little soybean.

Jim: I am a big, stupid goofball.

Michael: I just wanna say that I cannot believe that I walked into a koi pond. I mean, seriously. Walk much? Oh. I should wear a snorkel to the next business meeting that I go to.
Phyllis: Michael. You know, when you think about it, it’s not all your fault. I mean, who puts a koi pond in a lobby?
Michael: Well, you know what? You’re right, Phyllis, but I’ve been there before. I’ve seen that pond. This is the thing, I am a world class moron. That’s the problem.
Dwight: Michael, please. Stop it now. You’re embarrassing yourself.
Michael: It’s okay. We’re having fun. It’s actually not the first time I’ve been embarrassed by a pond. In high school, the girls volleyball team always used to throw me into the frozen lake. Four years in a row. Oh… it was freezing. No. No. No. Oh, this is even worse. Couple weeks ago, I went to get a new cell phone and I wanted one of those packages where you have the five, you know, the friends, friends and family thing, and the guy was like, “who are your five friends?” and I’m, like, “uh…,” I didn’t even know, I couldn’t even think. Oh my god, it was so embarrassing. I don’t even have Jan’s cell phone number, and I hate her! She won’t give it to me. I was like, “oh, I guess I’m a loser.” A loooooze-er. Too far! God! Thanks a lot, man. Thanks for the advice.

Kevin: Enjoying your nut?

Andy: Going by the Nard Dog curve, I’d say we nailed it!

Andy: I gotta get my goin’ out on.

Kevin: No, use QuickTime. Trust me, I’ve done this.

Jim: It’s a killer new dance move.

Dwight: Jim is my enemy, but it turns out that Jim is also his own worst enemy. And the enemy of my enemy is my friend. So Jim is actually my friend. But, because he is his own worst enemy, the enemy of my friend is my enemy. So actually Jim is my enemy. But …

Michael: Jim is jealous of me? Jim is jealous of me.

Erin: He’s like the coolest person I’ve ever met.

Pam: I actually do mean Marlon Wayans. Yeah.

Icon provided by pessimistreader.

171 comments

  1. so i feel like everyone else is going to have hated this episode because i feel like my opinion is always the minority… but i ABSOLUTELY LOVED that. the jim/michael dynamic was hilarious and there were some AMAZING lines. wow. 9/10. fantastic.

  2. Decent show, kinda meh…some nice laughs just no huge laughs for me.

    Creed: “who’s your worm guy?”

    Michael: “Dammit he’d still look good”

    Sex with a terrorist!

  3. I’m sad. This is the first Office episode EVER that I didn’t laugh. At all. It just wasn’t funny. I WANTED to like it…but I couldn’t. I tried.

  4. I loved the costumes and that Darryl could not identify everyone’s costume. Everyone mocking each other was hilarious. Anyone notice that Erin’s name was on the marker board? I didn’t know Erin thought so highly of Andy. Sounds like they need to go on a date.

  5. Koi Pond was great!! It really reminded me of old-school Office humor. I love the Pam/Erin animosity lol

  6. I loved the Pam/Andy interaction pretty solid episode. Did anyone else find Stanley’s outfit weird..the sweater?

  7. Great episode! Now, I want to see Jim do what Andy did to Pam! I haven’t seen him mention the baby since Gossip!

  8. I would’ve liked to see more of the haunted warehouse, it looked awesome! Loved everyone’s costumes too! Did anyone else find Andy’s baby talk creepy? If I was Pam I would’ve slapped him! I would NOT want my coworkers kissing my belly and touching it in the middle of a BUSINESS meeting!

  9. I wish the haunted house was longer… so many costumes were under-used. Like Oscar’s Killer Sarah Palin and Pam’s Rosemary?! Where were they? Hopefully there will be some deleted scenes on this. Darryl as the “gangster pumpkin!”

    Overall, I loved the episode. I felt like it was really funny, but had some sweet moments too.

  10. I love this episode! The cold open was great! I wish there was more Halloween stuff, the costumes were so great, shame it was all done only for one scene. I love the Michael/Jim relationship. I felt bad for Andy when he was talking to Pam in the car about being single, and I like how Pam started talking up Andy to Erin. Lots of LOL moments during the episode. I really am loving this whole season! And OMG did you all see the fake Mose during the cold open? Brilliant!

  11. Pam and Andy, weird. Halloween just as the cold open, annoying. Not seeing Pam in the cold open as Mia Farrow, irritating. Jim leaning back as Michael grasped for help, stupid.

    The only thing good about this episode was Pam was showing. That was really cute.

    Also: “I outran it” was hilarious.

  12. This is the real Office. No sappy Jim/Pam garbage. Pure, great awkward humor with character driven jokes.

    10 out of 10.

  13. I started watching this episode tonight, but I had to turn it off not even 5min into it. Having recently lost my brother to suicide, I found Michael’s “staged suicide” extremely disturbing to watch. Shame on “The Office” for being so insensitive to the loved ones left when someone dies of suicide. I already have to deal with hearing the occasional suicide “joke” made in the media, but to actually see the “hanging”…on what used to be my favorite show…it makes me sick.

  14. Sad that the Halloween stuff was only the cold open. Didn’t really laugh at this one. Them being mean to each other is getting old now.

  15. I hated that the Halloween bit was only during the cold opening. Wasn’t crazy about it except Creed (“Who’s your worm guy?” and his look at Michael making fun of himself).

  16. I really loved this episode especially since I was meh about The Lover. I *heart* Andy!! Gawd that character makes me laugh and it was sweet to see how he envied Pam and Jim and their little family.

  17. This episode was hilarious. No stupid Jim and Pam. Andy in the second meeting was just awesome. “On a scale of 1 to Giselle, my girlfriend is a 9.” And the surrogate carrier part was great. That scene officially made me think Andy is funnier than Dwight now.

  18. I love this show. I really do. Tonight’s cold opening was too much for me. We lost my brother to suicide by hanging two months ago. I know many people may have found that scene funny, but it was hard to watch. The Office has become one thing we look forward to and tonight left me speechless and forced to revisit a scene that keeps me up at night.

  19. Finally S2, S3 office! This is what the office was and should be, great lines, occasional slapstick, and work focused with minimal relationship stuff.

  20. “Sex with terrorist”…and Jim leaning out of the way was great. I saw the fake Mose as well! Excellent episode.

  21. Not my favorite episode. I wish the Halloween plot-line was not just a cold open. I don’t remember even seeing Oscar’s Sarah Palin costume. Pam’s you could hardly see as well.

    As for the rest of the episode, the Andy and Pam part was pretty funny, but some of the Koi Pond plot was kind of boring. Michael falling into the koi pond was a bit out of reach, and Jim backing away was far-fetched.

    The real saving grace was that the rest of the episode had the season two awkward, subtle humor. However, some of the pointless gags, and a few parts of the Andy and Pam storyline fell short. I would give this episode a 7.5, maybe an 8.

  22. I thought the episode had lots of good moments, but as a whole episode it didn’t work perfectly…kinda meh overall. I wish they’d done the haunted house as a whole episode or the koi pond as a whole episode, not both in one.

  23. Definitely one of the best Office episodes, IMO, in awhile. The Michael story I thought was played well – not overplayed but not too subtle that Michael comes off as Out of character. Plus the revelation that Jim let Michael fall made for a nice little surprise ending. The Pam-Andy storyline felt like it got a little old towards the end (basically everybody just thinking they were a couple), but Andy definitely redeemed it with the ‘tummy kiss’ and the birthing methods. It was also nice to have an episode that was not frequently peppered with sexual jokes (there were some here and there, but they weren’t everywhere, which allowed the other jokes to really shine through on their own merits rather than going for the cheap laughs).

    Overall it’s a 10/10 for me… it’s probably up in my Top Ten episodes. This and Mafia have given me some real hope for this season of Office… hope it keeps up.

  24. @ #12
    I totally agree! The baby isn’t mentioned nearly as much as I thought it would be. I know she still has a few more months but I at least thought we would see Jim caring for pregnant Pam or touching her stomach or SOMETHING! Oh well. I guess we won’t see any of that until the baby is popping out.

  25. yes… i am the popular social network bookface.

    hilarious

    although angela NOT a cat?? very unnerving… lol

    also i LOVE pam helping out andy at the end… so sweet.

  26. i liked this episode a lot. once again, creed keeps cracking me up! “did you find nemo??” haha!!

  27. I really enjoyed this episode. Loved all of the awkward “officey” moments, and the Pam/Andy comedy was fantastic! And, I don’t know if anyone will agree with me on this, but I’m really enjoying the way the writers are growing Michael and Jim’s relationship. I’m so glad to get to see these two characters actually influence each other. It’s always so nice when the writers make the characters seem like real people with flaws and chances to improve themselves. Oh, and I’ve just got to add, Creed is by far my fav character of the show! He cracked me up tonight! Ha!

  28. Once again, Jim was the bad guy that the rest of the office looks down on.

    I really disliked Pam acting like Andy was her husband and the father of her child, and letting him feel her up and kiss her belly… That was disturbing and completely unrealistic for Pam’s character. I understand that Andy is lonely and pathetic, but that doesn’t change the fact that she betrayed her husband/soulmate and their unborn child in order to try to sell paper.

  29. Andy was great, as always. Angela smiled again in this episode! I love it. She seems to be lightening up a bit.

    But…Andy/Erin. I want to cry. Please tell me this is just leading to Andy/Oscar

  30. You know, it’s obviously very sad that there are posters here who have lost loved ones to suicide, and I’m sorry you had to re-live that. But nearly any topic is offensive to someone out there. I don’t think the writers can be blamed or called insensitive for putting that in as a joke. If they steered clear of any topic that might offend someone, it’d be a pretty unfunny television show.

  31. I loved this episode so much! I laughed a lot.

    Yay for Pam showing!

    Poor Andy. That was awkward.

  32. I’ve also lost someone to suicide, but I didn’t think the hanging scene was that big of a deal.

    This isn’t the first time the writers have used disturbing subject matter as a basis for their comedy. ex: Night Out- Ryan’s drug problem and Moroccan Christmas, Meredith’s alcoholism, just to name two. I’m not making light of it, and I don’t want to offend anyone, but I think it’s kind of harsh to bash the writers now considering the show has been far from PC for years. Just my 2 cents.

    On another note, loved Pam and Andy tonight!

  33. For the most part, I absolutely LOVED this episode, which makes two weeks in a row now, so I’m feeling better about this season than I was for the first few weeks. However, I am in the camp that was immediately put off by the cold open – I haven’t lost anyone close to suicide, but watching Michael hang and thrash like that made me REALLY uncomfortable, and not in the “hurts so good” way that Office humor should make me uncomfortable. I think that suicide, like “JFK, AIDS, and the Holocaust, is off-limits for comedians.” However, the Lincoln Assassination just recently became funny…

  34. Kinda bummed it wasn’t all Halloween stuff…but I still loved it! TONS of great lines. Really liked the Pam/Andy pairing. I couldn’t get into OCTR tonight for some reason, missed ya guys tonight.

  35. I’m starting to think that Jim is the real villain of this show. Michael was so nice in this episode, even Dwight was in a good mood despite his “own worst enemy” talking head AND his tiny nose!

  36. I enjoy how EVERY episode of Season 6 is declared by some as ‘back to the original season 2 office’ and ‘stupid and unrecognizable from the old office’. I don’t get either one. Season 6 is its own. It’s not suppose to be season 2, and it’s not bad at all. The Jim and Michael dynamic we have is stronger than ever before. Jim’s developing career plotline shows just as much potential and drama as the crush he had in season 2. ‘Koi Pond’ wasn’t the best episode of season 6, but it was still enjoyable, funny, and sweet.

  37. All humour has the potential to offend somebody.

    For example: Terrorism is horrible, certainly. However, when Meredith revealed that she slept with a terrorist, it didn’t for one second occur to me to be offended – I just laughed.

    It’s just a really funny show, enjoy it!

  38. jjsally wrote:”Also, who is responsible for dressing Pam? I don’t care what small town you live in or how down to earth the woman is, I don’t even know where you would find those hideous clothes she wears and no self respecting 30 year old woman would show up to work in them. Tonight’s “outfit” was almost as ridiculous as the purple shrug and capri pants she and Phyllis wore last season.”

    I don’t know where you live, but Pam wears fairly normal “business-woman” clothes.

  39. I’m really hoping that this whole ‘villainous Jim’ thing is leading to Jim no longer being co-manager with Michael. I really don’t like it.

  40. Let’s just get Andy and Erin together already. Um, Andy Bernard and Erin. Or me and Erin, whichever.

    While I’m glad it didn’t take up the entire episode, I wish we could’ve gotten a little more of a look at the Halloween crew. NBC’s mocked Sarah Palin plenty, a little more of Oscar as her couldn’t hurt things.

  41. Halperts’ Weekly:

    Pam hardly betrayed her husband. She didn’t sleep with Andy. It’s pretty common for people to touch a pregnant woman’s stomach.

  42. jjsally – Wow, you have really missed a lot, haven’t you? Go back and watch all season 4, and 5 and you will know what is going on. Also it wasn’t boring at all.

  43. Wow! I expected to come on here and see comments similar to mine because I spoke with all my office-loving friends and we all agree we thought tonight’s episode was excellent! The plot was very interesting, it felt like a real office plot, nothing crazy or weird like I was afraid this whole “koi pond” thing was going to be. Pandy(I just made that up..I love it!) was hilarious…and I did not think it was out of character for Pam…she was just trying to land a sale, it means nothing. It’s not like she “betrayed her soulmate and child”. Excellent job writers, loved loved loved this episode!

  44. Yesenia:

    I’m not sure what you’re responding to. I said she betrayed him, I didn’t bring up sex. Also, Andy did a lot more than touch – he rubbed, nuzzled, and kissed… repeatedly, for a prolonged amount of time.

  45. Aww… Sucks that the haunted house was only a cold opener… I was looking forward to seeing Oscar as Sarah Palin.

    Andy cracked me up, though. I love how totally creepy he was with Pam. Her face was priceless.

    Why is everyone so mean to Erin, though? I find her utterly and completely adorable. My favorite part was “Oh my gosh, that was SO mean what I just said!” She’s so… uncomfortable with being mean.

  46. This has been my favorite episode in a long time. VERY reminiscent of what made me love the Office to begin with. PERFECT 10 if you ask me.

  47. I did get a lil sad when Erin said a koi died because Michael stepped on it. I can, I have koi fish.

  48. #48– I totally agree. Season 6 IS its own, as is every season. In my opinion, season 2 is completely different from season 3, season 3 is completely different from season 4, and so on. As a fan of several TV shows, I find judgement is easier after you have all seasons on DVD and watch them as a whole, but hopefully we’ll have a long time before that happens. :)

    Man, comments all over the board tonight! Who knew there would be so much controversy? I liked the episode. 8/10. Loved Pam & Andy. But I agree with a lot of you guys– I want to see JIM getting all excited and touching Pam’s belly! Why can’t we see some of this stuff?!

  49. I absolutely hate Halloween episodes of TV shows–they’re always so cheesy and forced, and almost unbearable to watch. I’m glad they got the Halloween stuff that they had to do to make the network happy out of the way in the cold open so that the rest of the episode was a real episode and not a “Halloween episode.”

    Thank you, writers.

  50. What is happening to The Office?! This episode was almost unrecognizable from the ones I used to love. Not only was it devoid of humor (except for Darryl in the very beginning) but I have to say the story line was just plain boring. I guess it’s true, all good things eventually do come to an end.
    Also, who is responsible for dressing Pam? I don’t care what small town you live in or how down to earth the woman is, I don’t even know where you would find those hideous clothes she wears and no self respecting 30 year old woman would show up to work in them. Tonight’s “outfit” was almost as ridiculous as the purple shrug and capri pants she and Phyllis wore last season.

  51. I guess this episode wasn’t terrible, but I was just so disappointed that the whole show wasn’t Halloween themed. That’s the second year in a row that the Office has teased us with a Halloween show.

  52. Loved this episode. So many great lines! The cold open was hilarious, but I had to keep rewinding via DVR to see all the costumes better. What was Pam wearing? Michael’s costume was perfect for his personality! (And nice NBC connection.)

  53. I think alchoholism and drug addiction are in a way different ballpark than suicide to be honest. A guy I know hung himself last week. It wasn’t really in bad taste, i just thought it went on for too long

  54. The dynamic between Jim and Michael is really interesting right now, and that saved the episode for me. Sure; the episode wasn’t the best, but these two characters have really interesting arcs this season, so I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen to the new hierarchy in the office. I wanted to see more of the costumes, though, so I was disappointed that the Halloween part was once again just the cold open.

  55. @Halpert’s Weekly:

    You are really not being fair to Pam at all. She was trying to keep the whole couple thing going as to not offend Andy and maybe help with the cold call. She even said afterward that what Andy did made her very uncomfortable.

  56. Pam, I just found out, was the character Rosemary Woodhouse from the 1968 horror film “Rosemary’s Baby”…wow, talk about obscurity!

  57. Halpert’s Weekly:

    I meant that your reaction made it seem like Pam had done something far more serious than let Andy touch her stomach, like sleep together. I just don’t personally think that stomach touching was a “betrayal”.

  58. This board is a little feisty after tonight’s episode! hehe

    I loved it. I think there’s always something to appreciate about each episode whether it was spectacular or just kinda funny..I’ve liked every season and the new plots they have to offer..what can I say I love the show! :]

  59. i’ve lost a family member and a friend to suicide. i also have bipolar disorder, and have been suicidal quite a few times, and have spent time in a psych hospital.

    and i still thought michael’s hanging thing was hilarious.

    @64 (Kelly) – Pam was Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow’s character) from “Rosemary’s Baby”

  60. I enjoyed it. Like I’ve enjoyed most of them. BTW, did anybody catch Michael’s Jan reference? Why would he want her Cell Phone Number if he hated her? I think there are some other issues with that. I wonder what they are.

  61. 38. Halperts’ Weekly: I completely agree. Pam playing along and letting Andy rub and kiss her was disgusting. That was way outside of the realm of normalcy or Pam doing her job. But I guess it’s supposed to be ok because Andy is socially awkward? That was dumb and disingenuous.

  62. some good lines (sex with a terrorist, who’s your worm guy) and a classic creed moment when his face went ghost white while michael was sharing his insecurities. good well-rounded episode with its moments, but nowhere near last week’s.

  63. This episode felt like watching one from the past seasons because of all the character interaction and brilliant lines. I love all of their costumes.
    I do wish the episode was focused on Halloween but this was a nice pace too, to show a bit more character development between Michael and Jim.

    I agree that the cold open ending was a bit extreme. I was enjoying it up until that point. But the rest of the episode made me quickly forget that, thankfully.

  64. Great Halloween episode! The spooky haunted warehouse looked great. It was so perfect that Michael had the inappropriate, passe SNL !&%$ in a box costume. And Darryl in that huge orange jack o’lantern shirt was hysterical! Can’t wait to watch the cold open again.

    Interesting to see Jim get busted for stepping aside instead of grabbing Michael. I really like the cool bonding moments that come from kind of tough places for Jim and Michael this season.

    Pam and Andy are such a weird combo and turned out to be such a funny team! She was so sweet to be all, “Meh, whatever” about Erin, and then put in a good word for Andy on the sly!

  65. Thought it was an okay episode. I’m glad that there wasn’t any Michael/Pam fireworks, glad they are saving it for Double Date =). The cold open was pretty funny, I love how Darryl was so disappointed with everything. The season seems very up and down so far (for me at least). Gossip was funny, The Meeting was okay, loved the Promotion and Niagara, didn’t love Mafia, and thought The Lover was the funniest all year. My week doesn’t start until I watch the Office haha

  66. Overall, I liked the episode a lot–uncomfortable moments with Michael/Jim and Andy/Pam that totally made me squirm, as well as some great laugh out loud lines. I do, however, agree with a lot of previous posters who said the hanging scene was too much. I also lost my brother to suicide (hanging) a couple of years ago, and it is not something I want to see when I turn on the TV to watch a comedy. I get what #63 is saying that a lot of topics can offend, but this is more than just offensive to someone who has lost someone to suicide.

  67. Great episode…I love how creative Jim gets with ways to dress up for Halloween without actually dressing up. It’s nice to see Michael and Jim bond, although I still don’t care for Jim as co-manager.

    Loved loved LOVED the Andy/Pam scenes! That little moment when Andy said his fantasy was simply having a wife and a child on the way was an understated but fantastic character moment. That and Pam deciding to put in a good word for him with Erin are the kind of endearing things the Office does so well.

  68. So it looks like a salesman will start dating the receptionist – glad we haven’t seen that storyline before! :-) Anyhow, great episode, and with Pam out on cold calls we took a break from more Pam/Michael animosity. Can’t wait to see how that is resolved. Also, Jim is starting to become as much of a doofus as the rest of his coworkers! I was rewatching some of the early episodes and 99% of the time he is cool and in control. Maybe as he has taken his career at D-M more seriously over the last couple of seasons, and esp after becoming co-manager his personality has become more serious as well.

  69. I did not like Phyllis at all in this episode – she just seemed so ruthless and cynical. I was hoping Angela would have retorted by calling her an elephant or a hippopotamus.

  70. I loved, loved the Cold Open (I think I rewinded my VCR like a lot..haha and I love how darryl makes names based on their costumes)

    oh yeah since I am handing the candies this year, (I won’t be trick or treating ‘cuz my buddies are sick), I’ll just be BookFace haha..I’ll see how many trick or treaters can relate hahaha

    Pam and Andy were awesome and I never thought Jim would do that to michael… I kinda miss jerk-less tuna… haha

    oh yeah my favorite line “hey boss, did you find nemo?” oh Creed!! =))

  71. This is my favorite episode of the season by far. I’m still not liking Pam though. She’s so different from the older seasons and frankly kinda bitchy. I know she’s pregnant but I don’t see it as hormones, it’s just her whole personality. Her reactions are just too obvious, she used to have a more subtle way of expressing herself.

  72. I don’t understand the great upset over this episode.

    1. A lot of people have had to deal with suicide in their lives, some of us being survivors who have lost loved ones to it, others having had to wrestle against the impulse itself.

    Tragedy strikes people in all sorts of ways. It was kind of uncomfortable to see Ryan, my favorite character, face drug addiction when my boyfriend at the time was struggling with the same thing. This show can definitely hit home in uncomfortable ways, but it’s not worth getting upset over.

    Comedy is supposed to offer some relief from pain, not cause more, but the writers shouldn’t censor themselves to avoid striking a nerve with someone. Otherwise we’d never have the awkwardness we know and love on the show. I am horribly sorry to hear all these stories of loss, but I don’t think all this indignation directed towards the writers is fair.

    2. Pam and Andy. What Andy did was majorly creepy, but it’s definitely not outside the realm of what’s “realistic” in the Office universe, and Pam responded with an appropriate amount of awkwardness and disgust. I don’t get the big deal.

    Anyway, I really wish the storyline focused more on the haunted warehouse and less on the Koi pond. /yawn.

  73. I recently had a koi fish whom I loved very dearly die. So I was terribly offended by this episode’s callous treatment of koi. What happened to you, show?

  74. Regarding the hanging scene:
    To the people who comment, “it’s a show, just enjoy it”: I wonder if you would be as flippant if you saw your own brother hanging in your parent’s basement. While there aren’t many insensitive posters on this site, there’s a couple tonight and I doubt you’d make those comments to our faces. Show some compassion. It’s a tv show. Us suicide surviviors,we get that, but it still hurts and the reality is, suicide simply isn’t funny.

  75. Can anyone confirm what was written under Erin’s name on Michael’s Do Not Mock list? Looks like ORPHAN. And if so, that’s messed up. Poor Erin.

  76. Jan mention! Jan mention! Jan mention!

    God I miss that woman, and it sucks that it’s come to me being excited about the mere mention of her name.

    Jan, get sane and give Michael your digits.

  77. Not sure if anyone else thought of this yet, but my theory is that Jim moved out of the way because if he had tried to save Michael, he knew he would wind up in the Koi Pond as well. We all know Michael would have taken Jim down with him and then probably would have drowned Jim while trying to save himself.

  78. The cold open was brilliant. The episode does feel like season 2 and 3 but with the newly placed Jim/Michael dynamic. I think the focus of this season will be placed on Jim’s character growth and how he adjusts to his new position and dealing with Michael being his equal. In past seasons we’ve seen the focus placed on Pam and she did dramatically change into a stronger personality that found her niche. Jim has always been a stable character without changing very much and for the most part, I think everyone liked him “as is.” Jim can’t be the exact same goof ball because he’s upper management now. The main characters are expected to grow but they will fundamentally still be who we’ve become attached to. They’re still funny, it just can’t be in the same ways as passed seasons because the circumstances are different.

    On a side note, I felt so sad for Andy. Erin’s a sweet girl but she doesn’t strike me as someone who wants to be in a committed relationship. For Christ’s sake, she’s good friends with Kelly Kapoor!

  79. Wow, what a disappointment after the last two episodes. Maybe I should go watch it again, but right now I’m thinking that “Koi Pond” is my least favorite episode of The Office, ever.

  80. STOP STOP STOP!! I have watched this show since S1E1 and have always been open to everything the show has tossed at us – HOWEVER…

    My best friend (who watches with me but it just your average fan) said “Why are they making Pam & Jim into being such jerks?” I completely and totally agree.

    Yes, I know that Jim & Pam have always been a separate entity from the rest of the office and the way it was written and played in the past was endearing – now, their superior attitude and plain and simple mean spirit is annoying and a turn off.

    I know characters have to evolve etc…but I do not like what they are doing with Jim and Pam (and I’m sorry, but this whole “co-manager” thing is played out – enough already).

    As far as this episode, I give it a 5

  81. I loved the cold open! Great costumes this year. Although I wish it was longer, I’d rather it left us wanting more rather than lasting too long (…that’s what she said?).

    This episode felt very Season 2-ish to me. Between the Michael/Jim storyline and the Pam/Andy salescall, there were a lot more of the truly awkward pauses that make the show great. This season just keeps getting better!

  82. Great episode! I love seeing Jim’s minimalist costumes. My favorite bit was Jim leaning in and saying “nobody asked YOU” to Angela after they had watched the video.

    Also, regarding the “fake” Mose in the cold open: I watched that part again and I’m pretty sure it’s the REAL Mose pretending to be a statue. Awesome.

  83. To be honest, i don’t like Jim as comanager. although it was a great story line with the koi pond and Andy/Pam getting some sales. Great episode!

  84. I totally stand by my earlier comment. From the neck down, Pam looks like a prison warden.

  85. #80 – Jim was supposed to be Facebook.

    Liked the episode but a little surprised by Jim. Being a manager has certainly brought out a side to him that we have never seen.

  86. I was really looking forward to Oscar as Sarah Palin. Doh!

    My brother-in-law committed suicide at age 26 by hanging. I get that TO makes jokes at everything. I just thought it went on too long. In all honesty, I thought Moroccan Christmas was in bad taste also.

    That said, I still love the show and look forward to watching it every week!!

  87. @80 – Jim is social networking phenomenon “Book-Face” (he was facebook)

  88. I really liked this episode, it was good to see Darryl again. I love these episodes where everyone interacts, which is what they DEFINITELY need more of. I miss the Phyllis, Stanley, Meredith, Creed, Oscar and Toby moments. I’m really loving this season so far. Keep ’em comin!

  89. I’ve only watched the episode once so far (got home late last night) and it usually takes me 2-3 viewings to really form an opinion. But…I agree that I wish there was more done with the Halloween stuff, really showing off the costumes and the characters’ impersonations of who they were. If it hadn’t been for some earlier photos, I never would have even known Oscar was Palin and Kevin was Paul Blart, Mall Cop.

    Bit of a continuity error that bugged me, when Michael welcomed the children of the Scranton “Industrial” Park. The sign in front of the building and past references state that it’s the Scranton Business Park. Just the Virgo in me being picky.

  90. I thought the episode was alright. It continued the trend of liking one plot and disliking another, for me. It’s not that I didn’t care for the Andy/Pam plot, but Andy’s actions were WAY out there to me. Everything with the koi pond was great, and I understand Andy’s loneliness, but even he should know that was way out of line.

  91. Also, in regards to Jim “being a jerk” and not saving Michael from falling into the koi pond: a guy I knew was very prone to falling down when he walked on snow/ice. Walking next to me, he would try to occasionally grab on to me for support, but I had the same reaction as Jim; it’s not that I was trying to be a jerk, but I knew if he had hold of me, we were both going down. I think Jim can be cut some slack here. It looked like Michael was way off balance–chances are, they’d both have gone in.

  92. Loved most of the costumes this year. There was only one I couldn’t get. What was Stanley dressed as?

  93. Loved that Ryan was Edward Cullen and that Darryl referred to him as an “emo kid.”

  94. I thought the episode was great but did anyone else wish they did more with the costumes than just the cold open? I wanted to see more of Ryan as Edward Cullen….hilarious.

  95. Season 6 just keeps getting better and better. I loved it all! It was great to see Andy and Pam interacting (even though he went a TAD overboard). I like how it involved the whole cast and it stayed in the office itself. I’m really starting to enjoy Michael & Jim scenes much more.

    I wish there was more Halloween though! Their costumes were amazing! Ryan trying to be Edward Cullen made me crack up!

  96. Wasn’t very good. Seems like the pattern this season is one great episode followed by a mediocre one. Yikes!

  97. Was Pam in the opening scene? If so what was she dressed up as? And was that the real Mose or a fake Mose. I thought it was really Mose but someone in a previous comment said fake Mose. Pretty funny episode.

  98. The cold open of this episode with the Halloween costumes was great. Classic Office. Unfortunately, they completely dropped the costumes after the cold open, and we got a lame and annoying episode. Sigh.

  99. Very interesting comments! I really enjoyed this episode. Even though I saw it coming, I laughed hardest when Michael was describing his embarrassing moments, then suddenly realized what he was saying and broke down. Nobody can make despair funnier than Steve Carell.

    Pam was so sweet to help Andy at the end, and though I find both him and Erin adorable, I’m a little tired of all the office romances. But I desperately want Andy to be happy, so I’ll deal with it. :)

  100. I laughed hardest at Creed’s ‘I vant to sell you blood’ as he held up the same blood bag he stole at the end of Blood Drive. Nicely done!

  101. OK episode. Wished to see the Koi pond fall as it happened and more time spent in their costumes. Put Jim in a real costume for once! Loved Erin’s line about Andy. She is the new office sweetheart. Hope they bring a new Jim-type for her so I can have another JAM-esqe relationship to follow.

  102. Wow, I can’t believe people actually disliked this episode! There was so many hilarious moments for me.

    Creed’s wtf face during Michael’s breakdown as he’s confessing all that stuff. Andy getting extremely emotional during the sale and kissing Pam’s stomach. Pam’s wtf face when Andy says the street name for one of those doctors or w/e. I can’t even list them all!

    And Jim letting Michael fall in didn’t really make Jim a jerk or anything. He was in a state of anger at Michael for Corporate thinking Michael should babysit him. Sure it’s not really Michael’s fault but that doesn’t make Jim any less pissed. It just makes him human.

  103. I thought this episode was hilarious. LOVED the cold open and there were some amazing bits such as sex with a terrorist and Erin taking back her splash at the meeting joke. That said, I agree with the people here who believe the writers need to make Jim and Pam less mean. It’s still funny now but it’s perilously close to becoming stale. As for potentially offensive jokes in this episode, I think Michael said it best when he said, “No jokes are appropriate. That’s why it’s a joke.”

  104. Did anyone else notice Ryan had glasses in his hands in the conference room? First the hat now the glasses, too funny.

    I am a HUGE Jim fan…just love him. I’m ready for him to get more comfortable as co-manager and stop being the butt of office jokes/teasing. Leave my Jim alone! (lol)

  105. Loved the Halloween cold open. Every year I wish they spend more time in their costumes, though. Great episode overall. Ed Helms continues to amaze me and Steve Carell is a brilliant performer. The show is much stronger when they keep Jim and Pam apart.

  106. I thought the staff treated Jim more like he pushed Michael. After seeing it initially and then again in the deleted scene, it looked more like a reaction away from danger. A normal reaction. Pam would be the only one Jim would lunge to protect.

  107. I thought this was just a great episode all around. Sure, more time with the Halloween costumes would be fun, but it didn’t fit the storyline – I’ll take storyline over costumes any day. That said, Ryan’s wardrobe just keeps getting funnier – way to go wardrobe team! I actually laughed out loud when they panned to him in the conference room scene. And I thought Andy and Pam were great together! (And I miss Darryl.)

  108. Great episode. This continues to be the strongest season since S3, BY FAR. Don’t get all the negativity, but I guess some people were negative even in S2.

  109. When I first saw Jim’s “costume” I thought it meant, “I’ve got my nose in a book” – but his comment about BookFace was classic.

  110. Great episode. For next week.

    Disappointed that there was big hype and no real halloween episode AGAIN. I guess there will be no
    Christmas episode either.

  111. just had to say this episode was the worst ever… Just so flat and lame.. The co-manager arc is going nowhere and the suicide was just horrible.. Real shame ..

  112. Loved this episode; so many good lines and it involved so many of the characters. Erin is cracking me up with her weirdness that oddly is starting to match Andy’s weirdness: her last scene with Pam was a hilarious set up for future episodes. Confusing Marlon Brando with Marlon Wayans…so funny and brilliant. I was not bothered by the no interaction between Jim/Pam…for one episode this is fine and frankly keeps each episode from being so formulaic. Season 6 is great!!

  113. I thought this was a great episode. Besides the Halloween costumes, I loved the Andy & Pam sales call storyline. I completely enjoyed their dynamic.

    Jim is kind of a jerk as a manager type.

  114. I thought the writers did a good job with Michael and Jim in the episode. We know that Michael might be a little jealous of Jim since he has managed to married the girl of his dreams and is about to be a father. Which is what Michael wishes for himself, and when he was close to it, his dream girl was taken away by office politics. So I thought for once it was nice that we learned that Jim is a little jealous of Michael and his superb sales record. It makes them more human knowing their insecurities.

    And Steve is an amazing actor, that scene when he tried to poke fun at himself only to expose more of his loneliness. Pure genius.

  115. Why did Michael change in to one of Jim’s suits? Did Jim have an extra suit with him? Why didn’t Michael stop by his condo and get changed before coming back to the office?

  116. Maybe I missed it, but has anyone said what exactly Michael was dressed as? I had no clue. Laughed out loud several times = happy Thursday night!

  117. Michael was dressed as one of the “dick in a box” guys, a skit performed by Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg on SNL back in 2006.

  118. I loved this episode, it was so sweet. I could’ve used more of Oscar’s amazing Sarah Palin costume, but everything else made up for it. Andy breaks my heart, holy heck!

  119. After watching an hour of Halloween with Community and Parks & Rec (Abed is making a run at funniest character on Thursday nights), I was disappointed that Halloween was only the cold open. Hey NBC, don’t reference the cold open in the summary. Under promise and over deliver.

  120. This episode had its moments, but it could’ve use more Halloween stuff! There were some awesome costumes!

    As for the suicide joke, I do understand there are some that were very offended because of someone you loved killing him/herself (I myself didn’t find it too tasteless), but some have to push the envelope some way or another.

  121. Any episode with Andy singing is golden in my book. I loved him singing the suite numbers/companies.
    He has easily become my favorite character! :)
    NAILED IT.

  122. I loved it. It was not the best episode in the world but it was classic office.
    I loved Pam and Andy. But i felt so sorry for Andy, I really hope he gets with erin!!!

  123. Yeah, I noticed Erin’s mock list had ORPHAN written on it too, i’m waiting to see how this sweet character develops, hopefully she has some serious issues behind that sweet attitude, I bet she does!

  124. hilarious episode. this, and Subtle Sexuality’s debut made my day. was anyone else surprised when Michael spelled koi correctly on the board? as Ryan might say, “you’ve never see koi before” hahaha… and way to go, Set Design, for transforming that ho-hum warehouse into something amazing!

    poor Andy…. he’s so… human. not just a caricature anymore. I wish the writers would let us see Dwight’s vulnerable side more this season, too.

    Pam’s gettin big! OMG!

  125. michael falling into a koi pond in a lobby is no more ridiculous than michael burning his foot on a foreman grill. this episode was classic office. it wouldn’t have been out of place in season 2. it was genius.

  126. Did anyone notice the new inspirational sign on the wall in place of Pam’s drawing?

    “Failure is Always an Option”

    THAT is why I love The Office

  127. Hated it. I am mad that only the first 2 minutes were Halloween themed…what a rip off. That was such a funny concept and it was only the cold open. The rest of the episode was just awkward and sad. Plus Jim can be just plain mean.

  128. Kudos to Mike Schur. When Mose appeared out of nowhere, I thought it was a mannequin or something. But that was apparently him. Nice cameo.

  129. Lol, did anyone notice that Meredith was using the America’s Got Talent mug she got at Kelly’s party in the break room?

  130. The whole ‘office vs Jim’ thing is getting old. I miss Jim and Pam hanging out and joking around. Obviously they have both stepped up to more challenging jobs now so it’s not gonna be like that anymore, but I still miss it.

    If Erin is an orphan it would explain her compulsive need for her peer’s approval.

  131. I feel for Andy, I really do, but I think him with Erin would be weird. Don’t get me wrong, I want him to be with someone…just not Erin. She just seems too young.

  132. I felt okay about this episode. It falls somewhere in the middle for me personally. When Kevin told Erin that he would kill her, I was cracking up. Michael had a couple of memorable lines “Damn it, he would still look good” sticks out in my mind. I, like a lot of people, think Erin is being integrated really well. I’m sure it’s been a challenge, as it is hard to incorporate new characters in any show, but also because she’s filling in for Pam, a much loved receptionist. It wasn’t my favorite of the season, but much better than Mafia.

  133. Having watched it about five times now (…) I really would’ve enjoyed an episode revolving around Michael making plans to turn the warehouse into a haunted house. Just look at all the stuff there, it looks like just as much of a project as Casino Night! THAT would’ve been a much better idea for an episode.

    Don’t get me wrong though, I still liked this episode. But it could’ve been done later in the season to make room for the Haunted House plot.

  134. that was such a hilarious episode. i just wish there was more halloween. watch the deleted scenes on nbc.com – there is the FULL security tape video of the koi pond incident.

    ps. for those of you who miss pam and jim fooling around, i think it’ll start happening again after the baby

  135. Hilarious episode. It looks like Pam doesn’t like Erin’s by-the-book approach to the D-M receptionist job. Also, Erin respects Michael. Pam had little to no respect for Michael and would often manipulate him. The Pam/Andy scenes were great. Impressive comedic acting by Helms and Fischer. Michael’s over-sharing when he was attempting to poke fun at himself was both hilarious and heart-breaking. “I’m a la-hooooo-ser!!” Great acting by Carell. Also, I hope Erin and The Nard Dog get together soon. They would make a great couple. Season 6 has been very strong thus far.

  136. Did anyone notice that under Ryan’s name on the white board it said “Kelly”? LOL! Ryan regrets Kelly and doesn’t want to be mocked about her, haha!

  137. I just spent like five minutes trying to figure out what it said under Erin’s name on the white board… I think it said “orphan.” Lol!

  138. “I wish Jim would have fallen into the koi pond…damn, he’d still look good!”

    Also, love that Jim said exactly the right thing to get back on Michael’s good side :)

  139. I thinks it’s clear that Jim/Pam have a strong enough relationship that they don’t need to be fooling around or whatever. so it really doesn’t matter.

  140. Really liked this one…funny, but showed so much vulnerability from Michael and Andy. I like that Jim and Pam aren’t so perfect, but human and do things they regret later.

  141. enjoyed the episodes w/ linda purl. would watch regularly if she appeared regularly.

  142. I just saw this article on MSN.

    Link

    Suicide prevention groups “worry that the graphic depiction of Carell struggling in a hangman’s noose might encourage mentally ill people to take their own lives.”

    I think they may be overreacting a little.

  143. And Andy and Pam were amazing too. They went from being mistaken as a married couple to having people think they are a married couple. All because of Pam’s pregnancy. They played nice.

  144. Halloween opening was taken out for this rerun. Is it just because of the time of the year.

  145. I just got the Season 6 Dvd and it does not have the Halloween intro for this episode. Is there a reason this was taken out? Is this an error?

Leave a Reply