Diwali vs. Cafe Disco

Tonight's match up we have episode 3.6 "Diwali" and episode 5.25 "Cafe Disco".

3.6 "Diwali"

Cold Open
The Cold Open opens with Michael making fun of Ryan's "dress" and then goes on to make fun of Kelly's Diwali. Pam and Kelly then show affection for Ryan's "dress" and Michael immediately becomes jealous and wants one for himself. This wasn't really that funny, probably because it was so predictable, but it gets points for foreshadowing the episode. + 1 Star

Story
The episode centers on Kelly inviting the entire office to her Diwali celebration. Although everyone seemed interested in attending, Pam claimed that she might skip it due to an illness. It was obvious that Pam missed Jim, because Jim is working at the Utica branch. To raise interest in Kelly's holiday, Michael put on a seminar where he passed out copies of the "Kama Sutra". The evening went generally well, although Michael's girlfriend showed up dressed like a cheerleader because Michael told her it was a "costume party". After a conversation with Kelly's parents about love, Michael decided to publicly propose to Carol. Carol rejected Michael and left the party. While Michael was sulking on the steps outside, Pam came and offered him comfort. Michael attempted to kiss Pam, was rejected, and was then forced to sit in the backseat when Pam gave him a ride home. The episode ended on a generally sour note for Pam, because she was expecting text messages from Jim, but Jim was drunk with Andy and Karen.

The "B" story centered on Jim, Andy, and Karen. The trio was forced to stay late to fulfill a quarterly obligation to do some sort of sales task. It was revealed that during this obligation, the trio take shots of Jager while doing their work. Jim and Andy got hopelessly drunk, and Jim was forced to get a ride home with Karen after he crashed his bicycle and discovered that Andy was sleeping at the office. This plotline closed with Jim passed out in the back of Karen's car, and Karen was visibly pleased that she has finally gotten some alone time with Jim...even if he was passed out drunk.

There was actually significant story progression in this episode. It was revealed that Michael and Carol are most likely finished, and the love connection between Jim and Karen really took off. For an episode that would seem to be all about Kelly, we didn't really learn anything new about her...which is a good thing. Michael is most likely back on the market, and Pam is getting a taste of her own medicine as she is the one missing Jim, not the other way around. Dwight played almost no role in this episode as far as story progression goes. + 2 Stars

Jokes
The jokes were good at times, but there weren't many memorable moments. Michael's failed kiss attempt with Pam was probably the funniest bit in this episode. Also, Michael compared the true origins of Diwali to "The Lord of the Rings", which was pretty funny. Jim had an entertaining opening to the episode when it was revealed that he had started riding his bicycle to work, which left him covered in sweat all day long. Carol went to the party dressed up as a cheerleader because Michael told her it was a costume party, and Jim wrecked his bicycle in a drunken attempt to peddle home. Dwight didn't have a strong performance, probably because he had very few lines. Creed was not in the episode, which was disappointing because he is always good for a laugh out loud moment. Michael did a pretty entertaining song parody at the end of the episode, which saved this episode's score in the jokes department. In all, I was pleased, but not impressed. + 3 Stars

Mistakes
No mistakes found

Best Quote
"So, um, tell me, is your marriage the kind of thing where when you die, she has to throw herself on a fire?" -Michael to Kelly's Hindu parent's

Overall Score
6 Stars


5.25 "Cafe Disco"

Cold Open
Dwight hurts Pam's feelings by paying Erin to scream out that she won an art contest. After Jim and Pam showed their distaste towards Dwight's prank, Dwight laughs demonically. Not funny.

Story
There is only one real plotline in this episode and that is Michael trying to convince his coworkers to join him in his old office he had as the manager of the Michael Scott Paper Company for music and coffee because his lease was not yet up. At first, only Kevin and Erin would visit Michael, which made him upset. In order to raise awareness for his "Cafe Disco", Michael blasted the song "Everybody Dance Now" through the vents so the staff could hear it. The blasting of the song convinced Phyllis to go down and dance with Michael, but she is injured while dancing. Michael instructed Dwight to take Phyllis into the conference room to treat her injury in fear that her presence in the Cafe Disco would deter others from showing up. After the entire office showed no interest in dancing, Michael ordered Erin to "shut it down". Erin and Kelly ended up dancing to music, which attracted warehouse workers, and then the entire staff. Michael was still upstairs when he realized that his whole staff was down stairs having fun. Michael then proceeded down stairs and had a great time with his employees in the Cafe Disco.

There was a plotline made up for Jim and Pam that involved them wishing to travel to Ohio to elope. This story never really developed, and Jim and Pam decided not to go through with it after visiting the Cafe Disco and noticing how much fun a large wedding would be.

Dwight and Phyllis share a storyline that involved Dwight treating Phyllis's injury. During the entire bit, it was revealed that Phyllis was afraid her husband would cheat on her. Dwight compared Phyllis to an injured horse, and gave her carrots and even used the expression "whooaa" when Phyllis tried to get up.

In all, there wasn't a lot of story progression. It was a very random episode that only served to show the true camaraderie of the office. I really liked Michael's genuine happiness near the end of the episode. The positive side of this episode is how Michael was able to bring everyone together through music and dancing, which was a source of happiness for everyone, not just Michael. The down side is that this episode could be deleted from the series and no information would be missed. It is the epitome of a "random/stupid" episode in that it does not bring us any closer to the conclusion of the series. I was kind of disappointed in Jim and Pam's role in this episode. They're going to Ohio to elope and then all of the sudden decide not to and it's no big deal? Come on. There had to have been a better idea for incorporating Jim and Pam into this episode. Dwight and Phyllis were very funny together, but no new information in the series was presented other than Phyllis's fear of being cheated on. The ending, with Andy and Kelly in the bathroom, was very random and not funny at all. + 2 Stars

Jokes
This episode was VERY funny! In the beginning, Michael treated Kevin like a dog while trying to persuade him into staying with him in the cafe, and even offered him a "cookie" with an out-stretched hand. Michael, Dwight, and even Oscar had some funny one-liners. What really stood out was Andy and Kelly's "dance off", and Dwight treating Phyllis like an injured horse. Both of these bits were very funny, highlighted by Dwight feeding carrots into Phyllis's mouth. I was very pleased with the humor in this episode. Many things to laugh about here! + 4 Stars

Mistakes
No mistakes found

Best Quotes
"Everybody Dance Now!!!"  -Michael (mouthing the words to the song with a stereo lifted over his head)

Overall Score
6 Stars



THE VERDICT

It is always tough to say that one episode is "better" than another. In this case, one episode made a more significant progression in the overall story of the series, while the other episode was hands down funnier. The question, then, is, "was the one episode more significant than the other was funny?" The answer, unfortunately for Diwali, is no. Even though Diwali was able to show us Pam's frustrations, Jim's new love interest, and Michael's newest breakup, there just weren't enough memorable moments to beat out "Cafe Disco". Thus, I have determined that....

CAFE DISCO is the better episode and will move on in the tournament by a tie breaker score of 6-6