This is basically where the tournament seedings meet! Only two episodes separate these two season 4 eps. It's nice to get to break down episodes that are so similar. Again, the break down is going to be way shorter because of how many episodes there are. Let's get it on!
4.8 "The Deposition"
Cold Open
Michael was pleased the one time Pam brought him a post-it note describing a call he had received, so he instructed Pam to do so every time he was in a meeting to look important. Michael was in a meeting with Ryan (his boss) and Pam brought him a post-it note with a picture of a smiling banana. Michael told Pam that he would call the client back, but Ryan insisted that Michael took the call. This put Michael in a tough spot, and he pretended to take the call. I was going to give this open zero stars, but the "Hiya Buddy" saved it for me at the end. + 1 Star
Story
There were two main plotline, Michael being deposed for Jan's lawsuit and Jim training for and playing a ping pong game against Darryl. I suppose you could make an argument that a lawsuit against Dunder Mifflin is big news, but the fact that Dunder Mifflin won kind of put closure on the whole ordeal. Jim and Pam's role in the ping pong game was pretty lame, to be honest. I saw way more of Kelly than I ever want to see in an episode. I would say that an average score would be a fair grade for this story. + 3 Stars
Jokes
To be fair, there were some pretty solid moments. No Creed didn't help, though. The plotline with Michael was very serious, though he was still able to create humor. Michael's diary being passed around was very funny. Michael also had a funny "That's what she said" moment during his deposition. Kelly was a large source of comedy in this episode, which wasn't good at all. Her character is just terrible! In all, I thought Michael was very good, and everyone else performed below average. No moments from Creed, Kevin, or Andy did not bode well with me. Even Dwight was a little off. Michael saved it from being a disaster. + 2 Stars
Mistakes
At the very beginning of the ping pong plot, Jim and Darryl are seen playing ping pong in the background of a talking head sequence with Pam. It is shown that Darryl is a vastly superior ping pong player, but in the background Jim wins the point that the two are playing. In an attempt to make himself look like a worse ping pong player, John Krasinski "pretends" to have missed the ball completely, even though he had already won the point.
Best Quote
"Mr. Scott, who is this other woman Ryan who you refer to here as 'just as hot as Jan, but in a different way?'" Dunder Mifflin lawyer
Overall Score
6 Stars
4.11 "Night Out"
Cold Open
Short and sweet, just how I like them. Michael got gum stick in his hair and Pam suggested that Dwight get it out with peanut butter. Dwight then rubs peanut butter all over Michael's head. + 1 Star
Story
Again we have 2 main plotlines, Michael going to New York with Dwight to party with Ryan and Jim convincing the rest of the office to stay late to avoid having to come in on a Saturday. I liked the episode from both a comedic and progressive standpoint. We learned some more information about Ryan, mainly the fact that he has a drug problem (which could lead to trouble down the road). Also, more importantly, we learned that Toby is leaving the office. After announcing that he was leaving for Costa Rica, Toby hopped the fence and ran away. To the viewer, that could have been the last of Toby Flenderson for all we knew. Very significant, especially with a finale coming up. Jim showed us his leadership potential, which was nice. I thought we could have learned more about corporate life, but still I was very pleased. + 4 Stars
Jokes
This episode was very funny. Creed had one line, but it was great! Michael wasn't exactly at his best, but the staff made up for it after they got locked in. Jim calling Hank was very awkward, and the episode ended at its highest point, which is always awesome! + 4 Stars
Mistakes
No mistakes found. However, at the end of the night in the office, the clock read 9:04...moments later it was 9:00. Very small, and I'm just nitpicking for the sake of nitpicking.
Best Quote
"SON OF A BITCH!" -Hank
Overall Score
9 Stars
THE VERDICT
This wasn't all that tough. Toby is leaving the show? Ryan has a drug problem? These are very big cliffhangers that I couldn't wait to see explored. The other episode was centered heavily around Jan and Kelly...potentially the two worst characters on The Office. Easy call.
NIGHT OUT is the better episode and will advance in the tournament by the score of 9-6
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