Tonight brings us yet another season 2 vs. season 6 matchup. Season 2 won the first matchup and season 6 won the second. Tonight, interestingly enough, both episodes take place at a large convention!
2.17 "Dwight's Speech"
Cold Open
The Cold Open was very funny, but had nothing to do with the episode. Michael was tossing Dwight a football while talking. Jim was obviously annoyed and asked them to stop. When Michael started passing the ball to everyone around the office, Jim intercepted the ball and began to play keep away from Michael. Creed eventually passed the ball to Ryan, who was tackled by Dwight. Dwight then ran around the room trucking everyone and eventually passed the ball back to Michael. Michael looked upset for about 5 seconds, and then screamed Pam's name and threw the ball to her. Very funny, but didn't mention Dwight's speech at all. + 1 Star
Story
There are two main plotlines in this episode. First, Dwight has won salesman of the year and must give a speech at a convention, but he is horrified of public speaking. Second, Jim has had enough with Pam's wedding planning and decides to book a vacation during the time of Pam's wedding. The episode is basically two in one, with Michael and Dwight out of the office for the majority of the episode. The plotline with Michael and Dwight serves the comedic purpose, while the plotline with Jim and Pam is more serious and series progressing.
The story opens with Dwight bragging and making fun of Jim. Apparently, Dwight had won "top salesman" in Dunder Mifflin during that year, while Jim finished in 9th. Dwight's gloating quickly came to a hault when Michael informed him that he would have to give a speech at a convention. In order to help Dwight, Michael calls a meeting to give advice on public speaking. Michael's meeting proved to be no help to Dwight, as he considered the staff lower than him, thus they did not intimidate him. Jim offered to help Dwight, which was really just a prank, by offering him a sample speech by the Italian dictator during WWII. Thinking that Jim had majored in Public Speaking, Dwight kept the speech as a reference. At the convention, Dwight's name was called and he was unable to go up to the stage due to stage fright. Michael quickly offered to fill in for him while he gained confidence, and went on to make a fool of himself. When Michael was really starting to look bad, Dwight ran up to the stage in order to save him. Dwight then recited the speech Jim had given him, which shockingly motivated the large crowd. In minutes, Dwight had the crowd under his control, an obvious joke on how persuasive dictators were. Michael became extremely jealous that the crowd had enjoyed Dwight, and he left the room and went to the bar. After his speech, Dwight joined Michael at the bar. Michael, in an attempt to down-play Dwight's success, exaggerated a story about a woman he had met at the bar to make it seem more interesting than Dwight's hit speech. Dwight, a loyal friend, was immediately interested in Michael's story, leaving Michael satisfied. In the end, Michael congratulated himself for his ability to entertain the man that entertained a thousand people, and saw his accomplishment as being greater than Dwight's.
The "B" story evolved around Jim being fed up with Pam's wedding planning. Jim is obviously in love with Pam, and he literally cannot stand to be around her being with another man any longer. Jim decided that he needed to go on vacation, but received mixed reactions from the staff. Ryan admitted that he did not think that Jim was the kind of guy to even leave Pennsylvania, and gave several examples of how predictable Jim really was. Jim booked a trip to Australia and told Pam that he would not be attending her wedding. This made Pam upset, but it seemed as if she wasn't going to stop Jim from going.
I liked this episode a lot. Following the "Dundies" is a tough task, but I feel like Dwight's Speech did well. We found out that Dwight is a better salesman than we thought, and that Jim is actually making a move. This move, even though it seemed like he was giving up, shows how emotionally distraught Jim was that Pam was going through with the wedding. We now have to wait and see if Jim really goes on his trip, and if Pam goes through with her wedding. Nice cliffhanger. + 3 Stars
Jokes
The jokes were about average in this episode. I was, again, put off by the disclusion of Creed. Dwight's speech was pretty funny, and Michael making an ass of himself was also pretty humorous. I guess the comedic highlight was when Dwight decided to read the speech that Jim had given him. + 3 Stars
Mistakes
No mistakes found.
Best Quote
"What is the difference between a business man and a business woman?...Boobs." Michael
Overall Score
7 Stars
6.10 "Shareholder Meeting"
Cold Open
There is really just one word to describe this cold open. Recyclops. Yes, Dwight dressed up as "Recyclops" for Earth Day to raise awareness for recycling. The Open showed Dwight dressed up throughout several years (Even showing Ryan and Ronnie as receptionists!!) and gave a short, but hilarious, history of Recyclops. In short, Recyclops's planet was destroyed by "Pollutocorn" and now Recyclops hates earth. Dwight barged into the office and began to destroy everything. Awesome. I am making an exception and awarding the second star even though this had nothing to do with the episode because of the inclusion of Ronnie and the nostalgic look at past seasons. One of the better Cold Opens in the entire series. + 2 Stars
Story
Like in most episodes, there are two main plotlines. The "A" story deals with Michael, Dwight, Andy, and Oscar heading to a Shareholder Meeting in New York. The "B" story centers around Jim dealing with an insubordinate Ryan in order to prove his authority to the rest of the staff.
The episode opens with Michael going over strategies on how to address the crowd when his name is called at the Shareholder Meeting. Michael is expecting a large ovation because he is the only bright spot for the company that will be introduced during the entire meeting. Dunder Mifflin is going bankrupt, and Michael was invited to the meeting as a device to instill false confidence into the minds of the shareholders. After Michael perfected his introduction, he was notified by Erin that a limo had arrived to pick him up. Michael, along with the rest of the staff, was completely blown away by the limo. Because the limo held so many people, Michael invited Oscar, Dwight, and Andy to come along. Andy and Dwight came along for the thrill of the trip, while Oscar was more interested in what would be discussed at the meeting. It was clear that Oscar was not only aware of the company's bankruptcy, but that he possibly had a realistic plan to save the company. Upon arrival, Michael was ushered up to a suite where he met with David Wallace and other executives, including the CEO of Dunder Mifflin. Michael was completely ready for his huge entrance into the meeting, but was disappointed when he was greeted with boos. Michael was equally disappointed in his ovation, which was only a few claps from Dwight and Andy, and he was further infuriated when another introduction received a slightly louder applause. After the CEO announced that there would be a short intermission, Michael took over the microphone and promised that they would return with a "45 day plan" to save the company. Michael then received a standing ovation and performed his "spin" as he had practiced it earlier that morning. Back in the suite, the CEO and other executives scolded Michael for what he had promised. It was at this time that the CEO revealed that there wasn't a plan to save Dunder Mifflin, and that bankruptcy was inevitable. Michael, in a last ditch effort to save his beloved company, texted Oscar to come up to the suite to pitch his idea. Oscar, smartly, declined to comment because he likely knew that another company would soon be taking over, and it would be best for his job security to not reveal what he knew. After this, the executives became furious and booted Michael out of the meeting. The 4-some ran out of the building and caught the limo in time for a ride back to Scranton. The story left us with the "DMI" symbol on wall-street at a record low, a clear indication that big change is ahead.
The "B" story happened back in Scranton at the office. Jim, regardless of the bankruptcy issue, asked Ryan to organize a specific file. Ryan, lazy and figuring that the company was out of business anyways, refused and kept on wasting time playing computer games and talking to Kelly. After more staff members overlooked his authority, Jim publicly exclaimed that he was just as much a boss as Michael. In order to prove his authority, Jim moved all of Ryan's things into a closet and forced him to work there. Ryan tried to dissuade Jim, but to no avail. Jim, now seen as an authority figure, was visibly pleased when he looked into the camera. This served a purpose of not only establishing Jim as an authority, but a win for Jim against Ryan. Ryan had always talked down to and threatened Jim in the past, and it was a nice touch to see Jim finally rise above his old rival. I am sure a lot of 9-5 workers out there can identify with this.
In all, I really liked the story. Obviously, the "A" showed us that Dunder Mifflin is soon to be no more. That is a HUGE realization. Where will everyone go if there is no company? I even loved the way they presented this huge twist in the series. Michael rallying up the meeting was so funny, even though I had in the back of my mind the question of where the company went from that point. Even the "B" story was effective in showing us that Jim can be the manager, and taking down his biggest rival was where he started. Jim had always been mismanaged by Ryan, and now to see Jim getting his shots in was a real treat. I know I hate late seasons, but this was a diamond in the rough. + 4 Stars
Jokes
The jokes were only average. Michael at the meeting was obviously the comedic highlight, with the "spin" taking the cake as best moment. Michael dealing with the executives was also very funny. The jokes in the "B" story just didn't work for me, and this episode forced me to start hating Phyllis's character. Andy didn't bring his A game, but Dwight saved it with some quality one-liners and his "question" at the meeting. In all, very average, with some memorable moments. + 3 Stars
Mistakes
No mistakes found.
Best Quote
"Where's the off button on this moron!" -Alan Brand, CEO of Dunder Mifflin to Michael
Overall Score
9 Stars
THE VERDICT
I was shocked that Shareholder Meeting scored as high as it did. When I looked at it, it was really just as significant as many other moments earlier in the series. I have to admit, what is more significant than confirmation from the CEO that Dunder Mifflin is going out of business? I have to put that up there with Ryan going to jail, Toby leaving the show, Michael falling in love with Holly, and so on. I may be wrong, but Shareholder Meeting may be the last of the "very good" episodes. I am interested to see how it stacks up against other competition.
SHAREHOLDER MEETING is the better episode and will move on in the tournament by the shocking final score of 9-7
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