SPOILER ALERT: Before you read this post, strap in your watermelon securely and watch last night’s Office.
There are only so many comedies that can shift gears from freakshow wackiness to touching sincerity the way The Office can, and the end of last night’s episode was a prime example. The funny bits were very funny, but a lot of them pushed the characters—Dwight, in particular—to the craziest end of their usual range of behavior. The opening scene of Dwight roleplaying Jan’s giving birth was over the top, but you can see how it was irresistible to let it run out, from “I’m crowning!” to Dwight birthing the watermelon, legs spread on the desktop, to Michael eating a delicious slice of the “baby” while Dwight pulled his pants back on. (The episode in general had a raunchier than usual streak, but in a funny way: “Where’s my golden shower, Phyllis?”) And Jan’s marathon serenade of “Son of a Preacherman” killed.
The focus of the episode, though, was Michael’s neediness, his frustrated desire for a family and his pattern of self-destructiveness and being undermined by Jan. Which was why it was surprising and perfect that, after Jan ordered him away from Holly—revealing her need to keep Michael in line even as she keeps him at arm’s length—he went against her orders and moved in for the hug. I clapped, inside anyway.