The months of waiting are now officially over: Jim and Pam on "The Office" now officially are parents. During the episode we bore witness to a number of developments across the board, and the majority of them made for what was probably overall the funniest episode of the season.
The main storyline should be obvious based on the title alone, and it delivered in every facet. From Pam's refusal to go to the hospital at first to Jim's suddenly-manic state, it was believable and didn't feel like a sitcom playing it up for laughs for a second. Pam did just about everything to keep herself from going -- even getting Michael to stage a conference simply to distract her from the contractions. (The highlight? Andy doing the Evolution of Dance without any music.) We also had some good one-liners in here from Kevin, Oscar, and of course Dwight.
Getting the couple to the hospital was another entirely different sort of chore. Michael, who once again chooses to live vicariously through Jim, decided to drive them from the office to the hospital. Dwight, meanwhile, was leading the way in a separate car with a siren -- until he was pulled over by the police. Dwight's departure from the scene leads to a new mission -- trying to find Pam's iPod -- that ends up being one of the funnier / more ridiculous bits I've seen the show do.
The show handled the birth in a pretty classy way, though I am actually surprised they showed us as much as they did. Hearing Pam and Jim's first reactions as parents made for a wonderful moment, and maybe one of the best for the couple since "Casino Night" way back in season two. The baby's name? Cecilia Marie Halpert. We saw a quick return for Pam's mother, followed shortly by a quick farewell when Michael entered the room.
After the birth the rest of Pam and Jim's story for this episode quickly then went to trying to breastfeed the baby. There were some great moments in there that I can't even begin to describe-- the gag probably could have been shortened, but it gave us another insight into how these characters are struggling with this new challenge. Plus, the "baby switcheroo" always makes for comedy!
--
The rest of the episode delivered, even if the storylines were spread out all over the place. Dwight's sudden decision to have a baby with Angela was funny, but the plotline disappeared for long stretches of time in the episode. The same goes for this week's inclusion to the Andy / Erin romance. In was bizarre how Michael trying to force Kevin (the most unlikely of people) onto the receptionist ended up allowing one of the episode's brightest moments to happen -- Andy finally has himself a date!
Overall, this was an episode that brought together all of the characters for a classic story (with no mention of Sabre at all). Sure, the plotlines were like a scattershoot at times, but NBC's quirky comedy is continuing to deliver in a way that surpasses most comedies on TV.
--
Did this episode live up to the hype for you? Feel free to share your thoughts below.
--
Want to read more of the latest TV news? Then subscribe to receive continuous updates. You can also follow me on Facebook, Myspace, or Twitter.
Today's top TV stories:
"Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains" recap: Tom returns to glory
"American Idol" elimination: Michelle Delamor leaves in a shocker
Conan O'Brien brings his friends together
"Glee:" Neil Patrick Harris role revealed
"American Idol:" Adam Lambert dances on Australian TV (video)
NBC's "The Office" preview: Pam's baby arrives (photos)
Comments
I felt that this episodelived up to my expectations.I felt that the Jim and Pam moments were very tru-to-life, and felt bad that they had such a mean nurse and problems with breastfeeding.i cried, remebring our two-day stay in the hospitalwith my daughter with the sameproblems. It was a very specialmoment near the end when Pam andbaby get it right.
I was glad that a television show actually addressed some very real issues with hospital births, including sharing a room with other people, being forced to leave before you are ready, being pestered to have your baby taken to a nursery, etc.
I feel that the Michael Scott character has gotten annoying and is becoming unbelievable. His antics are so outlandish that I feel myself wanting to turn away during any scene he has in the show. He always says something stupid, takes it too far,etc.
i was pleased not to hear any mention of Sabre in this episode.
I feel like the only thing left for the writers to take on is the death of an employee or possibly someone retiring.
This was the funniest episode of the season. I was starting to think they were failing with the yuk yuks on the show but this episode is what the office was all about. I was laughing the whole way through. they even gave Andy something to do which is nice because his story line has been boring and non-existant.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!