Remember last week’s heartwarming conclusion, in which Andy Bernard got his nickname tattooed on his tuchus? Well, for this week’s Thursday-night promo, NBC digitally replaced said tat with an inky simulacrum of Whitney Cumming’s face. Barf. Unfortunately, tonight’s episode is only slightly more palatable than its ad. Even the cold open tanks and cold opens are The Office’s thing. The gang finds a dog locked in a junky sedan, windows rolled up, and everyone reacts like Neanderthals. Let’s just say the best plan to free the dog is had by Kevin, who locks himself in another van and passes out.
By the end of the episode, Andy’s a real boss. He’s told off his would-be rival and when he finds Jim screwing around, he doesn’t laugh. He reacts sternly. Which is good. I mean, come on, these people are being absurd. They may or may not have let a dog die! I like to think things ended back on track. We finally have Andy the Boss with a capital B. He is prepared, we hope, to take action. We have Darryl back on track. We also have Jim and Pam’s relationship ready to be tested. And we might have some new characters in the form of recently hired warehouse workers. What we don’t have is much story or believable characters or Robert California. Where in the world is Robert California? Hit it Rockapella!