October 12, 2007 - It's another hour-long installment of The Office, and once again the extra length puts some strength and weaknesses on display. Nonetheless, it's a very entertaining episode with some terrific moments. One of the best things about the hour-long episodes is that the show is able to spread the wealth of scenes among the cast. This gives the show an opportunity to remind everyone that it isn't just the great writing that makes this one of the best shows on TV, it's the one of a kind cast.

There's some great stuff here between Dwight and Angela, as Dwight tries to bury his sorrows in his perceived sales victory over the company's website. Jim and Pam engage in some of their classic Dwight Games, convincing him that the website is self-aware. At first this feels a bit familiar, as they've pulled similar tricks on Dwight in the past. However, the joke escalates into some really funny territory, just before it reaches a poignant moment as Pam takes pity on Dwight's broken heart and gives Dwight a small moment of triumph.

As for Jim and Pam, there are some that might say "the magic is gone" since they're now together. That's a knee-jerk reaction from people who aren't paying attention. The show has managed what many thought impossible - they've kept Jim and Pam interesting. There's a sense that the writers have taken it as a personal challenge to break the mold of previous shows that bent over backwards to keep couples apart for fear that the chemistry would get stale. This office romance continues to work because there's still a level of mystery to what's happening. The difference now is that Jim and Pam are both aware of what's going on, it's the rest of the office and the audience who get only bits and pieces. Their moment here on the roof - where Jim asks if she can pick a new moment where she knew she liked him - is as good as they've ever been.

Michael also gets a classic moment in this episode. He kidnaps the pizza boy for what he perceives as a lack of respect. Of course, Michael is just venting his anger and embarrassment over the fact that Ryan didn't invite him to the party in New York. The moment where Michael suddenly realizes what he's done - how far he's gone because of his emotional outburst - is priceless. Steve Carell is a terrific actor who has found new layers for Michael that are constantly surprising; all while keeping the character terrifically funny.

The new dynamic with Ryan being the boss has turned out to work quite well. There's a growing sense that maybe Ryan is going to have quite a fall. We get a glimpse that people in the New York office don't much like him and enjoyed seeing him embarrassed. The show has put some other interesting story tidbits into the air. There's the possible love triangle with Dwight, Andy and Angela; we still haven't seen much of Jan and Michael's relationship, and of course there's Jim and Pam.

Even with some great moments and effective storytelling, there is an overall sense that The Office's natural habitat is the half-hour. In these hour installments, things start to feel stretched and some scenes take on a sense of redundancy and certain storylines seem to peter out before they even get going. Haven't we seen Angela frustrated over planning a party and getting her comeuppance before? Didn't we just see Dwight and Michael on a semi-insane road trip together? While these scenes are never bad, they do seem to weigh down the rest of the show that is operating at a higher level. For our money, The Office is best when it's lean and mean and has you laughing so hard that you can't even believe a half-hour has passed.