“Business Ethics” gives Meredith, still a hidden gem, a real chance to shine and show her own manifestations of the traits so many characters on “The Office” possess. Her bizarre, eccentric, oblivious side is finally put forth.
During an ethics lecture given by Holly, Michael invites the team to reveal any office confessions under complete immunity. But when Meredith reveals that she’s been sleeping with a rep from a local paper supplier in exchange for discounts and Outback Steakhouse gift certificates, Holly takes action to investigate Meredith’s “serious issues” and possibly terminate her employment with Dunder Mifflin.
In an effort to mock Holly’s actions against time theft, a.k.a. using company time to perform personal tasks, Jim times Dwight’s every move, including yawns and casual conversation (even a desk-side urination). Dwight, on the other hand, spends about 19 minutes of blatant personal time disappearing with Angela.
This episode stretches Michael and Holly’s immature relationship to the limits. At its height, Holly, over a lobster lunch with Michael, quips that she’s the Terminator. She speaks in a mock-Schwarzenegger voice, and it’s a wonder that Michael is able to stop himself from jumping over the lunch table. At its worst, Michael blocks Holly from reaching the copy machine only to take a picture off the wall and make useless copies of it.
In a bit of catharsis, however, Michael raises his voice and rounds up the troops when Holly can’t convince them all to gather to finish the rest of ethics training. He’s the provider and the patriarch, and he’s in control of his branch.
This episode was a solid, well-rounded segment that introduced, flushed out, and concluded a single situation on a single day in Scranton. My only criticism is that “Business Ethics” was too open-and-close. References to other episodes were minimal. Pam or Jan don’t even appear at all.
My favorite line: “I’ll smoke with ‘ya, I got a bag of cigars in my purse.” - Meredith.
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