Semi-formed Thoughts & The Office

Aaron and I kinda (and by "kinda" I mean "really, really") like to watch TV in our apartment. We tend to gravitate toward comedies, and we almost never miss the Thursday night comedy block on NBC which includes, among a few other very funny programs, The Office. This week in particular this show has been a vehicle for me to go beyond being merely entertained and instead think about words said and themes expressed. This past Tuesday I was able to use an episode from a past season that I had on DVD to facilitate discussion about English vocabulary and expressions with my friend Younbi, who now comes by once a week so that we can eat tasty food together and learn about each other's cultures. Tonight's episode struck a chord with me as an involved church-goer, a former short-term missions participant, and as a Christian. 

I really hope that some of you who read this--"you" probably mainly being my family and friends (thanks for reading, by the way!!)--also watched tonight's episode of The Office because I'm really curious about your response to some of the different scenarios involved. It was about Jim and Pam's baby's christening, which all of their co-workers ended up attending (of course). As a result, the episode showcased the characters in a church setting and post-christening luncheon. If you missed it, check it out on Hulu. Anyway, some points of interest:

• Everyone's attitudes: Michael being uplifted/obsessed with the congregation's kindness and appearance of having fun, Ryan's abrasive attitude toward religion, Toby's hesitancy to "catch up" with God, Dwight seeing the congregation as potential clients, Stanley's complaints of being hungry, etc.
• After the actual christening takes place, Michael is greeted by some members of the congregation and immediately begins to act on the warmth he received from these people. He notices a group of young adults at the luncheon who will soon be going a service trip together to build a school in Mexico and expresses to his co-workers that he wants to hang out with them outside of work in the same way those young adults were hanging out with each other. Darryl told Michael that they were currently together outside of work, but Michael desired to have the "fun" he saw in the other group within his work group.
• Michael Scott is impulsive--and, being caught up in the moment, he chooses to get onto the service trip bus and go to Mexico as a result of seeing the group of young adults enjoying each other's company, being praised by the congregation, and their goal to do good in a different country. Andy decides to tag along in order to impress Erin. 
• When Michael and Andy start to freak out about their decision, Michael wonders why the Mexicans aren't just building their own school--and realizes that he doesn't know the first thing about constructing any kind of building. Michael's realization resonates with some critics of short-term missions trips.
• What do you make of the reaction of the young adult group when Michael and Andy are adamant about getting off the bus? Also, how about the one member of the group who leaves with them--and asks Michael and Andy to not tell his parents about his decision? 

Other interesting bits of action and conversation took place (such as the portrayal of church-goers being a mixed-bag, so to speak--some being genuinely kind, others trumping the christening celebration with their disappointment that all of the cider was gone...) but I've become a sad adult who gets sleepy sooner than I used to. I think I'm going to watch the episode again tomorrow, form some more cohesive thoughts on the subject matter in the episode, and either edit this post or write a follow-up post on my reaction. In the meantime, please let me know your thoughts! Or just let me know if you think I'm reading too much into it. :D

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