The Office “Jury Duty” Review

In tonight’s episode of The Office, Jim dealt with the backlash of having exploited the Dunder Mifflin-Sabre jury duty policy to spend some extra time at home with his wife and kids. Although this episode was titled “Jury Duty”, I wasn’t very fond of this plot as the main story line. I enjoyed Dwight’s classic attempts to get Jim fired and Pam bringing the insanity of their home into The Office, but ultimately the b-story at the hospital had so much more substance and humor.

“Monster Baby,” or “Little Kevin” as Kevin nicknamed him, was the fodder for some of the funniest lines I’ve heard on The Office this season. Oscar had wisely thought to advise Kevin and Erin on appropriate commentary when they saw Angela’s premature baby, but there was no way he could have prepared for their comments upon seeing that “big fat giant baby” when they had expected to see a 5 pound baby.

Even the joy of motherhood couldn’t tame Angela’s snark and she was just as wonderfully condescending in her hospital bed as she was at her desk. Oscar couldn’t hold his tongue around her for long and his reaction to Angela’s barrio comment (a seething, “the only premature baby in this room is the baby that this baby ate”) had me laughing out loud.

Oscar had found a gossip goldmine and I loved watching him revel in the scandal. He was already obsessed with the idea of Robert “The Senator” being gay, and with his new knowledge of their wedlock baby, he was barely able to contain his excitement.

Of course, as soon as Dwight heard the news of Angela’s full term baby, the gears in his head quickly calculated his potential paternity. After confirming the classic Schrute traits – a big forehead, small nose and short arms – he proudly proclaimed his fathering ability and declared that this baby would take over the world.

The argument between Angela and Dwight over the paternity of the baby added even more humorous scandal to the affair. Truth be told, this arrangement works out rather well for Dwight at the moment. He has some time to plan out his son’s future world domination/beet farming while letting The Senator deal with the infant’s poopy diapers and sleepless nights.

Oscar’s head probably would have exploded if he had been privy to their discussion and, knowing Oscar, it’s probably only a matter of time before he puts the pieces together himself.

This is the first time in a while that I’ve been excited about a new development on The Office. Dwight was hilarious as a proud father and sure, the paternity mix up is a standard soap opera twist, but I truthfully didn’t see it coming. Dwight has picked his battles before, but there is no way he is going to back down from this one. I look forward to seeing just how far he’s willing to take it.