Lecture Circuit
"Lecture Circuit" | |
---|---|
The Office episodes | |
Episode nos. | Season 5 Episodes 16/17 |
Directed by | Ken Kwapis |
Written by | Mindy Kaling |
Cinematography by |
|
Editing by | David Rogers |
Production code | 514/515[1] |
Original air dates |
|
Running time | 42 minutes |
Guest appearances | |
Part 1
Part 2
| |
"Lecture Circuit" is a two-part episode of the American comedy television series
During both episodes,
Both episodes were directed by
Plot
Part one
Back in Scranton, Jim and
Part two
Michael and Pam arrive at the Nashua branch, only to learn Holly is away on a human relations retreat. They also learn Holly is dating one of the Nashua salesmen named
In Scranton, the party planning continues to go poorly. Dwight publicly and loudly confronts Kelly about her time in juvenile hall, which turns out to be for stealing the boat of an ex-boyfriend when she was 14. Kelly also declares she hates the cake Jim picked for her, which is completely blank; he later decorates it and ends up spelling her name incorrectly as "Kelley". When Kelly insists the party needs a theme, Jim and Dwight are unable to think of anything. Despite a rough start to the party, they finally settle on offering her one hour of napping or one hour of watching television by putting a Chiclet on the cake to represent a pillow or TV. She loves the idea and chooses the nap.
Angela appears much happier than usual because she bought a new $7,000 cat with the money she received from selling Andy's engagement ring. She has also set up a
Production
"Lecture Circuit" was directed by
Continuity and cultural references
Michael handing out candy bars during his lectures is a reference to the
Angela said she sold Andy's engagement ring on
Reception
In its original American broadcast on February 5, 2009, the first part of "Lecture Circuit" was seen by 8.4 million viewers, according to
Both parts of Lecture Circuit were nearly perfect, and if we were to take them together ... they'd easily constitute the finest hour-long episode in this show's history. [Writer Mindy Kaling] nailed the characterizations, the interactions, the tossed-off one-liners, the weird-yet-realistic scenarios. I wonder how much it helps that she's out on the acting floor every day, getting attuned to her costars' rhythms?
Henning Fog
Entertainment Weekly[10]
Both episodes of "Lecture Circuit" received generally positive reviews. Whitney Pastorek of
Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club said the episode "was full of laughs but had a bit of a bittersweet aftertaste" and had "one hell of a cliffhanger" ending. Rabin praised the Jim and Dwight teaming in the first episode, but said the plot line of Michael's lectures were predictable and "promised more than it delivered".[11] Rabin said the second episode "wrapped up everything up nicely [and] delivered larfs aplenty"; he particularly enjoyed the subplot involving Angela's cats, and the fact that it "left the door open for Holly's return".[4] Will Leitch of New York magazine praised the cliffhanger ending of the first episode and said he was pleased the Holly character was still in the show's equation. Leitch also praised Ed Helms, who "is nailing the right combination of ridiculous and sad-sack pathos", although he said he "[was not] nearly as inspired" by the Jim and Dwight subplot.[5] Leitch also enjoyed the second episode, particularly the "legitimately sweet moment" when Pam tells Michael that Holly still has feelings for him. Leitch was less praiseworthy of the Angela subplot involving her cats, and said the character "appears to have officially gone batshit insane."[6] Travis Fickett of IGN criticized the first episode and said, "I'm starting to wonder if the show is showing signs of winding down." Fickett said the idea of Michael giving awkward lecture tours felt old and familiar, so much so that "I was convinced it was a repeat". He also said the Jim and Dwight idea was funny, but "nothing the show hasn't tapped before".[16] Likewise, Fickett described the second episode as "average Office and feels overly familiar without really blazing any new ground." He also said it was disappointing Holly did not appear, and that Angela felt like a "caricature" in her subplot.[17]
The scene with Angela licking her cat was heavily criticized by reviewers,[6][17][18] prompting some observers to describe it as the moment when The Office jumped the shark, a phrase used to describe the moment of downturn for a previously successful television show.[18] When asked about this during an interview, actor Oscar Nuñez responded, "No show is 'Jump the Shark'-proof, but there have been other moments on The Office that I think were more 'Jump the Shark' than that." He did not specify what other moments he meant.[18]
References
- ^ Wilson, Rainn (December 13, 2012). "Remember all of these? #FinalSeason". Facebook.com. Retrieved December 13, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f Sepinwall, Alan (February 6, 2009). "The Office, "Lecture Circuit, Part One": The closure". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved February 24, 2010.
- ^ Tan, Jennie (April 4, 2009). "Parks and Recreation set". OfficeTally. Retrieved February 24, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Rabin, Nathan (February 12, 2009). "The Office: Season 5: Episode 15: "Lecture Circuit Part 2"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 24, 2010.
- ^ a b c Leitch, Will (February 6, 2009). "The Office: Sets Up Amy Ryan's Return!". New York. Retrieved February 24, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Leitch, Will (February 13, 2009). "The Office: The Cat Lady, Redefined". New York. Retrieved February 24, 2010.
- ^ The Times-Tribune.
- ^ a b c Pastorek, Whitney (February 6, 2009). ""The Office" Recap: On the Road". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 24, 2010.
- ^ a b Sepinwall, Alan (February 12, 2009). "The Office, "Lecture Circuit, Part Two": She'll be back". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved February 24, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e Pastorek, Whitney (February 13, 2009). ""The Office" Recap: It's a celebration". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on February 14, 2009. Retrieved February 24, 2010.
- ^ a b Rabin, Nathan (February 5, 2009). "The Office: Season 5: Episode 14: "Lecture Circuit"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 24, 2010.
- ^ The Times-Tribune.
- ^ Labrecque, Jeff (March 6, 2009). ""The Office" Recap: Love Hurts". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 27, 2009. Retrieved February 24, 2010.
- ^ a b Gorman, Bill (February 6, 2009). "Thursday Ratings: With CBS Away, Grey's and Practice Come Out To Play". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 13, 2012. Retrieved February 23, 2010.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (February 13, 2009). "Thursday Ratings: Survivor Returns Well, Grey's Boosts Practice To Demo Beatdown". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 13, 2012. Retrieved February 23, 2010.
- ^ Fickett, Travis (February 6, 2009). "The Office: "Lecture Circuit, Part 1" Review". IGN. Retrieved February 24, 2010.
- ^ a b Fickett, Travis (February 13, 2009). "The Office: "Lecture Circuit, Part Two" Review". IGN. Retrieved February 24, 2010.
- ^ a b c Hernandez, Lee. ""Office" Talk with Oscar Nuñez". Latina. Retrieved February 23, 2010.
External links