I think they've done a good job of giving both of them relatable reasons why they are having this conflict. While the actual details of Jim's new company are obscure, he appears to be a leader of whatever they are doing and enjoys the work enough to be there at 8 at night. It's obviously a step up from paper salesman…

She's got a couple of years before her 40's, but she's close enough to validate your depressing point.

He should have been named Gary Scott Michaels.

I'm worried if we say his name too much he will return.

Yeah, three episodes is hardly enough to draw any sort of reliable conclusion. Another post-S5 screw up brought to us by Paul Lieberstein.

Well, it looks from that shot of Oscar's computer that the documentary will be airing in May and there are only 8 episodes left, so I doubt we get much overlap between those.

That used to be known as the Andy rule.

A good, if somewhat flabby episode. Andy is reaching new heights of asshole, but I'd much rather watch that than what we got last year. Still it went on too long as did the Philly Michael bit by Odenkirk, but still enjoyable to watch. That was almost S1 Michael Scott-level of boss cringe.

I have to say I couldn't be happier that they ended the Scranton Strangler on that anticlimactic note. That plotline never interested me and the idea that it would somehow involve someone in or connected to the office ridiculous.

I like the fact that they recognized putting Andy as the center of the show last year was a mistake. I'd rather see him pulling these douchy (if improbable) moves than getting Nard Dog tattoos on his ass.

They had known Pam for 2+ years after the first incident. If the impulse is simple kindness then why all the extraneous detail making him seem far more than a friend comforting another? All of the following scenes hint at romantic entanglement (his relationship ending, promising to be there for her always, that you…

Except we've only met a single crew member and he seems mostly invested in Pam because she's the attractive female in the office. It's been a single note reveal and dull and unnecessary one at that. There could have a been a number of interesting things they could have done, but instead they took the lazy way out.

I agree that Fischer has been killing it these last few episodes, but Brian wasn't necessary for any of them. The Jim/Pam stuff has seemed real and was well-executed, but the possible Brian romance stuff has diluted that feeling.

Except "great" and "the James Spader episodes" have never been uttered in the same sentence before. Because of terrible.

The drunken, abusive version from S1-3.

Except they had already filmed a moment when Pam broke down and they did nothing at that point. Back in S3, after helping Jim with his problems with Karen, Pam ended up crying in a back hallway. Eventually, Dwight showed up to comfort her without any intervention by the crew. Fading to black before Brian responded…

Jim may not be that great a guy (although I'd be interested to know what secret evidence Brian might have), but what would Pam's legacy be if she ran off with Boom Mike Guy at the end of the series?  I can see her final talking head "Oh, Jim and I were apart for a couple of months and Brian was around so I hooked up…

Your sarcasm levels are getting dangerously high.

I hoping for a reveal that Kevin used to have a weekly poker game he invited the crew to, and after he took all their money, they spent the rest of the show making him look mentally challenged as revenge. Or that Meredith broke up one of the crew's marriage by sleeping with him and so her on-screen persona is the…

Yeah, "hinted at a resolution" would be the strongest I'd be willing to give it.