10. Broke
The cold open. Alelulia Church of Scranton. Competent Michael. BYE-BYE CHARLES. Yeah, this episode was fantastic.
9. Crime Aid
It's very underrated, actually, in that I never see anyone talking about it. I thought this episode was super sweet and funny. I loved Michael and Holly dating. It was adorable, and we can all pretend that Jim and Pam had that whole awkward thing going on at the beginning. The auction was pure gold, and... I mean... C.R.I.M.E.A.I.D. I love it when Michael makes shit up! The only reason this episode isn't higher, actually, is... you should guess this if you know me. Fucking Roy! DIAF douchebag.
8. Company Picnic
Much like Casino Night, this episode is probably overrated because of the JAM quotient, but I still loved this episode. It was terrifically funny, it set up several interesting storylines for next season while not being all "AAAAH ZOOOOMG WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN??!?!?!??!", Michael and Holly were super understatedly sweet, and yeah, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that last scene, even if I suspected it was coming. The acting there was just gorgeous.
7. Cafe Disco
I don't like to be all "it was like S2!!!" because I hate when people toss that out to mean "it was a good episode" (like "this is so Vogue-worthy!!!" meaning "this is a good photo" in the NTM-verse), but this was a very S2 episode... with the added benefit of Jim and Pam being ENGAGED and TALKING ABOUT THEIR WEDDING SQUEEEE. Also, the scene where they were all dancing to the YMCA is one of my all-time favorites on this show. I'm sure I've said it before, but I love it so much when the office is all together having a great time.
6. Lecture Circuit, Part One
"It is your birthday" is one of few things ever that will always make me laugh out loud, no matter how many times I see it, and I loved the redemption of Karen after the awful way they portrayed her in Branch Wars. Really, that's all I needed to like this episode, but it has so much more to offer; it's just very, very funny. Oh, and I have a HUUUUGE soft spot for Michael/Pam... not in terms of a romantic thing, but just their interactions or whatever. Terrific episode.
5. Michael Scott Paper Company
Like a few others, I had my doubts about the Michael Scott Paper Company arc, especially after the depressing-fest that was Dream Team (see #22 on this list). But this episode blew all my doubts away by being one of the best episodes of all time. Like "it is your birthday," "It's Britney, bitch" is always going to make me laugh, out loud, at an embarrassing volume. The rest of the episode was also more or less fantastically funny, while seamlessly incorporating the new paper company.
4. Business Trip
I loved the Michael/Andy/Oscar business (and when is it gonna emerge that Andy's gay? Duh. To quote Michael in an episode that may or may not be #1, "Andy, you're gayer than Oscar!"), but the one thing that sent this episode far over the top for me was the Kelly/Ryan stuff. I'm sorry, but Ryan doing one-handed push-ups in order to tempt Kelly is just genius. I would like to give whoever came up with that idea a Nobel Prize in Comedy, or something.
3. The Surplus
This episode is just fucking hysterical. I heard a lot of bellyaching at the time about Pam being ~zomg so OOC~ but seeing as I'm um, the only person on the internet that doesn't pay attention to just Jim and Pam in an episode (oh sick burn? Not really), I didn't really mind. She was somewhat OOC but I understood why. Anyway, this episode was a great representative of trying to ~compromise in a group~ as well. At the time it aired, I was in a seminar and we had... um... some difficulty agreeing on things, so that added an extra dimension to the episode. Loved it.
2. Stress Relief
Like "The Surplus," sometimes you just need an episode where you laugh a lot. Also, I may have said this before, but Ed Helms really needs some kind of Nobel Prize in comedy for this episode or something. Say what you will about the cold open being over-the-top, it was also one of the funnier moments on TV, like... ever.
1. Weight Loss
Just to get this damn list finished... it was a brilliant, brilliant episode from that cheese fountain to the hospital in Costa Rica. Yes, the fact that Jim and Pam got engaged was just... the icing on the cake, but that cake was fucking delicious besides that. It was just SO well-written, funny, and sweet, and I love how all the supporting cast got a chance to shine so brightly. I suspect this one will be in my top five favorites for a long, long time. For some original reactions, see here, here, here, and of course my mega-rundown (hah, rundown!) here. Be prepared for a lot of SQUEEEEEing! Oh, and in fact, I am going to go watch the whole thing again right now. I have been inspired.
All in all, I think S5 was a very successful season that brought us some really excellent episodes and storylines. There was a lot of undeserved whining around December/January/February about OMG WHY IS THERE NOT MORE JAM, but by the time the end of the season rolled around, thankfully pretty much everyone had realized that overall, it was a great season. 28 episodes is a lot and not all were excellent (Employee Transfer? New Boss? Dream Team? Business Ethics? Blood Drive? zzzz), but none were terrible.
Great job as ever, Office. Here's to S6.
