The Office "Ben Franklin" (2008)

A week before Phyllis and Bob Vance's wedding, the bridal shower and bachelor party come to Dunder-Mifflin with live entertainment arranged by Dwight and Jim. This office sures spends a fair amount of time partying. We don't even get monthly lunches where I work anymore and here in Scranton they have a party every week. Jim's a bit distracted since Karen has kept him up all night for a week . . . talking. Looks like between the last episode and this one Jim has relayed to Karen the whole sordid PB & J history, including that kiss heard round the Keystone State. Karen puts up a brave front and says that they're fine, even taking the time to get up from her desk and give Jim a supportive hug, with Pam in full view of mind you. She then decides she needs to clear the air with Pam and confirm our favorite receptionist isn't still harboring feelings for Scranton's assistant regional manager. After quickly saying yes, Pam backtracks and says she was confused by her phrasing of the question and changes to no. I think we heard the right answer the first time. She's can't get over our resident practical joker even if Ben "Gordon" Franklin (Andrew Daly) is throwing some winks her way. For a moment I thought maybe the air was clear between Karen and Pam when they turned to each other laughed after he told Pam she was saucy, but apparently Karen needed that closure which I don't think helped all that much.

Despite the lack of sleep and the increasingly tightening love triangle, Jim still finds time to throw a wrench into the plans for both parties to be "separate, but equal" and have strippers. Dwight hires the female stripper and tasks Jim with finding the male dancer. Instead Jim decides to arrange an educational Ben Franklin impersonator. There's a shift in the Jim/Dwight relationship here. Is it just me or do the two of them seem to be getting along better? After Dwight calls Jim "Nancy", Jim quickly corrects him that it's "Sally". Then they both are outside awaiting the arrival of Elizabeth (Jackie Debatin) and have a small bonding moment over the fact that neither have seen a stripper. I don't think Jennifer Garner disguised on Alias counts. He still plays a prank on Dwight, telling him Gordon is really Ben Franklin, but contrasted with the Andy prank from the previous episode, this one is a lot tamer and more like friendly ribbing.

Michael's back in fine social inept form after taking a normalcy break last episode. He was acting pretty juvenile here, giggling at the sex shop and hiding during the stripper's arrival at the office. He did have some great unintentional homoerotic remarks announcing the bachelor party and that the food was ready:

The guys are having a shindig of their own in the warehouse, from 2:30 to 3:15. It is the only time that Bob is available. Sort of a guy’s night out. A G-N-O if you will, a g-no. Actually it’s more of a guy’s afternoon in, a G-A-I. A gai. Not, not, it’s, uh, not gay, it’s a, just a, it’s a bridal shower for guys. A guy shower. An hour-long shower with guys. - Side bar: Pam's restrained laughter at the end of the scene is priceless.

Michael: Who wants some man meat?
Dwight: I want some man meat!
Jim: Michael, Dwight wants your man meat.
Michael: Then my man meat he shall have!

He flipped out though once he realized that Jan would be jealous if she knew that a stripper was dancing all up on him. Perhaps a sign that he takes his relationship with Jan very seriously and doesn't want to do anything that could possibly upset her. He seriously considers whether he should be honest with her about his possible infidelity. It refreshing to see him act more mature with regards to his love life and it's a sign that he and Jan are serious if their being together can break through his normal childlike behavior. Although being Michael he still turns to the strippers for advice on what he should do.

"So you know who turned out to be kind of a creep? Ben Franklin. And Elizabeth the stripper? Gave me great advice. Which rhymed. Really makes you wonder how Ben Franklin can become president but someone like Elizabeth can’t."

Favorite moment: It could be considered two, but since one went right into the other I'm going to say it's one. When Angela states that no man should strip naked in the office, Meredith's rage-fueled, "Shut up, Angela!" had me dying with laughter. Moving into the break room, Pam tries to approach Jim regarding what's wrong because she can tell something is bothering him from the back of his neck. The goofy Pam struggling for words in order to fill the awkward silence was both hilarious and proves that later when Karen asks her if she still has lingering feelings, her first answer was the true one.