Phillys Vance, Vance Refrigeration

Performance Review
"Enjoy the show, I know I will!" - quote from last post
O sweet irony!
It's always tough to analyze something that didn't live up to your expectations, and I admit that I allowed myself to get hyped up for this episode, and it consequently let me down. If I had written this review the night I saw the episode, it would have probably been a bleakly cynical riposte on why the Office was completely letting me down. Another viewing, a couple conversations, and some reflective contemplation, have provided me with a much different look at Phyllis' Wedding. Here you will get to see me argue with myself, which happens more often than you would expect.
Point 1 - Michael was too over the top
Of course he was. So every time Michael opened his mouth you began to cringe. Isn't that what Michael has always done? My first viewing only allowed me to feel sick about how inappropriate Michael was being, but further inspection makes me feel even more sorry for the guy. His only other encounter with a wedding was a complete failure, and Michael Scott obviously vowed (small pun intended) to make this wedding a success. The problem? Michael had no idea how to do this.
Point 2 - It just wasn't that funny
Now this thought was not justified at all, it was just me being jaded about point 3. This episode really did provide some understated, funny moments. While I thought the Michael humor was pretty flat, Kelly, Toby, and Creed provided some indelible moments. Kelly hit two home runs with her explanation of why she wore white at a wedding, and getting the bouquet knocked away from her by a sharp Ryan. Then the bouquet goes to the girl Toby met at the gym, who lands a peck on the often melancholy man. Toby's subsequent self-congratulation has to be one of the funniest parts of this season. And Creed yet again manages to creep me out and make me chuckle with his small part in the wedding.
Point 3 - Pam left with Roy and broke my heart
How can fictional characters break my heart? I have no idea, but I threw the nearest thing I could find (a stuffed Pokemon character, coincidentally) at the TV screen when Roy walked out the door with Pam in hand. Even though it seemed inevitable that Roy would make a push for Pam's affection, I still stubbornly refused to think that Pam would fall into that trap again. Well, she did, and now we'll wait to see how long it takes to get herself out. My initial opinion was that this get-together was cliche and they were just trying to draw as much out of this love diamond (is that the right term?) as they could. After much contemplation I am still upset over this turn, but the writers could still surprise me, after all they certainly have in the past.
So, the long and short of it is: This episode did not meet lofty expectations, but was still well worth seeing. There you have it.