‘The Office’ Review: “Roy’s Wedding”

As last week's 'The Office' started the beginning of the last season of the hit show, it introduced us to two new characters, and suggested Jim might be ready to move on to something bigger and brighter than Dunder Miflin. "New Guys" wasn't a banner episode, but it did introduce our newest members of the cast, and they could be fun.

So have they finally hit their stride now that the groundwork's been laid for a series conclusion, or are we going to have to still deal with more set up for how things wrap up? "Roy's Wedding" is this week's episode and it brings back a familiar face (not Steve Carell) to the proceedings. Read on for our in-depth recap of "Roy's Wedding."

The episode starts with the office covered in garbage. Dwight is too cheap to get someone to cover for the janitor's vacation, so Pam creates the chore wheel, which disappoints everyone by not actually spinning. When it does spin, no one likes that "winning" means that they have to clean things. Eventually, Pam abandons chores, just to have a game where people spin things and either win prizes (like ten bucks or being office manager for an hour), or lose things (like internet privileges or their lunch to Stanley).

Jim and Pam are then off to Roy's wedding, which Jim notes is weird because Roy is Pam's ex-fiancée. Back at the office Nellie is starting a charity "Operation Give Back," but notes that Andy has stopped all her other special projects, but thinks he wouldn't shut down a charity.

At Roy's wedding, Jim and Pam are shocked at Roy's house and being offered a mimosa on arrival. Jim gets a call, but won't admit that it's about his new business with his college friend. Jim also tells us that Pam said no to the idea. Nellie pitches her Operation Give Back, and everyone chimes in with their favorite charity, until Dwight picks a charity he knows to be a front for the Taliban.

Roy and Jim have a heart to heart, and Roy admits he wouldn't have met his wife-to-be if it wasn't for Jim, and jokes he dodged a bullet. Roy started a successful gravel business, and it's taken off. New guy Clark pitches Erin on doing an audition for a news show, and that she'll have to wear a couple different outfits and drink wine. Erin says maybe. In an interview the other new guy Pete calls Clark a douche. Erin seems excited about getting into something else, not realizing the skeeze factor.

Roy gives a toast to his new wife Laura, and then plays a song on the piano and sings. Both Jim and Pan are shocked, and question whether they surprise each other any more, but they both suggest they know everything about each other... except Jim isn't ready to reveal his secrets.

Back at the office, Jim and Pam are trying to find things about themselves the other doesn't know, but are stumped. Angela suggests she and her husband still have mystery, which makes Oscar spit-take his coffee. To get Dwight back Nellie asks him to sign a Taliban pledge to live by their rules, which Dwight agrees to because Nellie used a ridiculous font. Nellie then steals a pen and says that either Dwight has to chop off her hand, or change charities. Dwight agrees to the chopping.

Andy consults with Erin about Clark's "job offer," which sends Andy in to negotiate what clothes Erin needs. Clark rattles off some clothes choices, and Andy writes it down while new guy Pete looks on in horror as Andy gives Clark a credit card to buy Erin clothes. The rest of the office are now quizzing Jim and Pan on how much they know about each other until Jim gets a phone call about the new job. And Pam notes that there may actually be something she doesn't know about Jim.

Darryl comes to the office after the wedding and announces that there's a meeting about Erin's body, and her confidence. Darryl gets the best laugh of the night, explaining the reasons why he loves 'The Godfather' and 'Scarface.' Andy leads a meeting explaining Clark's audition, and has everyone compliment Erin's looks. Erin says that she will do whatever it takes to get the job, which gets Clark excited. Nellie puts her hand on the chopping block, while Erin practices her newscasting for Andy and Darryl and proves she doesn't know that much about current events. Pam tells Jim about how a couple weeks ago an old high school friend hit on her to surprise him, and he knows she's lying. She tries to get him to spill, but he stalls, much as Dwight stalls about cutting off Nellie's hand.

Pete comes into to Andy's office and pitches the idea of Erin having a co-anchor for the audition. And while Dwight stalls Darryl brings in a copy of '127 Hours' for the two to watch. Pete shows up at Clark's with Erin and Andy in tow, and lies to Clark that he's supposed to do Andy's make up. The two do a take, and Clark calls it a wrap, but Andy insists they do more, which leaves Pete having dinner with Erin, and as Erin replaced Pam, and Pete is called the new Jim...

In the wrap up, Dwight and Nellie finish the movie and call each other stupid, stuck in a stalemate.

The most interesting thing about this episode is that they paint Clark Duke's character Clark as a date rapist. Where most of the other characters are loveably batty, they've already turned this character into someone who's pretty despicable. Ellie Kemper's Erin is then left playing exceptionally dumb, but her charm makes it less squirm-worthy than it should be. The Jim and Pam stuff this episode is mostly padding, as there's no real evolution from what happened in the last episode, and it's likely this stalling will go on for another episode or two.

On a whole, this episode's a bit of a miss. It's not terrible by any stretch, but - unless Clark Duke's character becomes one of the worst people on television - that section of this week's show is just going to prove alienating. But what did you think of "Roy's Wedding?" Leave your thoughts in the comment section bellow.