The Office: The 3 Best Episodes of 2008, and What Makes them Great

2008 was a bizarre year for television. The writers' strike toyed with viewers waiting anxiously for plot lines to be resumed and left a lot of shows crippled as they struggled to put together something reasonably coherant on such short notice. Lucky for Office fans, 2008 saw more of the same cutting wit and great writing without too much ramification from the strike. I've taken another look at the output this year (it isn't over yet!) and ranked three of the finest episodes to make it easier on anyone wanting to look back at the finer highlights.

3. Did I Stutter?Episode 12, Season 4

Stanley, the accountant unfortunately bearing the brunt of Michael's inept stereotyping of African Americans, is fed up. With examinations into the power structure between the office heirarchy of characters as well as a glimpse into the general insubordination some employees might feel justified to put up against Michael's antics, this episode was one of the funniest I've ever seen. Jim and Pam are still simmering, as Jim toils over proposing while being bullied by a newly-appointed boss Ryan, Dwight screws Andy out of his Xterra with Vadaresque mind controlling sales tactics, and Michael learns that gang conflicts are solved with "fluffy fingers" from the warehouse employees.

2. Weight Loss. Episode 1, Season 5

The Office made a fine fall return after a seemingly endless summer vacation. Pam is in New York City at an art institute and it's making Jim plenty nervous in Scranton, so he proposes at a gas station in the pouring rain after talking her into meeting him half-way for lunch. With Kelly swallowing what Creed told her was a tapeworm in an effort to assist Scranton in a corporate weight-loss competition gone totally insane thanks to typical Michael Scott shennanigans, and Michael making a bit of a move on new HR representative Holly by ripping up two tickets for the Counting Crows, once again fans found it easy to breathe as the show got back to its normal stride. Dwight and soon-to-be-married-to-Andy Angela are hooking up in a warehouse, Ryan is working on his enemies list after a drug-induced/white collar fraud fall from corporate grace, and poor Toby has found himself in a Costa Rican hospital watching Spanish reruns of Entourage and likely contemplating suicide.

1. Frame Toby Episode 8, Season 5

While neither the year or the season is over, the most recent episode to date is likely one of the finest of the year. Toby returns from his extended, disasterous stay in Costa Rica much to Michael's total disbelief. While he's horrified the little "bothersome" schlub that left to give way to a woman Michael may have really cared about is about to come back for good, he and Dwight plot Toby's firing. Though inciting him to take a swing at Michael and attempting to get him to sexually harrass newly returned Pam doesn't work, eventually Michael ponies up 500 dollars for some weed to plant in Toby's desk. Meanwhile, Jim bought his parents' house so he and Pam have a place to live once they inevitably marry in an adorable, quirky ceremony. The problem is, he didn't tell Pam he was buying the house.

Ryan breaks up with Kelly again after forcing her to call things off with Darryl, narcisstically claiming that he needs extra money to travel with some high school kids. This is of course a cover up for BJ Novak's upcoming role in Quentin Tarrantino's much-hyped Inglorious Bastards, but with Ryan's character arc dangerously approaching irreconciably douchey traits, I don't think he'll be around for too much longer. A falling out with Michael perhaps? The highlight of the episode, by far, was Creed's reaction to police arriving to search Toby's desk. It was easy to tell that Creed hides A LOT of drugs in his filing cabinet, wouldn't you say?

While the 2008 season wraps in the coming weeks, Office fans can be pleased to know that another year of nuanced, fantastic TV will be returning in 2009. No need to stress, at least until after the finale leaves you with your jaw on the floor.