My belief is that upon finding out there was a position open in the NY office, they both agreed to try for it ASAP. Because, damn, they both should be more attractive to upper mgt than Michael, who just broke up with Jan, after all, and is well-known for his fuckups.

I love Pam Beesly as much as I love Buffy Summers.

Pam may be the show's answer to Tara. Two insecure persons growing more confident in themselves and their abilities. And I find it very easy to have a lot of sympathy for Karen, who after all hasn't done anything wrong.

And I (ETA: also) got the impression that Jim and Karen were both trying to get the corporate position for themselves. So, undermining Michael in the sense of competing with him but not in the sense of trying to bring him down.

I love Pam Beesly as much as I love Buffy Summers. There. I've said it. And I'd say it again.

Say it as many times as you want. The same comparison came to my mind.

I didn't think Karen looked bitchy so much as...I don't even know how to put it.

she definitely looked bitchy to me, but i certainly didn't blame her. Jim's a great guy and she already knows he still has feelings for Pam. so having Pam come out and say she has feelings for Jim and then say that she knows he's in a relationship and follow that comment with a "whatever" and i would be pretty pissy too. in fact, if i were Karen i probably would have had to say something. so i have to give credit to Karen for just sitting there and letting Pam have this moment.

Are we to understand that they called him? To undermine Michael? Or ...?

I started thinking about that this morning. i'm guessing they called him, but i don't think it was undermining so much as knowing they were probably more suited to the corporate position than Michael. honestly, i can't even believe the higher ups would even consider Michael for a corporate position.

i can't even believe the higher ups would even consider Michael for a corporate position.

Yeah I'm wondering about what's going on there. Is it just a plot device or something else? Maybe they think he'll do less damage in upper management!

I kind of would have liked a talking head of Karen or Jim at the end. for the awkward. but I guess next week will be the fall out.

Maybe they think he'll do less damage in upper management!

A few bad managers around here have been transferred/promoted into positions where they have nice titles but don't supervise anybody. They might be thinking along those lines, getting Michael into a position that plays into his strengths. If he has any.

A few bad managers around here have been transferred/promoted into positions where they have nice titles but don't supervise anybody.

Don't they just fire people for incompetence?

Don't they just fire people for incompetence?

BWHAHAHAHAHA!! That's so cute! You can tell that David's been out of a traditional office. fire people for not doing their jobs? That doesn't happen anymore!

Especially in government. These people tended to be excellent technicians tossed into management with (1) little or no training in how to manage, and (2) personalities that didn't translate well to supervising people.

There's also the bad managers left to continue being bad managers. Largely because they manage(d) to keep impressing the higher-ups while the people they supervise(d) were on the verge of mutiny.

And I'm using the phrase "bad manager" here to refer to those bosses that seem to have an instinct for alienating the people they supervise.

Too bad Michael seems to be a good salesman. Stupid Peter Principle. He would be double-disaster in the corp. offices in New York!

And I feel really bad for Toby, too, Fred.