The Office - Fun Run...
As he arrives at work, Michael accidentally hits Meredith with his car, sending her to the hospital for a fractured pelvis. This event alarms the rest of the office, and especially Michael's new direct superior Ryan, who is concerned about a lawsuit. As Meredith's coworkers make plans to visit her, Michael takes over, insisting they should all go together en masse on their lunch break. Angela bows out at first in order to attend to the intense medical regimen of her ailing cat, Sprinkles. Pam insists that Angela, as head of the Party Planning Committee, has a responsibility to be part of the visit. Dwight agrees to care for the cat in her place. Meanwhile, Pam's computer gets a virus necessitating the technical support employee, Sadiq to be called in; it is revealed she got the virus while trying to buy a celebrity sex tape.
The Office - Fun Run...
The visit to the hospital is awkward, as Michael tries to extract forgiveness from Meredith, and Creed quizzes her about the pain killers she is taking. Upon the group's return to the office, Dwight unceremoniously informs Angela that her cat is dead, but is now "in a better place" (specifically, Angela's freezer).
The combination of Meredith's accident, Sprinkles' death, and the virus on Pam's computer convinces Michael that the office is cursed. He convenes a meeting to determine the cause, where he demands to know everyone's religious beliefs. Michael ultimately comes to the conclusion that "God is dead." Blaming Toby for the "curse," he orders research into mythical animals to which they could offer a sacrifice.
Kevin spies in the parking lot to see whether Jim and Pam are secretly getting together outside the office. He is disappointed to find no evidence, but the camera crew discovers Pam pulling over to a curb a block away and picking up Jim. They kiss and drive away.
Jim and Pam privately are shown the footage of them taken at the end of Part One. They lamely deny a relationship at first, but Pam finally gives up and acknowledges they are dating. Both confirm things are going well, although they seem to have no immediate intention of telling the rest of the office.
Pam inadvertently walks in on Michael while he is changing for the race, even though Michael had said "Come in" in response to her knock on the door. Michael attempts to defend himself: "European offices are naked all the time." In a talking head interview, Pam rejects the advice that if nervous during public speaking one should picture the listeners naked.
Michael insists that everyone in the office participate in the 5K, although few take it seriously. Stanley, Creed, and Oscar take a taxi to grab some beers, returning to the race just feet from the finish line. Jim and Pam mostly walk, hand-in-hand, stopping at an estate sale where Pam buys a lamp. Kevin is quickly drenched in sweat because he forgot to bring running clothes, while Andy suffers from extremely irritated nipples.
Toby ends up finishing first thanks to some inadvertent help from Dwight (who slipped Toby Imodium instead of laxatives). His joy is short-lived as he learns that the course Michael created was not circular, leaving everyone five kilometers from the office.
In the episode, Michael Scott (Steve Carell) believes the office is cursed after he accidentally hits Meredith Palmer (Kate Flannery) with his car. After being taken to the hospital, Meredith is found to have possibly been exposed to rabies. In an attempt to make amends with Meredith, Michael sponsors a fun run for rabies. Meanwhile, it is revealed that Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) and Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) are dating, while Angela Martin (Angela Kinsey) is mad at Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) for killing her cat Sprinkles.
As he arrives at work, Michael accidentally hits Meredith Palmer (Kate Flannery) with his car, sending her to the hospital for a fractured pelvis. Forced to join a group visit to Meredith in the hospital, Angela Martin (Angela Kinsey) leaves Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) with complicated instructions on the care of her ailing cat, Sprinkles. During the hospital visit, Michael fails to obtain forgiveness from Meredith. When Angela returns to the office, Dwight informs her that her cat is dead, explaining that he killed her cat because it was suffering and because this is normal on the farm. Angela is furious because, according to her, being euthanized prevents Sprinkles from being in "cat heaven".
The combination of Meredith's accident, Sprinkles' death, and a virus on Pam's computer (which is cleaned by the company's tech support employee, Sadiq, portrayed by Omi Vaidya) convinces Michael that the office is cursed. Dwight discovers that Meredith has had a precautionary rabies shot due to bat bites that she received in "Business School". Michael immediately takes credit for saving Meredith's life by sending her to the hospital and declares the curse over. However, still feeling guilty about hurting Meredith, Michael organizes a charity five-kilometer (3.1 mile) fun run to raise awareness of the dangers of rabies. Over half of the money raised is spent on the check presentation ceremony. Whilst Michael is getting changed for the race, Pam sees him naked. Few take the race seriously: Creed, Oscar and Stanley sneak off to a bar; Jim and Pam visit a garage sale; however, Toby Flenderson (Paul Lieberstein) finishes first. Michael becomes ill, having "carbo-loaded", as he ate fettuccine Alfredo before the race and abstained from water. In the hospital for dehydration, Michael is visited by Meredith. In recognition of his efforts, she forgives him, and they share a lollipop.
Summary (NBC): A freak accident causes Michael to feel the office is cursed. He decides to hold a charity 5K fun run. Further developments in the romances of Pam and Jim, and Dwight and Angela, are explored. One-hour episode.
Pam: You have reached the offices of Dunder Mifflin Scranton. Currently the entire staff is out doing the Michael Scott D.M.S.M.P.M.C. Rabies Awareness Pro-Am Fun Run Race.Michael: For The Cure.Pam: Leave a message.
The show has to evolve or it would become repetitive and those who are complaining about the changes would be complaining about the stagnation. Obviously, you do not have to like the changes that are being made, but to expect no changes (always in office, pam looking/acting the same, etc) is not good for the show.
I noticed several returning guest parts, most of which have previously appeared in only one episode: Elizabeth the stripper, the turbaned computer tech dude, Billy the wheelchair-bound building admin, Bob Vance. Kind of like old home week at the office.
Toby: And the winner is Toby Flenderson!Kelly: Have a seat, I'll write it down.Toby: Where are we?Kelly: I dunno, like 5 kilometers from the office.Toby: He couldn't have made it a circle?
Tropes Amusing Injuries: Andy's chafed nipples.
Bait-and-Switch: In-Universe, When Michael comes in to inform the office of Meredith's injury, he phrases it in a way that sounds as though Meredith had died of her injuries, with the rest of the staff, most pointedly Pam and Jim, expressing horrified reactions, right before Michael reveals that she will be fine. Stanley makes it clear he is NOT amused.Stanley: What is wrong with you?! Why did you have to phrase it like that?
Both Sides Have a Point: Dwight euthanized a pet he had been entrusted to care for without the consent of its owner, and is undeniably callous and unempathetic to Angela's love for the cat, dismissing it as an animal with "no utility." On the other hand, Angela was clearly in heavy denial that it was Sprinkles' time to go, was forcing the poor cat to stay alive long past the point where she had any quality of life, and refused to even consider euthanasia as a humane option.
Chronic Pet Killer: Dwight euthanizes Sprinkles. He also claims that it's unethical to keep Meredith alive, acting like she's a vegetable even though she's fully conscious. At one point, he boasts about euthanizing over 150 animals in a pet hospital in a single day.
Clingy Jealous Girl: Jan threatens Pam after she inadvertently saw Michael with his pants down.
Continuity Nod: Elizabeth, the dancer from S3's "Ben Franklin" reappears as a sexy nurse.
Michael: I'm glad you went back and got your degree. Dwight speaks to an intern regarding Meredith's hysterectomy, referencing "Health Care"
Early-Bird Cameo: Toby mentions Alfredo's pizza picked his business card. In "Launch Party," Alfredo's is part of the plot.
Everyone Can See It: Kevin says that Jim and Pam are hooking up because all they do is smile. Played With as Oscar says there is no evidence of intimacy, though he seems to agree with Kevin, noticing that they've both been in a remarkably good mood lately. Kevin: Are you kidding me?!
Foreshadowing: Dwight advocates pulling the plug on Meredith, saying that, as a farmer, you kill wounded animals. This is the first clue that he actually killed Angela's cat.
Fridge Horror: An in-universe example. Jim points out that last year, Michael complained of a "speed bump" on the highway. He then wonders who Michael ran over last time.
Gag Censor: Michael's penis is digitally scrambled when Pam accidentally walks in on him.
Giant Novelty Check: Michael insists on presenting one of these to a "rabies doctor," which drastically cuts into their donations. It ends up being only $340note after paying for the giant check and stripper made out "to science."
Hollywood Law: Michael being charged with assault, careless driving and a number of other things isn't even addressed. Corporate doesn't even follow up on it after Michael confirms to Ryan that it happened on company property.
Indian Burial Ground: Michael asks if anyone has done anything to an Indian burial ground.
Insane Troll Logic: Michael says that because he hit Meredith on company property (the parking lot) with company property (his car), that counts as double jeopardy and the company is fine. Ryan points out that that's not how double jeopardy works.note Double jeopardy means you can't be prosecuted again for the same crime following a valid acquittal.
Toby is Satan.
The office is cursed because Phyllis and Bob are (slightly) different religions.note She is Lutheran, he is Unitarian. That means both would be considered Protestants.
Jerkass Has a Point: While he went around it in the complete wrong way, Dwight does raise valid points about Sprinkles's quality of life (Angela says that the cat has had 'countless ailments' in her life) and he at least attempted to euthanize her humanely.
Lack of Empathy: Dwight is extremely cold when he tells Angela that her cat is dead. He doesn't even get her name right. He justifies this as having been raised on a farm with no pets, only animals of utility.
The Maiden Name Debate: Pam notes out that almost marrying Roy is the closest she ever wants to be to "Pamela Anderson."
Manchild: In a deleted scene, Michael sees his pediatrician to treat his dehydration. Even in the aired version, he has a sucker in his mouth.
Never My Fault: Michael blames Pam for seeing him naked, even though you can clearly hear him saying "Come in."
Product Placement: This is the first episode to feature Wegmans-brand products. Wegmans is a major grocery chain in the northeastern US.
Put on a Bus: Karen. She briefly appears in the cold open as Jim explains that he broke up with her, and then came in the next day to find her desk completely cleaned out. She appears in a later episode having become regional manager of the Utica branch.
Relationship Upgrade: Jim and Pam are now officially dating.
Rule of Three: Invoked in Michael's Insane Troll Logic. Pam crashes her computer downloading porn, Michael runs over Meredith, and then Sprinkles dies.
Running Over the Plot: Michael ends up accidentally running over Meredith when he pulls in to the parking lot. While she's in the hospital, the doctor discovers a previous case of rabies, so Michael being Michael decides to host an office fun run for rabies treatment.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Oscar, Creed, and Stanley bail out of the race early on and go to a bar.
Tempting Fate: Michael declares that with Jan at home, Jim back, Ryan at corporate, Dwight and Andy rocking at sales, this is gonna be a good year. And then he runs over Meredith.
Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Pam insisting that Angela visits Meredith at the hospital triggers a chain of events that leads to Angela breaking up with Dwight, setting up a Relationship Revolving Door that will last all the way into Season 9.
Vomit Indiscretion Shot: Michael pukes up his fettucine on camera.
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