COSTUME CONTEST

The Office

Season 5 (2010)

Nothing can beat The Office’s first and best Halloween episode but “Costume Contest” once again captures the awkward joys of celebrating the holiday in the workplace.  The premise is that the stakes have been raised for the Dunder-Mifflin (or is it Dunder-Mifflin-Sabre something?  Things got so freaking complicated on this show) Halloween party, as Pam has purchased one of those local coupon books as a prize for the costume contest.  A running gag throughout the episode is that everyone thinks the prize is actually worth $15,000 (rather than the $15,000 in savings that it promises), leading to some fiercer than normal competition.

Michael as MacGruber.  And an awesome black & white jack o'lantern.

Unfortunately the costume contest is actually a subplot and the main storyline is less interesting, concerning Michael feeling betrayed by Darryl after he goes over his head with an idea for corporate.  Layered on top of that is yet another storyline about Jim and Pam working with a guy Pam briefly dated (Jim and Pam’s journey from adorable to insufferably smug is one of the reasons I quit following the show; unfortunately they are in their smug “married with kids” phase here).

But back to the good Halloween stuff!  My favorite costume on display is a giant, creepy mask worn by secretary Erin.  Throughout the episode she’s seen sitting at her desk or in the background wearing her normal clothes and going about her normal business yet with this freaky mask on.  I find it way more hilarious than I probably have any right to.  I also got a kick out of seeing Gabe run a meeting while dressed as Lady Gaga, and we get a handful of creative costumes referencing other 2010 pop culture luminaries such as True Blood, Nicki Minaj and Sonia Sotomayor.

Don't ask me why I love this so much.  I just do.

Erin is robbed of her Best Costume award as Oscar ends up winning, despite having ditched his costume in favor of appearing as “The Rational Consumer” in an effort to remind everyone that the prize isn’t worth fighting for (a closing montage shows the varied reasons why everyone ended up voting for him despite his lack of costume).

Friends don't let friends apple bob.

The costumes and the comedy are the real draw here but you get a fairly long Halloween party sequence, complete with a good bobbing for apples bit, that will definitely help get you in the mood for your own upcoming awkward office shindig.

Halloween Quotient: 3

See It, Skip It, Own It?

The creative costumes alone merit a look-see but this is a genuinely funny episode with a lot of Halloween cheer.  Definitely worth a watch!