The Office Episode 9.16 Moving On

David Wallace reads Andy the riot act about being out of the office for three months and lying to him about it. Andy scrambles to defend himself, but Wallace cuts him off. He tells Andy he's not going to fire him, admitting that he wouldn't own the company if it weren't for Andy. "You're on very thin ice," he tells Andy.

Andy's heartbroken about Erin. He sits in his office with the door closed, wailing and crying. Erin pops in to deliver some client messages, but Andy only wants to talk about the two of them; Erin's cold. She's started seeing Pete and doesn't want to get confused. She informs Andy that she's given away the prized blue sweater he gave her. It's over. Andy seeks out his bros Clark and Pete for some solace and advice; Pete explains that women simply move on after a breakup faster than men.

Pam's excited: she's got a job interview in Philly. She stops by Athlead for a little moral support and then heads off to the office of the company with the opening, a real estate firm. She's greeted by a very quirky boss; he introduces himself as "Marky Mark, the horrible boss around here." He takes her around to meet the staff, offering a stream of consciousness commentary. Pam realizes she's found the second coming of Michael Scott!

Dwight corners Angela in the breakroom to ask for her help taking care of his aged Aunt Shirley. They head out to her farmhouse to clean her up and dress her in some new clothes. The old girl is ornery and slaps Angela. Dwight implores Angela to stay, then fetches a liter of schnapps. Now suitably drunk, Aunt Shirley sits in a chair outside. Dwight tells Angela that Shirley is waiting for Angela to cut her clothes off of her and hose her down. The powerful hose gets away from Angela. She finally shuts it off and insists that she's going to give Shirley a proper bath and a haircut. Inside Dwight catches Angela braiding Shirley's hair and giving her advice; he's smitten.

Back in the office, Erin steps away for a moment, and Andy can't help but look at the messages on her phone. He quickly suspects that her new man is Pete. Andy calls Pete into his office and gets him to admit that he is indeed Erin's new beau. Andy hits the ceiling, firing Pete on the spot. Toby pulls Andy aside to inform him that he can't just fire someone over a personal grudge; he then shows an office romance acknowledgement form between Pete and Erin. Andy's stunned.

Toby hovers around Nellie, trying to make small talk. After offering to show her his notes from the Scranton Strangler trial, Nellie boils over. She tells Toby in no uncertain terms that she simply doesn't want to hear any more about the trial. Toby tells her he's been drafting a letter to the man in prison for the crime. Nellie encourages him to send it.

Andy storms into the bullpen and calls the staff out for not supporting him while he was away. They were supposed to have his back, he tells them and returns to his office. Pete comes in to tell him it's time to move on; he tells Andy about Alice, an old girlfriend of his whom he's now just friends with. Andy tells him to leave. Erin comes in to echo Pete's sentiment. Andy listens, but is clearly not ready to let things blow over.

At the real estate office, Mark reviews Pam's resume and tells her that it's clear she's a loyal worker; he wonders about his own staff. Pam can tell he's looking for a friendly audience and plays into his insecurities. Mark whips out a guitar and sings a spontaneous ditty all about Pam. He takes her around the office to show where she would work. Even though the position was listed as an office manager, it's quickly apparent it's really more of a receptionist job.

Alice, a management consultant arrives in the office. Erin's been told to expect her and she shows her to her desk. As she gets ready to work, Alice notices Pete at the adjacent desk. It turns out they dated for two years. Erin's mortified and rushes back to reception - where she runs smack into Gabe. Not only has Andy tracked down Pete's old girlfriend to come work in the office to spite Pete, he's also called Gabe in and told him Erin's single again. The table turning's been taken to an extreme.

Toby shows up at the prison where George Skub, the convicted Scranton Strangler, is incarcerated. Toby fears he may have convicted the wrong man; he's going to visit him in the hopes of forming a friendship and right his wrong. The next time we see Toby, he's being wheeled out of the prison on a gurney, clutching his throat; there's little doubt that Skub was indeed the strangler.

With Aunt Shirley all gussied up, Dwight and Angela sit with her around a home-cooked meal. Angela seems to fit right in to the homey scene; Aunt Shirley wonders when the wedding is. At the end of the evening, Dwight sees Angela off - and plants a huge kiss on her. Angela pushes him away, explaining that she's still married. Dwight tells her to leave the Senator: he wants to be with her for the rest of their lives.

Pam and Jim enjoy a late-night dinner at the Athlead offices. She explains the strange interview - and tells Jim she's turned down the job offer. Jim tells her better luck on the next one, but Pam tells him she's not sure she would be interested, even if it were a great job and a great boss. Jim's taken aback. Pam explains that she loves their life in Scranton. They're clearly at an impasse - and it's slowly breaking their hearts.

Andy assembles Erin, Pete, Gabe and Alice around a table and asks how they felt today. They all admit it was strange. Soon enough, the exes are being petty with each other. The fighting intensifies. Andy's satisfaction grows with every grousing moment.

Oscar's got another self-improvement habit. During commercials of shows he's watching online at his desk, he dons gravity boots and rattles off a few vertical situps. But this time, it's too taxing for him. He asks his coworkers for help, but they ignore him. The blood rushes to his head. The camera zooms in on his computer screen. A tiny display ad pops up for a program listing for an upcoming show: The Office: An American Workplace. Ten years in the making, a look at the lives and loves of an average American small business office.