My favorite sitcom needs to get some momentum back. Last night's episode was OK. There were some outstanding moments, in fact --- Michael vs. college, the office vs. the bat --- but overall things are becoming�formulaic. I guess that's to be expected from a sitcom. But from "The Office," I expect better.

The Michael Arc is particularly getting tedious. Every episode he starts out clueless and then ramps up into painfully inappropriate. (Last night's example: his diatribe about how college professors/students don't know anything about business, since they're trapped in their ivory�and ---�pointing to the black professor ---�ebony towers.) But then he always does something redeeming in the last five minutes to prevent you from hating the guy completely. Last night was his touching moment with Pam at the Worst Art Show Ever.

Speaking of Pam, of course she's back with Roy. Who didn't see that one coming? Credit to David Denman, who has been spending the season repenting for his previous offenses as Oafish Boyfriend No. 1. But once he gets Pam back he almost immediately starts backsliding into old Roy territory. It'll just make it easier for Jim and Pam to get together in the season finale, which really kind of has to happen at this point. (Especially since Rashida Jones, who plays Jim's girflriend Karen, is off the show next year.)

My favorite parts of the show are always the various background characters. Forget the leads; I'd watch a show starring just Angela, Phyllis, Creed, Meredith, and Oscar. Last night they were in fine form, as a bat infiltrated Dunder-Mifflin. Tough to decide best scene of the night: Angela with a rain bonnet on her head freaking out over poop coming from the ceiling, Creed's over-eager acceptance of Dwight's plan to "align" to destroy the bat, or Dwight coming at Meredith with a black garbage bag to capture the bat stuck in her hair. Oh, who am I kidding? Meredith takes it by a mile. She's a good screamer!