I think we all knew it was coming, but I was still sad to see the end of the Michael Scott Paper Company in last night's episode of "The Office." Sure, it ended well for pretty much everybody (except for Charles, who I suspect will not take Michael's return lightly, and Dwight, who will probably be back to doing Michael's laundry - or worse - after his most recent betrayal). But the MSPC subplot was probably the best thing to happen to the show in the last two seasons. It mixed things up, added some tension, and moved some of the characters forward - Pam is now a bona fide salesperson, Ryan has a legitimate reason to be back at Dunder-Mifflin, and Michael has proved his worth to the company, and earned some respect along the way.

And let's chew on the Michael situation for a moment. I found his portrayal this episode - in the past couple episodes, actually - to be fascinating. He's always been a mixture of childlike naivet� and aggressive incompetence with brief flashes of brilliance to make his managerial position even remotely believable. But over the past four episodes or so he's had some truly impressive moments. From his realization of David Wallace's incredibly patronizing tone (which led to Michael's resignation) to his brilliant stealing of Dwight's clients to his killer boardroom techniques last night, I wonder if we're seeing a changed Michael Scott. Of course, next week he could be back to acting like Homer Simpson. So I guess we'll see.

I'm most curious to see how this ends up recasting Michael's relationships with the Dunder-Mifflinites. Pam certainly should have a much higher opinion of him, as should Ryan - sure, he ran a profitless company, but he did make some really genius moves, like strong-arming Wallace into giving them all jobs at DM. Phyllis certainly seemed to side with Michael this episode, and Jim must be thrilled to have him back (although I don't think his rivalry with Charles is over just yet).

The prediction in the City office is that new salesperson Pam will end up outselling Andy, and possibly her fianc�, which could make for a fun dynamic. I'm totally curious to find out what Douchebag Ryan will do with the company now (a salesman too? Let's remember, the man has never made a single sale). And I can't wait to watch Michael taunt and torture Dwight, especially after that fish-in-the-vent incident last week. All in all, the past four or five episodes may have salvaged what was turning out to be an exceptionally crappy season of this show.

I just wonder who's going to take the fall when they find that Korean woman's corpse in the old MSPC van...