The Midwest region shuttered the Fort Wayne office in August, and Oscar thinks Ypsilanti or Kalamazoo or maybe both will be gone by the end of the year. The customer service rep in Utica is on maternity leave, and instead of bringing in a temp they’re forwarding all their calls to Kelly (who is sooooooooooo mad about it). The travelling salesman out of Nashua is retiring, and they’re not planning on replacing him. Pam hears through the receptionist network that almost everyone is planning on laying off at least one employee by the end of next month.

So this is a time when a wise paper salesman would put their nose to the grindstone and prove their worth.

It’s a time to try to make their boss look good.

It’s not a time to trick their boss into making a fool out of himself – particularly since Michael does that plenty without any help.

It’s certainly not a time to trick their boss into making a fool out of himself in front of their boss’ boss, especially because for the last few months Jan has been scary even by her standards.

And it’s 100% not a time to trick their boss into making a fool out of himself in front of their boss’ boss when their boss’ boss can clearly see that wise paper salesman doing it.

Just not a smart career move. Even for someone who hates the idea that this is a career.

On the other hand, Michael did ask Pam to make out with a blow-up doll in front of their entire office and a documentary film crew.

And Jim can’t forget the look on her face when he did.

And Jim also can’t forget that his reaction to the suggestion that Pam “act it out” was… not what he would have liked it to be.

(It’s a quick flash, and entirely Michael’s fault for bringing up Catherine. Catherine, who definitely would’ve been Michael’s other target if she was still here. Catherine, pushing Pam back against the conference room door with one hand, whispering “relax” while she trails her other hand down Pam’s cheek, tilting Pam’s chin up towards her mouth…

And by the time he mentally returned to the reality where his best friend was being publicly degraded, Toby had already stepped in and suggested that Michael’s questions might be answered by a corporate training video he happened to have already set up in the conference room. And Jim just has to live with the fact that he’d been too busy fantasizing about Pam to help her.)

So. Jim baits Michael anyways.

It may not be the brightest thing he’s ever done, but he can see out of the corner of his eye that he has left Pam satisfied and smiling.

Besides, he didn’t appreciate the suggestion that his new girlfriend cheat on him.