Thursday marks the season ender of the fifth season of The Office and it's sure to have some big moments and exciting cliffhangers. After all, it's also the 100th episode of the series. As you might have heard, season 5 wraps up with the annual Dunder Mifflin company picnic where employees from Scranton, Utica, New York, and Nashua have gathered for some fun under the sun. But as you all know, The Office is not your average sitcom, so we should expect some quirky mishaps along the way. And Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello even hints that "the episode ends with a doozy of a twist, the repercussions of which will be felt well into next season."

Want more clues to the finale? Read on for more spoilers and speculations!



Guest Stars

As reported previously, Amy Ryan will be reprising her dorky role as Holly, while Idris Elba will be back as well to play Charles. What does this mean for Michael (Steve Carell)? The return of Charles would probably mean torture for Michael (and Jim) but Holly's return could imply either one of two things: She's getting back with Michael or she's putting an end to that possibility. Michael and Holly haven't seen each other since she transferred to Nashua earlier this season so sparks are likely to fly when they reunite for the finale (there's also a kiss involved). Then again, Holly already has a new boyfriend, who also appears in the episode, so that could also mean that Michael and Holly's reunion will serve as some sort of closure for these two characters. Personally, I would love for Holly to stick around next season and rekindle something with Michael --the poor guy has been through a lot of heartaches and even the world's worst boss deserves a break!





"Company Picnic" is the New "Beach Games"

If you enjoyed the third season's "Beach Games," the episode where Michael decides to hold a Survivor-like competition at Lake Scranton to determine his successor after being invited to interview for a position at Dunder-Mifflin corporate headquarters in New York City, then you'll love the finale. It's probably even better because the whole company is involved and not just the Scranton branch. I'm really excited to see how the Scranton branch will outlast the other branches in a volleyball tournament. According to Ed Helms, there's "a lot of disparate elements converging. What the writers did is really fun and creative. It doesn't boil down to passive aggressive little picnic games with a vengeance. There's a lot more going on than that."

No Wedding Bells for Pam

Pam (Jenna Fischer) and Jim (John Krasinski) nearly got married in last week's "Café Disco" but decided that they both want a "cheesy" wedding. For fans wishing that these two lovebirds will tie the knot by the end of season 5, don't get your hopes up! According to TV Guide, the show is planning for a fall wedding. I'm actually glad that Pam and Jim didn't get married last week and I'm hoping that when The Office returns next season, the writers wouldn't deprive us from witnessing the big event. So what's in store for Pam in the finale? TV Guide reveals that Pam will be rushed to the hospital when she breaks her ankle during a fierce volleyball game.  
Love is in the Cards for Dwight

After getting his heart broken by Angela, Dwight (Rainn Wilson) finally finds himself in a budding romance with none other than...Angela!? While it has never been implied that Angela and Dwight will be rekindling their romance, Angela Kinsey has hinted to Zap2it.com that "Dwight is totally Angela's true love and the two of them will be talking again by season's end." Angela and Dwight are a very odd couple but after witnessing their on-again off-again relationship, I've finally come to terms with the fact that these two weirdos are meant to be together.

Kelly, Andy and Ryan

Andy (Ed Helms) and Kelly (Mindy Kaling) were probably the best part of "Cafe Disco" and I can't help but feel that there's something going on between these two. I'm actually hoping to see more of the Kelly-Andy pairing in the future, seeing just how odd and hilarious their chemistry is. Unfortunately, I haven't stumbled on anything about Kelly and Andy for the finale. On the other hand, fans can expect Ryan (B. J. Novak) to step it up again for Kelly. The odd thing about this is that I haven't seen Kelly and Ryan interact since Ryan resurfaced at Dunder Mifflin. I've been hoping for an in-your-face Kelly drama to happen or perhaps some sort of flirting between these two but nothing has happened so far. Here's hoping that the finale won't disappoint.



-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
(Image courtesy of NBC)