Jim has been watching this all along from his desk. "Looks like the Scranton people and the Stamford people are finally coming together," he THs. And that's what you want, right?" Which would explain the naked panic in his eyes.

Angela has clearly tattle to Dwight, because he charges up to reception, trying to shut down Pam and Karen as ranking number three. This doesn't go well, first because Andy insists he's number three, and secondly because Jim pulls rank as number two for the very first time. Because as nervous as this blossoming Pam/Karen alliance is making him, it's not bad enough that he's going to let Dwight act like an asshole to them. Using Kafka-esque authoritarian language against which Dwight has no defense, he overrules Dwight.

Andy comes into Michael's office and tells him he's taking him to lunch at Benihana. Michael desultorily changes into his coat and rounds up his "entourage:" "Jim, Dwight, Ryan, come on. We're going to Asian Hooters." As Dwight hops up, Ryan rattles off five reasons he can't go, all without taking a breath. Jim reluctantly follows them out, sarcastically thanking Ryan for taking all the excuses. Ryan rattles off another half dozen, holding up his PDA/excuse storage device and saying, "Look alive, Halpert. Welcome back." That actually gets a smile from Jim.

Michael has a weeping-head rant about bros before hos. And why? Because "one day, she ain't yo' ho no mo'." Isn't that Santa's line?

As Michael and the guys arrive at Benihana (fact: Scranton does not have a Benihana), Andy arranges things so that Michael is sitting at the head of the table with Andy at his side, and Dwight is left out in the cold. Not that I see Jim giving up the seat on the other side of Andy. But then, on the other side of Jim, a couple sits down, leaving Dwight even more isolated as he has to go sit on the other side of them, at the far end of the table.. Michael and Andy are trying to have a guy conversation, which is made even more difficult by Dwight, yelling at them from a distance to talk louder. Michael is about to call Carol, but Andy cuts that off by calling a waitress over and ordering "Nog-a-sakes." Which is more horrifying: the fact that it's pronounced "Nagasaki," or the recipe of one part eggnog, three parts sake? It would be four parts vomit, if I tried to drink one.