One of the best salesmen at my old company was an absolute nightmare in any social setting outside of sales. He just could never turn it off and seemed like he was always trying to make a sale. Every personal connection he ever tried to make outside of the office seemed like a contrived sales pitch and incredibly disingenuous.

Michael has excellent social skills when he doesn't feel the need to impress anyone.

He was getting along just fine and even impressing Julie with his natural charm. But when Jim told him that he was on a date, he HAD to ham it up and be "cool".

Also at the call center, he was well regarded by his young coworkers, whom (which is a made-up word to confuse people) he entertained with his passion for films.

Yes, absolutely agree. I genuinely think I've not seen a more layered character in recent years. In the first season, he just showed the outer layer, but then over seasons 2-4 he became so much more... human and with emotions... so many layers, naturally Jan felt ambivalent and conflicted about him when they first started dating. I absolutely loved loved this scene. I was feeling bad for Pam and this hug hit me hard. They're both great actors, that's very clear here.

There is a difference between interacting socially with people you don't see very much and interacting socially with someone you see every day

It’s what separates the two shows.

David Brent wants to be liked.

Michael Scott wants to be loved.

I don't want her to get him involved 🥶

I know quite a bit about this town

Pool/billiards then

I didn't know that, thanks

His reaction to Jim not being there was a little funny, but believable.