Original Commentary
It makes me uneasy the way Emily seems to enjoy giving Kimberly all that extra work... a little too much- maybe she's in on the "how long will it take Kimberly to crack and quit her job" betting pool?

Modern Commentary
I like how that first panel makes this storyline blend in with the last one. But were any of Kimberly's co-workers doing data entry while she was out?
I think this is another one for the "Emily likes to remind Kimberly who's in charge here" column.
Emily would never admit it and definitely doesn't think she's being mean. But it keeps happening, doesn't it? - Terrence

Original Commentary
Terrence jokes that he wants to bring in more versions of the Spare Parts crew. It's my job to make sure that does not happen.

Modern Commentary
"Brisbane doesn't know how office phones work" is a running thing. He can manage a regular 12-button home phone well enough, but add in internal calling codes, dialing 9 for an outside line and such, and it's faster for him to just walk there.
In the script, I've got a note on Robert's last line: "You can just call, you know [make this sound nicer]"
I probably could've cheered it up a little; it sounds slightly reproachful. But I don't think it makes a difference. I was very sensitive to minor changes in mood and tone when I was writing this. Overly so, I think. - Terrence

Original Commentary
At least Brisbane is smart enough to know that there is no such thing as an 'any' key... he knows you have to buy a special keyboard for that button.

Modern Commentary
So, "Ms Taylor", "Miz Taylor", or "Ms. Taylor"?
We're not the least bit consistent about it. Isabel is more likely to use Miz. I recall reading that "Ms", unlike "Mr." or "Mrs." does not have a period after it.
I don't recall where I read it. This does not appear to actually be true. In British English, many titles (Dr, Mr, Mrs, etc) don't have periods after them. In American English, they do. So when I switch between Ms and Ms. it's a matter of whether my period-after-abbreviated-title instincts kick in or my I-read-something-in-a-book-once instincts kick in.
We've never gone through all 2346 comics to standardize that, in part because we don't think that it would really improve things and because we know that we'd miss a few. - Terrence

Original Commentary
Brisbane Adams, man gigolo. I suppose there's even more perks to the fact that he's dating a leggy blonde (Terrence and I only make fun of him because we love him, really).

Modern Commentary
Firstly, Brisbane must never let Kimberly know he said this. I'm sure he means "I got kicked out of a vaudeville theatre when it went bankrupt and she took pity on me; it's not an achievement", rather than "It's not impressive that I've got a complex roommate/reformed rival/romance situation going on with Kimberly".
Secondly, it's kinda weird seeing Robert so confident and chipper. His character page says "Afraid of decisions and of disappointing people." Give it a little while for that to kick in.
Seriously, Robert is acting like a sassier Carl here. It's not until Jane shows up that I think we really get his personality nailed down. It makes sense. Here, he's just the computer guy that Brisbane can talk to.
Thirdly, has Ms. Taylor hired her boyfriends on at the company? Probably happened a few times. Ms. Taylor generally goes through personal assistants pretty quickly and there are a few that Robert had definite suspicions about. - Terrence

Original Commentary
Asking Brisbane about anything besides silk handkerchiefs that go around your neck is just silly.

Modern Commentary
Is Brisbane selling himself short or telling a pretty good self-deprecating joke?
A lot of the steps that got him here are very specific to his situation.
Dig the look of incredulity on Kimberly in that last panel. She's not saying that to tease Brisbane. She's genuinely shocked.
Brisbane is a kind, caring person. Kimberly could do worse. But he's more of a nice-once-you-get-to-know-him kinda guy rather than the sort of person who has all the women wanting to talk to him. - Terrence

Modern Commentary
Flat pack furniture! There's a story about why one of the Lounge Guys had an extra and was willing to sell it for cheap. New in box, even. I just don't know what that story is. I'm going to assume that it naturally came up in conversation a few weeks back and Brisbane remembered, because he's a good listener and pays attention to people.
And he didn't have to pay sales tax or shipping or car fare, or have to haul it on the bus.
But I like how Brisbane is able to use his people skills to solve problems. Are we using coincidences in his favor? Yes. But he deserves some good luck after everything he's gone through lately.- Terrence