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Both episodes of "Lecture Circuit" received generally positive reviews. Whitney Pastorek of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' described them as "nearly perfect", calling them the two best episodes of the season so far: "[Writer Mindy Kaling] nailed the characterizations, the interactions, the tossed-off one-liners, the weird-yet-realistic scenarios...I wonder how much it helps that she's out on the acting floor every day, getting attuned to her costars' rhythms?"<ref name="EWeekly2" /> Josh McAuliffe of ''[[The Times-Tribune (Scranton)|The Times-Tribune]]'' of [[Scranton, Pennsylvania|Scranton]], [[Pennsylvania]], said the first "Lecture Circuit" episode was his favorite episode of the fifth season so far, which he said provided several laugh-out-loud moments and a poignancy with Michael's decision to find Holly.<ref name="ScrantonTimes1" /> McAuliffe described the second episode as a "satisfying wrap-up" and said Michael's outburst during the lecture was "one of the most painful Michael meltdown moments in the show's history".<ref name="ScrantonTimes2" /> Alan Sepinwall of ''[[The Star-Ledger]]'' said the first episode perfectly balanced drama and comedy. He particularly complimented the chemistry between both Carell and Fischer and between Krasinski and Wilson, and said he was particularly pleased to receive closure over the Karen character.<ref name="Sepinwall1" /> But Sepinwall said the second episode felt padded with "material I would have been fine seeing as deleted scenes". Although he described Carell's reaction to the news that Holly still has feelings for him as a "wonderful performance", Sepinwall also said the subplot involving Angela's cat was particularly unfunny and that subplot with Jim and Dwight, "so brilliant last week, ran out of steam quickly here."<ref name="Sepinwall2" />
Nathan Rabin of ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' said the episode "was full of laughs but had a bit of a bittersweet aftertaste" and had "one hell of a cliffhanger" ending. Rabin praised the Jim and Dwight teaming in the first episode, but said the plot line of Michael's lectures were predictable and "promised more than it delivered".<ref name="AVClub1" /> Rabin said the second episode "wrapped up everything up nicely [and] delivered larfs aplenty"; he particularly enjoyed the subplot involving Angela's cats, and the fact that it "left the door open for Holly's return".<ref name="AVClub2" /> [[Will Leitch]] of ''[[New York (magazine)|New York]]'' magazine praised the cliffhanger ending of the first episode and said he was pleased the Holly character was still in the show's equation. Leitch also praised Ed Helms, who "is nailing the right combination of ridiculous and sad-sack pathos", although he said he "[was not] nearly as inspired" by the Jim and Dwight subplot.<ref name="NyMag1" /> Leitch also enjoyed the second episode, particularly the "legitimately sweet moment" when Pam tells Michael that Holly still has feelings for him. Leitch was less praiseworthy of the Angela subplot involving her cats, and said the character "appears to have officially gone batshit insane."<ref name="NyMag2" /> Travis Fickett of ''[[IGN]]'' criticized the first episode and said, "I'm starting to wonder if the show is showing signs of winding down." Fickett said the idea of Michael giving awkward lecture tours felt old and familiar, so much so that "I was convinced it was a repeat". He also said the Jim and Dwight idea was funny, but "nothing the show hasn't tapped before".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fickett |first=Travis |title=The Office: "Lecture Circuit, Part 1" Review |work=[[IGN]] |date=February 6, 2009 |url=http://tv.ign.com/articles/951/951961p1.html |access-date=February 24, 2010}}</ref> Likewise, Fickett described the second episode as "average ''Office'' and feels overly familiar without really blazing any new ground." He also said it was disappointing Holly did not appear, and that Angela felt like a "caricature" in her subplot.<ref name="Fickett">{{Cite news |last=Fickett |first=Travis |title=The Office: "Lecture Circuit, Part Two" Review |work=[[IGN]] |date=February 13, 2009 |url=http://tv.ign.com/articles/954/954257p1.html |access-date=February 24, 2010}}</ref>
The scene with Angela licking her cat was heavily criticized by reviewers,<ref name="NyMag2" /><ref name="Fickett" /><ref name="Hernandez0409">{{Cite news |last=Hernandez |first=Lee |title="Office" Talk with Oscar Nuñez |work=[[Latina (magazine)|Latina]] |url=http://www.latina.com/blogs/vivo-por-tivo/office-talk-oscar-nu%C3%B1ez?quicktabs_1=0 |access-date=February 23, 2010}}</ref> prompting some observers to describe it as the moment when ''The Office'' [[Jumping the shark|jumped the shark]], a phrase used to describe the moment of downturn for a previously successful television show.<ref name="Hernandez0409" /> When asked about this during an interview, actor Oscar Nuñez responded, "No show is 'Jump the Shark'-proof, but there have been other moments on ''The Office'' that I think were more 'Jump the Shark' than that." He did not specify what other moments he meant.<ref name="Hernandez0409" />
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