The fourth season of the American televisioncomedyThe Office premiered in the United States on NBC on September 27, 2007, and concluded on May 15, 2008. The season consisted of 9 half-hour episodes, and 5 hour-long episodes to comprise the 19 total episodes of material created. The Office is an American adaptation of the British TV series of the same name, and is presented in a mockumentary format, portraying the daily lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of the fictitious Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. The season was interrupted and shortened due to the effects of the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, in which the writers and some actors of The Office went on strike; although 30 half-hour episodes had been ordered, only 19 were actually filmed. Several of the finished episodes were condensed into hour-long episodes, resulting in only 14 episodes being aired. It stars Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, and B. J. Novak, with supporting performances from Melora Hardin, Ed Helms, Leslie David Baker, Brian Baumgartner, Creed Bratton, Kate Flannery, Mindy Kaling, Angela Kinsey, Paul Lieberstein, Oscar Nunez, Craig Robinson, and Phyllis Smith.
May 17, 2016 Download 2007 Microsoft Office Add-in: Microsoft Save as PDF or XPS from Official Microsoft Download Center. Experience the best of Office with the latest versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more. Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint File Formats Free Open, edit, and save files using the new file formats in 2007 versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Jul 20, 2010 Install Update for Microsoft Office Word 2007 (KB974631). To do this, follow these steps: Download the.exe file by clicking on the Download button at the top of the page, and then save the file to your hard disk drive. It is recommended that you quit any programs you are running. Microsoft word 2007 download. Microsoft word 2007 free download - Microsoft Office Word 2007 Update, Microsoft Office Basic 2007, Microsoft Word, and many more programs. Office 2007 include applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. They’re available as a one-time purchase for use on a single PC. Office 365 plans include premium versions of these applications plus other services that are enabled over the Internet, including online storage with OneDrive and Skype minutes for home use. Season four marked the departure of Karen Filippelli (Rashida Jones) as a regular character, although she appeared for a few seconds in the first episode, 'Fun Run' and in the sixth episode, 'Branch Wars', as the regional manager of the Utica branch. Relationships again emerged as the main theme of the season, with Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) and Pam Beesly's (Jenna Fischer) rising, and Michael Scott (Steve Carell) and Jan Levinson's (Melora Hardin), as well as Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) and Angela Martin's (Angela Kinsey) declining. Technology was another prevalent theme as the office staff struggled with initiatives introduced by Ryan Howard (B. J. Novak) to modernize the company. The fourth season of The Office aired on Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. (Eastern) in the United States. The season marked a slight drop in ratings compared to the previous two seasons. Critical reception to the season continued to be largely positive. The season was released on DVD by Universal Studios Home Entertainment in a four-disc box set in the Region 1 area on September 2, 2008. The DVD set contains all 19 episodes, as well as commentaries from creators, writers, actors, and directors on some of the episodes. It also contains deleted scenes from all of the episodes, as well as bloopers and other promos.
Production[edit]The fourth season of the show was produced by Reveille Productions and Deedle-Dee Productions, both in association with Universal Media Studios. The show is based upon the British series created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, both of whom are executive producers on both the US and UK versions.[1]The Office is produced by Greg Daniels,[1] who is also an executive producer and the show runner. All the writers from the previous season returned, with the writing staff consisting of Daniels, Michael Schur, Lester Lewis, Mindy Kaling, B. J. Novak, Paul Lieberstein, Lee Eisenberg, Gene Stupnitsky, Jennifer Celotta, Brent Forrester, and Justin Spitzer. Schur, Lieberstein and Celotta were co-executive producers; Kaling, Eisenberg and Stupnitsky were producers; Novak and Lewis were supervising producers; and Forrester was a consulting producer. This season featured 19 half-hour segments which were combined and aired to produce 14 distinct episodes, directed by 11 directors. Greg Daniels, Craig Zisk, Ken Whittingham, Paul Lieberstein, Jason Reitman, Joss Whedon, Paul Feig, Julian Farino, Jeffrey Blitz, Randall Einhorn, and Tucker Gates each directed episodes during the season, with Feig and Whittingham directing multiple episodes. Although The Office was mainly filmed on a studio set at Valley Center Studios in Van Nuys, California,[2] the city of Scranton, Pennsylvania, where the show is set, was also used for shots of the opening theme.[3] Originally, NBC ordered a full season[4] of 30 episodes.[5] After 12 episodes were filmed, production was suspended due to the effects of the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on November 5, 2007.[6][7] Filming of The Office immediately halted on that date, as Steve Carell, who is a member of the WGA, refused to cross WGA picket lines.[8] Members of Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West voted to end the 100-day strike on February 12, 2008,[9] and writers were allowed to return to work on the same day.[10] The WGA allowed for show runners to return to work on February 11,[11] in preparation for the conclusion of the strike. The show runner for The Office, Greg Daniels, returned on February 11,[12] and the show's writers returned to work on February 13.[10] The duration of the strike resulted in a script of a Christmas-themed episode being discarded, as production of the episode was due to start the week that the strike began.[13] The basic premise of the Christmas episode, which revolved around the German folk character Belsnickel, was later purposely recycled and reused in the ninth season entry 'Dwight Christmas'.[14] Cast[edit]Many characters portrayed by The Office cast are based on the British version of the show. While these characters normally have the same attitude and perceptions as their British counterparts, the roles have been redesigned to better fit the American show. The show is known for its generally large cast size, with many of its actors and actresses known particularly for their improvisational work. Steve Carell stars as Michael Scott, Regional Manager of the Dunder Mifflin Scranton Branch. Loosely based on David Brent, Gervais' character in the British version, Scott is a dim-witted and lonely man, who attempts to win friends as the office comedian, usually making himself look bad in the process. Rainn Wilson portrays Dwight Schrute, who, based upon Gareth Keenan, is the Assistant to the Regional Manager, although the character frequently fails to include 'to the' in his title.[15]John Krasinski portrays Jim Halpert, a sales representative, assistant manager, and prankster, who is based upon Tim Canterbury, and is in love with Pam Beesly, the receptionist.[16] Pam, who is based on Dawn Tinsley, is shy, but in many cases a cohort with Jim in his pranks on Dwight.[17] B. J. Novak portrays Ryan Howard, who for the first two seasons is a temporary worker, but is promoted to sales representative in the third season and later ascends to the position of Vice President, North East Region and Director of New Media.[18] The show includes many supporting characters playing roles of office workers. Angela Martin, Oscar Martinez, and Kevin Malone are the office's accountants, and are portrayed by Angela Kinsey, Oscar Nunez, and Brian Baumgartner, respectively. Schrute, Halpert, Phyllis Lapin-Vance (portrayed by Phyllis Smith), Stanley Hudson (portrayed by Leslie David Baker), and Andy Bernard (portrayed by Ed Helms) compose the sales division of Dunder Mifflin Scranton. Kate Flannery portrays Meredith Palmer, the promiscuous Supplier Relations Representative, writer-actress Mindy Kaling portrays Kelly Kapoor, the pop-culture obsessed Customer Service Representative, writer-actor Paul Lieberstein portrays Toby Flenderson, the sad-eyed Human Resources Representative, and Creed Bratton plays a fictionalized version of himself as the office's Quality Assurance Officer. Other characters include Warehouse Supervisor Darryl Philbin, played by Craig Robinson, and Jan Levinson, Michael's main love interest, who is portrayed by Melora Hardin. In the season finale 'Goodbye, Toby', Holly Flax, portrayed by Amy Ryan, replaces Flenderson as Human Resources representative.[19] Reception[edit]Ratings[edit]The fourth-season premiere 'Fun Run' received a 5.1/12 share in the Nielsen ratings among viewers aged 18 to 49, meaning that 5.1% of viewers aged 18 to 49 watched the episode, and 12% of viewers watching television at the time watched the episode.[20] 'Fun Run' attracted 9.7 million viewers overall.[21] Both of these figures built upon the marks set by the third-season finale 'The Job'.[22] In the weeks following 'Fun Run', The Office never received more than nine million viewers. After the Writers Strike, The Office once again eclipsed the nine million viewers mark, when the episode 'Dinner Party' received 9.3 million viewers.[23] The episode 'Chair Model', the second episode to be released after the end of the strike garnered 9.9 million viewers, a high for the fourth season.[24] While the episode 'Job Fair' received the lowest number of viewers for the season, at 7.2 million,[25] it and the episode following it, the season finale 'Goodbye Toby', both scored the highest viewer percentage increase among digital video recording users for their respective weeks.[26] The season ranked as the seventy-seventh most watched television series during the 2007–2008 season, with an average of 8.04 million viewers; this marked a decrease in ranking and viewership from the previous season, which had ranked as the sixty-eighth most-watched series.[27][28] Critical review[edit]
'While 'The Deposition' was the high point in the season, there were several terrific episodes. 'Money' showed us a glimpse of Dwight's frightening home life on the Schrute beet farm. 'Local Ad' is a fun episode that shows us Michael's true passion for what he does. When the team put together what is actually a clever little commercial, it includes the well meaning but misguided catchphrase 'Dunder Mifflin, limitless paper in a paper-less world.' The episode also featured Dwight's adventures in Second Life–where he's a paper salesman who plays 'Second Second Life'.'
—Reviews website IGN[29] The fourth season received critical acclaim. Travis Fickett, a reviewer from IGN, praised both the writing and the acting of season 4. When speaking of the season finale 'Goodbye Toby', Fickett went on to say 'It's a great episode that ends a great season. There are more than a few questions raised that will have us eagerly tuning in when the show returns in the fall.'[29] Aubry D'Arminio praised the season, but she also showed disapproval at what she felt was a lack of use for some of The Office's supporting cast in the episodes directly following the Writers' Strike, saying 'I just feel a bit sad that, minus Leslie David Baker's Stanley, these excellent actors/characters haven't been highlighted nearly enough since the series' return in April.'[30] In a comprehensive review of the fourth season DVD, IGN reviewers Travis Fickett and Phil Pirrello both believed 'this season to be one of the show's best, [but felt] that 14 episodes across four discs gives way to crowding, especially when the season tries to tackle Jim and Pam dating, Angela and Dwight breaking up, Andy and Angela dating by way of awkward silence, Michael and Jan breaking up, Toby leaving the office and a new love interest for Michael joining the cast.' Fickett and Pirrello gave the season a total score of 8 out of 10.[31] Honors[edit]The Office received eight nominations at the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards. The show's producers received a nomination for 'Outstanding Comedy Series', while Paul Lieberstein and Paul Feig both received nominations for 'Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series', for the episodes 'Money' and 'Goodbye, Toby', respectively. For his portrayal of Michael Scott, Carell received a nomination for 'Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series', and for his portrayal of Dwight Schrute, Wilson received a nomination for 'Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series'. Dean Holland and Dave Rogers both received a nomination for 'Outstanding Picture Editing For A Comedy Series (Single Or Multi-camera)' for their work on 'Goodbye, Toby', while Ben Patrick, John W. Cook III, and Peter J. Nusbaum were all nominated in the 'Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (half-hour) And Animation' category for their work on the episode 'Local Ad'. For the episode 'Dinner Party', the creative writing team of Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg received a nomination for 'Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series'.[32] Episodes[edit]In the following table, 'U.S. viewers (million)' refers to the number of Americans who viewed the episode on the night of broadcast. Episodes are listed by the order in which they aired, and may not necessarily correspond to their production codes.
^‡ denotes an hour-long episode (with advertisements; actual runtime around 42 minutes). DVD release[edit]
References[edit]
External links[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Office_(U.S._season_4)&oldid=898262877'
'The Secret' is the thirteenth episode of the second season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's nineteenth episode overall. It was written by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky and directed by Dennie Gordon. The episode first aired on January 19, 2006 on NBC. The episode guest stars Tom W. Chick as Gil. The series depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. In this episode, Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) is forced into spending time with Michael Scott (Steve Carell) so that Michael will not reveal Jim's feelings for Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer). Meanwhile, Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nunez) takes a 'sick day' and Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) investigates whether he is actually sick. 'The Secret' was written in roughly 26 hours and was the fastest episode written for the series at the time. The title for the episode is purposely vague and refers to Jim's hidden feelings for Pam, Dwight and Angela's relationship, and Oscar's homosexuality. The shots at the Hooters restaurant were filmed relatively early in the day, and a majority of the scenes were improvised by Carell. 'The Secret' received largely positive reviews from television critics and was watched by 8.7 million viewers, ranking as the forty-fourth most-watched television episode of the week.
Plot[edit]Out of fear that Michael Scott (Steve Carell) will tell the others he has feelings for Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer), Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) allows Michael to believe that they are good friends, which leads to an awkward lunch at Hooters paid for with a corporate credit card. Michael ultimately reveals Jim's secret to everyone, forcing Jim to confess his crush to Pam himself, although he tells her that he got over it three years ago. However, Michael later tells her that he learned of the crush during the 'booze cruise' which occurred recently, leading her to suspect that Jim is still infatuated. Meanwhile, Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) 'investigates' Oscar Martinez's (Oscar Nunez) claimed sick day from work, learning that the co-worker is actually taking time off to ice-skate. Dwight blackmails Oscar, threatening to reveal his unauthorized leave-taking. He then cuts a deal for Oscar to owe him a favor, and watches a movie with Oscar and Oscar's 'roommate' Gil (Tom W. Chick) while completely failing to recognize evidence of Oscar's homosexuality. Production[edit]Writing[edit]'The Secret' was written by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky.[2][3] The episode was written in roughly 26 hours and was the fastest episode written for the series, at the time.[4] The idea to make the entry the 'spring cleaning episode' was 'throw[n] in at the last minute' because the writers were 'desperate'. The subplot was inspired by a friend of Eisenberg's, who suggested the story after he was forced to undergo spring cleaning at his office.[2] The title for the episode is purposely vague. During the commentary, the cast revealed that there are actually three 'secrets' in the episode: Jim's hidden feelings for Pam,[5] Dwight and Angela's relationship,[6] and Oscar's homosexuality.[7] Stupkitsky later joked that there are 'actually nine secrets in the episode'.[3] The cold opening – wherein Michael tries to tell a joke where the punch line is 'What's up dog?' – was inspired by the same prank being pulled on Stupnitsky.[2] The original cold opening for the episode featured Michael playing golf in his office, but it was cut.[2][3] Jenna Fischer felt that Krasinski's performance in the episode was 'really great' and called 'The Secret' her 'favorite John Krasinski episode'.[7] Krasinski said that Creed Bratton's line, 'Which one is Pam?' was his favorite moment 'in the entire show, ever'.[5] Fischer, in turn, said that her favorite moment was when Jim confesses that he does not have a crush on her, due to the emotion involved. Fischer later admitted that, after the shot was filmed, she cried because it 'broke [her] heart'.[7] Filming[edit]
The episode guest starred Tom W. Chick as Gil.
'The Secret' was directed by Dennie Gordon, who would go on to direct the season two episode 'Boys and Girls'.[6][7]Tom W. Chick portrayed Gil. The cast were particularly impressed with his acting; Fischer called him a 'great casting' choice.[7] Lindsey Stoddart, who plays one of the Hooters waitresses, was an improv acquaintance of Martin's.[8] The shots at the Hooters restaurant were filmed relatively early in the day, and a majority of the scenes were improvised by Carell. In fact, Carell decided to play the penis game – in which two or more people shout the word 'penis' at varying levels in an attempt to out do each other – which Krasinski called 'the craziest thing I have experienced.'[5] The scene where Pam and Kelly discuss wedding plans was particularly difficult to shoot all in one scene, due to the amount of activity going on. John Krasinski later noted that he was impressed that the director and cameramen were able to successfully get the shot.[5] The sequence featuring Michael and Jim talking in the break room was made of two composition shots, because Krasinski was laughing 'the entire' time. Michael buying Stanley a peach ice tea and telling him that he will 'hate it' was entirely improvised.[5] Deleted scenes[edit]The Season Two DVD contains a number of deleted scenes from this episode. Notable cut scenes include the cut cold opening of Michael playing with his new putting toy, Dwight expounding on his thoughts on dust bunnies, Michael surveying his 'worker bees', Ryan Howard (B.J. Novak) finding an unfinished People Magazine crossword puzzle from 1999 in Michael's office, Michael describing his college fraternity experience, and Michael buying Jim a Hooters T-shirt.[9] Cultural references[edit]Michael attributes the 1981 song 'Our Lips Are Sealed' to The Bangles, when it was really sung by The Go-Go's. Michael and Jim go to Hooters, a company whose waiting staff are primarily young, attractive waitresses usually referred to simply as 'Hooter Girls' whose revealing outfits and sex appeal is played up and is a primary component of the company's image. At the restaurant, Michael makes several breast jokes. Near the end of the episode, Michael makes reference to a nonexistent Cinemax movie called More Secrets of a Call Girl.[10] Reception[edit]'The Secret' originally aired on NBC on the January 19, 2006.[11] The episode was watched by 8.7 million viewers. This marked a slight decrease in viewers from a lead-in episode of 'My Name is Earl', but more than a follow-up episode of 'ER'.[12] 'The Secret' ranked as the forty-fourth most-watched episode for the week ending January 22.[13] M. Giant of Television Without Pity awarded the episode an 'A'.[10] Brendan Babish of DVD Verdict gave the episode a moderately positive review and awarded the entry a 'B'.[14] He wrote that while it was 'a solid episode' it 'lacks any of the belly laughs the show frequently elicits.'[14] Michael Sciannamea of AOLTV called the installment 'a terrific episode' and wrote that the 'Michael Scott […] was at his obnoxious best […] in this episode'.[15] Furthermore, he highly praised the story, noting that 'the Jim/Pam scenario has definitely taken a more interesting turn.'[15] During the filming of 'The Secret', the cast of the show discovered that Carell had been nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Fischer later noted that it was 'fun that ['The Secret' is] the episode that airs after his win.'[16] References[edit]
External links[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Secret_(The_Office)&oldid=892688470'
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The Office Season 4 Episode 13 StreamSeason 4Fun Run
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Michael accidentally runs over Meridith in the parking lot, and his guilt causes him to organize a 5-K run for her. Dwight and Angela have a falling-out after he kills her cat, and Jim and Pam's relationship is discovered.
Dunder Mifflin Infinity
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Michael feels threatened when Ryan returns to the Scranton office to share his ideas about the future of Dunder Mifflin. Jim and Pam's relationship is shared with the entire office, while Angela and Dwight's relationship is on the rocks.
Launch Party
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The Dunder Mifflin Infinity website is launching and Michael is excited about going to the big launch party in New York while Angela plans a satellite party for the Scranton branch. Meanwhile, Dwight competes against the website to see who can sell the most paper in one day.
Money
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As Jan renovates the condo, Michael confronts his growing debt every way he can, which includes pressuring his employees for a loan. Pam and Jim spend a night out on Dwight's family farm, now a bed and breakfast.
Local Ad
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The Office Season 5 Episodes
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Watch The Office Season 4 Episode 13
Michael tries to make a local Dunder Mifflin commercial that is better than the one the professional ad agency made for them. Meanwhile, Andy tries to confide in Dwight about his new relationship with Angela.
Branch Wars
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Michael and Dwight try to play a prank on Karen, who is now manager of the Utica branch, after she tries to steal Stanley from the Scranton office. Meanwhile, Pam, Toby, and Oscar start their own exclusive office book club.
Survivor Man
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After Michael isn't invited to a camping trip with Ryan, he sets out to prove that he can brave it out in the wilderness by himself. Jim, who is in charge of the office while Michael is gone, tries to change the birthday party policy.
The Deposition
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Michael is put in an awkward position when Jan sues Dunder Mifflin for wrongful termination and he is deposed as a witness. Meanwhile, Kelly begins smack-talking Pam after Darryl beats Jim at Ping-Pong.
Dinner Party
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Michael invites Jim and Pam and Andy and Angela to a couples-only dinner party, which makes Dwight very jealous. However, the only thing he's missing is a ringside seat to witness Michael and Jan's extremely dysfunctional home life.
Chair Model
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Kevin and Andy team up to reclaim the stolen Dunder Mifflin parking spaces, which forces them into a showdown with the other four bosses of the office park. Meanwhile, Michael becomes fascinated by a woman modeling chairs in a catalog.
Night Out
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Michael and Dwight go to New York to party with Ryan, who is having lots of personal and professional problems. The rest of the office employees work late, and wind up getting locked in the business park.
Did I Stutter?
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Michael tries to figure out how to respond to Stanley's insubordination during a meeting, and Dwight buys Andy's vehicle and immediately flips it for more money.
Job Fair
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Dunder-Mifflin participates in a high school job fair, but few students are interested. Jim, Andy, and Kevin play a round of golf with a prospective client. Back at the office, everyone but Dwight and Angela leave for the day.
Goodbye, Toby
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Michael throws an extravagant going-away party for Toby, and falls in love with the woman who is replacing him. Jim plans to propose to Pam at the party, but gets out-staged. Back at corporate, Ryan is arrested for fraud.
'Dinner Party' is the thirteenth episode of the fourth season of the American comedy television series The Office—the show's sixty-sixth episode overall. Written by the writing team of Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky and directed by Paul Feig, the episode originally aired on NBC on April 10, 2008. Guest stars in the episode include Beth Grant, Steve Seagren, and Gary Weeks. The series—presented as if it were a real documentary—depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania, branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. In the episode, Michael Scott and his girlfriend Jan Levinson (Melora Hardin), the former Vice-President of Regional Sales at the Dunder Mifflin corporate office in New York City, throw a dinner party and invite Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) and Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer), and Andy Bernard (Ed Helms) and Angela Martin (Angela Kinsey), as well as an uninvited Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson). The party ends with Michael and Jan having a loud argument; Michael leaves with Dwight on the advice of two police officers who respond to a domestic disturbance call after the fight. The episode was the first original episode of The Office to be broadcast since the episode 'The Deposition' on November 15, 2007, due to the effects of the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. As such, the atmosphere on the set was one of a more laid-back nature, and the cast broke into laughter due to the jokes many times. 'Dinner Party' received largely positive reviews from critics, with many hailing it as one of the series' best entries. Dave and busters card info. The episode received 4.8 Nielsen rating and was watched by 9.2 million viewers.
PlotThe office workers are stuck working overtime on a major assignment. After asking Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) to confirm that he has not made any plans for the evening in anticipation of the overtime assignment, Michael Scott (Steve Carell) calls corporate and declares that he is releasing the workers from overtime. Michael then proceeds to invite Jim and his girlfriend Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) to join him and his girlfriend Jan Levinson (Melora Hardin) for dinner at his condominium after Jim had previously turned him down nine times. When Jim begins to formulate an excuse, Michael reminds him that he just said he had not made any plans. Jim begins to suspect that Michael fabricated the overtime assignment and the call to corporate just to maneuver him and Pam into coming to dinner. Michael also invites Andy Bernard (Ed Helms) and Angela Martin (Angela Kinsey), but excludes Angela's former boyfriend Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson), much to Dwight's dismay. On a tour of the condominium, Jan shows the workspace from which she runs her candle-making home business. Jan's dominance in the relationship is apparent from the living arrangements; Michael sleeps on a small bench due to Jan's 'space issues', and his sole comfort is a very small 'plasma TV', which he bought for $200. It is also later revealed that Michael underwent three vasectomies in the course of trying to please Jan. Throughout the evening, Jan plays a song by her former assistant, Hunter. Titled 'That One Night', the lyrics of the song strongly suggest an intimate encounter once occurred between Jan and Hunter.[1] In the kitchen, Jan quietly confronts Pam with a false assumption that Michael and Pam had once dated, while Michael attempts to get Jim and Andy to invest in Jan's candle-making business for 'only $10,000'. Jim's attempt to escape the party with Pam by pretending his apartment has flooded is unsuccessful. Dwight arrives, uninvited, with his own food, wine glasses and his former babysitter (Beth Grant) as his date (Dwight describes the relationship as 'purely carnal'). The feud between Michael and Jan escalates, culminating in Jan's destruction of the $200 television using one of Michael's beloved Dundie Awards. The police arrive, responding to a call about a disturbance; despite Jan becoming remorseful, Michael agrees to spend the night with Dwight under the advice of the officers. Jim and Pam share a warm moment together eating take-out food in their car, repeatedly calling each other 'babe' in a mockery of Michael and Jan; Jim also puts on Hunter's CD, which he stole from the condo. In Andy's car, Andy attempts to flirt with Angela by leaning in and tasting her ice cream cone; she responds coldly by smashing the ice cream on the outside of the door. Jan is then seen trying to fix the broken Dundie Award. ProductionBackground
The Writers Guild of America was on strike for 100 days causing production of The Office to go on hiatus for four months.[2]
The episode was the first original episode of The Office to be broadcast since the episode 'The Deposition' on November 15, 2007, due to the effects of the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike.[3] The Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike at 12:01AM Eastern Standard Time on November 5, 2007.[4][5] Filming of The Office immediately halted on that date, as Steve Carell, who is a member of the WGA, refused to cross WGA picket lines.[6] Members of Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West voted to end the 100-day strike on February 12, 2008.[7] Writers were allowed to return to work on the same day.[8] The WGA allowed for show runners to return to work on February 11,[9] in preparation for the conclusion of the strike. The show runner for The Office, executive producer Greg Daniels, returned on February 11,[10] while the show's writers returned to work on February 13.[8] If not for the writers' strike, this episode would have completed filming successfully during the week of November 5, 2007.[11] Writing and directing'Dinner Party' was written by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky.[12] Other writers for the series also added various background gags to the episode, such as Andy wearing two sweaters and holding a coat, all of the photos in the condo being of Jan with other men, and Michael's garage having both a Soloflex and a Bowflex back to back because 'Michael is completely taken by late-night infomercials'.[1] The episode was directed by Paul Feig, making it his sixth directorial credit for the series.[12] Eisenberg and Stupnitsky later noted that, because the episode was the first to be filmed following the strike, there was 'a great, loose vibe on set', and as such, many of the actors would break character and laugh at the jokes.[1] The majority of the episode took place at Michael's condo. This was the same location used in the second season entry 'Office Olympics'. Eisenberg and Stupnitsky explained that 'the production design team did an amazing job to transform the condo from Michael's design aesthetic to Jan's.'[1] The song featured in the episode supposedly performed by Jan's former assistant, Hunter, was written by the episode writers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky and Todd Fancey of The New Pornographers; Eisenberg and Stupnitsky wrote the lyrics, and Fancey wrote the music. The song was sung by Fancey. Eisenberg and Stupnitsky later explained that, despite the suggestive lyrics, the song is 'left to interpretation'.[1] In April 2018, Fancey shared the alternate version of 'That One Night'. After sending an acoustic version, Fancey was asked by a production assistant to record a 'smoother, more polished' version of the song. The fully arranged version was later scrapped in favor of Fancey's original version.[13] The episode guest starred Beth Grant, Steve Seagren, and Gary Weeks. Grant would later reprise her character in the ninth season episode 'Junior Salesman'.[14] Grant was asked to appear in the episode after Daniels saw her performance in the 2007 film No Country for Old Men. Grant praised Carell's improvisational skills—noting that 'he just keeps going off script [and that he] is channeling something'—as well as Wilson's humorous antics while acting.[15] She concluded that 'if they had wanted a crazy, wild feature film using all the comedy that I saw in just those few days, you could absolutely have had one' with their acting.[15] Cultural referencesThe group plays Celebrity, a game wherein teams play against each other to guess as many celebrity names as possible before time runs out.[16] Michael tries to get his team to guess Arnold Schwarzenegger by saying, 'Rhymes with Parnold Schwarzenegger'.[17] Michael also tries to get his team to guess Tom Cruise, to which Jim answers Katie Holmes and Dawson's Creek to purposely throw Michael off. After Jan informs Pam that people in Spain often do not eat until midnight, Michael responds with 'When in Rome..', a popular saying.[12] Thematically, several crew members and critics have compared the episode to the 1962 play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee, which examines the breakdown of the marriage of a middle-aged couple.[17][18] ReceptionRatings'Dinner Party' brought in an average of 9.2 million American viewers,[19] which was the highest total audience since the fourth season premiere episode 'Fun Run'.[19] This episode achieved a 4.8/12 percent rating in the key 18–49 demographic,[19] meaning that 4.8 percent of 18- to 49-year-olds were tuned in at any given moment and twelve percent of all 18- to 49-year-olds watching television at the time were tuned in. The episode ranked in eighth place, in the 18–49 demographic, among all programs on television, which aired during the week of this episodes original broadcast.[20] ReviewsThe episode has been met with critical acclaim since it has aired and is considered one of the best episodes of The Office by many critics. Travis Fickett of IGN wrote that 'this is one of those great episodes of The Office that is hysterical and difficult to watch at the same time.'[21] He noted that this was largely due to the fact that 'it's not because of something Michael is doing that makes you wince. It's because of what's happening to him.'[21] He ultimately gave the episode an 8.9/10, denoting a 'great' episode.[21] Jay Black of AOL's TV Squad said that '[he] was happy The Office was back' but 'the only thing [he] worried about was whether it'd still be good' after the writers strike.[22] However, he noted that his fears were put to rest and that 'Dinner Party' was 'a Barry Bond's-style [sic] chemically enhanced mega-home-run.'[22] M. Giant of Television Without Pity graded this episode with an 'A.'[16] Aubry D'Arminio of Entertainment Weekly said that her favorite moment of the episode 'was when Jan popped on that song by her former assistant, Hunter.'[23] Jack Rodgers of TV Guide wrote that it is 'a hilarious, brutally awkward look at the relationship (and apartment) from hell, a train wreck that you just can’t keep from staring at.'[24] He also noted that it is 'a study of four couples: one hideously dysfunctional (Michael and Jan), one loving (Jim and Pam), one mismatched (Angela and Andy), and one, ahem, 'purely carnal' (Dwight and babysitter).'[24]The A.V. Club reviewer Nathan Rabin praised the episode for its 'sheer squirm-inducing awkwardness'.[17] He ultimately gave the episode an 'A'.[17] Former United States Republican presidential nominee John McCain, a fan of the series, told writer B. J. Novak that his favorite scene from the show is in this episode when Michael is giving his guests a tour of his condo, and a tripod can be seen set up by his bed.[25] AwardsLee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky's writing for this episode was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series at the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2008.[26]Paul Feig won the 2008 Directors Guild of America award for Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series for this episode.[27] References
External links
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dinner_Party_(The_Office)&oldid=898388547'
Season 4, Episode 13 I Gave at the OfficeFirst Aired: December 8, 1973 Murray fusses like a mother hen when his teenage daughter comes to work in the newsroom. His meddling aggravates his coworkers, especially Lou. Bruce Boxleitner, who plays Rick, later starred in “Scarecrow and Mrs. King.” Bonnie: Tammi Bula. Watch Now
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