21.08.2019

Office Season 4 Episode 13

Office Season 4 Episode 13 Average ratng: 3,7/5 6323 reviews

Watch The Office US Season 4 Episode 13 - Out of excuses, Jim and Pam join Jan and Michael for a dinner party. Things get complicated when Andy and Angela are asked to join,. Apr 23, 2017  The TV Show The Office episode 13 watchseries.ag offers All episodes can watched live series The Office season 4 episode 13 enjoy the simple and high youtube quality with blueray and hd support. At arawatch tv is arawatch online now you can find.

'Dinner Party'
The Office episode
Episode no.Season 4
Episode 13
Directed byPaul Feig
Written byLee Eisenberg
Gene Stupnitsky
Production code413
Original air dateApril 10, 2008
Running time22 minutes
Guest appearance(s)
Episode chronology
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'The Deposition'		Next →
'Chair Model'
The Office (U.S. season 4)
List of The Office (U.S. TV series) episodes

'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. The episode received 4.8 Nielsen rating and was watched by 9.2 million viewers.

  • 2Production
  • 4Reception

Plot

The 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.

Production

Background

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 references

The 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]

Reception

Ratings

'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]

Reviews

The 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]

Awards

Lee 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

  1. ^ abcde'Lee and Gene Answer 'Dinner Party' Questions'. OfficeTally. April 13, 2008. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  2. ^'The 100-Day Writers' Strike: A Timeline'. The New York Times. The New York Times Company. February 12, 2008. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  3. ^Andreeva, Nellie (February 14, 2008). 'NBC Renews Series, Announces Premieres'. The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on April 13, 2008. Retrieved February 24, 2008.
  4. ^Cieply, Michael (November 5, 2007). 'Writers Begin Strike as Talks Break Off'. The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved April 11, 2008.
  5. ^McNary, Dave (November 4, 2007). 'WGA Goes on Strike'. Variety. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on October 9, 2015. Retrieved January 19, 2008.
  6. ^'Office Closing: Carell, Others Won't Cross Picket Line'. TV Guide. November 7, 2007. Archived from the original on November 9, 2007. Retrieved June 13, 2008.
  7. ^'Writers Guild Members Vote to End Strike' (Press release). Writers Guild of America, West. February 12, 2008. Archived from the original on April 18, 2008. Retrieved February 13, 2008.
  8. ^ abLittleton, Cynthia; McNary, Dave (February 12, 2008). 'It's Official: WGA Strike is Over'. Variety. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on February 15, 2008. Retrieved February 13, 2008.
  9. ^Littleton, Cynthia; McNary, Dave (February 10, 2008). 'Showrunners Back to Work Monday'. Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved February 13, 2008.
  10. ^'Pencils Down Means Pencils Down'. Writers Guild of America, West. Archived from the original on May 1, 2008. Retrieved May 25, 2008.
  11. ^Daniels, Greg (April 10, 2008). 'Strike Effect'. NBC.com. Archived from the original on May 25, 2008. Retrieved June 13, 2008.
  12. ^ abcPaul Feig (director); Lee Eisenberg & Gene Stupnitsky (writers) (April 10, 2008). 'Dinner Party'. The Office. Season 4. Episode 9. NBC Universal. NBC.
  13. ^'The Oral History of 'The Dinner Party,' the Best 'Office' Episode Ever'. Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  14. ^Carrie Kemper (writer); David Rogers (director) (January 31, 2013). 'Junior Salesman'. The Office. Season 9. Episode 13. NBC.
  15. ^ abO'Neal, Sean (January 12, 2010). 'Beth Grant Film Random Roles'. The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  16. ^ abGiant, M. (April 10, 2008). 'Dinner Party'. Television Without Pity. NBCUniversal. Archived from the original on June 2, 2008. Retrieved June 13, 2008.
  17. ^ abcdRabin, Nathan (April 10, 2008). ''Dinner Party' The Office TV Club'. The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
  18. ^Cornet, Roth (May 11, 2013). 'The Office's Greg Daniels on the End of His Decade-Long Journey'. IGN. News Corporation. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  19. ^ abcLevine, Stuart (October 7, 2007). 'Fox Wins Competitive Thursday'. Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on January 23, 2016. Retrieved April 11, 2008.
  20. ^'NBC Ratings Results for the Primetime Week of April 7–13'. The Futon Critic. April 15, 2008. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  21. ^ abcFickett, Travis (April 11, 2008). 'The Office: 'Dinner Party' Review'. IGN. News Corporation. Retrieved June 13, 2008.
  22. ^ abBlack, Jay (April 11, 2008). 'The Office: 'Dinner Party''. AOL's TV Squad. Archived from the original on April 11, 2008. Retrieved June 13, 2008.
  23. ^D'Arminio, Aubry (April 11, 2008). 'The Office Recap: The Last Supper'. Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Archived from the original on April 12, 2008. Retrieved June 13, 2008.
  24. ^ abRodgers, Jack (April 10, 2008). 'Episode Recap: 'Dinner Party''. TV Guide. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved June 13, 2008.
  25. ^Pashman, Dan (May 12, 2008). 'The Office's BJ Novak: Uncut'. NPR. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  26. ^'Complete List of Nominees for 2008 Emmys'. E! Online. July 17, 2008. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  27. ^'All Winners of 2008 DGA Awards and Special Award Recipients'. Directors Guild of America. January 31, 2009. Retrieved April 9, 2018.

External links

  • 'Dinner Party' at NBC.com
  • 'Dinner Party' on IMDb
  • 'Dinner Party' at TV.com
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dinner_Party_(The_Office)&oldid=898388547'
The Office (U.S. season 4)
Starring
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes19
Release
Original networkNBC
Original releaseSeptember 27, 2007 –
May 15, 2008
Season chronology
Next →
Season 5
List of The Office (U.S. TV series) episodes

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.

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.

  • 3Reception

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]

Supernatural season 13 episode 4

The Office Season 4 Episode 13 Song

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.

Office Season 4 Episode 13
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code [33]		U.S. viewers
(millions)
545512'Fun Run'‡Greg DanielsGreg DanielsSeptember 27, 2007400140029.70[34]
After Michael hits Meredith with his car in the carpark of Dunder Mifflin Scranton, she learns she is infected with rabies. Angela asks Dwight to care for her sick cat, but Dwight mercy-kills the animal, leading to relationship problems. After being videoed in public by the camera crew, Pam announces that she and Jim are now dating, but they do not share this with their co-workers. Feeling guilty about the incident with Meredith, Michael decides to host 'Michael Scott's Dunder Mifflin Scranton Meredith Palmer Memorial Celebrity Rabies Awareness Pro-Am Fun Run Race For The Cure', although his employees are less than enthused. Toby wins the race, and a depressed and dehydrated Michael is finally forgiven by Meredith.
565734'Dunder Mifflin Infinity'‡Craig ZiskMichael SchurOctober 4, 2007400340048.49[35]
Jim and Pam's relationship is outed to the rest of the office after Toby files a PDA complaint. Ryan returns to the offices for the first time since his promotion to introduce 'Dunder Mifflin Infinity', his plan to use technology to revitalize the uncompetitive company. Creed warns Michael of the possible effects this change will have with older workers, leading Michael to hold an 'ageism seminar'. Meanwhile, Kelly tries to trick Ryan into getting back together with her. Michael, believing the personal touch is more important than technology, leaves with Dwight to present food gift baskets to seven former clients to try to win them back. After presenting six of the baskets with no luck, Michael, unable to properly understand his rental car's GPS, drives it into Lake Scranton.
585956'Launch Party'‡Ken WhittinghamJennifer CelottaOctober 11, 2007400540068.91[36]
As the new brainchild of Ryan, the new Dunder Mifflin Infinity website, is about to be released, the staff of Dunder Mifflin Scranton prepare to host a party as part of a company-wide video chat room. Dwight, wanting to prove to Angela that he can beat technology, tries to outsell the new computer, which he ultimately does. Later, at the party, Dwight and Michael kidnap a pizza delivery boy, although they later release him. At the end of the chat room, Michael humiliates Ryan in front of every branch of Dunder Mifflin. Andy decides to pursue Angela, to Dwight's dismay.
606178'Money'‡Paul LiebersteinPaul LiebersteinOctober 18, 2007400740088.50[37]
When Jan, now living with Michael in his condominium, forces costly changes in Michael's life, he worries about his financial situation. To remedy the problem, Michael leaves work early for a late night job as a telemarketer until 1 a.m. When Ryan finds out, he forces Michael to quit, who then fears that there is no way in which he can support Jan and himself. He hops a train to run away, but Jan meets him and tells him that they can work together to find a way to live. Meanwhile, Dwight pines over Angela, who is later asked out by Andy. After a pep-talk by Jim, Dwight returns as his normal annoying self, to Jim's pleasure. Pam and Jim visit Dwight's family farm, which he has fashioned into a bed and breakfast.
629'Local Ad'Jason ReitmanB. J. NovakOctober 25, 200740098.98[38]
Although informed that he and his employees can only be in the Dunder Mifflin Infinity commercial for a few seconds, Michael decides to produce a full commercial with the Scranton staff. Meanwhile, the progression of Andy and Angela's relationship forces Dwight to sink into a depression, where he attempts to remove himself from his life by playing Second Life. Although rebuffed by the corporate office, Michael's rejected version of the Scranton commercial is well received by both the employees as well as other bar patrons at Poor Richard's.
6310'Branch Wars'Joss WhedonMindy KalingNovember 1, 200740108.39[39]
Karen, now Regional Manager of Dunder Mifflin Utica, attempts to lure Stanley away from Dunder Mifflin Scranton. Pranking Karen for her attempt, Michael and Dwight trick Jim into accompanying them on a 'panty raid' to Utica. When they are discovered, Karen scolds them and is further angered when Jim informs her that he and Pam are now dating. Back at Scranton, Michael bids Stanley goodbye, who then tells Michael he's decided to stay, revealing that he only said he had left to try to get a raise.
6411'Survivor Man'Paul FeigSteve CarellNovember 8, 200740118.29[40]
When Michael is not invited to a company wilderness retreat hosted by Ryan, he decides to prove that he has the ability to survive on his own. Dwight drops Michael in the middle of a forest, and although told to leave, stays to prevent Michael from injury. When Michael almost eats poisonous mushrooms, Dwight jumps out to save him just in time. Meanwhile, back at the office, Jim, as the number two, decides to combine birthday parties for three members of the staff whose birthdays fall in quick succession. The plan, though, is poorly received by the staff, and Jim returns to having individual birthdays just as Michael and Dwight come back.
6512'The Deposition'Julian FarinoLester LewisNovember 15, 200740128.86[41]
Michael is thrown in the middle of a deposition between Dunder Mifflin and his girlfriend Jan after Jan sues the company for wrongful termination. Although the case initially goes well for Jan, Michael's actions lead to Dunder Mifflin easily getting the upper hand. Meanwhile, back at Dunder Mifflin Scranton, a ping pong craze turns into a battle of the relationships between Pam and Jim and Kelly and Darryl.
6613'Dinner Party'Paul FeigGene Stupnitsky & Lee EisenbergApril 10, 200840139.22[42]
Michael and Jan invite Jim, Pam, Andy, and Angela to a dinner party at the couple's condominium. When Michael and Jan begin to argue after the discussion of having children arises, the party's guests go to various measures to try to escape. The party is thrown into further confusion when Dwight, still pining for Angela, arrives with his former babysitter as his date. As the fighting between Michael and Jan escalates, the police are eventually called by a neighbor. The party culminates with Michael leaving Jan.
6714'Chair Model'Jeffrey BlitzB. J. NovakApril 17, 200840149.81[43]
After seeing a model in a catalog while searching for a chair, Michael realizes that he has not accomplished his dream of finding a soul mate in life. Dwight embarks on a search for the chair model, while Michael takes names of friends of office employees for dates. Michael goes on a blind date with Pam's landlady, which ends poorly. Meanwhile, Andy and Kevin meet with the bosses of the other companies in the building to discuss the issues of parking, while Jim and Pam discuss the future of their relationship.
6815'Night Out'Ken WhittinghamMindy KalingApril 24, 200840157.56[44]
Michael and Dwight decide to surprise Ryan in New York and to meet his friends. They find him clubbing and join him for the night. Ryan is surprisingly friendly, though it could be a side effect of his cocaine habit. Meanwhile, the Scranton branch is upset when they find out they have to come in on a Saturday for Ryan's website project. Jim suggests that everyone work late instead. The plan goes well — until they find they are locked in on the grounds with no way to escape. Toby lets slip his affection for Pam, and impulsively announces he will be moving to Costa Rica.
6916'Did I Stutter?'Randall EinhornBrent Forrester & Justin SpitzerMay 1, 200840167.67[45]
When Stanley snaps at Michael during a meeting, Michael tries to give Stanley an attitude adjustment. Michael's plan to fake-fire Stanley only worsens the situation. To punish Andy for his relationship with Angela, Dwight lowballs Andy to buy his car and then resells it for a profit. Meanwhile, Pam deals with unwanted attention from her 'back up' glasses after spending the night at Jim's. Jim receives a formal warning from Ryan about his job performance.
7017'Job Fair'Tucker GatesLee Eisenberg & Gene StupnitskyMay 8, 200840177.22[46]
In response to Ryan's warning, Jim hits the links with Andy and Kevin to attempt to land his biggest client ever. Michael, Pam, Oscar, and Darryl set up a booth at a job fair at Pam's old high school to find applicants for Dunder Mifflin's summer internship, but Michael's shenanigans produce failure. When all the other office workers duck out early, Dwight and Angela have a tense day alone in the office. Pam investigates graphic arts opportunities which may take her away from Scranton.
71721819'Goodbye, Toby'‡Paul FeigJennifer Celotta & Paul LiebersteinMay 15, 2008401840198.07[47]
After Angela refuses to give in to Michael's unreasonable demands, Phyllis takes over the party planning committee and throws a huge bash for Toby's goodbye party. Dwight, with Meredith, hazes the new HR woman, Holly Flax (Amy Ryan), making her think Kevin is mentally disabled. Holly and Michael seem to make a romantic connection, which is cut short when Jan returns from Arizona, pregnant from a sperm donor; Michael ambivalently agrees to help her through the birth process. Pam accepts a three month training program in New York, and just as Jim is about to propose to her, Andy publicly proposes to Angela who reluctantly agrees. Angela is later caught having sex with Dwight in the office. Ryan's downfall is complete as he is dragged from the New York office after committing fraud related to the website.

^‡ denotes an hour-long episode (with advertisements; actual runtime around 42 minutes).

DVD release[edit]

The Office Season 5 Episodes

The Office: The Complete Fourth Season
Set details[48][49]Special features[48][49]
  • 19 episodes
  • 4-disc set
  • 1.78:1 aspect ratio
  • Subtitles: English, Spanish
  • English (Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround)
  • Commentary on 4 episodes by the actors, writers, and producers
  • Deleted scenes from every episode
  • Blooper Reel
  • The Office Convention 'Writers' Block Panel Discussion'
Release dates
Region 1Region 2
September 2, 2008June 14, 2010

References[edit]

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External links[edit]

  • List of The Office episodes on IMDb
  • List of The Office season 4 episodes at TV.com
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