The Office (2005 TV series): Difference between revisions

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An American version of [[The Office (UK series)|the UK series]], starring [[Steve Carell]] and John Krasinski, that premiered in Spring of 2005. It started out as a fairly poor [[Cultural Translation]] but has [[Growing the Beard|since come into its own]] as it has moved away from the original's cringe-inducing awkwardness format and towards more of an absurdist style. It ended in May 2013 after nine seasons.
{{outdated}}
 
It has been much better received than most American remakes and become one of the most acclaimed comedies on TV today, winning accolades in particular for the performances of Carell and the rest of the cast. The US version also spawned ''[[Parks and Recreation]]''.
An American version of [[The Office|the UK series]], starring [[Steve Carell]] and John Krasinski, that premiered in Spring of 2005. It started out as a fairly poor [[Cultural Translation]] but has [[Growing the Beard|since come into its own]] as it has moved away from the original's cringe-inducing awkwardness format and towards more of an absurdist style.
 
It has been much better received than most American remakes and become one of the most acclaimed comedies on TV today, winning accolades in particular for the performances of Carell and the rest of the cast. The US version also spawned ''[[Parks and Recreation]]''.
{{tropelist}}
 
* [[Aborted Arc]]: Current showrunner Paul Lieberstein has admitted that Jim's {{spoiler|demotion back to Assistant Regional Manager, after being promoted half a season earlier}} was a result of poor audience response to the change and Dwight's resulting plot to {{spoiler|seriously get him fired}}. This meant that the Ryan-Dwight alliance established at the end of "Scott's Tots" lead to nothing, as the Jim plot ended four episodes later.
** Similarly, Season 4 was clearly setting up a Jim-yearns-for-more arc (probably to mirror the major [[Character Development]] arc Pam had gone through the year before) but the season was cut short due to the writer's strike.
** The romance between Dwight and Isabella is another example. The last episode she appeared in left it looking like they were simpatico.
* [[Above the Influence]]: Pam would've done anything with Jim (and even kisses him before he can react) in "The Dundies", but Jim just makes sure she gets her ride home.
** Jim also displays this in "After Hours", when Kathy makes unwelcome advances towards him: Avoiding her, inviting Stanley to join them, tricking Dwight into the room, gently rebuffing her, and finally asking her to leave outright.
* [[Abuse Is Okay When It Is Female On Male]]: Jan and Michael's sexual relationship is very clearly exploitive and would easily be [[Dude, Not Funny]] if their [[Stealth Pun|positions were reversed]]. However, we really only hear his side of things, and he appears to dish out as much as he gets in "The Dinner Party". In the end, while it's played for laughs, the abuse is not portrayed as "okay". They both spar verbally, but physically Jan is shown to clearly be the aggressor, starting with "forgetting" the [[Safe Word]] and culminating with Michael declining to press charges and police advising him to leave his condo to stay with Dwight after she breaks his prized flat-screen TV with one of his Dundee in a rage.
* [[Acceptable Breaks From Reality]]: The documentary format can raise the question of just how long these people are going to keep filming before they have a finished product. And if it's a TV show in-universe as well, apparently none of the characters actually watch it. Fans tend to let it go for the sake of the jokes.
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* [[Adorkable]]: Holly. This is the reason why Michael falls for her despite his notable hatred of all HR people.
** And who can forget Andy?
* [[AIA.I. Is a Crapshoot]]: Dwight doesn't care for artificial intelligences. This allows Pam and Jim to trick him into thinking the sales website server has achieved self-awareness with the intent of destroying him (in terms of sales) in one episode. There's this exchange in a later episode:
{{quote|'''Michael:''' Why do you have a diary?
'''Dwight:''' To keep secrets from my computer.}}
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** Andy tearing his scrotum. It SOUNDS funny...
** Meredith getting bit by a rabid bat. The rabies was diagnosed... after Michael hit her with his car and cracked her pelvis.
** Andy's doing a Parkour high jump right on top of an ''empty'' carboardcardboard box.
** Andy's bloody nipples during the rabies fundraising race.
* [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking]]: Oscar described Ryan's illegal maneuvering as such:
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** Two in the wedding episode. First, Dwight wears a ridiculous [http://www.amazon.com/Mountain-Three-Short-Sleeve-XXX-Large/dp/B000NZW3JI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=apparel&qid=1255064214&sr=8-1 Three Wolves Howling at the Moon t-shirt] that became an Amazon.com legend for the hilarious fake reviews, and second, the wedding itself, which took after [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0 the YouTube video with the bridal party dancing down the aisle.]
** In one episode, Ryan is watching the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ3oHpup-pk Flea Market Montgomery] ad.
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20110918021732/http://www.hulu.com/watch/96408/the-office-parkour "Parkour!"]
** Andy doing the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJHMApr_xtk evolution of dance dance] without the music {{spoiler|to distract Pam from her contractions}}.
** The Lipdub.
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** This was taken [[Up to Eleven]] with Jim's Quaddesk.
* [[Bacon Addiction]]: Michael.
* [[Back for the Finale]]: Michael Scott finally returns in the finale.
* [[Badass Boast]]: Robert California delivers one to Andy in "Turf War":
{{quote|''"I will not be blackmailed by some ineffectual, privileged, effete, soft penis'd debutante. If you wanna start a street fight with me bring it on, but you're gonna be surprised by how ugly it gets. You don't even know my real name! I'm the [[Precision F-Strike|fucking]] lizard king."}}
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** Michael's ''Blair Witch'' style new hiree introduction video.
* [[Batman Gambit]]:
** How Pam manages to get a new job in the office in Season Seven7.
** Michael goading Dwight into using the information from the notes he stole into losing his biggest client to the Michael Scott Paper Company.
* [[Beach Episode]]: ...sort of.
* [[The Beard]]: Oscar's [[Gaydar]] helps him to realize that Angela is [[The Beard]] for her new politician boyfriend. Pam, meanwhile, denies that this trope even exists.
* [[Benevolent Boss]]: Michael likes to think of himself as being one of these.
** Jo Bennett also seems to qualify.
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** Again Michael, this time when being counseled for the public spanking of his nephew. He was apparently probed by Alf and raised by wolves. He was twenty-five years old before he saw his first human being.
* [[Board Game]]: An old Board Game adaptation of the [[CBS]] show ''[[Dallas]]'' is sold by Kevin to Andy in "Garage Sale", and leads to a subplot in the episode.
* [[Booby Trap]]: When Dwight is in Tallahassee and looks like he's about to be promoted and stay, the office decides to find out what's in the box he left marked "treasure". Fearing it might be booby trapped they get the most insane person in the office (Creed) to open it. When he does the only thing that seems to be inside is a picture of everyone there. At first, they're touched but then a dart suddenly shoots out and up into the ceiling. Dwight TH's innocently that he had no idea it was rigged with a poison dart!
* [[Book Ends]]: Holly Flax first appears in the episode "Goodbye, Toby". Her last appearance (to date) is in "Goodbye, Michael".
* [[Bowling for Ratings]]: Where Ryan is recruited for The Michael Scott Paper Company.
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** Earlier episodes suggest Kelly isn't as dumb as she acts, given the winks and eyebrow-raises she makes to the camera after particularly clueless statements.
* [[Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick]]: An actual food-related example with Dwight's machine during "Secret Santa".
* [[Break the Cutie]]: Erin Hannon in "Secretary's Day". So apparently, you can pretend to fire her, make fun of her behind her back, and smuggle a flock of geese into her car, but tell her that her boyfriend used to date another co-worker and you're [[Deader Than Dead]].
** Some of those other events did seem to upset her. But what probably [[Berserk Button|sent her over the edge]] was that it was Angela, the antithesis of Erin.
* [[Brick Joke]]: In "Casual Friday", Dwight sends out an innocuous looking memo with a secret message. He gleefully reveals to the camera that the invisible ink is actually urine. When Michael asks him to send a second one around, we see Dwight preparing the second memo by using Ryan's coffee mug.
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* [[Brilliant but Lazy]]: Jim.
** Once news of impending bankruptcy surfaced he matter-of-factly tells the camera that he only screws around when things are going well.
* [[Broken Aesop]]: One of the things that Pam learns during her [[Character Development]] arc in Season Three is the importance of taking risks when you're unsatisfied with the current state of your career... except that the risks she takes, such as art school, joining the Michael Scott Paper Company, trying to be a salesperson, keep turning out not to be worth it and [[Unfortunate Implications|get her disliked by other members of the cast]]. She does [[Failure Is the Only Option|as badly as people say she will.]] And with the addition of [[Foil|Erin, who makes the best of the receptionist job that Pam doesn't think much of]], it's starting to look like the best option would have been to adjust perspective on the whole thing. Arguably justified since teaching life lessons is probably way down on the show's list of priorities; it's all about comedy.
** YMMV. This is all part and parcel with her larger lesson about taking risks, which works out [[They Do|pretty well for her.]]
** Arguably, the old Pam wouldn't have been able to do things like con her way {{spoiler|into her job as Office Manager}} without having pushed herself to go through those experiences.
* [[Brooklyn Rage]]: On Pam's first day of art school in New York City, she accidentally sits in the wrong classroom. When she gets up to leave and explains herself, the Professor angrily orders her to sit back down for no reason at all.
* [[Brother Chuck]]:
** Jordan vanishes without a trace between Seasons 7 and 8, even getting a [[Suspiciously Similar Substitute]] several episodes into the next season. Danny Cordray gets one mention after his two appearances and then vanishes as well, though his absence is easily [[Incredibly Lame Pun|justified]] by the character's role as a traveling salesman.
* [[Brought Home the Wrong Kid]]: A variation on this trope occurs when Pam breastfeeds the wrong baby(!) while spending the night in the delivery room.
* [[Bunny Ears Lawyer]]: Dwight, Michael, and Jim (to a lesser extent) are only tolerated by management because of their sales records.
** Jim's rapport with customers was implied to be the main reason Dunder Mifflin keep promoting him.
* [[The Bus Came Back]]: For several characters. Roy, Karen, Todd Packer... one entire episode was focused on Michael revisiting all his old girlfriends.
* [[The Butler Did It]]: Inverted by Dwight. When he ends up as the Butler character in a murder mystery dinner party game, he immediately turns into the [[Munchkin]] hard-ass detective and starts [[Perp Sweating]] every other character.
* [[Butt Monkey]]: Dwight, re: his relationship with Jim. Jim has next to no respect for Dwight, so Mr. Schrute routinely finds himself to be the go-to guy when Jim is bored and in a pranking mood. Dwight does, on rare occasion, get his own back.
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'''Michael''': Your advice was good, but Jan's was bigger.}}
** Several seasons later, Erin the new receptionist makes a new friend out of an old lady she meets in Florida. Erin tells the old lady that her boyfriend Andy rejected her, and the old lady answers with "With those gazongas?".
* [[California Doubling]]:
** Particularly [[Egregious]] example in "Goodbye, Michael" - Deangelo and Andy are seen driving down a typical Southern California boulevard and California-style street signs are clearly visible.
* [[Call Back]]: "Christmas Party" ends with a [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|Minor Moment of Heartwarming]] when Michael is invited to drinks at Poor Richard's with his co-workers; "E-Mail Surveillance" had focused on how much everyone in the office (and even everyone in Michael's improv class) would lie to avoid Michael following them to social events outside work.
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** Mirrored when {{spoiler|Michael proposes to Holly while the two are being drenched by fire sprinklers. Considering there was a discussion earlier in the episode about Jim and Pam's example above, one has to wonder whether or not that was intentional}}.
* [[Cavemen vs. Astronauts Debate]]: Is ''[[Hilary Swank]]'' hot or not?
* [[Celebrity Paradox]]: In the Season 4 episode "Money", Michael Scott critiques the film ''[[Live Free or Die Hard]]''. In Season Seven7, his newest hire is a hotshot traveling salesman played by Timothy Olyphant, who was the villain in that film. Speaking of Olyphant, see next entry.
** Michael also mentions watching ''[[The Wire]]'' a season or two before they started taking notes from that show's casting director.
** With [[Will Ferrell]]'s guest run in Season 7, who in the ''Office''-verse stars in Michael's beloved ''[[A Night at the Roxbury]]''?
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* [[Christmas Episode]]: Several. So far the only seasons not to have Christmas episodes were one (only six episodes long) and four (interrupted by the 2007 writer's strike).
* [[Chronic Pet Killer]]: Dwight Schrute.
* [[Chuck Cunningham Syndrome]]: Jordan Garfield in Season 8, mirroring her rather abrupt addition to the cast in the previous season.
** Jordan vanishes without a trace between Seasons 7 and 8, mirroring her rather abrupt addition to the cast in the previous season, and even getting a [[Suspiciously Similar Substitute]] several episodes into the next season.
** Jordan vanishes without a trace between Seasons 7 and 8, even getting a [[Suspiciously Similar Substitute]] several episodes into the next season. Danny Cordray gets one mention after his two appearances and then vanishes as well, though his absence is easily [[Incredibly Lame Pun|justified]] by the character's role as a traveling salesman.
* [[Clingy Jealous Girl]]: Kelly.
* [[Clip Show]]: "The Banker".
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* [[Department of Redundancy Department]]:
{{quote|''Phyllis:'' Michael wasn't invited on Ryan's camping trip. Toby went, but Michael didn't go. He wasn't invited.}}
* [[Derailed for Details]]: When asked which five books he would want on a deserted island, Dwight acts like a [[Munchkin]] (see below), [[Comically Missing the Point|Completely Missing the Point]] of the game and asking whether there is any firewood on the island or whether he lost his shoes before he got there.
* [[Description Cut]]: In "PDA", Holly has a talking head in which she gives a description of Michael Scott basically exudes sex. As she's talking, a montage is shown of Michael being anything ''but'' sexy, culminating in a shot of him slouched in a chair with his face and bits of his suit smeared with Cheese Puff dust.
* [[The Determinator]]: Dwight in "Tallahasee" tries to make it through a Sabre seminar, even though he's in pain from an appendicitis. Later in the day, he still tries to give a presentation just a few hours after having an emergency appendectomy.
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* [[Don't Explain the Joke]]: Michael: "If you have a problem with that, then you can talk to our complaint department." He holds up the wastebasket. Pauses for a tick... "It's a trashcan!"
** Michael's massive ego refuses to believe he could be a bad comedian, so he assumes anyone not laughing at his jokes must probably be incapable of getting them.
** Creed shares this trait in the NBC version of his [httphttps://webcacheweb.googleusercontentarchive.comorg/search?q=cache:cCx5p9u4984Jweb/20160304230514/http://www.nbc.com/the-office/creed-thoughts/+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us Creed Thoughts]
{{quote|'''Creed Thoughts - Jan 24 2012''' Buying a zoo in this economy is a pretty crappy idea, but it's a lot better than buying the farm. (Cause that means you're dead).}}
* [[Double Entendre]]: Michael finds it '''extremely hard''' to '''go all day''' without using "That's what she said".
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* [[Embarrassing Slide]]: Michael Scott does this intentionally to show off who he's been dating. He oversells it with a smiling "Whoops! How did that get in there?" while no one else is amused.
* [[Enemy Mine]]: In "The Merger", Michael tries to invoke this by letting the air out of everyone's tires, blaming Vance refrigeration, but achieves it by accident when everyone realizes it was him.
* [[Eskimos Aren't Real]]: Kevin thinks that mummies are fictitious monsters from the horror genre, and expresses surprise and fear when people tell him that they exist and there are some in a local museum.
* [[Eureka Moment]]: When Pam is trying to bluff her way into an office administrator job, and Gabe is trying to call her bluff, she realizes he's ''incapable of actual confrontation''.
{{quote|'''Pam''': Say that I'm lying or say I have the job. Make a definitive statement, Gabe.
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* [[Gratuitous French]]: When tagging along to the Winnipeg business trip, Andy brushes up on his French which he practices profusely before leaving. There is virtually no one in Winnipeg who actually speaks French, most of the French-speaking Canadian population being concentrated in the eastern portion of Canada.
* [[Gratuitous Japanese]]/[[Did Not Do the Research]]: "Sempai" (先輩) does not mean a person is an assistant [[Running Gag|(to the)]] sensei. It is a term of respect used to refer to a superior or person of higher rank. The title is accurate given Dwight's rather high ranking in the dojo, however.
* [[Groin Attack]]: Andy manages to do this ''to himself'' when he tears his scrotum doing a split in "Niagara," (Part 1".
** Not be outdone, Dwight, shortly thereafter in the episode "Murder", manages to ''sneak attack himself'' with a groin punch.
** When Sabre CEO Jo Bennet comes to Dunder-Mifflin, she brings her enormous Great Danes. They spend ''the entire episode'' with their faces jammed in Andy's crotch.
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* [[Gun Twirling]]: When Dwight is told that he can't wear a gun in a holster in the office, he twirls the gun and it discharges putting a hole in the floor and deafening Andy in one ear.
* [[Halloween Episode]]: Several.
* [[A Handful for Anan Eye]]: During a prank on the Utica branch, Dwight's plan is to blow chalk dust in the guard's eyes if caught.
* [[Hands Go Down]]: In Michael's improv class, the other students are happy to take part in a scene... until Michael is chosen to be in it.
* [[Happily Married]]: Phyllis and Bob Vance, Vance Refrigeration.
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* [[Ivy League for Everyone]]: Averted. Andy went to Cornell, but [[Screw the Rules, I Have Money|it was because his dad is filthy rich]] and made a donation to the university. Ryan appears to have gone to Dartmouth, but the rest of the cast doesn't really seem the Ivy League type; Michael is specifically mentioned as not having gone to college at all.
** The ironic praise of Cornell within the show is probably born of the Ivy league grads working on the show; developer of the American version of the show, Greg Daniels, is a Harvard grad, as is B.J. Novak (writer and actor). Actor John Krasinski (Brown alum), writer/actress Mindy Kaling (Dartmouth), and actress Ellie Kemper (Princeton) also play less elite characters.
** I don't know about his undergrad, but at least for his MNB, [[Word of God]] has [https://web.archive.org/web/20150921203803/http://www.dundermifflin.com/media/052107.shtml Ryan graduating from] the Kania School of Management at the U of Scranton.
* [[I Want My Beloved to Be Happy]]: Averted with Ryan: "Maybe we weren't right together, but...it's weird. I'd rather she(Kelly) be alone than with somebody. Is that love?"
* [[I Was Told There Would Be Cake]]: Jim's plan to celebrate all the office birthdays on one day.
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* [[Le Parkour]]: Mocked in the Season Six premiere, when Andy, Dwight, and Michael "parkour" through the office. It's basically them jumping on furniture and kicking things over while [[Title Drop|shouting "parkour!"]]
* [[Lighter and Softer]]: Than the UK version.
** Not always. The Season Four episode "Dinner Party" was very, very dark for US network TV and Jan's relationship with MichealMichael got dark quickly.
* [[Like a Weasel]]: Andy in season three.
* [[Literal Metaphor]]: "Gay Witch Hunt".
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* [[Living Prop]]: A number of the minor characters in the early episodes, especially the pilot, before they were really fleshed out. Most of the background cast from the different branches and the warehouse still qualify.
* [[Loads and Loads of Characters]]
* [[Logic Bomb]]:
{{quote|'''Dwight:''' Jim is my enemy. But it turns out that Jim is also his own worst enemy. And the enemy of my enemy is my friend. So Jim...is actually my friend. ...''But.'' Because he is his own worst enemy, the enemy of my friend is my enemy, so actually Jim is my enemy... '''But.'''}}
* [[Lonely Atat the Top]]: Jim felt it during his stint as manager.
** We got hints that Darryl got a bit of this after being moved from the warehouse to the office.
** This was also Jan's problem early on, leading her to finally settle for Michael.
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* [[My Name Is Not Durwood]]: Hey, Big Tuna!
** (Similarly... "D! W! I! G! ''H!'' T!")
* [[My Own Private I Do]]: {{spoiler|Jim and Pam,}}, of the 'Plan First, Then Elope' variety, coupled with a [[Married At Sea]].
* [[Mythology Gag]]: In "Whistleblower", we learn that Dunder Mifflin's address is 1725 Slough Avenue. The fictional Scranton street is a nod to the UK show's setting of Slough, England.
** Ricky Gervais' cameos as David Brent in "The Seminar" and "Search Committee".
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{{quote|''You don't snipe on Carentan!''}}
** Done intentionally in the "Ethics" episode. After Dwight boasts that he does not waste any time at work, Jim carries around a stopwatch to keep track of any time not spent on work related activity. It culminates with him discussing [[The Remake]] of ''[[Battlestar Galactica]]'', and deliberately gushing about things like [[Star Trek|"Klingons"]] and [[Star Wars|"Wookies"]], and tells Andy that it's "practically a shot-for-shot remake" of the original. [[Crowning Moment of Funny|Dwight is struggling with every fiber of his being to focus on his work]].
{{quote|'''Jim:''' It's about this guy named [[Harry Potter|Dumbledore]] [[Star Wars|Calrissian]] who has to [[The Lord of the Rings|return a ring to Mordor.]]}}
* [[Noodle Incident]]: In the Christmas episode, Jim intends to give Pam a teapot filled with several mementos linked to inside jokes the two of them share. After explaining the stories for a couple of the items, Jim pulls out an unsharpened pencil, and simply states that "'it would take too long to explain."
* [[No Such Thing as HR]]: Technically there is in the form of Toby and Holly, but in keeping with the theme of the show, they're pretty useless at resolving the office hijinks.
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** Jim realizing that ''he'' had to resolve the conflict between Dwight and Andy after they challenged each other to a duel over Angela.
{{quote|'''Jim:''' (to the camera) I have two choices. I could get more involved. Or I could just take the afternoon off. Leaving Dwight in charge. ''Oh god.''}}
** At the end of "Goodbye, Michael", there was a rare moment where Jim &and Dwight share this reaction, as Deangelo starts screaming at a cake.
{{quote|'''Dwight:''' Uh-oh.
''[Jim mournfully nods in agreement]''}}
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* [[The Peter Principle]]: Michael is the living embodiment of this. He used to be a great salesman; because of this, he was promoted, and ended up in a position for which he's absolutely unqualified.
* [[Pet the Dog]]: Michael and Dwight get these moments every now and then, in order to balance out their [[Jerkass]] personalities. And everyone in the office has had at least one, except for Creed.
* [[Pixellation]]: Used to hilarious effect in "BenjaminBen Franklin", when Michael visits a sex shop and ''everything'' in the background is pixellated.
* [[Pointy-Haired Boss]]: Jan, Ryan, Charles, Deangelo. Double subverted with Michael. He seems like this at first, but it's later made clear that he's not only a very good salesman, he's the ''best salesman in the company's history''. It is then almost immediately made obvious that, despite his sales acumen, he is an absolutely ''terrible'' manager.
* [[Poirot Speak]]: Michael adopts the ridiculous "How you say?" mannerisms when speaking English to an English-speaking Canadian.
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** Michael does this a lot, though it's arguably [[Justified Trope|justified]] in that it's completely in character for him to do so.
** One episode has Kevin gushing over his shredder. The very first commercial of the next break was for the exact same shredder.
** Dwight and Jim both play ''[[Second Life]]'' in one episode. Reasonably accurate game footage is shown.
** "Dwight, do you want an Altoid?"
** Jim sucks at ''[[Call of Duty]]''.
** Countchoculitis.
** The 2005 Dundies Award Show is held at Chili's. Michael and Jan later take an important client there to work out a big sale.
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*** Though it would seem odd that benefit plans would be decided on a branch-by-branch basis, especially for a decision that would be more suited to HR such as health benefit plans. This one was given to Michael with the obvious intent of shielding Jan from being the bad guy.
* [[Promotion to Opening Titles]]: Ed Helms (in Season 6), James Spader (in Season 8).
* [[Proud Warrior Race]]: Invoked. In one episode, Dwight reads a speech by Mussolini shouting [[ThisPunctuated! IsFor! SpartaEmphasis!|WE ARE WARRIORS!]], apparently claiming that paper salesmen are a [[Proud Warrior Race]].
* [[Psycho for Hire]]: Dwight.
* [[Punch a Wall]]: Andy's reaction to one of Jim's pranks, leading to his Anger Management.
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{{quote|'''Dwight''' (to camera): Nothing to worry about, the safety is ([[Beat]]) *click* on."}}
** In "Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager", Dwight brings a gun into the office and winds up accidentally discharging it. This winds up costing him any shot at the permanent position.
* [[EskimosReindeer Aren't Real]]: Kevin thinks that mummies are fictitious monsters from the horror genre, and expresses surprise and fear when people tell him that they exist and there are some in a local museum.
* [[Road Apples]]: Andy: "Why is that '''in the kitchen?!?'''"
* [[The Roast]]: Michael has his employees roast him. He did not take it very well.
* [[Robot War]]: Being a big fan of ''[[Battlestar Galactica]]'', Dwight is well aware that all sentient machines will eventually be [[Turned Against Their Masters]]. This is why he keeps a diary to [[AIA.I. Is a Crapshoot|keep secrets from his computer]] and suggests that Ed Truck's robot statue should only be five feet tall and have a short power cord.
** While having started out as a benevolent alien visitor, ''Recyclops'' gradually turned into a polluting, earth destroying monster.
* [[Romantic False Lead]]: Roy. Karen. Gabe. Jessica.
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** Phyllis and Michael are the same age. They went to high school together, remember?
** Trends making it to Scranton way after they've passed their prime elsewhere.
*** After even that, Michael keeps parading them around like [[Weekend at BerniesBernie's|Bernie after he starts to smell.]]
{{quote|'''Michael:''' WASUUUUUUUUUUUUP!
'''Jim:''' Wow, seven years later it's still funny.}}
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* [[Take Our Word for It]]: Creed tells everyone to check out his blog, '''www.creedthoughts.gov.www\creedthoughts'''. The camera cuts to a talking head interview with Ryan:
{{quote|'''Ryan:''' Last year, Creed asked me how to set up a blog... Wanting to protect the world from being exposed to Creed's brain, I opened up a Word document on his computer, and put an address at the top. I've read some of it... Even for the Internet, it's pretty shocking.}}
** You can [https://web.archive.org/web/20090331235700/http://blog.nbc.com/CreedThoughts/ read it here.]
* [[Take That]]: In "Nepotism", Creed complains about [[Betty White]]'s [[Hype Backlash|new surge in popularity]].
* [[The Tape Knew You Would Say That]]: When Holly returns in Season 7, Michael prepares two contingency kits to react on whether she's actually married or not. She has no wedding ring, so he breaks out the "Happy" kit and launches a pre-recorded message on his computer, resulting with Michael [[Talking to Himself]] as the recording acts as [[Only Sane Man]] to happy partying Michael.
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'''Michael:''' A lot of places are like that.}}
** It's spread to other members of the office now, too. For example, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFwsjhr8cb8 Pam excitedly contributes this] over the phone -- using a super small headset that her coworkers don't know about so she and Jim can be in touch all day.
* [[Theme Music Power-Up]]: Dwight listens to [[Useful Notes/Heavy Metal|Heavy Metal]] to psyche himself up for sales calls and performance reviews. The shots of him air guitaring and punching Jim's car seats are priceless.
** He also does it during his interview montage after being forced to quit from Andy's frame-up and in the staircase before his performance review with Michael and Jan.
* [[Theme Tune Extended]]: The [[Instrumental Theme Tune]] actually has a full version that is extended to a little over two minutes [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dBhlayFwFE long]
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* [[Too Soon]]: Michael has a ''much'' more conservative view of this at most. He notes that the [[Abraham Lincoln]] assassination just became funny.
{{quote|'''Michael''': I need to see this play like I need a hole in the head.}}
* [[Trans -Atlantic Equivalent]]:
* [[Troperiffic]]: Michael's movie '[[Show Within a Show|Threat Level: Midnight]]'.
* [[True Art Is Angsty]]: Ryan's [http://www.thousandandonewords.com/ photo blog] is an in-universe example; it exists as a means for him to sound deep so that he can talk women into doing erotic photography. [[It's Not Porn, It's Art]], afterall.
* [[True Companions]]: By the Sixthsixth Seasonseason, the office had truly become this.
** The Michael Scott Paper Company were briefly shown as something like this after everything they went through together in that arc, but this faded away after the following episodes.
** Taken to its apex when {{spoiler|Michael proposed to Holly. After everything the staff has been through, you know their goodbye will be bittersweet}}.
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* [[Tyrant Takes the Helm]]: Charles Miner. When he's introduced he bullies Michael for no reason, and to cement his position he gets on to Jim for dressing too formally (he was wearing a tux as part of a social experiment) and to Dwight for not dressing formally ''enough'' (making him wear a white shirt with full-length sleeves instead of a short-sleeved yellow one).
** Deangelo Vickers shows a bit of this {{spoiler|during his extremely brief managerial reign}}.
** When Dwight becomes acting manager he forces everyone to use an antiquated and dangerous punch clock, staggers their lunches so everyone eats alone, changes everyone's title to Junior Employee and has everyone enter a twenty one digit code everytimeevery time they use the photocopier. To reinforce the image he keeps a piranha in an acquarium in his office and gets a new desk that is modeled on one used by Saddam Hussein's son.
*** Prior to that, Dwight has repeatedly shown a fondness and/or lobbied for Draconian policies in the office and whenever given any power he instantly imposes them. Which begs the question of who thinks it is a good idea to give him any in the first place.
* [[Un Entendre]]: From Michael and Dwight, of all people.
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'''Jim:''' [[Lampshade Hanging|Of course]] [[Deadpan Snarker|there is.]]}}
* [[Vanity License Plate]]: Todd Packer has one that reads "[[Getting Crap Past the Radar|WL HUNG]]".
{{quote|'''Ryan:''' You a big [[American Idol|William Hung]] fan?
'''Packer:''' Why does everybody ask me that? Who the hell is that?}}
* [[Virus Victim Symptoms]]: Invoked for a prank.
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* [[Weirdness Coupon]]: See [[Contractual Immortality]] above. The employees of the Scranton branch get a lot of leeway since they belong to the most successful branch, so they stay on in spite of some incredibly weird shenanigans.
* [[We Want Our Jerk Back]]: Played with twice with Dwight. Subverted the first time; he gets a concussion and is a lot more pleasant to be around. When they realize what's up, they have to take him to the hospital, and it's clear that everyone (and especially Pam) will miss "nice Dwight" when he's gone. The second time, he quits, and things are a lot less smooth at the office without him, until Michael convinces him to come back.
** And for Michael when is he is replaced by Charles Miner in Season Five5. This is most clearly shown when Charles shows himself as intolerant of Kevin and Stanley's more laidback tendencies, and of him favoring Dwight rather than Jim.
* [[Wham! Episode]]: "New Boss".
** "Special Project".
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** Pause... "98% sure."
*** In the same episode, Michael refers to [[Ben Franklin]] as one of our most popular Presidents.
** When Michael hides the Sabre leads from the sales teams and organizes a scavenger hunt to teach them a lesson, Jim's first clue is "look under the first american president." Jim looks in the parking lot and finds his next clue under a ''Ford Lincoln.''.
* [[You Fail Logic Forever]]: After Meredith is hospitalized (Michael hit her with his car), Angela's cat dies (Dwight murdered it because it was "weak"), and Pam's computer crashes (she was downloading porn), Michael comes to the honest conclusion that Toby is Satan, and has placed a curse upon [[The Office]].
** It's pretty safe to say that 90-99% of Michael's thought process falls under this trope.
{{quote|'''Jim:''' I've been studying Michael for years and I've condensed what I've learned into this chart. (holds up pie chart) "How Michael Spends His Time." You can see we have "procrastinating," and "distracting others," and this tiny sliver here, (points to a pencil thick line) is "critical thinking." I made it bigger. So that you could see it.}}
* [[You Fail Mathematics Forever]]: Michael believes 47+9=53... after he goes through it on paper.
** Kevin's mental math leading him to conclude Pam weighs 230 pounds. Or pretty much any math he does, really. It explains a lot that Michael confesses to Erin in "Scott's Tots" that Kevin had applied to the warehouse, but Michael [[Horrible Judge of Character|had a good feeling about Kevin as an accountant.]]
*** Kevin's spelling is equally bad as he proves in the Cookie Monster parody plot:
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