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Office Olympics

"Office Olympics" is the third episode of the second season of the television series The Office and the show's ninth episode overall. It was written by Michael Schur and directed by Paul Feig. It originally aired on October 4, 2005 on NBC. The episode guest starred Nancy Carell, the real-life wife of series star Steve Carell, as Carol Stills.

"Office Olympics"
The Office episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 3
Directed byPaul Feig
Written byMichael Schur
Cinematography byRandall Einhorn
Editing byDavid Rogers
Production code2004[1]
Original air dateOctober 4, 2005 (2005-10-04)
Running time22 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
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"Sexual Harassment"
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"The Fire"
The Office (American season 2)
List of episodes

The series depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. In the episode, Michael Scott (Steve Carell) and Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) leave the office to buy a condo. Meanwhile, Jim Halpert (John Krasinski), along with Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer), organizes office games and gets his co-workers to play them.

"Office Olympics" was inspired by The King of the Hill Office Olympics, which were created and run by members of the television show King of the Hill. After the episode aired, other "Office Olympics" were organized in actual offices across the country. The episode marks the first appearance of Mose, Dwight's Amish cousin, played by writer Mike Schur. Mose was based on an actual person, with the same name, on the UPN reality show Amish in the City. The episode contained several cultural references, with many alluding to the actual Olympic games. "Office Olympics" received largely positive reviews from critics. The episode earned a Nielsen rating of 3.9 in the 18–49 demographic and was viewed by 8.3 million viewers.

Plot edit

While Michael Scott (Steve Carell) leaves with Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) to sign closing papers for his new condominium, the staff fills out their expense reports. Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) "dies" of boredom, and Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) revives him by calling him to the reception desk and throwing objects into Dwight's coffee mug. Jim discovers that his co-workers have their own office games, such as Toby Flenderson's (Paul Lieberstein) "Dunderball", and Kevin Malone (Brian Baumgartner) and Oscar Martinez's (Oscar Nunez) "paper football flicking and hitting" game, "Hateball" (named because of Angela's dislike for the game). Jim and Pam organize the Games of the First Dunder Mifflin Olympiad, competing for hand-made medals constructed from yogurt lids and paper clips. Some of the games include Flonkerton, a game where people race with cartons of paper strapped to their feet, and seeing who can stuff the most M&M's into their mouth.

At the condominium signing, Michael discusses the deal with his realtor, Carol Stills (Nancy Carell). Dwight finds a variety of things wrong with the condominium, and, at the very end of the deal, Michael gets cold feet but relents when he learns that backing out of the deal will cost him a substantial amount of money. When Michael and Dwight return, the coffee cup race quickly dissolves, and the office returns to normal. Michael isolates himself in his office, still upset over the closure of his condo.

When Ryan Howard (B. J. Novak) throws away his gold medal, Jim and Pam organize the "closing ceremonies", believing them important to the office staff. Michael is awarded a medal for closing on his condo, and the gesture appears to give him some reassurance of his decision. Michael feels touched by this and thanks everyone for the honor - a gesture that triggers his emotional tears during the closing scene of the episode.

Production edit

 
Nancy Walls guest starred in the episode, playing Michael's realtor, Carol.

"Office Olympics" was written by Michael Schur. This episode was the first episode of the series directed by Paul Feig.[2] Producer Greg Daniels said the idea for the actual Office Olympics stemmed from The King of the Hill Office Olympics, which were created and ran by Daniel's former assistant Tim Croston and the show's two production assistants at the time: Tony Gennaro and Seranie Manoogian. The games were held in the King of the Hill offices, where Daniels served as executive producer. Daniels later elaborated on the types of games they played, stating "Like, who’s going to get off the elevator first and races in chairs. The funny thing is then it became a TV episode and it has now gone full circle and I hear offices are doing it all over."[3] After the episode aired, other "Office Olympics" were organized in actual offices across the country. The Chicago Tribune organized an interview with a majority of The Office cast members who—in character—explained the rules to the various games.[4] The Yogurt Lid Medals reappear in the third season finale, "The Job": Receiving the lid and a note from Pam is the catalyst for Jim's decision between Pam and Karen.[5]

When choosing Michael's car for the episode, producer Kent Zbornak brought in pictures of various cars and had the writers choose which one they thought Michael would most likely own. The writers ended up choosing a Chrysler Sebring convertible, because according to B. J. Novak "we figured it's the showiest car that he could afford". While shooting the scene in Michael's car, cameraman Randall Einhorn accidentally broke the back window, which ended up costing $859 to replace.[6]

Writer Mike Schur made a cameo appearance in the episode, appearing in a photograph as Dwight's Amish cousin Mose. The idea for Schur to be Dwight's Amish cousin had been a joke among the writers since the first season. Mose was based on an actual participant, with the same name, on the UPN reality show Amish in the City.[7]

Cultural references edit

After telling Ryan he can take his pants off and run around the office, Michael makes a direct reference to the 1983 teen comedy-drama film Risky Business.[8] Dwight compares his friendship to Michael, using the analogy that Michael is "like Mozart, and I'm like... Mozart's friend. No. I'm like Butch Cassidy and Michael is like... Mozart."[9] When Michael asks Pam if she had his magazine subscriptions changed to his new address, he mentions Small Businessman, American Way, Maxim, Cracked, and the fictitious Fine Arts Aficionado Monthly. When touring his condo, Michael makes a Mr. Bill joke to the head of the condo association, whose name is Bill. The jokes are a reference to the clay figurine star of a parody of children's shows that was part of Saturday Night Live.[8]

Due to the nature of the episode, several explicit references are made to the Olympic Games. When Jim starts the Office Olympics by lighting the "Torch", he hums "Olympic Fanfare and Theme" by John Williams, one of the themes for the actual Olympic games. When the games are finished, the employees play a recording of "The Star-Spangled Banner".[8]

Reception edit

"Office Olympics" originally aired on NBC in the United States on October 4, 2005.[10] The episode was viewed by 8.3 million viewers and received a 3.9 rating/9% share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49. This means that it was seen by 3.9% of all 18- to 49-year-olds, and 9% of all 18- to 49-year-olds watching television at the time of the broadcast.[11] An encore presentation of the episode, on April 25, 2006, received 1.8 rating/6% share and was viewed by over 4.3 million viewers.[12]

"Office Olympics" received mostly positive reviews. Michael Sciannamea of TV Squad wrote that "The Office has turned the corner into separating itself from the British version." Sciannamea went on to say that "although Michael still garners the most attention, the other characters are beginning to break out." His only criticism of the episode was that "Dwight is too creepy", Sciannamea suggested that the writers "tone down his insanity a bit".[13] "Miss Alli" of Television Without Pity graded the episode with an "A−".[8] Erik Adams of The A.V. Club awarded the episode an "A" and called it the show's "first truly classic episode", due to the added "verve" of both plots.[14] Adams praised the way the main story and Jim and Pam's stories were intercut with each other, so that both could play off of each other; he wrote that "Michael Schur’s a great writer, and Paul Feig knows how to let superb comedic performances flow from his actors, but the stitch-up job here makes the two halves of the episodes complementary when they could’ve rocketed in opposite directions and ripped 'Office Olympics' apart."[14]

Entertainment Weekly named Dwight's line comparing his relationship with Michael to Mozart and Butch Cassidy as one of "TV's funniest lines" for the week ending October 10, 2005.[9] When Pam tries to get Angela to play the games with her fellow employees, Angela cattily reveals that she plays a game called "Pam Pong", where she counts how many times Jim goes to talk to Pam at her reception desk.[8] Pop punk band Sweet Diss and the Comebacks later named one of their songs—a "[Pam] Beesly tribute"—after the game.[15]

References edit

  1. ^ "Shows A–Z – Office, The on NBC". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
  2. ^ Michael Schur (writer); Paul Feig (director) (October 4, 2005). "Office Olympics". The Office. Season 2. Episode 3. NBC.
  3. ^ Ryan, Maureen (February 23, 2006). . Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on November 7, 2016. Retrieved July 29, 2008.
  4. ^ Schodolski, Vincent J.; Kevin Pang (February 2, 2006). "'Office' Olympics". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  5. ^ Paul Lieberstein and Michael Schur (writers), Ken Kwapis (director) (May 17, 2007). "The Job". The Office. Season 3. Episode 24/25. NBC.
  6. ^ Novak, B. J. (October 4, 2005). . TV Guide. Archived from the original on June 15, 2011. Retrieved July 29, 2008.
  7. ^ Tan, Jeannie (July 18, 2007). "Q&A with Michael Schur: Part 3". OfficeTally. Retrieved July 29, 2008.
  8. ^ a b c d e Alli, Miss (October 4, 2005). "Office Olympics". Television Without Pity. Archived from the original on February 3, 2013.
  9. ^ a b "Sound Bites". Entertainment Weekly. October 15, 2005. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  10. ^ "The Office – Seasons – Season 2 – Episode Guide". NBC. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  11. ^ "Oct. 11, 2005 Press Release ("Office Olympics")" (Press release). NBC. February 27, 2007. Retrieved June 12, 2012.[dead link] Alt URL
  12. ^ "June 27, 2006 Press Release ("Office Olympics," "Booze Cruise")" (Press release). NBC. February 27, 2007. Retrieved June 12, 2012.[dead link] Alt URL
  13. ^ Sciannamea, Michael (October 4, 2005). "The Office: "Office Olympics"". TV Squad. Retrieved July 28, 2008.
  14. ^ a b Adams, Erik (July 2, 2013). "'Office Olympics'/'The Fire' | The Office | TV Club". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
  15. ^ "25 Essential Fansites". Entertainment Weekly. December 21, 2007. Retrieved June 13, 2012.

External links edit

  • "Office Olympics" at NBC.com
  • "Office Olympics" at IMDb  

office, olympics, third, episode, second, season, television, series, office, show, ninth, episode, overall, written, michael, schur, directed, paul, feig, originally, aired, october, 2005, episode, guest, starred, nancy, carell, real, life, wife, series, star. Office Olympics is the third episode of the second season of the television series The Office and the show s ninth episode overall It was written by Michael Schur and directed by Paul Feig It originally aired on October 4 2005 on NBC The episode guest starred Nancy Carell the real life wife of series star Steve Carell as Carol Stills Office Olympics The Office episodeEpisode no Season 2Episode 3Directed byPaul FeigWritten byMichael SchurCinematography byRandall EinhornEditing byDavid RogersProduction code2004 1 Original air dateOctober 4 2005 2005 10 04 Running time22 minutesGuest appearancesNancy Walls as Carol Stills Leslie David Baker as Stanley Hudson Brian Baumgartner as Kevin Malone Kate Flannery as Meredith Palmer Mindy Kaling as Kelly Kapoor Angela Kinsey as Angela Martin Paul Lieberstein as Toby Flenderson Oscar Nunez as Oscar Martinez Phyllis Smith as Phyllis LapinEpisode chronology Previous Sexual Harassment Next The Fire The Office American season 2 List of episodes The series depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton Pennsylvania branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company In the episode Michael Scott Steve Carell and Dwight Schrute Rainn Wilson leave the office to buy a condo Meanwhile Jim Halpert John Krasinski along with Pam Beesly Jenna Fischer organizes office games and gets his co workers to play them Office Olympics was inspired by The King of the Hill Office Olympics which were created and run by members of the television show King of the Hill After the episode aired other Office Olympics were organized in actual offices across the country The episode marks the first appearance of Mose Dwight s Amish cousin played by writer Mike Schur Mose was based on an actual person with the same name on the UPN reality show Amish in the City The episode contained several cultural references with many alluding to the actual Olympic games Office Olympics received largely positive reviews from critics The episode earned a Nielsen rating of 3 9 in the 18 49 demographic and was viewed by 8 3 million viewers Contents 1 Plot 2 Production 3 Cultural references 4 Reception 5 References 6 External linksPlot editWhile Michael Scott Steve Carell leaves with Dwight Schrute Rainn Wilson to sign closing papers for his new condominium the staff fills out their expense reports Jim Halpert John Krasinski dies of boredom and Pam Beesly Jenna Fischer revives him by calling him to the reception desk and throwing objects into Dwight s coffee mug Jim discovers that his co workers have their own office games such as Toby Flenderson s Paul Lieberstein Dunderball and Kevin Malone Brian Baumgartner and Oscar Martinez s Oscar Nunez paper football flicking and hitting game Hateball named because of Angela s dislike for the game Jim and Pam organize the Games of the First Dunder Mifflin Olympiad competing for hand made medals constructed from yogurt lids and paper clips Some of the games include Flonkerton a game where people race with cartons of paper strapped to their feet and seeing who can stuff the most M amp M s into their mouth At the condominium signing Michael discusses the deal with his realtor Carol Stills Nancy Carell Dwight finds a variety of things wrong with the condominium and at the very end of the deal Michael gets cold feet but relents when he learns that backing out of the deal will cost him a substantial amount of money When Michael and Dwight return the coffee cup race quickly dissolves and the office returns to normal Michael isolates himself in his office still upset over the closure of his condo When Ryan Howard B J Novak throws away his gold medal Jim and Pam organize the closing ceremonies believing them important to the office staff Michael is awarded a medal for closing on his condo and the gesture appears to give him some reassurance of his decision Michael feels touched by this and thanks everyone for the honor a gesture that triggers his emotional tears during the closing scene of the episode Production edit nbsp Nancy Walls guest starred in the episode playing Michael s realtor Carol Office Olympics was written by Michael Schur This episode was the first episode of the series directed by Paul Feig 2 Producer Greg Daniels said the idea for the actual Office Olympics stemmed from The King of the Hill Office Olympics which were created and ran by Daniel s former assistant Tim Croston and the show s two production assistants at the time Tony Gennaro and Seranie Manoogian The games were held in the King of the Hill offices where Daniels served as executive producer Daniels later elaborated on the types of games they played stating Like who s going to get off the elevator first and races in chairs The funny thing is then it became a TV episode and it has now gone full circle and I hear offices are doing it all over 3 After the episode aired other Office Olympics were organized in actual offices across the country The Chicago Tribune organized an interview with a majority of The Office cast members who in character explained the rules to the various games 4 The Yogurt Lid Medals reappear in the third season finale The Job Receiving the lid and a note from Pam is the catalyst for Jim s decision between Pam and Karen 5 When choosing Michael s car for the episode producer Kent Zbornak brought in pictures of various cars and had the writers choose which one they thought Michael would most likely own The writers ended up choosing a Chrysler Sebring convertible because according to B J Novak we figured it s the showiest car that he could afford While shooting the scene in Michael s car cameraman Randall Einhorn accidentally broke the back window which ended up costing 859 to replace 6 Writer Mike Schur made a cameo appearance in the episode appearing in a photograph as Dwight s Amish cousin Mose The idea for Schur to be Dwight s Amish cousin had been a joke among the writers since the first season Mose was based on an actual participant with the same name on the UPN reality show Amish in the City 7 Cultural references editAfter telling Ryan he can take his pants off and run around the office Michael makes a direct reference to the 1983 teen comedy drama film Risky Business 8 Dwight compares his friendship to Michael using the analogy that Michael is like Mozart and I m like Mozart s friend No I m like Butch Cassidy and Michael is like Mozart 9 When Michael asks Pam if she had his magazine subscriptions changed to his new address he mentions Small Businessman American Way Maxim Cracked and the fictitious Fine Arts Aficionado Monthly When touring his condo Michael makes a Mr Bill joke to the head of the condo association whose name is Bill The jokes are a reference to the clay figurine star of a parody of children s shows that was part of Saturday Night Live 8 Due to the nature of the episode several explicit references are made to the Olympic Games When Jim starts the Office Olympics by lighting the Torch he hums Olympic Fanfare and Theme by John Williams one of the themes for the actual Olympic games When the games are finished the employees play a recording of The Star Spangled Banner 8 Reception edit Office Olympics originally aired on NBC in the United States on October 4 2005 10 The episode was viewed by 8 3 million viewers and received a 3 9 rating 9 share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49 This means that it was seen by 3 9 of all 18 to 49 year olds and 9 of all 18 to 49 year olds watching television at the time of the broadcast 11 An encore presentation of the episode on April 25 2006 received 1 8 rating 6 share and was viewed by over 4 3 million viewers 12 Office Olympics received mostly positive reviews Michael Sciannamea of TV Squad wrote that The Office has turned the corner into separating itself from the British version Sciannamea went on to say that although Michael still garners the most attention the other characters are beginning to break out His only criticism of the episode was that Dwight is too creepy Sciannamea suggested that the writers tone down his insanity a bit 13 Miss Alli of Television Without Pity graded the episode with an A 8 Erik Adams of The A V Club awarded the episode an A and called it the show s first truly classic episode due to the added verve of both plots 14 Adams praised the way the main story and Jim and Pam s stories were intercut with each other so that both could play off of each other he wrote that Michael Schur s a great writer and Paul Feig knows how to let superb comedic performances flow from his actors but the stitch up job here makes the two halves of the episodes complementary when they could ve rocketed in opposite directions and ripped Office Olympics apart 14 Entertainment Weekly named Dwight s line comparing his relationship with Michael to Mozart and Butch Cassidy as one of TV s funniest lines for the week ending October 10 2005 9 When Pam tries to get Angela to play the games with her fellow employees Angela cattily reveals that she plays a game called Pam Pong where she counts how many times Jim goes to talk to Pam at her reception desk 8 Pop punk band Sweet Diss and the Comebacks later named one of their songs a Pam Beesly tribute after the game 15 References edit Shows A Z Office The on NBC The Futon Critic Retrieved January 25 2013 Michael Schur writer Paul Feig director October 4 2005 Office Olympics The Office Season 2 Episode 3 NBC Ryan Maureen February 23 2006 Office promotions pay off in a big way Chicago Tribune Archived from the original on November 7 2016 Retrieved July 29 2008 Schodolski Vincent J Kevin Pang February 2 2006 Office Olympics Chicago Tribune Retrieved June 13 2012 Paul Lieberstein and Michael Schur writers Ken Kwapis director May 17 2007 The Job The Office Season 3 Episode 24 25 NBC Novak B J October 4 2005 Michael and Co Hit the Road TV Guide Archived from the original on June 15 2011 Retrieved July 29 2008 Tan Jeannie July 18 2007 Q amp A with Michael Schur Part 3 OfficeTally Retrieved July 29 2008 a b c d e Alli Miss October 4 2005 Office Olympics Television Without Pity Archived from the original on February 3 2013 a b Sound Bites Entertainment Weekly October 15 2005 Retrieved June 13 2012 The Office Seasons Season 2 Episode Guide NBC Retrieved June 13 2012 Oct 11 2005 Press Release Office Olympics Press release NBC February 27 2007 Retrieved June 12 2012 dead link Alt URL June 27 2006 Press Release Office Olympics Booze Cruise Press release NBC February 27 2007 Retrieved June 12 2012 dead link Alt URL Sciannamea Michael October 4 2005 The Office Office Olympics TV Squad Retrieved July 28 2008 a b Adams Erik July 2 2013 Office Olympics The Fire The Office TV Club The A V Club The Onion Retrieved July 10 2013 25 Essential Fansites Entertainment Weekly December 21 2007 Retrieved June 13 2012 External links edit Office Olympics at NBC com Office Olympics at IMDb nbsp Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Office Olympics amp oldid 1217395105, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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