Conflict Resolution (The Office)

Last updated

"Conflict Resolution"
The Office episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 21
Directed by Charles McDougall
Written by Greg Daniels
Cinematography by Randall Einhorn
Editing by David Rogers
Production code2020 [1]
Original air dateMay 4, 2006 (2006-05-04)
Running time22 minutes
Guest appearance
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Drug Testing"		Next →
"Casino Night"
The Office (American TV series) season 2
List of episodes

"Conflict Resolution" is the twenty-first and penultimate episode of the second season of the American comedy television series The Office the show's twenty-seventh episode overall. Written by executive producer and show runner Greg Daniels and directed by Charles McDougall, "Conflict Resolution" first aired in the United States on May 4, 2006, on NBC. The episode guest stars Scott Adsit, from Moral Orel and 30 Rock , as a photographer.

Contents

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) resolves a conflict between Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nunez) and Angela Martin (Angela Kinsey), and then discovers a file of other unresolved complaints between staff members and he determines to resolve them. But Michael's attempts actually unearth old tensions and create new ones between the office employees. Meanwhile, an unkind comment from Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) about being transferred causes Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) to seriously rethink his work situation.

"Conflict Resolution" features the return of a poster created for the earlier episode "Christmas Party". The ending of the installment bears a striking similarity to the ending of the 1981 action film Raiders of the Lost Ark . Receiving largely positive reviews, the episode received a 3.7 Nielsen rating and was watched by 7.4 million viewers.

Plot

When Michael Scott hears Oscar Martinez complaining about Angela Martin's baby poster to Toby Flenderson, he intervenes and resolves the conflict by forcing Oscar to wear the poster like a t-shirt. Inspired, Michael wrestles the file outlining other unresolved office complaints from Toby, determined to resolve them all. Michael publicly reads all the outstanding complaints, even though they were supposed to be anonymous, which only serves to further increase office tensions. Pam Beesly is angered by a redacted complaint that she plans her wedding during office hours. She concludes that the complaint was filed by Angela, which particularly angers her as she is covering for Angela's secret relationship with Dwight Schrute.

When photos for identification badges are being taken in the break room, Jim Halpert makes Dwight's new ID 5x7 inches, labels Dwight as a security threat, and changes his middle name from Kurt to "Fart". Dwight becomes even more furious that his voluminous complaints against Jim have gone ignored, and tells Michael that either Jim gets fired or Dwight will quit. When Michael reads all of Jim's pranks on Dwight, Jim begins to regret how much time he has wasted at the office. Dwight taunts Jim with a notice of a Dunder-Mifflin position in Stamford, saying that Jim should look into it. Michael surveys the angry, divided office and nods to a watching Toby, acknowledging his efforts were a disaster. He defuses Dwight's anger by saying he will make his decision but needs indeterminate time to do so, which placates Dwight.

As everyone prepares to leave, Michael pays the photographer to take a special group photo, but goes through a lot of money before he, albeit poorly, photoshops one himself. During the procedure, Jim admits to Pam that he had registered the complaint about her wedding planning, and Pam looks shocked. The next day, Jim secretly sees Vice President Jan Levinson for an interview about the position in Stamford.

Production

"Conflict Resolution" was the fifth episode of the series written by Greg Daniels, who is also the executive producer and show runner for The Office. The episode was the third of the series directed by Charles McDougall; he had previously directed the earlier season two episodes "Christmas Party" and "Dwight's Speech". [2] [3] The episode features Angela and Oscar arguing over Angela's poster of two babies playing saxophones. Jenna Fischer said that "As a cast, the baby poster is one of our favorite props... Angela received the poster from her Secret Santa in the Christmas episode." [4] Fischer went on to say that "I had to stand in between Angela and Oscar as they bicker about the poster while Michael tries to mediate the situation. The whole time, the cute jazz babies are staring at me from the poster. It was hilarious!" [4]

The Season Two DVD contains a number of deleted scenes from this episode. Notable cut scenes include Dwight finding his desk encircled in police tape, Dwight annoying the photographer in various ways, Michael discussing conflict and conflict resolution and dedicating himself to resolving all the old cases "before Toby can kill or rape another person", Dwight giving Pam "Level Red" security clearance, Meredith and Kevin getting their pictures taken, and Dwight being hassled by building security. [5]

Cultural references

The ending of "Conflict Resolution" bears a striking similarity to the ending of the 1981 action film Raiders of the Lost Ark . In the film, the Ark of the Covenant is boarded up and hidden away in a secret government warehouse containing thousands of identical boxes. In "Conflict Resolution", Toby is seen taking the box of complaints and placing it in a warehouse containing hundreds of other identical paper boxes. [6]

Reception

"Conflict Resolution" originally aired on NBC in the United States on May 4, 2006. [7] The episode received a 3.7/9 among 18- to 49-year-olds in the Nielsen ratings. This means that 3.7 percent of all people 18–49 viewed the episode, and nine percent of all people 18–49 watching television viewed the episode. "Conflict Resolution" was watched by 7.4 million viewers overall, and retained 93 percent of viewers 18–49 from its lead-in My Name Is Earl . [8]

The episode received generally good reviews from critics. Terry Morrow, of the Knoxville News Sentinel, stated that "But better yet, this episode defines what The Office does best. It turns mundane work events – like having new security-badge photos taken – into insightful and witty character studies." Morrow also praised the acting in the episode, which he called "one of this show's finest moments." [9] Michael Sciannamea, of TV Squad, stated that "After a so-so episode last week, this was one was a return to brilliance." Like Morrow, Sciannamea went on to praise the work of the cast, stating that "The interplay between the cast was top-notch, and even though I've complained much about Dwight's over-the-top behavior, it seemed to work quite well this time around, and actually had a purpose to the story." [10] M. Giant of Television Without Pity awarded the episode a rare "A+". He called the scene wherein Michael reads aloud Dwight's complaints "my favorite sequence in The Office history, if not sitcom history." [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dwight Schrute</span> Fictional character NBCs The Office US

Dwight Kurt Schrute III is a character on the American television series The Office and is portrayed by American actor Rainn Wilson. Dwight is a salesman and assistant to Michael Scott, at the fictional paper distribution company Dunder Mifflin, before his promotions in later seasons of the show. He also runs a bed and breakfast at Schrute Farms, is a beet plantation owner, and in Season 7, becomes the owner of the business park in which Dunder Mifflin is located.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pam Beesly</span> Fictional character on NBCs "The Office"

Pamela Morgan Beesly Halpert is a fictional character on the U.S. television sitcom The Office, played by Jenna Fischer. Her counterpart in the original UK series of The Office is Dawn Tinsley. Pam begins the series as the receptionist at the paper distribution company Dunder Mifflin. She later becomes a saleswoman and, eventually, the office administrator, until she leaves in the series finale. Her character is at first shy and unsure but grows increasingly assertive as the series progresses. She is artistically inclined throughout the series and attends art school. Pam shares a friendship and then a romance with Jim Halpert, whom she begins dating in the fourth season, becomes engaged to in the fifth, marries in the sixth, and has children with in the sixth and eighth.

"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.

"Halloween" is the fifth episode of the second season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's eleventh episode overall. It was written by executive producer and showrunner Greg Daniels and was directed by Paul Feig. The episode first aired on NBC in the United States on October 18, 2005. Guest stars in this episode included Devon Abner, Hugh Dane, George Gaus, Annabelle Kopack, Ava Nisbet and Alec Zbornak.

"Christmas Party" is the tenth episode of the second season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's sixteenth episode overall. It was written by Michael Schur and directed by Charles McDougall. It was first broadcast on December 6, 2005 on NBC. The episode guest stars David Koechner as Todd Packer.

"Valentine's Day" is the sixteenth episode of the second season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's twenty-second episode overall. Written by Michael Schur and directed by Greg Daniels, the episode first aired in the United States on February 9, 2006 on NBC. The episode guest stars Craig Anton, Andy Buckley, Charles Esten, and Conan O'Brien as himself.

"Dwight's Speech" is the seventeenth episode of the second season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's twenty-third episode overall. Written by Paul Lieberstein and directed by Charles McDougall, the episode first aired in the United States on March 2, 2006 on NBC.

"The Convention" is the second episode of the third season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's thirtieth episode overall. The episode was written by Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg, and directed by Ken Whittingham. It first aired on September 28, 2006 on NBC in the United States.

"The Coup" is the third episode of the third season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's thirty-first episode overall. It first aired on October 5, 2006, on NBC in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angela Martin</span> Fictional character from The Office (US)

Angela Noelle Schrute is a fictional character in the U.S. version of the television sitcom The Office, portrayed by actress Angela Kinsey. The character is based on Sheila from the original version of The Office. She is introduced as the senior accountant, head of the Party Planning Committee, and safety officer at the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin. Her character serves as the stuck-up and more professional face of the branch. She begins a relationship with co-worker Dwight Schrute, whom she begins secretly dating in the second season, has a child with in the eighth, and marries in the ninth. This relationship continues during the fourth season while she is engaged to salesman Andy Bernard. She also has a short-lived marriage with Pennsylvania State Senator Robert Lipton, who is initially believed to be the father of her child, Phillip. Dwight often refers to her affectionately as "Monkey."

"The Return" is the fourteenth episode of the third season of the American version of The Office and the show's 42nd overall. In the episode, the office celebrates the return of Oscar Martinez who had been on vacation since the first episode of the season. Meanwhile, a recently departed Dwight Schrute finds a job at Staples.

"Money" is the seventh and eighth episode of the fourth season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's sixtieth and sixty-first episode overall. It first aired on October 18, 2007, on NBC, and was the last of four consecutive hour-long episodes that opened the fourth season. The episode was written and directed by Paul Lieberstein, who also acts on the show as Human Resources Representative Toby Flenderson. "Money" marked Lieberstein's directorial debut.

"Dunder Mifflin Infinity" is the third and fourth episode of the fourth season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's fifty-sixth and fifty-seventh episode overall. It was written by Michael Schur, who also acts in the show, and directed by Craig Zisk. It first aired in the United States on October 4, 2007, on NBC.

"Did I Stutter?" is the sixteenth episode of the fourth season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's sixty-ninth episode overall. Written by Brent Forrester and Justin Spitzer, and directed by Randall Einhorn, the episode first aired in the United States on May 1, 2008 on NBC.

<i>The Office</i> (American TV series) season 4 Season of television series

The fourth season of the American television comedy The 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 originally set to include 30 episodes, but due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, production was called to a halt, in result, the season was shortened to 19 episodes. 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.

"The Whale" is the seventh episode of the ninth season of the American comedy television series The Office and the 183rd episode overall. The episode originally aired on NBC on November 15, 2012. The episode guest stars Jack Coleman as Robert Lipton and marks the return of actress Melora Hardin as Jan Levinson.

"The Target" is the eighth episode of the ninth season of the American comedy television series The Office and the 184th episode overall. The episode originally aired on NBC on November 29, 2012. It features guest star Chris Gethard as Trevor.

"Stairmageddon" is the nineteenth episode of the ninth season of the American comedy television series The Office. It originally aired on NBC on April 11, 2013. The episode features guest appearances from Roseanne Barr as Andy's agent Carla Fern and Paul Feig as a man auditioning his act for Carla.

References

  1. ↑ "Shows A–Z – Office, The on NBC". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
  2. ↑ Charles McDougall (director); Michael Schur (writer) (December 6, 2005). "Christmas Party". The Office. Season 2. Episode 10. NBC.
  3. ↑ Charles McDougall (director); Paul Lieberstein (writer) (March 2, 2006). "Dwight's Speech". The Office. Season 2. Episode 17. NBC.
  4. 1 2 Fischer, Jenna. "Michael Scott, Office Peacemaker?!". TV Guide . Archived from the original on June 27, 2008. Retrieved June 26, 2008.
  5. ↑ Deleted scenes for "Conflict Resolution" (DVD). Universal Studios Home Entertainment. 2006.The Office: Season Two Disc 4
  6. 1 2 Giant, M. "Conflict Resolution". Television Without Pity . NBCUniversal. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2012.
  7. ↑ "The Office – Seasons – Season 2 – Episode Guide". NBC. Archived from the original on November 13, 2012. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  8. ↑ "May 9, 2006 Press Release ('Conflict Resolution')". National Broadcasting Company . Retrieved June 26, 2008.[ dead link ] Alt URL
  9. ↑ Morrow, Terry (May 4, 2006). "Morrow: Tonight, The Office works splendidly". Knoxville News Sentinel . Archived from the original on November 1, 2006. Retrieved June 26, 2008.
  10. ↑ Sciannamea, Michael (May 5, 2006). "The Office: "Conflict Resolution"". TV Squad . Archived from the original on September 25, 2008. Retrieved June 26, 2008.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.