Dream Team (The Office)

Last updated

"Dream Team"
The Office episode
Episode no.Season 5
Episode 22
Directed by Paul Feig
Written by B. J. Novak
Cinematography by Randall Einhorn
Editing byClaire Scanlon
Production code522
Original air dateApril 9, 2009 (2009-04-09)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Two Weeks"		Next →
"Michael Scott Paper Company"
The Office (American season 5)
List of episodes

"Dream Team" is the twenty-second episode of the fifth season of the television series The Office and the 94th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on April 9, 2009. In the episode, Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) and Michael Scott (Steve Carell) try to keep each other motivated as the two form their new paper company together. Michael recruits Ryan Howard (B. J. Novak) for the company, which sets up a new office in the same building complex as Dunder Mifflin. Meanwhile, Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) tries to impress new boss Charles Miner (guest star Idris Elba) by claiming to be a soccer enthusiast, but it backfires when Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) convinces the two to face each other in a game.

Contents

The episode was written by Novak and directed by Paul Feig. The episode aired the same day as the Office episode "Michael Scott Paper Company"; the debut episode of the new NBC show Parks and Recreation was shown between the two episodes. "Dream Team" marked the return of Ryan, who had not appeared on the show since the November 2008 episode "Frame Toby". The episode received generally positive reviews and, according to Nielsen ratings, was watched by 7.2 million viewers and captured the most viewers in its time slot for adults between the ages of 18 and 49. "Dream Team" received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series.

Plot

In the cold open, Kevin Malone struggles to correctly transfer phone calls, after having been moved to reception by Charles.

Michael Scott, having left Dunder Mifflin with Pam Beesly to form his own company, is having trouble starting his first day as president of the Michael Scott Paper Company. Pam tries to keep things together and suggests they create a list of things to do to maintain a positive working atmosphere. Michael sets up a meeting with a potential investor and makes a list of potential salesmen to join the company. He receives a letter from his condo association saying that running a business from his condominium is in violation of his residence agreement, so he needs to find office space for the company. Michael and Pam leave to find potential salesmen and then have their meeting with the potential investor.

Michael's first stop is his old part-time telemarketing job to pick up Vikram. Next, they stop at a bowling alley, where Ryan Howard, with bleached blond hair, is now working the shoe counter. Michael asks Ryan to join them, despite heavy protests from Pam. Ryan is convinced and steals two pairs of bowling shoes on the way out. They head to the meeting with the investor, who turns out to be Michael's "nana", at a nursing home. Michael gives her his pitch, but she does not believe his new venture will yield success and refuses to fund his company.

Meanwhile, at the Dunder Mifflin office, Charles Miner is revealed to have an obsession with soccer, and the rest of the employees pretend to feel the same way about it. When Jim Halpert tries claiming to be an experienced soccer player, Dwight Schrute, attempting to humiliate Jim, suggests that the staff play a game after work in the parking lot. During the game, when Charles kicks the ball towards Jim, he ducks and the ball hits Phyllis Vance in the face. Charles berates Jim for ducking, and Dwight mocks him.

In the car leaving the nursing home, Vikram asks to be brought back to the telemarketing job after he learns "nana" is a term for grandmother. Back at Michael's condo, a frustrated Pam loses her composure and tells Michael she made a mistake leaving Dunder Mifflin and only did it because she was tired of being a receptionist. Michael calms her down, telling her the reality is they both quit and that their only option is to continue trying with the new company. Michael leases office space in the Scranton Business Park, where Dunder Mifflin is located; it turns out to be a large storeroom directly underneath the Dunder Mifflin office. Michael and Pam put their company name in the office lobby directory where they encounter Charles. Michael taunts Charles that he cannot kick them out of the building now because they are leasing their own space.

Production

"Dream Team" was written by B. J. Novak, who also returned to play Ryan for the first time in five months. B.J. Novak, Actor.jpg
"Dream Team" was written by B. J. Novak, who also returned to play Ryan for the first time in five months.

"Dream Team" was written by B. J. Novak and directed by Paul Feig. It originally aired on April 9, 2009, the same day as the episode "Michael Scott Paper Company"; the debut episode of the new NBC show Parks and Recreation was shown between the two episodes. [1] It marks the first appearance of Novak as Ryan since "Frame Toby" in November 2008, when Novak briefly left the show to film his role in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds . [2] [3] Mindy Kaling, an Office writer who also stars as Kelly Kapoor, thought of the idea of Ryan dying his hair blond. [4] Novak wore a baseball cap in public between the times his hair was dyed and when the episode aired, in order to make the reveal a surprise, and even kept the cap on when he and the rest of the cast and crew did a public forum and Q&A session. "Dream Team" was the third of six episodes guest starring Idris Elba, best known as Stringer Bell from the television series The Wire . Elba said he did not watch the episode when it aired because "I'm hypercritical about my work, so I try not to torture myself." [5]

Prior to the episode airing, NBC set up a web site for the new Michael Scott Paper Company at michaelscottpapercompany.com, [3] [6] which included a mission statement for the company, photos of the new office space and a downloadable copy of the coupon for "unparalleled customer service" featured in the episode "Michael Scott Paper Company". [7] Another official NBC site, dundermifflininfinity.com, created a Flash game inspired by the episode, in which the viewer attempts to kick a soccer ball past Jim in the office parking lot and hit Phyllis in the face. [8] [9]

The official The Office website included two cut scenes from "Dream Team" within a week of the episode's original release. In one-minute-long clip, Andy continues brown-nosing to Charles; during a documentary interview, Andy says he was not the teacher's pet in school, but that he "walked the teacher's pet, and fed it, and bathed it". [10] A second one-minute clip involves the soccer game itself: Dwight excitedly sets up the game, Jim tries not to show Charles he does not know what "offside" means and Creed picks up the ball and hurls it at Kelly. [11]

Cultural references

Michael refers to his old telemarketing job where he met salesman Vikram; this is a reference to the fourth season episode "Money", in which Michael briefly works a second job as a telemarketer. [12] The bowling alley Ryan works at is Idle Hour Lanes, an actual bowling alley in Dickson City, Pennsylvania, which is just outside the show's setting of Scranton. [13] When Michael discusses song parodies, he names "My Stumps" in a reference to The Black Eyed Peas song "My Humps" and "Achy Breaky Fart" in a reference to the Billy Ray Cyrus song "Achy Breaky Heart". [1] In discussing the formation of the new paper company, Pam refers to the early years of Apple Inc., which she said began in a garage. The seniors at the retirement center where Michael discusses his business are watching Maury , the talk show hosted by Maury Povich, in the background. [12]

Reception

In its original American broadcast on April 9, 2009, "Dream Team" was watched by 7.2 million overall viewers, according to Nielsen ratings. The episode earned more ratings than the Parks and Recreation pilot that immediately followed it (which had 6.8 million viewers) but had less than "Michael Scott Paper Company", which came right after Parks and Recreation and had 8 million viewers. [14] "Dream Team", as well as "Michael Scott Paper Company", had the most viewers in its time slot among adults between the ages of 18 and 49. [15]

"Frankly, The Office kind of needed this sort of shake-up, even if it’s something as simple as another room to put all our characters in. (Though it’s smaller than Michael realized: “165 square feet seemed like a lot.”)"

Will Leitch of New York [3]

"Dream Team" received generally positive reviews. Alan Sepinwall of The Star-Ledger said he was enjoying the new paper company storyline and that "Dream Team" was funnier than "Michael Scott Paper Company". Sepinwall said the final scene with Michael trying to comfort Pam in the car was a "good payoff" which was well acted by Steve Carell and Jenna Fischer, and "yet another reminder that Michael does know what he's doing some of the time, which means Pam wasn't a complete idiot for following him out the door." He also liked Kevin's struggle with the phones in the beginning, but said the storyline between Jim and Charles was getting repetitive and, "It would help if the writers ever gave Idris Elba something funny to do." [2] Steven Mullen of The Tuscaloosa News called the episode "stellar", said the Charles Miner soccer subplot ended "perfectly" and said, "Watching [Michael's] fears bubble beneath the surface and slowly erode Pam's confidence was a masterwork." [16]

Travis Fickett of IGN said he was happy with the new, unpredictable direction The Office was taking. He particularly praised the Michael/Pam relationship in the episode, as well as soccer subplot involving Jim and Charles and the return of Ryan; he said Ryan's new bleached blond hair and his theft of bowling shoes were particularly funny moments. [17] Will Leitch of New York magazine said the episode has provided a change the show needed, and said, "Considering how unlikely it was that The Office was going to allow Michael and Pam to degrade into homelessness and squalor, the show has handled the predictable transition as well as possible." [3] Keith Phipps of The A.V. Club said the episode included a good exploration of Michael and Pam's relationship; he said "they're weirdly good together". Phipps, who gave the episode an A− grade, also said the Dunder Mifflin material worked well, "although Idris Elba has been so good at portraying a heartless professional it almost doesn’t seem right for anything to break through his icy exterior." [1]

Margaret Lions of Entertainment Weekly said the episode had "strong moments, and some interesting character play [but] I didn't get quite the same buzz from this week's installments as I did from the previous episode." She said "Dream Team" lacks the usual group interactions between the office co-workers, which she said are normally the funniest parts of the show. However, she praised Michael's pep talk to Pam in the final scene, and said the episode was "the best showcase Jenna Fischer has had in years". [12] Entertainment Weekly listed Michael's pep talk to Pam at the end of the episode as one of the 13 highlights from that week in television. [18]

In her list of the top ten moments from the fifth season of The Office, phillyBurbs.com writer Jen Wielgus ranked Michael's formation of the Michael Scott Paper Company in the downstairs storage closet as number one, citing the "Dream Team", "Michael Scott Paper Company" and "Heavy Competition" episodes in particular. She also said she specifically enjoyed the attempt to solicit investments at the retirement home from "Dream Team". Ryan's return to the series, along with his brief return as a temp in the episode "Weight Loss", ranked number 5 in that list. [19] "Dream Team" was voted the fifteenth-highest-rated episode out of 26 from the fifth season, according to an episode poll at the fansite OfficeTally; the episode was rated 8.00 out of 10. [20]

Claire Scanlon received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series. "Dream Team" accounted for one of the ten Primetime Emmy Award nominations The Office received for the show's fifth season at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards, which were held on September 20, 2009. [21]

Related Research Articles

The Office is an American mockumentary sitcom television series based on the 2001–2003 BBC series of the same name created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. Adapted for NBC by Greg Daniels, a veteran writer for Saturday Night Live, King of the Hill, and The Simpsons, the show depicts the everyday work lives of office employees at the Scranton, Pennsylvania, branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, and aired from March 24, 2005, to May 16, 2013, with a total of nine seasons consisting of 201 episodes. The show was co-produced by Daniels' Deedle-Dee Productions, Reveille Productions and 3 Arts Entertainment in association with Universal Television. The original executive producers were Daniels, Gervais, Merchant, Howard Klein and Ben Silverman, with numerous others being promoted in later seasons.

Ryan Howard (<i>The Office</i>) Fictional character in an American television series

Ryan Bailey Howard is a fictional character in the American television series The Office. He is portrayed by B. J. Novak. Novak also served as a writer, director, and executive producer for the show. He is based on the character Ricky Howard from the original British version of The Office, as well as Neil Godwin during the fourth season. He is one of the main characters in seasons 1-8 and is a guest character in season 9. The name is a tribute to the Philadelphia Phillies' starting first baseman during the series' first run.

Michael Scott (<i>The Office</i>) Fictional character in NBCs The Office

Michael Gary Scott is a fictional character in the NBC sitcom The Office, portrayed by Steve Carell. Michael is the regional manager of the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of Dunder Mifflin, a paper company, for the majority of the series. Like his counterpart in the original British version of the show, David Brent, he is characterized as a largely incompetent, unproductive, unprofessional boss, though he is depicted as kinder and occasionally shown to be effective at his job in key moments.

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

James Duncan Halpert is a fictional character in the U.S. version of the television sitcom The Office, portrayed by John Krasinski. He is introduced as a sales representative at the Scranton branch of paper distribution company Dunder Mifflin, before temporarily transferring to the Stamford branch in the third season. Upon the merger of Scranton and Stamford branches, he becomes Assistant Regional Manager, and later co-manager alongside Michael Scott during the sixth-season episode arc from "The Promotion" to "The Manager and the Salesman". The character is based on Tim Canterbury from the original version of The Office.

"Boys and Girls" is the fifteenth episode of the second season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's twenty-first episode overall. It was written by B. J. Novak and directed by Dennie Gordon and first aired on February 2, 2006, on NBC. The episode guest stars Melora Hardin as Jan Levinson, Craig Robinson as Darryl Philbin, and Patrice O'Neal as Lonny.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dunder Mifflin</span> Fictional paper company from U.S. TV series The Office

Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, Inc. is a fictional paper and office supplies wholesale company featured in the American television series The Office. It is analogous to Wernham Hogg in the British original of the series, and Papiers Jennings and Cogirep in the French Canadian and French adaptations, respectively. Originally, the company was completely fictitious, but eventually, the brand was used to sell products at Staples and other office supply outlets.

"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.

Night Out (<i>The Office</i>) 15th episode of the 4th season of The Office

"Night Out" is the fifteenth episode of the fourth season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's sixty-eighth episode overall. The episode was written by Mindy Kaling and directed by Ken Whittingham. It first aired in the United States on April 24, 2008 on NBC. "Night Out" was viewed by a measured audience of over 7.5 million people, bringing in the lowest number of estimated viewers that The Office received among 12 episodes. "Night Out" received mixed reviews from critics.

<i>The Office</i> (American TV series) season 5 Season of television series

The fifth season of the American television comedy The Office premiered in the United States in the 2008–2009 television season on NBC on September 25, 2008 and concluded on May 14, 2009. The fifth season consisted of 28 half-hours of material, divided into 24 half-hour episodes and two hour-long episodes. The Office is an American adaptation of the British TV series, 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 stars Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, and B. J. Novak, with supporting performances from Ed Helms, Melora Hardin, Leslie David Baker, Brian Baumgartner, Creed Bratton, Kate Flannery, Mindy Kaling, Angela Kinsey, Paul Lieberstein, Oscar Nunez, Craig Robinson, and Phyllis Smith.

"Prince Family Paper" is the thirteenth episode of the fifth season of the American comedy television series The Office. The show's 85th overall episode, it originally aired on NBC in the United States on January 22, 2009. In the episode, Michael and Dwight go undercover to seek information on a family-owned business competitor, and Michael has a crisis of conscience when they turn out to be very nice people. Meanwhile, the others in the office passionately debate whether actress Hilary Swank can be considered "hot".

David Wallace (<i>The Office</i>) Fictional character in the American comedy series The Office

David Wallace is a fictional character in the American comedy series The Office, portrayed by Andy Buckley. Wallace is introduced in the second season as the new chief financial officer of Dunder Mifflin. Wallace is named after David Foster Wallace, a favorite author of John Krasinski and executive producer Michael Schur. The other characters almost exclusively refer to him by the full name "David Wallace", rather than by simply his first name. His character is established as a wealthy executive at the corporate headquarters in New York with an opulent suburban home, wife, Rachel, and two kids – one son and one daughter. Despite his differing lifestyle from the members of the Scranton branch, David tolerates and understands the eccentricities and flaws of Regional Manager Michael Scott, and appreciates employees Jim Halpert and Toby Flenderson. He is let go in the sixth season following the absorption of Dunder Mifflin by Sabre. He later sells his patent for a toy vacuum, called "Suck It," to the U.S. military for $20 million and subsequently acquires Dunder Mifflin for an undisclosed sum of money, becoming CEO in the eighth-season finale, "Free Family Portrait Studio".

"New Boss" is the twentieth episode of the fifth season of the television series The Office and the 92nd overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on March 19, 2009. In the episode, Michael Scott is disturbed by the arrival of his new no-nonsense superior Charles Miner, played by The Wire star Idris Elba, making his first of six slated guest appearances with The Office. Meanwhile, Jim struggles to make a good impression on Charles, and Angela and Kelly both develop crushes on their new boss.

"Two Weeks" is the twenty-first episode of the fifth season of the television series The Office and the 93rd overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on March 26, 2009. In this episode, Michael, who has given his two weeks' notice to Dunder Mifflin, tries to convince others in the office to quit and join him in starting a new paper company. Meanwhile, Pam spends her day trying to put together the new photocopier and becomes frustrated with her job.

"Heavy Competition" is the twenty-fourth episode of the fifth season of the television series The Office and the 96th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on April 16, 2009. In the episode, Michael enlists the help of Dwight in getting Michael's new paper company off the ground, but the two eventually end up engaging in a war for each other's clients. Meanwhile, Jim pretends to be afraid of his future with Pam to play a prank on Andy, who is still reeling over his recent break up with Angela.

"Broke" is the twenty-fifth episode of the fifth season of the television series The Office and the 97th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on April 23, 2009. In this episode, Michael learns his paper company is broke, and tries to keep this fact a secret when Dunder Mifflin offers to buy out the Michael Scott Paper Company since the company has stolen most of Dunder Mifflin Scranton's core clients.

"Casual Friday" is the twenty-sixth episode of the fifth season of the television series The Office and the 98th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on April 30, 2009. In this episode, Michael, Pam and Ryan return to Dunder Mifflin as salespeople, and other members of the sales staff become upset when they do not get their old clients back that the Michael Scott Paper Company stole from them. Meanwhile, Jim tries to remain neutral about the situation and plays board games with Creed, and Casual Friday is reinstated in the office, with mixed results.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Scott Paper Company</span> 23rd episode of the 5th season of The Office

"Michael Scott Paper Company" is the twenty-third episode of the fifth season of the television series The Office and the 95th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on April 9, 2009.

"Company Picnic" is the fifth season finale of the American comedy television series The Office and the 100th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on May 14, 2009. In the episode, Michael plans to win back his ex-girlfriend Holly at a Dunder Mifflin company picnic, while the rest of the Scranton office get involved in a competitive company volleyball tournament.

<i>The Office</i> (American TV series) season 6 Season of television series

The sixth season of the American television comedy The Office premiered in the United States on NBC on September 17, 2009, and concluded on May 20, 2010. The season consisted of 22 half-hour episodes, and 2 hour-long episodes to comprise the 26 total episodes of material created. The Office is an American adaptation of the British TV series, 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 stars Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, B. J. Novak, and Ed Helms, with supporting performances from Leslie David Baker, Brian Baumgartner, Creed Bratton, Kate Flannery, Mindy Kaling, Ellie Kemper, Angela Kinsey, Paul Lieberstein, Oscar Nunez, Craig Robinson, and Phyllis Smith.

"Shareholder Meeting" is the eleventh episode of the sixth season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's 111th episode overall. Written by Justin Spitzer and directed by Charles McDougall, it originally aired on NBC on November 19, 2009.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Phipps, Keith (April 9, 2009). "The Office : Season 5 : Episode 20 & 21 "The Dream Team" / "The Michael Scott Paper Company"". The A.V. Club . Retrieved April 10, 2009.
  2. 1 2 Sepinwall, Alan (April 10, 2009). "The Office, "Dream Team" & "Michael Scott Paper Company": Michael's new business". The Star-Ledger . Retrieved April 10, 2009.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Leitch, Will (April 10, 2009). "The New Office Same As the Old Office". New York . Archived from the original on April 12, 2009. Retrieved April 12, 2009.
  4. ↑ Ghosh, Korbi (April 16, 2009). ""The Office": Scoop on couples, cast members & The Michael Scott Paper Company". Zap2it . Archived from the original on April 20, 2009. Retrieved April 21, 2009.
  5. ↑ Chaney, Jen (April 19, 2009). ""I've Been Just the Ordinary Chap for 30-Odd Years": From Stringer Bell to DJ Driis, Idris Elba Is a Looker With Many Faces". The Washington Post . Retrieved April 21, 2009.
  6. ↑ "Michael Scott Paper Company Website". NBC . April 9, 2009. Archived from the original on May 25, 2011. Retrieved April 12, 2009.
  7. ↑ "Michael Scott Paper Company Inc". NBC . Retrieved April 12, 2009.
  8. ↑ "Dream Team Soccer Game". NBC . April 9, 2009. Archived from the original on May 25, 2011. Retrieved April 12, 2009.
  9. ↑ "Games: Dream Team Soccer". NBC . Retrieved April 12, 2009.
  10. ↑ "The Office – Dream Team – Clip One – Video". NBC . April 10, 2009. Archived from the original on April 13, 2009. Retrieved April 14, 2009.
  11. ↑ "The Office – Dream Team – Video". NBC . April 14, 2009. Archived from the original on April 14, 2009. Retrieved April 14, 2009.
  12. 1 2 3 Lyons, Margaret (April 10, 2009). "'The Office' Recap: Paper Chase". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on April 12, 2009. Retrieved April 10, 2009.
  13. ↑ McAuliffe, Josh (April 13, 2009). ""Dream Team"/ "Michael Scott Paper Co." Mini Recaps". The Times-Tribune . Retrieved April 14, 2009.[ permanent dead link ]
  14. ↑ Lyons, Margaret (April 10, 2009). "Ratings: "Southland," "Parks & Recreation" score decent debuts". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on May 25, 2011. Retrieved April 11, 2009.
  15. ↑ Ryan, Joal (April 10, 2009). "Parks and Rec's Solid Approval Rating". E! . Archived from the original on March 5, 2011. Retrieved April 11, 2009.
  16. ↑ Mullen, Steve (April 10, 2009). "Office, P&R, 30 Rock". The Tuscaloosa News . Retrieved April 12, 2009.[ permanent dead link ]
  17. ↑ Fickett, Travis (April 10, 2009). "The Office: "Dream Team" Review: Michael and Pam find some help in an unlikely place". IGN . Retrieved April 10, 2009.
  18. ↑ Lyons, Margaret (April 10, 2009). "TV Watch: 13 Highlights from the Week Ending April 10". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on April 14, 2009. Retrieved April 14, 2009.
  19. ↑ Wielgus, Jen (May 14, 2009). ""The Office": Top 10 moments from Season 5". phillyBurbs.com. Retrieved May 16, 2009.[ permanent dead link ]
  20. ↑ Tan, Jennie (May 19, 2009). "The Office Fan Ratings, Season 5". OfficeTally. Retrieved May 21, 2009.
  21. ↑ Tan, Jennie (July 16, 2009). "The Office 2009 Emmy post". OfficeTally. Retrieved July 16, 2009.
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.