Performance Review

Last updated

"Performance Review"
The Office episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 8
Directed by Paul Feig
Written by Larry Wilmore
Featured music"Wild Side" by Mötley Crüe
Cinematography by Randall Einhorn
Editing by Dean Holland
Production code2009 [1]
Original air dateNovember 15, 2005 (2005-11-15)
Running time22 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
 Previous
"The Client"
Next 
"Email Surveillance"
The Office (American season 2)
List of episodes

"Performance Review" is the eighth episode of the second season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's fourteenth episode overall. It was written by Larry Wilmore and directed by Paul Feig. It first aired on November 15, 2005 on NBC. The episode guest stars Melora Hardin as Jan Levinson.

Contents

The series depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. In this episode, Michael Scott (Steve Carell) conducts job performance reviews with his employees, and struggles to get Jan Levinson (Melora Hardin) to talk about their romantic relationship from the previous episode. Meanwhile, Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) thinks that it is Friday, when it is in fact Thursday.

The episode was originally going to be about "weight loss" and be one of the early episodes of the second season. Several scenes were created due to onset accidents and ad-libbing, such as Dwight's fitness orb popping and Michael grabbing Jan's breast accidentally. "Performance Review" contained several pop culture references. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and earned a Nielsen rating of 3.9 in the 18–49 demographic, being viewed by 8 million viewers.

Plot

Michael Scott (Steve Carell) is giving his annual performance reviews but, instead of evaluating the employees' job performances, he asks their opinions about a phone message from his own boss, Jan Levinson (Melora Hardin). Jan's message sternly tells Michael not to bring up their recent romantic encounter when she does his performance review, but feeling their workplace standing is on the line, the employees cater to Michael's desires by telling him the message shows Jan has feelings for him. During Michael's performance review, Jan insists he remain strictly professional and present his ideas for improving business. He plunders the employee suggestion box for ideas, but the suggestions - which Jan insists he read in front of her - mostly concern Michael's personal hygiene and include a directive to "Stop sleeping with your boss". As Jan storms out of the office, Michael continues demanding to know why she will not have a relationship with him. Jan finally breaks down and vents her feelings about Michael, both positive and negative, and says she is not ready for another relationship. Michael is satisfied by the rejection, since she implied he was worth having a relationship with.

From a tense exchange with Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson), Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) realizes Dwight thinks it is Friday instead of Thursday. Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) and Jim reinforce this misconception with casual conversation. During his performance review, Dwight asks for a raise, claiming he has never missed a day of work, even breaking into the office to work on holidays. Dwight's calendar confusion continues into the following day, and so he fails to turn up for work that morning, leading Michael to comment skeptically on Dwight's claim of never missing a day of work.

Production

Writing

The episode was written by Larry Wilmore. Larry Wilmore St Marys College MD.jpg
The episode was written by Larry Wilmore.

The episode was written by Larry Wilmore, making it his first and only writing contribution to the series. [2] Wilmore had previously guest starred in the series as Mr. Brown, the diversity instructor who gives a presentation to the office in the first season episode "Diversity Day". [3] The episode was originally going to be about "weight loss" and be one of the first episodes of the second season aired. However, after "The Dundies" and "The Fire", series creator and developer Greg Daniels decided to hold the episode off and combine it with elements of "The Client". [4] When "Performance Review" was being formulated, Wilmore had "four different ideas that were scrunched together to make an episode". [4] One of the ideas was on a card that said "Thursday Friday". After inquiring about the meaning, Wilmore loved the idea and noted that it "would be great" in the episode and a "real funny thing to pull on Dwight". [4] Originally, the episode contained a subplot wherein Pam attempts to get a new chair approved by Michael. The scenes, in fact, were shot, but were never aired. [5]

Filming

The episode was directed by Paul Feig, making it his third episode directed for The Office after "Office Olympics" and "Halloween". [6] [7] During the filming of the episode, Jenna Fischer came down with a cold. Instead of postponing, however, Fischer memorized and performed all her lines, resulting in fellow cast member Angela Kinsey calling her a "trooper". [8]

Steve Carell November 2014.jpg
Melora Hardin 2009.jpg
Steve Carell (left) and Melora Hardin (right) improvised many of their scenes.

Several scenes were created due to onset accidents and ad-libbing. In the cold opening, Dwight tries to impress Jim with his recently purchased "fitness orb". Initially dismissive, Jim pops the ball after Dwight becomes increasingly obnoxious and troublesome. Before filming, the scene had been successfully rehearsed "about ten times"; each time, when Krasinski punctured the plastic, the ball slowly deflated. [4] However, when it came time to film the scene, Krasinski accidentally hit the ball "right on the seam", resulting in Wilson quickly—and dramatically—hitting the carpet. [9] In fact, several of the cast members in the background can be seen laughing, due to the unexpected nature of the shot. [5] Initially, the cut was relegated to the blooper reel, but Wilmore pleaded with Daniels to include it in the finished episode. [4] The "accidental boob grab" scene was based on a mistake made by Carell during a rehearsal. Originally, he was supposed to pat Hardin's shoulder. Instead, however, he accidentally brushed past her breast. Hardin, finding the accident "hilarious", demanded that Carell do it during the actual shooting. [10] Furthermore, several of the scenes were improvised beyond the initial lines given to Steve Carell and Melora Hardin, such as the ending wherein Michael and Jan have a discussion about Michael's flaws. [4] Wilson recounts that he had to sit at his desk for "an hour and a half" due to the ad libbing. [5]

During the suggestion box scene, Larry Wilmore envisioned Dwight as an Ed McMahon-type character, repeating everything Michael said. [4] Paul Lieberstein claimed that figuring out the logistics for the conference room scene was "the heart" of the episode. [11] Hardin recalled that it was extremely difficult to stay in character, due to the humorous nature of the dialogue and the cast members' reactions. [10] In fact, the cast broke more than usual during filming. [11] During the scene, Michael reads a suggestion from someone named Tom, who asks for better help for people with depression. After inquiring who this mysterious Tom is, Phyllis tells Michael that he worked in accounting until a year ago and committed suicide. Wilmore claimed during the DVD commentary for the episode that the writers would be bringing him back in the show's third season, in which his backstory would be explained, although this never panned out. [4] However, during the Writer's Block Q&A session at The Office Convention in 2007, the writers, perhaps sardonically, suggested that Tom's death was the reason that Ryan was brought in as a temporary worker. [12] Tom's name is briefly seen on Dwight's organization chart in the fourth season episode "Did I Stutter?", where his name is revealed to be Tom Peets. [13]

The Season Two DVD contains a number of deleted scenes from this episode. Notable cut scenes include Michael giving Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nunez) his performance review, Dwight giving Jim advice for his performance review, an extension of Dwight psyching himself up in the stairwell, Michael calling Jan's ex-husband and her reaction, and Michael describing the office with a confused metaphor involving organs of the body. [14]

Cultural references

To summarize why he deserves a raise, Dwight utilizes a Lex Luthor quote from the "Hothead" episode of Smallville . [15] Writer Jason Kessler was tasked with searching on the internet in order to get the right line. [4] Kinsey was pleased with the inclusion of the Smallville quote. [8] In order to trick Dwight into thinking that Thursday was actually Friday, Pam and Jim discuss who Donald Trump fired on The Apprentice , which was in its fourth season at the time the episode aired. [15] Before his review, Dwight pumps himself up by listening to glam metal band Mötley Crüe. [5] [11]

Reception

"Performance Review" originally aired on NBC in the United States on November 15, 2005. [16] The episode was viewed by 8 million viewers and received a 3.9 rating/9 percent share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49. This means that it was seen by 3.9 percent of all 18- to 49-year-olds, and 9 percent of all 18- to 49-year-olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. [17] An encore presentation of the episode, on June 6, 2006, received 2.5 rating/7 percent share and was viewed by over 4.7 million viewers. [18]

"Miss Alli" from Television Without Pity gave the episode an "A−" rating. [15] Dan Phillips of IGN named "Dwight's First Day Late" as the tenth greatest prank on the show. He noted, "Seeing a disheveled, unshaven Dwight run desperately towards the office in hopes of saving his perfect performance record was enough to land this prank on the list despite its lack of complexity." [19] Diane Holloway of the Austin American-Statesman wrote positively of the episode, and cited it as an example of how The Office, along with My Name is Earl , has "restored the comedy hour to NBC". [20] Michael Sciannamea of Huffpost TV wrote that he "liked the idea of having a continuation of a storyline" from "The Client", but that the subplot of Dwight mistaking a Thursday for a Friday "really didn't go anywhere". He also noted that "Dwight's behavior was over the top again", a fact which "can really be disconcerting". [21] Matt Zoller Seitz of Salon named the entry the ninth best episode of the series, praising the comedic confrontation between Michael and Jan, as well as being a "strong Dwight episode". Furthermore, Seitz praised the cold opening, calling it "a classic Jim prank". [22]

Erik Adams of The A.V. Club awarded the episode a "B", and wrote that the episode was "squarely invested in advancing the pieces on The Office's game board—all the while keeping its gaze fixed on the events of the previous episode". Adams felt that the A-story was largely dramatic, but was successfully balanced by the simplistic yet humorous B-story which "helps that A-story find its best beats". Ultimately, he felt that "the episode sets up a portion of the season where secrets and snooping become recurring components—fitting for a show grounded in the truth-telling conventions of documentary film." [23]

Holloway highlighted Michael's review of Angela, wherein he tells her "You're adequate", as the best line in the episode. [20] TV Fanatic reviewed several of the quotes for the episode. The site ranked Angela's monologue about how much she loves being judged, as well as Jim's revelation that Dwight thinks a Thursday is really a Friday, a four out of five. TV Fanatic awarded the conversation between Stanley and Michael—wherein Stanley tells Michael how to properly listen for subtext in a voicemail—as well as Dwight's frustration that he went out and got drunk with his laser tag team, a five out of five. [24] Wilson later claimed that Dwight's line about laser tag caused "quite a buzz" online. [5]

Related Research Articles

The Office is an American mockumentary sitcom television series that depicts the everyday work lives of office employees at the Scranton, Pennsylvania, branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. It aired on NBC from March 24, 2005, to May 16, 2013, with a total of nine seasons consisting of 201 episodes. Based on the 2001–2003 BBC series of the same name created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the show was created by Greg Daniels, a veteran writer for Saturday Night Live, King of the Hill, and The Simpsons. It was co-produced by Daniels' Deedle-Dee Productions and Reveille Productions, 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.

"The Client" is the seventh episode of the second season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's thirteenth episode overall. Written by Paul Lieberstein, who also acts in the show as Toby Flenderson, and directed by Greg Daniels, the episode first aired in the United States on November 8, 2005, on NBC.

"The Secret" is the thirteenth episode of the second season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's nineteenth episode overall. It was written by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky and directed by Dennie Gordon. The episode first aired on January 19, 2006 on NBC.

"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.

"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.

Pilot (<i>The Office</i>) 1st episode of the 1st season of The Office

"Pilot" is the first episode of the first season of the American comedy television series The Office. The episode premiered in the United States on NBC on March 24, 2005. The episode's teleplay was adapted by Greg Daniels from the original script of the first episode of the British version written by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. "Pilot" was directed by Ken Kwapis.

"The Alliance" is the fourth episode of the first season of the American comedy television series The Office. The episode aired on NBC in the United States on April 12, 2005. It was written by Michael Schur and directed by Bryan Gordon, marking their first credits for the show.

"Drug Testing" is the twentieth episode of the second season of the American comedy television series The Office and the twenty-sixth episode overall. It was written by Jennifer Celotta and directed by Greg Daniels, who is also an executive producer, and the series' show runner. It first aired in the United States on April 27, 2006 on NBC. The episode guest stars Hugh Dane as Hank the security guard.

"Casino Night" is the second season finale of the American comedy television series The Office and the twenty-eighth episode overall. Written by Steve Carell, who also acts in the show as Michael Scott, and directed by Ken Kwapis, the episode originally aired in the United States on May 11, 2006, on NBC. The episode guest stars Nancy Carell as Carol Stills and Melora Hardin as Jan Levinson.

"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">Jan Levinson</span> Fictional character

Janet Levinson is a recurring fictional character from the US television series The Office, portrayed by Melora Hardin. She is the Vice President of Northeast Sales at the paper distribution company Dunder Mifflin, directly supervising central character and Regional Manager of Dunder Mifflin's Scranton branch, Michael Scott. Her character is notable for the dysfunctional relationship she enters with Michael following the second-season episode, "The Client", until the fourth-season episode "Dinner Party". Michael and Jan's personas contrast to much humor in the series, particularly in their professional attitudes and social interactions, although Jan's erratic and sexually-domineering state of mind leads to her firing. Her counterpart in the British version is corporate manager Jennifer Taylor-Clarke, who was played by Stirling Gallacher.

"Back from Vacation" is the twelfth episode of the third season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's 40th episode overall. It first aired on January 4, 2007, on NBC, and it was the first episode to air after the December holiday hiatus. "Back from Vacation" was the first script written by Justin Spitzer for the series. Julian Farino served as the episode director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's Appreciation</span> 22nd episode of the 3rd season of The Office

"Women's Appreciation" is the twenty-second episode of the third season of the American version of The Office, the show's fiftieth overall, and the third supersized episode of the season. In this episode, Phyllis is flashed in the parking lot, so Michael takes all the women to the mall for "women's appreciation", where the status of his relationship with Jan comes to light. Meanwhile, Pam makes a sketch supposedly of the man who flashed Phyllis, when it in fact resembles Dwight, who is unaware and posts the fliers throughout town.

The Deposition (<i>The Office</i>) 12th episode of the 4th season of The Office

"The Deposition" is the twelfth episode of the fourth season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's sixty-fifth episode overall. Written by consulting producer Lester Lewis and directed by Julian Farino, the episode originally aired in the United States on November 15, 2007, on NBC. "The Deposition" was the last original episode of the show to air before the show went on hiatus due to the 2007 Writers Guild of America strike.

<i>The Office</i> (American TV series) season 3 Season of television series

The third season of the American sitcom The Office premiered in the United States on NBC on September 21, 2006, and concluded on May 17, 2007. The season had a total of 25 half-hours of material, divided into 16 half-hour episodes, five 40-minute "super-sized" episodes, and two one-hour episodes. The Office is an American adaptation of the British TV series of the same name as a mockumentary 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 Melora Hardin, David Denman, Ed Helms, Leslie David Baker, Brian Baumgartner, Kate Flannery, Mindy Kaling, Angela Kinsey, Paul Lieberstein, Oscar Nunez, and Phyllis Smith.

"Dinner Party" is the thirteenth episode of the fourth season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's sixty-sixth episode overall. Written by the writing team of Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky and directed by Paul Feig, the episode originally aired on NBC on April 10, 2008. Guest stars in the episode include Beth Grant, Steve Seagren, and Gary Weeks.

<i>The Office</i> (American TV series) season 2 Season of television series

The second season of the American situation comedy television series, The Office, premiered in the United States on NBC on September 20, 2005, and ended on May 11, 2006. The season had 22 episodes, including its first 40-minute "super-sized" episode. The Office is an American adaptation of the British TV series of the same name, and is presented in a mockumentary format, documenting 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 Melora Hardin, David Denman, Leslie David Baker, Brian Baumgartner, Kate Flannery, Angela Kinsey, Oscar Nunez, and Phyllis Smith.

<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.

"Goodbye, Toby" is the fourth season hour-long finale of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's seventy-first and seventy-second episodes overall. Written by Paul Lieberstein and Jennifer Celotta, and directed by Paul Feig, the episode first aired in the United States on May 15, 2008, on NBC.

"Sex Ed" is the fourth episode of the seventh season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's 130th episode overall. Written and directed by Paul Lieberstein, the episode aired on NBC in the United States on October 14, 2010. The episode features the return of several recurring characters, most notably Melora Hardin as Jan Levinson, Linda Purl as Helene Beesly, and Nancy Carell as Carol Stills. Actresses Amy Pietz and Amy Ryan — who portray Donna Newton and Holly Flax — only make vocal cameos, though Ryan is credited as a starring role.

References

  1. "Shows A–Z – Office, The on NBC". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
  2. Paul Feig (director), Larry Wilmore (writer) (November 15, 2005). "Performance Review". The Office. Season 2. Episode 8. NBC.
  3. Carell, Steve (Actor). 2005. "Diversity Day" [Commentary track], The Office Season One (US/NBC Version) [DVD], Los Angeles, CA: Universal.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Wilmore, Larry (Writer). 2006. "Performance Review" [Commentary track], The Office Season Two (US/NBC Version) [DVD], Los Angeles, CA: Universal.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Wilson, Rainn (Writer). 2006. "Performance Review" [Commentary track], The Office Season Two (US/NBC Version) [DVD], Los Angeles, CA: Universal.
  6. Paul Feig (director), Michael Schur (writer) (October 4, 2005). "Office Olympics". The Office. Season 2. Episode 3. NBC.
  7. Paul Feig (director), Greg Daniels (writer) (October 18, 2005). "Halloween". The Office. Season 2. Episode 5. NBC.
  8. 1 2 Kinsey, Angela (Writer). 2006. "Performance Review" [Commentary track], The Office Season Two (US/NBC Version) [DVD], Los Angeles, CA: Universal.
  9. Feig, Paul (Writer). 2006. "Performance Review" [Commentary track], The Office Season Two (US/NBC Version) [DVD], Los Angeles, CA: Universal.
  10. 1 2 Hardin, Melora (Writer). 2006. "Performance Review" [Commentary track], The Office Season Two (US/NBC Version) [DVD], Los Angeles, CA: Universal.
  11. 1 2 3 Lieberstein, Paul (Writer). 2006. "Performance Review" [Commentary track], The Office Season Two (US/NBC Version) [DVD], Los Angeles, CA: Universal.
  12. The Office Cast (2007). "The Office Convention 2007 Cast Q&A" (Interview). The Office: Overtime: NBC.
  13. The Office: The Complete Fourth Season (booklet). Greg Daniels, et al. NBC.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) Note: The DVD case's interlay contains a reproduction of Dwight's chart, which features the name "Tom Peets".
  14. Deleted scenes for "Performance Review" (DVD). Universal Studios Home Entertainment. 2006.The Office: Season Two Disc 2
  15. 1 2 3 Alli, Miss. "Performance Review". Television Without Pity . NBCUniversal. Archived from the original on February 3, 2013.
  16. "The Office – Seasons – Season 2 – Episode Guide". NBC. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  17. "Nov. 22, 2005 Press Release ("Performance Review")" (Press release). NBC. February 27, 2007. Retrieved June 12, 2012.[ dead link ] Alt URL
  18. "June 6, 2006 Press Release ("The Fire," "Halloween," "Performance Review")" (Press release). NBC. February 27, 2007. Retrieved June 12, 2012.[ dead link ] Alt URL
  19. Phillips, Dan (December 19, 2009). "The Office: Top 10 Pranks". IGN . News Corporation . Retrieved September 4, 2012.
  20. 1 2 Holloway, Diane (November 29, 2005). "At Long Last, Laughs – 'My Name Is Earl' and ' The Office' Have Restored the Comedy Hour to NBC". Austin American-Statesman . Cox Enterprises . Retrieved September 4, 2012.(subscription required)
  21. Sciannamea, Michael (November 16, 2005). "The Office: Performance Review". Huffpost TV . AOL . Retrieved September 4, 2012.
  22. Seitz, Matt. "What Was the Best Episode of "The Office"?". Salon . Salon Media Group. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
  23. Adams, Erik (July 16, 2013). "'The Client'/'Performance Review'". The A.V. Club . The Onion . Retrieved August 7, 2013.
  24. "The Office 'Performance Review' Quotes". TV Fanatic. October 14, 2008. Retrieved September 4, 2012.