Prince Family Paper

Last updated

"Prince Family Paper"
The Office episode
Episode no.Season 5
Episode 13
Directed by Asaad Kelada
Written by B. J. Novak
Cinematography byMatt Sohn
Editing by Dean Holland
Production code512 [1]
Original air dateJanuary 22, 2009 (2009-01-22)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"The Duel"		Next →
"Stress Relief"
The Office (American season 5)
List of episodes

"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".

Contents

The episode was directed by Asaad Kelada and written by B. J. Novak, who also plays Ryan on the show. The script addresses the Darwinistic nature of capitalism in its portrayal of the larger corporation Dunder Mifflin threatening a small mom-and-pop business, as well as societal definitions of beauty in the differing arguments regarding Swank's attractiveness. Dan Bakkedahl makes a guest appearance as the business owner's son.

The episode received generally mixed reviews. According to Nielsen Media Research, "Prince Family Paper" was seen by 8.74 million viewers, a slight increase from the previous week's episode, "The Duel".

Plot

Dunder Mifflin CFO David Wallace (Andy Buckley) enlists Michael Scott (Steve Carell) to report on the success of a small family-owned local paper company named Prince Paper, that works in an area where Dunder Mifflin has never acquired clients. Michael brings Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) to help gather information. Michael visits business owner Roger Prince (Dan Desmond) posing as a potential customer named "Michael Scarn", while Dwight pretends to request a job. The kind and overly trusting Roger Prince gives Michael the company's customer list to use as a reference, and Michael and Dwight leave triumphantly.

However, Michael damages his car while exiting his parking space, which catches the attention of the Prince family. They come out to help fix the car as Michael watches. Michael is moved by their kindness and has a change of heart regarding giving the customer list to David, though Dwight remains unmoved. Back at the office, Dwight tries to convince Michael he cannot let his heart get in the way of business. Michael agrees to send the list and his information to Wallace, but then tries to get rid of the list. Dwight chases Michael down and takes the list from him, causing Michael to give in. David calls Michael to congratulate him on getting the list. Michael claims he is feeling a "bittersweet" moment: bitter because he potentially ruined a decent family, but sweet because he satisfied David Wallace.

The rest of the office debates whether Hilary Swank is "hot". Kevin Malone (Brian Baumgartner) leads the group voting she is not hot, claiming she looks like a "monster". Jim convinces Kevin to switch sides by having him imagine Hilary kissing him, only for Kevin to switch back, saying the debate is whether she is hot, not whether he would have sex with her. Angela Martin (Angela Kinsey) votes "hot" after getting offended by Kevin's crude remarks. Kelly Kapoor (Mindy Kaling), who believes herself less attractive than Swank, gets emotional when Toby Flenderson (Paul Lieberstein) defends his "not hot" vote. Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) argues they should not let the Kevins of the world decide who is hot. Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nuñez) gives a presentation about the structure of Swank's facial features, concluding she is "attractive...but she is not hot." An uncharacteristically uplifting Stanley Hudson (Leslie David Baker) votes hot, pointing out flaws are no way to live life. At the end of the debate, the sides are still tied until Michael, oblivious of their debate, passes by the pictures on the wall and casually calls her hot.

Production

"Prince Family Paper" was written by B. J. Novak, who also plays Ryan on the show. B.J. Novak, Actor.jpg
"Prince Family Paper" was written by B. J. Novak, who also plays Ryan on the show.

"Prince Family Paper" was directed by Asaad Kelada and written by B. J. Novak, who also plays Ryan Howard on the show. The episode portrays capitalism as Darwinistic in nature, particularly through its portrayal of the larger corporation Dunder Mifflin threatening the small mom-and-pop business Prince Family Paper, as well as societal definitions of beauty in the differing arguments regarding the hotness of Hilary Swank. [2] [3]

Dan Bakkedahl, a comedian best known as a correspondent from the Comedy Central comedy program The Daily Show , made a guest appearance as Robert Prince, Jr., the son of the Prince Paper owner. [4] When Michael infiltrates Prince Family Paper, he identifies himself as Michael Scarn. This is a reference to the second season episode "The Client", in which Pam discovers an action film screenplay starring a character based on himself named Agent Michael Scarn. [5]

Cultural references

Robert Prince tells Michael he started his business after Vietnam, a reference to the Vietnam War, but Michael mistakes it for a reference to the country itself and says he has heard it is a nice place. [6] During one scene, Michael said to David Wallace, "What'chu talking 'bout, Wallace?" in the style of Gary Coleman's catchphrase "What'chu talking 'bout, Willis?" from the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes . [5] While discussing Hilary Swank, Kevin said he finds her so unattractive that he expected her to have a real penis in Boys Don't Cry , the 1999 drama film in which Swank played a transgender man. [6] When Angela votes that Hilary Swank is hot, she declares her "a female Boris Becker", a reference to the German professional tennis player. Michael plans to meet Dwight at the IHOP pancake eatery after they visit Prince Family Paper, but Dwight insists IHOP is "socialist" and prefers the American restaurant chain Denny's. [7]

Reception

Ratings

In its original American broadcast on January 22, 2009, "Prince Family Paper" was watched by 8.74 million overall viewers, [8] about a five percent increase in viewership over the previous episode, "The Duel". [9] "Prince Family Paper" received a 5.3 rating/14 share among viewers aged between 18 and 34, and a 4.6 rating/11 share among viewers between 18 and 49. It was outperformed by CSI: Crime Scene Investigation on CBS, which was seen by 17.53 million households, and Grey's Anatomy on ABC, which was seen by 14.25 million households, although commentators said The Office still fared well against the tough competition. "Prince Family Paper" earned higher ratings than the Fox series Bones , which moved to Thursday for the first time and drew 7.5 million viewers. [8]

Tonight was about as inconsequential as The Office gets. With the exception of Michael’s moral quandary as to whether or to take advantage of the naivety of a comically friendly rival paper company it was all about gags, some inspired, some relatively arbitrary.

Nathan Rabin, The A.V. Club [4]

Critical reception

"Prince Family Paper" received generally mixed reviews. Travis Fickett of IGN called it one of the show's better Michael-and-Dwight centric episodes, and called the chase between them "a classic scene and perfectly executed". [6] Fickett also praised several character moments, like Kelly's breakdown over whether Hilary Swank is hot, but said the Swank subplot was less interesting than the main story. [6] Brian Howard of The Journal News said he appreciated that the script had Michael follow through on betraying the Princes, rather than deciding to spare them, because he felt it was more realistic. Howard said, "They didn’t let Michael off the hook. Instead the writers took a dark and dirty turn toward the truly tragic, in the literal sense of the word." [5] He also praised the Hilary Swank subplot as funny and a realistic conversation topic among officemates, although he admitted it was "relegated to almost buffer status" to the main plot. [5] Alan Sepinwall, television columnist with The Star-Ledger , said Michael's conflicted feelings about betraying the Prince family came up too late and resolved too abruptly to work well, and that the chase between Michael and Dwight was a poorly constructed "misfire". However, he called the subplot about Hilary Swank "genius with a capital G". [10]

TV Squad writer Jay Black praised the main plot, and wrote, "I was delighted that the trip to the Prince Family Paper Company became a test of Michael's morals rather than the usual exercise in his stupidity." [3] Black said Dwight's attempts to get Michael to give up the client list were among the best set of scenes for the season. However, Black said the Hilary Swank subplot suffered in comparison, and felt like a vain attempt to find something for the supporting cast to do. [3] The A.V. Club writer Nathan Rabin was disappointed with "Prince Family Paper", calling it overly dependent on throwaway gags and describing it as "about as inconsequential as The Office gets". [4] Rabin complimented the opening gag with Jim and Dwight, but said it "felt like the kind of gag the show has pulled off dozens, if not hundreds of times, before". [4] Alynda Wheat of Entertainment Weekly said it was not one of the strongest Office episodes and that the script took a particularly mean tone with the Prince Family Paper subplot, but that it also included some enjoyable moments like Jim's prank against Dwight in the opening scene. [7] Will Leitch of New York magazine was very critical of the episode, especially the Hilary Swank subplot (which he said "sounded like a conversation B. J. Novak had with himself at a party and submitted as a backup script") and the fact that the episode had nothing to do with the show's ongoing plotlines. [11]

Hilary Swank's reaction

Hilary Swank said of the episode in an interview with Time magazine, "I'm not a big television watcher, but definitely everyone made me aware of it. It's flattering anytime someone mentions you. But I don't think of myself in terms of that." [12] [13] She elaborated later in the interview, "There is so much [emphasis] put on the way we look, which is interesting, going back to the Office question. Are you hot, or are you not? It really does a disservice. There's so much more to life than looking a certain way." [12]

Related Research Articles

"Chair Model" is the fourteenth episode of the fourth season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's sixty-seventh episode overall. Written by B. J. Novak, and directed by Jeffrey Blitz, the episode first aired in the United States on April 17, 2008 on NBC. The episode guest-stars Brooke Dillman and Robert R. Shafer as Bob Vance.

<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.

Stress Relief (<i>The Office</i>) 14th and 15th episodes of the 5th season of The Office

"Stress Relief" is a two-part episode of the American comedy television series The Office. It constitutes the fourteenth and fifteenth episodes of the fifth season and the 86th and 87th overall episodes of the series. Both episodes were directed by Jeffrey Blitz and written by Paul Lieberstein, who also plays Toby Flenderson on the show.

"The Duel" is the twelfth episode of the fifth season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's 84th overall episode. In the episode, Andy learns his fiancee Angela is having an affair with Dwight, and the two challenge each other to a physical fight to win her affections. Meanwhile, Michael travels to New York City for a meeting with David Wallace, where Wallace seeks managerial advice from Michael due to the poor financial condition of the fictional company, Dunder Mifflin.

"Lecture Circuit" is a two-part episode of the American comedy television series The Office. They constituted the sixteenth and seventeenth episodes of the fifth season and the 88th and 89th overall episodes of the series. The first episode originally aired on NBC on February 5, 2009, and the second on February 12.

"Blood Drive" is the eighteenth episode of the fifth season of the American comedy television series The Office and the 90th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on March 5, 2009.

"Golden Ticket" is the nineteenth episode of the fifth season of the television series The Office and the 91st overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on March 12, 2009.

"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.

"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 and Michael Scott try to keep each other motivated as the two form their new paper company together. Michael recruits Ryan Howard for the company, which sets up a new office in the same building complex as Dunder Mifflin. Meanwhile, Jim Halpert tries to impress new boss Charles Miner by claiming to be a soccer enthusiast, but it backfires when Dwight Schrute convinces the two to face each other in a game.

"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.

"Cafe Disco" is the twenty-seventh and penultimate episode of the fifth season of the American comedy television series The Office and the 99th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on May 7, 2009. Feeling the office is overworked after the recent reign of Charles Miner, Michael sets up a "cafe disco" in his old Michael Scott Paper Company office. Phyllis injures her back dancing at the cafe disco and bonds with Dwight as he tries to relieve her back. Meanwhile, Jim and Pam plan to elope.

<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.

"The Promotion" is the third episode of the sixth season of the American comedy series The Office and the show's 103rd episode overall. It was written and directed by Jennifer Celotta and originally aired in the United States on NBC on October 1, 2009.

"Murder" is the tenth episode of the sixth season of the American comedy series The Office and the show's 110th episode overall. It was written by Daniel Chun and directed by Greg Daniels. It originally aired on NBC on November 12, 2009. The episode guest stars Andy Buckley as David Wallace, although he only appears via the phone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott's Tots</span> 12th episode of the 6th season of The Office

"Scott's Tots" is the twelfth episode of the sixth season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's 112th episode overall. The episode was directed by B. J. Novak, his directorial debut for the series, and written by Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg. It first aired in the United States on NBC on December 3, 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Threat Level Midnight</span> 17th episode of the 7th season of The Office

"Threat Level Midnight" is the seventeenth episode of the seventh season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's 143rd episode overall. It originally aired on NBC on February 17, 2011. The episode was written by B. J. Novak and directed by Tucker Gates.

References

  1. ↑ Wilson, Rainn (December 13, 2012). "Remember all of these? #FinalSeason". Facebook.com. Retrieved December 13, 2012.
  2. ↑ Abbas, Shahzad (January 23, 2009). "The Office Episode Recap: "Prince Family Paper"". TV Guide . Archived from the original on June 3, 2009. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 Black, Jay (January 23, 2009). "The Office: Prince Family Paper". TV Squad . Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Rabin, Nathan (January 22, 2009). "The Office: "Prince Family Paper"". The A.V. Club . Retrieved March 9, 2010.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Howard, Brian (January 23, 2010). "The Office recap: Prince Family Paper". The Journal News . Archived from the original on February 14, 2009. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Fickett, Travis (January 23, 2009). "The Office: "Prince Family Paper" Review". IGN . Retrieved March 9, 2010.
  7. 1 2 Wheat, Alynda (January 23, 2009). "'The Office' recap: Bittersweet moments". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  8. 1 2 Gorman, Bill (January 23, 2009). "Thursday Ratings: CSI Captures Viewers, Grey's Anatomy Wins Demos". Archived from the original on October 12, 2012. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  9. ↑ Gorman, Bill (January 16, 2009). "Updated Thursday Ratings: CSIs Petersen Farewell Draws 23 Million". Archived from the original on April 18, 2009. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  10. ↑ Sepinwall, Alan (January 22, 2009). "The Office, "Prince Family Paper": Hot... or not?". The Star-Ledger . Retrieved March 10, 2010.
  11. ↑ Leitch, Will (January 23, 2009). "The Office Slacks in Advance of a Very Special Episode". New York . Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  12. 1 2 Swank, Hilary (November 8, 2010). "10 Questions for Hilary Swank". Time. ISSN   0040-781X . Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  13. ↑ Trzcinski, Matthew (January 25, 2021). "'The Office': How Hilary Swank Reacted to Characters Debating Her Looks". Showbiz Cheat Sheet. Retrieved March 13, 2021.

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.