The Meeting (The Office)

Last updated

"The Meeting"
The Office episode
Episode no.Season 6
Episode 2
Directed by Randall Einhorn
Written by Aaron Shure
Cinematography byMatt Sohn
Editing byClaire Scanlon
Production code602
Original air dateSeptember 24, 2009 (2009-09-24)
Guest appearance
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Gossip"		Next →
"The Promotion"
The Office (American season 6)
List of episodes

"The Meeting" is the second episode of the sixth season of the American comedy television series The Office and the 102nd overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States and simultaneously on CTV in Canada on September 24, 2009.

Contents

In the episode, Michael plots to sabotage Jim's plans after Jim and David Wallace have a secret meeting without him. In the end, Jim is promoted to co-manager. Meanwhile, Dwight and Toby become suspicious of an injury Darryl supposedly got at work, and Pam tries to get RSVPs from the office for her wedding to Jim.

The episode was written by Aaron Shure and directed by Randall Einhorn. According to Nielsen ratings, "The Meeting" was seen by 7.33 million U.S. households during its original broadcast, a drop from the previous week's season premiere episode, "Gossip". The episode received mixed reviews, with some commentators claiming it focused too much on plot development rather than humor. [1] [2] [3]

Synopsis

Michael Scott (Steve Carell) becomes nervous when Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) has a private meeting with CFO David Wallace (Andy Buckley). He constantly tries to intrude into the meeting, finally sneaking into the meeting room in a cheese cart made by Andy Bernard (Ed Helms). David asks to see Michael after finishing up with Jim, and hints that he is thinking of having Jim promoted to regional manager. Michael, not wanting to lose his position, derides Jim's management potential and shows David his personnel file (which, thanks in part to Toby's unrequited affection for Jim's fiancé Pam, is full of comments on how much Jim slacks off). However, David mentions that Jim suggested that, in addition to his own promotion, Michael also be promoted to oversee all Northeast sales, but if Michael would not take the promotion, then Jim would accept a job offer somewhere else. David asks Jim to walk him to his car, where he tells him that he has changed his mind without explaining why. Michael, watching from his window, notices a downtrodden Jim and says to the camera that he feels "partially responsible".

Darryl Philbin (Craig Robinson), wearing a green football jersey, tells Toby Flenderson (Paul Lieberstein) he fell off a ladder in the warehouse trying to reach an item and broke his leg when the ladder fell on him, and he wants to put in a claim for workers' comp. Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) overhears him and persuades Toby that Darryl's story is suspicious. They go to the warehouse to see where it happened, and see that the ladder he would have used is too short to reach the top shelf. Toby still isn't totally convinced that Darryl is lying, but being a fan of hardboiled detective fiction, he joins Dwight in staking out Darryl's house. There they spot someone wearing a green football jersey carrying a big bag of dog food without crutches. Thinking that person is Darryl, Toby shouts an obscenity at him, but they see that the person is not Darryl and the real Darryl comes out, still on crutches. They flee the scene, crashing into Darryl's trashcans. Back at the office Darryl threatens to file complaints on both of them for yelling at his sister.

Later, Dwight and Toby head to the warehouse to apologize. There Dwight sees that employees are misusing a lift as an elevator and a railing at the top of the stairs was replaced, and deduces that Darryl injured himself on the lift and made up the ladder story since he would not receive workers' comp for an injury incurred through misuse of equipment. Darryl admits this, and says if they report him for his falsified complaint, he will retaliate by filing a complaint for sexual harassment against his sister. Dwight is not swayed by the threat, and Toby tries to convince them to make peace. Later, Toby, with a bruised forehead, explains that the three of them "worked it out" that Darryl and Dwight would both file complaints against each other and Toby would do all the paperwork.

Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) tells the camera that she and Jim deliberately scheduled their wedding for a weekend in Niagara Falls so their co-workers wouldn't be able to attend, but then relates unhappily that Michael unilaterally announced the office will be closed on the Monday and Tuesday after the wedding date. Pam's next plan is to try and use passive-aggressive "you can skip our wedding if you want (hint)" to get the staffers to not attend, but this also fails: Kelly Kapoor (Mindy Kaling) says she will only go if Ryan Howard (B. J. Novak) goes, and Ryan says he will go so Pam checks off both Ryan and Kelly. Meredith Palmer (Kate Flannery) asks Pam to send her directions via text message on the morning of the wedding, and says she wants the fanciest meal there, unless there are ribs. Pam finally resigns herself to having her co-workers attend.

Jim tells Michael that he suspects he talked David out of giving him the promotion. Michael denies this, so Jim pressures him to call David back and switches the phone to speaker mode as soon as David picks up. The ensuing conversation confirms Jim's suspicions, and he becomes upset that Michael sabotaged him. When Michael tries to apologize, David calls Michael back and proposes that Michael and Jim be co-managers of the Scranton branch, with Michael handling clients and Jim handling day-to-day operations. Michael and Jim accept the offer and announce it to the rest of the office. Dwight is shown screaming in anger and astonishment.

Production

"The Meeting" was written by Aaron Shure and directed by Randall Einhorn. The episode included the promotion that established Jim as co-manager of the office along with Michael, which for a brief time drastically changed the hierarchy of the office. [4]

Cultural references

Michael said he would have to discuss a possible promotion with his consultant from H&R Block, a tax preparation company. [4] During an evaluation of Jim's work performance, Michael compares Jim to Big Bird, a character from the hit PBS children's show, Sesame Street . [5] While discussing Darryl's suspicious injury, Dwight says they are not living in Sweden, which he incorrectly describes as a communist country. In response, Darryl says the injury would not be a problem there due to Sweden's universal healthcare. [3] When Pam asks Ryan about coming to the wedding, Ryan can be seen reading the 2006 Tucker Max book, I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell . [6]

Reception

In its original American broadcast on September 24, 2009, "The Meeting" was seen by 7.33 million viewers. It received a 3.8 rating/10 share among viewers aged between 18 and 49. [7] It marked an almost 800,000-viewer drop from the previous week's premiere episode, "Gossip", which itself was seen by 18 percent less viewers than the fifth-season premiere. [8] "The Meeting" received generally mixed reviews, with some commentators claiming it focused too much on plot development rather than humor. [1] [2] [3]

Entertainment Weekly writer Darren Franich called the episode "an instant classic". Franich said he was excited about the new co-manager plotline, and he particularly praised the cold open between Michael and Oscar, as well as the comedic chemistry between Dwight and Toby. [9] Tara Tanzos of The Express-Times said she was interested to see where the co-manager plot development went in future episodes. She particularly praised the scene in which Michael spies on Jim and Wallace from underneath the cheese cart. [5] Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club said "The Meeting" advanced the show's overall plot drastically with the Michael and Jim co-manager plot, but not at the expense of humor. He particularly praised the pairing of Dwight and Toby, the look of Darryl's sister and Dwight's scream of rage at the end of the episode. [10]

North by Northwestern writer Sarah Collins said the co-manager and wedding preparation stories were dull, despite advancing the show's plot. However, she said the Dwight and Toby subplot provided most of the episode's "high moments", and said Darryl's sister added more dimension to his character. [1] Dan Phillips of IGN said the episode was high on plot summary but low on laughs, which he said felt like a step back after an excellent sixth-season premiere. Phillips said the biggest laughs came from the "outrageous cold opening". [2] Yvonne Villarreal of the Los Angeles Times called "The Meeting" a lackluster episode. She said it was more low-key than recent episodes, and that "when the office antics go on the back burner, so do the laughs". [4] Caitlin Fairchild of The Flat Hat said the episode was "not that funny", mainly because of the focus on "actual plot developments rather than ridiculous antics". [3]

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's character was a salesman and the assistant to the regional manager, Michael Scott, at the fictional paper distribution company Dunder Mifflin, before his promotions in later seasons of the show. His character also ran a bed and breakfast at Schrute Farms, was a beet plantation owner, and in Season 7, the owner of the business park in which Dunder Mifflin is located. His character is known for his love of martial arts and the justice system.

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, who 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 earlier 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 DuncanHalpert 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.

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

Pamela Morgan 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Malone</span> Fictional character of American TV series/mockumentary The Office

Kevin Malone is a fictional character in the American television series The Office, portrayed by Brian Baumgartner. In the series, Kevin is a member of the accounting department at the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin. He is known for his eccentric interests and lack of communication skills. In the UK TV series Kevin's counterpart is Keith Bishop, portrayed by Ewen MacIntosh.

"The Negotiation" is the nineteenth episode of the third season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's forty-seventh episode overall. The series depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. In this episode, Roy Anderson tries to attack Jim Halpert for kissing Pam Beesly on Casino Night, only to be pepper-sprayed by Dwight Schrute. Jim repeatedly tries to thank Dwight for his actions, but each attempt is rejected. Meanwhile, with Roy fired, Darryl Philbin asks for a raise and is astounded when he learns that this raise would cause him to be paid more than his boss, Michael Scott.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"Mafia" is the sixth episode of the sixth season of the American comedy series The Office and the show's 106th episode overall. It originally aired on October 15, 2009 on NBC.

"The Lover" is the seventh episode of the sixth season of the American comedy series The Office and the show's 107th episode overall. It was written by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky and directed by Eisenberg. It originally aired on October 22, 2009 on NBC.

"The Chump" is the twenty-fifth and penultimate episode of the sixth season of the American comedy series The Office and the show's 125th episode overall. It originally aired on May 13, 2010 on NBC in the United States.

"Costume Contest" is the sixth episode of the seventh season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's 132nd episode overall. Written by Justin Spitzer and directed by Dean Holland, the episode aired on NBC in the United States on October 28, 2010. This episode received positive reviews.

"Search Committee" is the two-part finale of the seventh season of the American television comedy series The Office. It comprises the 151st and 152nd episodes of the series overall and the 25th and 26th episodes of the seventh season. It originally aired on NBC on May 19, 2011 in the United States. In the episode, Deangelo's replacement is sought out through a search committee process led by Jim. Meanwhile, Angela becomes engaged to her state senator boyfriend, Robert, while the rest of the office believes he is gay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nellie Bertram</span> Fictional character

Nellie Bertram is a fictional character on the U.S. comedy television series The Office, portrayed by Catherine Tate. She first appears as a guest star in the seventh season, where she interviewed for the Regional Manager position at the Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch. She is an original character, and has no counterpart in the original British version of the series.

"Last Day in Florida" is the eighteenth episode of the eighth season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's 170th episode overall. The episode originally aired on NBC in the United States on March 8, 2012. "Last Day in Florida" was written by Robert Padnick and directed by Matt Sohn. The episode features the final appearance of Lindsey Broad and guest stars Georgia Engel.

"Roy's Wedding" is the second episode of the ninth season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's 178th episode overall. The episode originally aired on NBC on September 27, 2012. The episode guest stars David Denman as Roy Anderson, Michael Patrick McGill as his brother, Kenny, Robert R. Shafer as Bob Vance, and Ameenah Kaplan as Val.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Collins, Sarah (September 26, 2009). "The Office: "The Meeting"". North by Northwestern . Retrieved September 30, 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 Phillips, Dan (September 25, 2009). "The Office: The Meeting" Review". IGN . Retrieved September 30, 2009.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Fairchild, Caitlin (September 26, 2009). "The Office: Swedish communism". The Flat Hat . Williamsburg, Virginia . Retrieved September 30, 2009.
  4. 1 2 3 Villarreal, Yvonne (September 25, 2009). ""The Office": Where did the funny go?". Los Angeles, California . Retrieved September 30, 2009.
  5. 1 2 Tanzos, Tara (September 26, 2009). ""The Office" stays behind closed doors in "The Meeting"". The Express-Times . Easton, Pennsylvania . Retrieved September 29, 2009.
  6. ↑ "I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell on NBC's The Office". Dagoosh. September 25, 2009. Retrieved October 29, 2009.
  7. ↑ Seidman, Robert (September 25, 2009). "Updated TV Ratings Thursday: FlashForward flashes brightly, Grey's annihilates CSI, The Mentalist". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 12, 2012. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
  8. ↑ Gorman, Bill (September 18, 2009). "TV Ratings Thursday: Strong: Bones; Weak: Parks, Office, Survivor; Good Start: Community". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 9, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2009.
  9. ↑ Franich, Darren (September 25, 2009). ""The Office" recap: Movin' on up". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved September 30, 2009.
  10. ↑ Rabin, Nathan (September 24, 2009). "The Office: "The Meeting"". The A.V. Club . Retrieved October 29, 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.