The Merger (The Office)

Last updated

"The Merger"
The Office episode
Episode no.Season 3
Episode 8
Directed by Ken Whittingham
Written by Brent Forrester
Cinematography by Randall Einhorn
Editing by David Rogers
Production code308
Original air dateNovember 16, 2006 (2006-11-16)
Running time30 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Branch Closing"		Next →
"The Convict"
The Office (American season 3)
List of episodes

"The Merger" is the eighth episode of the third season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's 36th overall. It was written by consulting producer Brent Forrester and directed by Ken Whittingham. It first aired on November 16, 2006, as a special "super-sized" 40-minute (including commercials) episode on NBC.

Contents

The series depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton and Stamford branches of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. In this episode, the two branches are merged. Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) and Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) have an awkward reunion, Michael Scott (Steve Carell) tries to make his new employees feel welcome, and a rivalry begins between Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) and Andy Bernard (Ed Helms).

The episode featured recurring guest stars Helms, Creed Bratton, Rashida Jones, Wayne Wilderson, Mike Bruner, and Ursula Burton. According to Nielsen Media Research, an estimated 8.63 million viewers watched "The Merger" on its first broadcast. Critical reception to the episode was mainly positive, with many reviewers spotlighting Helms and his character in particular as highlights.

Synopsis

The Scranton and Stamford branches prepare for the upcoming merger. Pam Beesly professes excitement over the merger, mostly because of the return of Jim Halpert. She soon learns throughout the day that Jim has become slightly distant to her and that he has formed a close relationship with Karen Filippelli, visibly shaking her. Feeling bad with their awkward reunion, Jim catches up to Pam at the end of the day and informs her that he's seeing someone. While Pam assures him that they're still friends, Jim leaves shaken as well.

Andy Bernard proclaims he'll be the No. 2 man in Scranton in six weeks time through "name repetition, personality mirroring and never breaking off a handshake." A rivalry between Dwight Schrute and Andy begins over the No. 2 position in the office. At the welcoming party, Michael Scott plays a videotape he has created called "Lazy Scranton", which features him and Dwight rhyming over the music of Saturday Night Live's "Lazy Sunday".

In a plan to unite the employees, Michael unintentionally embarrasses obese new employee Tony Gardner by attempting to push him onto a table with the rest of the new employees, making the whole arrangement awry; this causes Tony to quit. However, an angered Michael fires him instead, also unintentionally entitling him to severance pay. When Michael announces that Jim is the No. 2 in the office, Dwight and Andy argue over who is No. 3. They find that they have a common interest: their apparent fondness towards Michael.

Production

"The Merger" was the fourth episode of the series to be directed by Ken Whittingham. It was written by consulting producer Brent Forrester, [1] his first writing credit for The Office. [2] The episode featured guest appearances from recurring actor Creed Bratton as well as from Ed Helms, Rashida Jones, Wayne Wilderson, Mike Bruner, and Ursula Burton, whose characters joined the Scranton branch. [1] In her weekly blog for TV Guide , actress Kate Flannery stated that it "was a really fun episode" to film, as she was able to work with a variety of new actors. She added, "They double the size and they double the comedy... It was like a party all week shooting this episode." [3]

The season three DVD contains a number of deleted scenes, including Kevin and Angela reacting to Jim's return, Karen noting that she and Meredith have the same thermos and being offered alcohol, Andy introducing himself to Kevin, Michael telling Karen and Phyllis that eventually they will "share the same menstrual cycle," Hannah and Meredith fighting over desk space, Andy asking Kevin if he has lost weight, and Michael performing a magic trick in front of the office. [4] The original broadcast contained a small subplot involving Kevin and a new paper shredder from Staples Inc., where Kevin talks about how he is given almost no responsibility at work but is content as long as they let him shred documents. [1] [5] [6] It was removed from the episode for the DVD release and is not contained in the deleted scenes. It is included on the Amazon Prime Video version of the episode. [4] [7]

Reception

Ed Helms received positive reception for his portrayal of Andy Bernard. EdHelmsJune09.jpg
Ed Helms received positive reception for his portrayal of Andy Bernard.

"The Merger" was first broadcast on November 16, 2006 in the United States on the National Broadcasting Company (NBC). As a special promotion, the network broadcast "super-sized", forty-minute episodes of The Office, 30 Rock , and My Name Is Earl . [8] [6] According to Nielsen Media Research, an estimated 8.63 million viewers watched the episode. Among adults aged 18 to 49, it earned 4.2/10 ratings share, meaning that it was seen by 4.2 percent of all 18- to 49-year-olds, and 10 percent of all 18- to 49-year-olds watching television at the time of broadcast. [9] The episode reached second place for the night in that demographic, [10] and twenty-fourth for the week among all the major networks. [9]

IGN's Brian Zoromski rated "The Merger" 9 out of 10, an indication of an "amazing" episode. He called the opening sequence "arguably the funniest" scene, and believed "Andy's proven to be an even better source of hilarity than he ever was in the Stamford office." [6] Zoromski was unhappy however with the "outright product placement " with Staples, writing that "the show's quality felt a little compromised. It's one thing to see blatant product placement in a reality show like Survivor or American Idol but when it invades a great scripted comedy… well, it kinda drags the show down to the reality level." [6] Doug Elfman of the Chicago Sun-Times thought the episode was "funnier than it's been in a while," praising Kelly but criticizing the "fat-guy joke." [11] Elfman cited Michael and Andy's new relationship as a positive element. [11] Television Without Pity graded the episode with an A+. [7]

Entertainment Weekly columnist Abby West praised Fischer's "masterful" performance, writing that it "really is nice to see Pam coming into her own... And I love that she didn't inhibit herself when Jim walked in – she just ran right up and hugged him." [12] West also highlighted Carell and Helms, explaining that with the former, "Michael is never completely loathsome – because Steve Carell imbues him with such vulnerability." [12] AOL TV writer Michael Sciannamea also enjoyed Helms' performance, believing that "the competition between Andy and Dwight will surely make for some classic moments." [13] Sciannamea concluded his review, "What makes this show so great is that the supporting players have a chance to shine at the right moments. I thought Stanley's reactions to the whole situation were hysterical, and Creed is just great. He deserves some more airtime." [13]

Related Research Articles

"Office Olympics" is the third episode of the second season of the television series The Office and the show's ninth episode overall. It was written by Michael Schur and directed by Paul Feig. It originally aired on October 4, 2005 on NBC. The episode guest starred Nancy Carell, the real-life wife of series star Steve Carell, as Carol Stills.

"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.

"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.

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

"Michael's Birthday" is the nineteenth episode of the second season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's twenty-fifth episode overall. Written by Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg, and directed by Ken Whittingham, the episode first aired in the United States on March 30, 2006 on NBC. The episode guest stars Nancy Carell as Carol Stills.

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

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

"Diwali" is the sixth episode of the third season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's 34th overall. It was written by Mindy Kaling, who also acts in the show as Kelly Kapoor, and directed by Miguel Arteta. The episode first aired on November 2, 2006, on NBC, twelve days after the actual Diwali holiday.

"Branch Closing" is the seventh episode of the third season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's 35th overall. It was written by co-executive producer Michael Schur and directed by Tucker Gates. An edited version of the episode first aired on November 9, 2006, on NBC; later that night, a longer "producer's cut" edition was released, with deleted scenes edited into the full episode and broadcast on the website NBC.com. This uncut episode is the version included on the Season 3 DVD set.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Convict</span> 9th episode of the 3rd season of The Office

"The Convict" is the ninth episode of the third season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's 37th overall. It first aired on November 30, 2006 in the United States on NBC. The episode was the series' only original script written by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, who are the creators of the original British comedy series of the same name. It was directed by Jeffrey Blitz, his first such credit of the series.

"Traveling Salesmen" is the thirteenth episode of the third season of the American version of The Office and the show's 41st overall. The episode was written by Michael Schur, Lee Eisenberg, and Gene Stupnitsky, and it was directed by series creator and executive producer Greg Daniels. It first aired on January 11, 2007 in the United States on NBC.

Ben Franklin (<i>The Office</i>) 15th episode of the 3rd season of The Office

"Ben Franklin" is the fifteenth episode of the third season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's forty-third episode overall. Written by Mindy Kaling, who also acts in the show as Kelly Kapoor, and directed by Randall Einhorn, the episode first aired in the United States on February 1, 2007, on NBC. "Ben Franklin" received 5.0/13 in the ages 18–49 demographic of the Nielsen ratings, and was watched by an estimated audience of 10.1 million viewers, and the episode received mixed reviews among critics.

"Phyllis' Wedding" is the sixteenth episode of the third season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's 44th overall. It first aired on February 8, 2007, on NBC. The episode was written by staff writer Caroline Williams and directed by Ken Whittingham. Actors Creed Bratton, Rashida Jones, and Bobby Ray Shafer guest star.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Product Recall</span> 21st episode of the 3rd season of The Office

"Product Recall" is the twenty-first episode of the third season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's forty-ninth 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, the company deals with the consequences of an offending watermark that appeared on several reams of paper. Michael Scott holds a poorly attended press conference, Jim Halpert and Andy Bernard head to a high school that printed their prom invitations on the paper to apologize, and Creed frames an employee at the paper mill to keep his job.

"Grief Counseling" is the fourth episode of the third season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's 32nd overall. The episode was written by co-executive producer Jennifer Celotta and directed by Roger Nygard, making it Nygard's only series credit. It first aired on NBC in the United States on October 12, 2006.

"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.

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

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

The fourth season of the American television comedy The Office premiered in the United States on NBC on September 27, 2007, and concluded on May 15, 2008. The season consisted of 9 half-hour episodes, and 5 hour-long episodes to comprise the 19 total episodes of material created. The Office is an American adaptation of the British TV series of the same name, and is presented in a mockumentary format, portraying the daily lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of the fictitious Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. The season was originally set to include 30 episodes, but due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, production was called to a halt, in result, the season was shortened to 19 episodes. It stars Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, and B. J. Novak, with supporting performances from Melora Hardin, Ed Helms, Leslie David Baker, Brian Baumgartner, Creed Bratton, Kate Flannery, Mindy Kaling, Angela Kinsey, Paul Lieberstein, Oscar Nunez, Craig Robinson, and Phyllis Smith.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Ken Whittingham (director), Brent Forrester (writer) (November 16, 2006). "The Merger". The Office. Season 3. Episode 8. NBC.
  2. ↑ "Integration Celebration: The Branches Merge on The Office". Film.com. November 17, 2006. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  3. ↑ Flannery, Kate (November 15, 2006). "Episode 8: The Merger". TV Guide . Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  4. 1 2 Deleted scenes of "The Merger" (DVD). Universal Studios Home Entertainment. 2007.The Office: Season Three Disc 2
  5. ↑ Prestipino, Peter A.; Ted Murphy (April 7, 2009). "Getting Into Website Sponsorships". Website Magazine. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Zoromski, Brian (November 17, 2006). "The Office: "The Merger" Review". IGN . Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  7. 1 2 Giant, M. "The Merger". Television Without Pity. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  8. ↑ Torrance, Kelly Jane; Christian Toto (November 16, 2006). "'Rock' rolls on". The Washington Times . Retrieved August 3, 2012.(subscription required)
  9. 1 2 "Nielsen primetime ratings report. (Market share report) (Statistical table)". Daily Variety . November 22, 2006. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved July 24, 2012.(subscription required)
  10. ↑ Kissell, Rick (November 20, 2006). "Crime on the scene: 'CSI' closes in on 'Grey's'. (market share of television programs)". Daily Variety . Archived from the original on April 1, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2012.(subscription required)
  11. 1 2 Elfman, Doug (November 16, 2006). "NBC supersizes the laughs: Best of network's comedies cut 'must- see' shows down to size". Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2012.(subscription required)
  12. 1 2 West, Abby (November 17, 2006). "Paper Tigers". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on February 8, 2007. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  13. 1 2 Sciannamea, Michael (November 17, 2006). "The Office: The Merger". AOL TV. Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
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.