The Whale (The Office)

Last updated
"The Whale"
The Office episode
Episode no.Season 9
Episode 7
Directed by Rodman Flender
Written by Carrie Kemper
Cinematography byMatt Sohn
Editing byJosh Belson
Production code9008 [1]
Original air dateNovember 15, 2012 (2012-11-15) [2]
Running time22 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"The Boat"		Next →
"The Target"
The Office (American season 9)
List of episodes

"The Whale" is the seventh episode of the ninth season of the American comedy television series The Office and the 183rd episode overall. The episode originally aired on NBC on November 15, 2012. The episode guest stars Jack Coleman as Robert Lipton and marks the return of actress 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, Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) is tasked with selling paper to a woman—who is later revealed to be Jan (Hardin)—from the Scranton White Pages, so Pam Halpert (Jenna Fischer) and the women of the office teach him how to interact with women. Angela Lipton (Angela Kinsey) confides in Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nunez) that her husband, Robert (Jack Coleman)—who is secretly having a relationship with Oscar—is cheating on her. Oscar helps her spy on her husband at his yoga class. Meanwhile, Toby Flenderson (Paul Lieberstein) convinces several of the men in the office to grow mustaches for "Movember".

"The Whale" received mixed reviews from television critics, with many commenting on Hardin's appearance. The episode was also viewed by 4.16 million viewers and received a 2.1/6 percent rating among adults between the ages of 18 and 49, ranking fourth in its timeslot. The episode, however, ultimately ranked as the highest-rated NBC series of the night.

Synopsis

Andy Bernard (Ed Helms) Skypes into the office from his boat. He is severely sunburned, loses his supply of fresh water in the ocean, and is going mad from lack of human contact after only two days on the boat. The Skype call ends after he accidentally drops his device into the ocean.

Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) is tasked with winning the Scranton White Pages account. However, the CEO is a woman, and Dwight has trouble selling to women. Pam Halpert (Jenna Fischer) and the women of the office teach him how to interact with women. The lesson, which is supported by Nellie Bertram (Catherine Tate), Erin Hannon (Ellie Kemper), Meredith Palmer (Kate Flannery), and Phyllis Vance (Phyllis Smith), goes nowhere, with Dwight unable to grasp the concept of simple niceties, and they give up. Pam goes with Dwight to the White Pages, only to find out that the buyer is Jan Levinson (Melora Hardin). Jan was expecting to meet with CEO David Wallace, and reprimands her assistant for the confusion. Pam quickly realizes that the meeting was just a ruse to take revenge on David for firing her five years prior. However, Dwight remains determined to make the sale, so he has Pam stall while he gets Clark (Clark Duke), intuiting that Jan has an attraction to underage boys due to her rumored affair with her 17-year-old former assistant Hunter. After he introduces Clark to her, Jan says she will think about it, and tells everyone to leave her office except Clark. As Pam and Dwight leave, Dwight offers a sympathetic comment to Jan's emotionally abused female assistant. Pam is pleased, seeing that some of the lessons they gave Dwight on women sunk in after all.

Angela Lipton (Angela Kinsey) confides in Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nunez) that she suspects her husband, Robert (Jack Coleman)—who is secretly having a relationship with Oscar—of cheating on her. Oscar thinks that Robert may be seeing another man besides him and convinces Angela that they should spy on Robert at his yoga class. They hide outside of the class and watch as Robert spends time with a younger woman who later turns out to have a boyfriend. Oscar then notices Robert spending most of the yoga practice with a young man, which he finds suspicious. After the class, Robert phones Oscar, and his phone goes off. Oscar panics and silences the phone, and Angela immediately realizes why.

Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) is on a business call with the investors and members of the business venture he is up for. Many distractions from the background make the call difficult. At the end of the day, Jim apologizes, but then hears the person on the phone saying this is not working out. Toby Flenderson (Paul Lieberstein) convinces several of the men in the office to grow mustaches for "Movember". He says he is doing this to support the cure for prostate cancer but is actually using it for a chance to socialize more with the office, to no avail. Pete Miller (Jake Lacy) later shows Erin his mustache, but she finds it repulsive. He shaves it off after that.

Production

The episode marks the return of former series regular Melora Hardin. Melora Hardin 2009.jpg
The episode marks the return of former series regular Melora Hardin.

"The Whale" was written by executive story editor Carrie Kemper, who is the younger sister of cast member Ellie Kemper, making it her third writing credit for the series. [3] [4] [5] It was directed by Rodman Flender, his first directing credit for the series. [5] The episode sees the return of Melora Hardin as Jan Levinson, a former character in the series who left after the early part of the fifth season. [5] Hardin, did however, make two short appearances on the show during the seventh season episodes "Sex Ed" and "Threat Level Midnight". [6] [7] Ed Helms only appears in the episode's cold open; he was written out of several episodes of the season in order to film The Hangover Part III . [8]

The official website of The Office included several cut scenes from "The Whale" within a week of the episode's release. In the first 105-second clip, Toby admits to the camera his amusement that the men at Dunder Mifflin are partaking in Movember with him. [9] In the second 76-second clip, the women of Dunder Mifflin inform Dwight that his knowledge about women is severely lacking and that he has a long way to go. [10] In the third and final 85-second clip, Dwight and Pam, while in the car, prepare for their "biggest sales call ever". [11]

Cultural references

The title of the episode—"The Whale"—is a reference to the popular 1851 novel Moby-Dick by Herman Melville and its main antagonist, the great white whale. The white pages, which is the sale that Dwight is attempting to make, are a listing of telephone subscribers in a geographical area or subscribers to services provided by the organization that publishes the directory. Toby organizes a Movember celebration, which is an annual, month-long event involving the growing of moustaches during the month of November to raise awareness of prostate cancer and other male cancer and associated charities. [12]

Broadcast and reception

Ratings

"The Whale" was scheduled to air on NBC on November 8, 2012, but the previous episode was delayed a week when it was replaced with a rerun of The Voice , [13] pushing "The Whale" to air a week later, on November 15, 2012. [2] In its original broadcast, "The Whale" was viewed by an estimated 4.16 million viewers and received a 2.1/6 percent share rating among adults between the ages of 18 and 49. [14] This means that it was seen by 2.1 percent of all 18- to 49-year-olds, and 6 percent of all 18- to 49-year-olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. This marked a decrease in the ratings from the previous episode, "The Boat", which had received a 2.4 rating/6 percent. [15] The episode ranked fourth in its timeslot, being beaten by the Fox series Glee which received a 2.2/6 percent rating, an entry of the CBS drama Person of Interest which received a 2.9/7 percent rating, and an episode of the ABC series Grey's Anatomy which received a 3.1/8 percent rating. [14] Despite this, The Office was highest-rated NBC television program of the night. [14]

Reviews

Mark Trammell of TV Equals was very pleased with the episode and wrote that "Rainn Wilson [was] clearly in his element". [16] Damon Houx of Screencrush felt that the entry was rushed, which resulted in "most characters [getting] 2- to 3-minute storylines, or—in most cases—a joke or line or two." He called it "one of the better episodes of this last season", but noted that "the show's going to end with more of a whimper than a bang". [17] Cindy White of IGN awarded the episode a 7.5 out of 10, denoting a "good" episode. White complimented Dwight and Pam's situation, as well Angela and Oscar's development. However, she noted that it "wasn't hard to imagine Michael in [Dwight's] situation". Furthermore, she compared the episode to the third-season episode "Women's Appreciation". [18]

Erik Adams of The A.V. Club awarded the episode a "C" and was critical of the episode's focus on "the series' endgame", noting that the episode heavily set up both Jim and Dwight's departure. [12] Dan Forcella of TV Fanatic awarded the episode three-and-a-half stars out of five. While enjoying the story's main plots—specifically citing Angela and Oscar's "sneak around", and Dwight's endeavor—he was critical of Jim's subplot, writing that "I couldn't care less about the issues he was facing with teleconferencing." [19]

Melora Hardin's return garnered critical attention. Forcella wrote that "Jan was definitely a welcome appearance". Furthermore, he praised her "all-around meanness" and the "hilarity of her singing". [19] Houx wrote that "the return of Jan Levinson and the final solution to get her business was pretty good." [17] Adams, on the other hand, was critical of the return of Hardin, noting that "there's little reason to justify Melora Hardin's presence in 'The Whale'" other than "an obligation [for] The Office's final-season victory lap". [12] White noted that it "was nice to see Melora Hardin in the role one last time", but wrote that "it's a shame that the show is sticking with the crazy version of the character rather than mellowing her out a bit". [18] Melora Hardin's performance was later submitted by the producers of The Office for an "Outstanding Guest Actor in Comedy Series" Emmy consideration. [20]

Related Research Articles

"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.

"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.

"Conflict Resolution" is the twenty-first and penultimate episode of the second season of the American comedy television series The Office the show's twenty-seventh episode overall. Written by executive producer and show runner Greg Daniels and directed by Charles McDougall, "Conflict Resolution" first aired in the United States on May 4, 2006, on NBC. The episode guest stars Scott Adsit, from Moral Orel and 30 Rock, as a photographer.

"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.

<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.

"The Job" is the third-season finale of the American version of The Office and the show's 52nd and 53rd episodes overall. In this episode, Michael prepares for his interview for the corporate job and names Dwight as his successor, whose managing methods are unpopular. Jan arrives at the office to see Michael and everyone is shocked when it appears she has undergone breast augmentation. Jim and Karen also interview for the corporate position, and Pam deals with the consequences of her earlier outburst.

"Money" is the seventh and eighth episode of the fourth season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's sixtieth and sixty-first episode overall. It first aired on October 18, 2007, on NBC, and was the last of four consecutive hour-long episodes that opened the fourth season. The episode was written and directed by Paul Lieberstein, who also acts on the show as Human Resources Representative Toby Flenderson. "Money" marked Lieberstein's directorial debut.

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.

"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 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.

<i>The Office</i> (American TV series) season 7 Season of television series

The seventh season of the American television comedy The Office premiered on September 23, 2010 and concluded on May 19, 2011 on NBC. The season consisted of 26 half-hours of material, divided into 22 half-hour episodes and two hour-long episodes. The seventh season aired on Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. (ET) as part of Comedy Night Done Right. It 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, Phyllis Smith, Zach Woods, and Amy Ryan. This was the last season to feature Michael Scott, played by Carell, as the lead character. The seventh season was released on DVD and Blu-ray in region 1 on September 6, 2011.

"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.

"The Target" is the eighth episode of the ninth season of the American comedy television series The Office and the 184th episode overall. The episode originally aired on NBC on November 29, 2012. It features guest star Chris Gethard as Trevor.

"Lice" is the tenth episode of the ninth season of the American comedy television series The Office and the 186th episode overall. The episode was written by Niki Schwartz-Wright and directed by Rodman Flender. It originally aired on NBC on January 10, 2013. The episode guest stars Julius "Dr. J" Erving as himself.

"Suit Warehouse" is the eleventh episode of the ninth season of the American comedy television series The Office and the 187th episode overall. The episode was written by Dan Greaney and directed by Matt Sohn. It originally aired on NBC on January 17, 2013.

References

  1. ↑ "Shows A–Z – Office, The on NBC". The Futon Critic. Retrieved August 23, 2012.
  2. 1 2 "The Office : 'The Whale'". Zap2It . Retrieved October 16, 2012.
  3. ↑ Carrie Kemper (writer); David Rogers (director) (January 20, 2011). "The Ultimatum". The Office. Season 7. Episode 13. NBC.
  4. ↑ Carrie Kemper (writer); Randall Einhorn (director) (October 27, 2009). "Spooked". The Office. Season 8. Episode 5. NBC.
  5. 1 2 3 Carrie Kemper (writer); Rodman Flender (director) (November 16, 2012). "The Whale". The Office. Season 9. Episode 7. NBC.
  6. ↑ Paul Lieberstein (writer & director) (October 14, 2010). "Threat Level Midnight". The Office. Season 7. Episode 4. NBC.
  7. ↑ B. J. Novak (writer); Tucker Gates (director) (February 17, 2011). "Threat Level Midnight". The Office. Season 7. Episode 17. NBC.
  8. ↑ White, Cindy (November 9, 2012). "The Office: "The Boat" Review". IGN . Retrieved November 10, 2012.
  9. ↑ "Movember | Video | The Office". NBC.com. Archived from the original on November 19, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  10. ↑ "Dwight Doesn't Understand | Video | The Office". NBC.com. Archived from the original on November 19, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  11. ↑ "Getting Ready | Video | The Office". NBC.com. Archived from the original on November 20, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  12. 1 2 3 Adams, Erik (November 16, 2012). "'The Whale' | The Office | TV Club". The A.V. Club . The Onion . Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  13. ↑ O'Neal, Sean (October 30, 2012). "More Hurricane Mess: NBC Replaces Thursday Comedies with a Repeat of The Voice, Moves 30 Rock to Wednesday". The A.V. Club . The Onion . Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  14. 1 2 3 Bibel, Sara (November 16, 2012). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory', 'Vampire Diaries', 'Grey's Anatomy' & 'The Office' Adjusted Up; 'Last Resort & 'Scandal' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers . Zap2it. Archived from the original on November 19, 2012. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
  15. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (November 9, 2012). "Thursday Final Ratings:'The Big Bang Theory', 'Vampire Diaries' & 'Grey's Anatomy' Adjusted Up, 'The Office', 'Parks & Rec', 'Scandal' & 'Rock Center' Adjusted Down – Ratings | TVbytheNumbers". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 12, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  16. ↑ Trammell, Mark (November 16, 2012). "The Office Season 9 Review 'The Whale'". TV Equals. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  17. 1 2 Houx, Damon (November 16, 2012). "'The Office' Review: 'The Whale'". Screencrush. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  18. 1 2 White, Cidy (November 18, 2012). "The Office: 'The Whale' Review". IGN . News Corporation . Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  19. 1 2 Forcella, Dan (November 16, 2012). "The Office Review: A Whale Sale". TV Fanatic. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  20. ↑ Tan, Jennie (June 10, 2013). "The Office Emmy Ballot Submissions". OfficeTally. Retrieved June 14, 2013.

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.