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Business School (The Office)
Encyclopedia
"Business School" is the seventeenth episode of the third season of the American comedy
television series
The Office, and the show's forty-fifth episode overall. Written by Brent Forrester
, and directed by Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly
creator Joss Whedon
, the episode aired on NBC
on February 15, 2007.
In the episode, Michael is invited by Ryan to speak to his business school class. When many of the students question the usefulness of paper in a computerized world, Michael attempts to inform the class of how essential paper is. Meanwhile, a bat
becomes trapped in the office, leading Dwight and Creed on a mission to protect the employees.
(B. J. Novak
) invites Michael Scott
(Steve Carell
) to speak at his business school class. Michael is excited, but Ryan admits in a talking head interview that he has only invited Michael because his professor promised to bump up the grade of any student who brings his boss into class. Later, before Ryan introduces Michael to his classmates, Ryan predicts that Dunder Mifflin will become obsolete within five to ten years. Michael, who was out of hearing range during this speech, proceeds to ruin the event with his antics (including tearing pages out of a student's textbook to prove you "can't learn from textbooks"). Michael is then taken aback when one of Ryan's classmates asks for Michael's opinion of Ryan's prediction. Infuriated and hurt, Michael punishes Ryan by relocating his desk to the "annex," where Kelly Kapoor
(Mindy Kaling
) works, who babbles uncontrollably in excitement.
Meanwhile, Dwight Schrute
(Rainn Wilson
) discovers a bat in the ceiling, and accidentally lets it loose into the office, sending the employees scurrying for cover. Stanley immediately goes home. As many of the employees hide, Dwight enlists the help of Creed
(Creed Bratton
) to expel the bat. Jim Halpert
(John Krasinski
) exploits Dwight's paranoia, and pretends that he is turning into a vampire
. Dwight eventually catches the bat with a garbage bag after it lands on Meredith's head.
Pam Beesly
(Jenna Fischer
), in the meantime, invites her co-workers to her art show after work, but few show any enthusiasm, leaving her feeling alienated and sad. The art show doesn't go as planned, and she begins to doubt her abilities. When Oscar Martinez
(Oscar Nunez
) shows up with his partner Gil, they criticize Pam's art without realizing she can hear them. As she begins to take her work down, Michael appears and, in a moment of sincere kindness, compliments her work and asks to buy her drawing of the office building. Pam embraces him as her eyes tear up. Michael soon places Pam's drawing on the wall next to his office.
"Business School" was the second Office episode written by Brent Forrester. Forrester had previously written "The Merger
". The episode was the first to be directed by Joss Whedon
. Whedon, who is a friend of both producer Greg Daniels
and Jenna Fischer, and also met most of the production staff prior to the episode, stated that he chose to direct the episode "because I already know the writing staff and a bunch of the cast, and I adore the show." When informed that the episode was about a bat entering into the office and one of the characters pretending to be a vampire, Whedon thought that it was a joke, stating "Didn't I just leave this party?" in reference to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But upon completing the episode, Whedon stated "That was just coincidence. But that's how that happened. God, it was fun." Whedon stated that he was surprised with the amount of input he was allowed with the script. "I wouldn't say freedom to do things with it...But way more input was asked for than I would have ever anticipated." At Pam's art show, the pieces which she was supposed to have painted didn't suit Whedon. "I got to the set and saw Pam's art, and I was like, 'This is not right.'" Whedon said that he held up filming for over an hour until the staff was able create new pieces of art.
For the scenes which involved filming with a bat, the production team used an actual bat, an animated bat, and a mechanical bat. When around the actual bat, Kate Flannery
, who portrays Meredith Palmer
, stated that "...which we had to be extremely quiet around, basically pretending to scream..." California State University, Northridge
served as the backdrop for Ryan's business school and the art show.
, stated that "'Business School' was an exercise in what works best in an Office episode." Zoromski also praised Joss Whedon's directorial debut for the show, stating that "Whedon's direction and sense of humor was both excellently put to use and alluded to in the scenes in which Jim hilariously pretended to become a vampire." Zoromski went on to say that the acting of John Krasinski and Rashida Jones
, who portrays Karen Filippelli
, helped to make the vampire scenes the funniest parts of the episode. He gave the episode a 9.1 out of 10. Abby West, of Entertainment Weekly
, stated that "This show has always been able to turn on a dime and take the comedy to a soul-stirring dramatic climax with just the lightest of touches, and last night was no different." West went on to praise Michael and Pam's scene at the art show as one of these moments.
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
television series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
The Office, and the show's forty-fifth episode overall. Written by Brent Forrester
Brent Forrester
Brent Forrester is an American writer, who wrote several episodes of the animated television sitcom The Simpsons between 1993 and 1997. He has also worked as an executive producer on King of the Hill, and a writer on The Ben Stiller Show, Mr. Show with Bob and David, Undeclared, and The Office...
, and directed by Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly
Firefly (TV series)
Firefly is an American space western television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon, under his Mutant Enemy Productions label. Whedon served as executive producer, along with Tim Minear....
creator Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
, the episode aired on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
on February 15, 2007.
In the episode, Michael is invited by Ryan to speak to his business school class. When many of the students question the usefulness of paper in a computerized world, Michael attempts to inform the class of how essential paper is. Meanwhile, a bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
becomes trapped in the office, leading Dwight and Creed on a mission to protect the employees.
Plot
Ryan HowardRyan Howard (The Office)
Ryan Bailey Howard , played by B. J. Novak, is a fictional character on the US television sitcom The Office. He is based upon Ricky Howard from the original version of The Office , but his role is significantly expanded and he is a main character.-Character profile:Little is known about Ryan's...
(B. J. Novak
B. J. Novak
Benjamin Joseph Manaly “B. J.” Novak is an American actor, stand-up comedian, screenwriter, and director. He is best known for being a writer and co-executive producer for and playing the role of Ryan Howard on the US version of The Office, as well as appearing in Inglourious Basterds...
) invites Michael Scott
Michael Scott (The Office)
Michael Gary Scott is a fictional character on NBC's The Office, portrayed by Steve Carell, and based on David Brent from the original British version. Michael, the central character of the series, was the manager of the Scranton branch of paper and printer distribution company Dunder Mifflin Inc...
(Steve Carell
Steve Carell
Steven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
) to speak at his business school class. Michael is excited, but Ryan admits in a talking head interview that he has only invited Michael because his professor promised to bump up the grade of any student who brings his boss into class. Later, before Ryan introduces Michael to his classmates, Ryan predicts that Dunder Mifflin will become obsolete within five to ten years. Michael, who was out of hearing range during this speech, proceeds to ruin the event with his antics (including tearing pages out of a student's textbook to prove you "can't learn from textbooks"). Michael is then taken aback when one of Ryan's classmates asks for Michael's opinion of Ryan's prediction. Infuriated and hurt, Michael punishes Ryan by relocating his desk to the "annex," where Kelly Kapoor
Kelly Kapoor
Kelly Rajnigandha Kapoor , is a fictional character from the US television series, The Office. She is played by Mindy Kaling, who is also a writer and producer for the show....
(Mindy Kaling
Mindy Kaling
Vera Mindy Chokalingam , better known as Mindy Kaling, is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer who plays Kelly Kapoor on the NBC sitcom The Office. Kaling is also a co-executive producer and writer of several of the show's episodes.-Early life:Kaling was born Vera Chokalingam in...
) works, who babbles uncontrollably in excitement.
Dwight Schrute
Dwight Kurt Schrute III is a character on NBC's The Office portrayed by Rainn Wilson. He originally exactly resembled Gareth Keenan from the original UK version of The Office. Dwight is the top salesman and former acting manager for the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company and has won numerous awards for...
(Rainn Wilson
Rainn Wilson
Rainn Dietrich Wilson is an American actor and comedian. He is primarily known for his role as the egomaniacal Dwight Schrute on the American version of the television comedy The Office...
) discovers a bat in the ceiling, and accidentally lets it loose into the office, sending the employees scurrying for cover. Stanley immediately goes home. As many of the employees hide, Dwight enlists the help of Creed
Creed Bratton (character)
Creed Rowland Bratton a.k.a. "William Charles Schneider" is a fictional character from the U.S. television series The Office. Confusion may arise from the fact that the character is played by and partially based on the musician of the same name, Creed Bratton...
(Creed Bratton
Creed Bratton
Creed Bratton is an American actor and musician, a former member of The Grass Roots...
) to expel the bat. Jim Halpert
Jim Halpert
James Duncan "Jim" Halpert is a fictional character in the United States version of the television sitcom The Office, played by John Krasinski. The character is based on Tim Canterbury from the original version of The Office...
(John Krasinski
John Krasinski
John Burke Krasinski is an American actor, film director, and writer. He is most widely known for playing Jim Halpert on the NBC sitcom The Office...
) exploits Dwight's paranoia, and pretends that he is turning into a vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
. Dwight eventually catches the bat with a garbage bag after it lands on Meredith's head.
Pam Beesly
Pam Beesly
Pamela Morgan "Pam" 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....
(Jenna Fischer
Jenna Fischer
Regina Marie "Jenna" Fischer is an American actress and director. She is most widely known for her Emmy-nominated portrayal of Pam Halpert on the NBC situation comedy and mockumentary The Office, and has also appeared in several films, including Blades of Glory, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story,...
), in the meantime, invites her co-workers to her art show after work, but few show any enthusiasm, leaving her feeling alienated and sad. The art show doesn't go as planned, and she begins to doubt her abilities. When Oscar Martinez
Oscar Martinez
Oscar Jual Paul Martinez is a fictional character from the US television series The Office. He is played by Oscar Nunez.-Overview:Oscar Martinez is an accountant at the paper distributor Dunder Mifflin. He is a first generation Mexican-American. Oscar is also openly homosexual after being...
(Oscar Nunez
Oscar Nunez
Oscar Nunez , sometimes credited as Oscar Núñez, is a Cuban American actor and comedian.He currently appears as Dunder Mifflin's paper supply accountant, Oscar Martinez, on NBC's The Office.-Career:...
) shows up with his partner Gil, they criticize Pam's art without realizing she can hear them. As she begins to take her work down, Michael appears and, in a moment of sincere kindness, compliments her work and asks to buy her drawing of the office building. Pam embraces him as her eyes tear up. Michael soon places Pam's drawing on the wall next to his office.
Production
The Merger (The Office)
"The Merger" is the eighth episode of the third season of The Office . It aired on November 16, 2006, as a special 40-minute episode on NBC.In this episode, the Scranton and Stamford branches are merged...
". The episode was the first to be directed by Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
. Whedon, who is a friend of both producer Greg Daniels
Greg Daniels
Gregory Martin "Greg" Daniels is an American television comedy writer, producer, and director.-Life and career:...
and Jenna Fischer, and also met most of the production staff prior to the episode, stated that he chose to direct the episode "because I already know the writing staff and a bunch of the cast, and I adore the show." When informed that the episode was about a bat entering into the office and one of the characters pretending to be a vampire, Whedon thought that it was a joke, stating "Didn't I just leave this party?" in reference to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But upon completing the episode, Whedon stated "That was just coincidence. But that's how that happened. God, it was fun." Whedon stated that he was surprised with the amount of input he was allowed with the script. "I wouldn't say freedom to do things with it...But way more input was asked for than I would have ever anticipated." At Pam's art show, the pieces which she was supposed to have painted didn't suit Whedon. "I got to the set and saw Pam's art, and I was like, 'This is not right.'" Whedon said that he held up filming for over an hour until the staff was able create new pieces of art.
For the scenes which involved filming with a bat, the production team used an actual bat, an animated bat, and a mechanical bat. When around the actual bat, Kate Flannery
Kate Flannery
Katherine Patricia "Kate" Flannery is an American actress best known for playing the role of Meredith Palmer on the NBC hit series The Office.-Personal life:...
, who portrays Meredith Palmer
Meredith Palmer
Meredith Elizabeth Palmer is a fictional character from the US television series The Office. She is played by Kate Flannery. She is an original character and has no equivalent in the British version of the show, The Office....
, stated that "...which we had to be extremely quiet around, basically pretending to scream..." California State University, Northridge
California State University, Northridge
California State University, Northridge is a public university in Northridge, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, California, United States....
served as the backdrop for Ryan's business school and the art show.
Reception
The episode received generally good reviews from critics. Brian Zoromski, of IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
, stated that "'Business School' was an exercise in what works best in an Office episode." Zoromski also praised Joss Whedon's directorial debut for the show, stating that "Whedon's direction and sense of humor was both excellently put to use and alluded to in the scenes in which Jim hilariously pretended to become a vampire." Zoromski went on to say that the acting of John Krasinski and Rashida Jones
Rashida Jones
Rashida Leah Jones is an American film and television actress, comic book author, screenwriter and occasional singer. She played Louisa Fenn on Boston Public and Karen Filippelli on The Office as well as roles in the films I Love You, Man and The Social Network...
, who portrays Karen Filippelli
Karen Filippelli
Karen Filippelli is a fictional character from the U.S. television series The Office. She is played by Rashida Jones. She is loosely based on the character of Rachel from the original UK version of the show, in that she transferred during the merger of the two branches, and became romantically...
, helped to make the vampire scenes the funniest parts of the episode. He gave the episode a 9.1 out of 10. Abby West, of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, stated that "This show has always been able to turn on a dime and take the comedy to a soul-stirring dramatic climax with just the lightest of touches, and last night was no different." West went on to praise Michael and Pam's scene at the art show as one of these moments.
External links
- "Business School" at NBC.com