Recap / The Office USS 3 E 19 Safety Training

After an accident in the warehouse, Darryl holds a safety training seminar. During the office seminar about ergonomics and SADD, Michael feels both left out and emasculated when Darryl tells him he's a wimp. The office starts a betting pool.

Air Date:

Tropes

• Abusive Parents: Dwight was shunned from ages four through six. For throwing out the oil from a can of tuna.
• Accidental Truth: Michael pretends to want to commit suicide, while he has hidden an object that will cushion his fall, without knowing that this object is not strong enough to cushion the fall of an adult man, so he is in real danger. Not to mention that by applying Break Them by Talking to himself, he actually starts having suicidal thoughts.
• Accidental Misnaming: Michael refers to Madge as "Pudge," which she corrects. He can't be bothered to learn her name, though, referring to her as "Patch" later in the episode.
• Bad "Bad Acting": Michael and Dwight engage in this during Michael's demonstration of the dangers of depression. Made even worse when Michael realizes Dwight forgot to get the warehouse workers and they do the routine again once they're present.
  Jim: Well, you know, the first performance was a little off. But I really think they hit their stride, in the second show. Um, might even bring my parents tomorrow, to the matinee.
• Brick Joke: When Michael tests his trampoline stunt with a watermelon, it smashes against a car. He tells Dwight to check whose car that is, and if it's Stanley's, to call Michael's lawyer, and "see if he handles hate crimes". The Stinger shows Stanley staring at his watermeloned car in befuddlement.
• Blatant Lies: Dwight tries to claim Pam's present is a Japanese female robot to convince Michael to come down from the roof, but nobody is fooled. Michael even points it out.
  Michael: Dwight you are such a liar.
• Break Them by Talking: Michael unwittingly does it to himself during his fake suicide act, actually managing to seriously consider jumping.
• Call-Back: Michael points out that he has driven the forklift, which he did in "Boys and Girls." And promptly wrecked the warehouse.
• Captain Oblivious: Creed doesn't notice when Toby replaces the apple he's eating with a potato. Between bites.
• Continuity Nod: After he drops a watermelon on Stanley's car, Michael tells Dwight to contact James P. Albini, his lawyer from "Sexual Harassment."
• Driven to Suicide: Michael fakes it at first, then starts to think he has nothing to live for. Darryl talks him down.
• Dude, Not Funny!: Michael pulls the ladder out from Darryl and yells "How's it hanging?" Not surprisingly, Darryl is not amused.
  Darryl: I'm genuinely afraid for my workers.
• Fish out of Water: Losing several bets involving the various habits of her coworkers makes Karen realize just how much of a stranger she still is to the Scranton branch.
• Funny Background Event: While Darryl is yelling at Michael for wanting to use the baler, Dwight actually pokes his head into it.
• The Gambling Addict: Kevin gets the office started on various bets because he needs something to fill the void left by March Madness.
• Gilligan Cut: When Darryl is explaining the office's records with safety:
  Darryl: This particular time, I was reaching for a supply box on the top shelf, when one office worker, who shall remain nameless, kicked the ladder out from under me and yelled-
  (cut to Michael, struggling to not laugh)
  Michael: (barely keeping his composure) "Hey Darryl, how's it hangin'?!" (laughs)
• Hypocritical Humor: Lonny teases Michael about "fat butt disease," when Lonny is a large gentleman himself.
• Idiot Ball: Dwight is convinced Michael can jump off the office building, land on a bouncy castle, and survive... as long as he lands "like an eight-year-old". Once he's surrounded by other people who instantly see the stunt as fatal, he drops the ball.
• "Jar of Jellybeans" Contest: One of the bets was to guess how many jellybeans were in the container at Pam's counter.
• Mood Whiplash: Within the span of a minute, the episode takes on a serious tone the moment the office workers see the bouncy castle and realize Michael's plan. All talking heads then stop and the B-plot involving The Bet is dropped completely for the rest of the episode.
• Motor Mouth: Kelly babbles about Netflix for over two minutes without taking a breath.
  Kevin: Ryan, well done. Two minutes, forty-two seconds. Additionally, Pam, you win ten because she said "awesome" twelve times, and Jim, you win five because she mentioned six romantic comedies.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Darryl realizes that his earlier dressing down of Michael has led to a situation where he might actually get himself killed and talks him down.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Pam is the one who points out that the warehouse's safety demonstration had visual aids and the office safety seminar didn't. This gives Michael the idea to give a more visual seminar about depression by actually jumping off of the building.
• No OSHA Compliance: Averted. Darryl and the warehouse workers take safety very seriously, but have to deal with Michael acting like the forklift and baler are toys.
• Oh, Crap! Michael's reaction when the watermelon hits Stanley's car; he even says it in so many words
  • The rest of the cast get one when they realize that Michael is going to be seriously hurt, perhaps killed, if he tries to jump onto the bouncy castle. Jim and Pam in particular are clearly close to panic. Then a second Oh, Crap! sets in when they slowly start to realize that Michael (who lives his life on a tightrope) may be close to jumping for real. Fortunately, Darryl, who realized that his The Reason You Suck speech to Michael earlier probably hit too close to home, was able to get through to him.
• Scary Black Man: Also a Continuity Nod to "Traveling Salesmen", Ryan is intimidated by big black dudes. He backs down after Kelly talks smack to Lonny.
• Shout-Out: Possibly one to Fight Club. Computers can explode, but only if you stuff them full of explosives.
  • "Dwight, you ignorant slut!"
• Stealth Insult:
  • While Darryl is trying to get Michael off the roof, he talks about how Michael is a brave man because "it takes courage just to be you. To get out of bed every single day, knowing full well you got to be you." Of course, Michael doesn't see the insult in that and takes it at face value as him being "strong" and "brave".
  • Michael tries one himself when he tells Toby he is sure that Toby "can do safety training and make it sound just as good as Darryl". It's implied both Toby and Darryl catch it, but they don't particularly care.
• Talking Down the Suicidal: Downplayed. Michael isn't actually suicidal, but considering the setup he created to jump off the roof, it's almost treated as if he actually plans to commit suicide. Then he seems to actually think of doing it for realzies...