Michael and Pam struggle through establishing their new company, including searching for an office and hiring a bleach blond Ryan and Vikram from Michael's telemarketing job. Dwight goads Jim into facing off with Charles in a soccer match when he joins in his officemates' brownnosing over Charles' sports passion.
Tropes
- The Bus Came Back: Ryan returns, or more likely, just lied about going away so he could leave Kelly.
- Call-Back:
- Michael hires Vikram, one of his fellow salesmen from the telemarketing job he had briefly.
- The wheelchair-bound property manager who rents out a space in the building for Michael previously appeared in "The Injury".
- Cloudcuckoolander's Minder: Pam quickly slides into this role in order to rein in a completely unchecked Michael Scott.
- Didn't Think This Through: It finally hits Pam that as much as she loathed her receptionist job, it was a stable job with health benefits that allowed her to sit ten feet from her fiance, and she only quit it on an impulse when she could've done something smaller like get a tattoo to satisfy herself.
- Everyone Has Standards: Michael's grandmother loves him very much, but she won't invest in a risky startup with a vague business plan just because Michael wants her to.
- How the Mighty Have Fallen: Ryan has been reduced to working in a bowling alley.
- Ignored Expert: Vikram's last words in the series are, "You know, Michael, if you want to succeed, you've got to apply the same—" (Then Michael drives away.)
- Ironic Echo: Near the end of the episode, when Pam starts panicking over her choice to follow Michael, Michael says the same thing Pam said to him in the beginning: "Let's make a list".
- My God, What Have I Done?:
- As mentioned above, Pam has this reaction when she realizes that quitting was not a great decision.
- Michael deeply regrets quitting and begins the episode with a French-toast-related nervous breakdown.
- Never My Fault: Charles berates Jim for not stopping the kick which ended up sending the ball into Phyllis' face, never stopping to acknowledge that he was the one who kicked it in the first place. Not to mention that it was a ridiculously powerful kick that would make professional soccer players blanch to be on the receiving end of, never mind a bunch of white-collar office workers playing what is basically a friendly game during lunch.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Jim, who has been making an extremely terrible impression with Charles, joins in on everyone playing up being interested in soccer like Charles by claiming to be an avid player. Dwight goads him and Charles into playing an exhibition match outside together, where Jim ends up ducking a ball that instead hits Phyllis in the face. This just causes him to earn even more derision from Charles.
- Professional Butt-Kisser: Just as he did when he started working for Michael, Andy quickly butters himself up to the new boss by pretending to have an interest in soccer like Charles. Jim tries to be one too, noting that he usually doesn't resort to kissing up, but is desperate to get on Charles's good side.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Vikram, upon learning that Nana the investor who turned down their offer is Michael's literal grandmother, asks to be dropped back off at the telemarketing building.
- Running Gag: This episode marks the second time Pam unwittingly gets a glimpse of Michael's family jewels (when he sits down and his bathrobe flips open, revealing that he is not wearing anything beneath it). The first was in "Fun Run", when she accidentally walked in on him while he was changing. And in "The Delivery, Part 2" Michael is the one who gets the unintended eyeful- when he gets a bit too eager and barges into the delivery room while Pam is giving birth.
