Michael upsets the office when he ignores their pleas to fire office assistant Luke, Michael's immature nephew. Pam's attempt to prank Dwight backfires when Kevin's faulty rewiring of an elevator strands the two together. Andy grows even more upset with Gabe and Erin's relationship.
Episode Tropes:
- Catharsis Factor: In-Universe, the office staff, sans Gabe, is quite pleased by the sight of their boss spanking his nephew after one too many offenses committed. They even re-enact the scene later.
- Confusing Multiple Negatives: Michael puts up a sign using his easel that says "Don't Bother Luke" surrounded by a circle-and-slash "no" symbol. When the employees are confused, Michael erases the "Don't", then adds a new one in a slightly different place. This didn't actually make a difference, so he then adds another "no" symbol, making it "Don't Not Not Bother Luke".
- Everyone Has Standards: Michael may put up with Luke messing up their food orders, but actively ruining their standings with salespeople and corporate as well as disturbing his co-workers For the Lulz is where he draws the line.
- Hated by All: The entire office staff despises Luke for being a lazy, rude, and incompetent Manchild who clearly doesn't care about his job or anyone else but himself.
- I Just Want to Be Loved: It's implied Michael hired Luke to get back in good terms with his half-sister's side of the family.
- Immediate Self-Contradiction: In a talking head, Kelly explains that she attended an executive training program and is now "really smart". Then she asks herself a hypothetical business question, and fails to answer.
- Jerkass: Luke is lazy, immature, disrespectful, and does not give a shit about his job or uncle.
- Manchild: Luke in spades.
- Mistaken for Gay: When Jo and Gabe insist that Michael remove Luke for his unprofessional and costly behavior, he refuses and justifies it as "I love him", her response is "How far is it gone?". Michael then specifies that Luke is his nephew.
- Nepotism: Obviously. Michael hires his nephew, who is unprofessional and sucks.
- Sadistic Choice: Either Michael can take the counseling with Toby, or he's fired. Really, the whole reason this goes under this trope is because of Michael's hatred for Toby.
- Shout-Out: The cold opening is a lip dub video of the office doing a one shot music video of The Human Beinz's "Nobody But Me". note
- Snap Back: The PR crisis from the previous season finale is never mentioned again. It seems to have been resolved over the summer, without any repercussions for anybody involved, and Andy is on good terms with his coworkers again.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Michael eventually gets tired of Luke's behavior and is driven to spank him. While this drives Luke out and makes the others happy, Michael technically committed assault on an employee and is ordered to undergo counseling with Toby.
- Throw the Dog a Bone: Having spent the majority of the series receiving little love from his employees, spending much of this episode getting criticized by his coworkers, Gabe, and Jo for hiring and retaining Luke, having to perform Luke's job and do menial work for his employees to get them to ease up on their criticism of him, and struggle to discipline Luke until finally spanking him, Michael gets a rare moment of triumph when his coworkers commend him for disciplining Luke. While Gabe disciplines him in turn for assaulting Luke by requiring him to take some sessions with Toby under threat of termination, the Scranton branch employees invite him to demonstrate how he spanked Luke on Andy, which he gladly does.
- Time Skip: The season starts up right after the summer of 2010. Over the summer, Dwight has gained ownership of the office building and Erin has broken up with Andy to date Gabe.
- Too Dumb to Live: Luke has a level of idiocy even Michael can't tolerate for much longer.
