Michael and Ryan encourage employees to invest on Ryan's new social media website, WUPHF.com. Meanwhile, Dwight sets up Hay Place to make money and become the Hay King.
Airdate: November 18, 2010
Tropes:
- Achievements in Ignorance: The only reason Ryan's company gets a buyout offer is that he happened to buy the domain name "WUPHF.com", which is the same acronym as the Washington University Public Health Fund.
- Amusement Park: Dwight opens up his own hay-centered theme park called Hay Place.
- Batman Gambit: Having come to agree with the other investors that WUPHF must be sold, Michael bluntly explains to Ryan the dire situation everyone's investment is in and demands that he find a solution, knowing that Ryan will fold under the pressure and agree to sell.
- Big Word Shout: "SEX!", "MONEY!" and most importantly, "WUPHF!"
- Comically Missing the Point: As Dwight heard Angela say that she would like a roll in the hay, Dwight says, "Roll In The Hay! Five dollars!" Angela corrects him.
- Continuity Nod: Michael still doesn't remember the name of their last IT guy, Nick. Whilst mentioning all the IT guys they've had before, he names one "turban", referring to former IT guy Sadiq (Dwight correctly names him, though).
- Cut Lex Luthor a Check: Oscar points out that WUPHF, with its ability to send the same message to so many media at once, would actually be very useful and profitable as an emergency alert service, but Ryan insists it has to be a social media app.
- Double Entendre: Michael said that Oscar is his Queen because Oscar is gay.
- Dumbass Has a Point: After Ryan tries reassuring all the investors with flashy marketing, Andy gets frustrated and asks what Ryan's actual plan to make the company profitable is.
- Embarrassing Password: The password for the server is "bigboobz".
- Entendre Failure: Angela meets Dwight at his hay-themed attraction and says she's "in the mood for a roll in the hay". Turns out a roll in the hay is an actual attraction Dwight offers and it costs five dollars.
- Fun with Acronyms: The acronym for WUPHF was bought by the Washington University Public Health Fund.
- It's A Small Net After All: The ".com" domain extension is short for "commerce", and a "Public Health Fund" should really be using ".org", but if Washington University did that, there would be no plot. So, for the purposes of this episode, only one domain exists, and Ryan has it.
- Literal Metaphor: Two of the activities at Hay Place are "Roll in the Hay" and "Find the Needle in the Haystack".
- Manipulative Editing: Jim spends most of the day listening to Jo's audio book and re-splicing the audio for an elaborate Prank Call on Gabe. It's so convincing that Gabe doesn't catch on.
- Misaimed Marketing: In-Universe. Ryan made ideas for WUPHF shirts and fifty thousand WUPHF condoms falling from a WUPHF helicopter. This didn't fool the investors.
- Obstacle Ski Course: Michael wanted to start on the bunny hill and work on his way up to Death Drop.
- Prank Call: Jim gives one to Gabe but with edited audio from Jo Bennett's audiobook.
- Pyrrhic Victory: Dwight sets up the Hay Place in order to fulfill his childhood dream of being named Hay King, and is so invested in this unrealized goal that he shuns Angela. In the end, he is able to name himself Hay King... much to the disappointment of all the kids and parents who were enjoying his park. On top of that, he returns to his and Angela's secret sex hideaway in the warehouse only to find that she's voided their parenting contract, having struck up a new relationship while he wasn't paying her attention.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: After Pam gently tries to explain to Michael that Ryan is using his affection for him to support the site beyond reason, Michael finally comes forth and says how Ryan is a selfish, lazy and image-obsessed person. He uses this to pressure him into fixing the website within nine days, a carefully played move to get Ryan to sell.
- Refuge in Audacity: The only clue Michael can remember about the web server password set many years ago is that it made him laugh but offended Pam. Kevin immediately guesses "Big boobs!" Pam asks Jim why he's actually typing it, and Jim responds "I'm trying everything." Dwight then advises him to type "bigboobz".Jim: That's... *DING* ..the password. We're in.
- Rule of Cool: Oscar points out that the technology for Ryan's website could easily be adapted by public services to use for emergency alerts, but Ryan doesn't want to do it because he wants the website to be focused on fun.
- Take That!: To any social media network ever made such as Facebook, Twitter and Homescreen.
- The Maze: Kevin Malone is stuck at the Hay Place maze.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Robert Lipton's young son never appears for the rest of the show. Robert explicitly mentions that his wife passed away, so he would have full custody of the child.
- Xtreme Kool Letterz: WUPHF is pronounced "woof", like a dog's bark. There's also the server password "bigboobz" with a 'Z' instead of an 'S'.
- Yank the Dog's Chain: Sabre implements a commission cap after Jim stepped down from management specifically because the company had no commission cap.
