Hoping to boost morale, Andy takes several staff members on a field trip to Gettysburg but things don’t go as well as he hoped. Dwight tries to convince Erin that the Battle of Gettysburg was not the northernmost battle of the Civil War but rather the Battle of Schrute Farms, to Oscar’s chagrin.
Meanwhile back at the office, Robert California pays a visit and hopes to get some innovative ideas from those who stayed behind from the trip. When Kevin’s ideas are all food-related, Robert is fascinated, thinking they are metaphors, much to Ryan’s annoyance.
Tropes
- Batman Gambit: Ryan uses this on Kevin to deflate Robert California's opinion of him.
- Class Trip: This is one of a number episodes in the series that serve this purpose.
- Homoerotic Subtext: The Battle of Schrute Farms was in fact a code for the farm being a haven for artists and poets. The documentary all but states that it was primarily for gay men, all to Dwight’s disgust and Oscar’s fascination.
- Meaningless Meaningful Words: Robert California thinks that Kevin is talking about something profound when he talks about the best cookie in the vending machine. It takes until the end of the episode to realize he's talking about cookies.
- Not a Metaphor: Kevin's ramblings about cookies are mistaken for a profound statement about the company by Robert. Eventually, he realises that no, the guy's just talking about cookies.
- Shaped Like Itself: Andy says, "I wanted my team to be, like, this army, and I was their general, but I guess it's really just more like they're people who work in an office, and I'm their manager."
- Throw the Dog a Bone: After being mistaken for a Lincoln impersonator, Gabe acts out his life for the audience much to their sincere enjoyment.
