Robert California’s wife Susan comes to the office looking for a job and he tells Andy not to hire her under any circumstance. But when she arrives and he says there’s nothing available, Robert insists he find something, putting Andy in an awkward position.
Tropes:
- Bad Boss: That's an understatement here for Robert's actions here. He orders everyone in his staff to do contradictory things just for the sake of his own martial problems
- Call-Back: Creed finally got that toy helicopter he wanted.
- Cutting Corners: Dwight's first attempt at a gym is a small room in the office building with no real workout equipment, just some homemade replacements. Darryl convinces him to stop being cheap and actually buy some equipment.
- Hesitation Equals Dishonesty: Susan asks both Andy and Jim straight-up if Robert told them he didn't want her working there, and the fact that they both react this way gives her all the answers she needs.
- Master of the Mixed Message: Robert forbids Andy to hire Susan but insists there must be something available whenever she’s in the room. This confusion leads to Susan getting hired, but then the office is immediately forced to try to get her to quit.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Jim gets thrown under the bus by Andy about telling the truth to Susan, so he runs off to hide from Robert.
- What the Hell, Hero?: When Jim is finally cornered and asked to be honest about Robert not wanting his wife to work at Dunder Mifflin, Jim gives his non-answer by stating that he doesn't understand why this is a conversation in the first place, because he personally loves working alongside his wife and misses her dearly while she's on maternity leave. This clearly gives Robert pause and he finally ushers him and Andy out to (presumably) be straight with his wife.
