The Office US / Tropes A to E

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A

• Abhorrent Admirer: Happens in various ways. Michael tends to barrel forward with almost any crush he has, often going straight to borderline Stalker with a Crush. Kevin is like this with just about any female, sometimes even admitting when something turns him on.
  • Meredith seemingly had a crush on Jim and made a few awkward hints in that direction (she asked him alone to sign her pelvic cast after Michael hit her with his car), but it isn't uncommon for her to make blatantly sexual advances towards men. She exposed her breasts to Michael in Season 2's Christmas party, aggressively flirted with several minor male characters, and did a sexual dance up against Darryl on his last day in Scranton.
• Aborted Arc:
  • In "Casino Night", Toby reveled in having won money from Michael, and said he was going to chase that feeling. This was supposed to be the start of a storyline about Toby developing a gambling addiction, but it ended up not happening.
  • Season 4 was clearly setting up a Jim-yearns-for-more arc (probably to mirror the major Character Development arc Pam had gone through the year before) but the season was cut short due to the writer's strike. The ninth season had Jim re-address this issue.
  • Every time a Romantic False Lead is introduced for Jim or Pam following season 4 on, nothing ever comes of it. This included the characters of Alex, Pam's flirtatious Art School classmate who tries to keep Pam in New York. Cathy, who hits on Jim in one episode after a season of hanging out in the background and then was Put on a Bus. And Brian, the boom mic guy, who appeared to have been in love with Pam for years only for nothing to happen. The character of Jordan was originally meant to be another Romantic False Lead, but not only did she disappear after three episodes, most of her scenes ended up being cut from the episodes in question.
  • Paul Lieberstein has admitted that Jim's demotion back to Assistant Regional Manager, after being promoted half a season earlier was a result of poor audience response to the change and Dwight's resulting plot to seriously get him fired. This meant that the Ryan-Dwight alliance established at the end of Scott's Tots led to nothing, as the Jim plot ended four episodes later.
  • The romance between Dwight and Isabel is another example. The last episode she appeared in left it looking like they were simpatico.
  • In season 6 Oscar develops a crush on a blonde warehouse worker named Matt. Despite some initial awkwardness between them, the show seems to be alluding that this will eventually go somewhere, and Oscar even claims that he’s playing the “long game,” or words to that effect. Despite this, the romantic subplot is dropped after only two episodes and Matt never appears again.
  • Erin's foster brother Reed only appears in one episode, which builds up his rather creepy attitude towards the oblivious Erin as a stumbling block between Andy and her getting together. Though the Andy-Erin romance remains an important story for years afterwards Reed is never so much as mentioned again.
  • In the season 6 finale, Andy finds himself in trouble after the IT guy denounces him as the one who told the press about Sabre printers being defective, with everyone except for Erin turning their back on him and Jo being out for blood. Come season 7 premiere, all is forgotten.
  • The wife of Robert California only appears on one episode, at the end of which Andy unknowingly makes a date with her, this is never addressed again.
  • "The Farm," which was written as a backdoor pilot for a new spin-off centered on Dwight, ended with him inheriting his Aunt Shirley's farm in her will, and him convincing all of his visiting relatives to stay and help him run it. Since the pitch ended up being rejected by the network, this storyline was dropped after the episode and the farm is never seen again. Dwight owning the farm does get mentioned in passing in the last few episodes, and some of his relatives ended up making cameo appearences in the finale. The main influence the episode had was establishing his relationship with Esther prior to the penultimate episode where he proposes to Angela.
• Above the Influence:
  • Pam would've done anything with Jim (and even kisses him before he can react) in "The Dundies," but Jim just makes sure she gets her ride home.
  • Jim also displays this in "After Hours" when Cathy makes unwelcome advances towards him: Avoiding her, inviting Stanley to join them, tricking Dwight into the room, gently rebuffing her, and finally asking her to leave outright (having also tricked Dwight into the room again to make sure she leaves).
• Acceptable Breaks from Reality: The documentary format can raise the question of just how long these people are going to keep filming before they have a finished product. And if it's a TV show in-universe as well, apparently none of the characters actually watch it. Fans tend to let it go for the sake of the jokes.
  • Lampshaded in "Goodbye, Michael", when Michael asks the camera crew to let him know if the show ever airs.
  • In the final season Dwight has a similar lampshade moment when, when meeting covertly with his criminal friend, he offhandedly mentions that he's "been followed around everywhere by a documentary crew for nine years, but I think we're in the clear."
  • Another point to consider is that it's a multi-angle documentary, but no cameras or crew are ever seen on camera, even when the shot immediately switches directly across the room.
    • Even stranger is the lack of reaction to the cameras. This, of course, is not a problem within the office itself, as the longer they go on being filmed, the more used to the camera's presence the staff become, but what about when they go to a social function, sales call, or any other location where they will be around people who are not expecting cameras? Rarely, if ever, do others seem to acknowledge the cameras at all, even going as far as to say things or engage in behavior that they would never say or do if they knew others would see it.
  • Some fan theories make it a foreign production on American office life and is not aired in the US.
  • In the latest episode, Oscar finds out the show is starting to air in Denmark, narrated in Danish, and is more or less a hidden camera show. Everyone watches the promos, shocked at what has been filmed and mentioning they had no idea they were being filmed half the time, or that certain footage was included. Pam talks with Brian the fired boom mic operator, who reveals they've been filming a lot of private moments over the past ten years. Thought the sound quality issues are hand-waved away (Brian says they use parabolic microphones that can record from very far away), it's still quite implausible that the cast was unaware they were being filmed in some very small or intimate settings. But hey, it's a comedy.
  • And now, near the end of the final season, the documentary has finally aired on PBS.
• Accidental Marriage: Angela and Andy arrange to host their wedding at Dwight's farm. During a walk through, Dwight has a local German-speaking Amish minister perform a "mock" ceremony with himself as the groom. Subverted in that, until Dwight pulled this stunt, Angela was carrying on an affair with him and had finally decided to leave Andy.
• Accidental Misnaming: Hey, Big Tuna!
  • Michael liked to apply unintentionally offensive nicknames, usually for mnemonic purposes.
    Michael: Shirty, mole, lazy eye, Mexico, baldy, sugar boobs, black woman. I have taken a unique part of who you are, and I have used that to memorize your name. Baldy, your head is bald. It is hairless. It is shiny, it is reflective like a mirror. "M," your name is Mark.
  • Similarly... "D! W! I! G! H! T!"
  • Meredith's son also took to calling Dwight (Mr. Schrute) "Mr. Poop."
  • Andy gives Clark a variety of nicknames, but he's mostly known as Dwight Jr. or New Dwight.
  • Andy had also taken to calling Pete "Plop" so often that he forgot his real name and didn't realize he was the Pete that was dating his ex-girlfriend.
• Accidental Truth: Michael learns about Stanley's affair, and instantly uses it as break room gossip. To cover up his mistake, he spreads a bunch of lies to make sure the truth isn't believed. One of the lies was to say Pam was pregnant, which Pam and Jim had found out recently was true.
• Actor Allusion:
  • When Michael thinks Dwight has betrayed him to Charles (Idris Elba), he checks him for a wire in the parking lot.
  • Creed gets several of these.
    • In "Money" Creed reveals that whenever he gets into debt he dumps it all on his alter ego, "William Charles Schneider": Creed Bratton's real life birth name.
    • Furthermore, in "A Benihana Christmas", Creed can be seen singing "Spinnin' and Reelin'", a song by Creed Bratton.
    • In a deleted scene from "Booze Cruise", Creed talks about being the lead guitarist of the 1960's folk group the Grass Roots (best known for their hit "Let's Live for Today"), which Creed Bratton actually was. The finale outright confirms this connection.
  • In "Cafe Disco", Michael lip-syncs to "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)", just like Steve Carell did during the end credits of Evan Almighty.
  • In "Whistleblower", while reviewing the contents of the employees' computers for evidence of the leak, Jo takes it upon herself to take a quick skim of Toby's novel and offers her feedback.
• Actually Pretty Funny:
  • After Michael hosts a "Roast Me!" where everyone's insults leave him in tears and out of the office for a day, he comes back with his usual brand of rather insulting comments he thinks are hilarious. No one is impressed, until Michael tells Stanley "You crush your wife during sex and your heart sucks. Boom, roasted." Stanley actually seems to legitimately think this is hilarious, and it gets everyone else laughing at their roasts to cheer Michael up.
  • In "Happy Hour" when Andy and Erin discuss the progress of their relationship as talking heads, Andy unfolds the window blinds to see Kevin making childlike gestures and laughing. He quotes this trope word for word while giggling with Erin.
  At least I didn't win Smelliest Bowel Movement, like Kevin.
• Adaptation Drift: The Office (UK) was a vicious satire of Work Coms, using its mocumentary format to contrast the TV fiction of working in a quirky office for a wacky boss with the reality of how excruciating that would be in real life. This adaptation started off as a carbon copy of the original, but it drifted over time into a show about how much fun it is to work in a quirky office for a wacky boss.
• Adaptational Jerkass: Jennifer and Neil from the UK series were set up as antagonists for David Brent, but at the same time they were clearly just trying to run a business and are personable enough to not be hated. Compare this to Jan and Neil's US counterparts (Josh, Ryan and Charles), all of whom have serious character flaws that would put their professionalism up for question.
• Adaptation Expansion: The original had 14 episodes, whereas this one had 201. The Stamford merger is a much larger plot point in Season 3 than the Swindon merger in the original UK series. Furthermore, the Will They or Won't They? between Jim and Pam lasts considerably longer than the one between Tim and Dawn. Dwight's quest to be made manager lasts for many seasons, whereas his counterpart Gareth gets the job much earlier.
• Aesop Amnesia: Michael is a constant offender. If he ever learns a lesson, expect it to be long forgotten by the next episode.
  • Dwight tends to alternate between playing this straight and double subverting it. Throughout the show's run, Jim constantly pulls pranks on Dwight relying on Shmuck Bait that Dwight rarely ever thinks twice about falling for. However, on a number of occasions, Dwight has learned his lesson about trusting Jim, except that these occasions are usually when Jim is actually trying to help Dwight or otherwise be nice to him. A great example is when Dwight is working alongside Nellie to put together a Sabre retail store. Jim hears from Robert California that he's going to torpedo the project and fire Dwight, but Jim's attempts to warn Dwight himself about it are ignored, as Dwight simply brushes it off as another attempted prank.
  When I'm about to do something I stop and say to myself "Would an idiot do that?" And if they would, I do not do that thing.
  • A possible example by Andy in "Doomsday". For background, remember when Sabre took over and informed the salesmen that they have no commission cap; the salesmen let loose their A game and sales skyrocketed. In "The Incentive", a mere four episodes ago, Andy got the office to double profits in a fairly short period of time - despite them previously claiming that doing this at all was impossible - thanks to his "Tattoo My Ass Initiative". In short, lesson for management: the Office's employees respond very well to positive reinforcement. This makes it rather jarring when Andy, faced with the task to eliminate mistakes, allows Dwight to implement a solution that runs purely on punishment (Stop making mistakes now, or everyone loses their jobs.) The attempt is, predictably, a spectacular failure, only succeeding in making the office effectively fall apart for a day, quite possibly making even more mistakes than normal.
  • Frequently the office will forget how bad someone's been if given a good enough speech. Michael convinces everyone to side with him in dating Pam's mom despite how selfish and insensitive they know he is (including Pam's mom herself since Pam mentions having constantly complained about Michael to her already). Ryan keeps convincing people that he's "clever" despite how nearly all of his ideas are stolen and end in failure. Jim even voices that everyone seems to have forgotten how bad Dwight was as a manager after he just bribes Toby and Kelly into suggesting he already has the job.
• A.I. Is a Crapshoot: Dwight doesn't care for artificial intelligences. This allows Pam and Jim to trick him into thinking the sales website server has achieved self-awareness with the intent of destroying him (in terms of sales) in one episode. There's this exchange in a later episode:
  Michael: Why do you have a diary?
  Dwight: To keep secrets from my computer.
• The Alleged Boss: Michael Scott. Over Michael's head, there's David Wallace and Jan... no wonder Dunder Mifflin goes bankrupt. Charles Miner seems to be the only person they ever hired who's capable of exercising actual authority.
• Alpha Bitch: Jan gets shades of this. Most of the time, she's completely justified in her treatment of Michael (who declares their relationship when he shouldn't or it's not existent). But she constantly gives him mixed signals. After they kiss, she pretends that it never happened, then kissed him again, then pretended like it never happened, then tried to get back together with him...only for sexual interests and not for an actual relationship.
• All for Nothing: When Jim has the office work late so they wouldn't have to come in on a Saturday, they get locked in, then freed by the cleaning staff. Hank, the head of security — who they called repeatedly — arrives after this and is pissed.
• All Guys Want Cheerleaders:
  • Inverted by Jim in "Booze Cruise". When it comes up that his girlfriend Katy was a high school cheerleader, he briefly doesn't believe it and overall seems to see it as a negative, in preference to Pam the "art geek". He dumps her near the end of the episode.
• All There in the Script: A lot of notable material detailing the background of characters or situations was scripted, but either ended up as a Deleted Scene or even never got filmed.
  • Probably the most important example is with the Stamford branch in Season 3. It was never completely clear in the episodes whether Jim was promoted or just doing the same job there, but the scripts for those episodes spelled out that he was Josh Porter's assistant (to the) regional manager. Originally the plan was to explore the irony of Jim being the Stamford branch's Dwight (not only in job title but as the awkward misfit trying to impress his boss), while Karen would be the Distaff Counterpart of Jim himself, pranking Jim the way he pranked Dwight. As the season went on that angle was abandoned.
• All Women Are Lustful: This is probably the most aggressive portrayal of female sexuality on network TV. Nearly every female character has had sex in the office, and many of them are quite frank about themselves in the Confession Cam.
• Ambiguously Bi: Robert California. While he has shown quite the appetite for the lady folk, there has been more than one instance to suggest he wouldn't mind the intimate company of a fellow Y chromosomer as well.
• Ambiguously Brown: Karen Filipelli, to Michael at least ("Wow, you look very exotic. Was your dad a GI?"). Rashida Jones is half-Black, half-Jewish.
• Ambulance Chaser: When Michael thinks he's about to be sued for sexual harassment, he hires his own attorney, who takes the opportunity to advertise directly into the camera about specializing in motorcycle and diet pill lawsuits.
• Ambulance Cut: After Deangelo attempts a slam dunk on a freestanding basketball hoop and pulls the whole thing down on top of himself.
• American Accents: Several Southern accents are attempted (poorly) in "Murder." The exception was Andy, who has an uncanny knack for dialects (and is played by an actor from Georgia).
• Amusing Injuries :
  • When Michael hurt his foot by burning it on a George Foreman grill.
  • In the same episode, Dwight crashes his car trying to rescue Michael and receives a concussion. (This alters his personality and makes him more likable to his co-workers.)
  • Erin Hannon, being attacked by her literal "Twelve Days of Christmas" gifts certainly give merit to this trope.
  • Andy tearing his scrotum. It SOUNDS funny...
  • Meredith getting bit by a possibly rabid bat, and then Michael hitting her with his car and cracking her pelvis.
  • Andy's doing a Parkour high jump right on top of an empty cardboard box.
  • Andy's bloody nipples during the rabies fundraising race.
  • Andy trying to break a steel golf club over both of his legs.
  • In-universe: Andy drinking liquid soap and pouring hot coffee over his crotch in order to impress Deangelo.
  • In "China", Dwight attempts to lift his coffee mug with his foot- and promptly spills the hot beverage all over his crotch.
• Anguished Declaration of Love: Jim to Pam in "Casino Night", marking the first deeply dramatic moment of the series.
• Argentina Is Nazi-Land: Dwight's Nazi maternal grandfather lives in Argentina.
• Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking:
  • Oscar described Ryan's illegal maneuvering as such:
    Oscar: Ryan's big project was the website, which wasn't doing so well. So to give the impression of sales Ryan had us record sales twice; once as office sales and once as website sales. This is called misleading the shareholders. Another word for this is fraud. The real crime, I think, was the beard.
  • When Michael is defending himself for continuing to have a relationship with Donna (who he now knows is married) he describes her husband as such:
    Michael: He's a sports guy. He's scummy. Dogfighting, drugs, they spit.
  • Angela's response to Andy singing "There's a Place In France" during the Moroccan Christmas episode.
    Angela: Really, Andy? It's Christmas, and you're singing about nudity and France.
• The Artifact:
  • B.J. Novak was featured in the opening credits throughout his time on the show even though Ryan slipped out of his original role as the Audience Surrogate/Only Sane Man, and Novak became so busy behind-the-scenes that Ryan only appeared sporadically after Season 4.
  • As the show moved away from the style of the UK original over the years, Todd Packer, who as the Americanized Chris Finch was the character most in-line with the UK version, felt more-and-more out of place.
  • A strange case of a character who was an Artifact by the time he debuted was Brian the boom mic guy. Since Greg Daniels was leaning toward having Jim and Pam separate in Season 9, Brian was supposed to be a potential love interest for Pam. But John Krasinski objected to the idea, feeling that, whatever difficulty the marriage faced in the Athlead arc, the show owed it to the fans to keep Jim and Pam together. This left Brian with no real purpose in the show other than finally being a depiction of someone from the documentary crew onscreen.
• Artistic License – Biology:
  • Dwight predicting what will happen as a result of all the women in the office being in the same room for a "women in the workplace" seminar:
    Dwight: They stay in there too long, they're gonna get on the same cycle. Wreak havoc on our plumbing.
  • Dwight, after using the Sheriff's Department computer to look up medical records.
    Dwight: There are an enormous amount of yeast infections in this county. (looks thoughtful) It must be because we're downriver of that old bread factory.
  • When he sees that Karen is pregnant, Michael immediately asks if it is Jim's kid, even though they broke up almost two years previously. When he finds out Pam is pregnant and is chewing her and Jim out for not telling him sooner, he asks, "How long have you known? A year? Two years?". Similarly, when the office placed bets on when Angela's baby was due, Kevin got the right month, but the wrong year.
  • Meredith is found to have contracted rabies twice. Rabies was believed to be 100% fatal at the time the show aired. There are now at least 30 known survivors of rabies. It's still around 99% fatal, though, so Meredith surviving rabies wouldn't be impossible but would be a much bigger deal.
• Artistic License – Chess: One episode had Jim with both of his bishops on white squares.
• Artistic License – Geography:
  • In Employee Transfer, the fact that Nashua is a seven hour drive from Scranton is a major element in Holly and Michael's breakup. In fact it's barely a five hour drive. Unless traffic is incredibly bad, seven hours will get you all the way to Augusta, Maine.
    • They also make a big deal about the fact that the halfway point is an empty wilderness, but at nearly exactly halfway through the drive from Scranton to Nashua is Danbury, Connecticut, which is a larger city than Scranton.
  • Going south, it is a 16ish hour drive from Scranton to Tallahassee with no breaks, but the characters make it seem like a trip to the store.
  • Several of the chain restaurants featured on the show don't actually have locations in Scranton. The nearest Chili's is in Wilkes-Barre, which is just 20 miles (32 km) away, but for Benihana and Hooters they would've needed a two-hour drive to the Philadelphia suburbs.
• Artistic License – Law: In both the "Booze Cruise" episode and the episode in which Jim and Pam get married, the misconception of ship captains marrying people is brought up. The short answer is that no, captains do not have the ability to marry anyone unless they have taken specific ordination to legally marry people that would have nothing to do with being a captain of a ship. That said, it's still highly probable captains of the Niagara Falls ferries are ordained for just such occasions. And even if not, they were already going through with a second "ceremony" wedding, so they'd be covered either way.
• Ascended Extra:
  • Phyllis Smith (Phyllis) was originally a casting assistant who was rewarded with a part after making a good impression at a read-through.
  • Mindy Kaling (Kelly), a member of the show's writing staff, was pressed into service in her first appearance because they needed an Indian actress.
  • Creed Bratton (Creed) was cast as a background character in the pilot because he was friendly with director Ken Kwapis (who'd met him working as an extra on The Bernie Mac Show), then was brought back when the show went to series, but still just a nonspeaking background employee. After giving an impressive performance in his first speaking part in "Halloween", his role was expanded.
  • Erin Hannon (portrayed by Ellie Kemper) was originally intended to be one of those characters that would be on the show for a few episodes and then leave the office for whatever reason. Kemper made such an impression on the producers, however, that she was made a regular.
• Ascended Meme:
  • Two in the wedding episode. First, Dwight wears a ridiculous Three Wolves Howling at the Moon t-shirt that became an Amazon.com legend for the hilarious fake reviews, and second, the wedding itself, which took after the YouTube video with the bridal party dancing down the aisle.
  • In one episode Ryan is watching the Flea Market Montgomery ad.
  • "Parkour!"
  • Andy doing the evolution of dance dance without the music to distract Pam from her contractions.
  • The Lipdub in the seventh season premiere, to "Nobody but Me".
  • Planking in the cold open at the start of season 8.
  • In-universe: Andy's failed A-Capella audition in the series finale, spawning numerous parodies.
• As Himself: Creed Bratton has a pretty interesting history and is basically playing an exaggerated version of himself. In episode commentary, the actors say the real Creed is just like the character, except without the "creepy" tendencies of his onscreen persona.
• Aside Glance: A major source of humor for the show is various characters shooting an aside glance at the camera.
  • Jim usually does this several times an episode, shooting the camera a "can you believe this?" look. It quickly becomes his trademark, to the point that Dwight and Karen both point it out.
  • Pam does this almost as much as Jim, usually in frustration
  • Dwight tends to do it whenever he says something that he feels is particularly meaningful and/or insightful. He also likes to give the camera a smug "told you so" smirk whenever he's proven right about something.
  • In a deleted scene for Fun Run, Stanley questions why he should visit Meredith in the hospital, because she sits "all the way over there." After remarking that he would visit Phyllis, he looks at the camera and shakes his head no.
  • A rare one by Andy when he immediately realizes that the flasher's wanted poster drawn by Pam is really Dwight with a mustache.
  • In "Promos", the whole cast does this together after they realize the documentary crew had been filming their private moments for the past 9 years.
• Asshole Victim: Jim's pranks on Dwight can sometimes be very cruel and mean-spirited. But Dwight brings a lot of it on himself, an early episode makes it clear that he annoys the office with his behavior. So even though we may not see what inspired the prank, we can be assured Dwight did something to deserve it.
• Attention Whore:
  • Michael desperate need for attention and love is a major driving force throughout his term on the show.
  • Kelly, so much her new year resolution is "Get more attention by any means necessary"
• Attractive Bent-Gender:
  • Gabe's Lady Gaga Halloween costume (complete with false eyelashes and a corset) is disturbingly sexy.
  • Nellie dresses as "Sexy Toby."
• Audience Surrogate: Jim and Pam most often filled this role, with their tendency to make an Aside Glance (him bemused, her frustrated) that reflects how we're also perceiving the situation. Ryan, as the Naïve Newcomer trying to understand the world of Dunder Mifflin, also fit this well in the early seasons. Oscar and Darryl (the most consistent examples of Only Sane Man), Stanley (the apathetic one who's not afraid to speak his mind), then Pete and Clark in Season 9 as the new guys also could count.

B

• Babies Ever After:
  • Subverted by Ryan, who was left with Drake, the son of an ex-girlfriend who left the infant with Ryan in the year between the final two episodes. At the Martin-Schrute wedding, he himself abandons the baby, leaving it with Ravi to run off with Kelly. It's then implied to be played straight when Nellie ends up with Drake. Played straight with Pam and Jim, Angela and Dwight, and Holly and Michael.
• Backhanded Apology: When Todd Packer comes back to Dunder Mifflin Scranton in "The Farm" as part of his apparent rehab process, he fires off many of these until Pam stops him.
• Back for the Finale: Michael, Ryan and Kelly. Carol and Devon also appear briefly in the finale.
• Badass Boast: Robert California delivers one to Andy in "Turf War":
  ''"I will not be blackmailed by some ineffectual, privileged, effete, soft penis'd debutante. If you wanna start a street fight with me bring it on, but you're gonna be surprised by how ugly it gets. You don't even know my real name! I'm the fucking lizard king."
• Bad "Bad Acting":
  • "Threat Level Midnight".
  • "Slum-Dunder Mifflinaire".
  • "Lazy Scranton"
  • Michael's Blair Witch style new hiree introduction video.
• The Bad Guy Wins: Nellie, who lied and stole her way into Andy's manager job, gets to officially keep it after he's unfairly fired(by Robert, no less, who initially supported his getting-back-in but did a Face–Heel Turn after the conference about Andy's newfound sex life struggles). This doesn't last, however, as after David Wallace buys out Dunder-Mifflin Sabre, he fires Nellie back and rehires Andy.
• Bad News in a Good Way:
  • Inverted when Michael tells the office that Meredith was hit by a car. He explains the situation in a very sorrowful tone, then ends it by saying she's going to be okay.
  Stanley: What is wrong with you?! Why did you have to say it like that?!
  • Inverted again by Deangelo in his first shown meeting after Michael left. He delivers a series of good news, but acts as if they're all things everyone is supposed to be upset about. It understandably causes considerable confusion.
• Bait-and-Switch: In The Stinger for "Fundraiser" Kevin describes his recently-adopted dog Ruby in a way that suggests she has died. It’s revealed at the very end that she’s still alive.
• Batman Gambit:
  • How Pam manages to get a new job in the office in season seven.
  • Michael goading Dwight into using the information from the notes he stole into losing his biggest client to the Michael Scott Paper Company.
• Beach Episode: ...sort of.
• The Beard: Oscar's Gaydar helps him to realize that Angela is The Beard for her new politician boyfriend. Pam, meanwhile, denies that this trope even exists. Angela is later directly referred to as this during a press conference after her husband announces his homosexuality
• Bears Are Bad News: Dwight is well aware of this.
• Blonde Brunette And Redhead: Angela (blonde), Phyllis (brunette) and Pam (redhead) as the basis of the Party Commitee.
  • Ryan (blonde), Michael (brunette) and Pam (redhead) count as well during the Michael Scott Paper Company arc in season 5.
• Before My Time: In one episode, Michael goes clubbing with Ryan and chats up a girl with a tangent on Back to the Future. She doesn't seem to have heard of it, even though the movie or one of its sequels is basically always playing on some cable channel or other.
• Benevolent Boss:
  • Michael likes to think of himself as being one of these.
    • Can be, of sorts, when it directly relates to himself (sympathizes with Kelly after she purposely sabotages Jim and Dwight's customer reviews because no one will go to his parties as well, gives Phyllis 6 weeks vacation because she gave him an "important" role in her wedding)
  • Jo Bennett also seems to qualify.
• Berserk Button:
  • Do not pretend to fire Stanley.
  • Or actually fire Devon, particularly if Creed actually deserves to be fired.
  • If you're Pam's boss, don't date her mom.
  • Do not cut in or save a spot for anyone in line on Pretzel Day! One of the few things Michael and Stanley agree on (though as usual, Michael doesn't seem to think the rules apply to him- he has absolutely no qualms about asking Pam to save his spot while he goes to the bathroom).
  • Do not hide Andy's cell phone in the ceiling and call it repeatedly (this, coupled with an embarrassing encounter with Michael, caused Andy to go seriously berserk, and resulted in him being sent to anger management classes).
  • If your name is Toby Flenderson and you leave the office to go to Costa Rica and then return, Michael will not appreciate it.
    • Being Toby around Michael at all.
  • Don't ever bad mouth Angela in front of Dwight.
  • Angela doesn't take kindly to people calling Dwight a freak or making fun of her height.
  • Never, ever insult Michael's car. You'd instantly regret it.
  • NEVER badmouth Dunder Mifflin or criticize Michael's management style behind his back to your classmates, especially if you are an unexperienced employee who does not perform well. That's a very valuable lesson, and Ryan learned it the worst possible way.
  • Also very importantly, don't even think of conspiring against Michael to get his job. He doesn't speak nicely to traitors.
• Beta Couple: A lot of the other couples on the show function as this to Jim/Pam in a subtle way. Jim and Pam are the realistic couple who build a solid relationship after a long Will They or Won't They? period. Dwight and Angela are the aloof ones who can't fully commit to a relationship because they're not comfortable expressing their feelings. Ryan and Kelly are the couple in the Relationship Revolving Door, who are almost like a parody of a stereotypical Slap-Slap-Kiss Romantic Comedy pairing. And Michael and Jan are the very unhealthy, toxic couple.
• Betty and Veronica:
  • Pam with Jim and Roy.
  • Michael with Carol and Jan.
  • Jim with Pam and Karen.
  • Angela with Andy and Dwight.
  • Michael with Holly and Jan.
  • Erin with Andy and Gabe also now Andy and Plop/Pete
• Beware the Nice Ones: Erin Hannon. Holy shit.
• Big Applesauce: The corporate headquarters for Dunder Mifflin are in New York City, prompting a number of trips there throughout the series.
• Big Eater:
  • Dwight, during a meeting with Jan he orders enough food for 2 (maybe 3) people for himself. Also, stuffing himself with breakfast in front of Michael on the morning of Jim and Pam's wedding: "I'm ravenous after a night of lovemaking."
  • Michael. During one dinner with Holly, he has three entrees in front of him, and in one Cold Opening, it's mentioned that he ate an entire family-sized chicken pot pie by himself for lunch.
• Big-Lipped Alligator Moment: In-universe: “Do The Scarn” from “Threat Level Midnight.”
• Big "NO!":
  • Michael, after learning that Toby has returned from Costa Rica.
  • And an offscreen one when Pam learns that Michael's dating her mother. It continues through a commercial break.
  • Dwight to Stanley after receiving a fax from "Future Dwight" that the coffee is poisoned.
  • Also Dwight as his (supposedly) robot character in "Threat Level Midnight" when he takes Goldenface's first bullet for Michael Scarn.
  • Yet ANOTHER Dwight example when he gets to an obscenely vandalized DM ad billboard featuring him and Andy and sees that it was in fact vandalized.
• Birds of a Feather: Jim and Pam (both levelheaded and fond of pranks), Michael and Holly (both socially awkward dorks with a bizarre sense of humor), Andy and Erin (both outgoing and quirky). Also Dwight and Angela, to an extent (both aloof and Comically Serious).
• Birthday Episode:
  • "Michael's Birthday". You get one try in figuring out who's birthday was celebrated.
  • Zig-Zagged in "Lecture Circuit", where a subplot is new Party Planning Committee heads Jim and Dwight trying to put together a makegood party for Kelly after they forget her real birthday.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing:
  • In spite of her passive personality, Phyllis sometimes reveals herself to be quite the troublemaker. In "Happy Hour," she revealed that she dresses provocatively in bars so her husband will beat up men who flirt with her. In another episode, she says from experience that customer service people will just give you things for free if you make enough of a scene.
  • Cathy, Pam's rarely seen/heard from replacement, as well. Apparently her goal is to seduce Jim while they are in Tallahassee.
• Bittersweet Ending: Some episodes sport this, with people leaving the office upset, Michael doing something cruel and succeeding, Jim and Pam on awkward/bad terms, etc.
• Bland-Name Product:
  • In "St. Patrick's Day", sports drink bottles can be seen on Erin's coffee table. Their brand name is "Sports Drink" and the logo and font strongly resemble that of Gatorade.
• Black Comedy Pet Death: Dwight "mercy-kills" Angela's cat, leading her to break up with him. The cat required a lot of medication, and he blamed his farmer's instinct in deciding his way was better. He claimed the cat was already dead when he put its body in the freezer, but Angela found claw marks all over the frozen vegetables.
• Blasphemous Boast: In "New Leads", Dwight calls himself the "King of Kings" of sales and then lampshades that he thinks of himself as if he's Jesus.
  Dwight: Salesmen is king. As the best salesman, I am the king of kings. Oh, you say Jesus is king of kings? Well, what does that say to you about how I think of myself?
• Blatant Lies:
  • Among many others, Michael's claim that when he was in college, the professors were invited to the many parties he went to. As if it weren't blatant enough already, everyone knows Michael never went to college.
  • Again Michael, this time when being counseled for the public spanking of his nephew. He was apparently probed by Alf and raised by wolves. He was twenty-five years old before he saw his first human being.
  • Michael denies having a "compulsive need" to be liked in "Fun Run", despite doing almost anything he can on a daily basis to be loved and respected by his employees.
  • When Toby pushes forward a notice about PDA's to everyone (in a veiled move to spite Jim and Pam's then-secret relationship), Angela announces out loud that she has never been involved with anyone at work in any capacity. The cameras have more than enough footage of her sexual encounters with Dwight to prove that false.
  • Related to Angela's denial of her relationships, in the finale for Season 8 she explains in a talking head she thinks that Dwight is after Phillip's DNA to prove he's Dwight's son - something she claims is impossible because the Senator is the only man she's ever been with. This is in spite of everyone in the office knowing about her admitted affairs with Dwight and her time with Andy at a minimum.
• "Blackmail" Is Such an Ugly Word: Phyllis considers her manipulation of Angela as such when Phyllis is head of the PCC in season 5:
  Phyllis: I don't think it's blackmail. Angela just does what I ask her to do so I won't tell everyone that she's cheating on Andy with Dwight. I think for it to be blackmail, it would have to a formal letter.
• Board Game: An old board game adaptation of the CBS show Dallas is sold by Kevin to Andy in "Garage Sale", and leads to a subplot in the episode.
• Booby Trap: When Dwight is in Tallahassee and looks like he's about to be promoted and stay, the office decides to find out what's in the box he left marked "treasure". Fearing it might be booby trapped they get the most insane person in the office (Creed) to open it. When he does the only thing that seems to be inside is a picture of everyone there. At first they're touched but then a dart suddenly shoots out and up into the ceiling. Dwight TH's innocently that he had no idea it was rigged with a poison dart!
• Book Ends:
  • Season 2 opens ("The Dundies") and closes ("Casino Night") with Michael hosting a big party for the staff outside the office. In both episodes Pam gravitates towards Jim after Roy leaves early, and both episodes climax with a major Wham Shot for the series: In "The Dundies" Pam kisses Jim in an In Vino Veritas moment, while "Casino Night" features Jim's Anguished Declaration of Love for Pam, followed shortly after by a Big Damn Kiss initiated by him.
  • Holly Flax first appears in the episode "Goodbye, Toby." Her last appearance is in "Goodbye, Michael."
  • If you ignore "Finale," the last scene of the series is the entire cast watching the first scene of the pilot.
  • The pilot and the series finale were both written by Greg Daniels and directed by Ken Kwapis.
• Bookshelf Dominoes: In "Boys and Girls" Michael accidentally drives the warehouse forklift into a large metal storage rack causing the other racks to topple over like dominoes.
• Bottle Show: The majority of episodes are set primarily, if not entirely, in the office and its immediate surroundings, i.e. the warehouse and parking lot.
• Bowling for Ratings:
  • Ryan's gig after getting fired from Dunder Mifflin's executive ranks.
  • Also mentioned in "Booze Cruise." Last year's team building trip was "Bowl Over the Competition."
• Brainless Beauty:
  • Beautiful but dumb Erin is a textbook case.
  • Kelly is a ditzy modern socialite who is usually more oblivious than stupid.
• Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick:
  • An actual food-related example with Dwight's machine during "Secret Santa."
  • In the season 4 premiere, Michael describes his flaws as singing in the shower, spending too much time volunteering, and occasionally hitting someone with his car.
• Break the Cutie: Erin Hannon in "Secretary's Day." So apparently you can pretend to fire her, make fun of her behind her back, and smuggle a flock of geese into her car, but tell her that her boyfriend used to date another co-worker and you're Deader than Dead.
• Breakfast in Bed: In the episode "The Injury", Michael's explanation for burning his foot on a George Foreman Grill is that he enjoys breakfast in bed, but because he doesn't doesn't have a butler, he begins to cook his own bacon at his bedside before going back to sleep.
• Breaking the Fourth Wall: Technically, all the talking heads fall in this category, as do all the glances into the cameras. But it doesn't stop there:
  • When Pam has suspicions of Dwight and Angela dating, she asks the camera crew for help.
  • The camera crew also forces Jim and Pam to confess they were dating by showing them the footage they shot of them.
  • In the final season, the camera crew and the documentary they've been filming begin to intrude in the story lines.
  • In "Branch Wars," when Jim is hiding from Karen, he motions to the camera man to be quiet and get down. When they pop their head back up to get footage of Karen (and, consequently, end up giving Jim away), Jim shoves the camera back down, mouthing "What are you doing?" into the camera, and "Come on, man!" to the camera man themselves.
  • When trying to get Dwight to open up about feelings concerning Angela and Andy's wedding, Phyllis reminds him that the camera crew are aware of his affair with Angela, as they walked in on them having sex in the office, so he can speak freely in front of them.
  • Once the documentary promos air, the office workers realize that they were being filmed at all times, with the camera crew even hiding to sneak footage of them in compromising situations, such as catching Angela and Dwight having sex in the warehouse. As this sinks in, the cast all turn as one to glare at the cameraman standing near them.
• Brick Joke:
  • In "Casual Friday," Dwight sends out an innocuous looking memo with a secret message. He gleefully reveals to the camera that the invisible ink is actually urine. When Michael asks him to send a second one around, we see Dwight preparing the second memo by using Ryan's coffee mug.
  • "The Lover" has Dwight giving Jim a wooden mallard that is an Incredibly Obvious Bug. During the scene, he awkwardly returns a pen he borrowed from Jim. At the very end of the episode, by which time the mallard has been thrown away and everyone else has gone home, Dwight sneaks back into Jim's office and takes out the pen, which is his true listening device. "Do you really think I'd put my primary listening device in a wooden mallard?" And then in "Scott's Tots", the pen comes back.
  • In "Traveling Salesman," there is a small bit where Dwight is doing Michael's laundry. This is a callback to when Dwight attempts to betray Michael and become the boss in the episode "The Coup".
  • Season 4's "The Chair Model," Michael makes everyone write down the name of a woman they'd set him up with. Jim writes down Pam's mom, and when he tells Pam, she tries to wrestle the paper away from him. Fast forward to Season 6 when Michael starts dating Pam's mom for real, and Pam and Jim both freak out.
  • In "Prince Family Paper," Michael is tasked with investigating a small, family-owned rival paper company. When the owner gives Michael a copy of his client list, Michael has an attack of conscience, realizing that this will allow Dunder-Mifflin to undercut them and drive the family out of business. Dwight has to physically wrestle the list out of Michael's hands. Several episodes later, Michael has put in his two weeks notice with Dunder-Mifflin, and tries to call Prince Paper for a job, only to be informed that they have, in fact, been run out of business.
  • In "Ben Franklin", Ryan wants to know if the Foreman grill that Michael is grilling steaks on is the same one that he burned his foot on. Michael admits it is, but assures Ryan "I got all the foot off." We see the grill again in Michael's kitchen in Season 5.
  • When recapping some of the weird people who interviewed for Michael Scott's job after Michael leaves, Jim mentions one guy who kept talking about the Finger Lakes, although the audience never saw the interview. At the end of the episode, there's a quick series of talking heads from each interviewee. The Finger Lakes guy is unexpectedly revealed. It's Jim Carrey.
  • During the women in the workplace meeting organized by Jan, each of the women is asked to list one of their strong points. Meredith mentions being very good at supplier relations. Then in the ethics meeting, she reveals she's been having sex with a supplier for months in exchange for rebates on supplies and coupons for free steak.
  • In one episode Darryl is learning to be more efficient and records an all-purpose non specific talking head reaction interview to save time while the camera crew are in his office. About ten minutes later after Nellie's prank leads Andy's co-workers to believe his family were slave owners, Darryl's non specific talking head reaction is run.
  • In the pilot, Jim puts Dwight's stapler in some jell-o. Then, when Pam is out on her second maternity leave in Season 8's "Pool Party", Jim turns to Stanley as the audience for his pranks, and puts Dwight's stapler in a meatball.
  • In "Phyllis' Wedding," Dwight says that it's a Schrute tradition to be married standing in their own graves. When he marries Angela in the finale, this is exactly how they perform the ceremony.
  • In "Christmas Party", corporate gives Dunder-Mifflin branded bathrobes for everyone - Michael has Toby's taken away from him. In "Benihana Christmas", the next season's Christmas episode, Pam is briefly seen giving Toby a Dunder-Mifflin robe as a Christmas gift.
  • In "Drug Testing", Kevin asks for a magazine when he is asked to give a urine sample for just what the episode title says- which earns him some strange looks. In a deleted scene from "Baby Shower", it is revealed that he is a sperm donor.
• Brilliant, but Lazy: Jim. Once news of impending bankruptcy surfaced he matter-of-factly tells the camera that he only screws around when things are going well. In a later episode it is deconstructed a little. The company has commission caps, limiting how much money he can actually make as a salesman. When the company is bought out by Sabre, Jim is excited to have no commission cap and does exceptionally well working hard... until he learns that Sabre put in new commission caps and he hit that limit. With no reason to make more sales that month, he's left with a lot of time on his hands. And thus he goes back to pranks and other time wasters.
• Broken Aesop: One of the things that Pam learns during her Character Development arc in Season Three is the importance of taking risks when you're unsatisfied with the current state of your career...except that the risks she takes, such as art school, joining the Michael Scott Paper Company, trying to be a salesperson, keep turning out not to be worth it and get her disliked by other members of the cast. She does as badly as people say she will. And with the addition of Erin, who makes the best of the receptionist job that Pam doesn't think much of it's starting to look like the best option would have been to adjust perspective on the whole thing.
• Brought Home the Wrong Kid: A variation on this trope occurs when Pam breastfeeds the wrong baby(!) while spending the night in the delivery room.
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Most of the staff have their unusual quirks, but Michael and Dwight take their jobs much too seriously and have very high opinions of themselves, sometimes acting like they think life is an action movie. Jim is similar, to a lesser extent, due to his tendency to slack off and play elaborate pranks on Dwight. The Scranton office is frequently mentioned to be one of the highest sales record of Dunder Mifflin, with Dwight and Jim having the highest sales records. Jim is actually excellent with customers, which is why corporate kept promoting him, and Dwight knows how to sell their products. And Michael, for all his inappropriate behavior, is good with putting people in the right place.
• Bury Your Gays: In-universe. In the Show Within a Show "Threat Level Midnight", Michael's character Michael Scarn garottes Oscar's character to death for seemingly no reason. The audience seem very disturbed by the brutality and lack of necessity in including the scene.
• Burning the Ships: Discussed Trope in the last season: Andy Bernard talks about the legend of Cortes sinking his ships. He then insults David Wallace and defecates on his car so that he won't have the option of returning to Dunder-Mifflin if his show business hopes don't work out.
• The Bus Came Back: For several characters. Roy, Karen, Todd Packer...one entire episode was focused on Michael revisiting all his old girlfriends.
• Business Trip Adultery: Cathy tries to flirt with Jim, who is happily married, on their work trip together.
• Butt-Monkey:
  • Dwight, re: his relationship with both Jim and Michael.
    • Jim has next to no respect for Dwight, so Mr. Schrute routinely finds himself to be the go-to guy when Jim is bored and in a pranking mood. Dwight does, on rare occasion, get his own back.
    • With Michael, it's love-hate; he loves Dwight's obsession/idol worship of him and does everything he can to keep it, but he hates the kiss-ass sycophancy that comes with it and so dismisses Dwight as a friend and any of his attempts to gain authority, real or imagined.
  • Despite the fact that one of the most salient aspects of his job is to sort out conflicts, Toby finds himself the constant receiver of heaping dollops of ridiculous abuse from Michael.
  • To a lesser and inconsistent extent, the assistant to the "World's Best Boss" was this to him, too.
  • Andy is regarded as a naive, tactless, irksome and incompetent individual and salesman (which is certainly not an untrue view) and an even worse manager by the majority of his co-workers, all of whom, for the most part, have no qualms voicing their annoyance with him. A somewhat subverted example, though, as they have shown that, despite all his foibles, they really do care and want the best for him.
  • Nellie becomes this to the aforementioned example in the last season, with him point blank telling her that he plans on being a "real bitch to [her]" as revenge for what she did to him in the previous season, though his animosity becomes less fixed on her as he not so gradually becomes a Jerkass to the rest of the staff as well, thanks to his aggressive new demeanor he adopted during his Outward Bound manager training.
  • Phyllis is the recipient of an almost daily serving of unflattering comments and abuse from both her boss and his loyal lapdog.
  • Meredith isn't all that popular amongst her co-workers (especially with Holier Than Thou Angela), given her unintentional penchant of causing a feeling of disgust to strike them to their very core with her anything but surreptitious life of wild sex, booze, and occasional heavy partying.
  • Gabe is perhaps this show's most predominant example; save for the eponymous HR rep himself, he is literally "the Toby" to the entire office.
  • Nick, the IT guy from Sabre, Or, as the staff knew him as (among other unwanted monikers), "Lurch" and "Glasses". Unlike his co-worker from the Tallahassee-based printers corporation, however, he did not lack the balls to eventually stand up to the Scranton branch office, but was able to pull it off successfully.
• The Butler Did It: Inverted by Dwight. When he ends up as the Butler character in a murder mystery dinner party game, he immediately turns into the Munchkin hardass detective and starts Perp Sweating every other character.
• Buxom Beauty Standard:
  • When comparing Pam and Karen, Kevin explicitly notes that Pam has bigger breasts.
  • In that same episode ("The Job"), Jan, previously dumped by Michael on the advice of Pam and the other office women, has returned to win him back. The office women tell Michael to be strong, and he confronts Jan—only to see that she has a brand-new and very big set of breast implants. They immediately get back together.
    Michael: So, I guess we're getting back together.
    Pam: What happened?
    Michael: Your advice was good, but Jan's was bigger.
  • Several seasons later, Erin the new receptionist makes a new friend out of an old lady named Irene (portrayed by The Mary Tyler Moore Show alum herself, Georgia Engel) that she meets in Florida. Erin tells her that her boyfriend Andy rejected her, and Irene answers with "With those gazongas?".

C

• Callback:
  • In Season 2's "Boys and Girls," Meredith says she's good at supplier relations. In Season 5, we see how good: she's sleeping with a supplier for a discount and steak coupons.
  • "Christmas Party" ends with Michael invited to drinks at Poor Richard's with his co-workers; "E-Mail Surveillance" had focused on how much everyone in the office (and even everyone in Michael's improv class) would lie to avoid Michael following them to social events outside work.
  • At the end of Season 3, when Jim applies for a job at corporate, we see his yogurt lid medal from "Office Olympics."
  • In season 2's "The Client", we learn Michael has written the screenplay for a film called Threat Level Midnight. The screenplay is referenced in several later episodes, and the completed movie is finally seen in the season 7 episode of the same title. However, the finished movie seems to occur in a later timeline than the screenplay from season 2. In the screenplay, Catherine Zeta Jones is merely a secretary to Scarn with a Subordinate Excuse, and Scarn and Goldenface have a somewhat friendly conversation at one point. In the movie, Catherine Zeta Scarn has been murdered some time ago, by Goldenface, making him Scarn's most hated adversary.
  • In Season 3's "The Negotiation," Darryl derails his pay-raise negotiation by pointing out that Michael is wearing a woman's suit. The rest of the office gets a good laugh at Michael's expense, and Michael, during a talking head session, tries to defend his mistake and asserts that he'll never wear women's clothes again. According to Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey's "Office Ladies" podcast,sharp-eyed viewers will note that Michael wears women's suits several more times throughout the series.
  • In season 3's "Women's Appreciation", we learn that Creed uses the women's rest room "for number two". In season 7's "Goodbye, Michael", we see he's still doing so.
    • Also in "Women's Appreciation," we hear that Jan videotapes Michael's performance during sex and then critiques him. In "Dinner Party," we see the camera set up in the bedroom.
  • In Season 4's "Local Ad," Jim's avatar in Second Life has a guitar slung on his back. This is a minor Call-Back : during "Email Surveillance," when we saw Jim's room, there was a guitar leaning against the wall by Jim's bed. Pam claims she didn't know he played, yet she stood right beside the guitar.
  • In the same episode of "Local Ad", Jim's second life character is a sports writer from Philly... which is the job he eventually ends up pursuing after Dunder Mifflin.
  • In season 5's "Casual Friday", Michael calls Pam into his office and tells her that he's given Ryan the sales job instead of her, then reveals that he was just kidding, and that the job is, in fact, hers. This harkens back to the pilot episode, in which he called Pam into his office and pretended to her fire her. Lampshaded when Pam admonishes Michael to stop fake-firing people.
  • In Season 7, Toby is visibly reluctant to enter the church where Cece Halpert is being baptized. At first glance, it appears he's just upset about seeing his crush's baby. But then he talking heads that "He and the big guy have a lot of catching up to do." It's actually a reference to a much earlier sequence where Toby admits dropping out of seminary to date his now ex-wife.
  • The office performance of "Seasons of Love" from Season 7's "Michael's Last Dundies." The Dundie awards themselves are referenced in a couple of other places (notably "Dinner Party," when Jan throws one through Michael's TV), but we haven't seen the ceremony since season 2. The song references the time Michael hit Meredith with his car, and helped Ryan get off drugs, both in season 4 episodes.
  • In Season 8's "Pam's Replacement", after spending the entire episode trying to make Jim admit that a very pregnant Pam's new replacement is hot, which included a lie detector test, they found out he has high blood pressure just like his father. This was first mention in Season's 6, "The Mafia".
  • Nellie Bertram, first seen applying for the Scranton manager position in Season 7 finale "Search Committee", pops up again in Season 8 working at the Sabre HQ in Florida.
  • In "Phyllis's Wedding", Dwight mentions in a talking head that a wedding in the Schrute family involves the bride and groom standing in their own graves for the ceremony. In "Finale", Dwight and Angela's wedding has them doing exactly that, though they come up with an explanation that keeps the practice from seeming quite as bleak as Dwight describes it: the graves are symbolic of "til death do you part".
  • In Season 4, when Jim asks Pam to move in with him, they both state they're slobs. In Season 9, when Darryl and Jim are Odd Couple roommates, we see what a slob Jim is.
  • In Season 2, we have Toby giving Dwight some sex education. In Season 9, both Dwight and Angela have questions about how gays have sex.
  • In Season 3's "Cocktails" episode, Michael chokes on his Scotch and asks for Splenda. In Season 5, he drinks Scotch and Splenda in one of his talking heads.
  • In Season 9, when Pam and Dwight meet with the white pages rep, Pam recognizes the Warhol-style print and realizes it's Jan. We first see the painting in "Dinner Party."
  • In Season 4's "Goodbye, Toby," Dwight attempts to haze Holly by enlisting Meredith to break into her car so Mose can put a raccoon in. When Michael and Holly are upset, Dwight protests "It's not rabid!" and Meredith mutters "Thanks for bringing that up." In the first and second episodes of that season, doctors learned that Meredith was bit by a possibly rabid bat.
  • In Season 3's "Business School" Dwight sharpens a broom handle into a stake because he believes Jim is a vampire. A few episodes later in "Women's Appreciation", he is using it to poke through bushes looking for Phyllis' flasher.
  • In Florida, Stanley's co-workers try to wake him up by telling him it's Pretzel Day.
• Calvinball: When Andy, Darryl, and Kevin play the Dallas board game without any instructions to consult, the first two just make up the rules as they go, to Kevin's great displeasure. Eventually he Rage Quits, secretly pocketing all the money as he does so. "Now that is Dallas!"
• The Cameo:
  • "The Seminar" has Michael meeting his British counterpart David Brent (Ricky Gervais) outside an elevator.
  • Gervais pops up again in the "Search Committee" episode, along with Jim Carrey, Catherine Tate, Ray Romano, James Spader, Will Arnett, and Warren Buffett.
  • In "The Convention" Michael meets NFL star Jerome Bettis.
  • In "A.A.R.M", Aaron Rodgers, Santi Gold and Clay Aiken appear as the judges of a American Idol-style singing competition.
  • In New York, Michael misses seeing a passing Conan O'Brian.
• Cannot Spit It Out: Many, many examples:
  • Jim and Pam are in love but can't vocalize it for the first three seasons. During "Casino Night", Jim tells Pam how he feels. Though a few more obstacles pop up between them, they eventually get together.
  • For some time, Andy and Erin's relationship lived off this.
  • Michael is in love with Holly but can't say so during her relationship with AJ (which is the middle of season 5 to season 7). Partway through Season 7, Holly realizes her relationship in AJ isn't going to work out and she gets together with Michael. The two are Put on a Bus after getting engaged.
  • Toby likes Pam but never quite works up the nerve to tell her. Particularly a shame for him, as Pam mentioned during a talking head in "Goodbye Toby" that she found him cute, which she had also stated all the way back in Season 2 episode "The Fire".
• Cannot Tell a Joke: Michael.
  • Not necessarily. "The Client" proves that he can tell a joke pretty well(especially since it's implied that jokes are a key part of his sales pitch). Michael's problem is that he's terrible with situational jokes and coming up with his own material.
    • Not just situational. He's proven time and again that even with prepared material, he is a terrible public speaker and a horrid stand-up comedian. He can tell correctly a joke when Pam goes over it carefully (as "The Client" proves) but if he prepares his own, every characters knows that This Is Going to Suck. This is lampshaded repeatedly every time Michael opens with "Good Morning Vietnam!" which gets met with a room-wide groan.
    • His failure in most situations probably comes from trying too hard, and trying bury his desperation for approval with a facade of ludicrous overconfidence. When he's actually relaxed and in his element, such as during a one-on-one sales pitch with a client, he's really very competent and charismatic. The jokes are successful in these cases because he actually reads the situation well, employs empathy to great effect and makes the client feel valued and entertained rather than offended.
• Captain Morgan Pose: Michael does this on occasion, like in his and Dwight's first meeting with David Wallace in "Stress Relief".
• Captain Oblivious: Stanley tunes out everything that goes on around him. The entire office spends the cold open of "Costume Contest" trying to challenge his oblivious sense and he fails to notice Kevin dressed as Phyllis, shirtless Andy, Michael sporting gag teeth, the fake computer monitor Jim slips on the real one, the "everyone sits backwards" meeting where Michael proclaims 8000 percent profits for the Jupiter branch, mustache Pam or Dwight's pony.
  Jim: Stanley just took a sip of my orange juice instead of his hot coffee and didn't notice, so the question begs to be asked: Is there a limit to what he won't notice?
  • Creed suffers from this as well. During a round of side betting amongst the staff, they switch Creed's apple with an old potato they found behind the fridge. Creed doesn't notice even after biting into it.
• Car Fu: Andy does this with stealth by using his hybrid's electric engine to sneak up on Dwight and pin him to a hedge.
• Career Not Taken: Much of Pam's early series angst stems from her desire to be an artist, and her disappointment that she took her current secretary job rather than pursuing it. Eventually she does go to art school, but ultimately decides that it isn't for her and sets her sights on becoming a saleswoman instead.
• Carpet of Virility:
  • Jim.◊ Who knew?
  • Michael and David Wallace◊ as well.
• Cassandra Truth: In "Broke", Jim exploits Dwight's Cloud Cuckoolander tendencies to thwart his attempt to expose the true financial situation of the Michael Scott Paper Company.
• Catchphrase: Michael's "That's what she said!"
  • Dwight: "Idiot," "False," "Question" and "MICHAEL!" Lampshaded in "Product Recall," when Jim impersonates Dwight and emphasizes Dwight's more common phrases.
  • Also Michael's unconvincing deflection of "Mmmm...no." whenever someone accuses him of something that he indeed did.
  • Ryan had "How's my favorite branch doing?" in season 4.
  • Stanley: "Have you lost your mind?!"
  • Oscar: "What are you implying?"
  • Jim, Pam, and Dwight have all responded with "Absolutely, I will," when asked to do something. Or "Absolutely, I do."
• "Cavemen vs. Astronauts" Debate: Is Hilary Swank hot or not?
• Caught in the Rain: Jim and Pam, when he proposes.
  • Mirrored when Michael proposes to Holly while the two are being drenched by fire sprinklers. Considering there was a discussion earlier in the episode about Jim and Pam's example above, one has to wonder whether or not that was intentional.
• Celebrity Paradox:
  • In the season 4 episode "Money," Michael Scott critiques the film Live Free or Die Hard. In season seven, his newest hire is a hotshot traveling salesman played by Timothy Olyphant, who was the villain in that film. Speaking of Olyphant, see next entry.
  • In season 4's "Night Out" Michael mentions watching The Wire. Shortly thereafter, three Wire cast members—Idris Elba, Amy Ryan and David Costabile—ended up on The Office. Which leads to the question of whether Michael noticed that Charles Miner had a strong resemblance to Stringer Bell, or that Holly Flax looked like Beadie Russell with blonde hair, or that Eric Ward resembled Thomas Klebanow. Another Wire cast member, Chris Bauer (Frank Sobotka), showed up in season 8's "Turf War" as Harry from Syracuse.
  • With Will Ferrell's guest run in season 7, who in the Office-verse stars in Michael's beloved A Night at the Roxbury?
  • In season 3's "Back from Vacation", everyone's making fun of Dwight for tape-recording and transcribing a meeting in Michael's absence by inventing all kinds of outlandish occurrences. At one point Phyllis tells him, "Jim Carrey just walked in! Dwight, get his autograph for Michael!" Steve Carell appeared in a supporting role in the Carrey-led Carrey Bruce Almighty (one of Carrey's more popular and successful films) prior to this show, and Carrey himself appears in season 7's "Search Committee" as the Finger Lakes Guy.
  • In a blooper from season two's "Christmas Party" episode, Dwight is shown angrily firing paintballs at a poster for The 40-Year-Old Virgin featuring Steve Carell's character from that film (however, the canonicity of the outtakes falls into unknown territory).
    • We know from a Freeze-Frame Bonus at the end of the Threat Level Midnight movie that Judd Apatow apparently exists of the Office-verse (the newspaper that Dwight/"Samuel" is reading has a headline that says "SCARN SAVES DAY; Judge Attapow To Make Movie About Him"), which further pushes the question of who starred in the In-Universe version of The 40-Year-Old Virgin.
  • In "Viewing Party", when Michael is invited to a Glee party, he says his favorite character is "the invaild", who is played by Kevin McHale. Kevin had earlier played a pizza boy who Michael had kidnapped in "Launch Party".
  • In "Health Care," Michael mentions he's a fan of Whose Line Is It Anyway?. Chip Esten, a frequent guest performer, had the recurring role of Josh Porter in Seasons 2 and 3.
  • In the episode where Phyllis marries Bob Vance, Jim mentions the film Wedding Crashers to Dwight. Will Ferrell, who played Deangelo several seasons later, cameod in that movie.
  • In "Blood Drive", Kelly mentions Enchanted, a movie starring Amy Adams, who played Katy in seasons 1 and 2.
  • Michael keeps a Homer Simpson doll in the office. Dan Castellaneta (the voice of Homer) makes a guest appearance in Season 8.
• Celebrity Resemblance: In "The Sting," Kelly comments that Timmy Olyphant's Danny Cordray looks a lot like Josh Duhmael. Also an Ascended Meme as this comparison comes up a lot in real life as well.
  • In a deleted scene from the 9th season premiere, Creed thinks the new interns look more like Siskle and Ebert than Jim and Dwight.
• Chain of Corrections
• Chain of Deals: When The Office starts their first garage sale, Dwight picks up a thumb tack, convinces Meredith to trade a half-used candle for it, and continues the chain with the other coworkers until he ends up with a telescope. Jim then pranks him into trading that for a packet of "miracle legumes".
• Chandler's Law: Michael lives by this trope, and only this trope, at his improv nights. Much to the annoyance of the other performers.
• Chaos Architecture:
  • Between the first (shot on location) and second (shot on a soundstage) seasons, everything just outside of the Dunder Mifflin's office changed, as if the office was ripped and transplanted into a different building. In the first season, the appearance of the building is completely different and the parking lot is much bigger. Deleted scenes from season 1 also show a completely different staircase and a balcony, which doesn't exist from season 2 onwards.
  • Minor example: right after Jim got promoted to co-regional manager in season 6, Creed and Devon's desk clump was replaced with a small office, and Creed changed desks, now facing Meredith. While such a change is realistic and justified, this can fall under this trope since nobody comments on it.
• Character Blog: Though Creed's doesn't live up to Ryan's description (see Take Our Word for It).
• Character Development:
  • Phyllis and Pam both grow out of their Shrinking Violet behavior as the series goes on.
  • Nearly the entire support cast has this. Creed went from being the quiet guy to being the weird guy. Kelly went from being the traditional Indian girl to being a cheerleader who hasn't grown up. Erin went from the oddly strict secretary to the girl who doesn't quite get it. Even Dwight's unique view of the world went from being geeky, paramilitary and a little too serious to full fledge paranoid.
  • Pam and Jim can both be argued in the sense that each started with dreams of leaving the Scranton workplace; they saw their jobs as menial, and the only thing that kept them there was each other. Now, though, all their dreams of going beyond Dunder-Mifflin have gone, and it's been hinted many times that Jim is following Michael's path to management despite his apathy for a career in paper. They're content to just stay there, although still will complain about the job often. Jim also learns to appreciate Dwight, realizing that instead of a target, Dwight can be a partner in his hijinks.
  • Ryan started as sort of an Only Sane Man outsider perspective character but became increasingly Jerkass as he rose in the company becoming Corrupt Corporate Executive, falling from grace, and ending up just as messed up as anyone else in the office.
  • Dwight. Going from the character everyone in the office is either annoyed or perplexed by, into... well, still perplexing, but damn golden-hearted. Also, realizing that his boss is grossly unfair to him and learning to stop hero-worshiping Michael.
  • Michael grows from an obnoxious person and Pointy-Haired Boss to a genuinely quirky and charming guy when he demands to be, and a calm, observant and a happy family man by the end.
• Character Filibuster: Used in the literal sense by Dwight to stall for time at the volleyball game while waiting for Pam to get back from the ER.
• Character Shilling: A constant barrage is doled out for Nellie:
  • In "Search Committee", Jo praises Nellie's integrity for not talking about the friendship between them when interviewing for the Regional Manager job. However, based on Nellie's later talking head, in which Nellie states that her friendship with Jo will get her the job, chances are she either forgot to mention it in the interview, or she knew that Jo would bring it up herself.
  • In "Welcome Party", Jim, after discovering a number of things about Nellie "intended"" to paint her as The Woobie, gets Pam to help him defend her as the rest of the office trashes her. Made infinitely worse by the fact that this happens immediately after Nellie steals Andy's job.
  • In "Andy's Ancestry", Pam begins talking up Nellie after apparently finding her to be "fun".
  • In "Work Bus", Erin spends some time with Nellie. While Nellie's goal of adopting a child would logically appeal to Erin, the fact that Erin seems to believe that Andy hates Nellie for no real reason, and Nellie is the one comforting a crying Erin when Andy refuses to provide Nellie with a character reference, makes it fall squarely under this.
  • In "Fundraiser", Darryl tells tells the camera that she isn't so bad after she tries to bond with him over tacos.
• Characterization Marches On:
  • Michael was originally portrayed more slimy and creepy, with deep rooted character flaws that lead most season one episodes into a depressing conclusion. This was because he was based on Brent from the original UK show, and British Brevity meant that worked just fine. As the show evolved Michael had to evolve too, and so his slicked back hair was combed and stylized better, and went from an ill fitting suit to a Sharp-Dressed Man. He gradually became more of a guy with a Friendless Background that made him more sympathetic, while also ramping up him being a Bunny-Ears Lawyer who knows how to do his job and work the system to everyone's advantage.
  • When he's first introduced, Andy Bernard is a douchebag fratboy asshole with anger management problems and a sleazy, predatory attitude towards women. He goes to an anger management class after punching a wall, but the rest of his early character does not mesh well with the later portrayal of Andy as a good-hearted, wimpy guy with a serious inferiority complex due to being The Unfavorite.
    • He also goes from a hot shot salesman who continually behaves as if he's better than Dwight, and even apparently holds the title "Regional Director in Charge of Sales" to being one of the worst salesmen in the office, and knowing it. At one point when offered more clients as a parting gift from Michael, he immediately replies "I'll lose them", and several sales trips show that he lacks even basic interpersonal skills with clients.
  • Mindy Kaling was originally a writer who was pressed into service in "Diversity Day" because of her Indian ethnicity. The businesslike Kelly who slaps Michael in that episode does not match up well with the flighty, shallow Kelly of later seasons (as Mindy Kaling admitted on a DVD commentary).
  • It's difficult to reconcile the Kavorka Man (and by all accounts excellent lover) Dwight of later seasons with a man who once asked Toby, in all seriousness, what the "female vagina" looks like.
• Charlie and the Chocolate Parody: Michael puts five Golden Tickets worth 10% each off for a year's supply of paper into packs of Dunder-Mifflin paper. Unfortunately they all end up at Dunder Mifflin's biggest client, Blue Cross. Even worse, he forgets to write "one per customer" on the tickets.
• Chekhov's Gun: A very long-running example. In the second season Christmas Episode, Jim writes something in a card to Pam and sticks it in a teapot he plans to give her. He ends up changing his mind and tucks it into his pocket before she can read it. In the ninth season episode "A.A.R.M.", he finally gives her the card in order to prove to her that she's always been everything to him.
• The Chew Toy:
  • Meredith, oh Meredith...
  • Erin also plays this role sometimes, having her Twelve Days of Christmas "presents" pluck out her hair, scratching her face and attacking her in other ways. Also, while riding in a shopping cart, being pushed by Kelly, she falls out and hurts her leg while Kelly and Ryan make out.
  • Andy too, tearing his scrotum, and falling into an empty box while doing Parkour.
• Chick Magnet: Jim, who attracts Pam, Karen, Katy, Brenda, Jordan (in a deleted scene), Cathy, and others, like Meredith. Lampshaded in "The Fire" when every woman in the office proclaims that Jim is who they'd do.
• Christmas Episode: Seven of the nine seasons had them, the exceptions being season 1 (which only had six episodes that aired in March and April) and season 4 (interrupted by the 2007 writer's strike). They typically revolved around the Scranton branch's annual Christmas party, which often turned sour for various characters.
• Chronic Pet Killer: Dwight Schrute.
• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome:
  • Jordan Garfield in Season 8, mirroring her rather abrupt addition to the cast in the previous season.
  • Gabe unfortunately falls victim to this trope in the ninth season, ironically after making his return to the Scranton branch in his first appearance since the previous season's finale.
• Clip Show: The show's only example is "The Banker" in Season 6, which has the staff telling lies about the office to the auditor of an investment banking firm. The show then Gilligan Cuts to a montage of past clips proving the lie wrong.
• Clingy Jealous Girl: Kelly.
  • Jan goes ballistic when she learns that Pam was "peeping" on Michael (all she ACTUALLY did was inadvertently walk in on the guy while he was changing clothes). Michael doesn't exactly help the situation when he claims that he and Pam were once an item.
• Cloudcuckoolander: Dwight, sometimes Andy, occasionally Kevin, but most especially Creed.
  • Michael. For example, after pressing his face into wet cement, he beams that "in a hundred years, I'll be able to visit this spot with my great-grandchildren, and say "That's me."."
  • Erin Hannon. Her Flanderization escalated her character from simply The Ditz to a full-out example of this trope.
    • Although in season 9, she's actually relegated to being more normal again.
  • Holly Flax is a somewhat milder one.
• Cock Fight: Andy versus Dwight, over Angela.
• Cold Open
• Color-Coded for Your Convenience: An inversion. Michael color-codes the back of his saleslead rolodex card entries with information about his clients. However, he admits that every color he uses is a warning to not bring up that info during a conversation with that particular client.
• Color Me Black: In the episode "Diversity Day", Michael has the whole office do this as a tolerance exercise, having them place post-its with a race written on their foreheads, with the wearer unable to read it. It fails miserably because (1) nobody wants to act prejudiced and so participate grudgingly, (2) some, like Stanley, have their own race by accident, and (3) Michael is clearly the most bigoted person in the room.
  • Done literally by Nate in “Dwight Christmas” as part of Dwight’s Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas.
• Comedic Sociopathy
• Comically Missing the Point:
  • Michael is often guilty of this.
    "I don't care if Ryan murdered his family, he is like a son to me."
  • In "The Secret," Dwight investigates after Oscar takes a sick day. He sees Oscar get out of the car with his partner Gil, stroke his hair and...
    Dwight: I found out something very interesting about Oscar today. [beat] He was lying about being sick!
    • In "Gay Witch Hunt," Michael discovers and tells the entire office that Oscar is gay. At the end of the episode, he looks out his window to see Oscar getting into Gil's car.
      Michael: There's Oscar's roommate, Gil. [beat] I wonder if he knows.
  • Angela in "The Job", when Michael thinks he's getting promoted and Dwight takes over as the regional manager.
    Dwight: How would you like to spend the night with the regional manager of Dunder Mifflin Scranton?
    Angela: No, Dwight. I don't care if that's how they consolidated power in Ancient Rome—
    Dwight: No, no! Not, not Michael! Me! I'm taking his job...
• The Comically Serious: Dwight, with his utter inability to not treat everything as Serious Business, is one of the classic examples of the trope, but uptight Angela, neurotic Gabe and awkward Toby, all lacking senses of humor or self-awareness, also count.
• The Complainer Is Always Wrong: Averted in the season 7 Halloween special with Oscar complaining that the coupon book prize was stupid but he was the one to win the 15000 dollar coupon book after saying it costs more to get all the things in it. Usually in-universe with Michael's regards to Toby.
  • The way the trope for Oscar was invoked was justified, as all the other employees wanted the coupon book, but were not allowed to vote for their own costumes, so they all ended up voting for Oscar, thinking he was the least likely employee to win.
• Concussions Get You High: Dwight starts acting uncharacteristically nice after crashing his car. The others eventually realize that he has a concussion and take him to the hospital. During this bout of identity amnesia Dwight also shows absentmindedness and compulsive behavior not unlike fictional portrayals of being high on marijuana.
• Confession Cam: Often used to provide additional commentary from one of the characters on their view of what's happening.
• Confusing Multiple Negatives: In "Nepotism", Michael tries to write out "don't bother Luke", but keeps putting it in a way that says the reverse of that.
• Continuity Nod: The pilot concerned possible downsizing of the company and the inability to "justify a Scranton branch and a Stamford branch" and that one branch would incorporate the other. The downsizing remains a part of the plot for the rest of the season, but the Stamford branch is not mentioned until season three, when Jim transfers to that branch. Shortly thereafter, the Scranton branch absorbs the Stamford branch.
  • In "Local Ad" in season 4 Jim creates a Second Life character that is a sportswriter in Philadelphia. Fast forward to season 9 and Jim is itching to start a career in Philadelphia doing sports marketing.
  • At the end of "Niagara" (Jim and Pam's wedding episode) the final shot features Pam with her head on Jim's shoulder, similar to their Sleep Cute moment way back in season 1. Not a bad day indeed.
  • In "Secret Santa," Pam asks Jim if he bought the company to save his Christmas party - he responds by promising never to buy a company without telling her first, a reference to him buying a house without telling her in Season 5.
  • In "Business School," Dwight asks Creed if he has any tools that can turn a broom handle in a wooden stake. In "Women's Appreciation," he's seen stabbing into a bush with a sharpened broom handle, most likely because all of his other weaponry was taken away in "The Negotiation" two episodes earlier.
  • In "Here Comes Treble" Meredith yells "Stop bagging my head!" after Dwight throws a net over her, a call-back to the bat incident.
• Control Freak: Gabe. Angela, particularly when it involves the Party Planning Committee.
• Cool and Unusual Punishment:
  • After learning that Ryan told his business class that a paper company would inevitably fail against a computer company, Michael moves his desk next to Kelly's. (Toby wonders if it was a punishment for him, as Kelly and Ryan bicker constantly). And then, to punish Ryan's insubordination, Jim moves his desk into the closet between the bathrooms.
  • When Dwight insults her about her baby weight, Pam and Jim learn Morse code just to tap out messages about bombs and detonators, knowing paranoid Dwight will understand them and go crazy.
  • Karen tries to annoy Jim with the squeaking of the chair that he swapped with hers. Jim responds by repeatedly singing the chorus from "Lovefool" by The Cardigans (with Andy, of course, immediately joining in). Karen is begging him to stop in seconds.
• Conservation of Competence, taken to its logical conclusion: after Jim is promoted, he becomes just as gullible and gaffe-prone as Michael, even outside of work. Heavily lampshaded.
  • Also, when Michael takes an entry-level telemarketing job, he becomes much sharper socially and relating to people, but can't make a sale, which is basically the opposite of his qualities when he is in his manager role at Dunder Mifflin.
• Contemplate Our Navels: It's not uncommon for characters to discuss/argue about a small, unimportant topic for several minutes at a time. One of the funniest scenes in the series is an argument between the entire cast over the correct usage of "who" and "whom."
• Cosmic Deadline: Steve Carell announced before Season 7 began that he would be leaving the show by the end of it, so naturally that season saw the end of several subplots that had been running for years. Michael gets closure with several former love interests, finally acknowledges that he and Ryan will never be friends, completes Threat Level Midnight, realizes Packer for the Jerk he is, etc.
• *Cough* Snark *Cough*: In "Drug Testing" Michael calls Dwight a narc this way.
  • Andy and Dwight exchange insults this way at the end of "The Merger".
• Covering Up Your Gray: Creed dyes his hair black when the online retailer Dunder-Mifflin Infinity is launched because he thinks the company is going in a new youth-oriented direction. This being Creed, he "dyes" it with ink from the printer.
• Crazy Cat Lady: Angela. She has a motherly devotion to all of her cats, sometimes bringing one into work (keeping it in her filing cabinet!), while watching the rest of them on a Nanny Cam. Kevin, Meredith, and Oscar once actually caught her grooming a cat with her tongue. Not to mention that she coughs like a cat with a hairball...
• Crazy-Prepared: Dwight stashes weapons all over the office (most notably a knife he keeps in the filing cabinet under the file "A. Knife"), and is convinced that he's prepared to survive any eventuality.
  Pam: "There are two keys to the office. Dwight has both. When I asked him what would happen if he died, Dwight answered 'If I'm dead, you've all been dead for weeks.'"
  • When Ryan rattles off a list of excuses why he can't go to Benihana with Michael (including both food allergies and having just eaten there) Jim complains that he used all the good excuses and Ryan reveals that he keeps a list of excuses on his Blackberry.
• Credits Gag: In the episode "Michael Scott Paper Company," the title sequence switches to show scenes from the titular company, as Michael has left Dunder-Mifflin.
  • When Deangelo takes over, the scene of Michael adjusting his Dundie Award statuette in the last shot of the credits is replaced by Deangelo adjusting a strange, brightly-colored figurine of his own. When Deangelo is injured and forced to leave, it's replaced in turn with a shogun statue for Dwight, a fan in the shape of a cartoonish sumo wrestler for Creed and a statue of a sailor for Andy. For an added bonus, the latter two mess up the scene: Creed makes his figurine face himself instead of the door (it makes sense since it's a fan that he is pointing towards himself, but it wouldn't be out of character for Creed to do this as a mistake) , and Andy knocks his figurine off the desk and tries to catch it as it falls.
• Cringe Comedy: Toned down from the UK original, where it was the main focus. Still used without mercy, especially with Michael. Any time Michael is speaking in front of a large group, prepare to cringe.
  • There was a tendency to do this with Jim and Pam a lot around the period in which Jim was a co-manager alongside Michael.
  • Erin's public dumping of Gabe.
  • Meredith is made of this.
  • Michael awkwardly dumping Helene. On her birthday, no less.
• Crossover: The cold open of the episode "The Seminar" features the historic meeting of Michael Scott and David Brent.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Despite being...out there, Michael's branch is consistently the top in sales.
• Cultural Translation: The version of the show produced by Hotstar in India is notable for being very directly based on the US version rather than the UK original. The main characters follow the basic template of the UK version, but receptionist is named Pammi, the uptight accountant who has a relationship with the assistant (to the) regional manager is named Anjali, and there are characters based on Toby, Stanley, Creed and (naturally) Kelly. Thus far, all the episodes have been rewrites of the first two seasons of the US version, in the same exact airing order, with cultural substitutions made as needed. This crosses with Mythology Gag in the re-do of "Christmas Party", which takes place on Diwali.
• The Cutie: Kelly and Erin.
  • At least Kelly likes to think so.
  Kelly: *after Jim and Dwight forget to celebrate her birthday, but also no one recognized that she had dressed up for it* I think that everyone likes to be jealous of the cool, popular girl.
  • Erin far more so. She's not just cute but also extremely naive and innocent.

D-E

• Dance-Off: Happened on two occasions between Andy and Kelly. The second dance-off ended with Andy doing a very painful split.
• Darker and Edgier: Not even this show is safe from this trope! While it's still a lighthearted, comedic, optimistic, and upbeat series, and overall still lighter than its British counterpart (Season 1's darker tone can be owed to Early-Installment Weirdness), the show starts becoming more darker and serious in its own way around season 4, and up to season 7, considering there is a legitmate boost in parental concerns, more genuinely emotional moments, more tensions between characters (often between Michael and the Dunder Mifflin employees, the Dunder Mifflin employees and each other, and/or Michael and an outside party: however the last of these is generally Played for Laughs considering Michael's stupidity, though it still does leave a lasting negative impact on either Michael and/or the Dunder Mifflin employees), heavier themes, lesser jokes (to an extent), and the show overall becomes more story focused. Oh, and need we mention, the Scranton Strangler first starts coming into play around Season 6? However, on the other hand, the color palette becomes progressively more brighter and saturated as each season progresses, and Seasons 8 and 9 become lighter and much less drama-heavy again. Anyways, let's some of list the ways how Seasons 4 through 7 were darker to give you an idea:
  • Season 4 had Ryan become more of an ass with the launch of Dunder Mifflin Infinity, his new website. Oh, and there's the infamous "Dinner Party" episode, Angela cheating on Andy with Dwight, and finally, Ryan getting put into prison for fraud.
  • Season 5 had the Charles Miner story arc. Charles became hated by everyone at Dunder Mifflin for his arrogant nature. So much that Michael decided to stop working for Dunder Mifflin and form his own paper company with Pam and Ryan's help.
• Dead Person Impersonation: Cryptically hinted at; "No-one steals from Creed Bratton. The last man to do that... disappeared. And that man's name was Creed Bratton!"
• Deadpan Snarker: Stanley's primary role in the office. Jim and Pam frequently fill this role too.
• Decomposite Character:
  • Neil Godwin from The Office (UK). His role as the manager of a rival branch that eventually merges with the main one was given to Josh Porter in Season 3, and replacing the branch's current corporate liaison was given to Ryan Howard in Season 4.
  • David Brent as well. While Michael Scott is Brent's official counterpart, in season 9, a newly confident Andy Bernard started behaving similarly to Brent, including an attempt to move on to show business after leaving his company.
• Defcon 5:
  • Michael declares DEFCON 10 and DEFCON 20 in "The Job."
  • He declares DEFCON 5 in "Whistleblower".
• Denser and Wackier: Famously so compared to its UK counterpart/progenitor. This has lead to endless debates, many of which are moot points as the two shows are so fundamentally different that it's hard to make a legitimate comparison between them.
• Department of Child Disservices: Erin was an orphan and raised in a foster home. We're given hints that the experience wasn't a particularly pleasant one for her.
• Department of Redundancy Department:
  • Justified, as the repetition is meant to emphasize the implication that Michael is incredibly upset at not being invited, especially when Toby is.
    Phyllis: Michael wasn't invited on Ryan's camping trip. Toby went, but Michael didn't go. He wasn't invited.
  • When Dwight is hazing Ryan in "The Initiation:"
    Dwight: You have planted the beet seed. You have walked the long, lonely walk of loneliness.
• Depending on the Writer: The show's writers themselves have admitted that each writer seemed to have their own approach to different characters, with Michael Scott getting a wide amount of variation from episode to episode. Sometimes he'd be a Jerkass, sometimes he'd be sympathetic, sometimes immature, sometimes a Genius Ditz who'd succeed despite his faults, and sometimes just pathetic and pitiable.
• Derailed for Details: When asked which five books he would want on a deserted island, Dwight acts like a Munchkin completely missing the point of the game and asking whether there is any firewood on the island or whether he lost his shoes before he got there.
• Description Cut: In "PDA", Holly has a talking head in which she gives a description of Michael Scott basically exuding sex. As she's talking, a montage is shown of Michael being anything but sexy, culminating in a shot of him slouched in a chair with his face and bits of his suit smeared with Cheese Puff dust.
• The Determinator: Dwight in "Tallahasee" tries to make it through a Sabre seminar even though he's in pain from an appendicitis. Later in the day, he still tries to give a presentation just a few hours after having an emergency appendectomy.
• Did They or Didn't They?: It's unclear exactly what happened between Jan and Michael in "The Client." Michael attempts not to talk about it to the camera the next day, then claims they went to a hotel, made out, talked, and then fell asleep. Starting with the next episode, and in numerous episodes afterward, various claims are made by Michael and through co-worker gossip.
• Didn't Think This Through: Many of Michael's schemes end up as this. For instance, his "Golden Ticket" promotion promises the recipient 10% off their Dunder-Mifflin orders for a year. He ends up putting all the tickets into one shipment that goes to one company, which usually wouldn't be a problem, but he didn't specify "limit: one per customer."
  • Also, he and Holly thought it would be a good idea to mention that the Buffalo branch is closing during a sketch at the company picnic, in front of all the employees and their families.
• Diet Episode: Season 5's "Weight Loss" episodes, wherein the employees compete for a vacation prize.
• Digging Yourself Deeper: In "Benjamin Franklin", Michael notices that his acronym for "Guys' Afternoon In" spells "gay" (sort of). Each attempt to rephrase makes it sound even more gay.
• Digital Piracy Is Evil: "The Injury" gives Dwight a conspicuous line telling Pam about a Russian site where she can download songs for two cents, as if the writers were afraid of acknowledging the existence of channels that would charge you nothing.
• Dinner and a Show: Jan and Michael's titular gathering in "Dinner Party" descends into utter chaos, with each of them berating the other and breaking their possessions, much to the simultaneous entertainment/horror of their guests.
• Discreet Drink Disposal: Karen in the Stamford office in Season 3.
• Disgusting Public Toilet: In Season 3's Traveling Salesman, Andy and Michael go out on a sales call. When the camera catches Micheal coming out of the Woman's side of a park restroom in the background during Andy's talking head, Michael's next talking head has him explain the Men's was too filthy to use.
• Disproportionate Retribution: Jim hits Dwight with a snowball. Dwight traps Jim and pelts him relentlessly with a barrage of snowballs while he's defenseless on the ground. Multiple times.
  • Don't forget Jim threw the snow at Dwight's face merely because Dwight lightly teased Jim.
  • When a girl was rude to Kelly at a mall, she created a fake IM account in order to force the girl into becoming anorexic.
• Distaff Counterpart: Holly, to Michael.
• The Ditz: Kelly. Erin too, perhaps to a greater extent as she lacks the occasional flashes of manipulative cunning Kelly shows.
• The Dog Bites Back: Phyllis has been blackmailing Angela into letting her run the party committee. When Angela gets fed up with her abuse...
  Angela: Shut up.
  Phyllis: Excuse me?
  Angela: I'm not moving the tree. Face it. The only power you have over me is this big secret that I know you're not going to tell. And you want to know how I know that? Because then you won't be able to plan your stupid, tacky parties anymore. So you move the tree.
  Phyllis: Okay. [starts to walk away, then turns around] Angela's having sex with Dwight! I caught them doing it after Toby's going away party!
• Don't Explain the Joke: Michael: "If you have a problem with that, then you can talk to our complaint department." He holds up the wastebasket. Pauses for a tick... "It's a trashcan!"
  • Michael's massive ego refuses to believe he could be a bad comedian, so he assumes anyone not laughing at his jokes must probably be incapable of getting them.
  • Creed shares this trait in the NBC version of his Creed Thoughts
  Creed Thoughts - Jan 24 2012 Buying a zoo in this economy is a pretty crappy idea, but it's a lot better than buying the farm. (Cause that means you're dead).
• Don't Make Me Take My Belt Off!: Michael after warning his obnoxious 20-something intern/nephew Luke to stop acting up ("I'm going to count to five") bends him over his desk and spanks him several times. It is such a cathartic moment for the other employees who thoroughly dislike Luke that they reenact it.
• Double Entendre: Michael finds it extremely hard to go all day without using "That's what she said."
  • His jokes always left Jim satisfied.
• Double Standard: Abuse, Female on Male: Jan and Michael's sexual relationship is very clearly exploitative and would easily be Dude, Not Funny! if their positions were reversed. However, we really only hear his side of things, and he appears to dish out as much as he gets in "The Dinner Party." In the end, while it's played for laughs, the abuse is clearly not portrayed as "okay". They both spar verbally, but physically Jan is shown to clearly be the aggressor, starting with "forgetting" the Safe Word and culminating with Michael declining to press charges and police advising him to leave his condo to stay with Dwight after she breaks his prized flatscreen TV with one of his Dundies in a rage. It's also heavily implied that she smashed the patio door.
• The Dragon: Dwight often seems to like seeing himself as this to Michael.
• Dress Code: Averted, naturally, in the "Casual Friday" episode.
• Driven to Suicide: This is what started the entire plot. According to the writers, an employee named Tom Peets killed himself just before the events of the first season, and the documentary crew came to see how Dunder-Mifflin handled his death. Instead of finding people in grieving, they found the insane antics of the entire office, and stayed to film it. Mentioned in "Performance Review," where Michael finds a suggestion box with a paper asking for depression management, signed "Tom".
  • Also, Michael in "Safety Training." When Darryl tells Michael he lives a "wimpy little Nerf life," Michel tries to find something in the office that's as life-threatening as the baler. Depression is a common ailment among office workers so Michael pretends he's going to jump off the roof. While he's up there, he starts to think he might not have a reason to live, but Darryl talks him down.
  • It's also mentioned several times throughout the series that Robert Mifflin, a co-founder of Dunder-Mifflin, hated himself so much he killed himself
  It takes courage just to be you, man. I couldn't be you.
• Dropped a Bridge on Him: Deangelo Vickers ends up in a coma after the basketball-hoop accident in "The Inner Circle".
• Dude Magnet: Pam and Erin. Pam manages to attract Jim, Roy, Toby, Brian the boom mic guy, Andy, Ryan, Danny Cordray, and has been lusted after by various men in the office, like Kevin and Creed. Erin attracts Andy, Dwight, Gabe, Pete, Clark, Ryan, and her own foster brother.
• Dude, Not Funny!: Michael reacts angrily to an office prank, until he realizes it was done by Packer. Then he loves it.
  • Dwight's knock-knock joke to Michael, the punchline of which is slapping Michael in the face, gets Michael very angry, who "officially" bans knock-knock jokes. Jim does the exact same joke to Dwight a mere seconds later, and Michael is laughing his ass off.
  • In "Koi Pond", the entire office has a field day with the fact that Michael fell into a Koi Pond, until they find out that Jim pulled away instead of trying to help. This made it look like Jim let Michael fall into the pond because he didn't reach out a hand to help him, so they start giving him a hard time instead.
  • Michael taking insulting Toby just a little too far in "The Chump". A shame really, as he was actually getting some laughs before he hit that point.
    Michael: If I had a gun with two bullets, and I was in a room with Hitler, Bin Laden and Toby, I would shoot Toby twice.
    Dwight: You were being really funny, and then you went too far.
  • In the cold open to "Cafe Disco," Dwight pulls a prank on Pam. Since the prank deals with Pam giving up on her artistic dreams, both Jim and Pam are peeved. Apparently they can dish it out to Dwight repeatedly for years on end, but can't take it even once.
    • Dwight tends to go too dark and/or too mean with his pranks, as he finds it hilarious to for anyone not him to be in great emotional distress because he thinks himself superior to everyone. This is why Jim's pranks often don't make sense to him, and he'll often says "That's just stupid" or explain how to actually go about a similar prank on someone, again often going really dark and/or mean.
• Dumbass Has a Point: Stopped clocks are right twice a day, and even Michael Scott stumbles into some legitimate points one or twice a season. Witness:
  • His advice to Jim on the Booze Cruise: "BFD. Engaged ain't married. Never, ever, ever give up."
  • His response to Andy's anger about having told Erin about his former engagement to Angela: "You didn't tell her you were engaged to someone who sits six feet from her? That's, like, Mr. & Mrs. Smith crap."
  • He correctly surmises that after Roy attacks Jim, Darryl is attempting to use the incident as leverage for a pay raise.
  • His attempt (in deleted scenes) to claim that Meredith was drunk when he hit her with his car actually turns out to be a reasonable argument.
  • His speech to Stanley at the end of "Did I Stutter?", when he reasonably points out that however little Stanley thinks of him, he has to treat him with the respect due a boss.
  • Everyone attacks Michael's obsessions with the idea that Donna wants him to kiss her again, and later that she's cheating on him - both of which turn out to be correct.
  • Meta example - As it turns out, both Dwight and and Michael are correct in "The Secret" to assume that Oscar is faking sick to get out of work. Dwight is just so excited about this that he misses The Reveal - that Oscar is gay.
  • When Dwight gets bad performance reviews, he's convinced that Kelly has it in for him and is falsifying his data. Jim discovers that he's right, she is sabotaging both Jim and Dwight's reviews as payback for not coming to her America's Got Talent finale party.
  • In Jim's perspective, he agrees with Dwight (for once) when questioning Ryan on why a paper company's website would need a social networking feature.
  • With the news of China's rapid economic growth, Andy and Phyllis suggested that they should drop a bomb on China to make sure they don't invade America. Michael, who brought up the paranoid rambling in the first place, tells them that it was a stupid idea.
  • Kevin, of all people, is the one to finally call out Sen. Lipton in "Vandalism":
    Kevin: "Also, you suck. You are, like, a terrible person. These guys care about you and you're just using them. Again, the food was very good."
  • In the seventh season finale Kelly tells Jo that Gabe was unprofessional in dating Erin in order to suck up to Jo and pointed out that Gabe was acting creepy when Erin broke up with him.
    • Also when Dwight gets snubbed at an upscale shop at the Steamtown Mall.
      Kelly: You know what Dwight? You need to go back there and Pretty Woman their asses.
      Jim: Wait, wait wait. That's actually a really good idea, Kelly.
      Kelly: What did I say?" [talking head] I talk a lot, so I've learned to just tune myself out.
• Dwindling Party: The new employees from the Stamford merger in Season 3. Tony Gardner attempts to quit and is fired by Michael during their welcoming party. Martin Nash quits in the next episode after his status as an ex-con is revealed. Hannah Smoterich-Barr lasts a few more episodes before quitting offscreen. Shortly afterwards, Andy punches a hole in the wall and is sent to anger management training. This leaves Karen Fillipelli as the last Stamford employee, until Andy returns, and she transfers to Utica. After that, Andy becomes a major character, but even he is fired just a few episodes before the series finale. And then Jim, who is still technically a Stamford transfer is 'fired' by Dwight for the massive severance pay for his and Pam's startup, meaning the Stamford employees are completely gone by the Grand Finale.
• Early-Installment Weirdness: Notably apparent with Dwight. Early episodes painted him as a Know-Nothing Know-It-All who was great at selling paper but clueless about basically everything else, to the point that he had to go to Toby to find out about the female anatomy. After a while, he became a genuinely knowledgeable, if somewhat backwards, businessman and Kavorka Man.
  • In the first episode, only Stanford and Scranton branches were mentioned, with the situation being so scarce even when they are the only branches that downsizing may have to occur. Later on, the offices expanded to New York, Stamford, Scranton, Buffalo, Albany, Nashua and Utica branches.
  • Then again, when Dwight broke up with Angela, he mentioned his family's tradition of "sowing wild oats" when men have Their First Time and seems excited about sowing his own. It's possible he was a virgin until he started dating Angela and after that moment, became much more confident with the ladies.
  • The first season, and about half of the second, featured random workers in the background with no lines or names. This was quickly dropped and the only people in the office would be the main and secondary cast.
  • Brian Baumgartner used his regular speaking voice for Kevin in the first few episodes; when Kevin gained more screen time from the second season on, he acquired his more distinctive slow voice.
  • Michael is balding and sporting a combover during the first season. Starting with the first episode of the second season, he has the full head of hair that he would retain for the rest of the series.
  • In the first two seasons, everyone except Dwight clearly hates Michael. They don't find his mannerisms endearing or cute, they're absolutely sick of him and most of them try to avoid speaking to him or being around him whenever they can. Later on they mostly take a more relaxed view of him and even deeply care about him, especially Jim and Pam. They had emphasized that they had been working under him for several years already at the start of the series, so this can't be attributed to getting used to him or bonding with him.
  • In accordance with the above, Season One Michael was a very different man. He was pretty much openly racist, misogynistic, and cared only about himself. He possessed a very mean-spirited sense of humor, and not due to being unable to understand why his jokes were hurtful; he thought the meanness of it made the joke funny. And he tended to assume that everyone worshipped the ground he walked on. While some of these qualities would rear their heads in later seasons, they were softened, and seemed to stem from his friendless upbringing and need to be liked by everyone. In later seasons he would show genuine appreciation for his colleagues and actually wanted them to be happy, but his lack of self-awareness would always find some way to screw it up.
• Edgy Backwards Chair-Sitting: Michael does this while trying to reach out to his employees in his own attempt at a diversity seminar.
• Elevator Failure: Induced by Pam as a prank on Dwight.
• Embarrassing Slide: Michael Scott does this intentionally to show off who he's been dating. He oversells it with a smiling "Whoops! How did that get in there?" while no one else is amused.
  • He does it again in "Body Language".
• Enemy Mine: In "The Merger," Michael tries to invoke this by letting the air out of everyone's tires (except his of course), blaming Vance refrigeration, but achieves it by accident when everyone quickly realizes it was him and get pissed. He still tries to claim it as a victory.
• Eskimos Aren't Real: Kevin thinks that mummies are fictitious monsters from the horror genre, and expresses surprise and fear when people tell him that they exist and there are some in a local museum.
• "Eureka!" Moment: When Pam is trying to bluff her way into an office administrator job, and Gabe is trying to call her bluff, she realizes he's incapable of actual confrontation.
  Pam: Say that I'm lying or say I have the job. Make a definitive statement, Gabe.
  Pam: (in talking heads) One thing I learned from watching Tournament Poker at two in the morning: you don't play your cards, you play your opponent.
• Even the Girls Want Her: Jim, being the faithful husband he is, isn't willing to admit to Pam how attractive her maternity leave replacement Cathy is. Pam, on the other hand, doesn't hold back.
  Pam: Look at her! Even I want some fries with that shake!
• Even the Guys Want Him: Ryan apparently. Michael Scott has a sublimated crush on him, and Angela's closeted fiancee was looking at Ryan's Facebook photos at 3 in the morning. Ryan used to be squicked out by this but has slowly gotten used to it.
• Everyone Can See It: Jim and Pam during the first three seasons, to the point several of the staff thought the two were having an affair. The only ones who missed their obvious attraction to each other were Michael, who's just oblivious, and Roy, because he mistakenly believed Jim was gay.
• Everyone Has Standards:
  • In "Branch Closing", where Jim Halpert is disgusted at another manager's disloyalty, he admits begrudgingly, "Say what you will about Michael Scott, but he would never do that."
  • When Toby is framed for having drugs in his desk, Michael decides it's too far when the police arrive and begin to arrest Toby, and reveals that he placed the "drugs" in the desk. It was Caprese salad.
  • Creed, a man who is normally unfazed by vulgar acts and has no problem disturbing his coworkers, is creeped out by Dwight pretending to give birth to a watermelon.
  • Dwight has some strange ideas about society, but he's never okay with revenge murder.
  • Nellie wanted to steal Andy's job as Scranton branch manager, but she never intended to shatter his confidence and worsen his performance in bed.
• Exact Words: When Andy asks Creed to read what it says on a Chinese bottle, he does exactly that. In Chinese. With no translation.
• Expy:
  • The first episode of the ninth season introduced two interns lampshaded as "New Jim" and "New Dwight". A deleted scene has Creed compare them to movie reviewers Siskel & Ebert.
  • Mark from "Moving On", as lampshaded by Pam, is an expy of Michael Scott. With the added behind the scenes bonus that Bob Odenkirk was one of the original candidates for the Michael role.
  • Expy Coexistence: David Brent from The Office (UK) appears in Search Committee and The Seminar.
• Expository Hairstyle Change:
  • Pam abandons her hairdo from the earliest episodes (or, as Jenna Fischer called it, the "girl mullet") and wears her hair down when she starts dating Jim.
  • Ryan grows a beard when he becomes a VP and shaves it after coming back as a temp.
  • Late in Season 3, Jim gets a haircut, at Karen's bidding. This is just before he interviews for Jan's job at corporate. It doesn't last, though.
• Extended Disarming: Played for laughs in episode "E-mail Surveillance", where Michael is made to surrender all his imaginary guns at improv class. Also the many occasions upon which Dwight is forced to surrender his in-office arsenal.
• Extra-Long Episode: The show was frequently having more and more hour-long episodes as the series progressed, partly because, in such a dialogue-heavy show, the writers had trouble keeping the scripts a standard episode length. Some fans got annoyed, pointing out the shows were just going to be split into half-hour two-parters for syndication anyway, and that the hour-long shows tended to have a lot of Padding. The final three episodes were extended, with NBC giving "Finale" a 75-minute slot.
• Eye Scream:
  • Toby getting a paper cut in the eye during a paper plane competition.
  • In a more literal example, the same episode shows Andy having to demonstrate how to properly use an eye wash in a laboratory. Made especially squicky since it's established that Andy is particularly squeamish about things involving eyes, and shrieks with pain through the entire procedure.
• Eye Take

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