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Casino Night (The Office episode)
Encyclopedia
"Casino Night" is the second season finale of the American comedy
television series
The Office, and the twenty-eighth episode overall. Written by Steve Carell
, who also acts in the show as Michael Scott
, and directed by Ken Kwapis
, the episode originally aired in the United States on May 11, 2006 on NBC
. The episode was the first of the series to run as a "supersized" episode, featuring twenty-eight minutes and twenty seconds of content rather than the standard twenty minutes and thirty seconds.
Dunder Mifflin's Scranton office hosts a casino night, to which Michael inadvertently invites two dates. Meanwhile, Jim decides to transfer to Dunder Mifflin's Stamford branch and reveals to Pam his feelings for her.
) and his real-estate agent Carol Stills (Nancy Walls
). Jim Halpert
(John Krasinski
) and Pam Beesly
(Jenna Fischer
) go through audition tapes for her wedding band and discover that colleague Kevin Malone
(Brian Baumgartner
) has his own band. Jim, upset about Pam's impending marriage to Roy Anderson
(David Denman
), tells the documentary crew that he met with Jan about transferring to Stamford because he has "no future here."
During Casino Night, Dwight Schrute
(Rainn Wilson
) wins a game of craps
and kisses Angela Martin
(Angela Kinsey
) on the cheek, disregarding their attempts to keep their intimate relationship a secret. She slaps him and walks away, the two quietly enjoying the experience. Jan and Carol share an awkward conversation when they realize Michael has invited them both. Jim tells Jan that he's made a decision about the transfer. After Roy leaves, Jim tells Pam that he is in love with her. After a stunned pause, she states she cannot be with him. He tells her he wants to be more than friends, but she is sorry he "misinterpreted things." Jim apologizes for misinterpreting their friendship and discreetly wipes a tear from his cheek as he walks away. Jan leaves Michael and Carol, noticeably upset at the night's events. Pam returns to the office and talks to her mother over the phone about Jim's statement, eventually saying "Yeah, I think I am." It remains unknown to this date what Pam's mother asked her, with fans speculating that two plausible lines were "Are you in love with Jim?" or "Are you still going to marry Roy?" Jim enters the room. He approaches her and she hastily hangs up. She begins to say something but Jim kisses her, and after hesitating, she returns the kiss. The two stare at each other in silence as the episode ends.
Toby Flenderson
, who is portrayed by writer Paul Lieberstein
, stated during the episode "I'm gonna chase that feeling" after winning at a game of poker. The line was originally intended to lead to a subplot wherein Toby develops a gambling addiction, but the storyline was later abandoned.
During the editing of the episode, executive producer Greg Daniels
publicly addressed NBC in an interview, stating, "I'd like to get a supersized episode, because it’s a really long script with a lot of good stuff." In response, fans of the show set up an online petition to "supersize" the season finale. The website generated over 2,800 signatures. On April 20, NBC announced it would be extending the season finale by ten minutes. Although other NBC shows Will & Grace
and My Name Is Earl
that aired on the same night had extended episodes, cast members David Denman and John Krasinski credited in interviews the petition for the extended time. Denman and Krasinski both believed that the petition was partially responsible for the other two shows getting extended times as well.
said that "'Casino Night,' was full of great character development, awkward situations and laugh-out-loud moments." Zoromski enjoyed the unfolding of the Jim-Pam relationship during the latter half of season two, and the climax of it in the season finale. He also enjoyed and praised the development of two minor characters, Kevin Malone and Creed Bratton
, the latter played by the actor of the same name
.
for Best Edited Half-Hour Series for Television, which it won. For "Casino Night", Steve Carell was nominated for and won a 2007 Writers Guild of America
award for an Episodic Comedy of any length.
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
television series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
The Office, and the twenty-eighth episode overall. Written by Steve Carell
Steve Carell
Steven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
, who also acts in the show as Michael Scott
Michael Scott (The Office)
Michael Gary Scott is a fictional character on NBC's The Office, portrayed by Steve Carell, and based on David Brent from the original British version. Michael, the central character of the series, was the manager of the Scranton branch of paper and printer distribution company Dunder Mifflin Inc...
, and directed by Ken Kwapis
Ken Kwapis
Ken Kwapis is an American film and television director and screenwriter. He specialized in the single-camera sitcom in the 1990s and 2000s and has directed feature films such as Sesame Street Presents Follow That Bird, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and He's Just Not That Into...
, the episode originally aired in the United States on May 11, 2006 on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
. The episode was the first of the series to run as a "supersized" episode, featuring twenty-eight minutes and twenty seconds of content rather than the standard twenty minutes and thirty seconds.
Dunder Mifflin's Scranton office hosts a casino night, to which Michael inadvertently invites two dates. Meanwhile, Jim decides to transfer to Dunder Mifflin's Stamford branch and reveals to Pam his feelings for her.
Plot
Michael Scott (Carell) organizes a casino charity event in the warehouse, and unwittingly winds up with two dates for the evening, his boss Jan Levenson (Melora HardinMelora Hardin
Melora Diane Hardin is an American actress, best known for her roles as Jan Levinson on NBC's The Office and Trudy Monk on USA's Monk.-Early life:...
) and his real-estate agent Carol Stills (Nancy Walls
Nancy Walls
Nancy Ellen Carell is an American actress best known for her comedic work on Saturday Night Live and The Daily Show.-Early life:...
). Jim Halpert
Jim Halpert
James Duncan "Jim" Halpert is a fictional character in the United States version of the television sitcom The Office, played by John Krasinski. The character is based on Tim Canterbury from the original version of The Office...
(John Krasinski
John Krasinski
John Burke Krasinski is an American actor, film director, and writer. He is most widely known for playing Jim Halpert on the NBC sitcom The Office...
) and Pam Beesly
Pam Beesly
Pamela Morgan "Pam" Halpert is a fictional character on the U.S. television sitcom The Office, played by Jenna Fischer. Her counterpart in the original UK series of The Office is Dawn Tinsley....
(Jenna Fischer
Jenna Fischer
Regina Marie "Jenna" Fischer is an American actress and director. She is most widely known for her Emmy-nominated portrayal of Pam Halpert on the NBC situation comedy and mockumentary The Office, and has also appeared in several films, including Blades of Glory, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story,...
) go through audition tapes for her wedding band and discover that colleague Kevin Malone
Kevin Malone
Kevin Jaye Malone is a character in the United States television series The Office. He is played by Brian Baumgartner. Kevin's counterpart in the UK series is Keith Bishop.-Biography:...
(Brian Baumgartner
Brian Baumgartner
Brian Baumgartner is an Emmy Award-winning American film and television actor, best known for playing Kevin Malone on The Office.-Personal life:...
) has his own band. Jim, upset about Pam's impending marriage to Roy Anderson
Roy Anderson (The Office)
Royson "Roy" Allan Anderson is a fictional character from the US television series The Office, portrayed by David Denman. His counterpart in the original UK series of The Office is Lee.-Overview:...
(David Denman
David Denman
David Denman is an American film and television actor.-Education:After graduating from Fountain Valley High School, Denman attended the summer training congress at American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco before receiving his B.F.A. from Juilliard.-Career:He made his film debut with Keanu...
), tells the documentary crew that he met with Jan about transferring to Stamford because he has "no future here."
During Casino Night, Dwight Schrute
Dwight Schrute
Dwight Kurt Schrute III is a character on NBC's The Office portrayed by Rainn Wilson. He originally exactly resembled Gareth Keenan from the original UK version of The Office. Dwight is the top salesman and former acting manager for the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company and has won numerous awards for...
(Rainn Wilson
Rainn Wilson
Rainn Dietrich Wilson is an American actor and comedian. He is primarily known for his role as the egomaniacal Dwight Schrute on the American version of the television comedy The Office...
) wins a game of craps
Craps
Craps is a dice game in which players place wagers on the outcome of the roll, or a series of rolls, of a pair of dice. Players may wager money against each other or a bank...
and kisses Angela Martin
Angela Martin
Angela Noelle Martin is a fictional character from the US television series The Office played by American actress Angela Kinsey. She is an original character, and has no equivalent in the British version of the show, The Office.-Overview:...
(Angela Kinsey
Angela Kinsey
Angela Kinsey is an American actress. She currently appears as the uptight accountant Angela Martin on the hit NBC television series The Office.-Personal life:...
) on the cheek, disregarding their attempts to keep their intimate relationship a secret. She slaps him and walks away, the two quietly enjoying the experience. Jan and Carol share an awkward conversation when they realize Michael has invited them both. Jim tells Jan that he's made a decision about the transfer. After Roy leaves, Jim tells Pam that he is in love with her. After a stunned pause, she states she cannot be with him. He tells her he wants to be more than friends, but she is sorry he "misinterpreted things." Jim apologizes for misinterpreting their friendship and discreetly wipes a tear from his cheek as he walks away. Jan leaves Michael and Carol, noticeably upset at the night's events. Pam returns to the office and talks to her mother over the phone about Jim's statement, eventually saying "Yeah, I think I am." It remains unknown to this date what Pam's mother asked her, with fans speculating that two plausible lines were "Are you in love with Jim?" or "Are you still going to marry Roy?" Jim enters the room. He approaches her and she hastily hangs up. She begins to say something but Jim kisses her, and after hesitating, she returns the kiss. The two stare at each other in silence as the episode ends.
Production
"Casino Night" was the first episode of the series written by Steve Carell. The episode was the fifth episode of the season and the seventh of the entire series directed by Ken Kwapis.Toby Flenderson
Toby Flenderson
Toby Wyatt Flenderson, M.S.W. born 1971 is a character from the US television series The Office. He is played by Paul Lieberstein. He is an original character and has no equivalent in the British version of the show, The Office.-Overview:...
, who is portrayed by writer Paul Lieberstein
Paul Lieberstein
Paul Bevan Lieberstein is an American screenwriter, actor and television producer. An Emmy Award winner, he is most widely known as a writer, producer, and as supporting cast member Toby Flenderson on the U.S...
, stated during the episode "I'm gonna chase that feeling" after winning at a game of poker. The line was originally intended to lead to a subplot wherein Toby develops a gambling addiction, but the storyline was later abandoned.
During the editing of the episode, executive producer Greg Daniels
Greg Daniels
Gregory Martin "Greg" Daniels is an American television comedy writer, producer, and director.-Life and career:...
publicly addressed NBC in an interview, stating, "I'd like to get a supersized episode, because it’s a really long script with a lot of good stuff." In response, fans of the show set up an online petition to "supersize" the season finale. The website generated over 2,800 signatures. On April 20, NBC announced it would be extending the season finale by ten minutes. Although other NBC shows Will & Grace
Will & Grace
Will & Grace was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 21, 1998 to May 18, 2006 for a total of eight seasons. Will & Grace remains the most successful television series with gay principal characters...
and My Name Is Earl
My Name Is Earl
My Name Is Earl is an American television comedy series created by Greg Garcia that was originally broadcast on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, in the United States...
that aired on the same night had extended episodes, cast members David Denman and John Krasinski credited in interviews the petition for the extended time. Denman and Krasinski both believed that the petition was partially responsible for the other two shows getting extended times as well.
Reception
Michael Sciannamea of TV Squad stated that "This episode, the season finale, was, in a word, brilliant. You could not ask for a better way to tie up story lines that occurred over the course of a season while opening up new ones at the same time." Sciannamea went on to praise Carell's writing, as well as the progression of the relationship arcs in the show. Brian Zoromski of IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
said that "'Casino Night,' was full of great character development, awkward situations and laugh-out-loud moments." Zoromski enjoyed the unfolding of the Jim-Pam relationship during the latter half of season two, and the climax of it in the season finale. He also enjoyed and praised the development of two minor characters, Kevin Malone and Creed Bratton
Creed Bratton (character)
Creed Rowland Bratton a.k.a. "William Charles Schneider" is a fictional character from the U.S. television series The Office. Confusion may arise from the fact that the character is played by and partially based on the musician of the same name, Creed Bratton...
, the latter played by the actor of the same name
Creed Bratton
Creed Bratton is an American actor and musician, a former member of The Grass Roots...
.
Awards
The episode received a nomination at the American Cinema Editors Awards 2007American Cinema Editors Awards 2007
The 58th ACE Eddie Awards were held on 17 February 2008 in the International Ballroom, Beverly Hilton Hotel, Los Angeles, California, USA; the nominees and winners are listed below.-Film: Best Edited Film - Dramatic:...
for Best Edited Half-Hour Series for Television, which it won. For "Casino Night", Steve Carell was nominated for and won a 2007 Writers Guild of America
Writers Guild of America
The Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi....
award for an Episodic Comedy of any length.
External links
- "Casino Night" at NBC.com