Mafia (The Office)
Encyclopedia
"Mafia" is the 6th episode of the sixth season
of the U.S. comedy series The Office and the show's 106th episode overall and originally aired on October 15, 2009 on NBC
.
In this episode, Michael Scott
(Steve Carell
) becomes convinced that an insurance salesman visiting the office is a part of the mafia, and Dwight Schrute
(Rainn Wilson
) and Andy Bernard
(Ed Helms
) accompany Michael to a meeting with him. Meanwhile, Kevin Malone
(Brian Baumgartner
) accidentally cancels Jim's credit card, while Jim Halpert
(John Krasinski
) and Pam Halpert (Jenna Fischer
) are on their honeymoon in Puerto Rico
.
It was written by Brent Forrester
and directed by David Rogers
. "Mafia" received positive reviews from critics and was viewed by an estimated 8.03 million viewers and received a 4.1/10 in the 18-49 demographic.
(Steve Carell
) meets with a tenacious insurance salesman named Angelo Grotti (guest star Mike Starr
) in the office and is later convinced by Dwight
(Rainn Wilson
) and Andy
(Ed Helms
) that he is part of the mafia. Oscar
(Oscar Nunez
) tries to convince them otherwise to no avail, and later notes that since Jim
(John Krasinski
) and Pam (Jenna Fischer
) are on their honeymoon in Puerto Rico
, the "coalition for reason" in the office is very weak. Oscar tries to call them about the situation but they urge him not to bother them on their honeymoon unless it's a dire emergency. Michael calls for a lunch meeting with Grotti to finalize a deal, convinced by Dwight and Andy to meet him in a public place where Grotti can't become violent. They accompany him to the meeting, despite Andy's reluctance.
Andy comes disguised as a mechanic and brings a tire iron so he can hit Grotti, in the event he tries to harm Michael. At the lunch meeting, Grotti successfully convinces Michael to sign the deal despite reservations from Dwight and Andy. A woman with her child at the restaurant then asks Andy, mistaking him for an actual mechanic, to help jump start her car, which he is unable to actually do. Michael later starts feeling guilty about the situation, particularly since it cost so much, so he calls Jim for help, but Jim blows him off by pretending to lose his signal and hangs up on him. Dwight and Andy then tell Michael that Grotti wasn't part of the mafia, and that he was just scaring Michael into a deal. Michael calls Grotti to cancel the deal, much to Grotti's dismay. When he hangs up, Dwight and Andy say that he was part of the mafia and congratulate Michael on standing up to him. When Michael announces this to the rest of the office, Oscar says that he was an actual insurance salesman from Mutual of Harrisburg, but Michael ignores him.
Meanwhile, Kevin
(Brian Baumgartner
) uses Jim's office to pass gas
in and eventually sets up a temporary workspace in there. Jim's credit card company calls his office phone inquiring about some unusual charges and Kevin uses one of Jim's pay stubs to give them his address and social security number. They say that there have been charges that occurred in Puerto Rico and that they will cancel his card. Kevin tries to stop them after realizing his mistake, but to no avail, and Oscar tells Kevin he just committed identity fraud. At the end of the episode, Kevin calls Pam to admit what he did, but after receiving a harsh message from Pam to not bother them during their honeymoon, especially after receiving information that their credit cards were canceled, he instead just tells her to say hi to Jim, without them knowing it was his fault.
, his first writing credit for the season and seventh writing credit for the series. The episode was directed by David Rogers
, his first directing credit for the season and second for the series. The episode originally aired October 15, 2009 on NBC
as the sixth episode of the sixth season
and the 106th episode of the series in all.
The episode also guest stars Mike Starr
as Grotti, the Insurance salesman. The plot of the episode was revealed by executive producer
of The Office, Paul Lieberstein
at the Television Critics Association
press tour.
going down seven-tenths from last week's episode, "Niagara
" according to the Nielsen Media Research
.
Dan Phillips of IGN
gave the episode an 8.8 saying it was "great" and "Mafia" isn't one of the show's greatest episodes, but it is a highly enjoyable one. By the time Dwight and Andy convinced Michael to finally stand up to the pushy salesman, I realized I had been giggling practically nonstop since the episode started. It's one of those episodes that's just too silly not to love." Leonard Pierce of The A.V. Club
gave the episode a B saying "Overall, this was a strong if not essential episode -- it didn't move any major story arcs along at all, but it was solidly funny, and proved that the show can survive taking both Jim and Pam out of the picture for a full episode". Joel Keller criticized the main plot saying "It was more than a post wedding let down; it was one of the worst episodes in years" The episode currently ranks 23rd on the OfficeTally's ranking list of Season 6 episodes.
The Office (U.S. TV series) season 6
The American television comedy The Office was renewed by NBC for a sixth season on January 15, 2009. The season premiered on September 17, 2009 and concluded on May 20, 2010. The episodes aired on Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. EDT as part of Comedy Night Done Right...
of the U.S. comedy series The Office and the show's 106th episode overall and originally aired on October 15, 2009 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...
.
In this episode, 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...
(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...
) becomes convinced that an insurance salesman visiting the office is a part of the mafia, and 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...
) and Andy Bernard
Andy Bernard
Andrew "Andy" Baines Bernard is a fictional character from the U.S. television series The Office. The character is highly insecure, yet egotistical, constantly mentioning his education at Cornell University...
(Ed Helms
Ed Helms
Edward Paul "Ed" Helms is an American actor and comedian known for his work as a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, as Andy Bernard on the US version of the sitcom/mockumentary The Office and for his role as Dr. Stu Price in The Hangover films.- Early life :Helms was born and raised...
) accompany Michael to a meeting with him. Meanwhile, 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:...
) accidentally cancels Jim's credit card, while 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 Halpert (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,...
) are on their honeymoon in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
.
It was written by Brent Forrester
Brent Forrester
Brent Forrester is an American writer, who wrote several episodes of the animated television sitcom The Simpsons between 1993 and 1997. He has also worked as an executive producer on King of the Hill, and a writer on The Ben Stiller Show, Mr. Show with Bob and David, Undeclared, and The Office...
and directed by David Rogers
David Rogers (editor)
David Rogers is an Emmy Award-winning, American film editor, television director and producer best known for working on NewsRadio, Entourage and The Office...
. "Mafia" received positive reviews from critics and was viewed by an estimated 8.03 million viewers and received a 4.1/10 in the 18-49 demographic.
Synopsis
MichaelMichael 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...
(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...
) meets with a tenacious insurance salesman named Angelo Grotti (guest star Mike Starr
Mike Starr (actor)
Michael "Mike" Starr is an American actor. Starr is notable for his large size, standing 6 ft 3 1/2 in , and has typically been typecast as thugs or henchmen....
) in the office and is later convinced by Dwight
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...
) and Andy
Andy Bernard
Andrew "Andy" Baines Bernard is a fictional character from the U.S. television series The Office. The character is highly insecure, yet egotistical, constantly mentioning his education at Cornell University...
(Ed Helms
Ed Helms
Edward Paul "Ed" Helms is an American actor and comedian known for his work as a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, as Andy Bernard on the US version of the sitcom/mockumentary The Office and for his role as Dr. Stu Price in The Hangover films.- Early life :Helms was born and raised...
) that he is part of the mafia. Oscar
Oscar Martinez
Oscar Jual Paul Martinez is a fictional character from the US television series The Office. He is played by Oscar Nunez.-Overview:Oscar Martinez is an accountant at the paper distributor Dunder Mifflin. He is a first generation Mexican-American. Oscar is also openly homosexual after being...
(Oscar Nunez
Oscar Nunez
Oscar Nunez , sometimes credited as Oscar Núñez, is a Cuban American actor and comedian.He currently appears as Dunder Mifflin's paper supply accountant, Oscar Martinez, on NBC's The Office.-Career:...
) tries to convince them otherwise to no avail, and later notes that since Jim
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 (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,...
) are on their honeymoon in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, the "coalition for reason" in the office is very weak. Oscar tries to call them about the situation but they urge him not to bother them on their honeymoon unless it's a dire emergency. Michael calls for a lunch meeting with Grotti to finalize a deal, convinced by Dwight and Andy to meet him in a public place where Grotti can't become violent. They accompany him to the meeting, despite Andy's reluctance.
Andy comes disguised as a mechanic and brings a tire iron so he can hit Grotti, in the event he tries to harm Michael. At the lunch meeting, Grotti successfully convinces Michael to sign the deal despite reservations from Dwight and Andy. A woman with her child at the restaurant then asks Andy, mistaking him for an actual mechanic, to help jump start her car, which he is unable to actually do. Michael later starts feeling guilty about the situation, particularly since it cost so much, so he calls Jim for help, but Jim blows him off by pretending to lose his signal and hangs up on him. Dwight and Andy then tell Michael that Grotti wasn't part of the mafia, and that he was just scaring Michael into a deal. Michael calls Grotti to cancel the deal, much to Grotti's dismay. When he hangs up, Dwight and Andy say that he was part of the mafia and congratulate Michael on standing up to him. When Michael announces this to the rest of the office, Oscar says that he was an actual insurance salesman from Mutual of Harrisburg, but Michael ignores him.
Meanwhile, Kevin
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:...
) uses Jim's office to pass gas
Flatulence
Flatulence is the expulsion through the rectum of a mixture of gases that are byproducts of the digestion process of mammals and other animals. The medical term for the mixture of gases is flatus, informally known as a fart, or simply gas...
in and eventually sets up a temporary workspace in there. Jim's credit card company calls his office phone inquiring about some unusual charges and Kevin uses one of Jim's pay stubs to give them his address and social security number. They say that there have been charges that occurred in Puerto Rico and that they will cancel his card. Kevin tries to stop them after realizing his mistake, but to no avail, and Oscar tells Kevin he just committed identity fraud. At the end of the episode, Kevin calls Pam to admit what he did, but after receiving a harsh message from Pam to not bother them during their honeymoon, especially after receiving information that their credit cards were canceled, he instead just tells her to say hi to Jim, without them knowing it was his fault.
Production
The episode was written by Brent ForresterBrent Forrester
Brent Forrester is an American writer, who wrote several episodes of the animated television sitcom The Simpsons between 1993 and 1997. He has also worked as an executive producer on King of the Hill, and a writer on The Ben Stiller Show, Mr. Show with Bob and David, Undeclared, and The Office...
, his first writing credit for the season and seventh writing credit for the series. The episode was directed by David Rogers
David Rogers (editor)
David Rogers is an Emmy Award-winning, American film editor, television director and producer best known for working on NewsRadio, Entourage and The Office...
, his first directing credit for the season and second for the series. The episode originally aired October 15, 2009 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...
as the sixth episode of the sixth season
The Office (U.S. TV series) season 6
The American television comedy The Office was renewed by NBC for a sixth season on January 15, 2009. The season premiered on September 17, 2009 and concluded on May 20, 2010. The episodes aired on Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. EDT as part of Comedy Night Done Right...
and the 106th episode of the series in all.
The episode also guest stars Mike Starr
Mike Starr (actor)
Michael "Mike" Starr is an American actor. Starr is notable for his large size, standing 6 ft 3 1/2 in , and has typically been typecast as thugs or henchmen....
as Grotti, the Insurance salesman. The plot of the episode was revealed by executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
of The Office, 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...
at the Television Critics Association
Television Critics Association
The Television Critics Association is a group of approximately 200 United States and Canadian journalists and columnists who cover television programming...
press tour.
Reception
In its original American broadcast, "Mafia" was viewed by 8.03 million viewers, with a 4.1 rating and a 10 share in the 18-49 demographic coming second in its timeslot after Grey's AnatomyGrey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in...
going down seven-tenths from last week's episode, "Niagara
Niagara (The Office)
"Niagara" is an hour-long episode of the sixth season of the U.S. comedy series The Office. It is the 4th and 5th episodes in the season's episode count and the 104th and 105th episode of the series overall. The episode was written by executive producer Greg Daniels and Mindy Kaling, and was...
" according to the Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
.
Dan Phillips of IGN
IGN
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...
gave the episode an 8.8 saying it was "great" and "Mafia" isn't one of the show's greatest episodes, but it is a highly enjoyable one. By the time Dwight and Andy convinced Michael to finally stand up to the pushy salesman, I realized I had been giggling practically nonstop since the episode started. It's one of those episodes that's just too silly not to love." Leonard Pierce of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
gave the episode a B saying "Overall, this was a strong if not essential episode -- it didn't move any major story arcs along at all, but it was solidly funny, and proved that the show can survive taking both Jim and Pam out of the picture for a full episode". Joel Keller criticized the main plot saying "It was more than a post wedding let down; it was one of the worst episodes in years" The episode currently ranks 23rd on the OfficeTally's ranking list of Season 6 episodes.