Phyllis Lapin
Encyclopedia
Phyllis Margaret Vance is a fictional character
from the US
television series The Office
. She is played by Phyllis Smith.
and Pam Halpert. She is often insulted and embarrassed by branch manager Michael Scott
frequently describes her as non-feminine and old, despite having been classmates with her in high school.
She was also apparently very promiscuous in high school, and she eventually had an unplanned pregnancy, which resulted in her giving away the baby.
She is married to Bob Vance of Vance Refrigeration; she affectionately refers to him as "Bobby", but frequently uses his full name, "Bob Vance" while talking to others. In the Season 7 finale, Phyllis reveals that she got Bob to notice her by waiting in his office every morning wearing nothing but kitty-cat ears for two weeks, and on the tenth day, he was naked too, except for a dog nose.
Phyllis serves on the Party Planning Committee where she often butts heads with hypercritical Angela Martin, whom Phyllis told to her face that she does not like. She suffered from scoliosis
as a child and went on to play high school basketball
. She is Lutheran (Fun Run
). It is implied she suffers from depression
. In "Michael's Last Dundies
" it is revealed she has diabetes.
She is the winner of the "Busiest Beaver" award at the 8th Annual Dundie Awards
, although due to an error her statue reads "Bushiest Beaver
". Phyllis admits that if she could sleep with one person in the office, it would be Jim Halpert
. Phyllis also shocks the room during a "sexual harassment" seminar, by asking if one-night stand
s are included in a rule requiring reporting office romances to human resources. Phyllis won a gold medal in the invented "Flonkerton" event at the Office Olympics
. She gives Michael a homemade oven mitt for Secret Santa
which Michael hates, prompting him to start a game of Yankee Swap to get rid of it. Boyfriend Bob Vance comes to the Christmas party and sends her several large bouquets of flowers and a giant teddy bear on Valentine's Day.
", Phyllis insults Michael by telling him that everyone thought he was gay
in high school. She also announces to everyone that she is getting married to Bob Vance. Karen accidentally offends her by saying the perfume Bob gave her smelled like a funeral home (something Stanley had thought for years) and not knowing who Bob Vance is. When the party planning committee splits up, she stays with Angela at the less popular party but they ultimately join the other one. Angela is also seen openly insulting Phyllis by stating that orange was a more "whorish" color than green when Phyllis was wearing an orange sweater (a running insult that includes another Phyllis' clothing color=whoring jab from Angela and Ms. Martin's pointed comments about Phyllis wearing a pristine white dress at her wedding).
Belying her subdued nature, Phyllis is a shrewd saleswoman. In "Traveling Salesmen", Phyllis strategically gives Karen and herself a beauty makeover to mimic the appearance of a client's wife. She also tells Karen that Jim was in love with Pam for a long time, but is glad that Karen is dating him, but doesn't notice that the Jim-Pam information is not good news to Karen. Phyllis marries long-time boyfriend Bob Vance, whom she often refers to as "Bobby." She reluctantly puts Michael in charge of rolling her wheelchair-using father down the aisle, in hopes that giving him a job in the ceremony will allow her a six-week honeymoon vacation. She also takes most of Pam's ideas originally to be used for her own wedding (down to using the same invitation, featuring the same "P & R" heading—only standing for "Phyllis and Robert" rather than "Pam and Roy"), making Pam feel as if she has been invited to her own wedding. At the wedding, Michael reveals that Phyllis's nickname in high school was "Easy Rider". In a deleted scene from "Business School", it is revealed that Phyllis is currently on her honeymoon
and will not be back for six weeks, which Stanley is ecstatic about. Phyllis returns from her honeymoon in "The Negotiation
".
It's also revealed in this season that Phyllis has a small crush on Jim. In a deleted scene in Traveling Salesmen, she tells Karen that Jim "is so hot", and goes on ask Karen if he wears boxers or briefs. Also, in a deleted scene in Beach Games, she calls Jim "eye candy", comparing his looks to that of George Clooney
(which may be a reference to the film Leatherheads
which was being filmed at the time and featured John Krasinski
who plays Jim and George Clooney).
In a deleted scene from "Fun Run
," Phyllis is shown teaming up with husband Bob Vance (who is wearing a Vance Refrigeration T-shirt while the other racers wear Dunder Mifflin T-shirts) to pull ahead of Michael
in the race. When they are unable to do it together, Phyllis encourages Bob to take care of it himself, screaming, "Go get him, Bobby! Sic him! Sic him!"
In "Dunder Mifflin Infinity
", after hearing Jim Halpert
and Pam Beesly
are dating, she passive-aggressively reminds Pam she can not give Jim any special treatment on sales leads just because he's "who you're sleeping with that week."
In "Launch Party
", Phyllis googles ways to handle difficult people, namely Angela
. When Angela points out to Phyllis that she made a spelling mistake in the sign "Lunch Party" and bought the wrong plastic utensils, Phyllis attempts to calmly reason with her, which only infuriates Angela to insult Phyllis further. Later on, Phyllis confronts her with numerous Post-It notes stuck on to her fingertips containing Angela's demands, claiming she can only fulfill one, not all of them. When Angela insults her again, Phyllis crumples all the notes into one ball and throws it at Angela's face. Afterwards, Phyllis says proudly, "That seemed to shut her up."
In "Local Ad
", Michael sends her to the Steamtown Mall to try and recruit famous author "Sue Grafton
" for his planned Dunder Mifflin TV ad, but Phyllis comes back sobbing in dismay because her failed attempt to talk to Grafton led to security guards throwing her out of the mall.
In "Survivor Man
", Phyllis gleefully notes that Michael was not invited to Ryan's corporate wilderness retreat while Toby was. Later on, when Jim is making stupid suggestions for the office birthday parties and finally demands a meeting on the subject, Phyllis mistakenly calls him "Michael" and Jim is horrified.
In "Goodbye, Toby
" (the season finale), Phyllis takes over the Party Planning committee from Angela
in order to organize Toby's farewell party to Michael's specifications. In the final scene of the episode, Phyllis comes back inside the office following the party and catches Angela and ex-boyfriend Dwight Schrute
having sex on one of the desks, despite the fact that Angela's boyfriend and co-worker Andy Bernard
proposed to her at the party and she accepted. This made Phyllis the fourth person made aware of the intimate relationship between Dwight and Angela, after Pam, Jim and Ryan found out along the way.
," it is revealed that Phyllis has parlayed
her secret knowledge of Dwight and Angela's renewed affair into the head spot on party-planning committee, which allows a role reversal in the group's meetings; Phyllis is shown calling the shots about party details, to which Angela quietly, if grudgingly, acquiesces.
In "Baby Shower" Phyllis gloats further about gaining the party-planning spot, and specifically about having Angela at her mercy. Michael, however, interrupts her interview with the documentary crew and orders her to "make the party" for Jan Levenson, haranguing her to blow up balloons faster.
In "Crime Aid", Phyllis attempts to counsel Dwight on reuniting with Angela, suggesting he give her an ultimatum to break up with Andy. When Angela rejects Dwight and Phyllis says that it is over, Dwight tries desperately to sway Phyllis's view. He even lets the air out of her Chevy Malibu to get her out of the auction. He reacts rudely to Phyllis's rejection of his plans, but he later apologizes (in his unique way), realizing she was trying to help, by bidding on Phyllis' hug which she offered in the Auction (her husband Bob Vance pays $1000 for the hug).
In "Moroccan Christmas", Phyllis organizes an elaborate Christmas party featuring a hookah
, sitar
, hummus
, and other trappings. She continues to get revenge on Angela, and takes delight in forcing Angela to lug the Christmas tree
in and out of the building as well as allowing only the camel, elephant, and Arab King of her nativity scene
to be displayed. Phyllis says that it's not really blackmail because that would involve an official letter. When Angela pathetically asks for some mercy from Phyllis, Phyllis accurately says Angela never showed her any mercy in the past. Angela later tells Phyllis to shut up and says Phyllis won't out her and Dwight because that would cost her the PPC leadership, but Phyllis makes good on her promise to reveal Angela and Dwight's affair to the entire office (except Andy, Meredith, and Michael who were absent). Phyllis' joy over seeing Angela's hypocrisy exposed is visibly tempered by her sadness when clueless Andy sings the office a jubilant holiday song.
In Lecture Circuit
it is revealed that the fights between her and Angela have caused Michael to reform the Party Planning Committee, putting Dwight and Jim in charge. In New Boss a bitter Phyllis sabotages the new PPC, telling Charles Miner that they spend "hours" planning parties, leading to Charles dissolving the committee.
In "Blood Drive
", Phyllis and Bob invited Jim and Pam to a couples' dinner on Valentine's Day. She and Bob end up having sex in the handicapped restroom, to the extreme discomfort of Jim and Pam when they find out.
In "Casual Friday
," the surprisingly-unkind and heartfelt parts of Phyllis' personality are on display when Michael, Pam and Ryan return to the office in the Michael Scott Paper Company aftermath. Phyllis is cold to Pam because Pam bad-mouthed Dunder Mifflin while making MSPC sales calls, and when Pam is shocked Phyllis hisses "Close your mouth, sweetie. You look like a trout." But later, when Phyllis has joined Dwight's protest over Michael's plan to take some clients from the sales staff and give them to Pam and Ryan, Michael's anger towards his past-former-current co-workers is blunted when Phyllis tells him with anguish that he went after them and hurt them in his fight with Corporate. Michael then compromises by giving Pam a sales job, while Ryan returns to temp work.
In "Cafe Disco
", Phyllis gets caught in the moment while dancing with Michael and ends up throwing her back out. When Dwight is put in charge of recovering her, she somewhat randomly reveals to him that she has a suspicion that her husband, Bob Vance, is cheating on her with his secretary. She immediately laughs it off, though, saying it sounds silly when said aloud, and it is no longer spoken of in the season. Phyllis and Bob both attend Jim and Pam's wedding in Niagara Falls.
In "Secret Santa
", Phyllis is delighted and emotional to finally achieve her goal of being Santa Claus at the office's annual Christmas Party, much to Michael's chagrin.
In "New Leads
", she is very rude to Angela (telling her former adversary that she's too busy to answer Angela's e-mails or walk over to her desk) and Michael (telling him "Hand them over, numb nuts" when the Sabre-procured top sales leads arrive), and pays the price for her behavior when Michael then gives Phyllis' leads to Angela, and Angela coldly tells Phyllis that she'll only get the leads if she fills out meaningless paperwork for Angela to shred. Later on when Jim is trying to get the sales staff to fix the bad office atmosphere, Phyllis says that the company's changed, non-sales staff who can't deal with it should leave, and they can always outsource that work to India. She does, however, agree to Jim's plan to give some bonus money to the rest of the office in order to restore peace (a plan rendered unnecessary when the staffers think that a plate of cookies IS the peace offering, leading the salespeople to keep the unspoken revenue-sharing plan forever silent).
In "Happy Hour
", Phyllis displays a somewhat morbid nature when she reveals to the camera that she likes to go to bars wearing low-cut dresses so that men will hit on her and Bob Vance will then beat them up. This considerably cruel behavior is touched upon again in "Whistleblower
", when Phyllis hides Andy's carry-on bag in the ceiling and coldly tells him "You deserve it" in retaliation for him being the titular leak on the printer-fires matter.
", Phyllis (along with her co-workers) becomes irritated with the new office assistant Luke, as he neglected to send out packages from the office, and instead kept them in his car. She also participates with Andy in reenacting the spanking scene.
In "Counseling
", Dwight hires a day laborer to get rid of a hornet
's nest that the office has been complaining about. Phyllis reveals that a hornet stung her up her dress, but Dwight's response is "poor hornet". Later, she says in an interview that she's glad Michael's getting counseling, because "he has a lot of issues and he's stupid".
In "Andy's Play
", she attends a local production of Sweeney Todd (which Andy is performing in). She tells Michael that she likes how he brought balloons, comparing them to the Pixar
movie Up
. After the play, she tells Andy he was great. In a deleted scene, when she finds out that her husband Bob is getting along well with Stanley's girlfriend Cynthia, she tells the camera in an interview she was worried that they would not hit it off because Bob has strong moral convictions and Cynthia is a "home-wrecking slut".
In "The Sting
", she suggests that she could seduce rival salesman Danny Cordray, grossing Michael out.
In "Costume Contest
", she dresses up as Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor
.
In "Viewing Party
", when Andy gets sick, he later admits his jealousy over Erin to Phyllis, who decides to help Andy by casually talking to Erin about her relationship with Gabe. Phyllis attempts this by describing the first time she and her husband Bob had sex. She says that they just stared at each other for hours before finally falling asleep. Erin gets uncomfortable and walks away.
In "Ultimatum
", Phyllis's New Year's resolution is she wants to learn yoga with her husband.
In "The Seminar
", Phyllis is one of Andy's speakers at his seminar on starting a small business, but she pulls out along with his other speakers Dwight and Stanley. Later, Dwight informs her that he talked to one of the attendees, a man who owns a golf supply business, and that this could actually be a good opportunity for the sales team. Thus she, Dwight and Stanley try to rejoin Andy, who refuses at Darryl's prompting.
Phyllis plays a Bride in Michael's movie "Threat Level Midnight
".
In "Garage Sale
", Phyllis is at the warehouse garage sale selling some of her mother's old things. Phyllis gives Holly (whose parents are slowly losing their minds) the advice that if you wait for the day when your parent tells you that they can't take care of themselves, that'll never happen. She then tries to sell Holly a box of bras. Ryan also uses her picture on the labels of his mom's homemade pesto sauce, as she had that "mom-look" he wanted.
In "Training Day
", she is impressed that new office manager Deangelo Vickers
has his barber come down to the office to shave him, remarking that it's "very cool".
In "Michael's Last Dundies
", at the Dundies, there is an opening video in which Michael plays various employees around the office, and he plays Phyllis as being an old, enfeebled woman (who even falls and can't get up). Later, after Stanley wins the diabetes award, she tells the camera she has the disease as well, but that she does not "make a big deal about it". She also participates in serenading the soon-to-depart Michael with an a capella version of "Seasons of Love
" with altered lyrics.
In "Goodbye, Michael
", Phyllis is in the reformed party planning committee (composed of other previous heads Pam and Angela, as well as a problematic Meredith), which is trying to plan a big party involving all of Michael's favorite things for the next day. During the episode, when she is not planning, Phyllis is in the process of knitting Michael a pair a mittens (that can't get wet, cannot be dry cleaned, have to be hand-washed without water, wrung dry gently, and dried with a hair dryer on cool), as his going-away present. Since he is leaving for Colorado
later that day instead of tomorrow like he claimed, he pressures her to finish them up (even though her knuckles begin to swell from her arthritis
). Later, he takes the mittens even though they're not finished, and sincerely tells her he loves them. In this episode, she also reveals to the camera that she had a child in high school that was put up for adoption.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television series The Office
The Office (US TV series)
The Office is an American comedy television series broadcast by NBC. An adaptation of the original BBC series of the same name, it depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania, branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company...
. She is played by Phyllis Smith.
Biography
Phyllis Lapin is a sales representative at fictitious paper distributor Dunder Mifflin. She is a quiet but friendly type who loves "girl talk" and gossip. Though she has a sweet, motherly exterior, she can sometimes act very vindictive, most recently to Angela MartinAngela 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:...
and Pam Halpert. She is often insulted and embarrassed by branch manager 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...
frequently describes her as non-feminine and old, despite having been classmates with her in high school.
She was also apparently very promiscuous in high school, and she eventually had an unplanned pregnancy, which resulted in her giving away the baby.
She is married to Bob Vance of Vance Refrigeration; she affectionately refers to him as "Bobby", but frequently uses his full name, "Bob Vance" while talking to others. In the Season 7 finale, Phyllis reveals that she got Bob to notice her by waiting in his office every morning wearing nothing but kitty-cat ears for two weeks, and on the tenth day, he was naked too, except for a dog nose.
Phyllis serves on the Party Planning Committee where she often butts heads with hypercritical Angela Martin, whom Phyllis told to her face that she does not like. She suffered from scoliosis
Scoliosis
Scoliosis is a medical condition in which a person's spine is curved from side to side. Although it is a complex three-dimensional deformity, on an X-ray, viewed from the rear, the spine of an individual with scoliosis may look more like an "S" or a "C" than a straight line...
as a child and went on to play high school basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
. She is Lutheran (Fun Run
Fun Run
"Fun Run" is the fourth season premiere of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's fifty-fourth episode overall...
). It is implied she suffers from depression
Depression (mood)
Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless...
. In "Michael's Last Dundies
Michael's Last Dundies
"Michael's Last Dundies" is the twenty-first episode of the seventh season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's 147th episode overall. Written and directed by Mindy Kaling, the episode aired on April 21, 2011, on NBC. The episode revolves around Michael training his...
" it is revealed she has diabetes.
Seasons 1–2
Phyllis volunteered to be on the basketball team but Michael said no. When she suggested being a cheerleader instead, Michael placed her as an alternate player.She is the winner of the "Busiest Beaver" award at the 8th Annual Dundie Awards
The Dundies
"The Dundies" is the second season premiere of the American comedy television series The Office—the show's seventh episode overall. Written by Mindy Kaling and directed by Greg Daniels, who is also a producer for the show, the episode originally aired in the United States on September 20, 2005 on...
, although due to an error her statue reads "Bushiest Beaver
Vagina
The vagina is a fibromuscular tubular tract leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body in female placental mammals and marsupials, or to the cloaca in female birds, monotremes, and some reptiles. Female insects and other invertebrates also have a vagina, which is the terminal part of the...
". Phyllis admits that if she could sleep with one person in the office, it would be 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...
. Phyllis also shocks the room during a "sexual harassment" seminar, by asking if one-night stand
One-night stand
Originally, a one-night stand was a single theatre performance, usually by a guest performer on tour, as opposed to an ongoing engagement. Today, however, the term is more commonly defined as a single sexual encounter, in which neither participant has any intention or expectation of a relationship...
s are included in a rule requiring reporting office romances to human resources. Phyllis won a gold medal in the invented "Flonkerton" event at the Office Olympics
Office Olympics
"Office Olympics" is the third episode of the second season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's ninth episode overall. Written by Michael Schur, and directed by Paul Feig, the episode first aired in the United States on October 4, 2005 on NBC.In the episode, Michael...
. She gives Michael a homemade oven mitt for Secret Santa
Secret Santa
Secret Santa is a Western Christmas tradition, in which members of a group or community are randomly assigned a person to whom they anonymously give a gift. Often practiced in workplaces, or amongst large families, participation in it is usually voluntary...
which Michael hates, prompting him to start a game of Yankee Swap to get rid of it. Boyfriend Bob Vance comes to the Christmas party and sends her several large bouquets of flowers and a giant teddy bear on Valentine's Day.
Seasons 3–4
In "Gay Witch HuntGay Witch Hunt
"Gay Witch Hunt" is the third season premiere of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's twenty-ninth episode overall. Written by executive producer and show runner Greg Daniels and directed by Ken Kwapis, the episode first aired in the United States on September 21, 2006...
", Phyllis insults Michael by telling him that everyone thought he was gay
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
in high school. She also announces to everyone that she is getting married to Bob Vance. Karen accidentally offends her by saying the perfume Bob gave her smelled like a funeral home (something Stanley had thought for years) and not knowing who Bob Vance is. When the party planning committee splits up, she stays with Angela at the less popular party but they ultimately join the other one. Angela is also seen openly insulting Phyllis by stating that orange was a more "whorish" color than green when Phyllis was wearing an orange sweater (a running insult that includes another Phyllis' clothing color=whoring jab from Angela and Ms. Martin's pointed comments about Phyllis wearing a pristine white dress at her wedding).
Belying her subdued nature, Phyllis is a shrewd saleswoman. In "Traveling Salesmen", Phyllis strategically gives Karen and herself a beauty makeover to mimic the appearance of a client's wife. She also tells Karen that Jim was in love with Pam for a long time, but is glad that Karen is dating him, but doesn't notice that the Jim-Pam information is not good news to Karen. Phyllis marries long-time boyfriend Bob Vance, whom she often refers to as "Bobby." She reluctantly puts Michael in charge of rolling her wheelchair-using father down the aisle, in hopes that giving him a job in the ceremony will allow her a six-week honeymoon vacation. She also takes most of Pam's ideas originally to be used for her own wedding (down to using the same invitation, featuring the same "P & R" heading—only standing for "Phyllis and Robert" rather than "Pam and Roy"), making Pam feel as if she has been invited to her own wedding. At the wedding, Michael reveals that Phyllis's nickname in high school was "Easy Rider". In a deleted scene from "Business School", it is revealed that Phyllis is currently on her honeymoon
Honeymoon
-History:One early reference to a honeymoon is in Deuteronomy 24:5 “When a man is newly wed, he need not go out on a military expedition, nor shall any public duty be imposed on him...
and will not be back for six weeks, which Stanley is ecstatic about. Phyllis returns from her honeymoon in "The Negotiation
The Negotiation
"The Negotiation" is the nineteenth episode of the third season of the U.S. version of The Office, aired on April 5, 2007 on NBC...
".
It's also revealed in this season that Phyllis has a small crush on Jim. In a deleted scene in Traveling Salesmen, she tells Karen that Jim "is so hot", and goes on ask Karen if he wears boxers or briefs. Also, in a deleted scene in Beach Games, she calls Jim "eye candy", comparing his looks to that of George Clooney
George Clooney
George Timothy Clooney is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. For his work as an actor, he has received two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award...
(which may be a reference to the film Leatherheads
Leatherheads
Leatherheads is a 2008 American sports comedy film from Universal Pictures directed by and starring George Clooney. The film also stars Renée Zellweger, Jonathan Pryce and John Krasinski and focuses on the early years of professional American football....
which was being filmed at the time and featured 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...
who plays Jim and George Clooney).
In a deleted scene from "Fun Run
Fun Run
"Fun Run" is the fourth season premiere of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's fifty-fourth episode overall...
," Phyllis is shown teaming up with husband Bob Vance (who is wearing a Vance Refrigeration T-shirt while the other racers wear Dunder Mifflin T-shirts) to pull ahead of Michael
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...
in the race. When they are unable to do it together, Phyllis encourages Bob to take care of it himself, screaming, "Go get him, Bobby! Sic him! Sic him!"
In "Dunder Mifflin Infinity
Dunder Mifflin Infinity
"Dunder Mifflin Infinity" is the third episode of the fourth season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's fifty-sixth episode overall. The episode was written by Michael Schur, who also acts in the show, and directed by Craig Zisk...
", after hearing 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...
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....
are dating, she passive-aggressively reminds Pam she can not give Jim any special treatment on sales leads just because he's "who you're sleeping with that week."
In "Launch Party
Launch Party
"Launch Party" is the fifth episode of the fourth season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's fifty-eighth episode overall. The episode was written by Jennifer Celotta and directed by Ken Whittingham...
", Phyllis googles ways to handle difficult people, namely Angela
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:...
. When Angela points out to Phyllis that she made a spelling mistake in the sign "Lunch Party" and bought the wrong plastic utensils, Phyllis attempts to calmly reason with her, which only infuriates Angela to insult Phyllis further. Later on, Phyllis confronts her with numerous Post-It notes stuck on to her fingertips containing Angela's demands, claiming she can only fulfill one, not all of them. When Angela insults her again, Phyllis crumples all the notes into one ball and throws it at Angela's face. Afterwards, Phyllis says proudly, "That seemed to shut her up."
In "Local Ad
Local Ad
"Local Ad" is the ninth episode of the fourth season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's sixty-second episode overall. The episode was written by B. J. Novak, who also acts in the show as Ryan Howard, and directed by Jason Reitman...
", Michael sends her to the Steamtown Mall to try and recruit famous author "Sue Grafton
Sue Grafton
Sue Taylor Grafton is a contemporary American author of detective novels. She is best known as the author of the 'alphabet series' featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone in the fictional city of Santa Teresa, California. The daughter of detective novelist C. W...
" for his planned Dunder Mifflin TV ad, but Phyllis comes back sobbing in dismay because her failed attempt to talk to Grafton led to security guards throwing her out of the mall.
In "Survivor Man
Survivor Man
"Survivor Man" is the seventh episode of the fourth season of the American comedy television series The Office—the show's sixty-fourth episode overall. Written by Steve Carell, who also acts on the show as Regional Manager Michael Scott, and directed by Paul Feig, it originally aired on NBC on...
", Phyllis gleefully notes that Michael was not invited to Ryan's corporate wilderness retreat while Toby was. Later on, when Jim is making stupid suggestions for the office birthday parties and finally demands a meeting on the subject, Phyllis mistakenly calls him "Michael" and Jim is horrified.
In "Goodbye, Toby
Goodbye, Toby
"Goodbye, Toby" is the fourth season hour-long finale of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's seventy-first episode overall...
" (the season finale), Phyllis takes over the Party Planning committee from Angela
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:...
in order to organize Toby's farewell party to Michael's specifications. In the final scene of the episode, Phyllis comes back inside the office following the party and catches Angela and ex-boyfriend 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...
having sex on one of the desks, despite the fact that Angela's boyfriend and co-worker 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...
proposed to her at the party and she accepted. This made Phyllis the fourth person made aware of the intimate relationship between Dwight and Angela, after Pam, Jim and Ryan found out along the way.
Seasons 5–6
In the fifth season premiere, "Weight LossWeight Loss (The Office)
"Weight Loss" is the fifth season premiere of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's seventy-third episode overall. Written by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, and directed by Paul Feig, the episode first aired as a single 60 minute show in the United States on...
," it is revealed that Phyllis has parlayed
Blackmail
In common usage, blackmail is a crime involving threats to reveal substantially true or false information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion involving threats of physical harm, threat of criminal prosecution, or threats...
her secret knowledge of Dwight and Angela's renewed affair into the head spot on party-planning committee, which allows a role reversal in the group's meetings; Phyllis is shown calling the shots about party details, to which Angela quietly, if grudgingly, acquiesces.
In "Baby Shower" Phyllis gloats further about gaining the party-planning spot, and specifically about having Angela at her mercy. Michael, however, interrupts her interview with the documentary crew and orders her to "make the party" for Jan Levenson, haranguing her to blow up balloons faster.
In "Crime Aid", Phyllis attempts to counsel Dwight on reuniting with Angela, suggesting he give her an ultimatum to break up with Andy. When Angela rejects Dwight and Phyllis says that it is over, Dwight tries desperately to sway Phyllis's view. He even lets the air out of her Chevy Malibu to get her out of the auction. He reacts rudely to Phyllis's rejection of his plans, but he later apologizes (in his unique way), realizing she was trying to help, by bidding on Phyllis' hug which she offered in the Auction (her husband Bob Vance pays $1000 for the hug).
In "Moroccan Christmas", Phyllis organizes an elaborate Christmas party featuring a hookah
Hookah
A hookah A hookah(Gujarati હૂકાહ) A hookah(Gujarati હૂકાહ) (Hindustani: हुक़्क़ा (Devanagari, (Nastaleeq) huqqah) also known as a waterpipe or narghile, is a single or multi-stemmed (often glass-based) instrument for smoking in which the smoke is cooled by water. The tobacco smoked is referred to...
, sitar
Sitar
The 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
, hummus
Hummus
Hummus is high in iron and vitamin C and also has significant amounts of folate and vitamin B6. The chickpeas make it a good source of protein and dietary fiber; the tahini consists mostly of sesame seeds, which are an excellent source of the amino acid methionine, complementing the proteins in the...
, and other trappings. She continues to get revenge on Angela, and takes delight in forcing Angela to lug the Christmas tree
Christmas tree
The Christmas tree is a decorated evergreen coniferous tree, real or artificial, and a tradition associated with the celebration of Christmas. The tradition of decorating an evergreen tree at Christmas started in Livonia and Germany in the 16th century...
in and out of the building as well as allowing only the camel, elephant, and Arab King of her nativity scene
Nativity scene
A nativity scene, manger scene, krippe, crèche, or crib, is a depiction of the birth of Jesus as described in the gospels of Matthew and Luke...
to be displayed. Phyllis says that it's not really blackmail because that would involve an official letter. When Angela pathetically asks for some mercy from Phyllis, Phyllis accurately says Angela never showed her any mercy in the past. Angela later tells Phyllis to shut up and says Phyllis won't out her and Dwight because that would cost her the PPC leadership, but Phyllis makes good on her promise to reveal Angela and Dwight's affair to the entire office (except Andy, Meredith, and Michael who were absent). Phyllis' joy over seeing Angela's hypocrisy exposed is visibly tempered by her sadness when clueless Andy sings the office a jubilant holiday song.
In Lecture Circuit
Lecture Circuit
"Lecture Circuit" is a two-part episode of the American comedy television series The Office. They constituted the sixteenth and seventeenth episodes of the fifth season, and the 88th and 89th overall episodes of the series...
it is revealed that the fights between her and Angela have caused Michael to reform the Party Planning Committee, putting Dwight and Jim in charge. In New Boss a bitter Phyllis sabotages the new PPC, telling Charles Miner that they spend "hours" planning parties, leading to Charles dissolving the committee.
In "Blood Drive
Blood Drive (The Office)
"Blood Drive" is the eighteenth episode of the fifth season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the 90th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on March 5, 2009....
", Phyllis and Bob invited Jim and Pam to a couples' dinner on Valentine's Day. She and Bob end up having sex in the handicapped restroom, to the extreme discomfort of Jim and Pam when they find out.
In "Casual Friday
Casual Friday (The Office)
"Casual Friday" is the twenty-sixth episode of the fifth season of the television series The Office, and the 98th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on April 30, 2009...
," the surprisingly-unkind and heartfelt parts of Phyllis' personality are on display when Michael, Pam and Ryan return to the office in the Michael Scott Paper Company aftermath. Phyllis is cold to Pam because Pam bad-mouthed Dunder Mifflin while making MSPC sales calls, and when Pam is shocked Phyllis hisses "Close your mouth, sweetie. You look like a trout." But later, when Phyllis has joined Dwight's protest over Michael's plan to take some clients from the sales staff and give them to Pam and Ryan, Michael's anger towards his past-former-current co-workers is blunted when Phyllis tells him with anguish that he went after them and hurt them in his fight with Corporate. Michael then compromises by giving Pam a sales job, while Ryan returns to temp work.
In "Cafe Disco
Cafe Disco
"Cafe Disco" is the twenty-seventh episode of the fifth season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the 99th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on May 7, 2009. Feeling the office is overworked after the recent reign of Charles Miner,...
", Phyllis gets caught in the moment while dancing with Michael and ends up throwing her back out. When Dwight is put in charge of recovering her, she somewhat randomly reveals to him that she has a suspicion that her husband, Bob Vance, is cheating on her with his secretary. She immediately laughs it off, though, saying it sounds silly when said aloud, and it is no longer spoken of in the season. Phyllis and Bob both attend Jim and Pam's wedding in Niagara Falls.
In "Secret Santa
Secret Santa (The Office)
"Secret Santa" is the 13th episode of the sixth season of the U.S. comedy series The Office and the show's 113th episode overall. It was written by Mindy Kaling and directed by Randall Einhorn...
", Phyllis is delighted and emotional to finally achieve her goal of being Santa Claus at the office's annual Christmas Party, much to Michael's chagrin.
In "New Leads
New Leads
"New Leads" is the 20th episode of the sixth season of the U.S. comedy series The Office and the show's 120th episode overall. It was written and directed by Brent Forrester....
", she is very rude to Angela (telling her former adversary that she's too busy to answer Angela's e-mails or walk over to her desk) and Michael (telling him "Hand them over, numb nuts" when the Sabre-procured top sales leads arrive), and pays the price for her behavior when Michael then gives Phyllis' leads to Angela, and Angela coldly tells Phyllis that she'll only get the leads if she fills out meaningless paperwork for Angela to shred. Later on when Jim is trying to get the sales staff to fix the bad office atmosphere, Phyllis says that the company's changed, non-sales staff who can't deal with it should leave, and they can always outsource that work to India. She does, however, agree to Jim's plan to give some bonus money to the rest of the office in order to restore peace (a plan rendered unnecessary when the staffers think that a plate of cookies IS the peace offering, leading the salespeople to keep the unspoken revenue-sharing plan forever silent).
In "Happy Hour
Happy Hour (The Office)
"Happy Hour" is the 21st episode of the sixth season of the U.S. comedy series The Office and the show's 121st episode overall. It originally aired March 25, 2010 on NBC....
", Phyllis displays a somewhat morbid nature when she reveals to the camera that she likes to go to bars wearing low-cut dresses so that men will hit on her and Bob Vance will then beat them up. This considerably cruel behavior is touched upon again in "Whistleblower
Whistleblower
A whistleblower is a person who tells the public or someone in authority about alleged dishonest or illegal activities occurring in a government department, a public or private organization, or a company...
", when Phyllis hides Andy's carry-on bag in the ceiling and coldly tells him "You deserve it" in retaliation for him being the titular leak on the printer-fires matter.
Season 7
In "NepotismNepotism (The Office)
"Nepotism" is the seventh season premiere of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's 127th episode overall. Written by Daniel Chun and directed by Jeffrey Blitz, the episode aired on NBC in the United States on September 23, 2010...
", Phyllis (along with her co-workers) becomes irritated with the new office assistant Luke, as he neglected to send out packages from the office, and instead kept them in his car. She also participates with Andy in reenacting the spanking scene.
In "Counseling
Counseling (The Office)
"Counseling" is the second episode of the seventh season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's 128th episode overall. Written by B. J...
", Dwight hires a day laborer to get rid of a hornet
Hornet
Hornets are the largest eusocial wasps; some species can reach up to in length. The true hornets make up the genus Vespa and are distinguished from other vespines by the width of the vertex , which is proportionally larger in Vespa and by the anteriorly rounded gasters .- Life cycle :In...
's nest that the office has been complaining about. Phyllis reveals that a hornet stung her up her dress, but Dwight's response is "poor hornet". Later, she says in an interview that she's glad Michael's getting counseling, because "he has a lot of issues and he's stupid".
In "Andy's Play
Andy's Play
"Andy's Play" is the third episode of the seventh season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's 129th episode overall. Written by Charlie Grandy and directed by John Stuart Scott, the episode aired on NBC in the United States on October 7, 2010...
", she attends a local production of Sweeney Todd (which Andy is performing in). She tells Michael that she likes how he brought balloons, comparing them to the Pixar
Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios, pronounced , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Its films have made over $6.3 billion worldwide...
movie Up
Up (2009 film)
Up is a 2009 American computer-animated comedy-adventure film produced by Pixar, distributed by Walt Disney Pictures and presented in Disney Digital 3-D. The film premiered on May 29, 2009 in North America and opened the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first animated and 3D film...
. After the play, she tells Andy he was great. In a deleted scene, when she finds out that her husband Bob is getting along well with Stanley's girlfriend Cynthia, she tells the camera in an interview she was worried that they would not hit it off because Bob has strong moral convictions and Cynthia is a "home-wrecking slut".
In "The Sting
The Sting (The Office)
"The Sting" is the fifth episode of the seventh season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's 131st episode overall. Written by Mindy Kaling and directed by Randall Einhorn, the episode aired on NBC in the United States on October 21, 2010...
", she suggests that she could seduce rival salesman Danny Cordray, grossing Michael out.
In "Costume Contest
Costume Contest
"Costume Contest" is the sixth episode of the seventh season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's 132nd episode overall. Written by Justin Spitzer and directed by Dean Holland, the episode aired on NBC in the United States on October 28, 2010...
", she dresses up as Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor
Sonia Sotomayor
Sonia Maria Sotomayor is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, serving since August 2009. Sotomayor is the Court's 111th justice, its first Hispanic justice, and its third female justice....
.
In "Viewing Party
Viewing Party
"Viewing Party" is the eighth episode of seventh season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's 134th episode overall. Written by Jon Vitti and directed by Ken Whittingham, the episode aired on NBC in the United States on November 11, 2010.-Synopsis:The office employees...
", when Andy gets sick, he later admits his jealousy over Erin to Phyllis, who decides to help Andy by casually talking to Erin about her relationship with Gabe. Phyllis attempts this by describing the first time she and her husband Bob had sex. She says that they just stared at each other for hours before finally falling asleep. Erin gets uncomfortable and walks away.
In "Ultimatum
Ultimatum (The Office)
"Ultimatum" is the thirteenth episode of the seventh season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's 139th episodes overall...
", Phyllis's New Year's resolution is she wants to learn yoga with her husband.
In "The Seminar
The Seminar
"The Seminar" is the fourteenth episode of seventh season of the American comedytelevision series The Office, and the show's 140th episode overall. Written by Steve Hely and directed by B. J. Novak, the episode aired January 27, 2011 on NBC....
", Phyllis is one of Andy's speakers at his seminar on starting a small business, but she pulls out along with his other speakers Dwight and Stanley. Later, Dwight informs her that he talked to one of the attendees, a man who owns a golf supply business, and that this could actually be a good opportunity for the sales team. Thus she, Dwight and Stanley try to rejoin Andy, who refuses at Darryl's prompting.
Phyllis plays a Bride in Michael's movie "Threat Level Midnight
Threat Level Midnight
-Production:This episode was written by executive producer B. J. Novak, who also portrays Ryan Howard on the show. It was directed by Tucker Gates, his fourth directing credit of the series...
".
In "Garage Sale
Garage Sale (The Office)
"Garage Sale" is the nineteenth episode of the seventh season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's 145th episode overall. The episode was written by Jon Vitti and was directed by series star Steve Carell...
", Phyllis is at the warehouse garage sale selling some of her mother's old things. Phyllis gives Holly (whose parents are slowly losing their minds) the advice that if you wait for the day when your parent tells you that they can't take care of themselves, that'll never happen. She then tries to sell Holly a box of bras. Ryan also uses her picture on the labels of his mom's homemade pesto sauce, as she had that "mom-look" he wanted.
In "Training Day
Training Day (The Office)
"Training Day" is the twentieth episode of the seventh season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's 146th episode overall. Written by Daniel Chun and directed by Paul Lieberstein, the episode aired on April 14, 2011, on NBC...
", she is impressed that new office manager Deangelo Vickers
Deangelo Vickers
Deangelo Jeremitrius Vickers is a fictional character in the television series The Office. Played by actor Will Ferrell, Vickers was Michael Scott's replacement as Branch Manager during the end of Season 7, since Michael was moving to Colorado with his fiancee Holly...
has his barber come down to the office to shave him, remarking that it's "very cool".
In "Michael's Last Dundies
Michael's Last Dundies
"Michael's Last Dundies" is the twenty-first episode of the seventh season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's 147th episode overall. Written and directed by Mindy Kaling, the episode aired on April 21, 2011, on NBC. The episode revolves around Michael training his...
", at the Dundies, there is an opening video in which Michael plays various employees around the office, and he plays Phyllis as being an old, enfeebled woman (who even falls and can't get up). Later, after Stanley wins the diabetes award, she tells the camera she has the disease as well, but that she does not "make a big deal about it". She also participates in serenading the soon-to-depart Michael with an a capella version of "Seasons of Love
Seasons of Love
"Seasons of Love" is a song from the Broadway musical Rent, written and composed by Jonathan Larson. The song starts with an ostinato piano motif, which provides the harmonic framework for the cast to sing "Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes"...
" with altered lyrics.
In "Goodbye, Michael
Goodbye, Michael
"Goodbye, Michael" is the twenty-second episode of the seventh season of the American comedy series The Office and the show's 148th episode overall. The episode was written by series developer and executive producer Greg Daniels and was directed by Paul Feig. The episode originally aired on April...
", Phyllis is in the reformed party planning committee (composed of other previous heads Pam and Angela, as well as a problematic Meredith), which is trying to plan a big party involving all of Michael's favorite things for the next day. During the episode, when she is not planning, Phyllis is in the process of knitting Michael a pair a mittens (that can't get wet, cannot be dry cleaned, have to be hand-washed without water, wrung dry gently, and dried with a hair dryer on cool), as his going-away present. Since he is leaving for Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
later that day instead of tomorrow like he claimed, he pressures her to finish them up (even though her knuckles begin to swell from her arthritis
Arthritis
Arthritis is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints....
). Later, he takes the mittens even though they're not finished, and sincerely tells her he loves them. In this episode, she also reveals to the camera that she had a child in high school that was put up for adoption.