Spooked (The Office)
Encyclopedia
"Spooked" is the fifth episode of the eighth season
of the American comedy
television series
The Office, and the show's 157th episode overall. The episode originally aired on NBC
in the United States on October 27, 2011. It was written by Carrie Kemper
and directed by Randall Einhorn
. In the episode, Erin (Ellie Kemper
) works to make a spooky, non-childish Halloween party with help from Gabe (Zach Woods
). Dwight (Rainn Wilson
) becomes friends with Robert's son, and Pam (Jenna Fischer
) and Jim (John Krasinski
) debate the existence of ghosts. Meanwhile, Robert (James Spader
) tries to figure out everyone's deepest fears and tries to culminate a ghost story.
"Spooked" received mixed reviews with many critics commenting on Ellie Kemper's performance. According to the Nielsen Media Research
, "Spooked" drew 5.53 million viewers and received a 2.9 rating/7% share in the 18-49 demographic. The episode ranked as the lowest rated episode of the series to air on Thursday. Despite this, the episode ranked third in its timeslot.
) has been assigned to set up the Halloween party by Andy (Ed Helms
), who wants to live up to the expectations set by Robert (James Spader
). Robert arrives with his son Bert and notices that the party is more tailored to kids than adults. In response, Andy asks Angela (Angela Kinsey
) and Phyllis (Phyllis Smith) to help take over and re-tailor the party and asks to speak with Erin at the end of the day, much to Erin's chagrin. Erin asks Gabe (Zach Woods
) for help, and he gives her a tape to show everyone. Unbeknownst to her, the video is full of disturbing images and no story, and the office gets upset when they see that there's hidden footage of them involved. Andy and Robert then talk with Erin in his office regarding the incident. Erin says she got nervous when Andy asked to have a talk with her and that she thought he was about to fire her over the party. However, Andy tells her he's dating someone, and she is shocked to hear they've been out on 31 dates so far. Erin doesn't speak up and leaves dejectedly.
Jim (John Krasinski
) and Pam (Jenna Fischer
) argue whether ghosts are real after she claims to have seen one at a haunted house she used to work at, with their argument becoming extremely heated throughout the day. Meanwhile, Dwight (Rainn Wilson
) had dressed up as Sarah Kerrigan
from StarCraft
, but Toby (Paul Lieberstein
) had taken off his wings as they had knives on them and Dwight wasn't allowed to bring in weapons, thus people don't know what Dwight is. Bert notices what his costume is supposed to be and the two bond playing StarCraft all day, ignoring everyone else. Dwight also has Bert pretend to fire Toby for taking away his weapons on the grounds that he is the CEO's son.
Robert, having witnessed the various discussions and arguments between some employees and asked about the fears of others, tells a horror story implementing all the fears and arguments as a way to convince them not to let fear control their lives. This inspires Jim and Pam to stop their argument and Erin to talk to Andy about her feelings.
(sister of cast member Ellie Kemper
), her second writing of the series. It was directed by one of the series' cinematographers, Randall Einhorn
, his 15th directing credit for the series. The episode is the third Halloween themed episode of the series after season two's "Halloween" and season seven's "Costume Contest
". The episode also featured James Spader
as Sabre CEO Robert California
, who is currently set to appear in 15 episodes for the season. The official website for The Office included two cut scenes from "Spooked" within a week of its release. In the first 37-second clip, the rest of the office gets in the debate over whether ghosts exist. In the second 21-second clip, Robert's son, Bert and Dwight talk about zombies, specifically characters from The Walking Dead
.
, a character from the video game series StarCraft
. Later, Toby narrates a montage of previous costumes worn by Dwight including him as Pinhead
, the primary antagonist from the Hellraiser series. Angela is seen dressed as cat, a reference to the season two episode, "Halloween". Jim, Kevin and Darryl are dressed up as Chris Bosh
, Dwyane Wade
and Lebron James
, respectively.
" making it the lowest rated episode of the series that aired on Thursday. The episode ranked third in its timeslot beating Person of Interest
which received a 2.7 rating/7% share in the 18-49 demographic and The Secret Circle
which received a 0.9 rating/2% share, but was defeated by Grey's Anatomy
which received a 3.7 rating/9% share and the 2011 World Series
which received a 6.5 rating/18% share.
writer Barry Hertz wrote that while "it wasn’t as patience-testing as last year’s outing ["Costume Contest
"], but it also wasn’t as gut-busting and on-the-nose as its earlier incarnation ["Halloween"]." He complimented the Erin-Andy plot, but called the Jim and Pam plot "boring". He also complimented Ellie Kemper
. The A.V. Club
reviewer Myles McNutt criticized the episode for "just creating situations and seeing how the characters react to them, which is likely why the writers were willing to lazily rehash the stock “office Halloween party” setup that drives the narrative of 'Spooked'." Despite this, he complimented Erin's subplot and praised Kemper's performance in the episode. he also complimented James Spader's scary speech at the end. However, he criticized the Dwight plot and the Jim and Pam plot writing that "I don’t care that Pam believes in ghosts and Jim doesn’t, I don’t care that Dwight gets a few scenes in which the cynical adult is softened by the presence of a precocious child." He ultimately gave the episode a C+.
New York
writer Chris Blanche criticized the episode for its lack of heart. A majority of critics considered the episode an improvement over the previous halloween episode, "Costume Contest".
The Office (U.S. season 8)
The eighth season of the American television comedy The Office premiered on September 22, 2011 on NBC. The Office is an American adaptation of the British TV series of the same name, and is presented in a mockumentary format, portraying the daily lives of office employees in the Scranton,...
of the American comedy
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 show's 157th episode overall. The episode originally aired 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 the United States on October 27, 2011. It was written by Carrie Kemper
Carrie Kemper
Carrie Kemper is an American television writer and novelist who is currently working as a staff writer on the NBC sitcom The Office. She is the younger sister of The Office star Ellie Kemper.- Television work :...
and directed by Randall Einhorn
Randall Einhorn
Randall Einhorn is an American television director and cinematographer. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.Einhorn is best known for his work on The Office . He also directed The Accountants, a ten-part webisode spinoff of The Office which appeared online between the second and third seasons...
. In the episode, Erin (Ellie Kemper
Ellie Kemper
Elizabeth Claire "Ellie" Kemper is an American actress, comedian and writer best known for her role as Erin Hannon in NBC's The Office.-Personal life:...
) works to make a spooky, non-childish Halloween party with help from Gabe (Zach Woods
Zach Woods
Zach Woods is an American actor and comedian. From 2010-11, he portrayed Gabe Lewis on the NBC sitcom The Office. He was promoted to a series regular beginning in Season 7....
). Dwight (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...
) becomes friends with Robert's son, 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,...
) and Jim (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...
) debate the existence of ghosts. Meanwhile, Robert (James Spader
James Spader
James Todd Spader is an American actor best known for his eccentric roles in movies such as Pretty in Pink, Less Than Zero, Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Crash, Stargate, and Secretary...
) tries to figure out everyone's deepest fears and tries to culminate a ghost story.
"Spooked" received mixed reviews with many critics commenting on Ellie Kemper's performance. 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...
, "Spooked" drew 5.53 million viewers and received a 2.9 rating/7% share in the 18-49 demographic. The episode ranked as the lowest rated episode of the series to air on Thursday. Despite this, the episode ranked third in its timeslot.
Plot
Erin (Ellie KemperEllie Kemper
Elizabeth Claire "Ellie" Kemper is an American actress, comedian and writer best known for her role as Erin Hannon in NBC's The Office.-Personal life:...
) has been assigned to set up the Halloween party by Andy (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...
), who wants to live up to the expectations set by Robert (James Spader
James Spader
James Todd Spader is an American actor best known for his eccentric roles in movies such as Pretty in Pink, Less Than Zero, Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Crash, Stargate, and Secretary...
). Robert arrives with his son Bert and notices that the party is more tailored to kids than adults. In response, Andy asks Angela (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:...
) and Phyllis (Phyllis Smith) to help take over and re-tailor the party and asks to speak with Erin at the end of the day, much to Erin's chagrin. Erin asks Gabe (Zach Woods
Zach Woods
Zach Woods is an American actor and comedian. From 2010-11, he portrayed Gabe Lewis on the NBC sitcom The Office. He was promoted to a series regular beginning in Season 7....
) for help, and he gives her a tape to show everyone. Unbeknownst to her, the video is full of disturbing images and no story, and the office gets upset when they see that there's hidden footage of them involved. Andy and Robert then talk with Erin in his office regarding the incident. Erin says she got nervous when Andy asked to have a talk with her and that she thought he was about to fire her over the party. However, Andy tells her he's dating someone, and she is shocked to hear they've been out on 31 dates so far. Erin doesn't speak up and leaves dejectedly.
Jim (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,...
) argue whether ghosts are real after she claims to have seen one at a haunted house she used to work at, with their argument becoming extremely heated throughout the day. Meanwhile, Dwight (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...
) had dressed up as Sarah Kerrigan
Sarah Kerrigan
Sarah Louise Kerrigan, the self-styled Queen of Blades, is a major character and the predominant villain in Blizzard Entertainment's StarCraft series of video games and novels. The character was created by Chris Metzen and James Phinney, and her appearance was originally designed by Chris Metzen...
from StarCraft
StarCraft (series)
StarCraft is a military science fiction media franchise created by Chris Metzen and James Phinney, and owned by Blizzard Entertainment. The series centers on a galactic struggle for dominance between three species—the adaptable and mobile Terrans, the insectoid Zerg, and the enigmatic Protoss—in a...
, but Toby (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...
) had taken off his wings as they had knives on them and Dwight wasn't allowed to bring in weapons, thus people don't know what Dwight is. Bert notices what his costume is supposed to be and the two bond playing StarCraft all day, ignoring everyone else. Dwight also has Bert pretend to fire Toby for taking away his weapons on the grounds that he is the CEO's son.
Robert, having witnessed the various discussions and arguments between some employees and asked about the fears of others, tells a horror story implementing all the fears and arguments as a way to convince them not to let fear control their lives. This inspires Jim and Pam to stop their argument and Erin to talk to Andy about her feelings.
Production
The episode was written by story editor Carrie KemperCarrie Kemper
Carrie Kemper is an American television writer and novelist who is currently working as a staff writer on the NBC sitcom The Office. She is the younger sister of The Office star Ellie Kemper.- Television work :...
(sister of cast member Ellie Kemper
Ellie Kemper
Elizabeth Claire "Ellie" Kemper is an American actress, comedian and writer best known for her role as Erin Hannon in NBC's The Office.-Personal life:...
), her second writing of the series. It was directed by one of the series' cinematographers, Randall Einhorn
Randall Einhorn
Randall Einhorn is an American television director and cinematographer. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.Einhorn is best known for his work on The Office . He also directed The Accountants, a ten-part webisode spinoff of The Office which appeared online between the second and third seasons...
, his 15th directing credit for the series. The episode is the third Halloween themed episode of the series after season two's "Halloween" and season seven's "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...
". The episode also featured James Spader
James Spader
James Todd Spader is an American actor best known for his eccentric roles in movies such as Pretty in Pink, Less Than Zero, Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Crash, Stargate, and Secretary...
as Sabre CEO Robert California
Robert California
Robert California is a fictional character on The Office, played by James Spader. He has no counterpart on the original British version of the series.- Season 7 :...
, who is currently set to appear in 15 episodes for the season. The official website for The Office included two cut scenes from "Spooked" within a week of its release. In the first 37-second clip, the rest of the office gets in the debate over whether ghosts exist. In the second 21-second clip, Robert's son, Bert and Dwight talk about zombies, specifically characters from The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead (TV series)
The Walking Dead is an American post-apocalyptic horror television series developed for television by Frank Darabont and based on the ongoing comic book series, The Walking Dead, by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard...
.
Cultural references
In the episode, Dwight dresses up as Sarah KerriganSarah Kerrigan
Sarah Louise Kerrigan, the self-styled Queen of Blades, is a major character and the predominant villain in Blizzard Entertainment's StarCraft series of video games and novels. The character was created by Chris Metzen and James Phinney, and her appearance was originally designed by Chris Metzen...
, a character from the video game series StarCraft
StarCraft (series)
StarCraft is a military science fiction media franchise created by Chris Metzen and James Phinney, and owned by Blizzard Entertainment. The series centers on a galactic struggle for dominance between three species—the adaptable and mobile Terrans, the insectoid Zerg, and the enigmatic Protoss—in a...
. Later, Toby narrates a montage of previous costumes worn by Dwight including him as Pinhead
Pinhead (Hellraiser)
Pinhead is a fictional character from the Hellraiser series. Created by Clive Barker and portrayed by Doug Bradley, Pinhead is a prominent figure in the series, mostly featured as the main antagonist....
, the primary antagonist from the Hellraiser series. Angela is seen dressed as cat, a reference to the season two episode, "Halloween". Jim, Kevin and Darryl are dressed up as Chris Bosh
Chris Bosh
Christopher Wesson Bosh is an American professional basketball player who plays power forward for the Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association ....
, Dwyane Wade
Dwyane Wade
Dwyane Tyrone Wade, Jr. nicknamed Flash or D-Wade, is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat. Awarded 2006 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated, Wade has established himself as one of the most well-known and popular players in the league...
and Lebron James
LeBron James
LeBron Raymone James is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association . Nicknamed "King James", he was a three-time "Mr. Basketball" of Ohio in high school, and was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar while a...
, respectively.
Ratings
In its original American broadcast, "Spooked" was viewed by an estimated 5.53 million viewers and received a 2.9 rating/7% share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49. This means that it was seen by 2.9% of all 18–49 years olds, and 7% of all 18–49 year olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. This marked a 15% drop in the ratings from the previous episode, "Garden PartyGarden Party (The Office)
"Garden Party" is the fourth episode of the eighth season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's 156th episode overall. The episode originally aired on NBC in the United States on October 13, 2011. It was written by co-executive producer Justin Spitzer and was directed...
" making it the lowest rated episode of the series that aired on Thursday. The episode ranked third in its timeslot beating Person of Interest
Person of Interest (TV series)
Person of Interest is an American crime drama television series broadcasting on CBS. It is based on a screenplay developed by J. J. Abrams and Jonathan Nolan. The series was officially picked up by CBS on May 13, 2011, and debuted on September 22, 2011. On October 25, 2011 the show was picked up...
which received a 2.7 rating/7% share in the 18-49 demographic and The Secret Circle
The Secret Circle (TV series)
The Secret Circle is an American television series broadcast on The CW Television Network. It was developed by Andrew Miller, based on the book series of the same name written by L. J. Smith. On May 17, 2011, The CW announced they had picked up the pilot as a series...
which received a 0.9 rating/2% share, but was defeated by Grey's Anatomy
Grey'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...
which received a 3.7 rating/9% share and the 2011 World Series
2011 World Series
The 2011 World Series was the 107th edition of Major League Baseball's championship series. The best-of-seven playoff was played between the American League champion Texas Rangers and the National League champion St...
which received a 6.5 rating/18% share.
Reviews
The episode received mostly mixed reviews from critics. National PostNational Post
The National Post is a Canadian English-language national newspaper based in Don Mills, a district of Toronto. The paper is owned by Postmedia Network Inc. and is published Mondays through Saturdays...
writer Barry Hertz wrote that while "it wasn’t as patience-testing as last year’s outing ["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...
"], but it also wasn’t as gut-busting and on-the-nose as its earlier incarnation ["Halloween"]." He complimented the Erin-Andy plot, but called the Jim and Pam plot "boring". He also complimented Ellie Kemper
Ellie Kemper
Elizabeth Claire "Ellie" Kemper is an American actress, comedian and writer best known for her role as Erin Hannon in NBC's The Office.-Personal life:...
. 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...
reviewer Myles McNutt criticized the episode for "just creating situations and seeing how the characters react to them, which is likely why the writers were willing to lazily rehash the stock “office Halloween party” setup that drives the narrative of 'Spooked'." Despite this, he complimented Erin's subplot and praised Kemper's performance in the episode. he also complimented James Spader's scary speech at the end. However, he criticized the Dwight plot and the Jim and Pam plot writing that "I don’t care that Pam believes in ghosts and Jim doesn’t, I don’t care that Dwight gets a few scenes in which the cynical adult is softened by the presence of a precocious child." He ultimately gave the episode a C+.
New York
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
writer Chris Blanche criticized the episode for its lack of heart. A majority of critics considered the episode an improvement over the previous halloween episode, "Costume Contest".