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The Alliance (The Office episode)
Encyclopedia
"The Alliance" is the fourth episode of the first season of The Office (U.S. version). It was written by Michael Schur
and directed by Bryan Gordon
. It first aired on April 12, 2005.
In this episode, Jim forms an alliance with Dwight due to the possible downsizing, so he and Pam can play a prank on Dwight. Meanwhile, Michael has a month-early birthday party for Meredith to boost morale, and spends his day debating on what to write in her birthday card.
(Rainn Wilson
) feels particularly threatened by the impending crisis, and, in an act of desperation, forms an alliance with
his office nemesis Jim
(John Krasinski
). Jim sees the alliance as an opportunity with great potential and agrees as a lark. He immediately enlists Pam (Jenna Fischer
)'s help in the situation.
Meanwhile, Michael
(Steve Carell
) tries to boost morale in the office by having an office birthday party for Meredith
(Kate Flannery
), even though her birthday is a month away. Michael agonizes over writing the perfect greeting in her birthday card. In the end his joke (and subsequent rejected ones) falls flat, severely ruining the party. At the same time Oscar also gets him to donate money to his nephew's cerebral palsy
walk-a-thon, which Michael accidentally overcontributes to in an effort to look like a good boss.
At the end of the day, after a breakthrough in his pranks on Dwight, Jim giddily grabs Pam's hand in an attempt to explain what has just happened. However, Pam's fiancé Roy
(David Denman
) catches this and sees it as an attempt by Jim to make a move on Pam. Jim tries to convince Roy that it was just "office pranks" and asks Dwight to back him up, but he simply denies any involvement leaving Jim awkwardly embarrassed. Dwight reveals that he had no problems betraying Jim, despite the fact that he recently fell into one of Jim's tricks.
Michael Schur
Michael Herbert Schur is an American television producer and writer, best known for his work on the NBC comedy series The Office and Parks and Recreation, the latter of which he co-created along with Greg Daniels...
and directed by Bryan Gordon
Bryan Gordon
Bryan Gordon is a television and film director and writer. He has been nominated three times for the Directors Guild of America Award and in 2002 received the Directors Guild award for comedy directing. He’s been nominated for an Emmy twice – both for his work on the HBO series Curb Your...
. It first aired on April 12, 2005.
In this episode, Jim forms an alliance with Dwight due to the possible downsizing, so he and Pam can play a prank on Dwight. Meanwhile, Michael has a month-early birthday party for Meredith to boost morale, and spends his day debating on what to write in her birthday card.
Synopsis
Although time has dragged on, the downsizing rumors at Dunder Mifflin have not ceased. DwightDwight 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...
) feels particularly threatened by the impending crisis, and, in an act of desperation, forms an alliance with
his office nemesis 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...
). Jim sees the alliance as an opportunity with great potential and agrees as a lark. He immediately enlists 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,...
)'s help in the situation.
Meanwhile, 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...
(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...
) tries to boost morale in the office by having an office birthday party for Meredith
Meredith Palmer
Meredith Elizabeth Palmer is a fictional character from the US television series The Office. She is played by Kate Flannery. She is an original character and has no equivalent in the British version of the show, The Office....
(Kate Flannery
Kate Flannery
Katherine Patricia "Kate" Flannery is an American actress best known for playing the role of Meredith Palmer on the NBC hit series The Office.-Personal life:...
), even though her birthday is a month away. Michael agonizes over writing the perfect greeting in her birthday card. In the end his joke (and subsequent rejected ones) falls flat, severely ruining the party. At the same time Oscar also gets him to donate money to his nephew's cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non-contagious motor conditions that cause physical disability in human development, chiefly in the various areas of body movement....
walk-a-thon, which Michael accidentally overcontributes to in an effort to look like a good boss.
At the end of the day, after a breakthrough in his pranks on Dwight, Jim giddily grabs Pam's hand in an attempt to explain what has just happened. However, Pam's fiancé Roy
Roy Anderson (The Office)
Royson "Roy" Allan Anderson is a fictional character from the US television series The Office, portrayed by David Denman. His counterpart in the original UK series of The Office is Lee.-Overview:...
(David Denman
David Denman
David Denman is an American film and television actor.-Education:After graduating from Fountain Valley High School, Denman attended the summer training congress at American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco before receiving his B.F.A. from Juilliard.-Career:He made his film debut with Keanu...
) catches this and sees it as an attempt by Jim to make a move on Pam. Jim tries to convince Roy that it was just "office pranks" and asks Dwight to back him up, but he simply denies any involvement leaving Jim awkwardly embarrassed. Dwight reveals that he had no problems betraying Jim, despite the fact that he recently fell into one of Jim's tricks.
Deleted scenes
The Season One DVD contains a number of deleted scenes from this episode. Notable cut scenes include:- Dwight brags to Jim how secure his computer is.
- Michael critiques Pam's phone-answering delivery.
- Dwight throws old food out of the office fridge, including Jim's lunch.
- Oscar asks Angela to contribute to the walk-a-thon.
- Extension of Jim and Dwight's conversation in the parking lot.
- Toby signs Meredith's card in Michael's office, but Michael prevents him from writing any jokes.
- Jim hopes to get Dwight to say "immunity" (a la SurvivorSurvivor (TV series)Survivor is a reality television game show format produced in many countries throughout the world. In the show, contestants are isolated in the wilderness and compete for cash and other prizes. The show uses a system of progressive elimination, allowing the contestants to vote off other tribe...
). - Extension of Dwight trying to help Michael with Meredith's card. When Dwight asks Michael for immunity from downsizing, Jim quietly celebrates.
- Michael asks Meredith to recall recent funny moments.
- Michael chides Oscar for deceiving him about the walk-a-thon.
- Michael presents alternate card jokes.
- Dwight questions Ryan about his alliances.
Production
- The first cut of the episode ran 37 minutes long. Producers considered making the episode a two-parter, one focusing on the Alliance and another focusing on Meredith's birthday party.
- Not much of the footage made the final cut, but during the party, Ryan talks to a different woman in the background of each scene. The producers thought this was a nice character touch for the new employee.
External links
- "The Alliance" at NBC.com