The Chump (The Office)
Encyclopedia
"The Chump" is the 25th episode of the sixth season
of the U.S. comedy series The Office and the show's 125th episode overall. It aired on May 13, 2010 on NBC
. In the episode, Michael is surprisingly cheerful after learning some bad news about Donna. The new parents, Pam and Jim, have trouble staying awake in the office. Meanwhile, Angela takes matters into her own hands when Dwight refuses to honor their pre-natal contract.
It was written by Aaron Shure
and was directed by Randall Einhorn
. The episode has received mixed reviews from critics and was viewed by 6.604 million viewers.
) infidelity, but surprisingly, Michael is reacting much differently than usual. The office soon realizes that Michael is secretly still seeing Donna, knowing full well that she is cheating on her husband with him. Michael defends his actions by pointing fingers at Stanley and Phyllis for their own affairs (he clarifies that Phyllis, who has never cheated on her husband Bob Vance, is "cheating on her diet"), and even takes a cheap jab at Andy for being too dumb to realize he was being cheated on. Andy, having been in the situation of the cuckold
when Angela was cheating on him with Dwight, decides to step up and make Michael confront his girlfriend's husband. They both go visit him while he's coaching a high school baseball team, and Andy manages to get the two of them to talk. This does little to sway Michael from breaking things off.
Meanwhile, Dwight and Angela are working out the fallout of the baby contract they had signed a few months earlier. Instead of going to court, they have asked a mediator to sort out the issues. After pushing through the contract line for line, the mediator determines that the otherwise 'solid' contract is ultimately unenforceable, since you can't force two people to have sex and make a baby. Instead, Angela could sue Dwight for damages up to thirty thousand dollars for breach of contract. Knowing that Dwight would never want to pay her damages, she offers him a 'settlement'; five separate sessions of intercourse instead. He accepts, gloating that thirty thousand dollars for sex was "not a bad stud fee; better than most horses." Later, Dwight is seen carrying out various methods to try to sterilize himself before the first 'session', such as holding his crotch near a running microwave, dropping books on it, and beating it with drumsticks.
Pam and Jim are both exhausted from the long nights with the new baby, and their work is being adversely affected. Gabe catches them both sleeping at their desks and talks to them privately about it. He tries to ask them what they would do about the rumors of printers catching fire, but they both nearly fall asleep listening to him. Darryl catches them debating on how to get enough energy to make it through the day, and lets them in on a secret sleeping place in the warehouse they can use. Unfortunately for them, this secret location is within earshot of Dwight and Angela's "warehouse meeting" place, where Angela complains about the damage to Dwight's testicles.
After returning from the baseball game, Michael shows no sincere change in attitude towards cheating with Donna, despite talking face to face with her pleasant husband (after which Ryan tries the same attitude and goes over to Erin's desk and says he thinks she's attractive and wants to sleep with her, but can't hold through and says it's a joke). The rest of the office turns cold towards him. No one, not even Meredith or Creed, agrees with what Michael is doing, and when he tries to defend his position in front of everyone, they snap back. He leaves to secretly meet Donna at a motel for sex, but on the way there has his change of heart and breaks up with her via text message instead. He consoles himself, alone, with his favorite ice cream after returning heartbroken.
At the end of the episode, Michael is ambushed by WBRE-TV
reporters asking about the rumors of Sabre printers catching fire.
, his second writing credit of the season after "The Meeting
." It was directed by Randall Einhorn
, his fourth episode of the season and twelfth in the series overall. After the episode aired NBC
posted three deleted scenes on its website.
to shut them up.
Creed says his favorite movie starring James McAvoy
was Wanted. When Andy and Michael have a conversation of Michael's affair they reference the 2009 film, Obsessed
(which was about an affair) with Andy calling himself Beyonce and Michael is Ali Larter
(the movie also starred Idris Elba
, who had appeared in a few episodes of "The Office". When Michael's co-workers disagree with his affair with Donna, Stanley speaks out against the affair. Michael in return calls Stanley, "Morgan Freeman
narrating everything."
The characters on the show make reference to a fictional video game title, Rock Band
: Billy Joel, to which Darren Franich of Entertainment Weekly
said "let’s hope never actually exists ever". Billy Joel
, in response, sought to authorize the use of his songs with the actual Rock Band series as a means to snub Franich's comment.
". The episode came second in its timeslot after Grey's Anatomy
. The episode ranked 17th in the weekly 18-49 ratings.
Cindy White of IGN
gave the episode a 7.5 saying it was "Good" and "The show is at its best when it mixes the business aspects of the office setting with the character's personal lives. Too much focus on one or the other can be a drag, and this episode suffered a bit for it." Joel Keller of TV Squad said that Michael's character was too inconsistent throughout the episode. Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club
gave the episode a B+ and wrote that the episode was too unrealistic like previous episodes. Rabin said Michael was too much of a jerk although he noted that "if the episode came up short in the likability and realism department it was nevertheless funny and full of great little character moments, like the dreamy, faraway look Darryl gets while describing the warehouse employee’s secret napping spot or Ryan’s response to Michael's new gung-ho, take-charge personality." Alan Sepinwall gave the episode a negative review, stating that the opening scene (where Michael was his usual nasty self towards Toby Flenderson and the rest of the office mostly supported Michael behaving that way) wasn't plausible, Michael's behavior as a cuckold wasn't enjoyable, and the Angela-Dwight "procreation contract" story was ridiculous.
Darren Franich of Entertainment Weekly
loved the fact that Pam Beesly
had been featured more on the show. He remarked on the ending that "Coming at the end of a mostly light episode, that was a heavy line. Nice payoff, Office." Neil Turitz of TV Guide
remarked "One of the funnier episodes of late, especially the montage of Dwight continually causing himself great pain in the crotch area. Low humor, perhaps, but still funny." Will Leitch of New York
said "All in all, this penultimate episode took care of Michael, Dwight, and every other lingering thread from a meandering season except for the big one, in a very funny last-scene reveal."
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 125th episode overall. It aired on May 13, 2010 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 episode, Michael is surprisingly cheerful after learning some bad news about Donna. The new parents, Pam and Jim, have trouble staying awake in the office. Meanwhile, Angela takes matters into her own hands when Dwight refuses to honor their pre-natal contract.
It was written by Aaron Shure
Aaron Shure
Aaron Shure is a TV writer/producer and two-time Emmy winner. Shure was an executive producer of Everybody Loves Raymond for which he won two Emmy awards in the "Outstanding Comedy Series" category...
and was 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...
. The episode has received mixed reviews from critics and was viewed by 6.604 million viewers.
Plot
The entire office is bracing for the fallout of Michael learning about his girlfriend Donna's (Amy PietzAmy Pietz
Amy Pietz is an American film and television actress.-Early life:Pietz was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the adopted daughter of Nancy, a nurse, and Arnold Pietz, a truck driver. She trained throughout her childhood in ballet and prepared to go professional, but eventually decided not to due to...
) infidelity, but surprisingly, Michael is reacting much differently than usual. The office soon realizes that Michael is secretly still seeing Donna, knowing full well that she is cheating on her husband with him. Michael defends his actions by pointing fingers at Stanley and Phyllis for their own affairs (he clarifies that Phyllis, who has never cheated on her husband Bob Vance, is "cheating on her diet"), and even takes a cheap jab at Andy for being too dumb to realize he was being cheated on. Andy, having been in the situation of the cuckold
Cuckold
Cuckold is a historically derogatory term for a man who has an unfaithful wife. The word, which has been in recorded use since the 13th century, derives from the cuckoo bird, some varieties of which lay their eggs in other birds' nests...
when Angela was cheating on him with Dwight, decides to step up and make Michael confront his girlfriend's husband. They both go visit him while he's coaching a high school baseball team, and Andy manages to get the two of them to talk. This does little to sway Michael from breaking things off.
Meanwhile, Dwight and Angela are working out the fallout of the baby contract they had signed a few months earlier. Instead of going to court, they have asked a mediator to sort out the issues. After pushing through the contract line for line, the mediator determines that the otherwise 'solid' contract is ultimately unenforceable, since you can't force two people to have sex and make a baby. Instead, Angela could sue Dwight for damages up to thirty thousand dollars for breach of contract. Knowing that Dwight would never want to pay her damages, she offers him a 'settlement'; five separate sessions of intercourse instead. He accepts, gloating that thirty thousand dollars for sex was "not a bad stud fee; better than most horses." Later, Dwight is seen carrying out various methods to try to sterilize himself before the first 'session', such as holding his crotch near a running microwave, dropping books on it, and beating it with drumsticks.
Pam and Jim are both exhausted from the long nights with the new baby, and their work is being adversely affected. Gabe catches them both sleeping at their desks and talks to them privately about it. He tries to ask them what they would do about the rumors of printers catching fire, but they both nearly fall asleep listening to him. Darryl catches them debating on how to get enough energy to make it through the day, and lets them in on a secret sleeping place in the warehouse they can use. Unfortunately for them, this secret location is within earshot of Dwight and Angela's "warehouse meeting" place, where Angela complains about the damage to Dwight's testicles.
After returning from the baseball game, Michael shows no sincere change in attitude towards cheating with Donna, despite talking face to face with her pleasant husband (after which Ryan tries the same attitude and goes over to Erin's desk and says he thinks she's attractive and wants to sleep with her, but can't hold through and says it's a joke). The rest of the office turns cold towards him. No one, not even Meredith or Creed, agrees with what Michael is doing, and when he tries to defend his position in front of everyone, they snap back. He leaves to secretly meet Donna at a motel for sex, but on the way there has his change of heart and breaks up with her via text message instead. He consoles himself, alone, with his favorite ice cream after returning heartbroken.
At the end of the episode, Michael is ambushed by WBRE-TV
WBRE-TV
WBRE-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for Northeastern Pennsylvania that is licensed to Wilkes-Barre. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 11 from a transmitter at the Penobscot Knob antenna farm near Mountain Top. It can also be seen on Comcast and Service...
reporters asking about the rumors of Sabre printers catching fire.
Production
It was written by Aaron ShureAaron Shure
Aaron Shure is a TV writer/producer and two-time Emmy winner. Shure was an executive producer of Everybody Loves Raymond for which he won two Emmy awards in the "Outstanding Comedy Series" category...
, his second writing credit of the season after "The Meeting
The Meeting (The Office)
"The Meeting" is the second episode of the sixth season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the 102nd overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on September 24, 2009....
." It was 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...
, his fourth episode of the season and twelfth in the series overall. After the episode aired 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...
posted three deleted scenes on its website.
Cultural references
When Michael is confronted from his employees about continuing his relationship with Donna even after he knows she's married, he declares a "moment of silence" in honor of Michael JacksonMichael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
to shut them up.
Creed says his favorite movie starring James McAvoy
James McAvoy
James McAvoy is a Scottish stage and screen actor. He made his acting debut as a teen in 1995's The Near Room and continued to make mostly television appearances until the early 2000s. His notable television work includes State of Play, Shameless, and Frank Herbert's Children of Dune...
was Wanted. When Andy and Michael have a conversation of Michael's affair they reference the 2009 film, Obsessed
Obsessed (2009 film)
Obsessed is a 2009 American thriller film directed by Steve Shill. The Screen Gems production stars Idris Elba, Beyoncé Knowles and Ali Larter...
(which was about an affair) with Andy calling himself Beyonce and Michael is Ali Larter
Ali Larter
Alison Elizabeth "Ali" Larter is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for playing the dual roles of Niki Sanders and Jessica Sanders on the NBC science fiction drama Heroes as well as her guest roles on several television shows in the 1990s.Larter's screen debut came in the 1999 film...
(the movie also starred Idris Elba
Idris Elba
Idrissa Akuna "Idris" Elba is a British television, theatre, and film actor. He has starred in both British and American productions. Elba grew up in Canning Town, East London. One of his first acting roles was in the soap opera Family Affairs. He has worked in a variety of TV roles including ...
, who had appeared in a few episodes of "The Office". When Michael's co-workers disagree with his affair with Donna, Stanley speaks out against the affair. Michael in return calls Stanley, "Morgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman is an American actor, film director, aviator and narrator. He is noted for his reserved demeanor and authoritative speaking voice. Freeman has received Academy Award nominations for his performances in Street Smart, Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption and Invictus and won...
narrating everything."
The characters on the show make reference to a fictional video game title, Rock Band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
: Billy Joel, to which Darren Franich of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
said "let’s hope never actually exists ever". Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
, in response, sought to authorize the use of his songs with the actual Rock Band series as a means to snub Franich's comment.
Reception
In its original American broadcast, "The Chump" was viewed by 6.60 million viewers with a 3.4 rating/10% share in the 18-49 demographic going down 3% from "The Cover-UpThe Cover-Up (The Office)
"The Cover-Up" is the 24th episode of the sixth season of the U.S. comedy series The Office and the show's 124th episode overall. It aired May 6, 2010 on NBC.In the episode, Michael suspects Donna is cheating on him, and he pays Dwight $50 to investigate...
". The episode came second in its timeslot after 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...
. The episode ranked 17th in the weekly 18-49 ratings.
Cindy White 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 a 7.5 saying it was "Good" and "The show is at its best when it mixes the business aspects of the office setting with the character's personal lives. Too much focus on one or the other can be a drag, and this episode suffered a bit for it." Joel Keller of TV Squad said that Michael's character was too inconsistent throughout the episode. Nathan Rabin 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+ and wrote that the episode was too unrealistic like previous episodes. Rabin said Michael was too much of a jerk although he noted that "if the episode came up short in the likability and realism department it was nevertheless funny and full of great little character moments, like the dreamy, faraway look Darryl gets while describing the warehouse employee’s secret napping spot or Ryan’s response to Michael's new gung-ho, take-charge personality." Alan Sepinwall gave the episode a negative review, stating that the opening scene (where Michael was his usual nasty self towards Toby Flenderson and the rest of the office mostly supported Michael behaving that way) wasn't plausible, Michael's behavior as a cuckold wasn't enjoyable, and the Angela-Dwight "procreation contract" story was ridiculous.
Darren Franich of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
loved the fact that 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....
had been featured more on the show. He remarked on the ending that "Coming at the end of a mostly light episode, that was a heavy line. Nice payoff, Office." Neil Turitz of TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
remarked "One of the funnier episodes of late, especially the montage of Dwight continually causing himself great pain in the crotch area. Low humor, perhaps, but still funny." Will Leitch of 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...
said "All in all, this penultimate episode took care of Michael, Dwight, and every other lingering thread from a meandering season except for the big one, in a very funny last-scene reveal."
External links
- "The Chump" at NBC.comNBCThe 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...