The Incentive
Encyclopedia
"The Incentive" is the second episode of the eighth season
of the American comedy
television series
The Office, and the show's 154th episode overall. It was written by Paul Lieberstein
and directed by Charles McDougall
. The episode originally aired on NBC
in the United States on September 29, 2011. The episode revolves around Robert (James Spader
) challenging the Dunder-Mifflin staffers to double their sales. Meanwhile, Pam (Jenna Fischer
) meets an unlikely friend who's also pregnant.
"The Incentive" has received mixed reviews from critics with Myles McNutt mainly criticizing the episode for recycling stories. According to Nielsen Media Research
, the episode was viewed by 6.7 million viewers and received a 3.5 rating/9% share among adult between the ages of 18 and 49, marking a drop in the ratings from the season premiere, "The List
".
(James Spader
) challenges office manager Andy Bernard
(Ed Helms
) to double sales after a rousing motivational speech. After Andy institutes a point system and promises to "wear a dress" for 500 points, "run naked through the parking lot with a donut on [his] ding-dong" for 1,000 points, and tattoo whatever his co-workers would like on "[his] ass" in exchange for 5,000 points, everyone in the office suddenly gets motivated to sell, eventually earning 5,000 points by the end of the day. When Andy and the crew go to the tattoo parlor, however, Andy suddenly is unnerved and admits to Jim Halpert
(John Krasinski
) that he isn't sure why Robert made him manager. Jim reassures Andy that he managed to pick up sales, and that no one in the office expects him to go through with the tattoo idea. Andy responds by getting the tattoo, which Pam Halpert (Jenna Fischer
) changes, without telling Andy, to a image of a dog that has "Nard" written on it, a reference to Andy's nickname "Nard Dog." Upon seeing his completed tattoo in a mirror, Andy is pleased with the result. Robert then reveals to the cameras that he picked Andy because he is "all surface...uncomplicated, what you see is what you get" and that causes people to rally behind him, because he is an underdog. Meanwhile, Pam and Angela Martin
(Angela Kinsey
) become walking buddies at Angela's request, but after Angela says she's reported Pam to Social Services for drinking herbal tea with traces of caffeine it, a disgusted Pam tells Angela they should not have anything else to do with each other. Pam and Angela then continue to walk rapidly–and away from each other.
, who also portrays Toby Flenderson
on the series, his 15th writing credit for the series. It was directed by Charles McDougall
, the sixth episode he has directed for the series. The episode also featured guest star James Spader
as CEO Robert California
. He is slated to appear in at least 15 episodes.
The official website for The Office included two cut scenes from "The Incentive" within a week of its release. In the first 103-second clip, Erin tries to comfort Andy by giving him a gift. In the second 86-second clip, Andy describes his low key management style and he seeks more advice on which tie combination to wear.
s, specifically the Apple iPad
.
". Despite this, it ranked as the highest rated NBC show 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 1.0 rating/2% share, but was defeated by Grey's Anatomy
which received a 3.6 rating/9% share and The X Factor
which received a 3.9 rating/11% share.
reviewer Myles McNutt criticized the episode for recycling storylines from the early seasons of The Office commenting that "This episode wasn’t a trainwreck by any means [...] However, I would find a trainwreck more interesting than the show returning to the same narratives they’ve played out in the past with a vaguely different character". He also criticized the series for low stakes writing that "While Andy's character might be reflecting on his management skills, and Pam and Angela might be pregnant, nothing about the eighth season of The Office suggests that any of this will amount to anything more than the reconfirmation of the status quo". He ultimately gave the episode a C.
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 154th episode overall. It was written by 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...
and directed by Charles McDougall
Charles McDougall
Charles McDougall is a British Emmy Award and BAFTA-winning director.-Biography:McDougall has directed for popular television series which include the pilot episode of ABC's Desperate Housewives . McDougall has also directed episodes of Queer as Folk on Channel 4 and Sex and the City on HBO...
. 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 September 29, 2011. The episode revolves around 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...
) challenging the Dunder-Mifflin staffers to double their sales. Meanwhile, 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,...
) meets an unlikely friend who's also pregnant.
"The Incentive" has received mixed reviews from critics with Myles McNutt mainly criticizing the episode for recycling stories. According to Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
, the episode was viewed by 6.7 million viewers and received a 3.5 rating/9% share among adult between the ages of 18 and 49, marking a drop in the ratings from the season premiere, "The List
The List (The Office)
"The List" is the eighth season premiere of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's 153rd episode overall. The episode original aired on NBC in the United States on September 22, 2011. It was written and directed by executive producer B. J. Novak...
".
Plot
Robert CaliforniaRobert 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 :...
(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...
) challenges office manager Andy Bernard
Andy Bernard
Andrew "Andy" Baines Bernard is a fictional character from the U.S. television series The Office. The character is highly insecure, yet egotistical, constantly mentioning his education at Cornell University...
(Ed Helms
Ed Helms
Edward Paul "Ed" Helms is an American actor and comedian known for his work as a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, as Andy Bernard on the US version of the sitcom/mockumentary The Office and for his role as Dr. Stu Price in The Hangover films.- Early life :Helms was born and raised...
) to double sales after a rousing motivational speech. After Andy institutes a point system and promises to "wear a dress" for 500 points, "run naked through the parking lot with a donut on [his] ding-dong" for 1,000 points, and tattoo whatever his co-workers would like on "[his] ass" in exchange for 5,000 points, everyone in the office suddenly gets motivated to sell, eventually earning 5,000 points by the end of the day. When Andy and the crew go to the tattoo parlor, however, Andy suddenly is unnerved and admits to Jim Halpert
Jim Halpert
James Duncan "Jim" Halpert is a fictional character in the United States version of the television sitcom The Office, played by John Krasinski. The character is based on Tim Canterbury from the original version of The Office...
(John Krasinski
John Krasinski
John Burke Krasinski is an American actor, film director, and writer. He is most widely known for playing Jim Halpert on the NBC sitcom The Office...
) that he isn't sure why Robert made him manager. Jim reassures Andy that he managed to pick up sales, and that no one in the office expects him to go through with the tattoo idea. Andy responds by getting the tattoo, which Pam Halpert (Jenna Fischer
Jenna Fischer
Regina Marie "Jenna" Fischer is an American actress and director. She is most widely known for her Emmy-nominated portrayal of Pam Halpert on the NBC situation comedy and mockumentary The Office, and has also appeared in several films, including Blades of Glory, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story,...
) changes, without telling Andy, to a image of a dog that has "Nard" written on it, a reference to Andy's nickname "Nard Dog." Upon seeing his completed tattoo in a mirror, Andy is pleased with the result. Robert then reveals to the cameras that he picked Andy because he is "all surface...uncomplicated, what you see is what you get" and that causes people to rally behind him, because he is an underdog. Meanwhile, Pam and Angela Martin
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:...
(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:...
) become walking buddies at Angela's request, but after Angela says she's reported Pam to Social Services for drinking herbal tea with traces of caffeine it, a disgusted Pam tells Angela they should not have anything else to do with each other. Pam and Angela then continue to walk rapidly–and away from each other.
Production
The episode was written by executive producer and showrunner Paul LiebersteinPaul 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...
, who also portrays Toby Flenderson
Toby Flenderson
Toby Wyatt Flenderson, M.S.W. born 1971 is a character from the US television series The Office. He is played by Paul Lieberstein. He is an original character and has no equivalent in the British version of the show, The Office.-Overview:...
on the series, his 15th writing credit for the series. It was directed by Charles McDougall
Charles McDougall
Charles McDougall is a British Emmy Award and BAFTA-winning director.-Biography:McDougall has directed for popular television series which include the pilot episode of ABC's Desperate Housewives . McDougall has also directed episodes of Queer as Folk on Channel 4 and Sex and the City on HBO...
, the sixth episode he has directed for the series. The episode also featured guest star 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 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 :...
. He is slated to appear in at least 15 episodes.
The official website for The Office included two cut scenes from "The Incentive" within a week of its release. In the first 103-second clip, Erin tries to comfort Andy by giving him a gift. In the second 86-second clip, Andy describes his low key management style and he seeks more advice on which tie combination to wear.
Cultural references
Sabre's Pyramid tablet serves as a parody of several tablet computerTablet computer
A tablet computer, or simply tablet, is a complete mobile computer, larger than a mobile phone or personal digital assistant, integrated into a flat touch screen and primarily operated by touching the screen...
s, specifically the Apple iPad
IPad
The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...
.
Ratings
In its original American broadcast, "The Incentive" was viewed by an estmated 6.70 million viewers and received a 3.5 rating/9% share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49. This means that it was seen by 3.9% of all 18–49 years olds, and 9% of all 18–49 year olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. This marked a 13-percent drop in the ratings from the previous episode, "The ListThe List (The Office)
"The List" is the eighth season premiere of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's 153rd episode overall. The episode original aired on NBC in the United States on September 22, 2011. It was written and directed by executive producer B. J. Novak...
". Despite this, it ranked as the highest rated NBC show 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 1.0 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 3.6 rating/9% share and The X Factor
The X Factor (U.S.)
The X Factor is an American television music competition to find new singing talent. The show is produced by creator Simon Cowell's company SYCOtv. It premiered on September 21, 2011 on Fox....
which received a 3.9 rating/11% share.
Reviews
"The Incentive" received average reviews from critics with multiple critics criticizing the episode for recycling storylines. The A.V. ClubThe 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 recycling storylines from the early seasons of The Office commenting that "This episode wasn’t a trainwreck by any means [...] However, I would find a trainwreck more interesting than the show returning to the same narratives they’ve played out in the past with a vaguely different character". He also criticized the series for low stakes writing that "While Andy's character might be reflecting on his management skills, and Pam and Angela might be pregnant, nothing about the eighth season of The Office suggests that any of this will amount to anything more than the reconfirmation of the status quo". He ultimately gave the episode a C.
External links
- "The Incentive" 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...