The Seminar
Encyclopedia
"The Seminar" is the fourteenth episode of seventh season of the American comedy
television 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
.
In the episode, Andy holds a small business seminar in the office. He asks Kevin, Creed and Kelly to help him while Michael and Holly embrace the opportunity to improv. Meanwhile, Oscar and Pam help Erin in a Scrabble
battle against Gabe.
(Ricky Gervais
) outside an elevator. After realizing David is English, Michael tells him about a character he came up with and they immediately begin to tell each other racist jokes about British and Chinese people. When David points out the politically-incorrect nature of their joking, Michael corrects him saying it's just comedy and David agrees, saying "Comedy is a place where the mind goes to tickle itself", then adding Michael's favorite catch phrase "That's what she said." Michael then gives David a hug, and David asks if Dunder Mifflin is hiring. Michael says "not right now" and David asks him to drop a line if they do have any openings
.
In order to improve his worst-in-office sales totals Andy decides to hold a seminar on starting a small business. He originally enlists Jim to be one of the guest speakers, but Jim abruptly pulls out when he see one of the audience members and quickly leaves. Seeing Jim leave, the other speakers (Dwight, Phyllis and Stanley) also pull out leaving Andy to replace them with Kevin, Creed and Ryan. Kevin's speech goes bad when he gets ill from running around the room and vomits in front of the audience. Kelly, who replaces Ryan, makes things slightly better when she calls up an old professor from her management training time at Yale (whom she may have slept with) to talk business lessons, but Creed ruins it when he goes into a speech about the Loch Ness Monster
.
Meanwhile, Erin is trying to beat Gabe in a game of Scrabble. Unfortunately, she's not very good, and the winner of their Scrabble games always picks the movie they watch. Since Gabe has already subjected her to numerous horror movies such as The Shining
and The Ring
, Erin desperately needs a win. With the help of Oscar and Pam, she almost beats Gabe but loses on the last turn, because she doesn't realize Oscar is trying to feed her a winning word ("apoplexy") and instead puts in the word "ape".
After Jim spends all day outside of the office, Pam forces him to tell the camera crew why he's avoiding the guy. He and the man were childhood friends who were placed in separate reading groups in school (Jim was in the superior one). After his mom told him to hang out with his "smart" friends, Jim told his friend that "mom thinks you're too dumb to hang out with." Jim eventually bumps into the guy in the break room, and tries to laugh off their history, but the guy mocks Jim for not being as successful as his superior intellect would have indicated, and snarks "Where's your jet pack, Zuckerberg
?"
Back at Andy's seminar, Dwight talks to one of the attendees, a man who owns a golf supply business, and realizes that this could actually be a good opportunity for the sales team. He, along with Phyllis and Stanley, try to rejoin Andy, who refuses at Darryl's intervening. At the end of the seminar, Andy is able to sell three packages, thanks to the advice of Michael, who has taken a Greek persona of "Mykonos
" in order to impress Holly, who has broken up with AJ. With Holly playing his wife "Necropolis
", Michael professes his love to her (in character). She amusedly walks away but Michael is hopeful.
At then end of the day, Gabe shows Erin the movie they'll be watching that night, Hardware, which involves a killer robot (calling it a compromise because Erin wanted to watch WALL-E
). As he is leaving, a confident Andy, who is still trying to win Erin back, hands her a copy of Shrek 2
, leaving Erin visibly pleased.
, the first episode he has written for The Office since joining the writing staff in season seven. It was directed by co-executive producer B. J. Novak
, the second episode he has directed for the series; he also portrays Ryan Howard
on the show. The episode features the first guest appearance of The Office co-creator Ricky Gervais
which was revealed on January 19, 2011, that Gervais would reprise his role as David Brent
from the original British series
in a cameo appearance. The scene was shot months previously, and NBC
hoped to keep it a secret, but the news eventually leaked. Gervais appeared in the cold open
in the episode, interacting with Michael Scott. He eventually reappeared in the seventh season finale, "Search Committee
".
The official website for The Office included four cut scenes from "The Seminar" within a week of its release. In the first 41-second clip, Stanley reveals his selling technique while Andy reveals why he can't close sales. In the second 56-second clip, Michael gives more answers to Holly on his Greek character. In the third 39-second clip, Creed reveals that the idea of Chuck E. Cheese's
was supposedly taken from him. In the fourth 108-second clip, Dwight, Stanley and Phyllis try to convince Michael to make Andy let them close the seminar.
. This means that it was seen by 4.0% of all 18–49 years olds, and 11% of all 18–49 year olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. It marked an eleven percent decrease from the previous episode, Ultimatum
. The episode ranked first in its timeslot beating the Fox
series Bones
with received a 3.9 rating/10% share in the 18–49 demographic, a rerun of the CBS
crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
which received a 2.1 rating/6% share, a rerun of the ABC
medical drama, Grey's Anatomy
which received 1.5 rating/4% share and Nikita
which received a 1.1 rating/3% share.
praised the cold opening with Ricky Gervais, writing, "In barely over a minute, it showed us the commonalities between the two characters: how they've each created a world in which they are "performers" whose cutting-edge comedy is often unappreciated[...]is just masterly". Despite this, "The Seminar" was voted the second lowest-rated episode out of 24 from the seventh season, according to an episode poll at the fansite OfficeTally.
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 140th episode overall. Written by Steve Hely
Steve Hely
Steve Hely is an American writer.Hely has written for the television shows Late Show with David Letterman ; Last Call with Carson Daly, where he also served as an associate producer; American Dad; and 30 Rock...
and directed by B. J. Novak
B. J. Novak
Benjamin Joseph Manaly “B. J.” Novak is an American actor, stand-up comedian, screenwriter, and director. He is best known for being a writer and co-executive producer for and playing the role of Ryan Howard on the US version of The Office, as well as appearing in Inglourious Basterds...
, the episode aired January 27, 2011 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, Andy holds a small business seminar in the office. He asks Kevin, Creed and Kelly to help him while Michael and Holly embrace the opportunity to improv. Meanwhile, Oscar and Pam help Erin in a Scrabble
Scrabble
Scrabble is a word game in which two to four players score points by forming words from individual lettered tiles on a game board marked with a 15-by-15 grid. The words are formed across and down in crossword fashion and must appear in a standard dictionary. Official reference works provide a list...
battle against Gabe.
Synopsis
The episode begins with Michael bumping into David BrentDavid Brent
David Brent is a fictional character in the BBC television mockumentary The Office, as well as a recurring character in the NBC series of the same name, portrayed by co-writer and director Ricky Gervais. Brent is a white-collar office middle-manager and the principal character of the BBC series...
(Ricky Gervais
Ricky Gervais
Ricky Dene Gervais is an English comedian, actor, director, radio presenter, producer, musician, and writer.Gervais achieved mainstream fame with his television series The Office and the subsequent series Extras, both of which he co-wrote and co-directed with friend and frequent collaborator...
) outside an elevator. After realizing David is English, Michael tells him about a character he came up with and they immediately begin to tell each other racist jokes about British and Chinese people. When David points out the politically-incorrect nature of their joking, Michael corrects him saying it's just comedy and David agrees, saying "Comedy is a place where the mind goes to tickle itself", then adding Michael's favorite catch phrase "That's what she said." Michael then gives David a hug, and David asks if Dunder Mifflin is hiring. Michael says "not right now" and David asks him to drop a line if they do have any openings
Search Committee
"Search Committee" is the hour-long finale of the seventh season of the American television comedy series The Office. It is the 151st and 152nd episodes of the series overall and the 25th and 26th episodes of the seventh season. It was written by show runner and executive producer Paul Lieberstein...
.
In order to improve his worst-in-office sales totals Andy decides to hold a seminar on starting a small business. He originally enlists Jim to be one of the guest speakers, but Jim abruptly pulls out when he see one of the audience members and quickly leaves. Seeing Jim leave, the other speakers (Dwight, Phyllis and Stanley) also pull out leaving Andy to replace them with Kevin, Creed and Ryan. Kevin's speech goes bad when he gets ill from running around the room and vomits in front of the audience. Kelly, who replaces Ryan, makes things slightly better when she calls up an old professor from her management training time at Yale (whom she may have slept with) to talk business lessons, but Creed ruins it when he goes into a speech about the Loch Ness Monster
Loch Ness Monster
The Loch Ness Monster is a cryptid that is reputed to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is similar to other supposed lake monsters in Scotland and elsewhere, though its description varies from one account to the next....
.
Meanwhile, Erin is trying to beat Gabe in a game of Scrabble. Unfortunately, she's not very good, and the winner of their Scrabble games always picks the movie they watch. Since Gabe has already subjected her to numerous horror movies such as The Shining
The Shining (film)
The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, co-written with novelist Diane Johnson, and starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, and Danny Lloyd. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. A writer, Jack Torrance, takes a job as an...
and The Ring
The Ring (2002 film)
The Ring is a 2002 American psychological horror film directed by Gore Verbinski and starring Naomi Watts and Martin Henderson. It is a remake of the 1998 Japanese horror film Ring....
, Erin desperately needs a win. With the help of Oscar and Pam, she almost beats Gabe but loses on the last turn, because she doesn't realize Oscar is trying to feed her a winning word ("apoplexy") and instead puts in the word "ape".
After Jim spends all day outside of the office, Pam forces him to tell the camera crew why he's avoiding the guy. He and the man were childhood friends who were placed in separate reading groups in school (Jim was in the superior one). After his mom told him to hang out with his "smart" friends, Jim told his friend that "mom thinks you're too dumb to hang out with." Jim eventually bumps into the guy in the break room, and tries to laugh off their history, but the guy mocks Jim for not being as successful as his superior intellect would have indicated, and snarks "Where's your jet pack, Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Elliot Zuckerberg is an American computer programmer and Internet entrepreneur. He is best known for co-creating the social networking site Facebook, of which he is chief executive and president...
?"
Back at Andy's seminar, Dwight talks to one of the attendees, a man who owns a golf supply business, and realizes that this could actually be a good opportunity for the sales team. He, along with Phyllis and Stanley, try to rejoin Andy, who refuses at Darryl's intervening. At the end of the seminar, Andy is able to sell three packages, thanks to the advice of Michael, who has taken a Greek persona of "Mykonos
Mykonos
Mykonos is a Greek island, part of the Cyclades, lying between Tinos, Syros, Paros and Naxos. The island spans an area of and rises to an elevation of at its highest point. There are 9,320 inhabitants most of whom live in the largest town, Mykonos, which lies on the west coast. The town is also...
" in order to impress Holly, who has broken up with AJ. With Holly playing his wife "Necropolis
Necropolis
A necropolis is a large cemetery or burial ground, usually including structural tombs. The word comes from the Greek νεκρόπολις - nekropolis, literally meaning "city of the dead"...
", Michael professes his love to her (in character). She amusedly walks away but Michael is hopeful.
At then end of the day, Gabe shows Erin the movie they'll be watching that night, Hardware, which involves a killer robot (calling it a compromise because Erin wanted to watch WALL-E
WALL-E
WALL-E, promoted with an interpunct as WALL•E, is a 2008 American computer-animated science fiction film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and directed by Andrew Stanton. The story follows a robot named WALL-E, who is designed to clean up a waste-covered Earth far in the future...
). As he is leaving, a confident Andy, who is still trying to win Erin back, hands her a copy of Shrek 2
Shrek 2
Shrek 2 is a 2004 American computer-animated fantasy comedy film, produced by DreamWorks Animation and directed by Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury and Conrad Vernon. It is the second installment in the Shrek film series and the sequel to 2001's Shrek...
, leaving Erin visibly pleased.
Production
The episode was written by producer Steve HelySteve Hely
Steve Hely is an American writer.Hely has written for the television shows Late Show with David Letterman ; Last Call with Carson Daly, where he also served as an associate producer; American Dad; and 30 Rock...
, the first episode he has written for The Office since joining the writing staff in season seven. It was directed by co-executive producer B. J. Novak
B. J. Novak
Benjamin Joseph Manaly “B. J.” Novak is an American actor, stand-up comedian, screenwriter, and director. He is best known for being a writer and co-executive producer for and playing the role of Ryan Howard on the US version of The Office, as well as appearing in Inglourious Basterds...
, the second episode he has directed for the series; he also portrays Ryan Howard
Ryan Howard (The Office)
Ryan Bailey Howard , played by B. J. Novak, is a fictional character on the US television sitcom The Office. He is based upon Ricky Howard from the original version of The Office , but his role is significantly expanded and he is a main character.-Character profile:Little is known about Ryan's...
on the show. The episode features the first guest appearance of The Office co-creator Ricky Gervais
Ricky Gervais
Ricky Dene Gervais is an English comedian, actor, director, radio presenter, producer, musician, and writer.Gervais achieved mainstream fame with his television series The Office and the subsequent series Extras, both of which he co-wrote and co-directed with friend and frequent collaborator...
which was revealed on January 19, 2011, that Gervais would reprise his role as David Brent
David Brent
David Brent is a fictional character in the BBC television mockumentary The Office, as well as a recurring character in the NBC series of the same name, portrayed by co-writer and director Ricky Gervais. Brent is a white-collar office middle-manager and the principal character of the BBC series...
from the original British series
The Office (UK TV series)
The Office is a British sitcom television series that was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 9 July 2001. Created, written, and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the programme is about the day-to-day lives of office employees in the Slough branch of the fictitious...
in a cameo appearance. The scene was shot months previously, and 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...
hoped to keep it a secret, but the news eventually leaked. Gervais appeared in the cold open
Cold open
A cold open in a television program or movie is the technique of jumping directly into a story at the beginning or opening of the show, before the title sequence or opening credits are shown...
in the episode, interacting with Michael Scott. He eventually reappeared in the seventh season finale, "Search Committee
Search Committee
"Search Committee" is the hour-long finale of the seventh season of the American television comedy series The Office. It is the 151st and 152nd episodes of the series overall and the 25th and 26th episodes of the seventh season. It was written by show runner and executive producer Paul Lieberstein...
".
The official website for The Office included four cut scenes from "The Seminar" within a week of its release. In the first 41-second clip, Stanley reveals his selling technique while Andy reveals why he can't close sales. In the second 56-second clip, Michael gives more answers to Holly on his Greek character. In the third 39-second clip, Creed reveals that the idea of Chuck E. Cheese's
Chuck E. Cheese's
Chuck E. Cheese's is a chain of family entertainment centers. Chuck E...
was supposedly taken from him. In the fourth 108-second clip, Dwight, Stanley and Phyllis try to convince Michael to make Andy let them close the seminar.
Ratings
In its original American broadcast on January 27, 2011, "The Seminar" was viewed by an estimated 7.93 million viewers and received a 4.0 rating/11% share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49 according to the Nielsen Media ResearchNielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
. This means that it was seen by 4.0% of all 18–49 years olds, and 11% of all 18–49 year olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. It marked an eleven percent decrease from the previous episode, 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...
. The episode ranked first in its timeslot beating the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
series Bones
Bones (TV series)
Bones is an American crime drama television series that premiered on the Fox Network on September 13, 2005. The show is based on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, with each episode focusing on an FBI case file concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent...
with received a 3.9 rating/10% share in the 18–49 demographic, a rerun of the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
which received a 2.1 rating/6% share, a rerun of the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
medical drama, 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 1.5 rating/4% share and Nikita
Nikita (TV series)
La Femme Nikita is a Canadian action/drama television series based on the French film Nikita by Luc Besson. The series was co-produced by Jay Firestone of Fireworks Entertainment and Warner Brothers. It was adapted for television by Joel Surnow...
which received a 1.1 rating/3% share.
Reviews
The episode received mostly positive reviews from critics. HitFix writer Alan Sepinwall said the episode was "uneven but often funny, and a nice showcase for the supporting cast." James Poniewozik of TimeTime (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
praised the cold opening with Ricky Gervais, writing, "In barely over a minute, it showed us the commonalities between the two characters: how they've each created a world in which they are "performers" whose cutting-edge comedy is often unappreciated[...]is just masterly". Despite this, "The Seminar" was voted the second lowest-rated episode out of 24 from the seventh season, according to an episode poll at the fansite OfficeTally.
External links
- "The Seminar" 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...