The Manager And The Salesman
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"The Manager and the Salesman" (alternatively titled "Manager and Salesman") is the sixteenth episode of the sixth season of the American comedy television series ''
The Office ''The Office'' is the title of several mockumentary sitcoms based on a British series originally created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant as '' The Office'' in 2001. The original series also starred Gervais as manager and primary charac ...
'' and the show's 116th episode overall. Written by
Mindy Kaling Vera Mindy Chokalingam (born June 24, 1979),Additional archive on June 25, 2015. known professionally as Mindy Kaling (), is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Known for her work on television, she has received a Tony Awa ...
and directed by
Marc Webb Marc Preston Webb (born August 31, 1974) is an American filmmaker and music video director. He made his feature film directorial debut in 2009 with the romantic comedy '' (500) Days of Summer.'' He then directed ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' (2012 ...
, it first aired in the United States on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
on February 11, 2010. The series, presented in a
mockumentary A mockumentary (a portmanteau of ''mock'' and ''documentary'') is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events, but presented as a Documentary film, documentary. Mockumentaries are often used to analyze or comment on current event ...
format, depicts the everyday lives of office employees at the
Scranton, Pennsylvania Scranton is a city in and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Scranton is the most populous city in Northeastern Pennsylvania and the ...
branch of the fictional
Dunder Mifflin Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, Inc. is a fictional paper and office supplies wholesale company featured in the American television series ''The Office''. It is analogous to Wernham Hogg in the British original of the series, and Papiers Jennings ...
Paper Company. In the episode, new CEO Jo Bennett (
Kathy Bates Kathleen Doyle Bates (born June 28, 1948) is an American actress. Kathy Bates filmography, Her work spans over five decades, and List of awards and nominations received by Kathy Bates, her accolades include an Academy Awards, Academy Award, t ...
) visits the Scranton branch and insists that either Michael (
Steve Carell Steven John Carell (; born August 16, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He starred as Michael Scott in the NBC sitcom ''The Office'' (2005–2011, 2013), and also worked at several points as a producer, executive producer, writer, a ...
) or Jim (
John Krasinski John Burke Krasinski (; born October 20, 1979) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his role as Jim Halpert on the NBC sitcom ''The Office'' (2005–2013), where he was also a producer and occasional director. He directed, co-w ...
) step down from co-manager to salesman, while Dwight (
Rainn Wilson Rainn Percival Dietrich Wilson (born January 20, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, podcaster, producer, writer, and director. He starred as Dwight Schrute on NBC's American adaptation of ''The Office'' from 2005 to 2013, and received t ...
) and Ryan ( B. J. Novak) conspire to get Jim demoted. The episode achieved a viewership of 7.44 million during its initial airing in the United States.


Synopsis

The office is eager to welcome Sabre CEO Jo Bennett to Scranton, and are dazzled by her Southern ways. Jo announces that in addition to paper, the Dunder Mifflin branches will now sell Sabre printers. When Jo finds out about the two branch managers, she says either
Michael Scott Michael Scott, Michael Scot, or Mike Scott may refer to: Academics * Michael Scot (1175 – c. 1232), mathematician and astrologer * Michael L. Scott (born 1959), American academic and computer scientist * Mike Scott, British linguist and designer ...
or
Jim Halpert James Duncan Halpert is a fictional character in the U.S. version of the television sitcom '' The Office'', portrayed by John Krasinski. He is introduced as a sales representative at the Scranton branch of paper distribution company Dunder Miff ...
must go back to being a salesman. Both are initially reluctant to be demoted, but
Pam Halpert Pamela Morgan Beesly Halpert (born Beesly) 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. Pam begins the series as the ...
points out to Jim in the Sabre manual that since Sabre has multiple incentive programs and no cap on sales commissions, he would make much more money being demoted back to salesman. Jim tells Michael that he will go back to sales and Michael can keep his sole manager spot, and Michael is delighted. However, when Michael learns about the sales commission benefit from
Oscar Martinez Óscar Martínez or Oscar Martinez may refer to: *Oscar Martínez (actor) (born 1949), Argentine actor * Óscar Martínez (basketball), Paraguayan basketball coach, see Paraguay women's national basketball team * Oscar Martínez (fencer) (born 1889 ...
, he sweet talks Jo into demoting him instead. She complies to his demands due to his greater experience, and Michael gloats to Jim. Meanwhile,
Andy Bernard Andrew Baines Bernard (born Walter Baines Bernard Jr.) is a fictional character portrayed by Ed Helms in the NBC comedy television series ''The Office.'' Character synopsis Season 3 (2006–2007) Andy's character is introduced in the season ...
decides to give
Erin Hannon Kelly Erin Hannon (born May 1, 1986) is a fictional character from the American comedy television series ''The Office'', played by Ellie Kemper. She is the optimistic office receptionist for the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin, a position previo ...
a
Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a Christian martyrs, martyr named Saint Valentine, Valentine, and ...
card as a way of getting her to ask him out. However, to avoid suspicion, he gives one to everyone in the office. Erin receives a friendly one from him, but
Kelly Kapoor Kelly Rajanigandha Kapoor is a fictional character from the American television series ''The Office'', portrayed by Mindy Kaling. She is the customer service representative at the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin from seasons 1 to 8. Following ...
accidentally gets a much more romantic one. Kelly is touched and shows Erin, who is surprised and disappointed. Kelly develops a romantic crush on Andy and publicly kisses him. Learning of his mistake, he sends out an email to everyone in the office claiming that he does not like any of them more than a friend. An angered Kelly confronts him, and he admits that there is one person whom he likes, but does not say who. Erin is relieved that he does not like Kelly in that way. As Michael sets up his desk at the sales section,
Dwight Schrute Dwight Kurt Schrute III () is a character on the American television series ''The Office'' and is portrayed by American actor Rainn Wilson. Dwight is a salesman and assistant to Michael Scott, at the fictional paper distribution company Dunde ...
calls a meeting with
Ryan Howard Ryan James Howard (born November 19, 1979), nicknamed "the Big Piece", is an American former professional baseball first baseman. Howard spent his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career playing for the Philadelphia Phillies, from to . He is ...
to think of ways to take Jim down. Ryan angers Dwight with his tardiness and ''
The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an Epic (genre), epic high fantasy novel written by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's book ''The Hobbit'' but eventually d ...
'' references. They ultimately try getting Nick, the new IT worker, to give them Jim's computer password, but he refuses. Meanwhile, Michael has a difficult time adjusting back to sales, particularly since he can no longer command Erin's services and is exposed to
Phyllis Vance ''The Office'' is an American television series based on the British television comedy of the same name. The format of the series is a parody of the fly on the wall documentary technique that intersperses traditional situation comedy segments ...
's noxious
flatulence Flatulence is the expulsion of gas from the Gastrointestinal tract, intestines via the anus, commonly referred to as farting. "Flatus" is the medical word for gas generated in the stomach or bowels. A proportion of intestinal gas may be swal ...
, a side effect of her new allergy medication. He confides to Jim that he wants the manager job back and they both tell Jo. While frustrated by their fickleness, she allows them to switch. Michael and Erin celebrate his return to his office, and Dwight taunts Jim about his demotion. In a return to his old ways, Jim dips Dwight's tie in his coffee while Pam grins, prompting Dwight to yell “Michael!” At the end of the episode, Dwight and Ryan decide to go out for drinks to celebrate Jim's demotion, but they instead end up arguing about where to go.


Reception

In its original American broadcast, "Manager and Salesman" was watched by 7.44 million viewers, with a 3.7 rating and a 10 share in the 18–49 demographic. Dan Phillips of
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
gave the episode a 7.9 saying it was "Good" and "But again, even with all the episode's strengths, it's impossible not to look at the way it teases at new possibilities with a little frustration and regret. At the very least I would have loved to see Michael on the sales floor for a few more episodes."


References


External links


"The Manager and the Salesman"
at NBC.com * {{The Office US Episodes Manager and the Salesman Manager and the Salesman Television episodes written by Mindy Kaling