"Dwight Christmas" is the ninth episode of the
ninth season of the American
comedy
Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium.
Origins
Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...
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 185th episode overall. The episode was written by Robert Padnick and directed by
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'' (which includes the unaired pilot as well). M ...
. It originally aired 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 December 6, 2012. The episode guest stars
Robert R. Shafer as Bob Vance and
Mark Proksch as Nate.
The series depicts the everyday lives of office employees in 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 this episode,
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 ...
(
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 ...
) gets everyone to celebrate with a traditional Schrute Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas.
Darryl Philbin
''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 ...
(
Craig Robinson) fears that
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 ...
(
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 ...
) has forgotten to include him in the new job in Philadelphia. Pete (
Jake Lacy
Jameson Griffin "Jake" Lacy (born February 14, 1985) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of Pete Miller on the ninth and final season of ''The Office'', as Fran Parker in the fourth and fifth seasons of HBO's '' Girls'', and Sha ...
) teaches
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 ...
(
Ellie Kemper
Elizabeth Claire Kemper (born May 2, 1980) is an American actress, best known for her roles of Erin Hannon in the sitcom ''The Office'' (2009–2013) and Kimmy Schmidt in the sitcom '' Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt'' (2015–2019). She has also app ...
) about his favorite movie, ''
Die Hard
''Die Hard'' is a 1988 American action film directed by John McTiernan and written by Jeb Stuart (writer), Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza, based on the 1979 novel ''Nothing Lasts Forever (Thorp novel), Nothing Lasts Forever'' by Roderick ...
.''
"Dwight Christmas" received generally positive reviews from television critics, with many noting that it resembled past Christmas episodes of ''The Office''. The episode was also viewed by 4.16 million viewers and received a 2.1/6 percent rating among adults between the ages of 18 and 49, ranking fourth in its timeslot. The episode, however, ultimately ranked as the highest-rated NBC series of the night.
Synopsis
The party planning committee drops the ball on the annual Christmas party, and on the behest of
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 ...
,
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 ...
gets everyone to celebrate with a traditional Schrute Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas. He dresses up as the traditional winter
Christmas gift-bringer
A number of Midwinter or Christmas traditions in European folklore involve gift-bringers. Mostly involving the figure of a bearded old man, the traditions have mutually influenced one another, and have adopted aspects from Christian hagiography, ...
figure
Belsnickel
Belsnickel (also known as Belschnickel, Belznickle, Belznickel, Pelznikel, Pelznickel, Bell Sniggle) is a crotchety, fur-clad Christmas gift-bringer figure in the folklore of the Palatinate region of southwestern Germany along the Rhine, th ...
, cooks German food, and plays a game similar to "Naughty or Nice". The festivities cause displeasure among all the employees except Jim and
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 ...
, who are amused by Dwight's antics. Jim, however, announces he is leaving the party early to arrive in Philadelphia for his sports marketing job. In response, Dwight repeatedly hits Jim with his
switch
In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can disconnect or connect the conducting path in an electrical circuit, interrupting the electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another. The most common type o ...
and leaves the party angrily, after which a "normal" Christmas party is started. Although Pam tries to cheer him up, she too is saddened by Jim's absence. Jim returns later, having discovered that there is a 5 a.m. bus the next morning, and both Dwight and Pam are delighted by his return. During the party,
Darryl Philbin
''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 ...
fears that Jim has forgotten to include him in the new job in Philadelphia, and gets extremely drunk. When he goes to confront Jim, Jim—not knowing that Darryl was upset—excitedly tells him that he has arranged an interview for him. Darryl, appeased, turns around but passes out and crashes down on the catering table.
Pete Miller Peter Miller or Pete Miller may refer to:
* Peter Miller (musician) (born 1942), English singer, songwriter and record producer
* Peter Miller (Australian footballer) (born 1969), Australian rules footballer
* Peter Miller (actor) (born 1969), Cana ...
teaches
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 ...
about his favorite movie, ''
Die Hard
''Die Hard'' is a 1988 American action film directed by John McTiernan and written by Jeb Stuart (writer), Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza, based on the 1979 novel ''Nothing Lasts Forever (Thorp novel), Nothing Lasts Forever'' by Roderick ...
'', and attempts to recite all the dialogue from memory while an impressed Erin checks his accuracy using an online transcript.
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 ...
, who is still away in the
Caribbean
The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...
after sailing his family's boat, emails Erin and says that he is going to stay for a few weeks. Hurt, Erin decides to watch ''Die Hard'' with Pete rather than just hear him quote it. While watching the movie, Erin begins to cry as she starts doubting Andy's commitment to her and Pete tries to comfort her by placing his arm around her, which she accepts.
Toby Flenderson
''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 ...
tells
Nellie Bertram
Nellie Bertram is a fictional character on the American comedy television series ''The Office'', portrayed by Catherine Tate. She first appears as a guest star in the seventh season, where she interviewed for the Regional Manager position at the D ...
about the Scranton Strangler case he was on. After boring her for what is implied to be several hours, she hushes him and gently kisses him to make him stop talking. Toby passionately kisses her back, and she reciprocates.
Production
"Dwight Christmas" was written by executive story editor Robert Padnick, marking his fourth writing credit for the series after joining the writing staff in the
seventh season.
It was directed by
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'' (which includes the unaired pilot as well). M ...
, his first directing credit for the season. McDougal's first job for the series was directing its first
Christmas episode during the show's
second season. The basic plot of the episode, involving Belsnickel, had originally been conceived during the writing for the
fourth season and was going to air as that year's Christmas installment. However, the
2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike
From November 5, 2007, to February 12, 2008, all 12,000 film and television screenwriters of the American labor union Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), and West (WGAW) went on strike.
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike primarily so ...
halted production, and the unfinished script was never used. According to executive producer and showrunner
Greg Daniels
Gregory Martin Daniels (born June 13, 1963) is an American screenwriter, television producer, and director. He has worked on several television series, including writing for ''Saturday Night Live'' and ''The Simpsons'', adapting '' The Office'' ...
, the writing staff wanted to use the premise for many years, but could never find a right time to implement it, until an opportunity during the show's last season presented itself. Before the episode aired, Kemper, in an interview with ''
TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media
In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...
'' said that "I feel like I might be expected to say this because it is the last one, but I truly love this episode so much" and that she "specifically love
Dwight's storyline" because "he brings in his family Christmas traditions. I've always held Dwight as one of my favorite characters and now 'Dwight Christmas' just takes it to a new level." Fischer said that filming the last Christmas episode was "emotional" and regretted not being able to have
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 ...
, who portrayed
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 ...
on the series, film a karaoke scene. This is the second episode of season nine to not feature Andy or Clark.
Ed Helms
Edward Parker Helms (born January 24, 1974) is an American actor, musician and comedian. From 2002 to 2006, he was a correspondent on Comedy Central's '' The Daily Show with Jon Stewart''. He played paper salesman Andy Bernard in the NBC sit ...
, who portrayed Andy, left the show temporarily in the season's sixth episode "
The Boat" in order to film ''
The Hangover Part III
''The Hangover Part III'' is a 2013 American comedy film produced by Legendary Pictures and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is the third and final installment in ''The Hangover'' trilogy and the sequel to ''The Hangover Part II'' (2 ...
'', whereas
Clark Duke
Clark Duke (born May 5, 1985) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the films '' Sex Drive'' (2008), '' Kick-Ass'' (2010), '' Hot Tub Time Machine'' (2010), and '' The Croods'' (2013), as well as playing Clark Green in ''The Office ...
, who portrayed Clark, left for a few episodes to film ''
Kick-Ass 2''.
[
On June 26, 2020, it was announced that a scene where the character Nate Nickerson appeared in ]blackface
Blackface is the practice of performers using burned cork, shoe polish, or theatrical makeup to portray a caricature of black people on stage or in entertainment. Scholarship on the origins or definition of blackface vary with some taking a glo ...
as the mythical personage Zwarte Piet was removed from the episode in light of the George Floyd protests
The George Floyd protests were a series of protests, riots, and demonstrations against police brutality that began in Minneapolis in the United States on May 26, 2020. The protests and civil unrest began in Minneapolis as Reactions to the mu ...
.
Cultural references
Dwight, who dresses up as Belsnickel, has one of the warehouse workers, Nate, dress up as Belsnickel's assistant, Zwarte Piet
Zwarte Piet (; ; ; ), also known in English by the translated name Black Pete, is a companions of Saint Nicholas, companion of Saint Nicholas. (; ; ; ) in the folklore of the Low Countries. Traditionally, Zwarte Piet serves as an assistant to ...
, before the office vetoes the idea, feeling that it is racist.[ (In June 2020, the scene featuring Zwarte Piet was removed from Netflix in response to nationwide protests following the ]murder of George Floyd
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black American man, was murdered in Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old White police officer. Floyd had been arrested after a store clerk reported that he made a purchase using a c ...
). Dwight presents the camera with a picture of him and his brother celebrating Christmas, and a version of the same photo decorated in the style of the 1999 science fiction film ''The Matrix
''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction film, science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in the The Matrix (franchise), ''Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Ca ...
''.[ When Jim is trying to convince the office to do Dwight's idea, he mispronounces one of the German character's names, calling him "]Hufflepuff
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry () is a fictional boarding school of magic for young wizards. It is the primary setting for the first six novels in the ''Harry Potter'' series by J. K. Rowling, and also serves as a major setting ...
", one of the four houses of the magical school Hogwarts
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry () is a fictional boarding school of magic for young wizards. It is the primary setting for the first six novels in the '' Harry Potter'' series by J. K. Rowling, and also serves as a major setti ...
from the book series ''Harry Potter
''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven Fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...
'' by J.K. Rowling.[ ]Creed Bratton
Creed Bratton (born William Charles Schneider; February 8, 1943) is an American actor and musician. A former member of the rock band the Grass Roots, he is best known for playing a Creed Bratton (character), fictionalized version of himself o ...
(a fictionalized version of the actual Creed Bratton
Creed Bratton (born William Charles Schneider; February 8, 1943) is an American actor and musician. A former member of the rock band the Grass Roots, he is best known for playing a Creed Bratton (character), fictionalized version of himself o ...
) mentions that, for this years party, he wants a "Tapas Swiss Miss"-themed party, which is a combination of Spanish tapas and Swiss Miss hot cocoa. Andy, via email, tells Erin that he saw the 2012 movie ''Life of Pi
''Life of Pi'' is a Canadian philosophical novel by Yann Martel published in 2001. The protagonist is Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel, an Indian boy from Pondicherry, who explores issues of spirituality and metaphysics from an early age. After a ...
'', an adaptation of the book of the same name. He also notes that he wants to see the first part of Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand filmmaker. He is best known as the director, writer, and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy (2012–2014), both of which ar ...
's 2012 film '' The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey''. Pete and Kevin make several references to the film ''Die Hard
''Die Hard'' is a 1988 American action film directed by John McTiernan and written by Jeb Stuart (writer), Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza, based on the 1979 novel ''Nothing Lasts Forever (Thorp novel), Nothing Lasts Forever'' by Roderick ...
'' by quoting lines from the movie, with Erin and Pete eventually watching the movie.[
]
Reception
Ratings
"Dwight Christmas" aired on NBC on December 6, 2012. In its original American broadcast, the episode was viewed by 4.16 million viewers and received a 2.1 rating/6% share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49. This means that it was seen by 2.1 percent of all 18- to 49-year-olds, and 6 percent of all 18- to 49-year-olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. ''The Office'' ranked fourth in its timeslot, being beaten by an episode of the ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting
* Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
series ''Grey's Anatomy
''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series focusing on the personal and professional lives of surgical internship (medicine), interns, residency (medicine), residents, and attending physician, attendings at the fictional ...
'' which received a 3.0/8% rating, an entry of the CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
series ''Person of Interest
"Person of interest" is a term used by law enforcement in the United States, Canada, and other countries when identifying someone possibly involved in a criminal investigation who has not been arrested or formally accused of a crime. It has no leg ...
'' which received a 2.9/8%, and an installment of the Fox
Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush").
Twelve species ...
program ''Glee
Glee may refer to:
* Glee (music), a type of English choral music
* ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy
* ''Glee'' (Bran Van 3000 album)
* ''Glee'' (Logan Lynn album)
* Gle ...
'', which earned a 2.2/6% rating. In addition, ''The Office'' was the highest-rated NBC television program. The episode ranked number one in its timeslot for men aged 18–34.
Critical reception
The episode received largely positive reviews from television critics. Andrea Reiher of Zap2it
Zap2it was a website and digital media company that provided television program listings information for areas of the United States and Canada. Founded in 2000 by Tribune Media Services, the site has been owned by Nexstar Media Group since 201 ...
named "Dwight Christmas" the best comedy TV episode of 2012. She wrote that the episode "was not only funny but had a huge nostalgia factor", and continued the show's trend of strong holiday episodes. Reiher also praised the episode's two subplots, writing that "drunk Darryl and ''Die Hard''" helped produce "a classic episode of ''The Office'' that brought back the warm and fuzzy feelings of the early seasons of the show."
Bonnie Stiernberg of ''Paste
Paste is a term for any very thick viscous fluid. It may refer to:
Science and technology
* Adhesive or paste
** Wallpaper paste
** Wheatpaste, a liquid adhesive made from vegetable starch and water
* Paste (rheology), a substance that behaves as ...
'' awarded the episode an 8 out of 10. Although she noted that Erin and Pete's subplot "could've easily been ripped from the season two Jim-Pam-Roy storyline", she concluded that "''The Office'' successfully found a way to make its final Christmas count." Damon Houx of Screen Crush called the episode "a really good Christmas episode" that "got hecentral three characters absolutely right". Although he wrote that the show was missing several cast members, like Helms and Duke, it was "as good as the post-Carell ''Office'' has been". Cindy White 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 ...
awarded the episode a 9 out of 10, denoting an "amazing episode". She wrote that it "harkens back to forgotten holiday traditions of old, like good Christmas episodes of ''The Office''". She also concluded that "the nostalgia swirling around Dwight Christmas was particularly noticeable" which she deduced was probably "a conscious effort here on the part of the writers to recapture that old Office magic and make this one to remember, and I think that effort paid off."
Brett Davinger of the ''California Literary Review'' wrote that, while the episode's plot was "not particularly notable" on the surface, it manages to work "because of Rainn Wilson's commitment to it". Furthermore, he wrote that the episode concluded the first half of the season in a "respectable and respectful" manner. Dan Forcella of TV Fanatic awarded the episode four-and-a-half stars out of five and called it "a worthy extension of 'The Office'' Christmastradition" and "definitely one of the best episodes of this final season". He praised Dwight's antics as well as Kevin's humorous lines. Michael Tedder of Vulture
A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to Nort ...
awarded the episode four stars out of five and wrote that "part of the charm of this episode was that the writers didn't try to stuff it with too much plot". One of the very few mixed reviews was written by Caroline Framke of ''The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...
'', who awarded the episode a "B−" and argued that "Dwight Christmas" was trying too hard to replicate the humor of the second-season episode "Christmas Party". She concluded that the episode "ranks as more impish than admirable."
References
External links
"Dwight Christmas"
at NBC.com
*
{{Good article
2012 American television episodes
The Office (American TV series) season 9 episodes
American Christmas television episodes
Television episodes pulled from general rotation