Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager
| "Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager" | |
|---|---|
| The Office episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 7 Episode 24 |
| Directed by | Troy Miller |
| Written by | Justin Spitzer |
| Production code | 724 |
| Original air date | May 12, 2011 |
| Guest stars | |
| "Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager" is the twenty-fourth episode of the seventh season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's 150th episode overall. It originally aired on May 12, 2011 on NBC in the United States. In the episode, Dwight becomes the interim regional manager, instituting a typically heavy-handed management style. Meanwhile, Gabe tries to win back Erin. The episode was written by Justin Spitzer and directed by Troy Miller. The episode received positive reviews from critics with many commenting that it proved the series could survive without lead actor, Steve Carell. According to Nielsen Media Research, "Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager" was viewed by an estimated 6.45 million viewers and a 3.3 rating/8% share in the 18–49 demographic making it the second lowest rated episode of the season after "Todd Packer". SynopsisWhen Deangelo Vickers ends up in a coma, Jo Bennett (guest star Kathy Bates) makes Dwight (Rainn Wilson) the interim regional manager before they find a proper replacement. Dwight establishes a strict management style, from making the employees say The Pledge of Allegiance, to setting up firewalls and long passwords to use the office's various machines, and installing antique punch clocks. Jim (John Krasinski), who had turned down the temporary manager position believing that they should not be assigned one at all, is especially unhappy with the changes, and begins pranking Dwight by suggesting that he is leading an uprising called "The Fist". In order to impress Jo, Dwight buys a gun, though he is more excited when he receives a holster as a gift from a relative, and uses the gun to accessorize. Pam (Jenna Fischer) insists that he put it away, but Dwight accidentally fires the gun right by Andy (Ed Helms), causing him temporary hearing loss. He attempts to bribe the office workers into silence with various favors, and Jim insists that Dwight do outlandish things (such as saying Shagedelic, baby) at certain promptings. Meanwhile, Gabe (Zach Woods) continues with his attempts to win back Erin (Ellie Kemper). He invites Andy to go to the conference room to speak in private. He breaks down, and Andy promises he won't date Erin again. He confronts Andy with the promise after he sees the two hanging out together, but Andy stands up for himself and embarrasses Gabe by describing his crying fit to Erin. When asked whether or not he wants to date Erin, he does not give a straight answer, and eventually claims that it is between him and his diary. When Jo comes to visit the branch, Dwight admits to the gun incident. He attempts to divert the blame to his employees, saying that blackmail is a bigger crime than firing a gun accidentally, but Jo takes the position away from him. Jo later puts Creed (Creed Bratton), who has the most experience and seniority in the office, in charge until a committee composed of Jim, Toby (Paul Lieberstein), and Gabe, find a replacement. While Jim tells Dwight that Jo did the right thing, he also compliments Dwight, noting that the office got every single company order out on time. Production"Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager" was written by supervising producer Justin Spitzer, his ninth writing credit for the series. The episode was directed by Troy Miller, his first credit for the series. The original working title for this episode was "Interim Manager" but was considered to bland by Office writer Mindy Kaling. While writing the episode, Spitzer originally called the episode "Dwight K. Schrute", but decided the title was not descriptive enough so he renamed it "Dwight K. Schrute, Interim Manager" before realizing that Acting Manager fits Dwights role more and changed it to "Dwight K. Schrute, Acting Manager". He then decided that Dwight would downplay the acting part of the position and renamed the episode to it's current title "Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager". The episode features the return of Kathy Bates as Jo Bennett. This is her first on-screen appearance since "Nepotism". The episode also marks the second appearance of Cody Horn as Jordan Garfield, Deangelo's executive assistant, and the first of three new roles since Carell's departure. The role is said to be recurring at first with a chance of her becoming a series regular in the eighth season. The episode also features a voice guest appearance from former producer and writer for The Office Michael Schur as Mose Schrute his first appearance on the show since "Counseling" due to being the show runner for the other NBC sitcom, Parks and Recreation. The official website for The Office included two cut scenes from "Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager" within a week of the episode's release. In the first-66 second clip, Dwight shows the documentary crew his new office apparel including his desk modeled after Uday Hussein's desk. In the second 77-second clip, Jim pranks Dwight by putting fake results from Jordan's surveillance of the office. Later in her talking head, it is hinted that Jordan has a crush on Jim. In the third 86-second clip, the staff realize they are stuck with Dwight as their boss as Phylis attempts to remember a movie. In the fourth 49-second clip, Gabe attempts to get Erin back by using her love of Pixar films, but ultimately fails. ReceptionRatingsIn its original American broadcast on May 13, 2011, "Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager" was viewed by an estimated 6.45 million viewers and received a 3.3 rating/9% share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49. This means that it was seen by 3.3% 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 nine percent drop in the ratings from the previous episode making it the second-lowest rated episode of the season in the 18–49 demographic, after "Todd Packer". "Dwight K Schrute, (Acting) Manager" was the sixth most-watched scripted show for the week of broadcast among adults aged 18–49. ReviewsThe episode received positive reviews from critics. IGN reviewer Cindy White commented: "This episode proved that the show can be funny without him (Steve Carell)". She also praised Rainn Wilson and John Krasinski's performance in the episode calling it "one of my favorite dynamics on the show". However, she criticized the Andy-Gabe-Erin love triangle storyline, commenting: "It's only been made worse by the way they've turned Gabe from meek, bumbling burocrat [sic] into unhinged stalker guy." She ultimately gave the episode a 8.0/10. Alan Sepinwall of HitFix called the episode "fun" and a "drastic improvement from 'The Inner Circle'". He mainly praised the return "The Dwight/Jim dynamic in fact, that I briefly rethought the idea of Dwight as long-term boss." and went on to praise the writers for only featuring Dwight as manager for one episode. He ultimately concluded that "the first real impression of the show after Michael was a strong one." TV Squad writer Joel Keller was very positive towards the episode commenting that "The story also gave me faith that Lieberstein and company might actually do a credible job of exploring the other folks in the office now that the show's dominant force, Michael, is gone". The A.V. Club's Myles McNutt stated that "'Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager' demonstrated that the show is perfectly capable of being funny without Carell", but criticized the episode for not featuring more "subtle" humor. He ultimately gave the episode a B. Sam Morgan of Hollywood.com called the episode "fairly decent episode" commenting that the concept of the episode was similar to the tenth episode of the seventh season, "China". He also positively commented on Ellie Kemper's performance writing that "She came into this series as a sketch actor but for the first time I think she finally started being an 'actor.'" ReferencesExternal links | |
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