The 15 Best Office Episodes Ranked

It’s not very often that a TV remake surpasses the quality of the original series it’s based upon. But then again, the American remake of The Office made a habit of making the unpredictable a normal occurrence, be it in the form of random lip-sync music videos, botched safety training lectures, or terrifyingly realistic fire […]

The post The 15 Best Office Episodes Ranked appeared first on Den of Geek.

It’s not very often that a TV remake surpasses the quality of the original series it’s based upon. But then again, the American remake of The Office made a habit of making the unpredictable a normal occurrence, be it in the form of random lip-sync music videos, botched safety training lectures, or terrifyingly realistic fire drill simulations. 

After a first season that remained largely faithful to its underlying British source material, the American version of The Office slowly transformed into a television juggernaut of Friends-level proportions. Reinventing the mockumentary format for mainstream American television, The Office established itself as one of the hottest pop culture sensations of the 2000s, influencing similarly-veined TV series like Modern Family, Parks and Recreation, and Abbott Elementary that followed in its wake.

Spanning nine seasons and a whopping 201 episodes, singling out the greatest episodes of The Office isn’t exactly a simple task, with so many memorable Office episodes instantly springing to mind. Yet even then, it’s safe to say some installments continue to live on in audiences’ collective memories more than other, slightly less popular Office outings. From rowdy holiday celebrations to painfully awkward dinner parties, here are 15 episodes of The Office we wholeheartedly consider the best.

15. Christmas Party

Season 2 Episode 10
Aired on: December 6, 2005

The Office always shined brightest when it came to its holiday specials, and “Christmas Party” is certainly no exception. As Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton Branch prepares for their annual Secret Santa, Michael uses his holiday bonus to purchase an extravagant gift for Ryan. Of course, Michael being Michael, it isn’t long before the party descends into a tense gift exchange featuring expensive iPods, teapots with hidden letters, and bizarre posters of children dressed as adult musicians – you know, all the stuff that makes Christmas worth celebrating.

It’s always a joy to see Michael make an office celebration somehow about himself, and “Christmas Party” effortlessly fulfills that characteristic, right down to Michael’s childish tantrum when he finds Phyllis has gifted him a handmade oven mitt. (“So Phyllis is basically saying, ‘Hey, Michael, I know you did a lot to help the office this year but I only care about you a homemade oven mitt’s worth.’ I gave Ryan an iPod.”)

14. Stress Relief

Season 5 Episodes 14 and 15
Aired on: February 1, 2009

The Office has had many fantastic cold open sequences, but few match the sheer chaos that makes up the opening moments of “Stress Relief.” Unhappy with his coworkers’ apparent indifference towards fire safety, Dwight stages a hyper-realistic fake fire to test his colleagues’ survival skills, leading to predictably anarchic results for all parties involved.

Whether watching Oscar burst through the ceiling or listening to Andy shrilly cry out, “The fire is shooting at us!” as firecrackers explode in the background, every moment of “Stress Relief’s” introduction is pure Dunder Mifflin-centric pandemonium at its finest. 

13. The Injury

Season 2 Episode 12
Aired on: January 12, 2006

Michael has never shied away from an opportunity to blow things out of proportion, handling personal and professional crises with the grace of an over-caffeinated toddler. Nowhere can this characteristic be more readily identified than in the season 2 episode “The Injury.” After clamping his foot down in his George Foreman grill, Michael spends the remainder of the work day annoying his employees, loudly demanding their full attention as he recovers from the (in his mind) near-mortal injury.

From insisting that his injury requires an MRI scan to comparing himself to a lifelong wheelchair user, “The Injury” emphasizes just how hilariously overdramatic Michael could be in an otherwise low-stakes situation.

12. Beach Games

Season 3 Episode 23
Aired on: May 10, 2007

Leave it to Michael Scott to use a Survivor-style contest to determine his successor at Dunder Mifflin. Confident about his chances at securing a corporate position in New York City, Michael hijacks the company’s beach day and tests his employees with a series of physical challenges, including sumo wrestling, hot dog-eating contests, and a dramatic fire walk across searing-hot coals, in order to determine who might fare best as Scranton’s next office manager.

There’s a lot to love about “Beach Games,” whether looking at Pam confessing her long-dormant feelings to Jim or Dwight nonsensically standing on burning coals to prove his potential as branch manager. But for our money, we personally love Andy’s watery journey into the remote backwoods of Pennsylvania, with even the camera crew ignoring his desperate cries for help.

11. Goodbye, Toby

Season 4 Episodes 18 and 19
Aired on: May 15, 2008

Say what you will about Michael, but you have to admit: the man has an impressive set of lungs on him. Flying high off the news that Toby’s last day in Scranton has officially arrived, Michael prepares to bid his sworn mortal enemy farewell, all the while grappling with his newfound feelings for Toby’s replacement, Holly Flax.

In the grand scheme of things, Holly’s debut in “Goodbye, Toby” is reason enough for this episode to earn a spot on this list. Coupled with that is Michael’s heartfelt rendition of Supertramp’s “Goodbye Stranger,” a laugh-out-loud musical parody that “Weird Al” Yankovic himself might approve of.

10. Safety Training

Season 3 Episode 20
Aired on: April 12, 2007

Office safety training seminars are about as exciting as watching paint dry, but they’re a necessary procedure to ensure the health and welfare of a workplace staff. Yet as Michael Scott proves in “Safety Training,” these seminars don’t necessarily don’t have to be boring. In fact, they could rely on a fake crisis with potentially fatal consequences – such as threatening to hurl yourself off a building onto … a bouncy castle?

A standout episode highlighting Michael’s complete inability to plan out serious events in necessary detail, “Safety Training” truly hammers home the dangers of working for a boss like Michael Scott – a man willing to push an employee off a warehouse ladder for the sake of a quick joke. (“Hey, Darryl, how’s it hanging?”)

9. Finale

Season 9 Episodes 24 and 25
Aired on: May 16, 2013

As most dedicated fans of The Office will admit, The Office never really recovered from Steve Carrell’s departure in Season 7. Shuffling along for another two seasons, the show’s later installments suffered significantly from Michael’s absence, ushering in increasingly disappointing storylines involving Andy’s tenure as branch manager.

In spite of its underwhelming last two seasons, The Office pulled together long enough to deliver a resounding series finale in 2013. With Dwight celebrating his long-awaited wedding to Angela, Jim and Pam preparing to leave Scranton, and Michael returning for a surprise cameo, “Finale” has everything viewers could have hoped for in regards to a feel-good final episode.

8. Niagara

Season 6 Episodes 4 and 5
Aired on: October 8, 2009

Pam and Jim’s romantic attachment to one another forms a significant backbone to The Office’s main narrative. Having grown from close workplace friends to a full-fledged romantic couple, their relationship eventually comes to a head with season 6’s “Niagara.” Transposing the Dunder Mifflin staff to the idyllic streets of Niagara Falls, New York, “Niagara” does a wondrous job focusing on the eventful wedding ceremony between Jim and Pam that viewers had waited literal years to see.

As funny as it is genuinely cathartic, “Niagara” comes packed to the brim with emotional moments, none more so than the scenes featuring Jim and Pam’s impromptu marriage under the Falls interspersed with their coworkers’ dance down the aisle. It’s a scene that brings a tear to the eye, a smile to the lips, and a cozy feeling deep down in one’s stomach and chest.

7. Goodbye, Michael

Season 7 Episode 22
Aired on: April 28, 2011

In an ideal world, “Goodbye, Michael” could have justifiably served as the series finale to The Office, bringing NBC’s hit mockumentary series to a close in a more than satisfying manner. But even then, “Goodbye, Michael” still marks a definitive endpoint in The Office’s continuity, concluding Michael Scott’s time on the series with a bittersweet sendoff.

Hoping to avoid the heartbreak of saying goodbye to his employees, Michael shrewdly plans to leave Scranton a day earlier than expected, allowing him to exit the office with minimal fanfare. The perfect way to send off Steve Carrell’s lovingly absent-minded main character, it’s a master class in character development, showcasing Michael’s growth from impulsive childishness to self-certain maturity. The end of an era, indeed.

6. The Dundies

Season 2 Episode 1
Aired on: September 20, 2005

Few recurring jokes remain as closely tied to The Office quite like the Dundies. Making their first official appearance in season 2’s opening episode, “The Dundies” finds Michael holding his annual Dundies ceremony, handing out awards for a variety of strange achievements at a local Chili’s after work.

Okay, yes, Drunk Pam may have had a hand in “The Dundies”’ higher placement on this list. But at the end of the day, “The Dundies” also marks a profound turning point for Michael’s character from the mean-spirited jerk we saw in season 1. Though he may have his faults, “The Dundies” shows that, in spite of his flaws, Michael only wants to spend time with the people he cares about, even if he regularly struggles in pursuing that desire in an emotionally intelligent way.

5. Broke

Season 5 Episode 25
Aired on: April 23, 2009

If there were any doubts about Michael’s abilities as a manager, “Broke” proves once and for all just how masterful a businessman he can be when the situation calls for it. Facing imminent insolvency at his company, Michael enters aggressive negotiations with Dunder Mifflin for the purchase of the Michael Scott Paper Company. As talks get underway, however, Pam and Ryan begin to worry that Michael might accidentally reveal to David and Charles just how dire MS Paper Company’s situation really is.

The defining moment of the Michael Scott Paper Company’s main story arc, “Broke” eloquently reveals Michael’s promise as a salesman and expert negotiator. Outwitting David in a rare display of his interpersonal communication skills, he walked into that meeting with nothing, and left with $60,000, his old managerial position, and two salesperson roles for Ryan and Pam at Dunder Mifflin (with dental to boot).

4. Threat Level Midnight

Season 7 Episode 17
Aired on: February 17, 2011

After years of casually mentioning his creative side project, Michael finally unveils his ambitious amateur film with season 7’s “Threat Level Midnight.” An intense labor of love that’s spanned 10 years of writing, shooting, reshooting, and editing, Threat Level Midnight comes into full play when Michael screens the film for his staff, allowing viewers a prolonged glimpse of Michael’s magnum opus.

A clever parody of the traditional spy genre, “Threat Level Midnight” turns the 007-style espionage film on its head, utilizing such stereotypical tropes as a butler sidekick (Dwight) and a kitschy supervillain antagonist (Jim). Toss in a few cameos from past Office characters like Jan, Karen, Roy, and Helene, and you have the makings of a truly fantastic film-within-a-TV-series.

3. Fun Run

Season 4 Episodes 1 and 2
Aired on: September 27, 2007

It’s a bold move to open your season by having a main character hit an employee with their car. But if this list proves anything, it’s that The Office always veered left whenever you expected it to steer steadily straight. After hospitalizing Meredith with an easily avoidable car accident, Michael organizes a charitable 5K fun run to raise awareness about rabies – an illness Meredith contracted following her bat bite in Season 3’s “Business School.”

With every character receiving a chance to flourish in this episode, “Fun Run” features nary a dull moment in its fast-moving two-episode storyline, from Michael cramming his face with fettuccine alfredo minutes before the run to Dwight mercifully killing Angela’s cat by sticking it in a freezer. (Ah, so humane.)

2. Casino Night

Season 2 Episode 22
Aired on: May 11, 2006

The tantalizing conclusion to The Office’s second season, “Casino Night” uses its inventive premise to deliver some shocking plot developments for its lead characters. Stringing together a casino night in their office warehouse, Michael is forced to balance two different dates when both Jan and Carol accept his invitations to attend. At the same time, Jim grapples with his hidden romantic feelings for Pam, deciding to finally reveal the truth to his unrequited crush. 

Though undeniably funny, “Casino Night” deserves more immediate recognition for expanding upon Pam and Jim’s will-they, won’t-they main story arc. Rather than stringing audiences along for a further few seasons, “Casino Night” offers immediate answers about their potential future together – although, just as in real life, the answers themselves aren’t always as straightforward as viewers might expect.

1. Dinner Party

Season 4 Episode 13
Aired on: April 10, 2008

There’s nothing worse than partaking in an uncomfortable dinner party that you’ve been tricked into attending. Such is especially the case when you’re dealing with a couple who vent their personal frustrations at one another over the course of the entire evening, as seen through Michael and Jan’s increasingly unhinged arguments in the all-time Office classic, “Dinner Party.”

A masterclass in cringe comedy, “Dinner Party” is guaranteed to leave viewers simultaneously chuckling and nervously gritting their teeth in anxiety and discomfort. Like both Jim and Pam, audiences simply feel like they’ve been dropped into a nightmarish household straight out of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, punctuated by passive aggressive comments, backhanded jokes, and mean-inspirited insults disguised as casual conversation starters. It truly is Hell.

The post The 15 Best Office Episodes Ranked appeared first on Den of Geek.

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