The Office: The Dundies, 2.01

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Writer: Mindy Kaling, Director: Greg Daniels

Summary (DVD): It’s that special time of year — awards season! — and everyone is placing their bets that this year’s “Dundies” will be the worst yet with Michael as the bumbling emcee.

The Office The Dundies extras

  • From Jenna Fischer’s MySpace blog, dated November 4, 2005:
    Q. Were you really drunk in the episode with the Dundies?
    A. I was not really drunk. I did get drunk one night for research though. I hardly ever drink more than a glass of wine with dinner and even that only happens about 4 times a year. I hadn’t been drunk since college. B.J. talked me into drinking at a party for television critics. (Troublemaker.) The studio arranged for me to have a driver for the night (not because they knew of my plans to get drunk but because that is part of the star treatment we get when we go to these work “parties”). I decided to take advantage of this and the open bar and had 4 Cosmopolitans. B.J. kept checking in with me throughout the night. He was asking me how I felt, making me describe the different levels of drunkenness. Giving interviews to television critics after you’ve had a few drinks may not be the smartest idea. But in the end, the experiment worked. I totally drew on my experience that night when we did the episode where Pam gets drunk. I realized that you laugh more, talk closer to people, get more grabby and touchy and act like a more extroverted version of yourself. So, that’s what I did with Pam.
  • Read more about The Dundies at Jenna’s TV Guide blog and at B.J.’s TV Guide blog!
  • At the beginning of the Dundies presentation, Michael attempts to rap to Naughty by Nature’s “O.P.P.”
  • Read James’ Northern Attack recap.

The Office The Dundies quotes

Michael: A lot of the people here don’t get trophies very often, like Meredith or Kevin, I mean who’s going to give Kevin an award, Dunkin’ Donuts? Plus, bonus, it’s really really funny. So I, you know, an employee will go home, and he’ll tell his neighbor, “Hey, did you get an award?” And the neighbor will say, “No man. I mean I slave all day and nobody notices me.” Next thing you know, employee smells something terrible coming from the neighbor’s house. Neighbor’s hanged himself, due to lack of recognition.

Pam: You know what they say about a car wreck, where it’s so awful you can’t look away? The Dundies are like a car wreck that you want to look away, but you have to stare at it because your boss is making you.

Michael: TMI? — “Too Much Information.” Uh, it’s just easier to say TMI. I used to say “don’t go there,” but that’s lame.

Michael (singing to the tune of Lou Bega’s “Mambo No. 5”): A little bit of Pam all night long, a little bit of Angela on the thing, a little bit of Phyllis everywhere, a little bit of Roy eating chicken crispers, a little bit of Jim with some ribs …

Dwight: That is defacement of company property. So you better tell me. Kelly, if you tell me, you’ll be punished less.

Michael: Just a little character I like to do, it is, uh, loosely based on Karnac, one of Carson’s classic characters. Here we go. The PLO, the IRA, and the hot dog stand behind the warehouse. (Opening envelope and reading card) “Name three businesses that have better health care plans than Dunder Mifflin.”

Dwight: Excuse me, everyone, could I have your attention please. I just wanted to say that the women in this office are terrible. Especially the ones who wrote that stuff about Michael on the bathroom wall. Having a bathroom is a privilege. It is called a ladies room for a reason. And if you cannot behave like ladies, well then you are not going to have a bathroom.
Pam: You’re taking away our bathroom?
Dwight: We are going to have two men’s rooms.
Phyllis: But where would we … go?

Michael: The Dundies are about the best in every one of us.

Oscar: The Dundies are kind of like a kid’s birthday party, and you go, and there’s really nothing for you to do there. But the kid’s having a really good time, so you’re, you’re kind of there. That’s, that’s kind of what it’s like.

Michael (rapping to Naughty by Nature’s “O.P.P.”): You down with the Dundies?

Stanley: You said, we could bring our families.
Michael: I did. And why didn’t ya, Stanley?
Stanley: I did, my wife’s name is Terri.
Michael: Well, I’m looking forward to meeting Terri.
Stanley: It’s this person whose hand I’m holding, Michael.

Phyllis: This says “Bushiest Beaver.”
Michael: I told them busiest … idiots.
Phyllis: It’s, it’s fine.
Michael: Well, we can fix it. We’ll fix it up. You don’t have to display that.

Ryan: What am I going to do with the award? (Makes a face) Nothing. I, I don’t know what I’m going to do. That’s the least of my concerns right now.

Michael: And the “Tight Ass” award goes to Angela. Not only because she is everybody’s favorite stickler, but because she has a great caboose. So come on down.
Angela: No.

Jim: I think those might be empty.
Pam: No, no cuz the ice melts, and then it’s like, second drink!

Michael: The “Spicy Curry” award goes to our very own Kelly Kapoor! Get on up here. Here you go.
Kelly: “Spicy Curry,” what’s that mean?
Michael: Um, not everything means something, it’s just a joke.
Kelly: Yeah, but why’d you give it to me?
Michael: I don’t know, it’s just …
Kelly: This is a bowler …
Michael: I know. It’s ju … they didn’t have any more businessmen. So …
Kelly: Yeah, but everyone else …
Michael: Just sit down, Kelly.

Michael: It is so freakin’ hot in there. Now I know what Bob Hope was going through when he performed in Saudi Arabia.

Michael (singing to the tune of “Tiny Dancer” by Elton John): “You have won a tiny Dundie …”

Michael: This last Dundie is for Kevin, this is the “Don’t Go In There After Me” award. It’s for the time that I went in the bathroom after him and it was really, really smelly.

Pam: I have so many people to thank for this award. Okay, first off, my Keds. Because I couldn’t have done it without them. Thank you. Let’s give Michael a round of applause for emceeing tonight because, this is a lot harder than it looks. And also because of Dwight too. Um, so, finally, I want to thank God. Because God gave me this Dundie. And, I feel God in this Chili’s tonight. WOOOOOOO!

Jim: What a great year for the Dundies! We got to see Ping, and we learned Michael’s true feelings for Ryan, which was touching, and, we heard Michael change the lyrics to a number of classic songs, which for me, has ruined them for life.

Michael: Was this year’s Dundies a success? Well, let me see. I made Pam laugh so hard, that she fell out of her chair, and she almost broke her neck. So I killed. Almost.

Pam: Oh my god. I just want to say that this was the best Dundies ever! WOOOOOOO!

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19 comments

  1. This is just a lovely, lovely episode. The expressions on Jim’s face as he watches Pam blossom into a complete lush are just priceless.

    If you don’t feel the chemistry between these two characters after viewing this episode, then maybe The Office isn’t for you …

  2. This was the day I fell madly in love with Pam. She was simply adorable in this episode – “I feel God in this Chili’s toinight”.

  3. This is the episode I tell people who have never seen “The Office” before to watch. I have never met another human being who didn’t find this episode absolutely hilarious.

  4. This has to be my favorite episode ever! Its full of everything that makes The Office good. Especially Michaels renditions of Tiny Dancer, Mambo #5, O.P.P., and the names of some of the awards, hilarious! I give this episode a full 10 out of 10! :P

  5. Michael’s rant at the beginning of the episode where he talks about his employees’ neighbors hanging themselves is one of his best.

  6. I was interested in My Name Is Earl and enjoyed it, but never stuck around for The Office. Then my brother told me he had seen this episode and described it as best he could. Sounded kinda cool. A friend got it on iTunes and we watched after I was already hooked. All I can say is that it blew me away.

    Never imagined how good a show could be or how hard it could suck you in. Definitely a high point of the second season.

  7. What did Pam write on the bathroom wall? It’s been bugging me ever since I saw this episode. This one is by far one of my all time favorites…

  8. I love this episode! One of the best episodes ever, and its written by Mindy (Kelly)…this is awesome!

  9. When the guy says “sing it Elton” and later throws something at Michael, there is a girl sitting there. She looks very familiar from some other TV show, anyone know?

  10. This was possibly the most squee worth episode since Casino Night. I didn’t even squee.. me and my Office buds were screaming through the streets. Unfortunately that story is completely true.

    Great episode other than that too.

  11. Le sigh. Rewatching this episode now. This is the one that sealed the deal for me when I was catching up on the show in 2006 by watching the DVDs.

  12. I watched this for the first time when I got Netflix a few months a go, I love it when Pam kisses Jim and Stanley’s wife in the back mouths “that is not her boyfriend” and stanley mouths “No” I loved it!

  13. for one, i loveeeeee this episode. second, does anyone have any idea what pam was gonna ask jim at the very end of the episode?! it’s killing me!!!

  14. @17: No idea for sure, but something related to their relationship or Roy, I would imagine.

    One part that I always wondered about this episode is how Pam kissing Jim on the lips while drunk wouldn’t get more play. If somebody i worked with kissed a somebody else in front of the whole office while being engaged to somebody else, that would get a ton of gossip going!

    Great episode.

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