The Office: The Incentive, 8.02

Thursday, September 29th, 2011 | 99 comments

Writer: Paul Lieberstein, Director: Charles McDougal

Summary (NBC): Robert challenges the Scranton branch to double sales — after a rousing motivational speech, Robert California challenges the office to double their sales. After the new manager promises the unthinkable, everyone in the office suddenly gets motivated to sell. Meanwhile, Pam finds an unlikely pregnancy friend.

Icon provided by pessimistreader.

The Office The Incentive extras

• The Pyramid tablet
• Promo photos

Rating

In a poll conducted September 29-October 3, 2011, Tallyheads rated this episode: 7.69/10

The Office The Incentive quotes

Quotes manually transcribed by tanster. :)

Oscar: He’s making a statement. It’s an ironic comment on our expectations of him. A funhouse image of our model of Kevin.

Kevin: Why waste time say lot word when few word do trick?

Andy: Sometimes words you no need use, but need need for talk talk.

Kevin: Many small time make big time.

Jim: Kevin, are you saying see the world or Sea World?

Kevin: Oceans, fish, jump, China.

Kevin: When me president, they see… they see.

Dwight: Unleash the power of the pyramid!

Ryan: I’m sorry, “L”?
Jim: How many “L” to a “K”?

Andy: What do you think, C-Span?

Andy: I’m sorry to hijack your meeting, D-Dub-Dog.

Dwight: Here’s how I’m going to help out from now on. I’m going to not care, and I’m going to sit around quietly waiting for Andy’s inevitable demise.

Dwight: Your friend Neil Patrick Harris really made me laugh the other night.

Darryl: We took a shower, we were naked, we skap dap dap doo doo doo doo doo doo doo.

Andy: Hi, Dad.

Erin: Would you be requiring a cold beverage while you’re here?

Robert: Andy, can you inspire? Do you have that skill set?

Andy: I’ve been craving a freezing cup of old coffee.

Robert: I’m afraid you’ve lost my interest.

Kevin: There are no wrong answers!

Robert: Andrew, I chose you for a reason. Lead these people.

Andy: Fart.

Kevin: There’s usually an Erin here.

Kevin: Darryl! A girl!

Darryl: Rub a dub dub, apricot scrub.

Dwight: Beets are not immune. We made some inroads in salad, but heirloom tomatoes are pushing back.

Dwight: You wanted the job, the job is yours, just do the job.

Ryan: Is that a vibrator?

Andy: I’ve outlined the exact parameters in an email, so check your spam folders.

Kelly: Why is it all kids stuff and a vibrator? It’s so gross.

Andy: John Irving, collected works, 22 points.

Andy: I hope you’ll forgive me, because I am very, very sari. 16 points.

Andy: I’ll run naked through the parking lot with a doughnut on my ding dong.

Andy: For 5,000 points, I will let you tattoo whatever you want on the stern of the ol’ S.S. Bernard!

Jim: You did say we could pool our points, right? In that case, let’s get to work.

Stanley: You’ve got to unleash the power of the pyramid!

Jim: We all want to see you tattoo your ass.

Andy: I guess you could say I’m in one of those classic ass tattoo incentive situations.

Andy: Took ‘em one day.

Tattoo guy: So coming out of his butt is a…
Pam: Baby.

Andy: My ass is only so big. I can’t do this every day.

Andy: Let’s ink my stink!

Andy: My heart belongs to music, but my ass belongs to these people.

Andy: Invest in softer cotton, sir.

Dwight: Obviously, you can go the ass tattoo route. And obviously, I’m going to like it.

Andy: It’s a Nard Dog!

Jim: Pull up your pants.

Robert: There’s something about an underdog that really inspires the unexceptional.

Pam: Maybe we should just have our own pregnancies and not pretend like we’re in this together.

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99 comments

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1. 
   99. Brandon  Fri. Oct. 7, 2011 | 11:23am

   Is Creed anyone else’s favorite character or is it just me? Love that guy!

   Also, love everyone’s optimism but this show was built around the boss character and played to a T by both Ricky and Steve. Losing Steve should have been the end of the show, period. Ed Helms is a talented guy but his character is a side act at best and will never be as funny or interesting as Michael.

   Maybe if they brought in a new comedian, like David Cross, to be the boss they could regain some of the comedy but so far this season is really reaching for laughs and not getting them. I can’t see them stretching this out with the current lineup and story.

2. 
   98. Mose wannabe  Wed. Oct. 5, 2011 | 8:57am

   @Sarakaya Komzin – I like that idea, too! A chemical imbalance (nothing too serious) that gets corrected, and Kevin is back to normal…a slightly slow, socially awkward, gambling addict. You know, writers, the Kevin we are supposed to know and love!

3. 
   97. Sarakaya Komzin  Tue. Oct. 4, 2011 | 5:29pm

   The cold open would have been great if they had used this as an opportunity to reset Kevin’s stupidity. Pam said something like, “Something’s wrong we should take him to the hospital.”

   They could have taken him to the hospital and brought him back as Season 1 (and 2) Kevin. Not sure what could cause that slow creep into stupidity, but they should have fixed him then and there. Like Dwigt’s concussion in The Injury, or Andy’s anger management; personalities can change. Other than that, the episode was great.

4. 
   96. Mose wannabe  Tue. Oct. 4, 2011 | 10:44am

   The cold open would have been OK, if:

   A) The writers hadn’t been trying to turn Kevin into a complete moron for 2+ years. Ever since Holly mistakenly believed he was retarded, it has seemed as though that’s exactly the direction they’ve gone! Not cool, man!
   B) The “save time by talking less” was done much better in Product Recall. Remember Michael’s “CriManSqua, F&C” (Crisis Management Squad, front & center) that took a while to explain?

5. 
   95. soup snake  Mon. Oct. 3, 2011 | 8:50pm

   I thought the episode was okay. I didn’t think the cold open was that bad. I especially liked when Andy tried communicating with Kevin in the same way. I thought it was funny when Jim was trying to figure out if Kevin meant Sea World or see the world. I liked all the silly ideas Andy tried coming up with for incentives. I know Erin is supposed to be a little clueless, but having her bring Robert cold coffee was going a bit too far. I didn’t find that funny at all. It was surprising to see everyone in the office look so busy. Have we ever seen that? That was fun to see! I thought Andy’s tattoo was adorable. I wish we could’ve seen what Phyllis’s tattoo idea was. I thought it was funny and awkward when Andy sat on Jim’s desk. That was definitely a Michael move and it was funny and strange to see Andy do that. It’s nice to see Andy still trying to figure out how to be the boss. I like how things are going with him. I hope next week’s episode delivers a lot more laughs because this episode wasn’t very funny.

6. 
   94. The Street  Mon. Oct. 3, 2011 | 4:50am

   I wonder if Justine has replaced Stanley’s adult daughter.I like the idea because it gives Craig Robinson more to do at the moment, now that we know he’s not the boss. They also said that Jordan was going to be a series regular and that’s no longer the case. Am I the only one that noticed the striking resemblance between her and Hilary Swank? The episode with the “Hot or Not” debate comes to mind with that one.

7. 
   93. Im_No_Muggle  Sun. Oct. 2, 2011 | 7:03pm

   My one main complaint about this episode is how they really overplayed Kevin’s stupidity. The cold open, and then several other scenes and lines throughout were just annoying. Other than that, a very good episode!

8. 
   92. ant  Sun. Oct. 2, 2011 | 3:53am

   They are totally ruining Kevin as a character. The cold open was so painful to watch – and not in a good way

9. 
   91. mspolishgirl  Sat. Oct. 1, 2011 | 6:03pm

   Another great episode. I’m really digging this season.

   Don’t know if anyone has mentioned this, but how adorable was Erin kissing California’s cheek?! That was one of the highlights of the episode for me. ‘Let’s ink my stink’ and ‘C-Span’ had my boyfriend and I rolling.

   In past seasons (mainly 6 & 7) The Office was sometimes really depressing. I like that they are shying away from that and leaning more toward feel-good and happy :)

10. 
    90. Pam  Sat. Oct. 1, 2011 | 5:45pm

    Another great one and watched it for the second time today. Sometimes they put so much into an episode and it speeds by so fast, I need a second viewing to absorb it all in !

    Last season I would not have wanted to see Andy sitting in Michael’s seat, but since the premier last week, I am so pleased with how he’s doing so far and love how Jim is instrumental in boosting his confidence. Very sweet moment outside the tattoo shop. Also love when the whole office pulls together and shares a good time. As much as I “adored” Michael, he did cause division and a lowering of morale within the staff, where Andy has the ability to bring everyone together. What you see is what you get. No complications. Go Andy !!

11. 
    89. Stile4aly  Sat. Oct. 1, 2011 | 4:59pm

    The episode started off uneven, I didn’t care for Kevin’s cold open. I’m fine with Kevin being childish, but to make him an outright moron is too broad. Once they got into the swing of the incentive it got better, particularly with Jim letting Andy off the hook and then Andy going through with it any way. Nice to see them making it clear that Andy will be able to earn their loyalty.

12. 
    88. James  Sat. Oct. 1, 2011 | 4:48pm

    The real point of this episode was when Jim told Andy, “No one expects you to go through with this.” and then Andy got the tattoo anyway. Michael Scott would NOT have done that. Hence, the episode ended with everyone smiling and laughing. They LIKE Andy. You know with Michael, he would have ruined everything and angered everyone somehow.
    The gang is going to rally around Andy because he doesn’t make everything about himself like Michael did. He is a very different kind of boss.

13. 
    87. ScrantonDan  Sat. Oct. 1, 2011 | 11:28am

    Line by Andy that made me laugh so hard: “I guess you could say I’m in one of those classic ‘ass tattoo incentive’ situations.” Well, yeah, that is a topic that should be covered in every management textbook.

14. 
    86. Chris  Sat. Oct. 1, 2011 | 10:35am

    Am I the only person who laughed quite loudly when Erin brought in the overflowing mug of ice cold coffee? Her interaction with Robert has been hilarious from the premiere episode of the season.

    Great episode, all-in-all.

15. 
    85. Kate  Sat. Oct. 1, 2011 | 3:39am

    Loved this episode! Especially the Nard Dog tattoo. I really feel the show’s doing well without Michael, it’s a fresh start and I’m pleasantly surprised at how well they’re doing. The fact Ed Helms doesn’t get first credit shows how they intend not to base the show around the manager anymore, and I kinda like that :-)

16. 
    84. Sprinkles  Sat. Oct. 1, 2011 | 2:18am

    @73 That’s exactly what my husband noticed. I was laughing (yeah out loud) at Andy sitting on Jim’s desk, when my husband actually said how that was entirely a Michael scene and how forced it felt. Then I started to notice other bits here and there and the similarities were a little too close for comfort.

    I’m happy we’ve still got The Office, so I’ll be watching for as long as it airs, but I miss Michael so much it’s painful at times.

17. 
    83. George  Fri. Sep. 30, 2011 | 8:17pm

    Impressive!!!!! I loved the episode. The moments with the office having Andy getting a tattoo were amazing. The “Nard Dog” tattoo is awesome, and Andy loves it. It’s funny to see Pam and Angela walking out together in the final scene, while they’re pregnant, although Angela always kinda hates Pam, but they’re becoming friends, so to speak.

18. 
    82. NC  Fri. Sep. 30, 2011 | 7:53pm

    I almost forgot – one more thing – Andy already has a tattoo! Remember his tramp stamp from one of the past webisodes? I’m disappointed they didn’t make a mention of that.

19. 
    81. NC  Fri. Sep. 30, 2011 | 7:49pm

    Slightly below the season opener, but still very good. Kevin’s cold open wasn’t that bad. I actually view Erin’s ‘cold coffee’ and Angela calling social services about coffee dregs as weaker and less credible than that.

    But the incentives thing was cute, and the Nard Dog ending was very sweet. The writers have obviously put a lot of thought into Andy becoming boss, and the resulting office dynamic of that.

    When Darryl started singing about making love to his ex-wife, was anyone else reminded of Chef from South Park? With his daughter (last season) and ex-wife showing up, and Andy’s family cast for this season, I’m wondering if we’re heading towards some sort of Philbin and Bernard get-together.

    Lastly, loved the coy little look on Angela’s face when Andy bared his ass at the end. She’s been there, done that, right?

20. 
    80. DinkinFlicka  Fri. Sep. 30, 2011 | 2:18pm

    Not a bad episode. More of a feel-good one than a funny one. I thought the cold open wasn’t bad, although I liked Kevin’s line at the end.

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