Ryan Howard (The Office)
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| Ryan Howard | |
|---|---|
| The Office character | |
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| First appearance | "Pilot" |
| Portrayed by | B. J. Novak |
| Information | |
| Nickname(s) | Fire Guy Temp Fired Guy Big Turkey Hired Guy |
| Gender | Male |
| Age | 28 born 1981 |
| Occupation |
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| Spouse(s) | Kelly Kapoor (girlfriend) |
| Based on | |
Ryan Bailey Howard, played by B. J. Novak, is a fictional character on the US television sitcom The Office. He is based upon Ricky Howard from the original version of The Office,[1] but his role is significantly expanded.
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[edit] Character profile
Little is known about Ryan's early life, but it is revealed in a deleted scene from Diversity Day that Ryan grew up in Scranton. At the beginning of the series, Ryan Howard is a temporary employee at the Scranton branch of the fictitious paper distributor Dunder Mifflin who joined the staff in the first episode, earning him the nickname "The Temp".
In early episodes, he is shown to be uncomfortable with his working relationship with his boss, Michael Scott. Michael often forces Ryan to carry out menial tasks for him while at the same time, becoming obsessed with Ryan's personal life as well as gaining Ryan's friendship, to the point of buying him an iPod for Christmas.
As the series progresses, Ryan begins to display a great deal of contempt and disdain for both his coworkers and his job. This becomes more apparent when Ryan is promoted in "The Job" to work at Dunder Mifflin's corporate office in New York. This leads to Ryan becoming an obnoxious braggart despite lackluster sales skills. At various times during season 4 coworkers of Ryan's mention their disdain for him. In the season 4 finale "Goodbye, Toby", Ryan is arrested for committing fraud. He is eventually released and required to work community service.
In the season 5 premiere, Ryan returns to the Scranton branch after Michael arranges for him to fill in for Pam during her time at art school. However, his malevolent aspirations to climb back to the top of the corporate ladder are revealed in a talking head, when he adds Jim and Kevin to a list of people who "will be sorry" when he returns to the top. He was also called out (implicitly) when Holly Flax said that his fraudulent behavior was the reason the Scranton office needed to undergo ethics counseling.
Ryan was a member of a fraternity in college and holds an MBA from the University of Scranton's Kania School of Management, which he earned during the second and third seasons. His dream is to one day own his own business, which Michael quickly derided as "a terrible idea."
[edit] Seasons 1 - 2
For the first episode, and for much of season 1, Ryan's purpose in the show mirrors that of his British equivalent, Ricky Howard. He is the audience surrogate, allowing other characters to introduce themselves to him, and by extension, the viewer.
Over the first two seasons, Ryan's character is a secondary one, and he is primarily defined by his dissatisfaction with his job, and his relationships with Michael and Kelly. Underscoring his lack of enthusiasm for working at Dunder Mifflin, Ryan mentions that he could clean out his desk in five seconds and everyone would forget that he ever worked there (including himself). His dissatisfaction manifests itself in his use of sarcasm and general disinterest towards his co-workers, as he remains dissatisfied and unproven with his position. Ryan does not wish to stay at Dunder Mifflin long or even be remembered when he leaves, citing that his ultimate fear is that he will gain a nickname around the office (being "the something guy"). This fear came to pass in the same episode (penned by Novak), when Ryan activated a smoke alarm by accidentally overcooking a cheese pita in the break room, earning him the nickname "The Fire Guy." During Ryan's term as a temporary employee (and even for a few months after his promotion to full-time status), various characters (mainly Dwight) frequently addresses him as "Temp" instead of by his real name; Michael also called him "Temp" occasionally. In later seasons, several characters sarcastically use this term long after Ryan has risen to a more prominent position in the company.
Ryan is often the victim of Michael's antics and bizarre man-crush on him, usually resigning to requests without complaint (such as helping Michael clean out his car or making a long car trip to buy yams). Also, by the end of Season 2, Jim facilitates a relationship between Kelly and Ryan, which is very rocky from the start.[2]
[edit] Season 3
By the third season opener "Gay Witch Hunt", Ryan becomes a full-time employee and inherits the job (and desk) vacated by Jim Halpert, who transferred to Dunder Mifflin's Stamford branch. Despite the promotion, Michael still treats Ryan as his personal assistant, assigning him menial tasks such as taking inventory of Michael's possessions for his trip to the convention in Philadelphia or organizing paperwork in his office. Upon Jim's return to Scranton after the branch merger, there is a moment of awkwardness when Jim casually sets up at his former desk, only to learn that it now belongs to Ryan—who refuses to give the desk back to Jim, the first hint at a rivalry between the two.
Ryan goes to his first sales call in "Initiation", where he is subjected to a series of tests by Dwight, including being stranded on Dwight's beet farm and sitting in a barn answering questions regarding the company. Dwight later admits to an angry Ryan that he wants to get along with him and be a team, since he and Jim were always at odds. He also points out Ryan's problem, which is that he will not accept that other people can teach him things. Despite his superior education, Ryan is not a good salesman—his first client tells him flat out that he does not like him. A sales call with Stanley in "Traveling Salesmen" is also disastrous, and Stanley laughs uproariously at Ryan's stammering ineptitude.
In the last scene of "The Job", Ryan receives a call from the New York headquarters, offering him the job previously held by Jan Levinson and making him Michael's immediate superior.[3][4] After he hangs up, he immediately dumps Kelly.[5]
[edit] Season 4
Novak, who also writes for the show, in commenting on the fourth season, said, "we wanted him to dress as obnoxious as possible. As much black as possible."[1]. He also said that it was originally planned for Ryan to have a new goatee, but Greg Daniels vetoed that idea because it would have made Ryan look like "a flat-out chump." This season also, for the first time, includes episodes that exhibit Ryan's social life outside the workplace, such as showing his studio apartment in Manhattan. Over the season, he also becomes increasingly arrogant, condescending and ambitious. He speaks almost exclusively in business buzzwords. In "Dunder Mifflin Infinity", Ryan presents his concept of Dunder Mifflin Infinity (a new website) to the Scranton branch, and gives a BlackBerry to all of the main employees. He is eager to show off his newfound wealth, such as when he tells the camera that his haircut "costs more than these guys would ever guess," before immediately revealing that it cost $200. His occasional brushes with Kelly remain tense.
Later in the season, Ryan's new website is plagued by problems, including child predators and slow sales. The later episodes show him becoming more excited and on edge, clearly under the influence of drugs (in a deleted scene from Night Out, it is revealed that his coworkers supply him with drugs, much to their pleasure). Ryan also begins to distrust Jim, and tries to get him dismissed from the company.
In "Goodbye, Toby", Ryan is - now typically - curt with Jim, ordering him by telephone to input his sales into the website before abruptly hanging up. However, it is discovered later that Ryan was misleading the company's shareholders by labeling those sales as ones made by both employees and the site, constituting fraud. In a YouTube video entitled "Wooah! Check This Out!", the Scranton branch watches as Ryan is seen being arrested and escorted out of Dunder Mifflin's New York office by police, much to Michael's dismay and Jim and Kelly's pleasure.[6]
[edit] Season 5 – 6
In the first episode of Season 5, it is revealed that Ryan has been released with a sentence of community service, and has gotten sober. Michael hires Ryan through the temp agency as the fill-in receptionist while Pam attends art school. He apologizes to Jim for their conflict earlier in the year, and while Jim accepts his apology, he teases him about his community service. Ryan also states that he regretted his misconduct while in New York. In a deleted scene, he receives a call from David Wallace for Michael. Infuriated that Ryan is back at Dunder-Mifflin, Wallace abuses Ryan by telephone in front of the staff. This prompts Michael to defend Ryan and save his job, which he does successfully. Ryan later appears in an interview with red eyes; he has presumably been crying.
However, Ryan still exhibits the ego issues he developed in the fourth season, including bragging during a meeting about a girl he "hooked up" with while in New York who looked like a Survivor contestant. He also constantly mentions the fact that he was the "youngest V.P. in company history". In a talking head interview, Ryan reveals that he is compiling a list of people that will be sorry when he is back "on top"; Jim and Kevin (who called Ryan "fire-d guy") are immediately added. In a deleted scene, Ryan confesses that he ran his BMW into Kevin's car and damaged a side mirror, but refuses to pay Kevin for the expensive repairs by claiming that "Ryan 1.0" was responsible; Kevin later puts Ryan's pricey sunglasses in the microwave and melts them, sarcastically blaming it on "Kevin 1.0".
Ryan moves back to the annex with Kelly soon before Pam is scheduled to return. He starts showing off in front of Kelly by doing push ups, with Kelly seemingly uninterested, until the two start kissing passionately. Ryan tells Kelly to break up with Darryl via text message, fully aware that Darryl might react angrily. However, Darryl responds quickly saying "it's cool", with Kelly overjoyed and Ryan shocked and disappointed, suggesting he was only interested in making Darryl angry and jealous. In "Frame Toby", Ryan breaks up with Kelly again, saying he is going with friends "from high school...well, from 'a' high school" to Thailand, but convinces her to have sex with him one last time and give him some traveling money first.
Ryan is not seen again until the episode "Dream Team" in which he was seen working at a bowling alley until being hired by Michael Scott to work at the Michael Scott Paper Company. His appearance has changed drastically with having a tan from his trip to Thailand (later revealed to be Ft. Lauderdale) and his hair is dyed blonde (but in his words became naturally blonde due to sunlight exposure). Apparently, he has moved back in with, or at least in proximity to, his parents.
Initially, Ryan acted with disinterest and irresponsibility with the new company, choosing rather to spend his time talking on his telephone and surfing the web, which, along with lack of space, caused tension with Pam. However, as time passed, relations between the employees of The Michael Scott Paper Company became more amicable as Ryan's behavior matured. Bonding with Pam and Michael over the company's relative success and through the close quarters, Ryan became more active and involved, such as by making sales and helping plan the company's fiscal future (albeit unsuccessfully). Additionally, his sobriety became apparent, such as when he turned down even a sip of celebratory champagne from Pam.
After the buyout of The Michael Scott Paper Company from Dunder-Mifflin, Ryan is initially rehired as a salesperson, though, as a result of budget problems, is reduced back unto the position of a temporary employee. He tells Michael that he no longer eats a lunch but five small meals throughout the day. In an interview, he says now that he is a temp again the only thing he can control is his food.[7]
In the sixth season premiere, "Gossip", Ryan's appearance has changed back to his more traditional look – black hair and no longer with a noticeable tan. Ryan's only line (outside of a deleted scene in which he is prominently featured) is his shouted advice to Pam and Jim – "Don't vaccinate it" – when they reveal that Pam is pregnant. Also, Ryan seemingly has no rumors spread about him. In "The Promotion" Ryan scams Pam out of a wedding gift; instead of giving her $100 in cash upfront he tricks her into giving him $50 in exchange for letting her in on his college basketball scam, which he says will earn her back $5,000 in a year. As of the beginning of season 6, he is dating Kelly again. The two dance down the aisle together at Jim and Pam's wedding. In "Double Date", Ryan is shown to have begun photography as a hobby, and gets Kelly to pose topless for a piece on "exposure in the workplace" (and tries, but fails, to get Erin to do the same). Ryan's appearance dramatically changes in every episode in Season 6. In "The Lover", Ryan is seen around the office wearing a fedora. When asked where he got it, he refuses to say. In the episode "Murder", he is wearing a gray cardigan, a casual shirt, and glasses. In Shareholder Meeting, he deflects Jim's instructions and refuses to do any work. He also spreads the rumor that Jim is not as powerful as Michael. Jim then makes an example of him by putting him in the closet behind the kitchen with no windows or Internet access. As a result, in Scott's Tots, he tells Dwight he will help him get Jim dismissed.
[edit] Relationships
[edit] Kelly
Ryan has an on-again, off-again relationship with office chatterbox Kelly. The relationship has been troubled from the outset, for Ryan desires a very casual relationship, whereas the overbearing Kelly wants to get married and have children as soon as possible. The two "hooked up" on the eve of Valentine's Day, although Ryan was brusque with her the following day. Things seemed to be starting up between the two again during the office "Casino Night". Ryan and Kelly are later seen dating in "The Convention". Ryan met Kelly's parents during Diwali, but they were not impressed by his low income, desire to travel and saving up money to buy an Xbox, rather than start a family. Ryan has more than once tried unsuccessfully to break up with Kelly, with one of the more notable occurrences after the "The Merger" episode, when the Scranton branch absorbs the Stamford branch instead of the other way around, once again putting the two of them back together.
Even though Ryan and Kelly continue to bicker, he is sweet to her in the episode "Safety Training" after he kisses her on the forehead while winning a bet. B.J. Novak has stated that Ryan and Kelly are going strong, well into the third season: "I think Ryan and Kelly is a relationship that everyone has been in. It's a puzzle as to why they're still together, but I think Ryan loves being loved-- even though he won't admit it. He lost Michael's love so he has to take in more love from Kelly."
After accepting a promotion to Corporate by telephone in "The Job", an elated Ryan immediately breaks up with Kelly, telling her "You and I are done," with a smile.
In "Dunder Mifflin Infinity", Kelly tries to rekindle their relationship by feigning pregnancy, a lie which she later reveals. This only upsets Ryan more and leads to him attempting to have her job outsourced to India. Ryan is visibly upset in later episodes when Kelly later flirts with and kisses Darryl in front of him. When Ryan is arrested in the Season 4 finale, Kelly says she looks forward to rubbing in his downfall by visiting him in prison.
Ryan and Kelly make amends in "Weight Loss", and Ryan indicates a renewed interest in her. He witnesses Kelly and Darryl kiss, as Kelly looks up to make sure Ryan sees it. In the episode "Employee Transfer" Ryan shows interest in Kelly by helping her walk in her heels. In "Business Trip", Ryan and Kelly get back together when he moves back to the annex, though Ryan is uncomfortable again as he only made her break up with Darryl with the expectation he would react violently, which he did not. In "Frame Toby", Ryan breaks up with her again and leaves the office altogether. Upon his return, the two do not rekindle their relationship, however, they constantly flirt and bicker with each other on Twitter. In a deleted scene in "Koi Pond", though, it's implied by Ryan that he and Kelly are once more in a relationship of some sort. Ryan implies that he is still not certain of his relationship with Kelly in the episode "Shareholder Meeting", when he asks Creed if he is "in love with her, or in love with the idea of her", when Creed asks him for relationship advice.
In an interview with Yahoo! TV, that was released before the episode "Business School", B.J. Novak describes Ryan and Kelly as "the worst relationship that all of us have been in." He adds, "The bad news is that that's what a lot of people have actually experienced, something that just doesn't work on any level, and they just keep going for some weird reason." Mindy Kaling (Kelly) adds, "It seems like Ryan has just adjusted to the fact that he is the boyfriend of this crazy girl."[8]
[edit] Michael
Michael has a one-sided mancrush or possible crush on Ryan, which frightens him at times. Ryan was also inconveniently stuck in the position of being personal assistant to Michael, who immediately summons him to all menial tasks, such as picking up a video for Michael at his mother's house and helping him clean out his car, although in the end of the episode "The Job", Ryan becomes Michael's boss. He has on several occasions summoned him to inappropriate tasks, such as in "Ben Franklin", he brings Ryan along to an Sex shop to gather items for Bob Vance's bachelor party, much to his disgust. In "The Dundies", Michael gives Ryan the "Hottest in the Office" award, describing him as "someone who really lights up the office" and "someone we all can't keep from checkin' out". After congratulating Ryan for his award, he slaps Ryan's buttocks. Also, in "The Fire" episode, when the office is playing the game "Who would you do" Michael chooses Ryan, making him very uncomfortable, even though it's meant to be a joke.
In the third season, Ryan begins correcting Michael for embarrassing him as evident by "The Convict", when one of Michael's latest seminars involving prison life has Michael referring to Ryan as "da belle of da ball" if he were in prison. In a deleted scene from "Diwali", it is suggest that Michael has begun stalking Ryan, when Carol lists a good amount of information about him (such as the street he lives on). He has a list of excuses he programmed into his cellphone to use if Michael summons him into any of his antics. Along with Stanley Hudson and Phyllis Lapin, Ryan counsels the new employees from the Stamford branch on how Michael operates as manager of their branch. In "Business School", while upset with Ryan, Michael tells his entire class that everyone thinks that he is a tease. In "The Job", Michael comes back from his interview in New York and asks Ryan to get him a cup of coffee, but Ryan firmly says "I don't do that stuff anymore." Michael says it's not for Ryan and later says he's still waiting for his coffee, unaware that Ryan has just become his direct supervisor. In retaliation, Ryan pointedly makes Michael get bottled water for him when Ryan returns to Scranton during "Dunder Mifflin Infinity".
Michael seems to be aware that Ryan isn't very fond of him, though possibly in denial; when Dwight and Michael show up in New York to join Ryan for a night of partying in Night Out, Michael is taken aback when Ryan loudly says how happy he is to see them, and points out to Ryan that it's "Michael and Dwight". Later in the episode, Ryan tries to indirectly confide to Michael that he has a drug problem (using his friend's name as the individual in question), but Michael ends up giving Ryan useless advice he learned from watching The Wire. Michael later is devastated when he learns of Ryan's arrest.
Michael arranges for Ryan's return to the Scranton branch, and temporarily grows a goatee because Ryan was wearing one after he got dismissed and moved into a new place, which Michael apparently helped him do. Disturbed by Michael's mimicry, Ryan shaves it off. When Michael starts his own company in "Dream Team", he convinces him to leave his job at the bowling alley and join his newly formed paper company. After the buyout of the Michael Scott Paper Co. by Dunder Mifflin, Michael rehires Ryan as a salesman before demoting him back to a temp.
[edit] References
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Ryan Howard (The Office) |
- ^ a b Dansby, Andrew (2007-10-02), "The temp label is permanent", Houston Chronicle, http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2007_4435539, retrieved 2007-10-25
- ^ Seasons 1 and 2
- ^ Confirmed by producer Greg Daniels in The Office Live Blog: To Anissa.
- ^ Confirmed by writer/actor BJ Novak in his blog http: /blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=3241662&blogID=266132650
- ^ Season 3
- ^ Season 4
- ^ Season 5
- ^ Y! TV Exclusive: 'Office' Romances The Office (NBC) on Yahoo! TV, February 15, 2007.
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