Golden Ticket (The Office)

"Golden Ticket (The Office)"

"Golden Ticket" is the nineteenth episode of the fifth season of the television series The Office, and the show's ninety-first episode overall. The episode aired in the United States on March 12, 2009, on NBC.

Synopsis

Michael, inspired by Willy Wonka, decides to put in five "golden tickets" randomly into five different shipments of paper that will allow clients a ten percent discount for a whole year. This causes a problem when all five of the shipments with golden tickets go to one of their biggest clients, the Blue Cross of Pennsylvania, thus offering them a fifty percent discount for a whole year as Michael didn't include a "limit one per customer" caveat on the tickets. CFO David Wallace finds out about it and immediately berates Michael for what he did. Michael then claims the idea came from Dwight. Michael then tries to convince Dwight to take the fall, stating there isn't much point for him to work at Dunder Mifflin anymore and that he can focus more on his beet farm, but Dwight remains unconvinced. However, when David Wallace comes to the Scranton branch, he explains that the client has decided to make the company their exclusive paper supplier due to the idea and thanks Dwight. After a moment's hesitation, Dwight accepts his thanks, leaving Michael shocked and upset. The rest of the office then start jokingly congratulating Dwight, much to Michael's chagrin. When David has Dwight explain his "inspiration" to the marketing department over the phone, Michael interrupts and goads Dwight into revealing the idea was actually Michael's. After much bickering between Michael and Dwight, a frustrated David leaves the office.

It is revealed that Kevin wants to start a relationship with Lynne, the woman he socialized with at the Valentine's Day singles mixer at the office from "Blood Drive". Andy suggests that Kevin should avoid asking her out, while Jim suggests he ask her out but not immediately and take things slow. Pam suggests he ask her out immediately and not be afraid to express himself to her. When Lynne comes by the office, Kevin tells her that she has a nice smile and would like to take her out to dinner and a movie, which she accepts. Kevin then accidentally says "boobs", but Lynne doesn't mind that he said that.

Reception

"Golden Ticket" received mixed reviews, with several reviewers commenting on the selfishness and mean behavior of Michael Scott in the episode. In a New York magazine article entitled "Michael Finally Goes Too Far," Will Leitch describes it as "one of the funnier recent episodes", but found Michael's willingness to sell out Dwight unsettling: "Usually, when he’s about to do something over-the-top (like plant drugs on Toby), he backs off at the last second. This time, he's willing to go all the way and sell out Dwight, his most loyal friend. It's a little jarring." Leitch, however, said the sweetness of the sublot involving Kevin and Lynne offset some of the darker aspects of the episode, and praised several of the jokes including Michael's "Shoe-La-La" shoe store idea, Dwight's idea for a "Horse Boat" invention and the KGB knock knock jokes.

Kona Gallagher, of TV Squad, praised "Golden Ticket", especially the final act: "Between Michael's face and Dwight's conference call, the last ten minutes of this episode were absolutely golden." Gallagher said the episode returned to "season one levels of Michael Scott stupidity", and particularly liked the way Dwight so readily accepted credit once the golden ticket promotion proved to be a success. Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club gave "Golden Ticket" an A- grade and particularly praised Steve Carrell's Willy Wonka impression and the way Michael tried to distance himself after the promotional idea went bad. Rabin said, "Tonight’s episode lacked a certain gravity but it delivered the goods, comedy-wise." He also pointed out that the script was technically illogical in that Michael pretended he did not come up with the golden ticket idea despite the documentary camera crew filming his earlier discussions about it.

Entertainment Weekly writer Whitney Pastorek described the episode as "kind of cute tonight, and kind of flat in places, and kind of sad." Pastorek said one of the most interesting aspects of "Golden Ticket" was the relationship between Michael and Dwight: "After their respective failed romances with Holly and Angela, Michael and Dwight may be coming to the awkward realization that the most successful relationship in either of their lives is with one another, and that may be causing a little tension." Travis Fickett of IGN said "Golden Ticket" was a "solid offering", but felt it lacked any big moments and fit too much of a status quo mold he feels other recent episodes had fallen into. Fickett said it was "fun to watch Michael squirm" both when he thought he was in trouble, and when he was robbed credit for his good idea; he also liked when Jim encouraged Dwight not to take the fall for Michael, and when the others in the office rallied around Dwight when David Wallace gave Dwight credit for the success.

Alan Sepinwall, television writer for The Star-Ledger, said Michael acted so "nakedly selfish and unfeeling" that it made the episode unpleasant to watch: "If last week's 'Blood Drive' gave us Michael at his most human and sympathetic, then "Golden Ticket" showed how a human Michael could also be a monster." However, Sepinwall said he did the subplot involving Kevin receiving romantic advice was funny and sweet: "Brian Baumgartner's just been aces the last two weeks, and if it hadn't been for this story, I might have found "Golden Ticket" unbearable." Dan Hopper of VH1's Best Week Ever strongly criticized the episode and the behavior of the characters: "Why was every single character on last night’s Willy Wonka episode acting like a complete idiot? Not 'idiot' in the sense that the characters are always dumb and goofy in an amusing way, but 'idiot' as in 'none of these human beings would ever act this way and this is really frustrating to watch?'"