The Seminar
| "The Seminar" |
|---|
"The Seminar" is the fourteenth episode of seventh season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's 140th episode overall. Written by Steve Hely and directed by B. J. Novak, the episode aired January 27, 2011 on NBC.
In the episode, Andy holds a small business seminar in the office. He asks Kevin, Creed and Kelly to help him while Michael and Holly embrace the opportunity to improv. Meanwhile, Oscar and Pam help Erin in a Scrabble battle against Gabe.
Synopsis
The episode begins with Michael bumping in to David Brent (Ricky Gervais) in the elevator. After realizing he is English, Michael tells him about a character he came up with and they immediately begin to tell each other racist jokes. Then David tells Michael, they should stop because they are politically incorrect. Michael corrects him saying its just comedy, then David says "Comedy is where the mind goes to tickle itself" and then adding Michael's favorite catch phrase "That's what she said." Michael then gives David a hug.
Production
The episode was written by producer Steve Hely, the first episode he has written for The Office since joining the writing staff in season seven. It was directed by co-executive producer B. J. Novak, the second episode has has directed for the series; he also portrays Ryan Howard on the show.
It was revealed on January 19, 2011, that Ricky Gervais would reprise his role as David Brent from the original British series in a cameo appearance.[1] The scene was shots months previously, and NBC hoped to keep it a secret, but the news eventually leaked.[1] Gervais appeared in the cold open in the episode, interacting with Michael Scott.[2]
Reception
In its original American broadcast on January 27, 2011, "The Seminar" was viewed by an estimated 7.93 million viewers and received a 4.0 rating/11% share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49 according to the Nielsen Media Research.[3] It marked a eleven percent decline in the ratings from the previous episode.[3]
The episode received mixed reviews from critics. Hitfix writer Alan Speinwall said the episode was "uneven but often funny, and a nice showcase for the supporting cast."[4] James Poniewoznik of Time praised the cold opening writing "In barely over a minute, it showed us the commonalities between the two characters: how they've each created a world in which they are "performers" whose cutting-edge comedy is often unappreciated[...]is just masterly".[5]
References
- ^ a b Hibberd, James (January 19, 2011). "Ricky Gervais to reprise David Brent role on NBC's 'The Office'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 19, 2011.
- ^ "Ricky Gervais And Steve Carell Together At Last On 'The Office' (VIDEO)". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2011-01-29.
- ^ a b Seidman, Robert (January 28, 2011). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'American Idol' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
- ^ Sepinwall, Alan. "The Office - The Seminar: Oceans apart". HitFix.com. Retrieved 2011-01-29.
- ^ Poniewozik, James. "Review of The Office, The Seminar - Tuned In - TIME.com". Tunedin.blogs.time.com. Retrieved 2011-01-29.