Couples Discount
| "Couples Discount" |
|---|
"Couples Discount" is the fifteenth episode of the ninth season of the American comedy television series The Office and the 191st episode overall. The episode features guest appearences from Andy Buckley as Dunder Mifflin CEO David Wallace and Chris Diamantopoulos as Brian the boom mic operator. The episode also marks the return of Ed Helms, who left for several episodes to film The Hangover Part III.[
Plot
The office pairs into couples so they may all be able to take advantage of a Valentine's Day discount at a mini-mall and enjoy one last boss-free day before Andy (Ed Helms) returns from his three-month boating sojourn. Erin (Ellie Kemper) decides that she is going to break up with Andy so she can be with Pete (Jake Lacy), but he begins to doubt her. After being gone for three months, Andy surprises everyone by showing up and proceeds to alienate the entire office through a series of stupid or tone-deaf actions: he wrecks Dwight's record-setting sale with the Scranton White Pages by antagonizing Jan, shows no shame at accepting all of his absentee paychecks and a "merit bonus" because the branch had their best sales quarter ever while he was gone, expects everyone to take him as a boss seriously as if he never left and holds a meeting to get up to speed on recent events so he can bluff his way through a meeting with David Wallace (Andy Buckley) (who has no idea that Andy was gone at all). The employees tell Andy false stories but he manages to spin them and Wallace leaves without any repercussions. At the end of the episode, Erin tries to break up with him by saying she no longer loves him and is angry that he left and barely communicated with her, but Andy assures her that they can work this out by having her fake love him. A few moments later, Erin walks outside to Pete saying she couldn't do it. Pete tells her that all he wants from her is to be happy; however, after giving him a kiss, she runs back up to Andy's office and breaks up with him for being unsociable enough to her and for not showing up for work for three months. David Wallace (on speaker phone) asks a devastated Andy "What was that about three months?"
Meanwhile, Pam (Jenna Fischer) and Jim (John Krasinski) share lunch with Brian (Chris Diamantopoulos) to thank him for protecting her from Frank. They are expecting his wife Alyssa to join him, but Brian reveals they are getting a divorce. He says they've been fighting for a while, but they realized it was over for them when they stopped fighting. Jim is surprised when Brian brings up consoling Pam when she broke down after his fight with her over the phone a few weeks ago. Jim decides he wants to go down to Philadelphia to avoid another fight with Pam, but Pam says she wants to fight because she wants him to stay, and Jim agrees.
Production
"Couples Discount" was written by co-executive producer Allison Silverman, marking her second writing credit for the season after "Roy's Wedding".[2][3] It was directed by Troy Miller, his third directorial credit for the series.[2]
Originally, it was reported that the episode would be titled "Andy's Return".[4] However, it was later renamed to "Couples Discount".[5] The episode features the return of series regular of Ed Helms, having previously left for several episodes to film The Hangover Part III.[6]
Broadcast and reception
"Couples Discount" originally aired on NBC on February 7, 2013.[1]
References
- ^ a b c "Shows A–Z – Office, The on NBC". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
- ^ a b Allison Silverman (writer), Troy Miller (director) (February 7, 2013). "Couples Discount". The Office. Season 9. Episode 15. NBC.
{{cite episode}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Unknown parameter|serieslink=ignored (|series-link=suggested) (help) - ^ Allison Silverman (writer), Matt Sohn (director) (November 27, 2012). "Roy's Wedding". The Office. Season 9. Episode 2. NBC.
{{cite episode}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Unknown parameter|serieslink=ignored (|series-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "The Office : Andy's Return". Zap2It. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
- ^ "Couples Discounts". OfficeTally. January 25, 2013. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
- ^ White, Cindy (November 9, 2012). "The Office: "The Boat" Review". IGN. News Corporation. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
