Cafe Disco
Encyclopedia
"Cafe Disco" is the twenty-seventh episode of the fifth season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the 99th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC
in the United States on May 7, 2009. Feeling the office is overworked after the recent reign of Charles Miner, Michael
sets up a "cafe disco" in his old Michael Scott Paper Company office. Phyllis injures her back dancing at the cafe disco and bonds with Dwight as he tries to relieve her back. Meanwhile, Jim and Pam plan to elope.
The episode was written by Warren Lieberstein
& Halsted Sullivan
and directed by Randall Einhorn
. Several songs are featured in the episode, including "Car Wash
" by Rose Royce
, "Cat People
" by David Bowie
, "Everybody Dance Now
" by C+C Music Factory
and "Y.M.C.A." by Village People
. The episode received generally positive reviews and, according to Nielsen ratings
, was watched by 7.71 million households during its original broadcast.
(Steve Carell
) still has his lease on the closet he used as the office space for the Michael Scott Paper Company
. Concerned that the office is still tense from the recent management by Dunder Mifflin vice president Charles Miner
, Michael decides to convert the closet into a dance hall called Cafe Disco for his employees to socialize, drink coffee and dance. None of the employees care to join him, much to the disappointment of Michael, who plays music through the ventilation system to try tempting them to come.
Phyllis (Phyllis Smith) ultimately gives in and joins Michael; she stops in to invite her husband Bob Vance (Robert R. Shafer
) but his secretary, who resembles Phyllis, tells her Bob is not available, making Phyllis jealous. When she joins the dance, Phyllis quickly throws out her back after dancing too hard. Dwight
(Rainn Wilson
) brings her into the conference room and starts giving her a kind of massage he usually gives injured horses. The two spend a long amount of time together and she eventually confides in Dwight that she fears her husband will sleep with his new secretary, but the two laugh together when Phyllis realizes how ridiculous the idea sounds.
Disappointed and angry, Michael instructs Erin
(Ellie Kemper
) to close up the Cafe Disco. Kelly
(Mindy Kaling
) comes down with her and the two start dancing after Erin turns on the stereo. This catches the eye of two male employees from Vance Refrigeration, and soon enough Cafe Disco is full of both Dunder Mifflin employees and non-employees, much to Michael's delight. Oscar
(Oscar Nunez
) is mildly baffled that Erin actually invited one of her friends to come, as opposed to being ashamed of the office. Kelly and Andy
(Ed Helms
) get into a competitive dance-off with each other, and Kevin
(Brian Baumgartner
) makes out in the corner with his girlfriend Lynne (Lisa K. Wyatt
).
Meanwhile, Jim
(John Krasinski
) and Pam
(Jenna Fischer
) have decided to avoid the expense and stress of a wedding and simply elope to a simple courthouse ceremony in Youngstown, Ohio
without letting their co-workers know. Pam comes to work with a wedding dress and Jim picks up flowers in the office parking lot. As they are leaving, they decide to stop in at Cafe Disco, and end up having a lot of fun, making them decide they really want an actual wedding ceremony after all. Phyllis eventually recovers and dances with Bob in the Cafe Disco. Michael tries to encourage Angela
(Angela Kinsey
) to dance, but she refuses because she doesn't like "the general spirit of music." When Angela starts softly shaking her foot to the beat, however, Michael is extremely satisfied with the small victory. At the end of the episode, an extremely nervous Andy gets his ear pierced by Kelly with a pin in the bathroom.
and Halsted Sullivan
and directed by Randall Einhorn
. The Office writers Gene Stupnitsky
and Lee Eisenberg
appear in cameos as Vance Refrigeration employees who attend the Cafe Disco dance after spotting Kelly and Erin dancing together. Ed Helms, who describes himself as a poor dancer, said he found the dancing scenes very challenging and that he was very sore by the end of the filming.
The official website for The Office included four cut scenes from "Cafe Disco" within a week of its original release. In the first 80-second clip, Kevin meets Lynne in the elevator, where he tells her she smells like bacon, and says "I love the smell of bacon in the morning." Later, he invites Lynne to Cafe Disco. In the second, 47-second clip, Michael insists he will not let the fun stop in the office, and tells the story of his grandfather, who he said was the most fun person until he was changed by his job. In the third, 30-second clip, Dwight talks to Phyllis about his experience in his high school girl's softball team, which he was able to join due to the "landmark" Pennsylvania Supreme Court
case, "Shrute vs. Lackawanna County
Board of Education". In the final, 30-second-clip, Dwight tells the documentary crew about his hatred for Ohio
, the home of his cousin Amel, who he says should be kicked in the "groin area" because he's a "cheat and a ball hog."
During their dance competition, Andy does a dance involving a chair from the music video of the Madonna
song "Vogue", and Kelly does a reenactment of the silhouette chair dance from the 1983 romance film, Flashdance
, which inspired elements of a dance done by actress Vanessa Ferlito
in the 2007 Quentin Tarantino
film Death Proof
. Jim and Pam plan to drive to Youngstown
, a city in Mahoning County, Ohio
, to get married in a courthouse. Dwight does an impression of actor Jack Nicholson
's character Jack Torrance
from the 1980 Stanley Kubrick
film, The Shining
. Michael described the positive office atmosphere to that of Dave & Buster's
, a restaurant and entertainment business. To signify the care-free atmosphere of Cafe Disco, Michael hung on the wall a lei
, a Hawaii
an flower necklace. When his Cafe Disco idea was initially rejected, Michael said he could understand how it felt to be the tobacco company Philip Morris
.
"Cafe Disco" included several callbacks to previous The Office episodes. Michael blames Charles Miner, the new Dunder Mifflin vice president, for the poor atmosphere around the office; Charles was the antagonist of a recent six-episode story arc revolving around Michael's defection from Dunder Mifflin to the Michael Scott Paper Company. The office space used for Cafe Disco is the old Michael Scott Paper Company office space previously featured in the episodes "Michael Scott Paper Company", "Heavy Competition
" and "Broke
". The episode features Lynne (Lisa K. Wyatt
) as Kevin's date at the dance; Lynne was previously introduced in "Blood Drive
", the fifth season's Valentine's Day
episode, where the two met at an office singles party. Television reviewers also compared the bonding between Dwight and Phyllis in "Cafe Disco" as a throwback to "Crime Aid
", an episode earlier in the season, in which Phyllis tries to console a saddened Dwight in the wake of Andy and Angela's engagement. Ironically, in preparing to elope with Jim, Pam pins back her hair, partially reverting to her style from earlier seasons, while conversely, Pam lets down her hair in "The Secret" when Kelly asks how Pam will style her hair to wed Roy.
, an increase from the previous week. The episode received a 4.5 rating/14 share among viewers aged between 18 and 34, and a 3.8 rating/11 share among viewers between 18 and 49. The episode outperformed the 3.5 rating/9 share of CBS
' crime drama series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
in the 18—49 category. The Office creator Greg Daniels
said he was particularly proud of this, especially in light of the series' upcoming 100th episode, "Company Picnic
"; Daniels said of beating CSI, "Who would have thought that when we aired for the first time?"
The episode received generally positive reviews. Margaret Lyons of Entertainment Weekly
praised the episode, comparing it positively to previous episodes "Casino Night" and "Booze Cruise": "not as heavy or emotional, certainly, but still a chance to see our Dunderheads in a charming and demonstrative not-quite-work environment." Lyons also complimented a number of changes in the series the episode seemed to indicate, including shifting allegiances, goodwill where there used to be bad and a possible budding romance between Andy and Kelly. Alan Sepinwall, television journalist with The Star-Ledger
, said the episode, "started off seeming like a dumb and pointless idea before gradually revealing itself to be a fun, and even welcome, diversion." Sepinwall said the episode was not as funny as other recent ones, but that the he enjoyed seeing the characters interact this way together, and particularly liked seeing Dwight and Phyllis bond, "even as he treated her like a racehorse". Josh McAuliffe of The Times-Tribune in Scranton
, Pennsylvania
, described the episode as "a wacky and wonderful little gem, one of those rare ones where it was just wall-to-wall happy, giddy fun, with not a drop of pathos, except for maybe Michael whining about having to eat lunch by himself." McAuliffe also said he was glad to see Erin's "cheerful, appealingly goofy personality" continue to emerge.
Nathin Rabin of The A.V. Club
said the episode made him feel "borderline euphoric", and said of it, "With a light touch the show made an insightful point—that we need our dance-offs and workday discos and spontaneous expressions of delight." Travis Fickett of IGN
said the episode had "an infectious sense of fun" and felt as if the show producers "just turned the camera on the cast's wrap party and let it roll a while". However, Fickett also said very little actually happened in the episode, which he said felt "mostly like filler" between the recently-finished Michael Scott Paper Company arc and the following week's season finale, "Company Picnic
". New York
magazine writer Will Leitch also said the episode felt lighter than recent episodes, but he said, "that’s okay: They’ve earned a week off, and they sure seem to be having a lot of fun." He particularly praised the competition between Andy and Kelly, and Michael's dancing: "There are few funnier dancers than Steve Carell, particularly Steve Carell amped on coffee." Andy Shaw of TV Fodder said the episode allowed the entire cast to shine and included great chemistry between Phyllis Smith and Rainn Wilson. He also said he was glad to see Ellie Kemper get more screen time, "and not just because she's Office eye candy. She adds some freshness to the cast, as she's the only person at Dunder Mifflin right now who doesn't really know anything about all the drama and backstory, so she just takes Michael and everyone else for face value." Kelly West of Cinema Blend
described "Cafe Disco" as "one of the most random episodes of The Office."
"Cafe Disco" was voted the seventh highest-rated episode out of 26 from the fifth season, according to an episode poll at the fansite OfficeTally; the episode was rated 8.49 out of 10.
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
in the United States on May 7, 2009. Feeling the office is overworked after the recent reign of Charles Miner, Michael
Michael Scott (The Office)
Michael Gary Scott is a fictional character on NBC's The Office, portrayed by Steve Carell, and based on David Brent from the original British version. Michael, the central character of the series, was the manager of the Scranton branch of paper and printer distribution company Dunder Mifflin Inc...
sets up a "cafe disco" in his old Michael Scott Paper Company office. Phyllis injures her back dancing at the cafe disco and bonds with Dwight as he tries to relieve her back. Meanwhile, Jim and Pam plan to elope.
The episode was written by Warren Lieberstein
Warren Lieberstein
Warren Lieberstein is an American television writer and producer who has worked on shows such as Carpoolers and The Office. He is the younger brother of Paul Lieberstein and brother-in-law of Greg Daniels. He often works with his writing partner Halsted Sullivan. He and Angela Kinsey have filed...
& Halsted Sullivan
Halsted Sullivan
Halsted Sullivan is an American television writer and producer who has worked on shows such as Carpoolers and The Office. He often works with his writing partner Warren Lieberstein.- Career :...
and directed by Randall Einhorn
Randall Einhorn
Randall Einhorn is an American television director and cinematographer. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.Einhorn is best known for his work on The Office . He also directed The Accountants, a ten-part webisode spinoff of The Office which appeared online between the second and third seasons...
. Several songs are featured in the episode, including "Car Wash
Car Wash (song)
"Car Wash" is a 1976 soul music single by Rose Royce for MCA Records, the group's debut single and one of the most notable successes of the disco era. Written and produced by the band's main producer Norman Whitfield, "Car Wash", the theme of the 1976 film Car Wash, was Rose Royce's most successful...
" by Rose Royce
Rose Royce
Rose Royce is an American soul and R&B band. The group is best known for several hit singles including "Car Wash," "I Wanna Get Next to You," "Wishing on a Star", "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" and "I'm Going Down".-Career:...
, "Cat People
Cat People (Putting Out Fire)
"Cat People " is a song by David Bowie, the title song of the 1982 film Cat People. It was written by Bowie with producer Giorgio Moroder. A re-recorded version of the song appears on the album Let's Dance...
" by David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, "Everybody Dance Now
Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)
"Gonna Make You Sweat " was C+C Music Factory's first hit. It was released in late 1990 in many countries and achieved a great success in U.S., Austria, Germany and Switzerland where it reached number one on the charts....
" by C+C Music Factory
C+C Music Factory
C+C Music Factory is a dance-pop and hip hop group formed in 1989 by David Cole and Robert Clivillés which stopped recording 1996, following Cole's death...
and "Y.M.C.A." by Village People
Village People
Village People is a concept disco group that formed in the United States in 1977, well known for their on-stage costumes depicting American cultural stereotypes, as well as their catchy tunes and suggestive lyrics....
. The episode received generally positive reviews and, according to Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
, was watched by 7.71 million households during its original broadcast.
Plot
MichaelMichael Scott (The Office)
Michael Gary Scott is a fictional character on NBC's The Office, portrayed by Steve Carell, and based on David Brent from the original British version. Michael, the central character of the series, was the manager of the Scranton branch of paper and printer distribution company Dunder Mifflin Inc...
(Steve Carell
Steve Carell
Steven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
) still has his lease on the closet he used as the office space for the Michael Scott Paper Company
Michael Scott Paper Company
"Michael Scott Paper Company" is the twenty-third episode of the fifth season of the television series The Office, and the 95th overall episode of the series...
. Concerned that the office is still tense from the recent management by Dunder Mifflin vice president Charles Miner
Charles Miner (The Office)
Charles Miner was the Vice President of Northeast Sales for Dunder Mifflin, having taken over the position vacated by Ryan and Jan. He is portrayed by Idris Elba.-Character history:Charles is first introduced in "New Boss"...
, Michael decides to convert the closet into a dance hall called Cafe Disco for his employees to socialize, drink coffee and dance. None of the employees care to join him, much to the disappointment of Michael, who plays music through the ventilation system to try tempting them to come.
Phyllis (Phyllis Smith) ultimately gives in and joins Michael; she stops in to invite her husband Bob Vance (Robert R. Shafer
Robert R. Shafer
Robert Shafer is an American actor who has amassed a substantial cult-following for having played Officer Joe Vickers in the 1989 horror-comedy Psycho Cop and the sequel Psycho Cop 2. Shafer, sometimes credited as Bobby Ray Shafer, is best known for playing Bob Vance on The Office...
) but his secretary, who resembles Phyllis, tells her Bob is not available, making Phyllis jealous. When she joins the dance, Phyllis quickly throws out her back after dancing too hard. Dwight
Dwight Schrute
Dwight Kurt Schrute III is a character on NBC's The Office portrayed by Rainn Wilson. He originally exactly resembled Gareth Keenan from the original UK version of The Office. Dwight is the top salesman and former acting manager for the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company and has won numerous awards for...
(Rainn Wilson
Rainn Wilson
Rainn Dietrich Wilson is an American actor and comedian. He is primarily known for his role as the egomaniacal Dwight Schrute on the American version of the television comedy The Office...
) brings her into the conference room and starts giving her a kind of massage he usually gives injured horses. The two spend a long amount of time together and she eventually confides in Dwight that she fears her husband will sleep with his new secretary, but the two laugh together when Phyllis realizes how ridiculous the idea sounds.
Disappointed and angry, Michael instructs Erin
Erin Hannon
Kelly Erin Hannon is a fictional character from the U.S. television series The Office. She is the office receptionist for the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin, a position previously held by Pam Halpert before she left the company. Erin is played by Ellie Kemper...
(Ellie Kemper
Ellie Kemper
Elizabeth Claire "Ellie" Kemper is an American actress, comedian and writer best known for her role as Erin Hannon in NBC's The Office.-Personal life:...
) to close up the Cafe Disco. Kelly
Kelly Kapoor
Kelly Rajnigandha Kapoor , is a fictional character from the US television series, The Office. She is played by Mindy Kaling, who is also a writer and producer for the show....
(Mindy Kaling
Mindy Kaling
Vera Mindy Chokalingam , better known as Mindy Kaling, is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer who plays Kelly Kapoor on the NBC sitcom The Office. Kaling is also a co-executive producer and writer of several of the show's episodes.-Early life:Kaling was born Vera Chokalingam in...
) comes down with her and the two start dancing after Erin turns on the stereo. This catches the eye of two male employees from Vance Refrigeration, and soon enough Cafe Disco is full of both Dunder Mifflin employees and non-employees, much to Michael's delight. Oscar
Oscar Martinez
Oscar Jual Paul Martinez is a fictional character from the US television series The Office. He is played by Oscar Nunez.-Overview:Oscar Martinez is an accountant at the paper distributor Dunder Mifflin. He is a first generation Mexican-American. Oscar is also openly homosexual after being...
(Oscar Nunez
Oscar Nunez
Oscar Nunez , sometimes credited as Oscar Núñez, is a Cuban American actor and comedian.He currently appears as Dunder Mifflin's paper supply accountant, Oscar Martinez, on NBC's The Office.-Career:...
) is mildly baffled that Erin actually invited one of her friends to come, as opposed to being ashamed of the office. Kelly and Andy
Andy Bernard
Andrew "Andy" Baines Bernard is a fictional character from the U.S. television series The Office. The character is highly insecure, yet egotistical, constantly mentioning his education at Cornell University...
(Ed Helms
Ed Helms
Edward Paul "Ed" Helms is an American actor and comedian known for his work as a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, as Andy Bernard on the US version of the sitcom/mockumentary The Office and for his role as Dr. Stu Price in The Hangover films.- Early life :Helms was born and raised...
) get into a competitive dance-off with each other, and Kevin
Kevin Malone
Kevin Jaye Malone is a character in the United States television series The Office. He is played by Brian Baumgartner. Kevin's counterpart in the UK series is Keith Bishop.-Biography:...
(Brian Baumgartner
Brian Baumgartner
Brian Baumgartner is an Emmy Award-winning American film and television actor, best known for playing Kevin Malone on The Office.-Personal life:...
) makes out in the corner with his girlfriend Lynne (Lisa K. Wyatt
Lisa K. Wyatt
Lisa K. Wyatt is an actress and comedian. According to the biography on her official site, she has appeared in more than 150 film, television and regional theatre credits. She is currently appearing in a recurring role as Lynne, the love interest of Kevin Malone, in NBC's The Office.-Life and...
).
Meanwhile, Jim
Jim Halpert
James Duncan "Jim" Halpert is a fictional character in the United States version of the television sitcom The Office, played by John Krasinski. The character is based on Tim Canterbury from the original version of The Office...
(John Krasinski
John Krasinski
John Burke Krasinski is an American actor, film director, and writer. He is most widely known for playing Jim Halpert on the NBC sitcom The Office...
) and Pam
Pam Beesly
Pamela Morgan "Pam" Halpert is a fictional character on the U.S. television sitcom The Office, played by Jenna Fischer. Her counterpart in the original UK series of The Office is Dawn Tinsley....
(Jenna Fischer
Jenna Fischer
Regina Marie "Jenna" Fischer is an American actress and director. She is most widely known for her Emmy-nominated portrayal of Pam Halpert on the NBC situation comedy and mockumentary The Office, and has also appeared in several films, including Blades of Glory, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story,...
) have decided to avoid the expense and stress of a wedding and simply elope to a simple courthouse ceremony in Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
without letting their co-workers know. Pam comes to work with a wedding dress and Jim picks up flowers in the office parking lot. As they are leaving, they decide to stop in at Cafe Disco, and end up having a lot of fun, making them decide they really want an actual wedding ceremony after all. Phyllis eventually recovers and dances with Bob in the Cafe Disco. Michael tries to encourage Angela
Angela Martin
Angela Noelle Martin is a fictional character from the US television series The Office played by American actress Angela Kinsey. She is an original character, and has no equivalent in the British version of the show, The Office.-Overview:...
(Angela Kinsey
Angela Kinsey
Angela Kinsey is an American actress. She currently appears as the uptight accountant Angela Martin on the hit NBC television series The Office.-Personal life:...
) to dance, but she refuses because she doesn't like "the general spirit of music." When Angela starts softly shaking her foot to the beat, however, Michael is extremely satisfied with the small victory. At the end of the episode, an extremely nervous Andy gets his ear pierced by Kelly with a pin in the bathroom.
Production
"Cafe Disco" was written by Warren LiebersteinWarren Lieberstein
Warren Lieberstein is an American television writer and producer who has worked on shows such as Carpoolers and The Office. He is the younger brother of Paul Lieberstein and brother-in-law of Greg Daniels. He often works with his writing partner Halsted Sullivan. He and Angela Kinsey have filed...
and Halsted Sullivan
Halsted Sullivan
Halsted Sullivan is an American television writer and producer who has worked on shows such as Carpoolers and The Office. He often works with his writing partner Warren Lieberstein.- Career :...
and directed by Randall Einhorn
Randall Einhorn
Randall Einhorn is an American television director and cinematographer. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.Einhorn is best known for his work on The Office . He also directed The Accountants, a ten-part webisode spinoff of The Office which appeared online between the second and third seasons...
. The Office writers Gene Stupnitsky
Gene Stupnitsky
Gene Stupnitsky is a film and television writer. He usually works with Lee Eisenberg.In television, he wrote for the NBC comedy series The Office from seasons 2 to 6, and served as a co-executive producer and directed two episodes with Eisenberg, "Michael Scott Paper Company" and "The Lover"...
and Lee Eisenberg
Lee Eisenberg
Lee Eisenberg is a film and television writer. He usually works with Gene Stupnitsky.-Life and career:In television, he wrote for the NBC comedy series The Office from seasons 2 to 6, and served as a co-executive producer and directed two episodes with Stupnitsky, "Michael Scott Paper Company" and...
appear in cameos as Vance Refrigeration employees who attend the Cafe Disco dance after spotting Kelly and Erin dancing together. Ed Helms, who describes himself as a poor dancer, said he found the dancing scenes very challenging and that he was very sore by the end of the filming.
The official website for The Office included four cut scenes from "Cafe Disco" within a week of its original release. In the first 80-second clip, Kevin meets Lynne in the elevator, where he tells her she smells like bacon, and says "I love the smell of bacon in the morning." Later, he invites Lynne to Cafe Disco. In the second, 47-second clip, Michael insists he will not let the fun stop in the office, and tells the story of his grandfather, who he said was the most fun person until he was changed by his job. In the third, 30-second clip, Dwight talks to Phyllis about his experience in his high school girl's softball team, which he was able to join due to the "landmark" Pennsylvania Supreme Court
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the court of last resort for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It meets in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.-History:...
case, "Shrute vs. Lackawanna County
Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania
As of the census of 2000, there were 213,295 people, 86,218 households, and 55,783 families residing in the county. The population density was 465 people per square mile . There were 95,362 housing units at an average density of 208 per square mile...
Board of Education". In the final, 30-second-clip, Dwight tells the documentary crew about his hatred for Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, the home of his cousin Amel, who he says should be kicked in the "groin area" because he's a "cheat and a ball hog."
Cultural references
The following songs were featured in the episode:- "Car WashCar Wash (song)"Car Wash" is a 1976 soul music single by Rose Royce for MCA Records, the group's debut single and one of the most notable successes of the disco era. Written and produced by the band's main producer Norman Whitfield, "Car Wash", the theme of the 1976 film Car Wash, was Rose Royce's most successful...
" by Rose RoyceRose RoyceRose Royce is an American soul and R&B band. The group is best known for several hit singles including "Car Wash," "I Wanna Get Next to You," "Wishing on a Star", "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" and "I'm Going Down".-Career:... - "Cat PeopleCat People (Putting Out Fire)"Cat People " is a song by David Bowie, the title song of the 1982 film Cat People. It was written by Bowie with producer Giorgio Moroder. A re-recorded version of the song appears on the album Let's Dance...
" by David BowieDavid BowieDavid Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s... - "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)"Gonna Make You Sweat " was C+C Music Factory's first hit. It was released in late 1990 in many countries and achieved a great success in U.S., Austria, Germany and Switzerland where it reached number one on the charts....
" by C+C Music FactoryC+C Music FactoryC+C Music Factory is a dance-pop and hip hop group formed in 1989 by David Cole and Robert Clivillés which stopped recording 1996, following Cole's death... - "Y.M.C.A." by Village PeopleVillage PeopleVillage People is a concept disco group that formed in the United States in 1977, well known for their on-stage costumes depicting American cultural stereotypes, as well as their catchy tunes and suggestive lyrics....
- "Boy Hangover" written by Lester Lewis, sung by Bonnie McKeeBonnie McKeeBonnie Leigh McKee is a North American singer-songwriter, formerly signed to Reprise Records. She released her debut album Trouble in 2004, which was a minor success. The single "Somebody" was included in the soundtrack to the 2004 comedy film Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!...
- "I'll Do You Like a TruckI'll Do You like a Truck"I'll Do You like a Truck" is an electro-dance song written by Gheorghe Constantin Cristinel and Silviu Paduraru. The song was released on August 1, 2008, after which it became a huge summer hit in Europe.-Music video:...
" by Geo da Silva - "Climb on Board" by Destination Soul
- "Pimpin'" by Tian & Styliztic
- "Whiplash" by Image
- "Various Disgraces" by The Blam
During their dance competition, Andy does a dance involving a chair from the music video of the Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
song "Vogue", and Kelly does a reenactment of the silhouette chair dance from the 1983 romance film, Flashdance
Flashdance
Another song used in the film, "Maniac", was also nominated for an Academy Award. It was written by Michael Sembello and Dennis Matkosky, and was inspired by the 1980 horror film Maniac. The lyrics about a killer on the loose were rewritten so that it could be used in Flashdance...
, which inspired elements of a dance done by actress Vanessa Ferlito
Vanessa Ferlito
-Personal life:An Italian American, Ferlito was born in Brooklyn, New York. Her father died when she was three. Her mother and stepfather own a hair salon in Brooklyn...
in the 2007 Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
film Death Proof
Death Proof
Death Proof is a 2007 American action thriller film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. The film centers on a psychopathic stunt man who stalks young women before murdering them in staged car accidents using his "death-proof" stunt car...
. Jim and Pam plan to drive to Youngstown
Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
, a city in Mahoning County, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, to get married in a courthouse. Dwight does an impression of actor Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson
John Joseph "Jack" Nicholson is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is renowned for his often dark portrayals of neurotic characters. Nicholson has been nominated for an Academy Award twelve times, and has won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice: for One Flew Over the...
's character Jack Torrance
Jack Torrance
Jack Torrance is a fictional character, the antagonist in the 1977 novel The Shining by Stephen King. He was portrayed by Jack Nicholson in the 1980 movie adaptation of the novel, and by Steven Weber in the 1997 miniseries. The American Film Institute rated the character the 25th greatest film...
from the 1980 Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
film, The Shining
The Shining (film)
The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, co-written with novelist Diane Johnson, and starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, and Danny Lloyd. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. A writer, Jack Torrance, takes a job as an...
. Michael described the positive office atmosphere to that of Dave & Buster's
Dave & Buster's
Dave & Buster's is an American restaurant and entertainment business headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Each D&B has a full-service restaurant and a video arcade. As of July 1, 2009, the company had 57 locations across the United States and two in Canada. The company also licenses the D&B concept...
, a restaurant and entertainment business. To signify the care-free atmosphere of Cafe Disco, Michael hung on the wall a lei
Lei (Hawaii)
Lei is a Hawaiian word for a garland or wreath. More loosely defined, a lei is any series of objects strung together with the intent to be worn. The most popular concept of a lei in Hawaiian culture is a wreath of flowers draped around the neck presented upon arriving or leaving as a symbol of...
, a Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
an flower necklace. When his Cafe Disco idea was initially rejected, Michael said he could understand how it felt to be the tobacco company Philip Morris
Philip Morris International
Philip Morris International is an international tobacco company, with products sold in over 160 countries. In 2007, it held a 15.6% share of the international cigarette market outside of the USA and reported revenues net of excise taxes of $22.8 billion and operating income of $8.9 billion.Until...
.
"Cafe Disco" included several callbacks to previous The Office episodes. Michael blames Charles Miner, the new Dunder Mifflin vice president, for the poor atmosphere around the office; Charles was the antagonist of a recent six-episode story arc revolving around Michael's defection from Dunder Mifflin to the Michael Scott Paper Company. The office space used for Cafe Disco is the old Michael Scott Paper Company office space previously featured in the episodes "Michael Scott Paper Company", "Heavy Competition
Heavy Competition
"Heavy Competition" is the 24th episode of the fifth season of the television series The Office, and the 96th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on April 16, 2009. In the episode, Michael enlists the help of Dwight in getting Michael's new paper company...
" and "Broke
Broke (The Office)
"Broke" is the 25th episode of the fifth season of the television series The Office, and the 97th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on April 23, 2009...
". The episode features Lynne (Lisa K. Wyatt
Lisa K. Wyatt
Lisa K. Wyatt is an actress and comedian. According to the biography on her official site, she has appeared in more than 150 film, television and regional theatre credits. She is currently appearing in a recurring role as Lynne, the love interest of Kevin Malone, in NBC's The Office.-Life and...
) as Kevin's date at the dance; Lynne was previously introduced in "Blood Drive
Blood Drive (The Office)
"Blood Drive" is the eighteenth episode of the fifth season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the 90th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on March 5, 2009....
", the fifth season's Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
episode, where the two met at an office singles party. Television reviewers also compared the bonding between Dwight and Phyllis in "Cafe Disco" as a throwback to "Crime Aid
Crime Aid
"Crime Aid" is the fifth episode of the fifth season of the television series The Office, and the show's seventy-seventh episode overall. The episode aired in the United States on October 23, 2008 on NBC....
", an episode earlier in the season, in which Phyllis tries to console a saddened Dwight in the wake of Andy and Angela's engagement. Ironically, in preparing to elope with Jim, Pam pins back her hair, partially reverting to her style from earlier seasons, while conversely, Pam lets down her hair in "The Secret" when Kelly asks how Pam will style her hair to wed Roy.
Reception
In its original American broadcast on May 7, 2009, "Cafe Disco" was watched by 7.71 million households, according to Nielsen ratingsNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
, an increase from the previous week. The episode received a 4.5 rating/14 share among viewers aged between 18 and 34, and a 3.8 rating/11 share among viewers between 18 and 49. The episode outperformed the 3.5 rating/9 share of CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
' crime drama series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
in the 18—49 category. The Office creator Greg Daniels
Greg Daniels
Gregory Martin "Greg" Daniels is an American television comedy writer, producer, and director.-Life and career:...
said he was particularly proud of this, especially in light of the series' upcoming 100th episode, "Company Picnic
Company Picnic
"Company Picnic" is the fifth season finale of the American comedy television series The Office, and the 100th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on May 14, 2009...
"; Daniels said of beating CSI, "Who would have thought that when we aired for the first time?"
The episode received generally positive reviews. Margaret Lyons of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
praised the episode, comparing it positively to previous episodes "Casino Night" and "Booze Cruise": "not as heavy or emotional, certainly, but still a chance to see our Dunderheads in a charming and demonstrative not-quite-work environment." Lyons also complimented a number of changes in the series the episode seemed to indicate, including shifting allegiances, goodwill where there used to be bad and a possible budding romance between Andy and Kelly. Alan Sepinwall, television journalist with The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to The Jersey Journal of Jersey City, The Times of Trenton and the Staten Island Advance, all of which are owned by Advance Publications.The Newark Star-Ledgers daily...
, said the episode, "started off seeming like a dumb and pointless idea before gradually revealing itself to be a fun, and even welcome, diversion." Sepinwall said the episode was not as funny as other recent ones, but that the he enjoyed seeing the characters interact this way together, and particularly liked seeing Dwight and Phyllis bond, "even as he treated her like a racehorse". Josh McAuliffe of The Times-Tribune in Scranton
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, described the episode as "a wacky and wonderful little gem, one of those rare ones where it was just wall-to-wall happy, giddy fun, with not a drop of pathos, except for maybe Michael whining about having to eat lunch by himself." McAuliffe also said he was glad to see Erin's "cheerful, appealingly goofy personality" continue to emerge.
Nathin Rabin of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
said the episode made him feel "borderline euphoric", and said of it, "With a light touch the show made an insightful point—that we need our dance-offs and workday discos and spontaneous expressions of delight." Travis Fickett of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
said the episode had "an infectious sense of fun" and felt as if the show producers "just turned the camera on the cast's wrap party and let it roll a while". However, Fickett also said very little actually happened in the episode, which he said felt "mostly like filler" between the recently-finished Michael Scott Paper Company arc and the following week's season finale, "Company Picnic
Company Picnic
"Company Picnic" is the fifth season finale of the American comedy television series The Office, and the 100th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on May 14, 2009...
". New York
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
magazine writer Will Leitch also said the episode felt lighter than recent episodes, but he said, "that’s okay: They’ve earned a week off, and they sure seem to be having a lot of fun." He particularly praised the competition between Andy and Kelly, and Michael's dancing: "There are few funnier dancers than Steve Carell, particularly Steve Carell amped on coffee." Andy Shaw of TV Fodder said the episode allowed the entire cast to shine and included great chemistry between Phyllis Smith and Rainn Wilson. He also said he was glad to see Ellie Kemper get more screen time, "and not just because she's Office eye candy. She adds some freshness to the cast, as she's the only person at Dunder Mifflin right now who doesn't really know anything about all the drama and backstory, so she just takes Michael and everyone else for face value." Kelly West of Cinema Blend
Cinema Blend
Cinema Blend is a website founded and run by Josh Tyler dedicated to news and reviews of upcoming and currently playing films, movie projects, Television Shows, and a newly founded Music section which covers album reviews, band interviews and daily news from the industry. It combines gossip from...
described "Cafe Disco" as "one of the most random episodes of The Office."
"Cafe Disco" was voted the seventh highest-rated episode out of 26 from the fifth season, according to an episode poll at the fansite OfficeTally; the episode was rated 8.49 out of 10.
External links
- "Cafe Disco" at NBC.comNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...