Gettysburg (The Office)
Encyclopedia
"Gettysburg" is the eighth episode of the eighth season
of the American comedy
television series
The Office, and the show's 160th episode overall. The episode aired on NBC
in the United States on November 17, 2011.
(Ed Helms
) decides to motivate and inspire everyone by taking them on a field trip to Gettysburg
. Much to Andy's chagrin, half of the office volunteers to stay behind and Robert California
(James Spader
) asks them to come up with Dunder Mifflin/Sabre’s next big idea. However, the office fails to impress Robert with their ideas. Kevin
(Brian Baumgartner
) details a very basic idea he has about cookie placement in the vending machine, but Robert gets the impression that he is extremely clever and is speaking only in metaphors. Ryan
(B. J. Novak
) later tricks Kevin into explaining an idea he has involving the Big Mac
, and Robert realizes that there was no subtext to Kevin's ideas.
Meanwhile, at Gettysburg, Andy is unhappy with the lack of morale and belief in his leadership and attempts to make an analogy between running a paper company and fighting in the Civil War
. Andy starts to lead a haphazard tour, and eventually most of office members sit down to rest. Jim
(John Krasinski
) and Darryl
(Craig Robinson) follow Andy after he presses on, and eventually tell him to stop trying to impress the office. They reinforce the fact that his co-workers like him the way he is.
During the tour, Dwight
(Rainn Wilson
) argues with Oscar
(Oscar Nunez
) about what he claims is the northernmost battle of the Civil War: the Battle of Schrute Farms. Dwight maintains that its absence from the history books is an example of re-writing history, whereas Oscar maintains that the battle is a fictitious creation. After tracking down a historian, Dwight and Oscar learn that the Battle of Schrute Farms did in fact take place. However, the "battle" was really a code term. During the Civil War, Schrute Farms was a safe haven for artists and poets (and, as heavily implied, homosexuals). Oscar finds this fascinating, whereas Dwight leaves in disgust.
Gabe
(Zach Woods
) is sidetracked by another tour group, who assume that he is an Abraham Lincoln
impersonator (which Gabe notes is a frequent occurrence when he is seen by children), and he is forced to give a performance.
, his second writing credit for the series after joining the writing staff the previous season. It was directed by frequent Office director Jeffrey Blitz
, his 10th directing credit for the series.
The episode was not filmed on location in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
".
referred to the "Battle of Schrute Farms" gag as a "payoff," but was overall negative. He concluded that although "The Office is still capable of finding humor in [...] situations [but] it doesn't feel like the show is willing to explore that humor, instead content on making the same statements the show has been making for quite some time.". He ultimately gave it a C-.
starring Bradley Cooper
, who co-starred with Ed Helms in The Hangover
and The Hangover Part II.
The Office (U.S. season 8)
The eighth season of the American television comedy The Office premiered on September 22, 2011 on NBC. The Office is an American adaptation of the British TV series of the same name, and is presented in a mockumentary format, portraying the daily lives of office employees in the Scranton,...
of the American comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
television series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
The Office, and the show's 160th episode overall. The episode aired on NBC
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 November 17, 2011.
Plot
AndyAndy 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...
) decides to motivate and inspire everyone by taking them on a field trip to Gettysburg
Gettysburg Battlefield
The Gettysburg Battlefield is the area of the July 1–3, 1863, military engagements of the Battle of Gettysburg within and around the borough of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Locations of military engagements extend from the 4 acre site of the first shot & at on the west of the borough, to East...
. Much to Andy's chagrin, half of the office volunteers to stay behind and Robert California
Robert California
Robert California is a fictional character on The Office, played by James Spader. He has no counterpart on the original British version of the series.- Season 7 :...
(James Spader
James Spader
James Todd Spader is an American actor best known for his eccentric roles in movies such as Pretty in Pink, Less Than Zero, Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Crash, Stargate, and Secretary...
) asks them to come up with Dunder Mifflin/Sabre’s next big idea. However, the office fails to impress Robert with their ideas. 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:...
) details a very basic idea he has about cookie placement in the vending machine, but Robert gets the impression that he is extremely clever and is speaking only in metaphors. Ryan
Ryan Howard (The Office)
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 , but his role is significantly expanded and he is a main character.-Character profile:Little is known about Ryan's...
(B. J. Novak
B. J. Novak
Benjamin Joseph Manaly “B. J.” Novak is an American actor, stand-up comedian, screenwriter, and director. He is best known for being a writer and co-executive producer for and playing the role of Ryan Howard on the US version of The Office, as well as appearing in Inglourious Basterds...
) later tricks Kevin into explaining an idea he has involving the Big Mac
Big Mac
The Big Mac is a hamburger sold by McDonald's, an international fast food restaurant chain. It is one of the company's signature products...
, and Robert realizes that there was no subtext to Kevin's ideas.
Meanwhile, at Gettysburg, Andy is unhappy with the lack of morale and belief in his leadership and attempts to make an analogy between running a paper company and fighting in the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Andy starts to lead a haphazard tour, and eventually most of office members sit down to rest. 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 Darryl
Darryl Philbin
Darryl Mathias Philbin is a fictional character from the US television series The Office. He is played by Craig Robinson.-Overview:Darryl Philbin is the foreman of the warehouse of the Scranton branch of fictitious paper distributor Dunder Mifflin....
(Craig Robinson) follow Andy after he presses on, and eventually tell him to stop trying to impress the office. They reinforce the fact that his co-workers like him the way he is.
During the tour, 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...
) argues with 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:...
) about what he claims is the northernmost battle of the Civil War: the Battle of Schrute Farms. Dwight maintains that its absence from the history books is an example of re-writing history, whereas Oscar maintains that the battle is a fictitious creation. After tracking down a historian, Dwight and Oscar learn that the Battle of Schrute Farms did in fact take place. However, the "battle" was really a code term. During the Civil War, Schrute Farms was a safe haven for artists and poets (and, as heavily implied, homosexuals). Oscar finds this fascinating, whereas Dwight leaves in disgust.
Gabe
Gabe Lewis
Gabriel Stuart "Gabe" Lewis is a fictional character on NBC's The Office. He first appears in the sixth season, where he is the Coordinating Director of Emerging Regions for the Sabre Corporate headquarters in Florida...
(Zach Woods
Zach Woods
Zach Woods is an American actor and comedian. From 2010-11, he portrayed Gabe Lewis on the NBC sitcom The Office. He was promoted to a series regular beginning in Season 7....
) is sidetracked by another tour group, who assume that he is an Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
impersonator (which Gabe notes is a frequent occurrence when he is seen by children), and he is forced to give a performance.
Production
The episode was written by story editor Robert PadnickRobert Padnick
Robert Padnick is an American television writer and actor. He is the son of Castle Rock Entertainment executive Glenn Padnick.- Career :As a child, Padnick appeared in the 1996 episode of Seinfeld episode "The Foundation" as one of the children in Kramer's karate class. In 2011, he wrote a seventh...
, his second writing credit for the series after joining the writing staff the previous season. It was directed by frequent Office director Jeffrey Blitz
Jeffrey Blitz
Jeffrey Blitz is an American film director, producer and screenwriter from Ridgewood, New Jersey. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his 2002 documentary, Spellbound and he won the Dramatic Directing Prize at the Sundance Film Festival for his 2007 film, Rocket Science.Blitz won the 2009...
, his 10th directing credit for the series.
The episode was not filmed on location in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Ratings
In its original American broadcast, "Gettysburg" was viewed by an estimated 5.55 million viewers and received a 2.9 rating share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49. This means that it was seen by 2.9% of all 18–49 years olds. This marked a three percent decrease in the ratings from the previous episode, "Pam's ReplacementPam's Replacement
"Pam's Replacement" is the seventh episode of the eighth season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's 159th episode overall. The episode aired on NBC in the United States on November 10, 2011...
".
Reviews
Myles McNutt of the The A.V. ClubThe 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...
referred to the "Battle of Schrute Farms" gag as a "payoff," but was overall negative. He concluded that although "The Office is still capable of finding humor in [...] situations [but] it doesn't feel like the show is willing to explore that humor, instead content on making the same statements the show has been making for quite some time.". He ultimately gave it a C-.
Cultural references
On the bus ride to Gettysburg, Darryl brings the movie LimitlessLimitless
Limitless is one of the world's largest private superyachts. She was built in 1997 by German shipmaker Lürssen, designed under the direction of Jon Bannenberg. The overall length is 96,25 m , the width 12,50 m...
starring Bradley Cooper
Bradley Cooper
Bradley Cooper is an American film, theater, and television actor. He is known for his roles in the films The Hangover, The A-Team, and Limitless. In 2011, People magazine named Cooper "Sexiest Man Alive".-Early life:...
, who co-starred with Ed Helms in The Hangover
The Hangover
The Hangover is the second solo album by former Guns N' Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke, released in 1997.-Track listing:All tracks by Clarke unless otherwise stated.# "Wasn't Yesterday Great" – 2:45# "It's Good Enough for Rock N' Roll" – 3:12...
and The Hangover Part II.
External links
- "Gettysburg" 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...