Kelly Kapoor
Encyclopedia
Kelly Rajnigandha Kapoor (born February 4, 1980), 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.
Although there are a few major alterations between them, her closest counterpart on the original UK series is Donna.
representative at the Scranton
branch of fictitious paper distributor Dunder Mifflin. Kelly is the office chatterbox, usually on topics that a teenager might discuss, such as boy
s, dating, and celebrity gossip. She also admits wanting to get married and that she "can't wait to get pregnant and have babies."
, but frequently professes incorrect knowledge about her heritage or religion. Her parents were brought together through an arranged marriage
and she has three living sisters as well as another one who had died.
Originally, she did not seem to have any particular personality traits, but beginning in "The Carpet
," her bubbly and somewhat immature personality began to develop. She tends to engage in long-winded, one-sided conversations on relatively trivial subjects, often to the chagrin of Toby Flenderson
, with whom she shares the annex, situated off from the main office. Sometimes it appears that Kelly plays dumb, as evidenced by a conspiratorial wink to the camera in "Boys and Girls."
Kelly's attraction to men is one of the main consuming features of her life and it was revealed that she has spent a year in a juvenile hall for stealing her ex-boyfriend's father's boat. She also enjoys shopping, especially online, as seen in "The Coup" and in "Dunder Mifflin Infinity
" and she also loves clothing, as seen in "The Coup" and "Women's Appreciation
."
," where Michael Scott
conducts a diversity training seminar for his employees. When Michael suggests everyone state a race they are sexually attracted to, Dwight
immediately responds "Indian," which gets a curious (and rather alarmed) look from her. Kelly leaves to go to a customer meeting and comes back in the middle of a game where everyone in the room has to put a card with a specific race on their forehead (with the race being unknown to themselves), and then must treat everyone as if they were the race on their card. Michael, frustrated that no one is playing properly, attempts to demonstrate how to play, by approaching Kelly as she walks into the room and speaking in a stereotypical Indian accent. He starts to get offensive, mentioning various Indian stereotypes, such as convenience store
s and trying to offer her "some of my googi googi," to which Kelly responds by slapping him and walking away.
Kelly's race subjects her to embarrassing and insulting references from Michael. For instance, she wins the "Spicy Curry" award at the 8th Annual Dundie Awards
. She angrily questions an evasive Michael about why she got the award. She dresses up as Dorothy
from The Wizard of Oz
on Halloween, which prompts Michael to say, "Interesting take on Dorothy" followed by his suggesting that she wear a soccer
uniform and dress like Jess Bhamra, a character of Indian descent in Bend It Like Beckham
.
During the company "Christmas Party", Kelly gives a possibly inebriated kiss to Dwight, possibly due to his comment in "Diversity Day," although this plot line did not develop (Dwight was already dating Angela
). Instead, Kelly was involved in a wildly uneven relationship with Ryan Howard
, the office temp. She hinted (often with little subtlety) that she wanted to marry him and have children as soon as possible, though he was strongly opposed to it and was not especially interested in her. The relationship was often rocky, as Kelly suffocated Ryan with her almost aggressively perky behavior. She tells Jim in "The Carpet" that she likes Beyoncé
, pink (the color), Pink
(the singer), basically anything that is awesome, hot dogs, and snowcones. In the episode "Take Your Daughter To Work Day", we see Kelly's manipulative side, after she witnessed Stanley's teenage daughter shadowing Ryan. Kelly lies and tells Stanley that Ryan flirted
with the teenager, after which Stanley berates Ryan. In the season finale "Casino Night", Ryan wearily admits to Jim that he is still dating Kelly.
Diwali
festival, Kelly's parents criticize her choice in Ryan for not being committed to marriage and family and for not making enough money ("Diwali
"); they suggest that she go for a particular, more successful man of Indian descent. When Jim Halpert
sees Kelly for the first time after the merger between the Stamford
and Scranton branches, he asks her what has been going on in her life, to which Kelly responds by gossiping excitedly about Tom Cruise
and Katie Holmes
's daughter Suri and Brad Pitt
and Angelina Jolie
's daughter Shiloh; when Jim reaffirms his question of what has been going on with her life, she blankly replies that she just told him. She joins Pam and Karen's party in "A Benihana Christmas
" with Ryan.
Hurt by Ryan's comments in "Business School," Michael moves Ryan's desk next to Kelly's as a form of punishment. Kelly is excited by the move, though she and Ryan bicker (and passionately make up) frequently. In "The Negotiation," Kelly reveals that Ryan once laughed at her during a date when a boy on a Ferris wheel
spilled his milkshake on her. Ryan just replies "Well, that was funny; that's why." She also questions Ryan's bravery, mentioning that he once called her for help when he thought there was a "murderer" in his apartment. All this bickering makes Toby wonder in a talking head interview if Michael purposely put Ryan and Kelly together next to him just to punish him. Toby comments, "If he did... genius."
Despite her often frivolous and immature behavior, Kelly is seen in a rare professional capacity in "Product Recall
." She trains Oscar, Angela, and Kevin for taking customer service phone calls after an obscene watermark is printed on Dunder Mifflin paper, prompting too many complaint calls for Kelly alone to answer. She is very enthusiastic about this new task, and mentions that sometimes when she is bored she will make up a name for herself or talk in an accent (such as imitating Bridget Jones
) while on the phone. Unlike Angela, who cannot bring herself to follow Kelly's advice and say "I'm sorry" to irate customers, Kelly demonstrates notable skill at soothing the angry callers.
In "The Job
," Ryan abruptly ends his relationship with Kelly after receiving a promotion to the corporate headquarters. According to a short NBC advertisement that aired after the season, Kelly spent much of the summer crying, and her days in the office were spent under her desk not speaking or associating with anyone.
Kelly spends most of season four getting over her breakup with Ryan and beginning a new relationship with Darryl Philbin
. In "Dunder Mifflin Infinity", Kelly attempts to get back together with Ryan by telling him she is pregnant with his child. Kelly is overjoyed when Ryan agrees to have dinner with her, but the plan backfires when he learns that she is not actually pregnant. When he confronts her about it, she does not understand why the lie would upset him and is surprised and upset when he refuses to date her again. Ryan later asks Corporate to have her job outsourced
to India.
A relationship sparks with warehouse foreman Darryl, after he protects Kelly from Dwight's anger over her purchasing paper online while he was trying to beat the website in sales. She delightedly confesses that she did not really need paper; she just loves the cute and friendly seeming website because she gets to hear the sound effect and the text that says "Thanks for shopping with Dunder Mifflin!"
In the episode "Money
", Kelly and Darryl kiss in the conference room in front of Ryan, confirming their relationship. Kelly does not seem to have forgiven Ryan, however, during a grammar
discussion of objective and subjective case, Kelly complains that Ryan used her "as an object." Darryl seems at times much less enthusiastic about the relationship, evoking Ryan's previous attitude toward Kelly. He declines to go on a date with her in favor of spending time with his daughter, and when Kelly presents him with an ultimatum (her or his daughter), he does not change his mind. However, he complains in a talking head interview that Kelly primarily seems interested in him when Ryan is around. He also gives her some rare straight talk, showing that he can view their relationship in a mature way. A bemused Kelly tells the cameras, "Darryl Philbin is the most complicated man that I have ever met. I mean who says exactly what they're thinking? What kinda game is that?"
In the episodes "Local Ad
" and "The Deposition
", it becomes clearer that Kelly and Darryl are dating. In the latter episode, Kelly becomes confrontational and insulting towards Pam when Darryl keeps beating Jim at ping-pong. Pam finally gets fed up and challenges Kelly to a game. However, it becomes clear immediately that Kelly and Pam are evenly matched at ping-pong, as they both are abysmal.
In "Goodbye, Toby
", Kelly shows that she still bears a grudge against Ryan, who has been arrested on charges of fraud. She describes in detail how she looks forward to visiting Ryan in prison, where the other inmates would be sure to check her out and tell Ryan that they wish they had an ex-girlfriend as hot as her.
wrap party. They explain this to Michael, however he lets her off the hook after she had stated both that she was raped and loved Michael's tie. He says that he can relate to her because he often had trouble getting people to come to his parties as well. Michael comments that she often says she was raped when she is caught in a problem. She pretends to start crying, but they both end up laughing. In "Business Trip", Ryan moves back to the annex with Kelly in preparation for Pam's return. Kelly says she has no intention of getting back together with Ryan given the way he treated her, but the two are later seen passionately kissing. Ryan helps Kelly send a message to Darryl saying their relationship is over, and Darryl responds saying "it's cool". Kelly is overjoyed while Ryan is shocked and Darryl happily walks to his truck. Kelly and Ryan confirm that they are dating again. In the next episode, Ryan allegedly takes a trip to Thailand so they break up again. A confused Kelly agrees to give him money and have sex with him one more time before he goes.
Later, in "The Duel", after Angela remarks of her delight that two men are fighting over her, Kelly responds, "I guess people have fewer choices as they get older." In "Lecture Circuit
Part 1" Dwight finds out from her personal record that she was in juvenile hall for almost two years, the reason being that she stole her boyfriend's dad's boat after he broke up with her. In Blood Drive, when she notices how upset Michael is, she sits with him, until it is closing time. When Michael quits his job, Kelly shows interest in her new boss, Charles, as does Angela. Kelly quickly befriends the new receptionist, Erin
. As of the beginning of season six, she is once again dating Ryan.
In a live chat with fans from OfficeTally.com, Mindy Kaling said that she likes Kelly and Ryan being together because she and B.J. Novak are best friends, and they can hang out on set when their characters have scenes.
", Kelly starts acting more professional after she is encouraged by Dwight to attend the minority executive training program from Yale
. Dwight originally encouraged her in hopes to become her svengali
but later regrets his decision.
In "Counseling
", Kelly is the one who comes up with the idea that Dwight should Pretty Woman
the Steamtown Mall, but when Jim says that it is a good idea, she does not remember what she said. In a talking-head interview, she admits to the camera that she knows she talks a lot, so she's learned to tune herself out.
In "Andy's Play
", she becomes bored during Andy's play. In "Sex Ed
", she considers Meredith "gross" for having genital herpes. In a deleted scene, she asks Jim to open up a jar of Fluff for her. While Jim is having trouble opening it, Kelly rambles about how she's not sure if Ryan is capable of true love, because he told her if he was stuck in heaven
and she was stuck in hell
, he would not live with her in hell. When Jim is unable to open the jar, he hands it back to her, to which she responds with "you're just gonna hand it back to me?".
In the beginning of "The Sting
", when Oscar rides into the office on his bicycle that is the same model as Lance Armstrong
's, Kelly says she feels awkward because she is on Sheryl Crow
's side (referring to their breakup). Later, when Michael announces to the office that rival salesman Danny Cordray has been hired as their new traveling manager, Kelly mumbles "F**k me". She also says Danny reminds her of Josh Duhamel
.
In "Costume Contest
", she dresses up as Snooki, then Katy Perry
.
In "The Search
", during the cold open, Ryan and Kelly announced to the office that they were getting a divorce apparently having married over a week earlier on the spur of the moment neglecting to tell anyone. Originally they asked for no one to take sides claiming it was an amicable break up but realizing that no one cared and getting little reaction to their news Ryan declared that the split was not amicable and demanded that people take sides and also raise their hands to show whose side they were on. After the divorce Ryan and Kelly have continued to date.
magazine named the character as one of the reasons they were looking forward to the return of the show in fall 2007.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television series, The Office. She is played by 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...
, who is also a writer and producer for the show.
Although there are a few major alterations between them, her closest counterpart on the original UK series is Donna.
Depiction
Kelly is a customer serviceCustomer service
Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase.According to Turban et al. , “Customer service is a series of activities designed to enhance the level of customer satisfaction – that is, the feeling that a product or service has met the customer...
representative at the 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...
branch of fictitious paper distributor Dunder Mifflin. Kelly is the office chatterbox, usually on topics that a teenager might discuss, such as boy
Boy
A boy is a young male human , as contrasted to its female counterpart, girl, or an adult male, a man.The term "boy" is primarily used to indicate biological sex distinctions, cultural gender role distinctions or both...
s, dating, and celebrity gossip. She also admits wanting to get married and that she "can't wait to get pregnant and have babies."
Biography
Kelly is an Indian AmericanIndian American
Indian Americans are Americans whose ancestral roots lie in India. The U.S. Census Bureau popularized the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Indigenous peoples of the Americas who are commonly referred to as American Indians.-The term: Indian:...
, but frequently professes incorrect knowledge about her heritage or religion. Her parents were brought together through an arranged marriage
Arranged marriage
An arranged marriage is a practice in which someone other than the couple getting married makes the selection of the persons to be wed, meanwhile curtailing or avoiding the process of courtship. Such marriages had deep roots in royal and aristocratic families around the world...
and she has three living sisters as well as another one who had died.
Originally, she did not seem to have any particular personality traits, but beginning in "The Carpet
The Carpet
"The Carpet" is the 14th episode of the second season of The Office . It was written by Paul Lieberstein and directed by Victor Nelli, Jr.. It first aired on January 26, 2006 on NBC....
," her bubbly and somewhat immature personality began to develop. She tends to engage in long-winded, one-sided conversations on relatively trivial subjects, often to the chagrin of Toby Flenderson
Toby Flenderson
Toby Wyatt Flenderson, M.S.W. born 1971 is a character from the US television series The Office. He is played by Paul Lieberstein. He is an original character and has no equivalent in the British version of the show, The Office.-Overview:...
, with whom she shares the annex, situated off from the main office. Sometimes it appears that Kelly plays dumb, as evidenced by a conspiratorial wink to the camera in "Boys and Girls."
Kelly's attraction to men is one of the main consuming features of her life and it was revealed that she has spent a year in a juvenile hall for stealing her ex-boyfriend's father's boat. She also enjoys shopping, especially online, as seen in "The Coup" and in "Dunder Mifflin Infinity
Dunder Mifflin Infinity
"Dunder Mifflin Infinity" is the third episode of the fourth season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's fifty-sixth episode overall. The episode was written by Michael Schur, who also acts in the show, and directed by Craig Zisk...
" and she also loves clothing, as seen in "The Coup" and "Women's Appreciation
Women's Appreciation
"Women's Appreciation" is the twenty-second episode of the third season of the US version of The Office, and the third supersized episode of the season...
."
Seasons 1–2
Kelly is portrayed in Season 1 very differently than later in the series. Rather than being loquacious and adolescent, she is just a normal office-worker who is just another target of Michael's stereotypes. She is first featured in the episode "Diversity DayDiversity Day
"Diversity Day" is the second episode of the first season of the American version of The Office. Written by B. J. Novak and directed by Ken Kwapis, it first aired in the United States on March 29, 2005, on NBC. The episode guest stars Office consulting producer Larry Wilmore as Mr...
," where Michael Scott
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...
conducts a diversity training seminar for his employees. When Michael suggests everyone state a race they are sexually attracted to, 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...
immediately responds "Indian," which gets a curious (and rather alarmed) look from her. Kelly leaves to go to a customer meeting and comes back in the middle of a game where everyone in the room has to put a card with a specific race on their forehead (with the race being unknown to themselves), and then must treat everyone as if they were the race on their card. Michael, frustrated that no one is playing properly, attempts to demonstrate how to play, by approaching Kelly as she walks into the room and speaking in a stereotypical Indian accent. He starts to get offensive, mentioning various Indian stereotypes, such as convenience store
Convenience store
A convenience store, corner store, corner shop, commonly called a bodega in Spanish-speaking areas of the United States, is a small store or shop in a built up area that stocks a range of everyday items such as groceries, toiletries, alcoholic and soft drinks, and may also offer money order and...
s and trying to offer her "some of my googi googi," to which Kelly responds by slapping him and walking away.
Kelly's race subjects her to embarrassing and insulting references from Michael. For instance, she wins the "Spicy Curry" award at the 8th Annual Dundie Awards
The Dundies
"The Dundies" is the second season premiere of the American comedy television series The Office—the show's seventh episode overall. Written by Mindy Kaling and directed by Greg Daniels, who is also a producer for the show, the episode originally aired in the United States on September 20, 2005 on...
. She angrily questions an evasive Michael about why she got the award. She dresses up as Dorothy
Dorothy Gale
Dorothy Gale is the protagonist of many of the Oz novels by American author L. Frank Baum, and the best friend of Oz's ruler Princess Ozma. Dorothy first appears in Baum's classic children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and reappears in most of its sequels...
from The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
on Halloween, which prompts Michael to say, "Interesting take on Dorothy" followed by his suggesting that she wear a soccer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
uniform and dress like Jess Bhamra, a character of Indian descent in Bend It Like Beckham
Bend It Like Beckham
Bend It Like Beckham is a 2002 comedy-drama film starring Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Myers, Anupam Kher, Shaznay Lewis, and Archie Panjabi first released in the United Kingdom. The film was directed by Gurinder Chadha...
.
During the company "Christmas Party", Kelly gives a possibly inebriated kiss to Dwight, possibly due to his comment in "Diversity Day," although this plot line did not develop (Dwight was already dating 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:...
). Instead, Kelly was involved in a wildly uneven relationship with Ryan Howard
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...
, the office temp. She hinted (often with little subtlety) that she wanted to marry him and have children as soon as possible, though he was strongly opposed to it and was not especially interested in her. The relationship was often rocky, as Kelly suffocated Ryan with her almost aggressively perky behavior. She tells Jim in "The Carpet" that she likes Beyoncé
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
, pink (the color), Pink
Pink (singer)
Alecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....
(the singer), basically anything that is awesome, hot dogs, and snowcones. In the episode "Take Your Daughter To Work Day", we see Kelly's manipulative side, after she witnessed Stanley's teenage daughter shadowing Ryan. Kelly lies and tells Stanley that Ryan flirted
Flirting
Flirting is a playful, romantic, or sexual overture by one person to another subtly indicating an interest in a deeper relationship with the other person, and can involve verbal communication as well as body language...
with the teenager, after which Stanley berates Ryan. In the season finale "Casino Night", Ryan wearily admits to Jim that he is still dating Kelly.
Seasons 3–4
At the HinduHindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
Diwali
Diwali
Diwali or DeepavaliThe name of the festival in various regional languages include:, , , , , , , , , , , , , popularly known as the "festival of lights," is a festival celebrated between mid-October and mid-December for different reasons...
festival, Kelly's parents criticize her choice in Ryan for not being committed to marriage and family and for not making enough money ("Diwali
Diwali (The Office)
"Diwali" is the sixth episode of the third season of the American comedy television series The Office—the show's 34th overall. Written by Mindy Kaling, who also acts in the show as Kelly Kapoor, and directed by Miguel Arteta, the episode first aired on November 2, 2006 on NBC, twelve days after the...
"); they suggest that she go for a particular, more successful man of Indian descent. When Jim Halpert
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...
sees Kelly for the first time after the merger between the Stamford
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
and Scranton branches, he asks her what has been going on in her life, to which Kelly responds by gossiping excitedly about Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
and Katie Holmes
Katie Holmes
Katherine Noelle "Katie" Holmes is an American actress who first achieved fame for her role as Joey Potter on The WB television teen drama Dawson's Creek from 1998 to 2003. Her movie roles have included the blockbuster Batman Begins along with art house films such as The Ice Storm and thrillers...
's daughter Suri and Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt
William Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
and Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie is an American actress. She has received an Academy Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards, and was named Hollywood's highest-paid actress by Forbes in 2009 and 2011. Jolie is noted for promoting humanitarian causes as a Goodwill Ambassador for the...
's daughter Shiloh; when Jim reaffirms his question of what has been going on with her life, she blankly replies that she just told him. She joins Pam and Karen's party in "A Benihana Christmas
A Benihana Christmas
"A Benihana Christmas" is the tenth and eleventh episode of the third season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the thirty-eighth episode overall. It was written by Jennifer Celotta and directed by Harold Ramis...
" with Ryan.
Hurt by Ryan's comments in "Business School," Michael moves Ryan's desk next to Kelly's as a form of punishment. Kelly is excited by the move, though she and Ryan bicker (and passionately make up) frequently. In "The Negotiation," Kelly reveals that Ryan once laughed at her during a date when a boy on a Ferris wheel
Ferris wheel
A Ferris wheel is a nonbuilding structure consisting of a rotating upright wheel with passenger cars attached to the rim in such a way that as the wheel turns, the cars are kept upright, usually by gravity.Some of the largest and most modern Ferris wheels have cars mounted on...
spilled his milkshake on her. Ryan just replies "Well, that was funny; that's why." She also questions Ryan's bravery, mentioning that he once called her for help when he thought there was a "murderer" in his apartment. All this bickering makes Toby wonder in a talking head interview if Michael purposely put Ryan and Kelly together next to him just to punish him. Toby comments, "If he did... genius."
Despite her often frivolous and immature behavior, Kelly is seen in a rare professional capacity in "Product Recall
Product Recall (The Office)
"Product Recall" is the twenty-first episode aired of the third season of the US version of The Office. It aired on April 26, 2007 on NBC.It was written by Justin Spitzer and Brent Forrester and directed by Randall Einhorn....
." She trains Oscar, Angela, and Kevin for taking customer service phone calls after an obscene watermark is printed on Dunder Mifflin paper, prompting too many complaint calls for Kelly alone to answer. She is very enthusiastic about this new task, and mentions that sometimes when she is bored she will make up a name for herself or talk in an accent (such as imitating Bridget Jones
Bridget Jones
Bridget Jones is a franchise based on the fictional character with the same name. English writer Helen Fielding started her Bridget Jones's Diary column in The Independent in 1995, chronicling the life of Bridget Jones as a thirtysomething single woman in London as she tries to make sense of life...
) while on the phone. Unlike Angela, who cannot bring herself to follow Kelly's advice and say "I'm sorry" to irate customers, Kelly demonstrates notable skill at soothing the angry callers.
In "The Job
The Job (The Office)
"The Job" is the third season finale of the U.S. version of The Office, and the show's 52nd and 53rd episode overall. It aired in the United States on April 19, 2007 on NBC. It is the season's second hour-long episode...
," Ryan abruptly ends his relationship with Kelly after receiving a promotion to the corporate headquarters. According to a short NBC advertisement that aired after the season, Kelly spent much of the summer crying, and her days in the office were spent under her desk not speaking or associating with anyone.
Kelly spends most of season four getting over her breakup with Ryan and beginning a new relationship with Darryl Philbin
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....
. In "Dunder Mifflin Infinity", Kelly attempts to get back together with Ryan by telling him she is pregnant with his child. Kelly is overjoyed when Ryan agrees to have dinner with her, but the plan backfires when he learns that she is not actually pregnant. When he confronts her about it, she does not understand why the lie would upset him and is surprised and upset when he refuses to date her again. Ryan later asks Corporate to have her job outsourced
Outsourcing
Outsourcing is the process of contracting a business function to someone else.-Overview:The term outsourcing is used inconsistently but usually involves the contracting out of a business function - commonly one previously performed in-house - to an external provider...
to India.
A relationship sparks with warehouse foreman Darryl, after he protects Kelly from Dwight's anger over her purchasing paper online while he was trying to beat the website in sales. She delightedly confesses that she did not really need paper; she just loves the cute and friendly seeming website because she gets to hear the sound effect and the text that says "Thanks for shopping with Dunder Mifflin!"
In the episode "Money
Money (The Office)
"Money" is the seventh episode of the fourth season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's sixtieth episode overall. It first aired on October 18, 2007, on NBC, and was the last of four consecutive hour long episodes that opened the fourth season...
", Kelly and Darryl kiss in the conference room in front of Ryan, confirming their relationship. Kelly does not seem to have forgiven Ryan, however, during a grammar
Grammar
In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...
discussion of objective and subjective case, Kelly complains that Ryan used her "as an object." Darryl seems at times much less enthusiastic about the relationship, evoking Ryan's previous attitude toward Kelly. He declines to go on a date with her in favor of spending time with his daughter, and when Kelly presents him with an ultimatum (her or his daughter), he does not change his mind. However, he complains in a talking head interview that Kelly primarily seems interested in him when Ryan is around. He also gives her some rare straight talk, showing that he can view their relationship in a mature way. A bemused Kelly tells the cameras, "Darryl Philbin is the most complicated man that I have ever met. I mean who says exactly what they're thinking? What kinda game is that?"
In the episodes "Local Ad
Local Ad
"Local Ad" is the ninth episode of the fourth season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's sixty-second episode overall. The episode was written by B. J. Novak, who also acts in the show as Ryan Howard, and directed by Jason Reitman...
" and "The Deposition
The Deposition (The Office)
"The Deposition" is the twelfth episode of the fourth season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's sixty-fifth episode overall. Written by consulting producer Lester Lewis and directed by Julian Farino, the episode originally aired in the United States on November 15,...
", it becomes clearer that Kelly and Darryl are dating. In the latter episode, Kelly becomes confrontational and insulting towards Pam when Darryl keeps beating Jim at ping-pong. Pam finally gets fed up and challenges Kelly to a game. However, it becomes clear immediately that Kelly and Pam are evenly matched at ping-pong, as they both are abysmal.
In "Goodbye, Toby
Goodbye, Toby
"Goodbye, Toby" is the fourth season hour-long finale of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's seventy-first episode overall...
", Kelly shows that she still bears a grudge against Ryan, who has been arrested on charges of fraud. She describes in detail how she looks forward to visiting Ryan in prison, where the other inmates would be sure to check her out and tell Ryan that they wish they had an ex-girlfriend as hot as her.
Seasons 5–6
In Season 5, Ryan seems to have a renewed interest in Kelly. However, she is still dating Darryl. In "Customer Survey", she changes Jim and Dwight's customer survey scores because they did not attend her America's Got TalentAmerica's Got Talent
America's Got Talent is an American reality television series on the NBC television network, and part of the global British Got Talent franchise. It is a talent show that features singers, dancers, magicians, comedians, and other performers of all ages competing for the advertised top prize of...
wrap party. They explain this to Michael, however he lets her off the hook after she had stated both that she was raped and loved Michael's tie. He says that he can relate to her because he often had trouble getting people to come to his parties as well. Michael comments that she often says she was raped when she is caught in a problem. She pretends to start crying, but they both end up laughing. In "Business Trip", Ryan moves back to the annex with Kelly in preparation for Pam's return. Kelly says she has no intention of getting back together with Ryan given the way he treated her, but the two are later seen passionately kissing. Ryan helps Kelly send a message to Darryl saying their relationship is over, and Darryl responds saying "it's cool". Kelly is overjoyed while Ryan is shocked and Darryl happily walks to his truck. Kelly and Ryan confirm that they are dating again. In the next episode, Ryan allegedly takes a trip to Thailand so they break up again. A confused Kelly agrees to give him money and have sex with him one more time before he goes.
Later, in "The Duel", after Angela remarks of her delight that two men are fighting over her, Kelly responds, "I guess people have fewer choices as they get older." In "Lecture Circuit
Lecture Circuit
"Lecture Circuit" is a two-part episode of the American comedy television series The Office. They constituted the sixteenth and seventeenth episodes of the fifth season, and the 88th and 89th overall episodes of the series...
Part 1" Dwight finds out from her personal record that she was in juvenile hall for almost two years, the reason being that she stole her boyfriend's dad's boat after he broke up with her. In Blood Drive, when she notices how upset Michael is, she sits with him, until it is closing time. When Michael quits his job, Kelly shows interest in her new boss, Charles, as does Angela. Kelly quickly befriends the new receptionist, 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...
. As of the beginning of season six, she is once again dating Ryan.
In a live chat with fans from OfficeTally.com, Mindy Kaling said that she likes Kelly and Ryan being together because she and B.J. Novak are best friends, and they can hang out on set when their characters have scenes.
Season 7
In the season 7 premiere "NepotismNepotism (The Office)
"Nepotism" is the seventh season premiere of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's 127th episode overall. Written by Daniel Chun and directed by Jeffrey Blitz, the episode aired on NBC in the United States on September 23, 2010...
", Kelly starts acting more professional after she is encouraged by Dwight to attend the minority executive training program from Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
. Dwight originally encouraged her in hopes to become her svengali
Svengali
Svengali is a fictional character of George du Maurier's 1894 novel Trilby. Svengali "would either fawn or bully and could be grossly impertinent. He had a kind of cynical humour that was more offensive than amusing and always laughed at the wrong thing, at the wrong time, in the wrong place...
but later regrets his decision.
In "Counseling
Counseling (The Office)
"Counseling" is the second episode of the seventh season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's 128th episode overall. Written by B. J...
", Kelly is the one who comes up with the idea that Dwight should Pretty Woman
Pretty Woman
Pretty Woman is a 1990 romantic comedy film set in Los Angeles, California. Written by J.F. Lawton and directed by Garry Marshall, this motion picture features Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, and also Hector Elizondo, Ralph Bellamy, and Jason Alexander in supporting roles. Roberts played the only...
the Steamtown Mall, but when Jim says that it is a good idea, she does not remember what she said. In a talking-head interview, she admits to the camera that she knows she talks a lot, so she's learned to tune herself out.
In "Andy's Play
Andy's Play
"Andy's Play" is the third episode of the seventh season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's 129th episode overall. Written by Charlie Grandy and directed by John Stuart Scott, the episode aired on NBC in the United States on October 7, 2010...
", she becomes bored during Andy's play. In "Sex Ed
Sex Ed (The Office)
"Sex Ed" is the fourth episode of the seventh season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's 130th episode overall. Written and directed by Paul Lieberstein, the episode aired on NBC in the United States on October 14, 2010...
", she considers Meredith "gross" for having genital herpes. In a deleted scene, she asks Jim to open up a jar of Fluff for her. While Jim is having trouble opening it, Kelly rambles about how she's not sure if Ryan is capable of true love, because he told her if he was stuck in heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
and she was stuck in hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
, he would not live with her in hell. When Jim is unable to open the jar, he hands it back to her, to which she responds with "you're just gonna hand it back to me?".
In the beginning of "The Sting
The Sting (The Office)
"The Sting" is the fifth episode of the seventh season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's 131st episode overall. Written by Mindy Kaling and directed by Randall Einhorn, the episode aired on NBC in the United States on October 21, 2010...
", when Oscar rides into the office on his bicycle that is the same model as Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong
Lance Edward Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support...
's, Kelly says she feels awkward because she is on Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country and pop...
's side (referring to their breakup). Later, when Michael announces to the office that rival salesman Danny Cordray has been hired as their new traveling manager, Kelly mumbles "F**k me". She also says Danny reminds her of Josh Duhamel
Josh Duhamel
Joshua David "Josh" Duhamel is an American actor and former fashion model. He first achieved acting success in 1999 as Leo du Pres on ABC's All My Children and later as the chief of security, Danny McCoy, on NBC's Las Vegas...
.
In "Costume Contest
Costume Contest
"Costume Contest" is the sixth episode of the seventh season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's 132nd episode overall. Written by Justin Spitzer and directed by Dean Holland, the episode aired on NBC in the United States on October 28, 2010...
", she dresses up as Snooki, then Katy Perry
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
.
In "The Search
The Search (The Office)
"The Search" is the fifteenth episode of seventh season of the American comedytelevision series The Office, and the show's 141st episode overall...
", during the cold open, Ryan and Kelly announced to the office that they were getting a divorce apparently having married over a week earlier on the spur of the moment neglecting to tell anyone. Originally they asked for no one to take sides claiming it was an amicable break up but realizing that no one cared and getting little reaction to their news Ryan declared that the split was not amicable and demanded that people take sides and also raise their hands to show whose side they were on. After the divorce Ryan and Kelly have continued to date.
Critical response
SlateSlate (magazine)
Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
magazine named the character as one of the reasons they were looking forward to the return of the show in fall 2007.