Lotto (The Office)
Encyclopedia
"Lotto" is the third episode of the eighth season
of the American comedy
television series
The Office, and the show's 155th episode overall. It was written by Charlie Grandy
and directed by cast member John Krasinski
. The episode originally aired on NBC
in the United States on October 6, 2011.
was originally part of the pool (with his birthday being the winning numbers) but stopped when he was promoted, and falls into a depression, unable to find any motivation to work and further dismayed when his ex-wife's response to him not winning is to ask for the number of his pool-winner friend Glen. Everyone else speculates how they would spend a hypothetical lottery score, with Jim and Pam ultimately deciding to fuse their two main ideas into one for a lovely brownstone located in the great outdoors.
Andy has a hard time finding any office workers who will step in for the day and make sure that the day's important orders shipped out. Jim
, Erin
, Dwight
and Kevin
take over the process, but don't know how to use the heavy-lifting equipment and discover that they are not strong enough to fill the truck by hand. Upon Kevin
's suggestion, they create an oil luge to slide the boxes across the floor, which results in a lot of damaged inventory, a failed shipment, and Phyllis losing a large client.
A melancholic Darryl finally assembles a conference room meeting with several potential new hires, but utters several discouraging remarks about the job and exits, leaving Andy alone to take charge of the process. Andy doesn't know what he's doing and all of the workers simply leave. Darryl blames himself for the failure and asks Andy to fire him, but Andy refuses, thinking/hoping Darryl is speaking in code.
Andy finally manages to hire three workers: a bodybuilder from Oscar
's gym, Dwight's building handyman Nate, and a PhD candidate who can only work two days a week. Darryl demands anew to be fired, then switches gears: he tells Andy to give him the manager job, saying he deserves it and wants that or a pink slip. Andy then steps up and bluntly tells Darryl he not only isn't going to do that, but Darryl was not the runner-up to Andy in the selection process; as he brings up Darryl's short temper, his hiring of the unqualified Glen, and his loss of interest in taking business education courses, Darryl finally snaps out of his funk and listens to him. Andy tells Darryl that Jo Bennett
loved him and saw something in him, and he simply stopped striving after that. He convinces Darryl to stay on board, and they head down to the warehouse, only to find it has become a slick mess.
, his 7th writing credit for the series. It was directed by cast member John Krasinski
, who portrays Jim Halpert
; this was the second episode directed by Krasinski for the series.
The official website for The Office included three cut scenes from "Lotto" within a week of its release. In the first 88-second clip, Jim and the others try to get the truck into the warehouse door, but get the truck stuck. In the second 35-second clip, Dwight tries to use Kevin as a bumper on the oil track. In the third 34-second clip, Phyllis, Toby, and Ryan reveal what they'd do if they won the lottery.
" which made it one of the lowest rated episodes of the series, slightly higher than the first-season episode, "Health Care".
reviewer Alan Sepinwall praised writing of the episode writing that "if there's been a consistent element to Paul Lieberstein's work on this show [...] it's that he understands what makes the main characters tick, and is able to use that for real emotional resonance [...] When the show wants to give Jim, or Pam, or Dwight, or now Andy a quiet, emotional moment, it's usually still able to do so very well, and that includes most of Andy and Darryl's interaction here in "Lotto". Despite this, he criticized the warehouse subplot for "selling them [the characters] out for the sake of a joke". The A.V. Club
reviewer Myles McNutt called the episode superior to the previous episode commenting that " While perhaps not monumentally better than last week’s outing and damaged by a weak B-story, 'Lotto' had a greater sense of purpose that holds greater value to the season as it moves forward". He also complimented the writers for not focusing too much on Andy. He ultimately gave the episode a B.
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 155th episode overall. It was written by Charlie Grandy
Charlie Grandy
Charlie Grandy is an American stand-up comedian, television writer and producer who has worked on series such as The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Saturday Night Live and The Office...
and directed by cast member 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...
. The episode originally 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 October 6, 2011.
Plot
The six warehouse workers win $950,000 in a lottery pool, and quit in a celebratory fashion of running through the office, making a mess and mooning the staff. DarrylDarryl 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....
was originally part of the pool (with his birthday being the winning numbers) but stopped when he was promoted, and falls into a depression, unable to find any motivation to work and further dismayed when his ex-wife's response to him not winning is to ask for the number of his pool-winner friend Glen. Everyone else speculates how they would spend a hypothetical lottery score, with Jim and Pam ultimately deciding to fuse their two main ideas into one for a lovely brownstone located in the great outdoors.
Andy has a hard time finding any office workers who will step in for the day and make sure that the day's important orders shipped out. 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...
, 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...
, 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...
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:...
take over the process, but don't know how to use the heavy-lifting equipment and discover that they are not strong enough to fill the truck by hand. Upon 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:...
's suggestion, they create an oil luge to slide the boxes across the floor, which results in a lot of damaged inventory, a failed shipment, and Phyllis losing a large client.
A melancholic Darryl finally assembles a conference room meeting with several potential new hires, but utters several discouraging remarks about the job and exits, leaving Andy alone to take charge of the process. Andy doesn't know what he's doing and all of the workers simply leave. Darryl blames himself for the failure and asks Andy to fire him, but Andy refuses, thinking/hoping Darryl is speaking in code.
Andy finally manages to hire three workers: a bodybuilder from 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...
's gym, Dwight's building handyman Nate, and a PhD candidate who can only work two days a week. Darryl demands anew to be fired, then switches gears: he tells Andy to give him the manager job, saying he deserves it and wants that or a pink slip. Andy then steps up and bluntly tells Darryl he not only isn't going to do that, but Darryl was not the runner-up to Andy in the selection process; as he brings up Darryl's short temper, his hiring of the unqualified Glen, and his loss of interest in taking business education courses, Darryl finally snaps out of his funk and listens to him. Andy tells Darryl that Jo Bennett
Jo Bennett
Joleen MaryAnn "Jo" Bennett is a fictional character from the US comedy television series The Office, who first appeared in Season 6. She is the CEO of Sabre, who purchased Dunder Mifflin, and is played by Kathy Bates.-Biography:...
loved him and saw something in him, and he simply stopped striving after that. He convinces Darryl to stay on board, and they head down to the warehouse, only to find it has become a slick mess.
Production
The episode was written by co-executive producer Charlie GrandyCharlie Grandy
Charlie Grandy is an American stand-up comedian, television writer and producer who has worked on series such as The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Saturday Night Live and The Office...
, his 7th writing credit for the series. It was directed by cast member 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...
, who portrays 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...
; this was the second episode directed by Krasinski for the series.
The official website for The Office included three cut scenes from "Lotto" within a week of its release. In the first 88-second clip, Jim and the others try to get the truck into the warehouse door, but get the truck stuck. In the second 35-second clip, Dwight tries to use Kevin as a bumper on the oil track. In the third 34-second clip, Phyllis, Toby, and Ryan reveal what they'd do if they won the lottery.
Ratings
In its original American broadcast, "Lotto" was viewed by 5.82 million viewers and received a 3.2 rating/8% share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49. This means that it was seen by 3.2% of all 18–49 years olds, and 8% of all 18–49 year olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. This marked an 11 percent drop from the previous episode, "The IncentiveThe Incentive
"The Incentive" is the second episode of the eighth season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's 154th episode overall. It was written by Paul Lieberstein and directed by Charles McDougall. The episode originally aired on NBC in the United States on September 29, 2011...
" which made it one of the lowest rated episodes of the series, slightly higher than the first-season episode, "Health Care".
Reviews
"Lotto" received mainly positive reviews from critics. HitFixHitFix
HitFix, or the HitFix.com is an entertainment news website that launched in December 2008 specializing in breaking entertainment news, insider information and providing reviews and critiques of film, music and television...
reviewer Alan Sepinwall praised writing of the episode writing that "if there's been a consistent element to Paul Lieberstein's work on this show [...] it's that he understands what makes the main characters tick, and is able to use that for real emotional resonance [...] When the show wants to give Jim, or Pam, or Dwight, or now Andy a quiet, emotional moment, it's usually still able to do so very well, and that includes most of Andy and Darryl's interaction here in "Lotto". Despite this, he criticized the warehouse subplot for "selling them [the characters] out for the sake of a joke". 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...
reviewer Myles McNutt called the episode superior to the previous episode commenting that " While perhaps not monumentally better than last week’s outing and damaged by a weak B-story, 'Lotto' had a greater sense of purpose that holds greater value to the season as it moves forward". He also complimented the writers for not focusing too much on Andy. He ultimately gave the episode a B.