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Product Recall (The Office)
Encyclopedia
"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
.
In this episode, the company deals with the consequences of an offending watermark
that appeared on several reams of paper. Michael holds a poorly-attended press conference, Jim and Andy head to a high school that printed their prom invitations on the paper to apologize, and Creed frames an employee at the paper mill to keep his job.
, Jim shows up at work imitating Dwight by wearing large glasses, a short sleeved shirt and hair split on his forehead. Jim then asks Dwight which bear is best, and when Dwight answers, Jim declares him false and states that black bears are the best. Jim then further mocks him with statements such as "Bears, beets, Battlestar Galactica
" (three things Dwight frequently mentions on the show). Jim then produces a small bobblehead from his briefcase, which provokes a furious Dwight to demand that Jim stop, telling him that "Identity theft is not a joke, Jim. Millions of families suffer every year!".
Dunder Mifflin Scranton is thrown into damage control mode when reams of paper with an obscene watermark
depicting "the image of a beloved cartoon duck
performing unspeakable acts upon a certain cartoon mouse
that a lot of people like" are shipped to customers. Kelly
trains the accountants to handle customer support calls, while Jim
and Andy
are sent to calm a school principal that used the affected paper to print prom invitations. At the school, Andy is horrified to discover that his girlfriend is actually a high school student. Creed
, who failed to catch the error, saves his quality assurance
job by framing
an employee at the paper mill.
Michael
stages an apology press conference, attended by just one local news reporter, where he presents an angry customer with a novelty check for free paper. The outraged customer instead demands Michael's resignation, but he refuses. When she threatens to call the Better Business Bureau
he angrily tells her he will call the "Ungrateful Biotch Hotline".
Now facing further damage control, Michael instead makes an "apology video" in which he reiterates that the incident was not his fault and that he has become an "escape goat".
In the final credits sequence, Dwight shows up imitating Jim, but is annoyed when his Jim-styled appearance and wardrobe are met with compliments from his co-workers.
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...
.
It was written by Justin Spitzer
Justin Spitzer
Justin Spitzer is an American television writer, whose credits include Scrubs and Courting Alex. He is currently serving as a staff writer on The Office...
and Brent Forrester
Brent Forrester
Brent Forrester is an American writer, who wrote several episodes of the animated television sitcom The Simpsons between 1993 and 1997. He has also worked as an executive producer on King of the Hill, and a writer on The Ben Stiller Show, Mr. Show with Bob and David, Undeclared, and The Office...
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...
.
In this episode, the company deals with the consequences of an offending watermark
Watermark
A watermark is a recognizable image or pattern in paper that appears as various shades of lightness/darkness when viewed by transmitted light , caused by thickness or density variations in the paper...
that appeared on several reams of paper. Michael holds a poorly-attended press conference, Jim and Andy head to a high school that printed their prom invitations on the paper to apologize, and Creed frames an employee at the paper mill to keep his job.
Synopsis
In the cold openCold open
A cold open in a television program or movie is the technique of jumping directly into a story at the beginning or opening of the show, before the title sequence or opening credits are shown...
, Jim shows up at work imitating Dwight by wearing large glasses, a short sleeved shirt and hair split on his forehead. Jim then asks Dwight which bear is best, and when Dwight answers, Jim declares him false and states that black bears are the best. Jim then further mocks him with statements such as "Bears, beets, Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the Battlestar Galactica TV series in 1978, and was followed by a brief sequel TV series in 1980, a line of book adaptations, original novels, comic books, a board game, and video games...
" (three things Dwight frequently mentions on the show). Jim then produces a small bobblehead from his briefcase, which provokes a furious Dwight to demand that Jim stop, telling him that "Identity theft is not a joke, Jim. Millions of families suffer every year!".
Watermark
A watermark is a recognizable image or pattern in paper that appears as various shades of lightness/darkness when viewed by transmitted light , caused by thickness or density variations in the paper...
depicting "the image of a beloved cartoon duck
Donald Duck
Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
performing unspeakable acts upon a certain cartoon mouse
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
that a lot of people like" are shipped to customers. 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....
trains the accountants to handle customer support calls, while 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...
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...
are sent to calm a school principal that used the affected paper to print prom invitations. At the school, Andy is horrified to discover that his girlfriend is actually a high school student. Creed
Creed Bratton (character)
Creed Rowland Bratton a.k.a. "William Charles Schneider" is a fictional character from the U.S. television series The Office. Confusion may arise from the fact that the character is played by and partially based on the musician of the same name, Creed Bratton...
, who failed to catch the error, saves his quality assurance
Quality Assurance
Quality assurance, or QA for short, is the systematic monitoring and evaluation of the various aspects of a project, service or facility to maximize the probability that minimum standards of quality are being attained by the production process...
job by framing
Frameup
A frame-up or setup is an American term referring to the act of framing someone, that is, providing false evidence or false testimony in order to falsely prove someone guilty of a crime....
an employee at the paper mill.
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...
stages an apology press conference, attended by just one local news reporter, where he presents an angry customer with a novelty check for free paper. The outraged customer instead demands Michael's resignation, but he refuses. When she threatens to call the Better Business Bureau
Better Business Bureau
The Better Business Bureau , founded in 1912, is a corporation consisting of several private business franchises of local BBB organizations based in the United States and Canada, which work through their parent corporation, the Council of Better Business Bureaus .The Better Business Bureau, through...
he angrily tells her he will call the "Ungrateful Biotch Hotline".
Now facing further damage control, Michael instead makes an "apology video" in which he reiterates that the incident was not his fault and that he has become an "escape goat".
In the final credits sequence, Dwight shows up imitating Jim, but is annoyed when his Jim-styled appearance and wardrobe are met with compliments from his co-workers.
External links
- "Product Recall" at NBC.com