The Injury
Encyclopedia
"The Injury" is the twelfth episode of the second season of the American comedy
television series
The Office—the show's eighteenth episode overall. Written by Mindy Kaling
, who also acts in the show as Kelly Kapoor
, and directed by Bryan Gordon
, the episode first aired in the United States on January 12, 2006 on NBC
.
In the episode, Michael accidentally burns his foot on a grill, but insists on coming to work anyway. When none of his employees, except for Dwight, help him, Michael feels under-appreciated. Meanwhile, Dwight starts acting strangely nice to everyone,
especially Pam.
(Steve Carell
) accidentally burns his foot while grilling bacon on his George Foreman grill
, in bed. When Dwight Schrute
(Rainn Wilson
) comes to "rescue" him, he crashes his car into "the pole"
and suffers a concussion. The injury makes Dwight more likable and much nicer to his co-workers, particularly Pam Beesly
(Jenna Fischer
).
Michael becomes upset with the staff's lack of compassion towards his "disability", and brings in Billy Merchant (Marcus A. York), who uses a wheelchair
, to discuss what it is like to be disabled. Billy soon leaves after Michael makes several offensive remarks, but not before pointing out to Jim Halpert
(John Krasinski
) that Dwight has suffered a concussion.
Jim and Michael take Dwight to the hospital where Michael insists that his burned foot is a more serious injury than Dwight's blunt force trauma. Before they go, Pam bids "goodbye" to the concussed Dwight, aware that she will probably never see the good-natured version of Dwight Schrute ever again.
. Gordon had previously directed the first season episode "The Alliance". "The Injury" was written by Mindy Kaling
, who also acts for the show as customer service representative Kelly Kapoor
. Writer and actor B. J. Novak
said the idea for "Injury" started out as an idea in the writing room that just "spun out of control". Novak has described "The Injury" as one of his favorite episodes, and said of it, "I don't think any other TV show would have made an episode from that starting point, and yet it was one of the funniest and most relatable episodes as it went on that we've ever had." The original plan was for Michael to have fallen asleep in the sun, while having sunblock all over him, except for his foot. The episode was originally going to be called "My Grilled Foot", but writer Mindy Kaling thought it was "too weird for people to tune in and watch that".
Marcus York recalls being nervous during filming, and "drawing a blank" on his lines during the first 'run-through', because of his anxiousness around the cast members, but soon Marcus "smoothed-out". John Krasinski said that the van scene was his favorite to shoot, and that it "will go down in history as one of the most fun moments I’ve ever been a part of".
The Russian music store mentioned by Dwight was likely AllOfMP3, a now defunct music store that based its pricing model on amount of data downloaded instead of the typical per song system used by stores such as iTunes
.
. This means that 5.1 percent of all households with an 18 to 49 year old living in it watched the episode, and 12 percent had their television tuned to the channel at any point. The episode was watched by 10.3 million viewers.
ranked the scene with Dwight getting in a car accident as its seventh best moment in the first two seasons, Rolling Stone
has the same scene as the 20th funniest in The Office's first three seasons. TV Squad's Michael Sciannamea said that "The Injury" was "another solid episode" and that the "show gets better with each and every week." M. Giant of Television Without Pity graded the episode with an "A-". In a poll done by OfficeTally.com, an Office fansite
, "The Injury" was ranked as the third best episode of the second season by voters. On Officetally, this episode was voted fans all time favorite episode from Seasons 1-5. B.J. Novak stated in an interview that it was his all-time favorite episode of the show.
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—the show's eighteenth episode overall. Written 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 also acts in the show as Kelly Kapoor
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....
, and directed by Bryan Gordon
Bryan Gordon
Bryan Gordon is a television and film director and writer. He has been nominated three times for the Directors Guild of America Award and in 2002 received the Directors Guild award for comedy directing. He’s been nominated for an Emmy twice – both for his work on the HBO series Curb Your...
, the episode first aired in the United States on January 12, 2006 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 episode, Michael accidentally burns his foot on a grill, but insists on coming to work anyway. When none of his employees, except for Dwight, help him, Michael feels under-appreciated. Meanwhile, Dwight starts acting strangely nice to everyone,
especially Pam.
Plot
Michael ScottMichael 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...
) accidentally burns his foot while grilling bacon on his George Foreman grill
George Foreman Grill
The George Foreman Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine, commonly known as the George Foreman Grill, is an indoor, electrically-heated grill manufactured by Russell Hobbs Inc.. It is promoted by George Foreman, a former champion boxer. Since its introduction in 1994, over 100 million George...
, in bed. When Dwight Schrute
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...
) comes to "rescue" him, he crashes his car into "the pole"
Gatepost
A gatepost is a structure used to support gates or crossbars which control entry to an area, such as a field or driveway.- Purpose :If the gatepost is utilitarian in purpose then gateposts will be made as strictly functional structures; however as part of the 'advertisement' of the status of the...
and suffers a concussion. The injury makes Dwight more likable and much nicer to his co-workers, particularly Pam Beesly
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,...
).
Michael becomes upset with the staff's lack of compassion towards his "disability", and brings in Billy Merchant (Marcus A. York), who uses a wheelchair
Wheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...
, to discuss what it is like to be disabled. Billy soon leaves after Michael makes several offensive remarks, but not before pointing out to 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...
(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...
) that Dwight has suffered a concussion.
Jim and Michael take Dwight to the hospital where Michael insists that his burned foot is a more serious injury than Dwight's blunt force trauma. Before they go, Pam bids "goodbye" to the concussed Dwight, aware that she will probably never see the good-natured version of Dwight Schrute ever again.
Production
This episode was the second episode of the series directed by Bryan GordonBryan Gordon
Bryan Gordon is a television and film director and writer. He has been nominated three times for the Directors Guild of America Award and in 2002 received the Directors Guild award for comedy directing. He’s been nominated for an Emmy twice – both for his work on the HBO series Curb Your...
. Gordon had previously directed the first season episode "The Alliance". "The Injury" was written 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 also acts for the show as customer service representative Kelly Kapoor
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....
. Writer and actor 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...
said the idea for "Injury" started out as an idea in the writing room that just "spun out of control". Novak has described "The Injury" as one of his favorite episodes, and said of it, "I don't think any other TV show would have made an episode from that starting point, and yet it was one of the funniest and most relatable episodes as it went on that we've ever had." The original plan was for Michael to have fallen asleep in the sun, while having sunblock all over him, except for his foot. The episode was originally going to be called "My Grilled Foot", but writer Mindy Kaling thought it was "too weird for people to tune in and watch that".
Marcus York recalls being nervous during filming, and "drawing a blank" on his lines during the first 'run-through', because of his anxiousness around the cast members, but soon Marcus "smoothed-out". John Krasinski said that the van scene was his favorite to shoot, and that it "will go down in history as one of the most fun moments I’ve ever been a part of".
The Russian music store mentioned by Dwight was likely AllOfMP3, a now defunct music store that based its pricing model on amount of data downloaded instead of the typical per song system used by stores such as iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
.
Ratings
"The Injury" received 5.1/12 in the ages 18–49 demographic in the 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...
. This means that 5.1 percent of all households with an 18 to 49 year old living in it watched the episode, and 12 percent had their television tuned to the channel at any point. The episode was watched by 10.3 million viewers.
Reception
IGNIGN
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...
ranked the scene with Dwight getting in a car accident as its seventh best moment in the first two seasons, Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
has the same scene as the 20th funniest in The Office's first three seasons. TV Squad's Michael Sciannamea said that "The Injury" was "another solid episode" and that the "show gets better with each and every week." M. Giant of Television Without Pity graded the episode with an "A-". In a poll done by OfficeTally.com, an Office fansite
Fansite
A fansite, fan site, or fanpage is a website created and maintained by a fan or devotee interested in a celebrity, thing, or a particular cultural phenomenon...
, "The Injury" was ranked as the third best episode of the second season by voters. On Officetally, this episode was voted fans all time favorite episode from Seasons 1-5. B.J. Novak stated in an interview that it was his all-time favorite episode of the show.
External links
- "The Injury" at NBC.com