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Weight Loss (The Office)
Encyclopedia
"Weight Loss" is the fifth season premiere of the American
comedy
television series
The Office, and the show's seventy-third (and seventy-fourth) episode overall. Written by Lee Eisenberg
and Gene Stupnitsky
, and directed by Paul Feig
, the episode first aired as a single 60 minute show in the United States on September 25, 2008 on NBC
. "Weight Loss" was subsequently divided into two separate thirty minute episodes which first aired on November 27 and 28, 2008, both following broadcasts of The Incredibles
.
In this episode, the whole Office participates in a company-wide weight loss contest. Pam goes to New York City for art school
, causing her and Jim to have to adjust to being temporarily apart. Also, awkward tension is created between Michael and Holly after she accepts a date with another man, and Angela and Dwight continue their secret relationship, Angela's upcoming marriage
to Andy notwithstanding. The episode was voted the second best episode of the season in a poll at the fan site OfficeTally.
(Mindy Kaling
) who stops eating and tries numerous diets
, eventually passing out during one weigh-in. Corporate responds with a memo that staff should not resort to drastic weight loss measures. The Scranton branch ends up losing the competition, although Stanley Hudson
(Leslie David Baker
) is proud of his individual results.
Pam Beesly
(Jenna Fischer
) begins a three month graphic design
class in New York
. Wanting to see her, Jim meets Pam for lunch at an interstate rest stop between Scranton and New York City. He proposes to her outside in the pouring rain, and she accepts ecstatically.
Plotting his return to the company, Ryan Howard
(B. J. Novak
) apologizes to various people around the office for his past behavior. He also apologizes, and asks out, his former girlfriend Kelly Kapoor
(Mindy Kaling
), only to be rejected when she tells him that she is dating Darryl Philbin
(Craig Robinson).
Holly Flax
(Amy Ryan
) yells at Angela Martin
(Angela Kinsey
) for chastising Kevin Malone
(Brian Baumgartner
), still believing he is mentally retarded. He awkwardly reveals he is not retarded, and an embarrassed Holly apologizes and walks away. Holly continues to show interest in Michael Scott
(Steve Carell
), now with a David Brent
style goatee
, until she catches him talking to a pregnant Jan Levenson (Melora Hardin
). Holly then goes out on a date with Oscar's yoga
instructor, and buys Counting Crows
tickets as a surprise for their next date. When he never calls her, Michael berates the yoga instructor to Holly's pleasure, then offers to buy the tickets from her only to tear them up.
Phyllis Lapin-Vance (Phyllis Smith) takes over the Party Planning Committee by blackmailing Angela with her knowledge of Angela and Dwight's secret affair. After Angela shoots down all of Andy's wedding ideas, she warms up to him until he tells her that he booked his a cappella
band to play at their wedding.
Toby Flenderson
(Paul Lieberstein
) is briefly seen in a Costa Rica
n hospital due to a neck injury while zip-lining
.
Deleted scenes
The Season Five DVD contains a number of deleted scenes from this episode. Notable cut scenes include:
Jim's proposal to Pam ranked number 2 in phillyBurbs.com' s top ten moments from the fifth season of The Office. Dwight and Angela carrying on their affair in the hidden corner of the warehouse during business hours ranked number 7 on that list. Writer Jen Weilgus described Dwight's line, "We done good in there, Half Pint," as the best quote of the season. Ryan's return as a temp in this episode, tied with his second return appearance in the episode "Dream Team
", ranked number 5 in the list. Travis Fickett of IGN claims, "It's another terrifc mix of character and comedy is perfectly balanced." At the end of the article he says that, "The Office remains one of the funniest, best wriiten, best performed and one the best shows of TV. Period." "Weight Loss" was voted the second highest-rated episode out of 26 from the fifth season, according to an episode poll at the fansite OfficeTally; the episode was rated 8.92 out of 10.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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 seventy-third (and seventy-fourth) episode overall. Written by Lee Eisenberg
Lee Eisenberg
Lee Eisenberg is a film and television writer. He usually works with Gene Stupnitsky.-Life and career:In television, he wrote for the NBC comedy series The Office from seasons 2 to 6, and served as a co-executive producer and directed two episodes with Stupnitsky, "Michael Scott Paper Company" and...
and Gene Stupnitsky
Gene Stupnitsky
Gene Stupnitsky is a film and television writer. He usually works with Lee Eisenberg.In television, he wrote for the NBC comedy series The Office from seasons 2 to 6, and served as a co-executive producer and directed two episodes with Eisenberg, "Michael Scott Paper Company" and "The Lover"...
, and directed by Paul Feig
Paul Feig
Paul S. Feig is an American director, actor and author. Feig is known for playing Mr. Eugene Pool, Sabrina's science teacher, on the first season of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch as well as Tim a camp counselor on the hit kids movie Heavyweights...
, the episode first aired as a single 60 minute show in the United States on September 25, 2008 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...
. "Weight Loss" was subsequently divided into two separate thirty minute episodes which first aired on November 27 and 28, 2008, both following broadcasts of The Incredibles
The Incredibles
The Incredibles is a 2004 American computer-animated action-comedy superhero film about a family of superheroes who are forced to hide their powers. It was written and directed by Brad Bird, a former director and executive consultant of The Simpsons, and was produced by Pixar and distributed by...
.
In this episode, the whole Office participates in a company-wide weight loss contest. Pam goes to New York City for art school
Art school
Art school is a general term for any educational institution with a primary focus on the visual arts, especially illustration, painting, photography, sculpture, and graphic design. The term applies to institutions with elementary, secondary, post-secondary or undergraduate, or graduate or...
, causing her and Jim to have to adjust to being temporarily apart. Also, awkward tension is created between Michael and Holly after she accepts a date with another man, and Angela and Dwight continue their secret relationship, Angela's upcoming marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
to Andy notwithstanding. The episode was voted the second best episode of the season in a poll at the fan site OfficeTally.
Plot
The office joins a company-wide weight loss competition, with a prize of extra vacation days for the winning branch. Initially enthusiastic, the competition eventually weighs on the staff, especially Kelly KapoorKelly 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....
(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 stops eating and tries numerous diets
Dieting
Dieting is the practice of eating food in a regulated fashion to achieve or maintain a controlled weight. In most cases dieting is used in combination with physical exercise to lose weight in those who are overweight or obese. Some athletes, however, follow a diet to gain weight...
, eventually passing out during one weigh-in. Corporate responds with a memo that staff should not resort to drastic weight loss measures. The Scranton branch ends up losing the competition, although Stanley Hudson
Stanley Hudson
Stanley James Hudson is a fictional character from the US television series The Office. He is played by Leslie David Baker. Stanley's counterpart in the UK series is Malcolm.-Overview:...
(Leslie David Baker
Leslie David Baker
Leslie David Baker is an American film and television actor who plays Stanley Hudson on The Office. He also had several small roles in Scrubs and appeared on That '70s Show as a janitor after a Ted Nugent concert and played an office worker in several of OfficeMax's "Rubberband Man" series of...
) is proud of his individual results.
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,...
) begins a three month graphic design
Graphic design
Graphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
class in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Wanting to see her, Jim meets Pam for lunch at an interstate rest stop between Scranton and New York City. He proposes to her outside in the pouring rain, and she accepts ecstatically.
Plotting his return to the company, 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...
(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...
) apologizes to various people around the office for his past behavior. He also apologizes, and asks out, his former girlfriend 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....
(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...
), only to be rejected when she tells him that she is dating 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....
(Craig Robinson).
Holly Flax
Holly Flax
Hollis "Holly" Partridge Flax is a fictional character from the US television series The Office played by Amy Ryan. She was an original character, and not based on a character from the British version of the show...
(Amy Ryan
Amy Ryan
Amy Ryan is an American actress. She has been nominated for an Academy Award and Golden Globe for her performance in Gone Baby Gone and is also known for her roles in the HBO series The Wire, playing Port Authority Officer Beadie Russell; In Treatment, playing psychiatrist Adele Brousse; and The...
) yells at Angela Martin
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:...
(Angela Kinsey
Angela Kinsey
Angela Kinsey is an American actress. She currently appears as the uptight accountant Angela Martin on the hit NBC television series The Office.-Personal life:...
) for chastising Kevin Malone
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:...
), still believing he is mentally retarded. He awkwardly reveals he is not retarded, and an embarrassed Holly apologizes and walks away. Holly continues to show interest in 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...
(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...
), now with a David Brent
David Brent
David Brent is a fictional character in the BBC television mockumentary The Office, as well as a recurring character in the NBC series of the same name, portrayed by co-writer and director Ricky Gervais. Brent is a white-collar office middle-manager and the principal character of the BBC series...
style goatee
Goatee
Goatee refers to a style of facial hair incorporating hair on a man’s chin. The exact nature of the style has varied according to time and culture.Traditionally, goatee refers solely to a beard formed by a tuft of hair on the chin...
, until she catches him talking to a pregnant Jan Levenson (Melora Hardin
Melora Hardin
Melora Diane Hardin is an American actress, best known for her roles as Jan Levinson on NBC's The Office and Trudy Monk on USA's Monk.-Early life:...
). Holly then goes out on a date with Oscar's yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
instructor, and buys Counting Crows
Counting Crows
Counting Crows is an American rock band originating from Berkeley, California. Formed in 1991, the group gained popularity following the release of its debut album in 1993, August and Everything After, which featured the hit single "Mr. Jones"...
tickets as a surprise for their next date. When he never calls her, Michael berates the yoga instructor to Holly's pleasure, then offers to buy the tickets from her only to tear them up.
Phyllis Lapin-Vance (Phyllis Smith) takes over the Party Planning Committee by blackmailing Angela with her knowledge of Angela and Dwight's secret affair. After Angela shoots down all of Andy's wedding ideas, she warms up to him until he tells her that he booked his a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
band to play at their wedding.
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:...
(Paul Lieberstein
Paul Lieberstein
Paul Bevan Lieberstein is an American screenwriter, actor and television producer. An Emmy Award winner, he is most widely known as a writer, producer, and as supporting cast member Toby Flenderson on the U.S...
) is briefly seen in a Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
n hospital due to a neck injury while zip-lining
Zip-line
A zip-line consists of a pulley suspended on a cable mounted on an incline...
.
Deleted scenes
The Season Five DVD contains a number of deleted scenes from this episode. Notable cut scenes include:
- Michael tells Jim that he wants to pop grapes into Holly's mouth, but Jim advises him to take it slow, stating: "Friends don't go around popping grapes in each other's mouths."
- Holly and Michael joke around, and Dwight abruptly ruins the joke.
- Kelly and Meredith curse each other out while putting up the weight loss chart.
- Holly (still thinking that Kevin is mentally retarded) is surprised when Kevin uses the word "carbohydrates."
- Michael orders Dwight to remove Jim's chair because he thinks Jim messed him up by advising him to take it slow with Holly.
- Jim uses paper for his new chair.
- Oscar asks Andy to turn the heat down. Andy starts freaking out thus Oscar walks away.
- Ryan is dropped off by his mother, and gives her a kiss on the cheek.
- David Wallace is furious when he finds out Ryan is still working at Dunder Mifflin. Wallace yells at Ryan through the phone.
- Holly brings Michael some documents while Michael is talking about Ryan in a phone conversation with David Wallace. While leaving, she overhears the conversation they are having and is pleased when Michael saves Ryan's job.
- When Michael tells Ryan that he saved his job, Ryan expresses displeasure about staying as a temp.
Reception
In the 18-49 demographic, "Weight Loss" earned a 4.9/11 ratings share. The episode was watched by 9.1 million viewers.Jim's proposal to Pam ranked number 2 in phillyBurbs.com
Dream Team (The Office)
"Dream Team" is the twenty-second episode of the fifth season of the television series The Office, and the 94th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on April 9, 2009. In the episode, Pam and Michael try to keep each other motivated as the two form their new...
", ranked number 5 in the list. Travis Fickett of IGN claims, "It's another terrifc mix of character and comedy is perfectly balanced." At the end of the article he says that, "The Office remains one of the funniest, best wriiten, best performed and one the best shows of TV. Period." "Weight Loss" was voted the second highest-rated episode out of 26 from the fifth season, according to an episode poll at the fansite OfficeTally; the episode was rated 8.92 out of 10.
External links
- "Weight Loss" at NBC.com