Top 10 Episodes of the Office (10, 9, 8)

My Top 10 (Non-Disqualified) Episodes of the Office

The Office! This is my favorite TV Show of all time, which is saying a lot. There are so many hilarious actors that you could put any two characters together and they’ll find a way to make it funny. Over the course of 9 seasons there are 201 episodes (if you count double-length episodes as two). I decided to give a snap shot of The Office by picking out 10 episodes that showcase why I love this show so much.

 

Disqualified Episode: Dinner Party

I also wanted my Top 10 List to be distinct from all of the other lists you might find. There are some very well-known episodes that everyone talks about. I didn’t want to focus on these episodes, because there are so many great episodes in that 201 total. I decided to scour the internet for other lists of great episodes of the Office. I kept track of the lists and I disqualified any episode that I found on 5 or more lists. Not to say that those aren’t great episodes, but I wanted to focus on episodes that might otherwise get over-looked. So I present to you, My Top 10 (Non-Disqualified) episodes of The Office.

Note: Disqualified Episodes consist of Diversity Day, The Dundies, Booze Cruise, The Injury, Casino Night, Gay Witch Hunt, The Convict, Beach Games, The Job, Fun Run, Dinner Party, Goodbye Toby, Stress Relief, Niagara, Threat Level Midnight, Garage Sale, Goodbye Michael, and Finale.

 

#10: After Hours (Season 8, Episode 16) 

 
Favorite Quote:

“Five dots Darryl, are you kidding me?! Ok, three dots means to be continued, four dots is a typo, but five dots means, whoa! Do not make me say what I want to say, but if I did, it would blow your mind, dot dot dot dot dot” – Kelly

 

Dwight prepares to check Jim's bed for bed bugs

I know it might seem crazy to start off with a post-Michael Scott episode, but hear me out. The entire Florida arc in season 8 is gold. As you’ll see a few times in this list, I love episodes that take our characters out of the familiar Dunder Mifflin setting and see how they act in the real world. In this episode, we see how they interact after hours in the hotel. In the lobby, we have Dwight and Todd Packer competing for the butt-kisser of the year award as they try to schmooze their way to a promotion. This is probably the most likable I’ve ever found Packer. Sure, he’s still a jerk, but he’s not being perverted and it’s fun to see him and Dwight keep trying to one-up each other. The other big story is the new girl, Cathy trying to seduce Jim. Of course he’d never cheat on Pam, but he didn’t just turn her down. He put his pranking mind put to good use. Getting rid of a horny woman by convincing Dwight to strip down and fart in your bed is genius! Props to Jim for not only staying loyal, but doing it in a creative way.

 

Darryl and Val react to Brandon's accusations

The B story in this episode also brings its A Game. Everyone back at the office is working late, and their attention is quickly shifted from work to gossiping about Darryl’s personal life. It basically becomes an episode of Maury. It has all the elements: Surprise guests, boyfriend confrontations, explorations of feelings, examining incriminating texts. We even had the audience there to make it more dramatic. I still agree that as a whole, The Office was better with Steve Carell, but episodes like this make the final two seasons watchable. Of course it also helped that Robert California was nowhere to be found.

 

# 9 Crime Aid (Season 5, Episode 5)
 

Favorite Quote:

 “So much for sex without consequences” – Michael

 

Bob Vance and David Wallace bid on Phyllis's hug

Crime Reduces Innocence, Makes Everyone Angry, I Declare. That’s the hilariously stupid acronym that Michael Scott came up with for Crime-Aid. After an office robbery, the employees of Dunder Mifflin put on a charity auction to raise money. This is the perfect opportunity to showcase what our characters can come up with on short notice. Some of the items included Kevin doing your taxes, a CD of Hank the security guard singing the blues, or my personal favorite, Creed. (apparently all-inclusive). It’s like a late night infomercial, I don’t want any of it….but I can’t stop watching it. As ridiculous as it sounds, this auction is also proof of how sweet everyone can be. They were all just trying to help and it ends with a nice moment where David Wallace and Bob Vance end up in a bidding war for a hug from Phyllis. They really do care about each other.

 

Dwight seeks advice from Phyllis

Crime Aid also catches up with 3 of our favorite Office couples in various relationship stages. In the honeymoon stage, we have Michael and Holly. They have such a hard time keeping their hands off each other that the inadvertently caused the robbery by getting frisky and leaving the door unlocked. In the maintaining stage, we have Jim and Pam. Their relationship is tested as they deal with long distance, trust, and paranoia. Finally in the parting stage, we have Dwight and Angela. Unable to accept that it’s over, Dwight seeks advice from Phyllis. I like these stories, because it humanizes these characters. Most people can relate to these relationship stages, which allows us to identify with them. They become more than funny caricatures, they become people.
 

# 8 Michael’s Last Dundies (Season 7, Episode 21)

Favorite Quote:

 “Wow, I do not parent for the award, but I gotta tell you it feels pretty good. Cece if you’re watching this at home, it’s way past your bedtime, by the way how’d this get televised?” – Jim  

Jim accepts his award for Best Dad

You can’t go wrong if you include the Dundies, it’s just a recipe for great TV. We hadn’t seen the Dundies ceremony since the season two primiere, but they’re back! Against all reason, the Dundies are now held in a fancy restaurant and everything that happens cracks me up. DeAngelo co-hosts with Michael, despite having terrible stage fright. Dwight arrives in a full tuxedo and judges everyone’s outfits. Erin decides the best time to break up with Gabe is in public, in front of everyone. Then there’s the actual awards themselves. Jim wins “Best Dad”, so obviously “Best Mom” goes to……..Meredith? Ryan is shocked that he doesn’t win “Hottest in the Office”, although it still goes to a man. It’s never dull when you give Michael Scott creative control. It’s also important to watch carefully as there are a lot of quick lines and background hilarity going on, like Kevin bringing his own crayons to the restaurant.

Michael's Goodbye Song

Unsurprisingly, they all get kicked out and go back to the Dunder Mifflin conference room. This is the part of the episode that all fans remember. This episode is more than just a funny Dundies ceremony. It’s also preparing both the characters and us as the audience for the departure of Michael. Even though he often does stupid stuff and makes their lives difficult, he’s still a part of their family and they’re going to miss him. Everyone breaks into the Goodbye song, where they recount favorite moments and say their goodbyes in song. Even the grumpy characters, like Stanley, Toby, and Angela are singing along with smiles on their faces. If you think about it, it’s Micheael’s last conference room meeting, which I think is very fitting.

 

 

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