Jan holds a "Women in the Workplace" seminar at Dunder-Mifflin for the paper company's female employees. Michael, feeling more than a bit left out, decides to have his own "seminar" when he takes the male workers down to the warehouse.
WAR
67.3
Wins Above Replacement
“Boys And Girls” ranks #113 of 183 The Office episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 86.6 — Elite. The episode packs 58 scored jokes at 2.7 per minute, averaging 7.2 on craft and 7.1 on impact, with Michael landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
Michael: Michael, mid-monologue: '...Do black people like pizza?'
Michael Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Callback Meredith: Meredith's talking head: 'In five years, I'd like to be five years sober.'
Meredith Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Callback Pam: Final shot: Pam answering the phone as receptionist, then the documentary crew captures her making a snow angel in the parking lot
Pam Visual Gag Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Michael: Michael: 'I don't see it that way. And you know why not? Because I am collar-blind.'
Michael Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Kelly: Kelly's follow-up: 'Like, you went to Chili's, and he got to second base with you.'
Kelly Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Standout Moments
Meredith: Meredith's talking head: 'In five years, I'd like to be five years sober.'
Meredith Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Callback Michael: Michael, mid-monologue: '...Do black people like pizza?'
Michael Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Callback Pam: Final shot: Pam answering the phone as receptionist, then the documentary crew captures her making a snow angel in the parking lot
Pam Visual Gag Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback All Jokes — 58 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Michael · Jan: Michael barging into Jan's Women in the Workplace session despite being explicitly told he's not allowed, then launching into a rambling 'speech'
Michael Jan Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Michael · Jan: "What is more important than quality?" / "Equality."
Michael: "You have come a long way, baby. But I just... just wanna keep it within reason."
Michael Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Michael: Michael's talking head: "Translation: I have been banned from my own conference room so that Jan can talk in secret to all the girls. Oh, sorry. 'Women of the Workplace.'"
Michael Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Dwight: Dwight's talking head: "That's a terrible idea. They stay in there too long, they're gonna get on the same cycle. Wreak havoc on our plumbing."
Dwight Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Michael · Toby: Michael to Toby: "Toby, come on over. You're a guy... too. Sort of."
Michael: Michael: "Why can't boys play with dolls? Why does society force us to use urinals when sitting down is far more comfortable?"
Michael: Michael's rhapsodic description of the warehouse: 'A world that is teeming with sweat and dirt and life. Life. The bowels of the office.'
Michael: Michael's talking head: 'Managing the warehouse is a very important part of my job. And I haven't been there in months.'
Michael Irony/Sarcasm Deadpan/Understatement Office Worker: An unnamed office worker's talking head: "Remember on Lost, when they met the Others?"
Michael · Darrell: Michael introducing Darrell by asking 'What is your biggest fear?' and Darrell's response about shipments
Michael: Michael explaining 'BrAngelina' to the warehouse: 'BrAnangelina is the Brad Pitt and Angelina.' / 'It's a Ram thing.'
Kevin · Jim: Kevin to Jim: 'I bet Roy heard about you liking Pam. I bet he'll try to beat you up.' / Jim: 'Thanks for the heads-up, Kev.' / Kevin: 'I got your back if he does. But try to stay out of it.'
Kevin Jim Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Michael: Michael: 'I don't see it that way. And you know why not? Because I am collar-blind.'
Michael Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Meredith · Jan: Meredith begins introducing herself in the women's seminar: 'Hi, I'm Meredith, and I'm an al...' — then cuts herself off and pivots to 'Good at supplier relations.'
Angela: Angela's talking head: 'I don't know how I fit in with these women. Here. Or with Jan. Um... I mean, we get along great. Fine.'
Angela Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Angela: Angela's talking head conclusion: 'Um... I guess the person I have the most in common with is... Jim. Halpert.'
Angela Character Comedy Misdirection ★ Rewatch Roy · Jim: Roy confronting Jim about the 'crush' rumor — the entire conversation where Roy insists they're 'cool' while Jim clearly is not fine
Roy Jim Cringe/Discomfort Awkward Silence ★ Rewatch Darrell · Michael: Darrell suggesting he and Michael switch places: 'How about we go upstairs, too, you know? Learn how an office works.' / Michael: 'I don't think you'd like it up there.'
Jan: Jan responding to Meredith's sobriety goal: 'That is an excellent goal. 4 1/2.'
Jan Deadpan/Understatement Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Jan · Female employees: One woman says she doesn't want to schlep kids in a minivan; another says she wants an SUV with three rows of seats — Jan nods approvingly at both
Michael · Dwight: Michael trying to come up with bonding topics for the men: 'Ponies. / No. / How about rainbows? / No. / Flowers. / That's dangerous, Michael.'
Michael · Jim · Roy: Michael's 'guys' gripe session: 'We even like the same girls, some of us.' — followed by extreme awkward silence with Jim and Roy both present
Jim · Roy: Jim and Roy's awkward 'should I leave?' exchange after Michael's comment about liking the same girls
Jim Roy Cringe/Discomfort Awkward Silence ★ Rewatch Callback Jan: Jan's seminar pivoting to 'dress for the job you want, not the job you have'
Jan Irony/Sarcasm Observational Michael · Darrell · Roy: Michael shushes Darrell; Darrell: 'Don't shush me.' Michael: 'That was just... breathing.' Roy: 'Pam shushes me. It drives me crazy.'
Angela: Angela's talking head: 'I'm not gaining anything from this seminar. I'm a professional woman. The head of accounting. I'm in the healthiest relationship of my life. I just think it's insulting that Jan thinks we need this. And apparently — judging from her outfit —'
Angela Character Comedy Escalation Angela: Angela: '...Jan aspires to be a whore.'
Angela Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Warehouse workers · Jim: The warehouse workers complaining about taking dates to restaurants but then pivoting to 'gas ain't free!' / 'On our salaries!'
Jim · Warehouse workers: Jim being slowly absorbed into the warehouse workers' union conversation: 'Word.' / 'No, you don't. You don't feel us.' / 'Not literally.'
Warehouse workers · Michael: Warehouse workers chanting 'Mi-chael! Mi-chael! Mi-chael!' after he says the problem is 'the chicks'
Michael · Jan: Michael to Jan: 'Don't get hysterical.' Jan: 'I'm not.' Michael: 'Part of my job is knowing how to talk to women. Let's... be... rational... here.'
Michael Jan Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Michael · Jan: Michael telling Jan about the union: 'Don't get hysterical.' / Jan: 'I'm not.' / Michael: 'Part of my job is knowing how to talk to women.'
Jan: Jan: 'The cons are that everyone will lose their job, Michael. Everyone. Office, warehouse. What do you think the pros... are... here?'
Jan Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Michael: Michael: 'Now who's getting hysterical?' after Jan shuts him down
Michael Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Callback Michael · Jan: Michael: 'Come on, Jan. After all we've been through. We have history. Between us.'
Jim: Jim's talking head: 'You know what? We could get this done a lot quicker if we formed a type of assembly line.' / 'This here is a run-out-the-clock situation.'
Jim Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Jim: 'Just like upstairs.'
Jim Deadpan/Understatement Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Jan · Female employees: Jan's sports metaphors explanation: 'Fumble means... Mistake. Slip. Right.' / 'Par for the course is a golf term. It means right on track. Uh, below par means worse.' / 'Wait, that should mean better. That doesn't make sense.'
Kelly · Jan: Kelly: 'What about second base? Like if Michael said he got to second base with you?'
Kelly Jan Cringe/Discomfort Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Kelly: Kelly's follow-up: 'Like, you went to Chili's, and he got to second base with you.'
Kelly Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jim · Pam: Jim and Pam's phone call — Pam says 'We watched a video about our changing bodies.' / Jim: 'Did you really?' / Pam: 'No. Oh. Almost.'
Jim Pam Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Michael · Warehouse workers · Darrell: Michael doing something on the warehouse floor that prompts 'Cold front comin' in to the warehouse!' / 'Better put on your ski boots!' / 'Wooooow!' / 'Happy New Year, Darrell!'
Michael: Michael to Darrell: 'Hey, Darrell! You ever done this?'
Michael Physical/Slapstick Character Comedy Michael: Michael's talking head reaction to the seminar: 'How can someone so beautiful be so sad?'
Michael Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Jan: Jan's corporate threat to the warehouse workers: 'If there is even a whiff of unionizing in this branch, I can guarantee you the branch will be shut down like that.'
Jan Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Jan: 'They unionized in Pittsfield, and we all know what happened in Pittsfield.'
Jan Dark/Subversive Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Pam · Jan: Pam's confessional about her terrace dream — 'I don't know. It was just something I read in this book when I was 12.' / Jan: 'So you're not doing it?'
Pam Jan Cringe/Discomfort Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Jim · Pam: Jim: 'You gotta take a chance on something sometime, Pam. I mean, do you wanna be a receptionist here, always?'
Jim Pam Cringe/Discomfort Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Pam: Pam: 'It's impractical. I'm not gonna... try to get a house like that.' Beat. 'Um, they don't even make houses like that in Scranton. So I'm never gonna...' (trails off, clearly upset)
Pam Cringe/Discomfort Awkward Silence ★ Rewatch Michael: Another forklift/warehouse equipment mishap: 'Just gonna push this over there!' followed by sounds of things going wrong
Michael Physical/Slapstick Character Comedy Callback Michael: Michael: 'Pizza. Great equalizer. Rich people love pizza. Poor people love pizza. White people love pizza. Black people love pizza.'
Michael: Michael to the warehouse workers: 'Sometimes Jan... can be such a bitch.'
Michael Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Darrell: Darrell: 'Hey, watch it. Watch it. We have a relationship.'
Darrell Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Michael: Michael's talking head: 'I mean, I love the guy stuff, but... to run an office, you need men and women. You know why? Because you need to have that crazy sexual tension to keep things interesting.'
Michael Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Top Episodes — The Office
