While everyone else in the office enjoys the spooky Halloween festivities and talks about the staff's costumes, Michael ponders who he should fire when the threat of downsizing becomes a reality and his boss orders him to fire one of his staff. Meanwhile, Jim and Pam put Dwight's resume on job-searching websites, which may make Michael's job a little easier, and Pam encourages Jim to set his goals higher by applying for a better job, which makes Jim consider his friendship with Pam.
WAR
78.3
Wins Above Replacement
“Halloween” ranks #100 of 183 The Office episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 87.5 — Elite. The episode packs 69 scored jokes at 3.3 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
Creed: Creed's random non-sequitur: 'Yeah, I went hunting once. Shot the deer in the leg, had to kill it with a shovel. Took about an hour. Why do you ask?'
Creed Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Jim: Jim's talking-head: 'I'm guessing Angela's the one in the neighborhood who gives the trick-or-treaters some toothbrushes.' Beat. 'Pennies.' Beat. 'Walnuts.'
Jim Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Michael · Stanley: Michael: 'Stanley, could you come with me, please.' / Stanley: 'No.'
Michael · Devon: Michael's severance gift to Devon: a Chili's gift certificate 'from me' — 'No hard feelings'
Jim · Michael: Jim's costume: 'I'm a three-hole punch version of Jim. 'Cause you can have me either way. Plain white Jim, or three-hole punch.'
Jim Michael Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Standout Moments
Jim: Jim's talking-head: 'I'm guessing Angela's the one in the neighborhood who gives the trick-or-treaters some toothbrushes.' Beat. 'Pennies.' Beat. 'Walnuts.'
Jim Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Michael · Stanley: Michael: 'Stanley, could you come with me, please.' / Stanley: 'No.'
Creed: Creed's random non-sequitur: 'Yeah, I went hunting once. Shot the deer in the leg, had to kill it with a shovel. Took about an hour. Why do you ask?'
Creed Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 69 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Michael: Michael arrives in costume to a workplace crisis, visually undercutting the gravity of the firing situation
Michael Visual Gag Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Michael: Michael's talking-head confession that he was supposed to fire someone by end of month and 'somehow I'm supposed to put on a costume and smile'
Michael Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Michael · Sherri: Michael asks Jan's assistant Sherri how she'd want to be told she's fired 'so you could still be friends with the person firing you'
Michael · Sherri: 'Wish I could fire Sherri' — followed immediately by 'Hey, I'm still here'
Michael · Pam: Michael tells Pam 'this is the hardest thing I've ever had to do' about firing someone
Michael · Pam: Michael: 'You're worried about the party? There's a man's life at stake here.' Pam: 'So it's a man?' Michael: 'No. Or a woman. A human life.'
Michael · Pam: Michael asks Pam who deserves to be fired based on job performance; Pam says 'I just answer the phone.' Michael: 'And sometimes you just let it go to voicemail.'
Michael · Dwight: Michael compliments Dwight's costume as 'fantastic'; Dwight proudly says 'I sent away for it in July from a catalog'
Michael · Dwight: Michael's dramatic 'Oh no, don't, don't, don't, don't' followed by a scare/startled reaction — implying Dwight triggered Michael with the costume
Jim · Michael: Jim's costume: 'I'm a three-hole punch version of Jim. 'Cause you can have me either way. Plain white Jim, or three-hole punch.'
Jim Michael Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Michael · Dwight: Michael looks at Dwight's elaborate Sith Lord costume and asks 'What are you? A monk?'
Michael · Dwight: Dwight: 'I am Sith Lord.' Michael dismisses it: 'Big deal.' Then aside to camera: 'Three round pieces of paper taped to his shirt.'
Michael · Dwight: Dwight, wounded: 'This cost me $129.' Michael, walking away: 'Ass.'
Jim: Jim's talking-head dismissal of Dwight's costume: 'Three round pieces of paper taped to his shirt.'
Jim Deadpan/Understatement Reaction Beat ★ Rewatch Callback Michael: Michael to a woman in a dress: 'Showing your colors. Bet you wish you wore a dress every day.'
Michael Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Michael: Michael tells the accountant to 'find a full employee salary, plus benefits, like fifty grand' in the numbers, then: 'Pretend that your jobs depend on it.'
Michael Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Michael: Michael suggests the Dorothy costume would be better as 'Bend It Like Beckham' — 'the Indian girl who plays soccer' — then when she hesitates, defends himself: 'Well, I don't really have two heads, so'
Michael Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Jim · Pam: Jim and Pam have posted Dwight's resume on Monster.com, Google, and Craigslist, specifically targeting jobs that take him out of state — 'Preferably Alaska, or India'
Jim Pam Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Jim · Pam: Jim and Pam's Dwight resume writing: 'He's a gun nut' becomes 'He sticks to his guns'
Jim Pam Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Jim · Pam: 'A dog-like obedience to authority' reframed as 'the ultimate team player'
Jim Pam Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Jim: Jim: 'We're really interested most in jobs that take Dwight out of state. Preferably Alaska, or India.' — camera look/beat after 'India'
Jim Reaction Beat Character Comedy Callback Michael · Ryan · Dwight: Ryan's budget analysis finds one department with three people doing two people's work; Michael excitedly says 'Who do you think it should be?' Ryan: 'Jim.' Michael: 'No, Jim brings in money.'
Michael: Michael: 'It's not a popularity contest. Although it does make sense to fire the least popular because it has the least effect on morale.'
Michael: Someone suggests 'one of the warehouse guys' and Michael has a revelation he never considered that option
Michael Character Comedy Misdirection Michael · Dwight · Ryan: Dwight begging not to be fired while Michael and others debate it in front of him — the escalating crosstalk of 'Not Dwight / I'm not saying that's what he said / I know that's what he said'
Angela: Angela's conflict with the person who brought brownies: 'Those aren't chips and dip.' 'No, I made brownies.' 'I made cookies. Same category.'
Angela Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Angela: 'I'm just trying to figure out why you're sabotaging things.' — Angela accuses someone of sabotage for bringing brownies
Angela Character Comedy Escalation Callback Michael: Michael answering the phone: 'Yes, I am regional manager of this orifice'
Michael Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Michael · Dwight: Michael's reference call for Dwight: promises the potential employer that if Dwight doesn't 'meet, nay, exceed, every one of your wildest expectations' Michael will hold himself 'personally and financially responsible'
Michael: After the intense reference call, Michael's verbal tic collapses: 'Okay. Okay. Okay-kay-kay-kay-kay. Okay'
Michael Character Comedy Physical/Slapstick Dwight · Stanley: Dwight tries to fire Stanley: 'I've got some bad news. You're fired.' Stanley: 'No.'
Michael · Dwight: Michael asks how Dwight's firing of Stanley went; Dwight: 'He wouldn't listen to me.' Michael: 'If you want to fire him, you're going to have to tell him yourself.' Michael: 'I don't wanna fire Stanley, I never said that.'
Michael: Michael: 'Get those big, baleful eyes staring at me. Yikes.' — his stated reason for not wanting to fire Stanley in person
Michael Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Dwight: Dwight on the phone with Cumberland Mills: 'What does it say under martial arts training?' and immediately: 'Oh okay, I'm gonna have to supplement that. Could I have your fax number?'
Dwight Character Comedy Escalation Callback Dwight: Dwight's loyalty speech: 'I feel like part of what I'm getting paid for here is my loyalty. But if there were somewhere else that valued that loyalty more highly, I'm going wherever they value loyalty the most.'
Dwight Character Comedy Absurdist Jim: Someone notices a woman's dress is stuck 'kind of just...' — a visual wardrobe malfunction beat
Jim Visual Gag Cringe/Discomfort Dwight: Dwight arguing that martial arts training IS relevant, then: 'I know about a billion Asians that would beg to differ'
Dwight Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Dwight: Dwight to Cumberland Mills recruiter: 'You can go to hell too. And I will see you there...burning.' Then immediately: 'Okay wait. So you'll let me know when you've made a decision?'
Dwight Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Pam: Pam's talking-head: 'Jim is really talented. And he should be the one who's getting a better job offer. Like, for real.' Then adds: 'Don't take this the wrong way. But you should go for that job.'
Pam Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Jim: Jim explains to the camera: 'This is called leveraging an offer.'
Jim Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Michael · Jim: Jim tells Michael about the Cumberland Mills offer; Michael: 'Fantastic.' Jim: 'And I turned it down.' Michael: 'WHAT? That would've solved all my problems.'
Michael · Jim: Michael: 'Oh, you idiot.' Dwight: 'If you left I wouldn't have to fire anybody.' Jim: 'But then you wouldn't have me here.' Michael: 'Big deal, oh!'
Michael · Jim: Michael: 'Can you call 'em?' Dwight: 'I can't, I suppose I could, no. They never really made me an offer anyway.' Michael: 'Why are you torturing me?'
Michael Jim Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Toby: Toby's talking-head: 'He keeps hoping someone's going to volunteer. Or be run over by a bus before the deadline. But in the end it's gonna be the first person to give him a dirty look in the hall. And therein lies the true essence of his charisma.'
Toby Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Toby: Toby's talking-head — camera reaction beat after 'therein lies the true essence of his charisma'
Toby Reaction Beat Deadpan/Understatement Callback Michael · Creed: Michael asks Creed to role-play the firing: 'I want you to fire me, and I will take it. I want you to be me, and I will be Creed.'
Michael · Creed: During the role-play: Creed-as-Michael says 'I'm going to kill myself, and it's your fault!' Michael: 'That's an overreaction.'
Michael · Creed: During the role-play, Creed stays in character threatening to kill Michael while Michael's phone rings: 'I really have to take this Creed, so it was really worth...' — Creed continues threatening him as Michael tries to answer the phone
Michael · Creed: Michael calls Creed into his office and tells him how 'great' and 'ambitious' he is and that he wants to 'spread his wings and fly the coop'; Creed: 'What are you telling me?'
Michael · Creed: Michael tries to fire Creed by framing it as Creed's own desire to grow: 'I feel like you want more than this little office has to offer.'
Michael · Creed: Creed: 'No, I wanna stay right here.' Michael: 'No, you wanna leave.' Creed: 'No, I wanna stay here.' Michael: 'Why, why are you making this so hard?'
Michael · Creed: Creed: 'Let's fight it. Let's call Jan and fight this thing together like the old days.' Michael: 'What old days? What are you talking about?'
Michael · Creed: Creed: 'Undo it!' Michael: 'I can't change anything.' Creed: 'No, you have the power to undo it.' — Creed physically pushing the paper away
Creed: Creed immediately pivots from the deer story to strategy: 'Fire someone else. Fire Devon, he's terrible. I am so much better at my job than Devon.'
Creed Character Comedy Misdirection Callback Creed · Michael: Creed successfully convinces Michael to fire Devon instead of him; Creed's exit: 'God bless you. You're a fine man.' / 'Devon's terrible. No one's gonna miss him.'
Creed: Creed: 'Devon's terrible. No one's gonna miss him.'
Creed Dark/Subversive Deadpan/Understatement Michael · Devon: Devon to Michael: 'That's why I'm being fired? So you might not look like an idiot?' Michael: 'No. It was all the stuff I said. Business downturn, the cutbacks...' Devon: 'This is unbelievable.'
Michael · Devon: Michael's severance gift to Devon: a Chili's gift certificate 'from me' — 'No hard feelings'
Devon: Devon's farewell speech: names everyone he wants to meet for drinks at Poor Richard's, then: 'And the rest of you can go to hell.'
Devon Setup/Punchline Dark/Subversive Michael: Michael, watching Devon leave: 'What about the Halloween party?'
Michael Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Callback Pam · Jim: Pam to Jim: 'Seriously, if you left here, I would blow my brains out.'
Pam Jim Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Jim: Jim's talking-head: 'Of course I would take that job in Maryland. Because it's double the pay, and soft shell crab just happens to be my favorite food.'
Jim Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Callback Michael: Michael's costume history talking-head: 'Last Halloween I came as Janet Jackson's boob. It was topical.'
Michael Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Michael: Michael's costume escalation: 'The year before that, I came as Monica Lewinsky. And I wore a stained dress. The year before that, I also came as Monica Lewinsky.'
Michael Character Comedy Escalation Callback Michael: Michael's costume history: 'And before that, I was O.J. It was pretty funny.'
Michael Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Callback Michael: Michael at the door with trick-or-treaters: 'You guys are getting all of these.' — giving away the entire candy bowl
Michael Character Comedy Visual Gag ★ Rewatch Top Episodes — The Office
