Michael starts monitoring the emails sent out in the Dunder-Mifflin workplace, upsetting the employees. Meanwhile, Pam believes that the relationship between Dwight and Angela is more than just worker to worker, Jim throws an office BBQ at his house in order to show his roommate the kinds of people he deals with everyday, and Michael, after annoying everyone at his improv classes, crashes Jim's party with a terrible karaoke number.
WAR
11.9
Wins Above Replacement
“Email Surveillance” ranks #171 of 183 The Office episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 69.5 — Mixed. The episode packs 39 scored jokes at 2.0 per minute, averaging 6.4 on craft and 6.2 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
Dwight: You could get a brain aneurysm... Or hit by a car... Or a bus or a train. You could get poisoned. Fall down a well. Step on a mine. Choke.
Dwight Escalation Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jim: It's like squishing a spider under a book. It's gonna be really gross, but I have to look and make sure that it's really dead.
Jim Observational ★ Rewatch Dwight: Yeast infections. There are huge number of yeast infections in this county. Probably because we're down river from that old bread factory.
Dwight Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Michael: The problem is that when people hear the term 'Big Brother' they immediately think it's scary or bad. But I don't. I think, 'Wow. I love my Big Brother.'
Michael Character Comedy Observational ★ Rewatch Michael: Um, the real way was that I found a flyer.
All Jokes — 39 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Michael: Oh, we have a serious problem here. All right, everybody. Lock the doors. Turn off the lights. Pretend you're not here.
IT guy · Michael: What's your password, Michael? Um, it's... Oh. 1, 2, 3, 4. Yes.
Michael: Look at at this. Grr!
Michael Physical/Slapstick Character Comedy Dwight: You could get a brain aneurysm... Or hit by a car... Or a bus or a train. You could get poisoned. Fall down a well. Step on a mine. Choke.
Dwight Escalation Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Michael: Okay, if I step on a mine in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and die, you can have my job. Okay?
Michael: There are certain things a boss does not share with his employees. His salary. That would depress them. His bed.
Michael Setup/Punchline Cringe/Discomfort Stanley · Michael: Sorry I didn't write back sooner. I can't go to the game tonight because my boss Michael is an ass and making me stay late.
Michael: Well, Stanley's an ass. Not one of our harder workers.
Michael: I will destroy everything in my path. Actually, we just... Boop! Beep! Bop! Okay. Bonk! Boop boop. Oil can. Oil can. Tin Man.
Michael: The problem is that when people hear the term 'Big Brother' they immediately think it's scary or bad. But I don't. I think, 'Wow. I love my Big Brother.'
Michael Character Comedy Observational ★ Rewatch Jim: Something just happened. Dwight just told Angela that she has to delete all of her sensitive e-mails immediately.
Jim: It's like squishing a spider under a book. It's gonna be really gross, but I have to look and make sure that it's really dead.
Jim Observational ★ Rewatch Dwight: Yeast infections. There are huge number of yeast infections in this county. Probably because we're down river from that old bread factory.
Dwight Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Michael Reaction Beat Cringe/Discomfort Michael: But maybe I need to be even approachabler.
Michael Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Michael: This is a meal in a cup right here. Hot, tasty. Reminds me of college. Lived on this stuff. Brain food. Mmm.
Michael Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Michael · Employee: The professors would go to the parties? Yeah. They were the most fun. We always invited them.
Jim: So three ingredients for a great party. And it's nothing personal. I just think if he were there, people wouldn't be able to relax.
Jim Deadpan/Understatement Observational Jim: Because I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm making Dwight up. He is very real.
Jim Observational Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jim · Dwight: 'Cause it's a surprise... Is it? Mm-hmm... Oh, that's perfect.
Pam: Maybe we can get him to hide and wait somewhere.
Pam Escalation Character Comedy Michael: Oh, it's the best. It is the best. I would not miss it for the world. But if something else came up, I would definitely not go.
Michael · Angela: Liar! You are a liar. No, I'm not! Ohh.
Michael · Dwight: I didn't know you played soccer, Dwight. Clarinet.
Mark · Dwight: Hey, I love the Birkenstocks. Thanks. Yeah, I always keep an extra set in the car for special occasions.
Michael: Think about this. What is the most exciting thing that can happen on TV or in movies or in real life? Somebody has a gun. That's why I always start with a gun because you can't top it. You just can't.
Michael Character Comedy Observational Student · Michael: I'm not even in the scene! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Pam: And then Dwight would be like... You know what? Let's just leave that image out of it. Because this is a happy place. Happy thoughts, Pam. Happy thoughts.
Pam Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Pam · Jim: Oh, no! Oh, yeah. You were so dorky! Thank you.
Pam Jim Reaction Beat Character Comedy Bill: He told me he couldn't show it to me, but he has a gun.
Bill Callback Absurdist Callback Jim: Can we please not talk about paper? There's gotta be something else that we can talk about.
Jim Meta/Self-Referential Observational Phyllis · Pam: Well, you do mean you and Jim, right? Oh, God. I am so sorry. I mean, I thought... You guys hang out all the time. And you're talking all the time.
Kevin: It's just a private friend who happens to know all of us from different ways is throwing a private birthday thing.
Kevin Character Comedy Awkward Silence Michael: Wow. Who opened the morgue for this thing?
Michael Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Michael: He is a good guy. Not a terrorist.
Michael: We're making love!
Michael Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Michael: The story about me getting into improv was that I was walking down the street and a race car pulls up. And the guy says, 'Hey, you're funny. You're the funniest guy I've ever seen. Or my name is not Dale Earnhardt.' And that was an improv.
Michael Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Michael: Um, the real way was that I found a flyer.
⏩ The part you fast-forward
Our scorer flagged 15:00-17:00 range with bedroom tour sequence as the stretch with the fewest or weakest comedic moments. Everything else lands harder.
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