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
78.4
Wins Above Replacement
“Email Surveillance” ranks #144 of 183 The Office episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 85.0 — Elite. The episode packs 75 scored jokes at 3.6 per minute, averaging 7.1 on craft and 7.0 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: Dwight's response to off-camera statement: 'He is very real.'
Dwight Reaction Beat Deadpan/Understatement Callback Michael: Michael: 'The real way was that I found a flyer.' — immediate deflation of the Dale Earnhardt story
Michael Setup/Punchline Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Callback Dwight: Dwight's response to Jim's romantic dilemma: 'Does he have access to their medical records?'
Dwight Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Dwight: Dwight confessional: 'One of the greatest things about modern America is the computerization of medical records. As a volunteer sheriff, I can look up anyone's psychiatric records or surgical histories. Yeast infections. There are a huge number of yeast infections in this county. Probably because we're downriver from that old bread factory.'
Dwight Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Michael: 'Must be...' [pause] 'No.' — Michael's visible realization he wasn't invited
Michael Cringe/Discomfort Reaction Beat ★ Rewatch Standout Moments
Dwight: Dwight's response to Jim's romantic dilemma: 'Does he have access to their medical records?'
Dwight Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Dwight: Dwight's response to off-camera statement: 'He is very real.'
Dwight Reaction Beat Deadpan/Understatement Callback Michael: Michael: 'The real way was that I found a flyer.' — immediate deflation of the Dale Earnhardt story
Michael Setup/Punchline Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Callback All Jokes — 75 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Michael: Michael's panicked 'Oh my God!' followed by locking doors, turning off lights, and telling everyone to pretend they're not there — all because the IT guy is arriving
Michael Character Comedy Misdirection Michael · Employee: Employee: 'Are we in danger?' Michael: 'There's no time to think about it. This is real. Just shh.'
Michael · IT Tech: IT tech explains that password protection 'just means you have to enter your password.' Michael's password is revealed to be '1, 2, 3, 4.'
Michael · IT Tech: Michael blurts his password out loud in front of the IT tech, then immediately says 'Sorry' as the tech says 'Please don't do that'
Dwight · Michael: Dwight catalogues all the ways Michael could suddenly die: brain aneurysm, car, bus, train, poison, falling down a well, stepping on a mine, choking
Michael: Michael: 'If I step on a mine in Scranton, Pennsylvania and die, you can have my job, okay?'
Michael Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Michael: Michael's talking head: 'There are certain things a boss does not share with his employees. His salary. That would depress them. His bed. It... And I am not going to tell them that I'll be reading their e-mails.'
Michael Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Michael · IT Tech: Michael instructs the IT tech to search emails by keyword 'profits,' then suggests 'Michael Scott,' then 'Michael, boss, and funny'
Michael · Stanley: Michael reads Stanley's email aloud: 'My boss, Michael is an ass and making me stay late.' Then declares: 'Well, Stanley's an ass. Not one of our harder workers.'
Michael · Oscar: Oscar confronts Michael about email surveillance; Michael responds: 'Oh, no. Everybody, Oscar's gone crazy.'
Michael · Oscar: Michael does an extended 'robot' bit ('I will destroy everything in my path') in response to Oscar asking if Michael thinks he's a robot
Michael: Michael: '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 Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Michael: Michael's camera cut to: 'I gotta erase a lot of stuff. A LOT of stuff.'
Michael Irony/Sarcasm Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Michael: Michael tells employees to delete 'sensitive' emails immediately — immediately after the previous confessional about his own sensitive emails
Michael Irony/Sarcasm Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Jim · Dwight · Angela: Jim confessional: 'Something just happened. Dwight just told Angela that she has to delete all of her sensitive e-mails. Immediately!'
Jim: Jim's confessional comparing his curiosity about Dwight/Angela to '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 Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jim · Dwight: Jim asks Dwight for advice about 'a friend' who likes two women at work — one tall and brunette, one short, blond, perky, and 'kind of judgmental' — clearly describing Pam and Katie
Jim Dwight Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Dwight: Dwight confessional: 'One of the greatest things about modern America is the computerization of medical records. As a volunteer sheriff, I can look up anyone's psychiatric records or surgical histories. Yeast infections. There are a huge number of yeast infections in this county. Probably because we're downriver from that old bread factory.'
Dwight Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Michael: Michael discovers Jim's barbecue e-vite in Meredith's email — and scrolls through the guest list finding everyone in the office except himself
Michael Cringe/Discomfort Visual Gag ★ Rewatch Michael: 'Must be...' [pause] 'No.' — Michael's visible realization he wasn't invited
Michael Cringe/Discomfort Reaction Beat ★ Rewatch Michael · Angela: Michael approaches Angela and awkwardly probes about Jim's party under the guise of asking if she's 'bringing anyone'
Michael: Michael confessional: 'There's always a distance between a boss and employees. It is just nature's rule. It's intimidation, mostly. It's the awareness that they are not me.' — immediately followed by — 'I do think that I am very approachable as one of the guys. But maybe I need to be even approachabler.'
Michael Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Michael: Michael joins the lunch group: 'Hanging with my crew. Crew that I am one of. Hanging with my Cup of Noodles.'
Michael Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Michael: Michael claims professors were the most fun at college parties and that 'we always invited them'
Jim: Jim confessional: Lists three ingredients for a great party (beer, karaoke, not inviting Michael) as parallel items with equal weight
Jim Deadpan/Understatement Dark/Subversive Jim · Dwight: Jim: 'My roommate wants to meet everybody, because I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm making Dwight up.' Cut to Dwight: 'He is very real.'
Jim Dwight Setup/Punchline Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jim · Dwight: Dwight finds out about Jim's party via internet directions; Jim tries to manage the situation by telling Dwight it's a surprise party for Michael
Jim Dwight Character Comedy Misdirection ★ Rewatch Jim: Jim and colleague's confessional: 'Dwight thinks tonight is a surprise party for Michael.' 'Really? That's great.' 'Maybe we can get him to hide and wait somewhere.'
Jim Character Comedy Setup/Punchline Callback Jim · Pam: Jim casually asks if Roy is coming, Pam says no, Jim responds 'Oh, okay. Cool.' with a very studied casualness
Jim Pam Cringe/Discomfort Reaction Beat ★ Rewatch Michael · Pam: Michael approaches Pam and asks if she wants to hang out tonight, she declines, he immediately says 'Yeah, I do too, I do too' — pretending he also had plans
Michael: Michael about improv class: 'I would not miss it for the world. But if something else came up, I would definitely not go.'
Michael Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Michael · Pam · Oscar · Kevin · Angela: Michael works through the office trying to find someone — ANYONE — to spend Friday night with: Pam (no), Oscar (on a call), Kevin (Alaska Film Festival with brother), Angela (Charity Bake Drive)
Michael · Angela: Michael to Angela: 'Rushy, rushy. Where you rushing off to?' Angela: 'Charity Bake Drive.' Michael: 'LIAR! You are a liar!'
Michael · Dwight: Michael turns to Dwight as last resort: 'Dwight. Oh, Dwight, my loyal compadre. You and I are hanging tonight. The two of us. We are celebrating our freedom and our manhood.'
Michael · Dwight: Michael offers to watch 'Battleship Galaxy' — Dwight corrects him: 'Battlestar Galactica.' Michael: 'That's, whatever stupid show you want to watch, we're watching it.'
Michael · Dwight: Dwight declines Michael's invitation: 'I've got plans. I have to go to practice.' Michael: 'Soccer practice?' Dwight: 'Clarinet.' Michael: 'You too, Dwight?'
Michael · Dwight: Dwight: 'Unfortunately I've got plans. I have to go to practice.' / Michael: 'I didn't know you played soccer, Dwight.' / Dwight: 'Clarinet.'
Unknown: Employee confessional: 'He has no idea.' — referring to Michael not knowing about the party
Unknown Irony/Sarcasm Reaction Beat ★ Rewatch Jim: Jim's party intro: 'Despite what you might think, it's not all for Meredith and Kelly. So please enjoy.'
Jim Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Dwight: Dwight about his Birkenstocks: 'I always keep an extra set in the car for special occasions.'
Dwight Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Dwight · Jim: Dwight corners Jim at the party to ask when the 'guest of honor' is coming, excited for Michael's surprise
Dwight Jim Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Callback Jim: Jim gives an improvised 'group tour' of his own house to party guests, complete with rules: no flash photography, please refrain from touching things
Jim Absurdist Character Comedy Jim · Unknown: Party guest asks if Katy is coming; Jim says he 'hasn't talked to her in a while'; guest asks to call her; Jim says 'We'll talk about that later'
Michael: Michael at improv class: 'Detective Michael Scarn, I'm with the F.B.I.' — Michael has given himself a fully developed character with a name before the scene even starts
Michael Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Michael: Michael's improv theory: '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: Michael's improv scene: 'I'm supposed to meet my doctor here. Have you seen him? He's a very angry midget.' then immediately: 'Boom! Freeze! Michael Scoon, F.B.I. You know what you did.'
Michael · Improv Instructor · Improv Participant: Person in improv scene: 'I'm not even in the scene.' Michael: 'Stop, stop! Stop.' Instructor: 'You shot me.' Michael: 'You can't just shoot everyone in the scene.'
Michael · Improv Instructor: Instructor tells Michael 'I want you to give me all the guns you have' — Michael hands over multiple guns
Jim · Pam · Michael: Michael wanders into Jim's bedroom during the tour and ends up at Jim's desk; Pam sits in Jim's chair
Jim · Pam: Jim sets up his home-office desk to recreate the Dunder Mifflin layout; Pam sits in Jim's chair, Jim notes that makes her 'right here' and Dwight would be 'you know what, let's just leave that image out of it. This is a happy place.'
Jim Pam Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Jim · Pam: Pam sees young Jim in yearbook: 'Oh, yeah. You were so dorky!' Jim: 'Thank you.'
Jim Pam Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Michael: Improv scene: someone yells 'Freeze!' and Michael immediately responds 'I'm in.' without waiting to understand the scene
Michael: Someone shouts 'Freeze!' during improv — Michael immediately: 'I'm in.' — then the teacher asks if he wants to review rules. Michael: 'No, no, no.'
Michael Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Callback Improv Participant · Michael: Improv scene: 'I'm looking in my wallet for money so you can tell me my fortune.' — the setup for a fortune-telling scene interrupted by Michael pulling a gun again
Michael · Improv Instructor · Improv Participant: Improv instructor asks what Michael told a participant; Michael says 'Nothing.' Instructor: 'Then why are his hands up?' Participant: 'He told me he couldn't show it to me, but he has a gun.'
Improv Instructor: Instructor ends improv class: 'Let's call it a day. That was good. Good work, everybody.'
Jim · Guests: Jim's party: guests start talking about paper sales ('I didn't think the premium laser color copy batch would sell as well as it did'); Jim: 'I'm sorry, guys, can we please not talk about paper? There's gotta be something else we can talk about.'
Unknown Guest: Party guest defends drinking wine: 'I think it's alright. I mean, Jesus drank wine.'
Michael · Phyllis · Jim · Pam: Phyllis, when Michael asks about secret office romances: 'You tell me. Well, you do mean you and Jim, right?'
Michael · Party Group: Michael encounters Bernie's Tavern group outside; he believes he has an 'office party' to attend, so he can't join them — but there is no office party
Jim: Jim confessional: 'Hey, how's your new side project going?' 'Oh yeah, I gave that up.' 'Really?' 'Yeah. It turns out I was just grasping at straws.'
Jim Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Callback Jim: Jim's confessional: 'Just because two people are hanging out, it doesn't mean they're together. People can just be friends. And I think it was really unfair of us to assume that there was anything else going on.'
Jim Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Michael: Michael arrives at Jim's party during karaoke; the song playing is 'I Will Survive' — timed to 'just turn around now, 'cause you're not welcome anymore'
Michael Irony/Sarcasm Visual Gag ★ Rewatch Party Guests · Michael · Dwight: Everyone yells 'SURPRISE!' — Michael thinks this is indeed a surprise party for him, completing Dwight's deception and Michael's delusion simultaneously
Michael: Michael: 'I was just driving by. Thought I'd drop in. Here's some wine.'
Michael Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Michael: Michael to Jim's roommate: 'Hello temp. Take my jacket.' — echoing Dwight's identical greeting earlier
Michael Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Michael: Michael about Jim's roommate Mark: 'He is a good guy. Not a terrorist.' — unprompted reassurance
Michael: Michael announces he's a 'karaoke fiend,' calls dibs on next, and declares 'Let's get this party started!' — immediately taking over an event he wasn't invited to
Michael Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Michael · Pam · Kelly: Michael announces the karaoke song is a duet and invites Pam to sing — then invites Kelly when Pam doesn't immediately respond
Michael · Pam: Michael calls Pam up for a karaoke duet — she declines; he calls for anyone ('Takers, please') — no one volunteers
Michael: Michael at the end of improv class cannot complete a single sentence about how he got into improv: 'They way I got into improv was, I got into improv, The story about me getting into improv was, that I was walking down the street, that I was walking down the street.'
Michael Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Michael: Michael's improv origin story: '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 Top Episodes — The Office
