Roy stopped by Pam's desk to let her know how excited he was to see her art show. She reminded him that it was just a small show being put on by her art class. Pam later admitted she was very happy she was back together with Roy because it showed maturity. Jim feigns indifference to the reconciliation.
WAR
78.4
Wins Above Replacement
“Business School” ranks #41 of 183 The Office episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 91.0 — Elite. The episode packs 63 scored jokes at 4.0 per minute, averaging 7.3 on craft and 7.2 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: Dwight's talking head: 'I don't have a lot of experience with vampires. But I have hunted werewolves. I shot one once, but by the time I got to it, it had turned back into my neighbor's dog.'
Dwight Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Michael: Michael's talking head comparing himself to Mr. Handell — a teacher who 'hooked up with one of the students' and then 'like 12 other kids came forward'
Michael Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Dwight: Dwight's farewell to Jim: 'Good bye, Jim. And good luck.' — delivered with the gravity of someone sending a friend off to war
Dwight Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Callback Dwight · Jim: Dwight proposes forming an 'allegiance' to use 'sudden violence'; when asked about making a stake from a mop handle, he responds 'What size?'
Dwight Jim Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Callback Michael · Student: Student asks how Dunder-Mifflin has adapted to a paperless world; Michael says 'We can't overestimate the value of computers... they're great for playing games and forwarding funny emails. But real business is done on paper. Write that down.'
Standout Moments
Michael: Michael's talking head comparing himself to Mr. Handell — a teacher who 'hooked up with one of the students' and then 'like 12 other kids came forward'
Michael Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Dwight: Dwight's talking head: 'I don't have a lot of experience with vampires. But I have hunted werewolves. I shot one once, but by the time I got to it, it had turned back into my neighbor's dog.'
Dwight Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Dwight: Dwight's farewell to Jim: 'Good bye, Jim. And good luck.' — delivered with the gravity of someone sending a friend off to war
Dwight Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Callback All Jokes — 63 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Michael · Kevin: Kevin arrives late explaining he almost died in a tire blowout; Michael immediately pivots to a pop quiz about why today is special — ignoring Kevin's near-death entirely
Ryan: Ryan's talking head: 'If you bring your boss to class, it automatically bumps you up a full letter grade. So... I'd be stupid not to do it, right?'
Ryan Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Michael · Ryan: Michael asks Ryan what the most inspiring thing he ever said was; Ryan deadpans: 'Don't be an idiot. Changed my life.'
Michael · Ryan: Michael has pre-planned a hat-toss moment with the line 'May your hats fly as high as your dreams' — for a class where nobody is graduating
Michael · Ryan: Michael calls Ryan 'spazzy boy' and 'such a little spazz' while Ryan is driving, causing the car to swerve; Michael says 'We have fun'
Pam: Pam's talking head about getting back with Roy: 'I'm really happy to be back with Roy. I think it shows maturity. Maturity and dignity. Is that braggy? I don't mean it to be braggy.'
Pam Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Jim: Jim's talking head: 'Pam's with Roy. I'm with Karen. And Brangelina is with Frangelina. Moving on.'
Jim Deadpan/Understatement Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Pam · Angela: Angela invites Pam to her art show, downplays it ('It's not a big deal'), then immediately says 'a lot of people from the office are gonna be there' — but the show later reveals almost nobody comes
Michael: Michael on campus: 'Brings back so many memories... that I would've made.'
Michael Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Michael: Michael arrives on campus: 'Campus. Brings back so many memories... That I would've made.'
Michael Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Michael: Michael tries to throw a Frisbee on campus and immediately gets hit in the face with it
Michael Physical/Slapstick Character Comedy Dwight: Dwight examines an 'animal stool' he found in the office with intense focus and forensic seriousness
Dwight Character Comedy Visual Gag Dwight · Jim: Jim asks what Dwight is doing; Dwight replies 'Solving a mystery, if that's quite all right with you'
Dwight Jim Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Dwight: Dwight says 'Come to papa' while reaching into a vent to retrieve what he thinks is a bird
Dwight Character Comedy Reaction Beat Dwight · Office Staff: Dwight announces confidently 'What we have here is a bird that has been trapped in a vent' — then it's a bat and the office erupts in screaming
Michael · Ryan's Professor: Ryan's teacher is mid-lecture trashing Dunder-Mifflin ('management is unwilling or unable to adapt, their customers are dying off'); Michael can't hear him but says 'he looks like he's really into it'
Dwight: Dwight's talking head about the bat: 'The simple solution would be to open a window. If we had windows that could open.'
Dwight Deadpan/Understatement Observational Kevin: 'Poop is raining from the ceilings. Poop!'
Kevin Escalation Character Comedy Jim · Dwight: Jim is told he is 'number two in this office' and needs to show leadership on the bat situation; Jim reacts with 'I'm sorry, what did you say? / So weird.'
Meredith · Jim: Meredith claims she felt the bat bite her but there's no mark — then describes feeling 'tingly' and 'strangely powerful'
Ryan's Professor: Ryan's professor introduces Michael as 'Michael Scoot'
Michael: Michael tears pages out of a student's economics textbook as a 'lesson' about real-world vs. book knowledge
Michael Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Michael: Michael's taxonomy of business: 'Tourism. Food service. Railroads. And sales. And hospitals/manufacturing. And air travel.'
Dwight: 'This is your job, Halpert.' — Dwight to the camera/Jim about the bat situation while Jim is absent at the business school
Dwight Irony/Sarcasm Reaction Beat Dwight · Jim: Dwight tests whether Jim is a vampire by giving him 'white-hot' garlic bread — Jim says it burned him; the bread is cold
Dwight: Dwight's talking head: 'If a vampire bat was in the U.S., it would make sense for it to come to a Sylvania. Like Penn-sylvania.'
Dwight Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Dwight: Dwight clarifies: 'Now, that doesn't mean Jim is gonna become a vampire. Only that he carries the vampiric germ.'
Dwight Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Callback Michael: Michael uses candy bars as business lesson props: 'thingamajig,' 'whosi-whatsi,' 'whatchamacallit,' then 'PayDay,' '100 Grand,' 'Satisfied?'
Michael Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Toby · Pam: Toby says he'd love to attend Pam's art show but his daughter has a play; then immediately pivots to: 'You know, one of the other parents will probably videotape it.'
Toby Pam Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Michael: Michael in a talking head about Pam's art show: 'And what they do is not art.'
Michael Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Michael: Michael tells students confused by his lecture: 'Let me slow down a little bit. Break this down. Okay. The more stickers you sell, the more profit — fancy word for money — you have to buy Playstations and Beanie Babies.'
Michael · Student: Student asks how Dunder-Mifflin has adapted to a paperless world; Michael says 'We can't overestimate the value of computers... they're great for playing games and forwarding funny emails. But real business is done on paper. Write that down.'
Jim · Angela: Jim complains about a headache from 'the glare' — revealed to be the glare from Angela's crucifix
Jim Angela Character Comedy Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Dwight · Jim: Dwight proposes forming an 'allegiance' to use 'sudden violence'; when asked about making a stake from a mop handle, he responds 'What size?'
Dwight Jim Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Callback Michael · Student: Student asks what Michael says to a customer leaving for a nationwide chain; Michael says 'You will miss our service. And I absolutely guarantee you'll come back.' Student: 'Has anyone ever come back?' Michael: 'We don't want them back. They're stupid.'
Michael · Student (Kowalski): 'How's your Polack-says-what index? / What? / Thanks, Kowalski.'
Michael · Student: Student reveals: 'By your own employee's calculation, you'll be obsolete in the next five to ten years.' Michael quietly: 'Wait, Ryan said that?'
Creed · Dwight: Creed announces he'll handle the bat, tells everyone not to hurt it; then the moment the bat appears, screams 'Kill it! Kill it! Kill it!'
Dwight: Dwight's talking head after resolving the bat situation: 'I... am a hero.'
Dwight Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Michael: Michael's meltdown speech: 'Yeah, you know business. Sitting up here in your ivory tower. And your ebony tower.'
Michael Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Michael · Student: Michael's defense of Dunder-Mifflin: 'David will always beat Goliath. But there's five Goliaths. There's Staples, OfficeMax...' Student: 'Yeah, you know what else is facing five Goliaths? America. Al-Qaeda. Global warming. Sex predators. Mercury poisoning.'
Michael: Michael's final blow against Ryan in the classroom: 'Ryan has never made a sale. And he started a fire trying to make a cheesy pita.'
Michael Character Comedy Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Michael: Michael ends his rant with 'So, suck on that!'
Michael · Ryan: Michael tells Ryan to 'pack your things' — Ryan panics thinking he's being fired; Michael reveals he's just moving Ryan to the annex 'where Kelly is'
Jim · Dwight: Dwight: 'Animal control? I've been controlling animals since I was six.' Then: 'Cool, okay. I'm gonna go home and lie down. Draw the shades. There's just so much sun in here.'
Jim Dwight Character Comedy Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Dwight: Dwight's talking head: 'Jim is on a path now. An eternal journey. And I wish him well. But I have a destiny in this realm. Specifically in the kitchen.'
Dwight Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Callback Roy · Pam · Kenny: Roy shows up to Pam's art show with his brother Kenny — the only guests — and Roy says 'How about this, huh? I show up with my brother, and no one from work is here? That's pretty cool, huh?' while Pam is visibly alone
Roy Pam Kenny Cringe/Discomfort Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Callback Meredith: Meredith gets tangled with the bat in her hair — physical chaos with screaming
Meredith Physical/Slapstick Escalation Callback Dwight: Dwight removes the bat from Meredith's hair and says simply: 'You're welcome.'
Dwight Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Jim · Pam: Jim tries to leave: 'It's cool if I go, right? I mean, I looked at all of them.' Then about Pam's art: 'Your art was the prettiest art of all the art.'
Jim Pam Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Michael: Michael's management philosophy: 'A good manager doesn't fire people. He hires people and inspires people. People, Ryan.'
Michael: 'People will never go out of business.'
Roy · Pam: Roy drags Pam to the art show; when he sees it he says 'You're the one who said we needed more culture. This is culture to you?'
Roy Pam Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Michael · Oscar: Oscar criticizes Pam's art, comparing it to motel art; Michael defends it by saying 'Van Gogh's first try drew the hands of the peasants' — Oscar responds 'Meaning what?' — Michael: 'Meaning real art takes courage and honesty. Well, those aren't Pam's strong points. Yeah, exactly. That's why this is motel art.'
Michael · Pam: Michael arrives at Pam's art show late, calls her 'Pam-casso'
Michael: Michael looks at Pam's paintings of the office building and his car: 'My God, these could be tracings. Look at this one. Wow! You nailed it.'
Michael Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Michael · Pam: Michael wants to buy Pam's painting — points to the Dunder-Mifflin building and his car: 'There's my window. And there's my car! Is that your car?'
Michael · Pam: Michael has a Chunky bar in his pocket — pulls it out when Pam reaches for a hug, offers her half
Michael: Michael's speech about paper: 'It is a message. It is an inspiration. It is a source of beauty. And, without paper, it could not have happened. Unless you had a camera.'
Michael Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Jim · Karen: Karen clarifies: 'It's only temporary, okay? Don't get excited.' Jim: 'I won't, I won't, I won't, I won't'
Jim Karen Escalation Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Top Episodes — The Office
