Michael was in crisis mode at Dunder-Mifflin when a disgruntled employee at the paper mill put an obscene watermark on one of their most popular orders of paper. Michael called the staff into a meeting and pointed the blame on Creed, who was responsible for quality assurance at the paper mill and blew it off.
WAR
57
Wins Above Replacement
“Product Recall” ranks #35 of 183 The Office episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 84.1 — Elite. The episode packs 57 scored jokes at 2.7 per minute, averaging 7.1 on craft and 6.9 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
Darryl: Mike, you're a very brave man. I mean it takes courage just to be you. To get out of bed every single day, knowing full well you got to be you.
Darryl Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Michael: Am I a hero? I really can't say, but yes.
Michael Character Comedy Misdirection ★ Rewatch Creed: Well, you know, the first performance was a little off, but I really think they hit their stride in the second show. I might even bring my parents tomorrow to the matinee.
Creed Character Comedy Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Jim: He's going to kill himself pretending to kill himself.
Jim Observational Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Darryl · Michael: I couldn't do it. I ain't that strong and I ain't that brave. / I'm braver than you? / Way braver. / You Braveheart, man. / I Braveheart. I am.
All Jokes — 57 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Andy · Pam: Drew. I'm Drew now. / Oh, Drew. Sorry. / Apology not accepted. / Because it wasn't even necessary in the first place.
Andy Pam Character Comedy Misdirection ★ Rewatch Andy: new techniques for dealing with the grumpies
Andy Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Jim · Andy: No, I'm not gonna call you that. / Cool. / I can't control what you do. I can only control what I do.
Jim Andy Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Dwight: It's like slapping someone with silence.
Dwight Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Dwight: I was shunned from the age of four until my sixth birthday for not saving the excess oil from a can of tuna.
Dwight Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Jim · Andy · Dwight: Andy, Dwight says welcome back and that he could use a hug. / Tell him that that's not true. / Dwight says that he actually doesn't know one single fact about bear attacks.
Dwight · Jim: Tell him that bears can climb faster than they can run. / Jim, tell him! / Andy... No, it's too far. / Damn you.
Michael: if I know Darryl, it gonna be zoppity
Michael Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Michael · Madge: Pudge has driven the forklift. / Madge. / I thought your name was Pudge. / No. It's always been Madge.
Darryl · Michael: Her? Yes, 'Her' is qualified to work a dangerous machine. You are not.
Michael: Hey, Darryl, how's it hanging?
Michael Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Michael: Bale 'er? I hardly know her.
Michael Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Michael: Ever since March Madness ended, I am so bored.
Michael Character Comedy Observational Michael · Darryl: It's a big red trash compactor. / It's not a trash compactor! / It's very dangerous, okay. / Don't disrespect a baler, Mike.
Michael: Toby now has the floor and he is going to try not to screw this up like everything else in his life. / Let me rephrase that. / I believe that you can do safety training and make it sound just as good as Darryl.
Michael Character Comedy Misdirection ★ Rewatch Michael · Toby: That's like a half an hour, every hour? / Take them at the same time.
Michael · Toby: Like sometimes computers can explode, can they not? / No. No.
Kevin · Creed: Long johns? / A shawl?
Toby · Oscar: sedimentary lifestyle / Sedentary.
Darryl · Michael: That's called having a fat butt, Michael. / No. No, it's sedentary. / Yeah, that's fat butt disease. / That's what you suffer from? / You have fat butt disease, Michael?
Michael · Kelly: Excuse me, sea monster, you weigh like a thousand pounds. / Yeah? Yeah. / I bet you'd like to swim with this sea monster, wouldn't you?
Darryl: You live a sweet little nerfy life sitting on your biscuit never having to risk it.
Darryl Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Michael: What? So, Nerf isn't cool anymore?
Michael Reaction Beat Character Comedy Michael: I worked in a warehouse. Men's Wearhouse. I was a greeter.
Michael Character Comedy Misdirection ★ Rewatch Michael: Hello, I'm Michael. Welcome to Men's Wearhouse. We have a special on khaki pants today.
Michael Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Pam · Jim: He has spent hours up here at reception with you. Hours and hours. / Okay. Okay. / No, constantly. Like for years.
Pam Jim Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Michael: Nobody commits suicide because they work with a baler.
Michael Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Michael: and your hair sticks up straight. And you know science.
Michael Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Michael Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Michael: Depression. Wolves. / Depression.
Michael Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Michael: A depression quilt. / No time to sew a quilt.
Michael Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Kevin: Additionally, Pam, you win $10 because she said 'awesome' 12 times. And Jim, you win $5 because she mentioned six romantic comedies.
Kevin Character Comedy Running Gag ★ Rewatch Michael Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Kevin · Creed: Creed is eating an apple. / I found a potato.
Michael: If it's Stanley's, call the offices of James P. Albini, see if he handles hate crimes.
Michael Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Michael: Have Padge do it or the sea monster.
Michael Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Dwight · Andy: I need you to acquire an inflatable house and/or castle. / You mean a Moonbounce. / What do you think? You've got an hour.
Andy · Dwight: Do you want a drawbridge? / Un-shun. / Yeah, that sounds good. Re-shun.
Andy Dwight Running Gag Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Andy: When you land, try and land like an eight-year-old. These bouncy castles are not designed for adults.
Andy Character Comedy Observational Michael: Michael is awesome / Jumping off the roof / Bouncing on a bouncy thing / Show them who is boss / Rip a hole in the sun!
Michael Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Dwight: Un-shun. I think he's suffering from depression. Re-shun.
Dwight Running Gag Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Callback Dwight: Un-shun. Never. Re-shun.
Dwight Running Gag Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Angela · Jim: Will I be too warm in a long-sleeved tee? / Everyone's going to be fine in exactly what they're wearing! Let's go!
Dwight · Michael: Depression? Isn't that just a fancy word for feeling bummed out? / Dwight, you ignorant slut.
Kevin: If John Mellencamp ever wins an Oscar, I am going to be a very rich dude.
Kevin Character Comedy Observational ★ Rewatch Michael: Dwight, you ignorant slut!
Michael Callback Character Comedy Callback Creed: Well, you know, the first performance was a little off, but I really think they hit their stride in the second show. I might even bring my parents tomorrow to the matinee.
Creed Character Comedy Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Ryan · Kelly · Jim: Hey, check it out, there's a castle over there. / Oh, my God, there is a castle. / No. There's nothing to see over there, people. There's nothing to see.
Dwight · Michael: They found the castle, Michael. / Damn it!
Jim: He's going to kill himself pretending to kill himself.
Jim Observational Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Jim: Hey, Michael, don't jump on the bouncy castle. You can't do that 'cause you're going to get horribly, horribly injured.
Jim Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Dwight · Pam: A Repliee-Q-One-Expo female robot. They're only available in Japan. / Dwight, you are such a liar.
Michael · Darryl: You told me that I lead a... A cushy, wimpy Nerf life. / Yeah. / But I never said you had nothing to live for.
Michael: The sex isn't nearly as good as it used to be.
Michael Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Darryl: Mike, you're a very brave man. I mean it takes courage just to be you. To get out of bed every single day, knowing full well you got to be you.
Darryl Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Darryl · Michael: I couldn't do it. I ain't that strong and I ain't that brave. / I'm braver than you? / Way braver. / You Braveheart, man. / I Braveheart. I am.
Michael: Am I a hero? I really can't say, but yes.
Michael Character Comedy Misdirection ★ Rewatch ⏩ The part you fast-forward
Our scorer flagged 05:19-06:16 range with Toby's safety presentation as the stretch with the fewest or weakest comedic moments. Everything else lands harder.
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