Dwight was very excited because he got to take Ryan on his first sales call. He couldn't wait to show Ryan how the sales are really done. Before that, the men took a little side trip to the Schrute family beet farm. Dwight thought it would be funny to leave Ryan on the farm.
WAR
28.9
Wins Above Replacement
“Initiation” ranks #121 of 183 The Office episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 75.9 — Great. The episode packs 55 scored jokes at 3.0 per minute, averaging 6.5 on craft and 6.5 on impact, with Dwight landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
Stanley: I wake up every morning in a bed that's too small. Drive my daughter to a school that's too expensive. And then I go to work to a job for which I get paid too little. But on pretzel day... Well, I like pretzel day.
Stanley Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Dwight: Ryan, just get in the coffin.
Dwight Escalation Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Dwight: You will now wrestle my cousin Mose!
Dwight Physical/Slapstick Escalation ★ Rewatch Stanley: 364 days... Until the next pretzel day.
Stanley Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Dwight: Mose is my cousin, and he lives here. He will always be my best friend. Unless things go well with Ryan today. In which case I won't hang out with Mose so much anymore.
Dwight Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 55 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Jim · Dwight: Brain teaser sequence where Jim knows all the answers immediately
Dwight Reaction Beat Physical/Slapstick Jan · Michael: Tell me what you did yesterday. Uh, nothing. Nothing? Yeah, nothing.
Michael: I don't care how your day was either, Jan. I was just asking you because you asked me.
Michael Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Michael: And Carol came over. And we had sex.
Michael Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Michael: Never, ever, ever sleep with your boss. I'm so lucky that Jan and I only got to second base.
Michael Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Pam: Jan used to treat Michael like he was a 10-year-old. But lately it's like he's five.
Pam Observational Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jim · Ryan: Extremely excited? Just very. That's cool.
Jim Ryan Deadpan/Understatement Awkward Silence Dwight: Is he gonna be a slacker-loser-wise-ass like Jim was, or is he gonna join the Dwight Army of Champions?
Dwight Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Dwight: When you are ready to see the sales office, the sales office will present itself to you. Your journey begins now.
Dwight Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jim · Pam: Chair theft sequence with Jim and Pam
Jim Pam Physical/Slapstick Escalation Dwight: Hey, Coselli! The Coz! The Cosby. Hey, hey, hey! I love Jell-O Pudding Pops! My son Theo love Jell-O Pudding Pops too.
Dwight Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Dwight: I hold in my hand a beet seed. Take it. When you... Damn it.
Dwight Physical/Slapstick Absurdist Pam: I'm acting my heart out here.
Pam Meta/Self-Referential Deadpan/Understatement Dwight: And just as you have planted your seed in the ground, I am going to plant my seed in you.
Dwight Cringe/Discomfort Absurdist ★ Rewatch Ryan: I don't think you know what you're saying.
Ryan Reaction Beat Deadpan/Understatement Dwight: It's called bullcrap. And a client can smell it from a mile away.
Dwight Absurdist Character Comedy Stanley: I wake up every morning in a bed that's too small. Drive my daughter to a school that's too expensive. And then I go to work to a job for which I get paid too little. But on pretzel day... Well, I like pretzel day.
Stanley Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Michael: But what they were rapping about was cupcakes and The Chronicles of Narnia.
Michael: No, I'm not gonna settle down. No, no way. Uh-uh, boo! Get in the back, please. Boo! Back of the line!
Michael Physical/Slapstick Character Comedy Michael: What a pair of Marys.
Michael Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Ryan: Ryan's sarcastic recounting of Dwight's mentorship
Ryan Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Dwight: Welcome to Schrute Farm!
Dwight Visual Gag Absurdist Callback Kelly · Jim: Kelly singing with Jim trying to stop her
Jim: This is not a proportionate response.
Jim Deadpan/Understatement Reaction Beat Jim: Whatever happened to those guys?
Jim Observational Deadpan/Understatement Michael: Because I like them a certain way. And if it gets screwed up, then this whole thing's blown.
Michael: Pam, productivity starts with patience and determination.
Michael Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Ryan: Look, man. I was in a frat in college. So I know what you're doing. I get it.
Ryan Character Comedy Observational Michael: All toppings pretzel order
Dwight: Mose is my cousin, and he lives here. He will always be my best friend. Unless things go well with Ryan today. In which case I won't hang out with Mose so much anymore.
Dwight Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Dwight: Wrong. Flash floods.
Dwight Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Dwight · Ryan: Depression? Wrong. He hated himself.
Ryan: Loneliness. Maybe women.
Ryan Character Comedy Observational ★ Rewatch Dwight: Wrong. He's not afraid of anything. Also, I would've accepted snakes.
Dwight Character Comedy Absurdist Dwight: You will now wrestle my cousin Mose!
Dwight Physical/Slapstick Escalation ★ Rewatch Ryan: You're a freak. I'm not doing this anymore and this is over.
Ryan Reaction Beat Character Comedy Dwight: Ryan, just get in the coffin.
Dwight Escalation Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Dwight: Something he whittled.
Dwight: You know, I wanted us to be a team. An unstoppable team that competed against other teams.
Dwight: Screw gun! The sales call!
Dwight Physical/Slapstick Escalation Dwight: Deal or no deal? Let's make a deal. So what is the deal?
Dwight Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Dwight: Michael always says K-I-S-S. 'Keep it simple, stupid.' Great advice. Hurts my feelings every time.
Dwight Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Jim: Did you have a lot of sugar today, Michael?
Jim Reaction Beat Observational Callback Phyllis · Michael: What's on your suit? Caramel dip.
Michael: Are we not? Are we not? Are we not? Are you with me? Are you with me?
Michael Physical/Slapstick Escalation Dwight: It's those online paper jerks. The whole business is changing. You know what? They're gonna be screwed once this whole Internet fad is over.
Dwight Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Dwight · Ryan: Ryan the Temp vandalism sequence
Dwight: Just think. That temp agency could've sent you anywhere.
Ryan: I think about that all the time.
Ryan Deadpan/Understatement Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Jim: How do you confuse 28 Days with 28 Days Later?
Jim Observational Character Comedy Jim: Fancy New Beesly would make that up. New apartment, new stories...
Jim Character Comedy Callback Jim · Pam: Most apartments these days have, like, three. Three kitchens? Yes. How are you gonna cook every meal of the day in one kitchen?
Stanley: 364 days... Until the next pretzel day.
Stanley Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback ⏩ The part you fast-forward
Our scorer flagged 13:45-14:30 range with Ryan sales call recovery as the stretch with the fewest or weakest comedic moments. Everything else lands harder.
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