Michael stages an elaborate plan to finally get Pam and Jim over to his and Jan's place for a dinner party. Jim gets trapped into it and agrees to go. Dwight overhears and wants his invitation, too. Michael says he only has six wine glasses and with Andy and Angela going too, there's not enough room for Dwight.
WAR
42.6
Wins Above Replacement
“Dinner Party” ranks #39 of 183 The Office episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 83.4 — Elite. The episode packs 42 scored jokes at 2.1 per minute, averaging 7.0 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
Jim: [Jim's dawning realization reaction]
Jim Reaction Beat Visual Gag ★ Rewatch Callback Dwight: In my second life, I was also a paper salesman and I was also named Dwight. Absolutely everything was the same. Except I could fly.
Dwight Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Andy: Break me off a piece of that Fancy Feast. It's the cat food. Nailed it.
Andy Callback Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Callback Andy Setup/Punchline Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Jim: It's called Second Second Life for those people who want to be removed even further from reality.
Jim Escalation Absurdist ★ Rewatch Callback All Jokes — 42 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Andy: Break me off a piece of that... [struggling with Kit-Kat jingle]
Andy Setup/Punchline Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Andy: Applesauce... Chrysler car... Football cream
Andy Escalation Absurdist ★ Rewatch Michael: Even the receptionist is getting in on the creativity
Michael Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Michael: MTV-on-crack kind of thing
Michael Character Comedy Observational Andy: Who let the Nard dog out?
Andy Wordplay/Pun Cringe/Discomfort Andy: You just got Nard-dogged!
Andy Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Stanley: Urban? I grew up in a small town. What about me seems urban to you?
Stanley Reaction Beat Observational ★ Rewatch Michael: Stanley is hilarious
Michael Irony/Sarcasm Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Michael: Phyllis is like our Mrs. Butterworth. Kind of a less urban Aunt Jemima.
Michael Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Callback Michael · Kevin: Papa Bear, Mama Bear, Baby Bear thing... Mama Bear.
Pam: I mean, when I tell people that I work at Dunder Mifflin, they think that we sell mufflers or muffins or mittens... And frankly all of those sound better than paper, so I let it slide.
Pam Observational Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Jim Deadpan/Understatement Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Dwight: In my second life, I was also a paper salesman and I was also named Dwight. Absolutely everything was the same. Except I could fly.
Dwight Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Michael: Zoom back further, the hotel is actually the playground of the world's largest prison. But we zoom back further...
Ad Executive: I don't get paid by the hour anymore, but thank you. I get paid by the year.
Andy: We've been necking. But only necking. Right? Not actually kissing our mouths. Just neck on neck.
Andy Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Andy · Jim: Angela can stay the same, but we'll change Andy to Dwight... That's not different enough. Dwike?
Michael: Shrek. Shrek. I'm a donkey. I'm a donkey, Shrek.
Michael Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Michael: Well, actually I can't cook and I am starting a restaurant, Mike's Cereal Shack. I'm thinking we'll have as many varieties as you can buy in the store.
Michael Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Michael: When I was five, I imagined that there was such a thing as a unicorn. And this was before I had even heard of one or seen one... Couldn't even talk yet.
Michael Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Michael: How about never-hundred hours, sir?
Michael Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Michael: Ryan is being a little bitch again.
Michael Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Michael: And thus Michael Scott sealed his own destiny. In a good way.
Michael Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Kevin: My nickname in high school used to be Kool-Aid Man.
Kevin Character Comedy Observational Phyllis: Sue Grafton is at the Steamtown Mall. She's doing a book signing right now.
Phyllis Setup/Punchline Observational Michael · Kevin: Does anyone actually know what Sue Grafton looks like? I mean is she hot, or... She's crazy hot.
Angela: I find the mystery genre disgusting. I hate being titillated.
Angela Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Darryl Deadpan/Understatement Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Michael: You need to learn a lot about your own culture. I'll make you a mix.
Michael Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Callback Jim: It's called Second Second Life for those people who want to be removed even further from reality.
Jim Escalation Absurdist ★ Rewatch Callback Pam: You're a sports writer in Philadelphia? Nice build, too... I did not know you played guitar.
Pam Reaction Beat Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Michael: I don't hate it. I just don't like it at all, and it's terrible.
Michael Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Andy: Break me off a piece of that lumber tar... Snickers bar... Grey Poupon
Andy Escalation Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Phyllis: So I kept on asking, and they finally threw me out of the store in front of all my friends.
Phyllis Escalation Character Comedy Callback Creed: Piss or get off the pot!
Creed Character Comedy Absurdist Pam: I passed out on my keyboard trying to decide.
Pam Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Andy Setup/Punchline Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Andy Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jim: [Jim's dawning realization reaction]
Jim Reaction Beat Visual Gag ★ Rewatch Callback Michael: People are stupid. People like waving. Waving sells, not art.
Michael Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Michael's voiceover: In a fast-moving world, where good news moves at the speed of time, and bad news isn't always what it seems.
Andy: Break me off a piece of that Fancy Feast. It's the cat food. Nailed it.
Andy Callback Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Callback ⏩ The part you fast-forward
Our scorer flagged 17:00-18:00 during the commercial viewing as the stretch with the fewest or weakest comedic moments. Everything else lands harder.
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