Michael has big plans for his 15th anniversary party at Dunder Mifflin, but is in for a shock when the new, no-nonsense Vice President has some ideas of his own. Meanwhile, Jim's prank on Dwight has some unexpected results.
WAR
79
Wins Above Replacement
“New Boss” ranks #66 of 183 The Office episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 89.5 — Elite. The episode packs 61 scored jokes at 2.6 per minute, averaging 7.4 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
Michael: 'Michael. You have no idea how high I can fly.'
Michael Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Michael · Charles · Kevin: Charles: 'Michael, I don't need to know everyone's sexual history.' / Michael: 'Well, perfect, because we have now arrived at Kevin, and he has no sexual history.'
Michael: Michael to David Wallace: 'Listen, why don't we just leave that position vacant? Truth be told, I think I thrive under a lack of accountability.'
Michael Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Michael · Dwight · Jim: Michael: 'PPC, let's continue our morning meeting in the conference room.' Party planning: 'cupcakes and strippers all the way down'
Charles · Jim: 'What is a two-way petting zoo?' / 'You pet the animals, they pet you back.'
Standout Moments
Michael · Charles · Kevin: Charles: 'Michael, I don't need to know everyone's sexual history.' / Michael: 'Well, perfect, because we have now arrived at Kevin, and he has no sexual history.'
Michael: Michael to David Wallace: 'Listen, why don't we just leave that position vacant? Truth be told, I think I thrive under a lack of accountability.'
Michael Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Michael: 'Michael. You have no idea how high I can fly.'
Michael Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 61 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Jim: 15-minute round of applause followed by a 15-minute moment of silence
Jim Setup/Punchline Deadpan/Understatement Jim · Dwight: Jim wearing a tuxedo to mock Dwight's dress code memo
Michael: Michael dismissing a string quartet as 'not classy' while wanting the opening of a car dealership or Mr. Peanut
Michael Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Michael: 'He is a regular peanut. He just happens to have a cane, a monocle and a top hat. That's what makes him classy.'
Michael Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Dwight · Michael: Dwight pitches an ice sculpture of Michael covered in chocolate-covered strawberries; Michael says 'you're trying too hard, and that's just not classy'
Michael · Dwight: 'An ice sculpture of you completely surrounded by a variety of chocolate-covered fruits.' / 'Strawberries?' / 'That's inspired.' / 'I said that!'
Michael: 'Declasse. French!'
Michael Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Michael: 'Miner? I hardly know her!'
Michael Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Michael: 'Well, well, well, who have we here? It is Prince Charles Miner! At your service.'
Michael Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Jim · Michael: Jim's talking head: 'Really wish you would've told me the new boss was coming today... I mean I could've brought a change of clothes, or...' / Michael: 'You look dynamite.'
Jim Michael Reaction Beat Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Michael · Charles: Michael's 'surprise' in the break room turns out to be empty — 'The real surprise is in the conference room!'
Michael: 'As you can see, I turned the bagels from O's into C's, for Charles.'
Michael: 'Took me all night.'
Michael Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Michael: Michael's talking head: Jan was his lover, Ryan was his best friend — so who knows about Charles?
Michael Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Jim: Jim's talking head cutaway: 'I do. It's gonna be mental.'
Jim Reaction Beat Deadpan/Understatement Kelly · Pam: 'Oh, my God, he's like a black George Clooney.' / 'Really? I don't see it. I mean, he's okay. He's not unattractive, he's...'
Charles · Jim: Charles to Jim: 'Why are you wearing a tuxedo?' / Jim: 'I didn't think you'd notice.'
Charles Jim Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Jim · Charles: Jim's rambling explanation about the Dwight memo collapses into 'Not more crazy than wearing a tux at work. I'll grant you that, so I'm gonna...'
Jim Charles Cringe/Discomfort Reaction Beat ★ Rewatch Callback Dwight: Dwight's talking head: 'He just had to wear his tux today. I thought I'd be funny. Took him 40 minutes to get ready.'
Dwight Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Callback Michael · Oscar: Michael introducing Oscar: 'He is Latino, and he just got out of a long-term relationship with a man, Gil, who broke his heart, but he didn't bring any of that into work... and I am very proud of him for that.'
Michael · Oscar: Michael introduces Oscar by announcing he 'just got out of a long-term relationship with a man, Gil, who broke his heart' but 'didn't bring any of that into work'
Michael · Angela: Michael about Angela: 'This little hell-raiser is Angela. She has slept with a bunch of different guys in the office. The one over there, in the orange.'
Kevin: Kevin's 'Hey!' in response to being told he has no sexual history
Kevin Reaction Beat Character Comedy Charles · Michael · Stanley: Michael: 'What about your party?' exchange — Charles announces discretionary spending freeze including parties; Michael's party is now threatened
Michael: Michael's talking head: 'I am thrilled that the new boss has taken such an active interest in all of the responsibilities that I'm supposed to have. Thrilled.'
Michael Irony/Sarcasm Deadpan/Understatement Michael: 'If we hire Cirque Du Soleil as salaried employees, will that help us with the year-end tax stuff?'
Michael Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Michael · Jim: Jim and Michael awkwardly waiting through silence after the Cirque du Soleil question — 'Think he hung up?' / 'No.'
Michael · Charles: Michael hears 'Saticoy Steel' and assumes it's an African-American name: 'Beautiful! See, African-Americans have such a rich history of unusual names.'
Michael · Charles: Michael: 'You're not from paper?' Charles: 'No.' Michael: 'Does David know this?'
Michael: Michael: 'Jan would mostly come by when she was super horny, and Ryan would come by to visit his parents and do laundry.'
Michael Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Jim · Michael: Jim coaching Michael on how to charm David's secretary: 'You have to charm them.'
Michael: Michael calls David's secretary as 'Michael Scotch' and threatens to have David's son in his trunk
Michael Absurdist Escalation ★ Rewatch Michael: Michael's follow-up call: 'Hi, Stephanie, it's Michael Scott again. I just spoke with Michael Scotch, and the son's going to be returned. Everything's fine.'
Michael Callback Absurdist ★ Rewatch Callback Michael · Pam: Michael calls back and has Pam tell the assistant that 'Michael Scotch' has confirmed the son will be returned
Charles · Michael: Charles accidentally gets put through and has no idea who he's talking to: 'Hello? Hello, who is this?' / Michael: 'Who is this? I was never given a name.'
Charles · Michael: Charles buying the whole office lunch — 'Lunch is on me today!'
Kevin: 'I wish you had told us sooner, because I was going to go to the vending machine and get an egg salad.'
Kevin Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Michael: Michael: 'You say no more parties, and then you spend all of this money on lunch. I think it's a little hypercritical.'
Michael Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Michael: Michael desperately calling David through the intercom: 'Damn it, Stephanie, put me through to him. Is that him in the background? David? David, pick up the phone.'
Jim · Michael: Jim aside to Michael: 'Should I seduce him?' / Michael: 'No. No one wants to see that.'
Kevin · Michael · Charles: Kevin tries to get overtime approved by Michael; Charles overrules; Michael says 'I say approved'; Charles says 'that's not the way it's gonna work'; they mirror each other's 'okay, so we're on the same page'
Kevin: Kevin asks about doing overtime to fix a spreadsheet error from using the 2008 calendar for 2009
Kevin Character Comedy Observational Jim: Jim's talking head: 'I can tell Michael's mood by which comedy routine he chooses to do. The more infantile, the more upset he is. And he just skipped the Ace Ventura talking-butt thing. He never skips it. This is bad.'
Jim Character Comedy Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Michael · Charles: Michael does the 'talking butt' routine to Charles's face
Michael · Dwight · Jim: Michael: 'PPC, let's continue our morning meeting in the conference room.' Party planning: 'cupcakes and strippers all the way down'
Charles · Jim: 'What is a two-way petting zoo?' / 'You pet the animals, they pet you back.'
Michael · Charles: Michael: 'Newsflash. I've been here for 15 years.' / 'Headline. You have been here one day.' / 'End of story.' / 'End of story!' / 'End of story!'
Michael: Michael: 'You are gonna be through. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry to do that to you.' / 'Do you even know how paper is made? It's not like steel. You don't put it into a furnace!'
Michael Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Callback Michael: Michael's final argument: 'Do you even know how paper is made? It's not like steel. You don't put it into a furnace! If you put paper into a furnace, you know what would happen? You'd ruin it!'
Michael Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Dwight · Charles: Dwight explains his job title to Charles: 'Assistant to the Regional Manager.' / Charles: 'Assistant Regional Manager?' / Dwight: 'No — but yes.'
Charles · Dwight: Charles: 'Any responsibilities come with it?' / [long pause, looking at Dwight] / 'Do you want to keep this made-up position?'
Michael: Michael arrives at David Wallace's actual office in New York: 'Hello, Stephanie. Okay, where is he?'
Michael: Michael to David Wallace: 'I've put having a family on hold... And I have never gone hang-gliding. And I've never driven my car to the top of Mount Washington.'
Kelly: Kelly chasing after Charles: 'I could see our kids facing obstacles, being half black and half Indian, but it's so worth it, you guys. There's just me here.'
Kelly Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Dwight · Phyllis: Dwight and Phyllis fighting over whether the scarf belongs to Charles
Angela: Angela: 'Charles and Kelly? Absolutely not. He is a sophisticated man. He does not need to go dumpster-diving for companionship.'
Angela Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Michael · Charles · Office Staff: Michael's speech to David: 'I've put having a family on hold...and I have never gone hang-gliding' — then immediately the scene of polite goodbyes from the office as Charles leaves
Michael · David: David Wallace promises Michael the party, the figs, and his personal attendance — then Michael quits anyway
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