Michael thinks he impressed Jo only to discover someone else in the office caught her eye. Meanwhile, Dwight makes trouble on Jim's first day back from paternity leave. Andy and Erin have an interesting first date.
WAR
70.8
Wins Above Replacement
“New Leads” ranks #141 of 183 The Office episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 85.2 — Elite. The episode packs 73 scored jokes at 3.4 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
Michael: 'M. Night Shulman?' — Michael's response to learning the mailbox says 'M. Shulman'
Michael Setup/Punchline Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Dwight: Dwight talking head: 'Salesman is king. As the best salesman, I am king of kings. Oh, you say Jesus is king of kings? Well, what does that say to you about how I think of myself?'
Dwight Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Michael: Michael, surveying the dump: 'Amazing, isn't it? No other animal on earth could do this. Maybe beavers... but not like this.'
Michael Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Dwight: Dwight: 'I would be number two right now at a Home Depot! Because they promote from within!'
Dwight Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Michael · Jim: The 'leads' Jim receives turn out to be clues — Michael has turned lead distribution into a scavenger hunt across the industrial park
Standout Moments
Michael: 'M. Night Shulman?' — Michael's response to learning the mailbox says 'M. Shulman'
Michael Setup/Punchline Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Dwight: Dwight talking head: 'Salesman is king. As the best salesman, I am king of kings. Oh, you say Jesus is king of kings? Well, what does that say to you about how I think of myself?'
Dwight Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Michael: Michael, surveying the dump: 'Amazing, isn't it? No other animal on earth could do this. Maybe beavers... but not like this.'
Michael Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 73 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Michael · Jim: Michael enthusiastically points out a stranger in a T-shirt and jeans, asking Jim if he knows who it is — then reveals it's 'Johnny Depp'
Jim: Jim: 'I am flattered' when asked if the blurry mystery man is him
Jim Deadpan/Understatement Reaction Beat Michael: Michael rattling off Pirates of the Caribbean references trying to get Jim excited: 'Where do I find the Black Pearl? Captain Jack Sparrow!'
Jim: Jim guesses 'John Dillinger' and 'Captain Crunch' as answers to 'Captain Jack Sparrow'
Jim Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Michael: 'Screw you, Halpert. You know, it's not easy getting excited about stuff.'
Michael Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Michael · Jim: Michael brings up Jim's Roger Clemens sighting at a Yankees game — 'it wasn't him' — and Jim concedes 'I had a little better reason to believe that...'
Michael: 'First up, the lost and found has gone missing. It itself is lost. So please try not to lose anything until we find it.'
Michael: Michael casually mentions 'Ah, pet day' before pivoting away without completing the thought.
Michael Absurdist Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Andy: 'Well, then no Andy Bernard, per se.' Andy dramatically excuses himself from the meeting
Andy Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Dwight: Dwight: 'You couldn't handle my undivided attention.'
Dwight Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Michael: Talking head: 'Make friends first, make sales second, make love third — in no particular order.'
Michael Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Dwight · Michael: Dwight approaches Michael to apologize about the meeting, then immediately asks about the leads again
Michael: Michael lists 'all six of my numbers, including the car phone' as contact points
Michael Character Comedy Observational Kelly · Jim: Kelly complains she had to email Jim four times asking him to come to her desk; Jim: 'Honey, if I don't have time to answer an email, I definitely don't have time to walk over to your desk.'
Dwight · Jim: 'Stop sexting Pam.' — Said to Jim as he checks his phone while Dwight tries to congratulate him
Dwight Jim Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Dwight: 'You writing your memoirs over there?' / 'You writing your name over there?' — Dwight mocking Jim for carefully writing a large check
Dwight Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Michael · Jim: Michael warns Jim that 'this kind of money can corrupt people' — clearly aimed at Jim's growing attitude
Michael · Jim: Michael interrupts a phone call to demand a pencil from Jim, who refuses to get one while on a sales call
Michael · Toby: Someone has smashed Michael's honey and jelly sandwich — and Michael immediately blames 'sales' without evidence: 'Didn't have to see. It was sales — I can feel it.'
Michael: 'The sales department smashed my sandwich. Yes. All of them. Together. It's a conspiracy.'
Michael · Toby: Toby's 'That's what she said' reaction — Michael and Toby both say it, briefly united
Michael Toby Running Gag Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Michael: Michael receives the leads box, downplays them as 'the stupid leads,' then immediately plots to withhold them when salespeople celebrate
Michael Character Comedy Misdirection Michael · Jim: 'I am sick of your uppity attitude... Jim.' — Michael singles out Jim specifically after a general speech about sales attitudes
Michael: Michael's 'ice cream cone murder' analogy for why giving out the leads would reward bad behavior
Michael Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Michael · Creed · Meredith · Angela · Phyllis: Michael distributes leads to non-sales staff — 'King Creed,' 'King Meredith,' 'King Angela' — while salespeople object
Michael · Jim: The 'leads' Jim receives turn out to be clues — Michael has turned lead distribution into a scavenger hunt across the industrial park
Michael: Michael's scavenger hunt clue: 'This one's a map. Or is it?'
Angela: Angela's 'Oh, how the tables have turned' — delivered to a salesperson who now has to do clerical work for leads
Angela Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Stanley · Angela: Stanley and Angela briefly bond over The Kardashians while a salesperson suffers nearby
Oscar · Pam (phone): Oscar doing the scavenger hunt: 'I am currently reading incoherent riddles on blue index cards to find vital information that Michael has hidden all over the office. How are you?'
Jim · Pam: Jim calls Pam at home and describes his situation: 'I am currently reading incoherent riddles on blue index cards to find vital information Michael has hidden all over the office. How are you?'
Jim Pam Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Oscar: Oscar correctly interprets Michael's clue: 'He means his mopey place. It's under that street lamp that he thinks was in Casablanca.'
Oscar Character Comedy Observational ★ Rewatch Pam: Pam: 'Nothing but vomit and diapers over here. Oh my god, I couldn't envy you more.'
Pam Deadpan/Understatement Irony/Sarcasm Jim · Pam: Jim decodes Michael's clue: 'When arrogant salesmen are mean to my face, a certain manager will go to his moppy place' — Pam: 'He means his mopey place. It's under that street lamp he thinks was in Casablanca.'
Jim Pam Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Michael: Michael's talking head: 'Today I turned an office crisis into a teachable moment. A lesser manager would have screwed this day up royally. I can imagine some yokel sitting behind his desk, saying, "Oh yeah, take a lead. We're nothing."'
Michael Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Dwight: Dwight approaches a salesperson: 'I guess you probably won't give me your leads since I'm a jerk salesman.' Salesperson: 'Yeah. I basically wish you were dead.'
Dwight Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Michael · Dwight: Michael playing hot/cold with Dwight to find the hidden leads — 'Warmer... Hotter... Burning hot! Lower... Lower...' — while Dwight crouches and searches
Michael · Dwight · Kevin: Scavenger hunt clue: 'Go to the man who never breeds. Kevin.'
Dwight · Kevin: Dwight tells Kevin: 'Give me those leads, where are they—come on!' Kevin: 'You are never going to find them.' Dwight: 'Gimme the leads! Where are the leads? Gimme the leads!' Kevin: 'I'm still enjoying it.'
Dwight · Meredith · Michael: Dwight: 'All right, Meredith. Take off your dress.' Meredith: 'Okey-dokey.' Michael: 'No. Dear god, no. It's in the trash can.'
Meredith: Meredith: 'It's coming off either way.'
Meredith Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Callback Dwight · Michael: Dwight discovers the trash bag has been emptied into the dumpster because someone threw out Toby's baba ganoush
Unknown: A character muses: 'If we don't patronize the only Syrian restaurant in town, there'll be nothing left but pan pizzas and... make your own salads.'
Unknown Observational Deadpan/Understatement Dwight · Michael: Dwight and Michael realize the leads are in the dumpster — Dwight: 'It's empty!' They determine today is trash day by figuring out it's Friday because 'tonight is Ghost Whisperer.'
Office characters: They figure out what day it is by asking: 'What day is today?' Someone responds: 'Tonight is Ghost Whisperer... so Friday.'
Michael · Unknown: Michael proposes going to the dump, finding leads, then: 'we'll all go out and get pizza, maybe catch a movie, late-night drink, some more pizza, call it a night.' — 'Does it have to be pizza? Can we go for falafel?'
Office characters: Staff member asks: 'Does it have to be pizza? Can we go for a falafel?' Everyone else refuses to go at all.
Michael: Michael accuses everyone of being 'complicit' — then immediately mangles the word into: 'You were all Successories.'
Michael Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Michael: 'You know, Dwight, there was a time you'd be pinching yourself to have the opportunity to look through a dump with me.'
Michael Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Michael · Dwight: Dwight: 'The acorn becomes the oak.' Michael: 'Sometimes the acorn just stays an acorn. If you don't believe me, look in my gutters.'
Unknown: Overheard conversation in the background: 'You're adorable. You need to go for it.' — amid the larger drama
Unknown Observational Character Comedy Jim · Oscar: Oscar/non-sales staff approach salespeople to make peace; salespeople: 'If the salesmen weren't acting like such a bunch of stuck-up losers, then this day wouldn't be so bad. Did you ever think of that?'
Dwight · Michael: Dwight/Michael argue about Dwight's career path. Dwight: 'I had a lot of job offers... from Ivan Schotsky — the Ivan Schotsky. And if I had assistant-managed him—' Michael: 'Assisted to the managed him.'
Dwight: Dwight: 'I would be number two right now at a Home Depot! Because they promote from within!'
Dwight Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Dwight · Michael: Dwight: 'I should have been out at bars finding my soul mate, finding my wife, making babies.' Michael: 'Nice babies you're making with the floozies at the bars!' Dwight: 'That's my wife you're talking about, man!' Michael: 'Your made-up wife who doesn't exist?'
Michael · Dwight: Michael and Dwight's argument escalates to near-physical confrontation: 'You watch it!' 'If I'd wanted to hit you, I would have hit you.'
Unknown · Dwight: A non-combatant calls 'Time out!' in the middle of Michael and Dwight's fight; Dwight refuses: 'No!' — followed by 'Time in. No!'
Dwight: 'Give it—that's my spool!'
Dwight Physical/Slapstick Character Comedy Erin: Sales team decides to compensate non-sales staff — Erin's advice: 'People love shells from faraway beaches.'
Erin Character Comedy Absurdist Michael · Dwight: Michael and Dwight find a beanbag chair in the dumpster and celebrate as if they found treasure — 'Better' than finding the leads
Michael · Dwight: Michael and Dwight silently acknowledge they're never finding the leads: 'We're never gonna find those leads, are we?' 'Nah.'
Jim · Dwight · Oscar: Peace offering negotiations: 2% commission reduced to '1% a month instead of 2%'
Oscar · Jim: Sales team brings a full pastry spread as a peace offering; non-sales: 'We get it — you eat like royalty.'
Jim · Stanley: Jim almost reveals the 2% commission offer, pivots to '2% milk!' — then: 'Yeah, treats, Stanley. They've accepted our simple offer of treats only, nothing more.'
Jim Stanley Misdirection Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Michael · Dwight: Michael and Dwight at the dump find an item — Michael: 'You know who'd like this? Phyllis.' 'Purple much?' 'Yeah, she does. She loves purple.' 'Does it stink?' 'Yeah.'
Michael: Michael's dump epiphany: 'Know what would be a great picture here? Just this whole dump, and in the middle, one flower. The caption would read... Hope... Grows... In a dump.'
Michael Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Michael · Dwight: Michael and Dwight return from the dump with a beanbag chair instead of the leads. Michael: 'We have an awesome beanbag chair that's perfect for the break room!' The office collectively groans.
Dwight: Dwight immediately claims the beanbag chair as his and Michael's alone: 'Yeah, damn right you're not, 'cause it's for me and Michael only!'
Dwight Character Comedy Escalation Michael · Dwight: Final scene: Michael offers Dwight his coat in the freezing weather — 'I have warm blood.' Dwight: 'Oh, wow. Oh, thank you.'
Dwight: Final line: Dwight to Michael: 'You're the nicest person I've ever met.'
Dwight Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Top Episodes — The Office
