Michael gets worried after a request from Jim, and Pam's busy with wedding planning. Darryl's worker's compensation claim makes Dwight suspicious.
WAR
79.4
Wins Above Replacement
“The Meeting” ranks #95 of 183 The Office episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 87.6 — Elite. The episode packs 64 scored jokes at 2.8 per minute, averaging 7.3 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: 'Jim is like Big Bird. He is tall and yellow and very nice. But would I put him in charge? No. Big Bird doesn't make the tough decisions.'
Michael Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Michael · Jim: Michael: 'So, instead, you screwed me?' Jim: 'That's what she said.' Michael: 'No.'
Michael Jim Callback Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Callback Michael: 'Or for Dr. Chaudry?'
Michael Escalation Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Michael: Michael's talking head: 'That is why I am having Andy wheel me into the conference room inside a makeshift cheese cart. It is just elegant.'
Michael Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Michael: Michael: 'It's a lot of fun to let the goldfish take a little swim in the blue cheese.'
Michael Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Standout Moments
Michael: 'Or for Dr. Chaudry?'
Michael Escalation Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Michael: Michael: 'Jim is like Big Bird. He is tall and yellow and very nice. But would I put him in charge? No. Big Bird doesn't make the tough decisions.'
Michael Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Michael · Jim: Michael: 'So, instead, you screwed me?' Jim: 'That's what she said.' Michael: 'No.'
Michael Jim Callback Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Callback All Jokes — 64 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Michael · Oscar: Michael asks Oscar about colonoscopy sensations and whether to have a safe word
Oscar · Michael: Oscar's horrified 'Oh, my God!' reaction beat — then asks about a safe word
Michael · David Wallace: Michael offers to send Buffalo client rundown by 'Sunday night' so David Wallace gets it 'Wednesday'
Michael: Michael's talking head: 'We are the three amigos. And once in a while, one of the amigos will go off to the bathroom, while the other two have a secret meeting.'
Michael Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Pam · Michael: Pam denies saying 'good luck' to Jim as he entered the meeting. Michael: 'Did I? Doesn't sound like me. Not very superstitious.'
Michael · Pam: Michael: 'If you're lying to me right now, Pam, your baby is gonna come out a liar. That's how it works. They inherit things through the breast milk.'
Pam: Pam: 'Please don't talk about my breast milk.'
Pam Reaction Beat Deadpan/Understatement Dwight: Dwight confronts Darryl about his ladder injury: 'I didn't know we were in Communist Sweden.'
Dwight Absurdist Character Comedy Michael · Angela: Michael: 'He's lying. He has a doctor's note.' Angela: 'From who? Dr. J?'
Michael: Michael's Darryl impression: 'Y'all having birthday cake?'
Michael Character Comedy Observational Dwight: Dwight's talking head: 'I am a fan of the hardboiled detective novel. "I'll punch you into mush, see?"'
Dwight Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Michael: Michael walks into the private meeting mid-phone call, then announces to the caller: 'You tell the mayor he just lost six votes.'
Michael Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Creed · Kevin: Creed/Kevin exchange: 'They've been in there a while.' 'Yeah. Can't be good.' 'Think they're talking about me?' 'No, I think they're talking about me.' 'Yeah. That makes way more sense.'
Creed Kevin Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Michael: Michael's talking head: '...it has been chaotic lately... I had to come in on a Saturday to retrieve... I left my cell phone here.'
Michael Misdirection Character Comedy Michael · Kelly: Michael to Kelly: 'So jealous of your boobs.'
Kelly: Kelly's response: 'Thank you.'
Kelly Reaction Beat Deadpan/Understatement Pam: Pam's talking head: 'We realized most people wouldn't be able to make the drive to Niagara Falls. Which is why we're having it in Niagara Falls.'
Pam Irony/Sarcasm Observational Michael: Michael gives employees Friday AND Monday off for the wedding, forcing them to choose between attending or working.
Michael Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Andy · Michael: Andy's sales are down because of 'a weird, flirty, nebulous thing with this cousin of mine.'
Andy · Michael: Andy shows Michael a suspicious email from his cousin: 'Hey, Andy, let's go visit Grandma and then get drunk together. Ha, ha.'
Andy Michael Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Michael: Michael's talking head: 'That is why I am having Andy wheel me into the conference room inside a makeshift cheese cart. It is just elegant.'
Michael Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Michael · Andy: The cheese cart arrives at the conference room. Michael inside — 'Just backing up and turning around.'
Michael · Andy: The physical execution of the cheese cart scheme — Andy wheeling Michael in, the cart crashing or bumping, Michael trying to stay hidden
Michael Andy Physical/Slapstick Visual Gag ★ Rewatch Callback Michael: Michael presents the cheeses with an elaborate, pretentious tasting-menu narration — 'From the Wisconsin region, a nice, firm cheddar'
Michael Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Michael: Michael: 'It's a lot of fun to let the goldfish take a little swim in the blue cheese.'
Michael Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch David Wallace: David Wallace: 'All right, well, I should go. Thanks for this... You've given me a lot to think about.'
Dwight · Toby: Dwight and Toby bond over trains, then Dwight casually mentions he's rebuilding a steam engine 'in my slaughterhouse.'
Toby: Toby: 'Well, you know, because of the trains.' — After Dwight has moved past the slaughterhouse detail
Toby Reaction Beat Deadpan/Understatement Dwight · Toby: Dwight spots Darryl walking without crutches: 'It's Darryl! Get down! He's not using crutches! Get the camera. Start taping. Drive!'
Dwight: Dwight yells at Darryl's sister: 'Hey, you ass! ...You gonna eat all that dog food yourself?'
Dwight Escalation Cringe/Discomfort Ryan: Ryan: 'I once had a glass of Cognac that cost $77, so...' [implying $75/person for a wedding is fine]
Ryan Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Ryan · Pam · Kelly: Ryan commits: 'Yes. I'm coming to your wedding.' / 'Okay. Ryan Howard, yes.' / 'Probably yes.' / 'Kelly Kapoor, yes.'
Michael: Michael's talking head: 'My greatest talent is being the best man, woman, or child to have ever run this branch. Ever.'
Michael: Michael: 'If I was going to put someone in charge, I would put Bert in charge. Or I would put one of the real grownups in charge, like Maria. Or Gordon, maybe.'
Michael Escalation Absurdist ★ Rewatch Callback Michael: Michael reads Toby's performance review of Jim: 'Constant office distraction. Spends way too much time at reception. Antagonizes other salesmen. Not at all what he thinks he is.'
Michael Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Michael: Michael: 'It's not very well written. But you get the gist.'
Michael Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Michael: Michael: 'Well, I'd have to talk to my mother and my guy at H&R Block.'
Michael Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Jim: Jim's talking head: Michael 'handed out Jell-O shots at the 23rd mile of the Steamtown Marathon.'
Jim Character Comedy Observational Michael: Michael: 'Well, we did talk about how handsome you are.'
Michael Character Comedy Misdirection Michael: Michael: 'Did you know that Lincoln's secretary was named Kennedy?'
Michael Character Comedy Misdirection Jim: Jim's talking head: 'I tried to keep Michael in the dark. I should have known that he can do just as much damage in the dark.'
Jim Observational Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Dwight: Dwight: 'I need to see your pupils. I have to see if they're dilating...'
Dwight Character Comedy Absurdist Darryl · Dwight · Toby: Darryl confronts Dwight and Toby: 'You come to my house, bust up my trash cans, call my baby sister an ass and told her to eat dog food?'
Dwight: Dwight: 'Because you look exactly alike.' — justifying why he thought Darryl's sister was Darryl
Dwight Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Michael: Michael on the phone with Wallace: 'Absolutely not! Like I said before, Jim is fantastic and he deserves this job.' — contradicting what he told Wallace earlier
Michael Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Callback Michael: Michael: 'That file had been falsified. Toby Flenderson is doing drugs.'
Michael Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Michael: Michael: 'Oh, damn it! I am getting pulled over for talking on my cell. Damn it!'
Dwight: Dwight: 'Then why is there new wood only on one railing?' — cracking the case
Dwight Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Dwight: Dwight: 'Yes!' celebration after Darryl admits to lying, then immediately: 'Now, I would like to file an official complaint to corporate because Darryl lied on an official form.'
Dwight Character Comedy Escalation Darryl · Dwight: Darryl: 'And I'm telling them you guys sexually harassed my sister.' Dwight: 'No judge is gonna believe that.'
Toby: Toby's talking head: 'So, Dwight and Darryl came to an agreement that they would both file complaints with corporate, and now I get to do all this paperwork.'
Toby Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Callback Michael · Jim: Michael: 'Hey, hey, Jim. It would make me feel really good right now if you would just punch me in the face, all right? Just do it.'
Michael · David Wallace: Michael's confusion/resistance to 'co-manager': 'See, there are a lot of moving pieces and this is the only way I can sell it upstairs.' / 'Well, that might be a little confusing for people because they know me as manager.'
Michael: Michael's announcement: 'Co-manager of what?' / 'Of your butt! And your butt, and your butt, and your butt. All of Scranton branch butts.'
Michael · Jim: Michael: 'What's happening to you, Michael?' — Jim asks this; Michael: 'What's happening to me? I am also being promoted to co-manager.'
Michael · Jim: Michael: 'Jim Halpert, welcome.' Jim: 'Thank you.' — Overly formal handshake/welcome to a position in the same office
Ryan · Pam: Ryan: 'Niagara Falls in October? Hells yeah!' — then refuses to fill out an RSVP card
Ryan Pam Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Ryan: Ryan: 'I'll just have whatever's fanciest, unless there's ribs' and will text directions 'the day of.'
Ryan Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Pam: Pam: 'You are going to text me the morning of my wedding to ask for directions?'
Pam Reaction Beat Cringe/Discomfort Pam: Pam's confessional: 'Rude.' — followed by to camera, 'So rude, right?'
Pam Reaction Beat Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Pam: Pam: 'I have been chasing people down all day. It's incredible.'
Pam Observational Deadpan/Understatement Top Episodes — The Office