The staff grows increasingly uncomfortable with Michael and Holly's PDAs. Jim and Pam regret a champagne luncheon. Andy horns in on a romantic treasure hunt Gabe arranged for Erin.
WAR
67.9
Wins Above Replacement
“Pda” ranks #146 of 183 The Office episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 84.9 — Elite. The episode packs 62 scored jokes at 2.8 per minute, averaging 7.2 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
Michael · Holly: In a tender moment where Holly is near tears about Nashua, Michael quietly says 'That's what she said.'
Kevin · Dwight · Office Workers: Dwight adds Kevin to the list. Office: 'With who?' Kevin: 'She goes to another school.'
Dwight: Dwight's perfect Valentine's Day talking head: 'My perfect Valentine's Day? I'm at home, three cell phones in front of me, fielding desperate calls from people who want to buy one of the 50 restaurant reservations I made over six months ago.'
Dwight Character Comedy Observational ★ Rewatch Darryl · Michael: Darryl reads a sympathy card that says 'Congratulations, Darryl. Let's get wasted.'
Kevin · Oscar · Creed · Pam · Other Office Workers: The office group confessional about Michael and Holly's PDA culminates with Kevin saying 'I enjoy watching them because it makes me horny,' causing group disgust.
Standout Moments
Kevin · Dwight · Office Workers: Dwight adds Kevin to the list. Office: 'With who?' Kevin: 'She goes to another school.'
Michael · Holly: In a tender moment where Holly is near tears about Nashua, Michael quietly says 'That's what she said.'
Dwight: Dwight's perfect Valentine's Day talking head: 'My perfect Valentine's Day? I'm at home, three cell phones in front of me, fielding desperate calls from people who want to buy one of the 50 restaurant reservations I made over six months ago.'
Dwight Character Comedy Observational ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 62 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Darryl · Michael: Darryl reads a sympathy card that says 'Congratulations, Darryl. Let's get wasted.'
Darryl: More card messages are read aloud: 'Have fun today, big guy,' 'Oh yeah, party time, whoop-whoop,' 'Hooray, live it up big D,' 'Time to celebrate. You deserve this.'
Darryl Escalation Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Callback Michael · Darryl: Michael delivers 'birthday punches' to Darryl — 'One, two, three...' through '25' — while apologizing repeatedly
Darryl · Michael · Unknown Offscreen Voice: Birthday punches — someone off-screen begins counting birthday punches as a 'joke' while Michael apologizes
Andy: Andy advises Darryl to order a cheeseburger at Blu Wasabi: 'They say they won't do it, but they will if you make a scene.'
Andy Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Michael · Holly: Michael and Holly's extended goodbye: 'Okay, bye. Okay, bye. (both moan) I'll miss you. Miss you. Okay. I'll be in my office if you need me. Bye-bye. (kissing) Bye. Okay, bye. Bye. Bye. Okay. One more big one. Don't go. I don't want you to go. Let go. Don't go.'
Michael: Michael's talking head: 'Everything you want in life, you get. And you can't work for it. It just comes to you.'
Michael Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Michael · Holly: Michael corrects Holly on 'scavenger hunt' vs 'treasure hunt': 'A scavenger hunt is where you find items from a master list. This is where you follow clues that lead to a prize. Common misuse. Good luck.'
Michael · Holly: Holly: 'But there's no clue.' Michael: 'Well, get to work.' Holly: 'I can't 'cause there's no clue.' Michael: 'The puzzle is the clue.'
Oscar · Michael: Oscar clears his throat loudly twice to get Michael's attention; Michael asks if Oscar is sick and if he needs to go home because he's 'grossing him out.'
Jim · Pam: Jim and Pam laughing together at lunch, tip the waiter big, then Pam panics about losing her scarf — the camera cuts to them both laughing again at [03:22]
Jim · Pam: Jim and Pam's talking head about their Valentine's lunch: 'Never found that bottom, did we?' (re: bottomless champagne)
Jim Pam Deadpan/Understatement Wordplay/Pun Erin · Andy: Erin explaining she did Andy's sudoku by accident and is avoiding Stanley: 'I accidentally did his sudoku.'
Erin Andy Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Jim: Jim, visibly drunk from the lunch, flubbing a phone call: 'My name is (stammering) Jim Halpert, and I will fax it in to you... Under you. I'll fax it under you... Oh, excuse me. I just pissed my pants. Not really. I didn't really.'
Jim Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Callback Jim: Jim, still drunk, discovers a Valentine's card on his desk — reads it, realizes it wasn't meant for him, then tells the person 'I will not be your valentine. Oh, nuts.'
Jim Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Callback Kevin · Oscar · Creed · Pam · Other Office Workers: The office group confessional about Michael and Holly's PDA culminates with Kevin saying 'I enjoy watching them because it makes me horny,' causing group disgust.
Andy: Andy describes his new girlfriend: 'She's neat. I met her at Darryl's cousin's party. We were the only two white people there.'
Andy Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Oscar: Oscar's description of Michael's kissing: 'I hear them kissing all the time. It's this horrible plipping sound... it's like Chinese water torture. Just... (imitates kissing) Like it's coming from my own head.'
Oscar Observational Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Holly: Holly's talking head: 'He can put both his legs behind his head.'
Holly Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Michael: Michael calls a meeting, announces 'Michael Scott, Dunder Mifflin' as if introducing himself to his own employees, says it's 'apropos' then corrects to 'apro-propriate'
Michael Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Michael · Gabe · Office Workers: Michael, noting Erin's absence from the HR meeting: 'Speaking of, Gabe, I don't see Erin at this meeting. I also don't see Andy.' — followed by the office's 'Ooh' and 'Boom! Face!'
Gabe · Jim · Pam: Gabe uses Jim and Pam as the example of acceptable office romance: 'They don't touch. They don't kiss. You would hardly even know they were husband and wife.'
Dwight · Gabe: Dwight adds 'booby honking' and 'butt honking' to the list of prohibited PDA behaviors. Gabe confirms: 'All the honkings.'
Dwight: Dwight begins describing a PDA behavior: 'The one where you start in a crouched position, then you leap...' — cut off before completion.
Dwight Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Michael: Michael: 'Whispering and tickling have their place in business.'
Michael · Pam: Michael: 'That thing where you softly exhale on her neck.' Pam lists it as PDA. Michael: 'Okay, yeah, that's pretty hot. I will give you that.'
Dwight: Dwight's confession: 'I have had intercourse in the office.' Then lists others: 'As has Angela. As has Ryan. As has Kelly. As has Meredith. As has Phyllis. As has Darryl. As has Creed. As has Michael. As has Holly.'
Dwight Escalation Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Michael · Dwight: Michael proposes designating office closets as 'hook-up zones': 'One for each base, no homers.' Dwight immediately asks: 'What is the hook-up zone policy on masturbation?'
Oscar: Oscar: 'I love working at Dunder Mifflin, a division of Taliban enterprises. That's weird. I mean, that's weird to have sex in the office.'
Oscar Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Erin · Andy · Darryl: Erin and Andy's whispering scene in Darryl's office — whispering about whether Darryl can hear them, then testing by calling him a jerk, then immediately apologizing.
Gabe · Erin · Andy: Gabe's treasure hunt song plays on a boom box: '(Singing) The temp at night / The temp at night'
Andy · Erin: Andy and Erin struggle to decode the treasure hunt instruction 'pick it up, take it out' — repeating it back and forth in confusion.
Andy Erin Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Michael · Holly: Michael returns to the meeting room, claims he 'forgot to collect his things,' and Holly narrates: 'Ah, the old leave behind. Oldest trick in the book. Good thing it's working.'
Michael · Holly: Michael explains why he sits on Holly's lap: 'I don't sit on your lap because it's comfortable. I sit on your lap because I like the way your thighs feel on my butt.'
Michael: Michael's talking head: 'Holly and I are like Romeo and Juliet, and this office is like the dragon that kept them apart.'
Michael Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Michael · Holly: Michael tells Holly he loves her. They negotiate what kind of love: 'Do you mean you love me like, Hey, there's Holly, I love that girl, or do you mean you love me like you love me love me?' — 'I love you love you.' — 'You love me love me.' — 'I love you love you.'
Michael: Michael's talking head after the love declaration: 'I am really disappointed in the office's policy on PDA at this moment.'
Michael Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Callback Michael: Michael's talking head: 'Yeah, whatever. No big deal. Just the hottest girl in the world loves me.'
Michael Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Andy · Erin · Ryan: Andy and Erin finding Ryan in the break room/office — it's implied he's with a woman. 'Oh. Cool.' followed by Andy and Erin gasping and looking away.
Ryan · Andy · Erin: Ryan accuses them of wanting to have sex in his office. 'You wanted to have sex in my office.' Andy: 'No. Definitely not. That's disgusting.' Ryan: 'It's cool. Just um, try to put everything back where you found it. Text me when you're finished. I'll be out here.'
Jim · Pam: Jim and Pam talking head — Jim: 'No, because the office isn't what I'd consider a romantic place.' Pam: 'Besides, we have something those other people don't have, which is a home and a bed. And a shower.'
Jim Pam Deadpan/Understatement Irony/Sarcasm Michael · Holly: Michael and Holly try not to touch each other in the hallway — almost touching, pulling away, groaning, 'Almost got you. No, so close.' — worse than the PDA.
Oscar · Michael: Oscar's analysis of Michael and Holly's PDA, listing three possible causes including: '...you're at an age where your sexual climaxes aren't as powerful, so you need to overcompensate with foreplay, taboo behavior.' Michael: 'Yes, it was that. It's that one. Number three.'
Oscar: Oscar admits: 'No one is a bigger fan of sexual touching than me. But with you two, it's reaching the level of a complex.'
Oscar Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Michael · Holly: Michael approaches Holly: 'Give me all your money and take off your clothes.' Holly: 'We're not supposed to PDA.' Michael: 'Come on. Nobody's looking.'
Erin: Erin, acting as hunt guide, tells Andy to 'enjoy a mid-hunt break' and to look for 'a heart or some (bleep) in the break room when you're through.'
Erin Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Kevin · Michael: Kevin looking through the window making faces to cheer Michael up — Michael coaches him: 'Do a monkey face. Do a monkey face.' Kevin obliges with monkey sounds. 'Jump. Jump up and down.' 'Throw your poop. Hurl your feces.'
Michael · Dwight: Michael and Dwight conceptualize 'Boner Bomb' as a movie: 'starring Jason Statham, or we go against type with an Eisenberg or a Michael Cera. Saving the world has never been this hard.'
Andy · Erin: Andy asks Erin: 'B-9. Like benign tumor.' Erin corrects: 'Maybe it's just more like Be mine.'
Kevin: 'Have you talked to her about our feelings? Women really go for that crap.'
Kevin Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Michael · Holly: Michael tries to break up with Holly on Valentine's Day mid-emotion: 'Holly, I love you so, so, so much. And I think that we need to break up. What? Actually, it's Valentine's Day. Shouldn't be doing this today. I'll talk to you tomorrow.'
Andy · Erin: Andy and Erin stare at each other after reading 'the real treasure is your Valentine's kiss' — both realize they're supposed to kiss, neither moves
Andy Erin Awkward Silence Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Michael · Oscar: Michael announces Holly and he are moving in together, then immediately tells Oscar: 'Oscar, this must be tough for you watching this go down. You could not stand in the way of true love, my friend.' Oscar: 'Are you kidding? I wasn't trying to break you guys up.' Michael: 'Better luck next time, pal.'
Michael · Oscar: As Michael and Holly leave making out, Michael calls back: 'Suck it, Oscar. This must kill you.' Oscar: 'I just told them to do it.'
Jim · Pam: Jim and Pam's talking head — after saying they 'took a walk' (implying office sex). Jim: 'We took a walk.' Pam: 'We took a walk.' Both clearly lying.
Jim Pam Irony/Sarcasm Reaction Beat ★ Rewatch Callback Dwight: Dwight's second Valentine's Day beat: 'Anybody can be Prince Charming one day a year with the dinner and the flowers and all that. But you know what impresses me? When a guy can do that no days a year.'
Dwight Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Angela · Pam: Contrast between Angela's Valentine's Day ('Flowers, diamonds, three-course meal, violinist comes to my table to serenade me') and Pam's ('Pizza, soda, the moon, someone to share it with').
Jim · Pam: Jim's answer to Pam's 'What are our plans for tonight?' is the sound of a bed creaking — he makes the noise himself.
Jim Pam Deadpan/Understatement Physical/Slapstick ★ Rewatch Callback Jim · Pam: Jim asks Pam 'What are our plans for tonight?' Pam: 'Um...' then imitates a creaking bed.
Jim Pam Character Comedy Reaction Beat ★ Rewatch Callback Top Episodes — The Office