Dwight takes charge of the office and immediately imposes his will on the staff. Gabe hopes to get back together with Erin.
WAR
42.8
Wins Above Replacement
“Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager” ranks #55 of 183 The Office episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 81.5 — Elite. The episode packs 50 scored jokes at 2.3 per minute, averaging 7.0 on craft and 6.7 on impact, with Deangelo landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
Kevin: He didn't drop a single ball.
Kevin Deadpan/Understatement Observational ★ Rewatch Dwight: If I wanted to see a pissing contest, I'd lock Mose in the chicken coop.
Dwight Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Dwight: What could he possibly stand to gain from a fake juggling routine? What could he possibly stand to gain from a real juggling routine?
Dwight Observational Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Dwight: NBA, WNBA. One is a sport, one is a joke. I love sports, I love jokes. Room for all.
Dwight Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Kevin: Did you get that, ma? Your boy, Kevin Malone, is in the inner circle, which doesn't exist.
Kevin Character Comedy ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 50 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Deangelo: If you don't like 'em, this is called a door, you can walk right through it.
Deangelo Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Deangelo: Full ride, deal with it. Seriously? Stone-cold seriously.
Deangelo Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Deangelo: They are trying to figure me out, and I don't like it. Once they figure me out, they start to tell me what I want to hear.
Deangelo Character Comedy Observational ★ Rewatch Deangelo · Toby: Don't thank me. Hey, don't thank me, guy.
Deangelo: Here's a bowl of ice cream, you either like it or you don't. That's my attitude right now in this room, that's my attitude on 'Ice Cream Thursdays.'
Deangelo Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Kevin: But I could see how some people might think that they're bad.
Kevin Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Deangelo · Kevin: That is a... An astute observation, Kevin. Kev's got me pegged.
Pam: I found your new executive assistant, my friend, Carla. She's got great experience, we even considered making her Cece's godmother, but she had this boyfriend at the time.
Pam Observational Character Comedy Andy · Jim: Oh, there is an inner circle. Oh, yeah. There is no inner circle.
Andy: I also say that because I am also in the inner circle.
Andy Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Kevin: Did you get that, ma? Your boy, Kevin Malone, is in the inner circle, which doesn't exist.
Kevin Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Deangelo: It's just that I own the coffee shop. So once you've seen sausage being made, all you wanna do is make sausage 'cause it's so much fun.
Deangelo: No matter how many times I reach out to Dwight, he doesn't seem to want anything to do with me. It reminds me of my relationship with my son. Except there, I'm the Dwight.
Deangelo Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Deangelo: Or my other idea, 50,000 tiny clients.
Deangelo · Jim: That's Toys 'R' Us, I think. No, that's definitely a knockoff. You can feel the center of gravity is off.
Ryan: So, to make things simpler for Deangelo, I just, without lying, strongly implied that I'm Kelly's supervisor.
Ryan Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Kelly · Ryan: Yeah, but you lie all the time. You lie for no reason. Ryan, you just like to lie. I'd die for you, too.
Deangelo: You know, I have a cousin who cracked the secret formula for a certain popular cola that I shall not name. So I've never had to buy it. True story. I just drink my cousin's.
Deangelo Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Dwight: Congratulations on your one cousin. I have 70, each one better than the last.
Dwight Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Deangelo · Dwight: Yes! No! Yes! Yes! No! No! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes... Uh-oh.
Deangelo: This former administrative assistant misspelled 'administrative,' and 'assistant.'
Deangelo · Darryl: Under special skills, Mr. Don Finer put juggling. What's wrong with juggling, Darryl? I'm a big juggler. I actually perform a motivational juggling routine.
Deangelo: What would you say this room is? 300 square feet? 320? Three-twenty, just free-balling it. It's a little cramped. How many square feet out there? Seventeen, eighteen hundo?
Deangelo: Sorry, I never touch another juggler's instruments.
Deangelo: Why don't I just do my routine without the juggling balls? Prepare to go into the danger zone.
Deangelo Absurdist Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Deangelo · Phyllis: Phyllis, where's Phyllis? Here. Do you believe in me, Phyllis? Yes. 'Cause I believe in you. Feel that connection?
Kevin: He didn't drop a single ball.
Kevin Deadpan/Understatement Observational ★ Rewatch Dwight: What could he possibly stand to gain from a fake juggling routine? What could he possibly stand to gain from a real juggling routine?
Dwight Observational Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Andy: I wrote my own companion piece to The Vagina Monologues, called The Penis Apologies. So I know a thing or two.
Andy Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Angela: And if he doesn't listen, then he can kiss his penis goodbye. Snip-snip. Am I right, girls?
Angela Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Jim · Deangelo · Kevin: Oh, like, nobody, it was... Pam? Was it Pam? Oh, my gosh. That sounds like Pam. You know how she gets. Kevin, she can get really bitchy.
Deangelo: Raise your hand if you have a vagina. Raise your hand if someone you love has a vagina.
Deangelo Cringe/Discomfort Absurdist ★ Rewatch Unknown: What about Deangelo's hand? Oh, wow. He's got 'em both up.
Dwight: NBA, WNBA. One is a sport, one is a joke. I love sports, I love jokes. Room for all.
Dwight Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jordan · Kelly: A law office? No, Anthropologie. 'We don't have this and that size.' Pretty lame.
Jordan · Pam · Deangelo: Yeah. Yup. Wow. No corporate experience whatsoever. I didn't want anyone with any bad habits.
Andy: What's up, man cave?
Andy Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Jim: Jim watching through window, clearly wanting in but unable to enter
Jim Visual Gag Cringe/Discomfort Dwight: Tell your whore to leave me alone!
Dwight Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Jim: So this is my life until I win the lottery or Pam finally writes that series of young adult books. So, one afternoon while walking home from school, quirky 10th-grader Becky Walters finds a wounded Pegasus in the woods. And she becomes 'The Horse Flyer.'
Jim Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Kelly: No, he's just a big fraud, Deangelo. He's like Rango. He doesn't work here, basically, just like the way Rango didn't save those animals. It was just a big misunderstanding.
Ryan: I did not see Rango.
Ryan Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Deangelo: Total brain burp. I'm no MJ. Please. I can do his dunk from free-throw line, though.
Darryl: Mad respect from a brother! The man is paying me to take Chinese. I will say what I need to say. And soon, I will say it in Chinese.
Darryl Character Comedy Observational ★ Rewatch Callback Deangelo: Only because no one has called NASA to request a lift off.
Dwight: If I wanted to see a pissing contest, I'd lock Mose in the chicken coop.
Dwight Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Deangelo: Damn it, Dwight, enough! Get your ass downstairs, or find a new place to sell paper!
Dwight: Okay, a little about me. I respond to strong leadership.
Dwight Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Deangelo: Deangelo falls and hits his head attempting the dunk, lying motionless on basketball court
Deangelo Physical/Slapstick ★ Rewatch Callback Erin: Who should I say is calling? Erin.
Erin Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ⏩ The part you fast-forward
Our scorer flagged 14:00-16:00 as the stretch with the fewest or weakest comedic moments. Everything else lands harder.
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