Jim convinces Dwight that he needs to choose someone to act as an Assistant to the Assistant Regional Manager; the two subsequently hold tryouts for the position. After her daycare turns away her child, Angela is forced to bring her kid to work. Andy auditions for "The Next Great A Cappella Sensation".
WAR
130.4
Wins Above Replacement
“A.A.R.M.” ranks #42 of 183 The Office episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 91.0 — Elite. The episode packs 89 scored jokes at 2.1 per minute, averaging 7.5 on craft and 7.4 on impact, with Dwight landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
Jim · Dwight: Dwight's love advice exchange with Jim: 'Every instinct, every rational calculation.' Jim: 'Some sort of virus?' / 'Love.' / 'Oh.'
Jim Dwight Character Comedy Misdirection ★ Rewatch Dwight: 'It's just harmless steam to panic intruders. I'd like to get harmful steam, but the prices are absurd!'
Dwight Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Dwight: 'It was made from a bullet I took out of her left buttock. She was a moonshiner shot by Adolph Coors. This is my grandmother's buttock bullet ring.'
Dwight Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Oscar: Oscar's confessional: 'Ironic that now it's Angela who's living in the closet.'
Oscar Irony/Sarcasm Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Dwight: Dwight's ring reintroduction: 'This is a ring taken from the buttocks of my grandmother, put there by the Gangster Patriarch of the Coors Dynasty, melted in a foundry run by Mennonites.'
Dwight Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Standout Moments
Dwight: 'It's just harmless steam to panic intruders. I'd like to get harmful steam, but the prices are absurd!'
Dwight Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Dwight: 'It was made from a bullet I took out of her left buttock. She was a moonshiner shot by Adolph Coors. This is my grandmother's buttock bullet ring.'
Dwight Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jim · Dwight: Dwight's love advice exchange with Jim: 'Every instinct, every rational calculation.' Jim: 'Some sort of virus?' / 'Love.' / 'Oh.'
Jim Dwight Character Comedy Misdirection ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 89 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Dwight: The cold open spy-code exchange: 'The tea in Nepal is very hot.' / 'But the coffee in Peru is much hotter.'
Dwight Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Dwight: Dwight's confessional: 'I got these doors from a jewelry store that had recently gone out of business. Now they're protecting America's real treasure — Paper!'
Dwight Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Dwight: Dwight confessional: 'Something that's been really missing from my life has been writing secret codes. It's not the KGB, but it's a start.'
Dwight Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Dwight · Jim: The failed code exchange at the door — multiple wrong answers, getting 'warmer/colder' feedback like a children's game, culminating in Dwight threatening 'the steam'
Office workers: The crowd outside chanting 'Break protocol! Break protocol! Break protocol!' while someone is being steamed
Jim: 'Oh, I'm saving a fortune on dry-cleaning.' — reaction after being steamed
Jim Deadpan/Understatement Reaction Beat Callback Oscar: Oscar's confessional: 'Ironic that now it's Angela who's living in the closet.'
Oscar Irony/Sarcasm Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Angela: Angela threatening to call child protective services over saddle shoes with denim
Angela Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Oscar · Angela: Oscar sends Phillip off with 'Go get 'em, honey.' Angela responds 'Oh, don't worry. They'll get got.'
Dwight: Dwight's confessional listing his achievements: 'Manager of Dunder Mifflin. Check! Owner of a 1,600-acre beet farm. Check! Engaged to be married to an actual milkmaid. Check... on that later today.'
Dwight Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Andy: Andy introducing himself to the audition line: 'Name is Andrew Bernard. You might know me from a TV documentary that's premiering tonight.'
Andy Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Andy: 'Also killed it in local theater, and I am fresh off of a hot industrial flick.'
Andy Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Andy: 'On this show, all three judges are mean.'
Andy Deadpan/Understatement Observational Dwight · Jim: Dwight's confessional on his new dynamic with Jim: 'Once upon a time, we were natural enemies, but we've overcome our differences, much like Germany and Italy in World War...' Jim cuts him off: 'No.'
Dwight Jim Misdirection Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Dwight · Jim: Dwight and Jim's confessional: 'Together, we run a no-nonsense office.' Cut to the office doing something clearly chaotic/goofy.
Jim · Dwight: Jim and Dwight's confessional pre/post-meeting ritual: 'Preconference room meeting with Dwight went really well.' / 'Oh. Bodes well for the post-conference room meeting.' / 'All depends on the conference room meeting itself.'
Dwight: Dwight's inspirational quote: 'Some say the only failure there is is the failure to try. That is wrong. Failure of any kind is failure.'
Dwight Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Jim · Dwight: Jim's 'Michael J. Fax from fax to the future' bit — laying out hypothetical nonsense to illustrate what zero nonsense means
Jim Dwight Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Angela · Kevin: Kevin bursting in: 'Daycare won't take Phillip anymore. Why? Apparently my station in life has descended to a depth even they won't forgive.'
Meredith: Meredith's confessional: 'I've been on my best behavior for nine years. If it wasn't for the cameras, I would've done some truly vulgar crap.'
Meredith Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Oscar: Oscar's confessional: 'Over the course of this documentary, I've had three affairs. If you find my body in a ditch, let me save the police some trouble. My wife did it.'
Oscar Dark/Subversive Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Kevin · Oscar: Kevin confessional: 'When this thing started, I was still having sex with women. As was Kevin, I believe.' — then Oscar adding the Kevin bit
Kevin Oscar Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Kevin: Kevin's announcement: 'Some of us whose televisions got broken during an all-you-can-eat shrimp commercial will be watching at Poor Richard's. But note, all are welcome, not just those who saw an all-you-can-eat shrimp commercial and charged their televisions.'
Kevin Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Ryan: Ryan confessional: 'This airs tonight? Oh my God. If my parents see this, I am toast.'
Ryan Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Andy: Andy's Martin Luther King speech: 'Can you imagine if Martin Luther King were here and sang I Dreamed a Dream from Les Mis? With that baritone? That would be historic.'
Andy Absurdist Character Comedy Andy: Andy and the competition host's mutual admiration exchange, culminating in 'Pour some Sugar Ray on me!'
Andy Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Jim · Dwight: The AARM hierarchy breakdown: 'Someone to whisper in the ear of the consigliore.' / 'You've got a regional manager... a loyal but bungling apostle... but what about the assistant assistant to the regional manager?'
Jim · Dwight: Jim: 'How would King Arthur choose the next knight of his round table?' Dwight: 'That doesn't sound crazy, Jim. That's the sanest thing I've ever heard.'
Andy: Andy locking in his starting note: '♪ A 440 ♪' then: 'A cappella is all about pitch, and I am nothing if not a total pitch bitch.'
Andy Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Andy · Show Host: The show host accidentally revealing there's a mole, then immediately backpedaling: 'Oops. I'm not supposed to -- not supposed to say that. All right. No mole. Forget I said it.'
Dwight: Dwight's announcement: 'Members of the office, hear ye. That means ye, Plop.'
Dwight Character Comedy Running Gag Dwight · Jim: Dwight announces the AARM position: 'You'll always have the upper hand when you've got a good AARM.' / '— Trademark pending.'
Dwight: 'Sure, every participant will be getting a corn dog, but that's for fueling only. No savoring.'
Dwight Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Jim · Dwight: Jim's mock-envious aside about the AARM competition: 'Wow. What an honor.' / 'God, I envy them.' / 'He envies you.' / 'You don't need to repeat right now...'
Dwight: Dwight's confessional: 'By 2:00, Dwight will choose himself to be assistant to his own assistant, me.'
Dwight Character Comedy Misdirection ★ Rewatch Darryl: Darryl reveals he's been secretly moving furniture: 'Delivered all my furniture to Philly.' / 'I pulled the old Irish Exit. Just slipped out without making a big deal. No hard feelings. No feelings at all.'
Darryl Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Dwight · Meredith: AARM Challenge 1: Dwight asks Meredith what number he's thinking of. 'Two.' / '985,000,000,000,017.' / 'Not even close, Meredith.'
Dwight · Pam · Jim: Pam answers the mind-reading challenge with 'Saved by the Bell' theme — Dwight: 'It was the theme song to Boy Meets World.' Then Jim objects: 'You're trying to give your wife this job.' Dwight: 'That's exactly what I was doing.'
Dwight · Pete · Jim: Pete (Plop) answers 'a horse' — Dwight: 'Ew, the exact opposite, actually.' / 'What's the opposite of a horse?' / 'Come on. It's sea horse.' / 'A sea horse.' / Dwight: 'Whoa, how did you know that I was gonna... Say that? Uncanny.'
Dwight · Clark: Clark's AARM challenge: reading a phone message aloud including 'Yuri big nose' in front of the Turkish ambassador — 'God! Besides, the whole thing is a trick question. There's no Turkish ambassador to Armenia. The two countries don't have diplomatic relations.'
Andy: Andy's confessional about other contestants' feel-good stories: 'Great. More screen time for the war vet. All you gotta do is risk your life for this country and everyone goes Gaga for you.'
Andy Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Andy: Andy decides to manufacture his own feel-good story: 'They want feel-good stories? Wait till they get a good feel of me.'
Andy Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Darryl · Pam: Darryl's candid assessment of Jim's life choices: 'Jim is happy here, selling paper at Dunder Mifflin?' / 'That's what he says.' / 'If you say so.'
Darryl Pam Deadpan/Understatement Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Phyllis · Dwight: Phyllis delivers the coffee directly to Dwight: 'Here's your coffee! Ow! My skin! Ow! Ow! Aah! It burns! Aah!'
Darryl · Warehouse workers: Darryl's non-goodbye catches up with him: warehouse workers drag him upstairs; he narrates 'So, I'm going upstairs.'
Jim · Dwight: Jim reveals the AARM candidate: 'The only possible assistant to my assistant is... Me.' Dwight: 'The new assistant to the assistant to the regional manager is... Dwight K. Schrute.' Dwight kneels, then: 'The manager for Dunder Mifflin kneels for no man.'
Jim Dwight Character Comedy Misdirection ★ Rewatch Dwight · Jim: Dwight asks Jim to kneel for the AARM investiture: 'I think you might want to kneel for this.' Jim: 'And yet, the manager for Dunder Mifflin kneels for no man.'
Dwight Jim Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Dwight: Dwight's new policy: 'From now on, anyone who needs to speak to me has got to go through me first, all right?'
Dwight Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Kevin · Darryl · Meredith · Others: The office employees mob Darryl with requests for his final hours: one-on-one lunch at Cugino's, van time listening to Zeppelin, recording his stories for '6 or 8 or 10 hours.' Kevin wants to watch an eHow video on Excel before scheduling Darryl's 12 hours in 90-minute segments.
Creed: Creed: 'Darryl, you know, I would love to just record some of your stories, just let the tape roll for six or eight or ten hours, and just see what we get.'
Creed Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Kevin · Angela: Kevin using his pen as a fidget toy during a confessional, explaining defensively: 'I'm moving the ink down in my pen, for work.' / 'Here, use my pen.' / 'Don't tell me what to do!'
Kevin: Kevin storming off: 'And you obviously don't need me. / Kevin, where are you going? / Away. / Tell Phillip that his stupid little baby wish came true.'
Kevin Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Dwight · Angela: Dwight and Angela discussing Phillip eating paper: 'Earlier today he tried to eat some of the 24-weight letter bond.' / 'Smart baby. That's the most flavorful bond.'
Andy · Show Host: Andy in disguise as 'Ezra Cornell': 'No, no, I'm wearing makeup. / You did a really great job. / You even look shorter. / Oh, I took out my lifts. / Yeah, unlike Andy Bernard, this character is my real height.'
Dwight · Esther: Dwight's confession of his life on the farm: 'All day long, it's moo the cows and cluck the hens. Get the sheep baa-ed. Oink the pigs. Oink the pigs, that is very important.'
Dwight · Angela: Dwight spacing out while Angela talks about farm animals, then snapping back: 'Dwight? / The way that boy looks at the Galactica is precisely the way I look at the Galactica. And he eats the same kind of paper I do.'
Dwight · Angela: Dwight introduces his 'number two' to help with the baby test: 'He's the best in the biz. Unless you think he can't handle it.' / 'Hey, he can handle it.'
Dwight · Stanley · Phillip: Dwight warns Phillip about waking the 'grumpy old walrus' — Stanley: 'I heard that.' / Mama.
Mose · Pam: Mose's credentials for baby care: 'Pam can attest, there's no one better at getting brats to shut their yaps.' Pam: 'He does have a gift.'
Mose Pam Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Dwight · Phillip: Baby Phillip chooses the beet; Dwight: 'Yeah. / Any ordinary child would have taken the money, but you're no ordinary child, are you? No. I can tell by your gorgeous, widely-set eyes.'
Dwight Phillip Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Callback Andy: Andy's physical altercation with the bouncer, screaming 'I'm Casey Dean! You'll be seeing the last of me! Or — I meant you won't be seeing the last of me!'
Andy Physical/Slapstick Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Pam · Dwight: He just keeps spitting out the nipple. / That's because this baby is of superior intelligence. He can tell when he's being tricked out of the experience of a real human breast. / He's not that smart. He doesn't know where I hid his duck.
Pam Dwight Character Comedy Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Judge · Andy: Show judge seeing through Andy's 'Ezra Cornell' disguise immediately: 'No, you're a middle-aged man with a lot of makeup on.'
Judge Andy Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Andy · Judge: Andy: 'Busted. Got it. Yes, all right. Tried to get your attention with tricks, but you just want to hear me sing. I respect that.' / Judge: 'We do not want to hear you sing.'
Andy · Judge: Andy's bid for sympathy: 'Slept in my car last night. Quit my job, burned all my bridges. I went to the bathroom on my boss's car. And I did unspeakable things with Carla Fern.' / Judge: 'Ugh, flag on the play.'
Andy · Judge: Andy sings the Cornell fight song 'Far Above Cayuga's Waters' to the judges. Judge: 'What is this song?' Andy: 'Are you insane? It's the Cornell fight song.'
Andy · Judge: Judge to Andy after his Cornell fight song: 'Look, man, you're not terrible but we've heard a lot of really good singers today, and you're just not good enough.' Andy: 'Wow, you guys are really mean.' / 'I guess that's the show.'
Andy Judge Irony/Sarcasm Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Callback Andy · Judge: Andy crying in the judge's chair: 'You can't just sit here and cry.' / 'Oh, I can so just sit here and cry!'
Kevin: Kevin: 'Can't hear you. I'm giving you the silence treatment.' / 'How does it feel being ignored?'
Kevin Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Kevin · Phillip · Dwight: Dwight: 'That was a really cool move.' (about Phillip buying Kevin a gift card) / Kevin holding Phillip: 'What a chubbers. / I'm losing my balance. Whoa.'
Kevin: Kevin's assessment of friendship with Phillip: 'He's a little standoffish at first. But once he starts buying you things, man, you can tell he likes you.'
Kevin Character Comedy Observational Darryl · Office Staff: We want to dance with you. / You want to dance? / One dance. All of us together.
Dwight · Jim: Dwight's marriage proposal to Angela — the business pitch format: 'She's young, she's beautiful. Genes so pure you could lick them.' / 'Her family admires me. My family tolerates hers. A lot of them are the same people because we're third cousins, which is great for bloodlines, and isn't technically incest.'
Dwight Jim Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Dwight: Dwight continues his pitch to Angela: '...the two of you would move to my 1,600-acre estate, which, let's face it, is a big step up from living in a gay man's closet.'
Dwight Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Callback Dwight · Jim: She weaves. Colorful, durable blankets and rugs. It all adds up. / So what is the problem? / Angela.
Dwight Jim Character Comedy Misdirection ★ Rewatch Dwight · Jim: Dwight: 'You're a good assistant, Jim.' / Jim: 'Not as good as you.' / Dwight: 'That's very true.' / 'Get the hell out of here.' / 'You got it.'
Dwight Jim Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Darryl: Darryl's confessional about his goodbye dance: 'I wanted to leave quietly. It seemed dignified. But having Kevin grind up on my front while Erin pretends to hump me from behind is a more accurate tribute to my years here.'
Darryl Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Oscar: Oscar's goodbye to Angela: 'She doesn't know I'm living with a straight woman. I don't want to get her hopes up.'
Oscar Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Dwight · Angela: Dwight's roadside proposal: 'Shut up, woman! / Listen to me! I love you! And I don't care that Phillip's not my son! I will raise 100 children with 100 of your lovers if it means I can be with you!'
Dwight · Angela: Dwight: 'This expresses how loudly I love you!' / Angela: 'It's too loud.'
Dwight: Dwight's ring reintroduction: 'This is a ring taken from the buttocks of my grandmother, put there by the Gangster Patriarch of the Coors Dynasty, melted in a foundry run by Mennonites.'
Dwight Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Angela · Dwight: Angela's reveal: 'And I lied to you. / What? / Phillip's your son.' / Dwight: 'What? Why would you say that--' / 'I just needed you to want to marry me because you wanted to marry me.' / 'Get out!'
Dwight: Dwight: 'I'm a dad! You're a dad!' — screamed at Angela after the paternity reveal
Dwight Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Andy · Bartender: Bar scene: Andy trying to get the TV changed to PBS; bartender calls a vote; tie means 'I do nothing'; Andy pleads: 'This show is about me and my attempts to find love in all the wrong places.'
Andy: Andy's reaction to being asked how the singing audition went: 'Oh. Eh, whatever. No big deal.' (Delivered after an entire episode of epic, humiliating failure at said audition.)
Andy Deadpan/Understatement Irony/Sarcasm Callback Michael · Jim: The documentary premiere clip shown: 'All right, Jim, your quarterlies look very good. How are things going at the library?' / 'Oh, I told you. I couldn't close it, so--' / 'So, you've come to the master for guidance? Is this what you're saying, grasshopper?' / 'Uh, actually, you called me in here.'
Michael Jim Character Comedy Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Top Episodes — The Office