Angela goes to Dwight for help when she learns that her husband is having an affair. Stanley and Phyllis take advantage of Jim when he needs a favor, and Pete distracts Pam as she begins painting her mural.
WAR
43.2
Wins Above Replacement
“The Target” ranks #77 of 183 The Office episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 79.6 — Elite. The episode packs 47 scored jokes at 2.2 per minute, averaging 6.8 on craft and 7.0 on impact, with Dwight landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
Get weekly comedy rankings
Join comedy fans getting new analyses, score drops, and the funniest moments each week. Free, no spam.
Top Jokes
Oscar: This is a woman who married a man who is obviously a homosexual.
Oscar Irony/Sarcasm Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Dwight: Well, this documentary crew has been following our every move for the past nine years, but I don't see them, so I think we're good.
Dwight Meta/Self-Referential Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Erin: Don't give me a pointless office chore, because I will build a little paper house.
Erin Character Comedy Visual Gag ★ Rewatch Angela · Oscar: Thanks, Oscar, you're such an angel. I just gave her a cookie, and she called me an angel, so, yeah, we're good. Yeah, we dodged a bullet.
Angela: But it's cruel, because a woman with damaged knees can't scrub worth a damn.
Angela Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 47 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Oscar: So I just have to wait and see when she comes in, if she's cold and awkward and cruel to me, then great, it's business as usual.
Oscar Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Oscar: Of course, ask me a... Questions.
Oscar Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Oscar: Yes, a little bit. Yes! I think that thermostat is acting up again. It's the stupid thermostat! That thing's a catastrophe.
Oscar Cringe/Discomfort Escalation ★ Rewatch Oscar: This is a woman who married a man who is obviously a homosexual.
Oscar Irony/Sarcasm Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Jim: Well, it's finally happened. Pam has ceased caring.
Jim Observational Deadpan/Understatement Jim: Queen of the primer, that one.
Jim Character Comedy Observational Jim: Last week, Jim wasn't there and they named the company Athlead. I could have prevented that.
Jim Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Pam: Hey, David? How'd you like a guy who's not here as much, gets paid the same amount of salary and has bigger fish to fry in Philadelphia?
Pam Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jim: I think it's good. He likes fishing.
Jim Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Erin: I asked Andy and he told me to chillax. And then went away on a big, long boat ride.
Erin Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Callback Erin: Don't give me a pointless office chore, because I will build a little paper house.
Erin Character Comedy Visual Gag ★ Rewatch Angela · Dwight: Come on in, the water's fine. Dwight, it's not that kind of meeting. Put your clothes back on!
Dwight: I know. That's not why I'm naked. I always work out without my clothes.
Dwight Absurdist Character Comedy Dwight: If I'm not in your panties, I don't go vigilantes.
Dwight Wordplay/Pun Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Dwight: The text went through. All we can do is sit and wait. Oh! Look at that. Yeah, he's free any time. Not a problem.
Dwight Escalation Character Comedy Stanley · Jim: When is my birthday? Unfair. When's my birthday? I don't know, because we're not friends.
Kevin: You're not getting this, Peter. Make it go wider, up.
Kevin Absurdist Character Comedy Kevin · Pete: He's a sweet kid, Darryl, but not the sharpest guy in the drawer. Kevin, I can hear you.
Dwight: Well, this documentary crew has been following our every move for the past nine years, but I don't see them, so I think we're good.
Dwight Meta/Self-Referential Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Trevor · Angela · Dwight: You tell me. What is this? That's the receipt for my gun. Read the receipt. That's a $300 gun. Someone could steal it.
Pam: It's just I think less of paintings with a lot of shrubs, so I'm going to limit myself to one shrub.
Pam Character Comedy Observational Hide · Pam: You paint wall now? I mean, it's probably going to be a few minutes, so you can just go back to doing whatever you were doing. I wait.
Hide Pam Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Kevin: This next card comes to us thanks to Meredith Palmer, who called Eastern Pennsylvania Seminary a, quote, 'sausage factory.'
Kevin Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Trevor · Angela: So, what's the job? Murder. Okay. That's the big one.
Trevor: I've had great success by defecating in a paper bag, putting it on the porch. I've been on the receiving end of that quite a few times. It's devastating.
Angela: But it's cruel, because a woman with damaged knees can't scrub worth a damn.
Angela Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Stanley: I'll have the surf and turf, with a side order of lobster. Not enough lobster. Side order.
Angela · Oscar: Thanks, Oscar, you're such an angel. I just gave her a cookie, and she called me an angel, so, yeah, we're good. Yeah, we dodged a bullet.
Kevin · Darryl: All right, this next one goes to Darryl for pocket-dialing a customer while having sex. Actually that was the sound of me eating spaghetti, but I'm going to let them think the other thing.
Kevin · Others: Kevin! What did I say? What did I just say?
Stanley · Phyllis: Because sometimes when I look at my hands, I don't even recognize them. Tell me about it. Whose hands are these? They're not my hands.
Kevin: You? Little Miss Priss? You wouldn't fart on a butterfly.
Kevin Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Dwight: He and the Senator are gaying each other.
Dwight Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Dwight: Your nostrils tell a different story. They flare like that every time you're engaging in deception. Hello again, naughty nostrils.
Dwight Character Comedy Observational ★ Rewatch Dwight: There are a bunch of construction workers in the warehouse without their trousers drinking diet sodas. You have got to see this. They're extraordinary.
Dwight: When Angela found out that you seduced her husband, we hired a guy to break your kneecaps.
Dwight Escalation Cringe/Discomfort Dwight: I'm trying to save those precious knees you're always bragging about!
Dwight Character Comedy Absurdist Trevor · Dwight: I have masculinity issues, I have... Stop! No! I got it! Disarm! I summon, I summon, I summon... And disarm! Now!
Pam: Your mama is so fat, when she wears red people yell 'Hey, Kool-Aid!' Yeah, your mom is fat! This is Pam Halpert!
Pam Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Kevin: Our crowning complaint card comes to us thanks to Pamela Halpert. For insulting a client's recently deceased mother. A woman who struggled with obesity all her life.
Kevin Escalation Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Callback Angela: Jazz is stupid! I mean, just play the right notes!
Angela Character Comedy Observational Phyllis · Stanley: I did enjoy grinding your beans, son. Yeah, we really did peel your grapes. Shucking your peas!
Pam: You know what? I'm okay with that.
Pam Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Angela: Where does gayness come from and how is it transmitted?
Angela Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Angela: What is it called when two men intertwine their penises like the snakes on the medic-alert bracelet?
Angela Cringe/Discomfort Absurdist ★ Rewatch Angela: Is it called Red Vine-ing? We heard it was called Red Vine-ing. People Red-Vine?
Angela Absurdist Escalation ★ Rewatch Angela: When two gay men have sex, how do they know whose penis will open up to accept the other person's penis?
Angela Cringe/Discomfort Absurdist ★ Rewatch ⏩ The part you fast-forward
Our scorer flagged 19:00-19:30 range with fewer laughs during transition as the stretch with the fewest or weakest comedic moments. Everything else lands harder.
Top Episodes — The Office
