# The Office: 27 Jan 2011 (open spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 28, 2011, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-27-jan-2011-open-spoilers/569265 "2011-01-28T02:06:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-27-jan-2011-open-spoilers/569265/21 "2011-01-28T20:35:10Z")
The free seminar was to address the interests and concerns of small business owners. That was the set up to sell them paper and office supplies. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-27-jan-2011-open-spoilers/569265/22 "2011-01-28T20:37:07Z")
The presentation was about being successful in business, that’s why he showed up. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-27-jan-2011-open-spoilers/569265/23 "2011-01-28T20:43:47Z")
> [@corkboard](#): > > that episode was horribly, painfully, embarrassingly, unfunny. I’ve found that true of most episodes, actually. I hit the mute button and concentrated on my computer until the next show came on. ---
**Author:** ![pricciar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@pricciar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pricciar)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-27-jan-2011-open-spoilers/569265/24 "2011-01-28T21:04:20Z")
Man that opening was terrific. It was awesome to see Brent and Scott meet. I guess they had to get it done before Carell left the show. Fun stuff. And, pretty funny. The payoff on why Jim didn’t want to see the guy wasn’t that great. I mean it was pretty funny that the guy was still so bitter. But, it didn’t seem to make much sense. Who would hold on to something for so long? I guess it made me laugh, so that is good. And,I liked the things he was doing to kill time. Calling sports radio, kicking a rock around. Funny stuff. I loved Daryl giving Andy the heads up in the break room. Their friendship in this season has been fun to watch. “Do you need a losenze?” I just paused the DVR to look at the sign: > [@](#): > > Dunder Mifflin Sabre > Present a Free Seminar > How to Grow Your Small Business > > Hosted by > Andy Bernard > > Introduction by > Jim Halpert > > Small Business Expert > Phyllis Vance > > Special Guest Speaker > Dwight Schrute > > The Small Business Experts! > [@](#): > > Improve Sales > Increase Customer Retention > Harness the power of the Internet Search Engine Revolution to take Your Small Business Global! > Use Local Radio To Reach New Customers After pausing on the sign. I came up with a reason that makes sense of the fact that the guy held on to his bitterness for such a long time and recalled it instantly. He saw the flyer and saw that Jim was a part of it. Remembered the slight and thought of things to say when he saw him at the seminar. Case closed makes more sense to me. (Not a lot. But, still.) Andy went to the seminar at a time share place and thats what gave him the idea. Entice people in with sales techniques, and sell them your product. More pausing fun. On the sales chart Andy is in last place. Jim and Dwight are in the lead followed by Phyllis and Stanley. Andy is also behind Madge, Glenn, and Hidetoshi. Who, I guess, are warehouse workers. (Is Hidetoshi the former surgeon?) Oh, yeah, the business ideas were pretty funny. .2 cents of every transaction. Buying up all the mine shafts. Oh the whole scrabble game thing was pretty funny. Oscar was at his knowitall best. “But, that wouldn’t have been as theatrical” Oh, and Erin being cow obsessed cracked me up. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-27-jan-2011-open-spoilers/569265/25 "2011-01-28T21:06:11Z")
I think the idea was that Andy was selling his small business package. Dwight, Phyllis, and Stanley were looking to set up with some future clients. Which is why they were all angry when they found out that most of the people there had crappy businesses. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-27-jan-2011-open-spoilers/569265/26 "2011-01-28T21:15:25Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > What are you talking about? They were selling paper and office supplies, like they always do. Nah, it was a scam. If not, why was Andy reluctant to go back in at the end to close deals? It seemed obvious to me that Andy knew he was doing something unethical. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-27-jan-2011-open-spoilers/569265/27 "2011-01-28T21:18:22Z")
> [@Fiddle\_Peghead](#): > > Nah, it was a scam. If not, why was Andy reluctant to go back in at the end to close deals? It seemed obvious to me that Andy knew he was doing something unethical. Andy was reluctant because the whole presentation went horribly and he has no confidence. Now that Pam is out, Andy is the worst salesman there. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-27-jan-2011-open-spoilers/569265/28 "2011-01-28T21:36:18Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > I think the idea was that Andy was selling his small business package. > > Dwight, Phyllis, and Stanley were looking to set up with some future clients. These are the same thing. Those three bailed out because it looked like the potential clients were duds. When it looked like Andy might actually make some sales, they wanted back in. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-27-jan-2011-open-spoilers/569265/29 "2011-01-28T21:36:33Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > Andy was reluctant because the whole presentation went horribly and he has no confidence. Now that Pam is out, Andy is the worst salesman there. I think Jim, not Dwight, was on the top of the list shown. You know what? I liked this episode. It was much better than last weeks. Great intro. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-27-jan-2011-open-spoilers/569265/30 "2011-01-28T22:16:57Z")
It wasn’t that bad. I agree the seminar was a legitimate sales ploy, and the objective was to get some small business owners in a room and sell them paper/printers. And it worked. I laughed at the “Zuckerberg” line, and at Pam’s “It doesn’t have to be related to cows, does it?” Also, of course, the cold open was great. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-27-jan-2011-open-spoilers/569265/31 "2011-01-29T00:49:57Z")
I liked it well enough. I have been fastforwarding through all Michael & Holly scenes since about 10 seconds after she returned a couple episodes ago; I just cannot watch those two without intolerable douche chills. But it doesn’t detract from the episodes to skip them. Seemed super obvious that the seminar plan was to sell them paper products. If Andy was reluctant at all about taking their money for ethical reasons, it was because the doomed business ventures wouldn’t actually _need_ any paper supplies, being doomed and all. Nothing scammy about it. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-27-jan-2011-open-spoilers/569265/32 "2011-01-29T05:15:00Z")
Maybe it’s just me, but I have trouble recognizing people I haven’t seen since high school, let alone someone I last saw in third grade. But otherwise, this episode was awesome. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-27-jan-2011-open-spoilers/569265/33 "2011-01-29T09:25:09Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Maybe it’s just me, but I have trouble recognizing people I haven’t seen since high school, let alone someone I last saw in third grade. > > But otherwise, this episode was awesome. I was thinking that too, but they could have just been friends since the third grade. ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-27-jan-2011-open-spoilers/569265/34 "2011-01-29T11:04:15Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > It wasn’t that bad. I agree the seminar was a legitimate sales ploy, and the objective was to get some small business owners in a room and sell them paper/printers. And it worked. > > I laughed at the “Zuckerberg” line, and at Pam’s “It doesn’t have to be related to cows, does it?” Also, of course, the cold open was great. I thought Andy sold them a package of seminar materials (not paper products) at the end. ---
**Author:** ![Waffle\_Decider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/77aa72/32.png) [@Waffle\_Decider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waffle_Decider)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-27-jan-2011-open-spoilers/569265/35 "2011-01-29T13:23:12Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > For some reason, Kevin’s scene was cracking me up. I was aware of how stupid it was while it was happening, but I was still laughing. Yeah, me too. I thought that was hilarious. Kevin barfed in the bin. Then someone asked ‘now what are you picturing in your mind’ or something like that. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-27-jan-2011-open-spoilers/569265/36 "2011-01-29T13:35:11Z")
> [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > I was thinking that too, but they could have just been friends since the third grade. Maybe, but Jim says a few times “I haven’t seen him since third grade” in his speech to the camera. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-27-jan-2011-open-spoilers/569265/37 "2011-01-29T16:40:11Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > I thought Andy sold them a package of seminar materials (not paper products) at the end. They never say exactly what’s in the package, but it seems obvious that the premise is for Andy to boost his sales of paper and printers, so that’s what it was. Why would Michael care about him selling some random fake business package? ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-27-jan-2011-open-spoilers/569265/38 "2011-01-29T16:49:36Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Maybe it’s just me, but I have trouble recognizing people I haven’t seen since high school, let alone someone I last saw in third grade. > > But otherwise, this episode was awesome. Yeah, specially since they showed pictures of them as kids and neither was obviously recognizable. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2011, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-27-jan-2011-open-spoilers/569265/39 "2011-01-30T04:25:48Z")
Am I the only one who thought the cameo is supposed to foreshadow Ricky Gervais’ ultimate takeover of the job opening left by Steve Carrell? I said a long time ago I didn’t think there’s any other actor in the world who could pull it off and keep the show’s momentum going, and when I saw that I lit up and thought “they **got** him!” I could be completely wrong, of course. But I’m cautiously optimistic. ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2011, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-27-jan-2011-open-spoilers/569265/40 "2011-01-30T07:19:10Z")
> [@Fiddle\_Peghead](#): > > Nah, it was a scam. If not, why was Andy reluctant to go back in at the end to close deals? It seemed obvious to me that Andy knew he was doing something unethical. I think you totally misinterpreted that. Andy was reluctant to go back in because he’s not good at closing and was nervous he’d blow the sale. They talked a bunch about how bad his sales numbers have been (for instance the chart that showed him below some of the warehouse staff). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-27-jan-2011-open-spoilers/569265.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-office-27-jan-2011-open-spoilers/569265.md?page=3)