After Hours (The Office)
"After Hours" | |
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The Office episode | |
Episode no. | Season 8 Episode 16 |
Directed by | Brian Baumgartner |
Written by | |
Cinematography by | Matt Sohn |
Editing by | David Rogers |
Production code | 816 |
Original air date | February 23, 2012 |
Guest appearances | |
| |
"After Hours" is the sixteenth episode of the
The series—
"After Hours" received mixed reviews from critics. According to the Nielsen Media Research, "After Hours" was viewed by an estimated 5.02 million viewers and received a 2.6 rating/7% share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49, marking a 16% rise in the ratings from the series low ratings of the previous episode, "Tallahassee". The episode also ranked as the highest-rated NBC program of the night.
Synopsis
In Scranton,
Erin Hannon (Ellie Kemper) confides in Ryan Howard (B. J. Novak) that she is intending to stay in Tallahassee. Ryan interprets this as an invitation to hook up with her, so he attempts to seduce her by taking her to the empty kitchen to help her make a waffle she unsuccessfully ordered. They hide under a table when the chefs return. After Ryan compliments Erin, she suggests that they could become roommates in Florida and possibly start dating in six months if things go well between them. Not wanting that long timeline, he begrudgingly resorts to saying he loves Kelly.
Jim has started spending more time with
Production
"After Hours" was written by co-executive producers
Reception
Ratings
"After Hours" originally aired on NBC in the United States on February 23, 2012.[1] The episode was viewed by an estimated 5.02 million viewers and received a 2.6 rating/7% share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49.[8] This means that it was seen by 2.6% of all 18- to 49-year-olds, and 7% of all 18- to 49-year-olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. This marked a 13-percent rise in the ratings from the previous episode, "Tallahassee".[8][9] The episode finished third in its time slot, being beaten by Grey's Anatomy which received a 3.1 rating/8% share and the CBS drama Person of Interest which received a 3.1 rating/7% share in the 18–49 demographic.[8] The episode beat The CW drama series The Secret Circle and the Fox drama series The Finder.[8] Despite this, "After Hours" was the highest-rated NBC television episode of the night.[8] It was also the last episode of The Office to be viewed by more than 5 million viewers until the series finale a year later.[8][10]
Reviews
"After Hours" received mixed reviews from critics. HitFix writer Alan Sepinwall called it the best episode of a "disappointing" season.[11] He was mainly positive towards the focus of the episode with both story-lines in Tallahassee and Scranton taken place after hours and for the several plot lines in the episode.[11] He praised the pairing of Darryl and Val, saying that they are better matched to be the series' "new" Jim and Pam than Andy and Erin.[11] Cindy White of IGN said that the episode proved the series was "on a hot streak".[12] She mainly liked the storylines taking place in Tallahassee and said that the end of the Dwight-Nellie storyline was a "nice bit of character development".[12] She was also very positive to Baumgarter's directing in the episode, saying he "nailed" the documentary format of the episode.[12] She went on to slightly criticize the Scranton storyline and wrote that she hoped the writers would wait before putting Val and Darryl together.[12] She ultimately gave the episode a 7.5/10.[12]
Not all reviews were positive. The A.V. Club reviewer Myles McNutt wrote that the episode was too crowded and that while all four plotlines had "potential", they weren't given enough time to develop.[13] Despite this, he did compliment the Dwight scenes, due to their ability to gain a "comic rhythm".[13] He also complimented the Dwight-Nellie-Todd storyline, saying that his decision to not sleep with Nellie was a "nicely human moment" and also wrote that the character was more grounded when he was more self-aware.[13] He ultimately gave the episode a C+.[13]
Many critics commented on the plot featuring Cathy attempting to seduce Jim.[11][12][13] White noted that, "Jim did bumble it a bit in the face of Cathy taking insincere offense at his accusation, but the outcome wasn't hard to predict. Of course Jim would stay true to his real soulmate."[12] Sepinwall noted Dwight's cartoonish behavior in the episode, although he called it a good addition to the Jim-Cathy story-line.[11] McNutt wrote that due to the "choppy storytelling", the Jim-Cathy storyline was not able to feel awkward enough to "feel Jim's struggle".[13]
References
- ^ a b c "The Office : After Hours". Zap2it. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
- ^ a b Halsted Sullivan and Warren Lieberstein (writers) Brian Baumgartner (director) (March 1, 2012). "After Hours". The Office. Season 8. Episode 16. NBC.
- Twitter.com. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
- ^ https://nypost.com/2021/11/16/the-shocking-storyline-the-office-creators-planned-for-jim-and-pam/
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 17, 2012). "David Koechner Inks NBC Talent Deal, Eyes Greg Daniels' 'Friday Night Dinner' & 'Office'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
- ^ a b Ausiello, Michael (September 8, 2011). "The Office Exclusive: 'Til Death's Lindsey Broad Befriends Pam". TVLine. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
- Universal Studios Home Entertainment. 2012. The Office: Season Eight Disc 3
- ^ a b c d e f Seidman, Robert (February 24, 2012). "TV Ratings Thursday: 'Big Bang' Beats 'American Idol;' 'Person of Interest' Rises, Ties 'Grey's Anatomy;' 'Rob,' 'The Mentalist' Down – Ratings | TVbytheNumbers". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 27, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (February 17, 2012). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'American Idol,' 'Vampire Diaries,' 'Grey's Anatomy,' 'Big Bang Theory,' '30 Rock,' 'Office' Adjusted Up; 'Person Of Interest,' 'Mentalist,' 'Secret Circle' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 10, 2012. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
- ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (May 17, 2013). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'Hannibal', 'The Big Bang Theory', 'The Vampire Diaries', 'Grey's Anatomy' & 'Office' Retrospective Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Zap2it. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013. Retrieved May 17, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e Sepinwall, Alan (February 24, 2012). "The Morning Round-Up: 30 Rock & The Office". HitFix. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g White, Cindy (February 24, 2012). "The Office: "After Hours" Review". IGN. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f McNutt, Myles (February 24, 2012). ""After Hours" | The Office | TV Club | TV". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
External links
- "After Hours" at NBC.com
- "After Hours" at IMDb