Cocktails (The Office)

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"Cocktails"
The Office episode
Episode no.Season 3
Episode 18
Directed byJ. J. Abrams
Written byPaul Lieberstein
Featured music
Cinematography byRandall Einhorn
Editing byDavid Rogers
Production code318
Original air dateFebruary 22, 2007 (2007-02-22)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
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"Business School" 		Next โ†’
"The Negotiation"
The Office (American season 3)
List of episodes

"Cocktails" is the eighteenth episode of the third season of the

sweeps week. Michael Patrick McGill, Dan Cole, Owen Daniels
, and Jean Villepique guest starred.

In the episode, Michael, Dwight, Jim and Karen attend a cocktail party at CFO David Wallace's house. While there, Michael and Jan make their relationship public, Karen makes Jim uncomfortable by pointing out all of her ex-boyfriends in attendance, and Dwight inspects the home. Meanwhile, the rest of the office goes to a bar and Pam tries to be more honest with Roy.

The first American broadcast of "Cocktails" occurred on February 22, 2007, to an estimated 8.3 million viewers. The episode was positively received by television critics, with Kevin Fitzpatrick of UGO Networks calling it one of the best of the series.

Plot

Roy (David Denman
), as her boyfriend, attend as well. Roy shows up along with his brother, Kenny.

At the party, Karen plays a joke on Jim by identifying many people at the party as ex-boyfriends. Dwight takes it upon himself to give the house a thorough inspection, and spends the night critiquing the layout and materials. Towards the end of the evening, David invites Jim to play basketball in the backyard.

Michael takes relish in being able to freely proclaim his relationship with Jan to his bosses, making Jan uncomfortable. She eventually pulls him aside and tries to get him to have sex with her in the bathroom. Michael refuses and she becomes angry. As they drive home together, Jan hypothesizes that she only enjoyed being with Michael because their relationship was undisclosed and therefore unethical, and that disclosing it was a mistake. Michael is hurt and upset at this, and Jan takes back her comments to keep him from crying.

At Poor Richard's, Pam tells Roy she wants a fresh start in their relationship and tells him about the "Casino Night" kiss with Jim. Roy reacts by yelling at her and throwing his glass at the bar mirror. Furious, Pam calls their relationship "over" and walks out. Roy and Kenny begin destroying the bar. Kenny uses the money he made from selling his jet skis to pay off the bar for damages, and Roy swears vengeance against Jim.

Production

J. J. Abrams directed "Cocktails".

"Cocktails" was written by

original British series. The director explained, "I resented it before I saw it, because I thought, 'well, how are you going to do what Ricky and Steve did. In fact, the first season I didn't get into it at all. In the second season, they really found their voice. And that's despite having to make 22 episodes, which is twice the length of what the BBC show did. And I thought that the show became brilliant. I was really impressed by how it worked."[3]

Abrams had been rumored as director since December 2006, and NBC confirmed this the following month. He and

sweeps week.[4][5] Abrams had known cast member Kate Flannery years before, when he used to write in a restaurant where Flannery worked as a waitress. The two were reunited on The Office set, where he stated that he was pleased with her success.[6]

Jenna Fischer found her character's break-up scene with Roy "really dark," as she is friends with

The Office "a blast."[8] Other guest stars included Dan Cole as Dan Gore, Owen Daniels as the Wallaces' son, and Jean Villepique as Rachel Wallace.[9]

The season three DVD contains a number of deleted scenes. Notable cut scenes included Stanley reacting violently when he sees Ryan talking to his daughter Melissa; Pam and Roy talking about her Dunder Mifflin painting, the talking head interview with Jan over relationships, Dwight's upstairs house inspection, and his conversation with the CFO's son; and Michael showing off his framed "love contract".[10]

Reception

"Cocktails" first aired in the United States on February 22, 2007.[11] An estimated 8.3 million viewers tuned in to the episode,[12] a drop of less than 10 percent from the previous week.[13] Among adults aged 18โ€“49, The Office earned a 4.2/10 ratings share, an increase of seventeen percent from its lead-in.[12]

Television critics tended to view "Cocktails" positively. Kevin Fitzpatrick of

Buddy TV writer Oscar Dahl noted that "besides a couple of crafty camera moves, his work was mostly invisible, which is exactly what you want from a director on The Office."[2] IGN's Brian Zoromski appreciated the spotlight on female characters Jan, Pam, and Karen, and thought there were "quite a few great little moments this episode," including "a great Creed moment as he revealed he runs a fake ID company out of his car".[14] Entertainment Weekly columnist Abby West enjoyed Karen conning Jim at the party, called Rashida Jones' performance "brilliantly played"; West also liked Pam's newfound confidence, but believed she was "dumb" for telling Roy of her kiss with Jim.[15]

References

  1. ^ a b Fitzpatrick, Kevin (June 10, 2011). "J. J. Abrams' Most Super TV Moments". UGO Networks. Archived from the original on June 16, 2011. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
  2. ^
    Buddy TV
    . Retrieved January 2, 2012.
  3. ^ "Total Film Exclusive: J. J. Abrams directing the US Office". Total Film. September 15, 2006. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
  4. ^ Susman, Gary (January 10, 2007). "Fightin' Dwight Schrute". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
  5. ^ "Joss Whedon and J. J. Abrams Both Directing The Office". IGN. January 11, 2007. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
  6. ^ Love, Brett (February 22, 2007). "Kate Flannery on the J. J. Abrams Office episode". AOL TV. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
  7. ^ Faraci, Derek (March 27, 2007). "INTERVIEW: JENNA FISCHER (BLADES OF GLORY)". CHUD.com. Retrieved July 5, 2012.
  8. ^ "Interview with Michael Patrick McGill". Eviltwinltd.com. July 10, 2009. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
  9. ^ J. J. Abrams (director), Paul Lieberstein (writer) (February 22, 2007). "Cocktails". The Office. Season 3. Episode 18. NBC.
  10. Universal Studios Home Entertainment
    . 2007. The Office: Season Three Disc 3
  11. ^ "The Office Episode: "Cocktails"". TV Guide. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
  12. ^ a b "Feb. 27, 2007 Press Release ("Cocktails")" (Press release). NBC. February 27, 2007. Retrieved January 23, 2012.[dead link] Alt URL
  13. The Atlanta Journal
    .
  14. ^ Zoromski, Brian (February 23, 2007). "Joss Whedon and J. J. Abrams Both Directing The Office". IGN. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
  15. ^ West, Abby (February 23, 2007). "TV Recap: Party Monster". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 2, 2012.

External links

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