Special Project
| "Special Project" | |
|---|---|
| The Office episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 8 Episode 14 |
| Directed by | David Rogers |
| Written by | Amelie Gillette |
| Cinematography by | Matt Sohn |
| Editing by | David Rogers |
| Production code | 814 |
| Original air date | February 9, 2012[1] |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"Special Project" is the fourteenth episode of the
The series—
) and is unsure if she intended it as a romantic gift or simply one of friendship."Special Project" introduced a six-episode arc which featured several of the office workers working on a special project for Sabre in Tallahassee. The episode received largely positive reviews from critics, with many reviewers looking forward to the "special projects" storyline. The ending scene featuring Cathy's phone conversation about Jim and Pam's marriage has also received significant attention from critics. According to Nielsen Media Research, "Special Project" drew 5.16 million viewers and received a 2.5 rating/6% share in the 18–49 demographic, marking a three-tenths drop in ratings from the previous episode, "Jury Duty", and becoming one of the lowest-rated episodes of the series. Despite this, it was the highest-rated NBC series of the night.
Synopsis
Just as
Meanwhile,
) and Jim, infuriating Dwight. At first he tries to convince the members to change their minds using various Florida stereotypes, at one point filling the conference room with 300 mosquitoes, but after realizing they all have excellent ideas for the project, he is content with the team.Erin expresses frustration that Andy is still with Jessica. After Andy and Dwight jointly choose her for the project team, she admits in a talking head that she is not going to return to Scranton once she arrives in Florida. At the end of the episode, it is revealed that Cathy also has ulterior motives for the trip, intending to seduce Jim while the two are in Florida together, stating, during a cell phone conversation to a friend, that "[Jim's] marriage is not good; nobody knows better than me. Definitely we will. It's three weeks in Tallahassee. What else is there to do?"
Darryl discovers warehouse worker Val (Ameenah Kaplan) has knitted him a beanie. Unsure if she intended it as a romantic gift or simply one of friendship, Darryl decides to find out by giving her a Valentine's Day gift of an expensive pair of cashmere ladies' gloves with a romantic card. Upon discovering that Val had knitted a beanie for everyone in the warehouse, an embarrassed Darryl passes the gloves off to warehouse worker Nate (Mark Proksch), who is moved by the gift, and later gives him personal coupons for repayment. Darryl is further disappointed when a man named Brandon calls asking for the address of the warehouse to send flowers to his girlfriend Val. He is intrigued, however, when she says the flowers were from her mother, despite him pointing out the caller had had a deep voice and gone by the name Brandon. Darryl decides Val's gift was "a love beanie".
Production
The episode was written by story editor
Cultural references
Stanley says that he's the only one in the office who watches the television series,
Reception
Ratings
The episode first aired on NBC in the United States on February 9, 2012.[1][2] The episode was viewed by an estimated 5.16 million viewers and received a 2.5 rating/6% share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49.[8] This means that it was seen by 2.5% of all 18- to 49-year-olds, and 6% of all 18- to 49-year-olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. This marked a three-tenths drop in the ratings from the previous episode, "Jury Duty".[8][9] The episode finished third in its time slot, being beaten by Grey's Anatomy which received a 3.9 rating/10% share and the CBS drama Person of Interest which received a 3.3 rating/8% share in the 18–49 demographic.[8] The episode beat the Fox drama series The Finder and The CW drama series The Secret Circle.[8] Despite this, "Special Project" was the highest-rated NBC television episode of the night.[8] After DVR usage was taken into account, the episode increased its viewership by 64%, being viewed by a total of 7.842 million viewers.[10]
Critical response
"Special Project" received mainly positive reviews from critics, with many looking forward to the "special projects" plotline.
New York writer Michael Tedder gave the episode a positive review for avoiding the "cutesy" moments that were featured in the first half of the season.[4] He praised several of the cast members' performances in the episode, including Ellie Kemper and Mark Proksch.[4] He also complimented the sub-plot featuring Darryl and Val, but wrote that the producers should just get the two together, because "Not every ongoing plotline needs to last all season".[4] IGN writer Cindy White wrote a positive review for the episode for allowing the "less prominent characters of the ensemble" to get some lines in the episode, specifically mentioning Stanley and Ryan.[11] She also complimented the Darryl-Val subplot, writing that they're one of the few romantic pairings on the show that she's "rooting" for.[11] She ultimately gave the episode an 8.0/10, calling it "impressive".[11]
However, not all reviews were positive. Lizzie Fhur of Buzz Sugar wrote that while the "special projects" storyline has potential, "this week just kind of landed flat for me".[12] Brian Marder of Hollywood called the episode a "giant step back", especially following the previous episode which he called "promising".[13] He wrote that the jokes and story of the episode went "nowhere" and he criticized the episode for its loud, "laugh-track-worthy" jokes compared to the early seasons of the series that featured more subtle humor.[13] Despite the mostly negative review, he wrote that he hoped the episode would lead to a better storyline in the following episodes.[13] The ending scene featuring Cathy's phone conversation about Jim and Pam's marriage has also received significant attention.[4][7][11] Cindy White criticized the suggestion that Cathy will break Jim and Pam, calling it a "cheap plow" and that if Cathy and Jim would have an affair, it would cause "serious damage to [Jim's] character",[11] while Myles McNutt felt it would allow Cathy to become an actual character in the series.[7]
References
- ^ a b "The Office: "Special Project"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 20, 2012.
- ^ a b c d "Special Project". The Office. Season 8. Episode 14. February 9, 2012. NBC.
- ^ Ausiello, Michael (September 8, 2011). "The Office Exclusive: 'Til Death's Lindsey Broad Befriends Pam". TVLine. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f Tedder, Michael (February 10, 2012). "The Office Recap: Florida Facts – Vulture". New York. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
- zap2it.com. Archived from the originalon January 31, 2012. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
- Universal Studios Home Entertainment. 2012. The Office: Season Eight Disc 3
- ^ a b c d e f g h i McNutt, Myles (February 9, 2012). "Special Project". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e Seidman, Robert (February 10, 2012). "TV Ratings Thursday: 'Idol' Rises But 'Bang' Still Bigger from 8–8:30; 'Person of Interest' Ties High; 'Grey's' Higher; 'The Office' Goes Low". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 10, 2013. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
- ^ Gorman, Bill. "Thursday Final Ratings: 'American Idol,' 'Big Bang Theory,' 'Grey's Anatomy,' 'Office,' 'Mentalist' Adjusted Up; 'Rob' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 5, 2012. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
- ^ Kondolojy, Amanda. "Live+7 DVR Ratings: 'Modern Family' Tops Absolute Ratings Gains; 'Pan Am' Tops % Gains in Week 21". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 25, 2012. Retrieved March 6, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e White, Cindy (February 10, 2012). "The Office: "Special Project" Review – TV Review at IGN". IGN. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
- ^ Fhur, Lizzie (February 10, 2012). "The Office Recap "Special Project"". BuzzSugar. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
- ^ a b c Marder, Brian (February 10, 2012). "'The Office' Recap: Special Project". Hollywood.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
External links
- "Special Project" at NBC.com
- "Special Project" at IMDb
