Doomsday (The Office)

"Doomsday"
The Office episode
Episode no.	Season 8 Episode 6
Directed by	Troy Miller
Written by	Daniel Chun
Production code	806
Original air date	November 3, 2011
Episode chronology
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List of The Office (U.S.) episodes

"Doomsday" is the sixth episode of the eighth season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's 158th episode overall. The episode aired on NBC in the United States on November 3, 2011.

Plot

In the cold open, Andy (Ed Helms), to commemorate and "bring closure" to end of each work day, plays "Closing Time", much to the dismay of his visibly annoyed co-workers. Andy, frustrated that no-one but he and Erin (Ellie Kemper) enjoy the tradition, starts to scold the workers until Stanley (Leslie David Baker) comes in happily singing the song alongside him.

When Robert California (James Spader) confronts Andy about the number of mishaps and blunders made in the office, Dwight (Rainn Wilson) devises a system to find mistakes made by employees in the office. To improve efficiency, he installs a "doomsday device" that will send incriminating emails to Robert California (James Spader) if they make five mistakes in one week, effectively causing them to lose their jobs. After only one day, however, the group manages to make five mistakes, and Dwight reveals that the emails will be automatically sent to California at 5:00. Andy pleads with Dwight to deactivate the machine, but Dwight refuses, belittles the rest of the office staff for being so careless, and retreats to Schrute Farms.

After Dwight abandons the group, Andy tasks Pam, Oscar, Erin, and Kevin to try and change Dwight's mind. The group find Dwight digging a horse grave and offer to help him out. Andy tries to talk to Dwight about deactivating the machine, but Pam consistently quiets him, saying she knows Dwight will come to understand if they aren't pushing it. After complimenting Dwight numerous times and having a small meal, Pam makes a joke that emphasizes that everyone is human and makes mistakes. Dwight, after hearing this, deactivates the machine after the party leaves Schrute Farms. Meanwhile, Jim (John Krasinski) is tasked with tracking down Robert at a squash court and intercepting the doomsday emails before California has a chance to view them. To distract him, Jim plays several games, demonstrating his complete lack of skill at squash.

Meanwhile, Gabe (Zach Woods) unsuccessfully tries to strike up a relationship with a new warehouse worker, Val. Gabe believes that he and Val have a connection, and constantly pursues and tries to impress her throughout the day. Darryl (Craig Robinson), observing Gabe's pitiful attempts, tries to imply that Val doesn't feel the same way, but to no avail.

Production

The episode was written by co-executive producer Daniel Chun, his 5th writing credit of the series. It was directed by Troy Miller, his second directing credit after last season's "Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager".

Reception

Ratings

In its original American broadcast, "Doomsday" was viewed by an estimated 6.15 million viewers and received a 3.2 rating/8% share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49.^[1] This means that it was seen by 3.2% of all 18–49 years olds, and 8% of all 18–49 year olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. This marked an increase in the ratings from the previous episode, "Spooked".^[2] The episode ranked third in its timeslot beating Person of Interest which received a 2.7 rating/7% share in the 18-49 demographic and The Secret Circle which received a 0.9 rating/2% share, but was defeated by Grey's Anatomy which received a 3.6 rating/9% share and the season premiere of Bones which received a 3.3 rating/8% share.^[1]

Reviews

The A.V. Club reviewer Myles McNutt wrote a mixed-to-positive review of the episode, maintaining that that while "Doomsday" was not "a terrible episode by any means [but] the various pieces never fell into place, and the resolution didn't feel as though it was earned by the episode that came before it. It just felt like it was trying to do too much too quickly, never quite narrowing in on character in the midst of manufacturing chaos."^[3] McNutt ultimately gave the episode a B-.^[3]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Seidman, Robert (November 4, 2011). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'Big Bang Theory,' 'The X Factor,' 'Parks & Recreation,' 'The Office,' 'Vampire Diaries,' 'Grey's Anatomy' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/11/04/thursday-final-ratings-big-bang-theory-the-x-factor-parks-recreation-the-office-vampire-diaries-greys-anatomy-adjusted-up/109650/. Retrieved November 5, 2011. 
2. ^ Gorman, Bill (October 29, 2011). "Thursday Final Ratings: World Series Game 6 Finals + ‘Big Bang,’ ‘Vampire Diaries,’ ‘Office,’ ‘Person,’ Adjusted Up; ‘Rules,’ ‘Secret Circle,’ ‘Whitney,’ ‘Prime Suspect’ Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/10/28/thursday-final-ratings-world-series-game-6-finals-big-bang-vampire-diaries-office-person-adjusted-up-rules-secret-circle-whitney-prime-suspect-adjusted-down/108807/. Retrieved October 29, 2011. 
3. ^ ^{a b} McNutt, Myles (september 3, 2011). "Doomsday". The AV Club. http://www.avclub.com/articles/doomsday,64378/. Retrieved November 4, 2011. 

External links

• "Doomsday" at NBC.com
• "Doomsday" at the Internet Movie Database
• "Doomsday" at TV.com