The Client (The Office)

Infobox Television episode
Title =The Client
Series =The Office


Caption =Jan watches Michael charm "The Client"
Season =2
Episode =7
Airdate =November 8, 2005
Production =02005
Writer =Paul Lieberstein
Director =Greg Daniels
Guests =Tim Meadows
Episode list =List of The Office (U.S. TV series) episodes
Season list =
Prev =The Fight
Next =Performance Review"The Client" is the seventh episode of the second season of the American comedy television series "The Office", and the show's thirteenth episode overall. Written by Paul Lieberstein, who also acts in the show as Toby Flenderson, and directed by Greg Daniels, the episode first aired in the United States on November 8, 2005 on the National Broadcasting Company (NBC).

In this episode, Jan and Michael begin a relationship after landing an important client. Meanwhile, the rest of the office find a screenplay written by Michael and decided to read it together.

Plot

Michael Scott (Steve Carell) and Jan Levinson (Melora Hardin) meet a client (Tim Meadows) at Chili's for an important meeting. Jan is disgusted with Michael's antics and refusal to talk business, but discovers at the end of the day that there is a method to his madness when the client bonds with Michael, allowing him to close the deal. Afterwards, in the parking lot, Michael and the recently-divorced Jan share a kiss.

Meanwhile, Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) finds a screenplay written by Michael, and the staff read it together. While reading the script, the word "Dwigt" appears. Pam explains to the camera that originally, Michael based his incompetent sidekick on Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson), but later changed the name with a search and replace. Dwight is upset and quickly shuts down the exercise to invite everyone to set off fireworks outside. Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) and Pam break off their respective evening plans to enjoy an impromptu dinner on the roof and watch the firework show. The next day, Jim jokes about their "first date", and Pam bluntly tells him it was not a date.

Word quickly spreads that Jan and Michael spent the night together. Michael initially tells the documentary crew that "nothing happened", that they just talked for several hours, but his story gradually changes to imply that they did more than that. Jan calls, clearly regretting what happened, but Michael refuses to accept her change of heart.

Production

This episode was the fourth episode of the series directed by Greg Daniels. Daniels had previously directed the episodes "Basketball" and "The Dundies". "The Client" was written by Paul Lieberstein, who acts on the show as human resources director Toby Flenderson.

The idea for Jan and Michael to have a romantic relationship was conceived by Steve Carell as far back as the filming of the pilot episode. According to writer and producer Greg Daniels "it was like he (Michael) was turned on by his teacher."cite web |url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2006/02/office_workers_.html |title="Office" promotions pay off in a big way |accessdate=2008-07-29 |last=Ryan |first=Maureen |coauthors= |date=2006-02-23 |work= |publisher=Chicago Tribune] Writer and actor Paul Lieberstein said that the first idea that anybody came up for the episode was the final shot, where Jim and Michael look at each other and shake their heads, suggesting that they had been through similar experiences. The rest of the episode was written to lead to that scene.Lieberstein, Paul (Writer/Actor). 2006. "The Client" [Commentary track] , "The Office" Season Two (US/NBC Version) [DVD] , Los Angeles, CA: Universal.] The scene where Oscar tells a story about a date getting a background check on him was on an actual date that Paul Lieberstein went on.

While filming, Steve Carell and Tim Meadows improvised a lot of their dinner scene, but most of it never made the final cut.cite web |url=http://www.tvguide.com/News-Views/Interviews-Features/Article/default.aspx?posting={3788AE42-DC18-4F69-A0F3-0A2749F8ADCA} |title="The Office" Presents: "The Client" |accessdate=2008-07-29 |last=Novak |first=B. J. |coauthors= |date=2005-11-08 |work= |publisher=TV Guide] One improvised scene that did make the final cut was the "Baby Back Ribs" song.Daniels, Greg (Producer/Director). 2006. "The Client" [Commentary track] , "The Office" Season Two (US/NBC Version) [DVD] , Los Angeles, CA: Universal.] In an interview, Jenna Fischer said that the rooftop scene was her favorite to shoot. Fischer recalled that "there was a very small crew up on the roof and they had the cameras really far away."cite web |url=http://www.givememyremote.com/remote/?p=104 |title=EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with the Stars of "The Office" |accessdate=2008-07-29 |last= |first= |coauthors= |date=2006-01-17 |work= |publisher=Give Me My Remote] After the main shooting ended, producers decided to do a reshoot to explain the "Dwigt" situation clearly and concisely.Daniels, Greg (Producer/Director). 2006. "The Client" [Commentary track] , "The Office" Season Two (US/NBC Version) [DVD] , Los Angeles, CA: Universal.] While editing the kiss between Michael and Jan, Greg Daniels brought many people into the editing room to see if they thought the kiss was too long or not long enough.

Reception

"The Client" received 3.8/9 in the ages 18–49 demographic in the Nielsen Ratings. This means that 3.8 percent of all households with an 18 to 49 year-old living in it watched the episode, and nine percent had their television tuned to the channel at any point. "The Client" was watched by 7.5 million viewers.cite web |url= http://www.officetally.com/the-office-nielsen-ratings/3/ |title= "The Office" Nielsen Ratings |accessdate=2008-07-06 |last=Tan |first=Jeannie |coauthors= |date= |work= |publisher=OfficeTally]

TV Squad's Michael Sciannamea wrote that Michael "totally taken with himself", but still "has shown us his vulnerabilities", which for Sciannamea is "what makes this sitcom so compelling". Sciannamea did point out that this is the second week in a row that "Pam is offended by something Jim has said or done", which in his mind "will get tiresome quickly if it continues".cite web |url= http://www.tvsquad.com/2005/11/09/the-office-the-client/ |title= "The Office": "The Client" |accessdate=2008-07-29 |last=Sciannamea |first=Michael |coauthors= |date=2005-11-09 |publisher=TV Squad] "Miss Alli" of "TelevisionWithoutPity.com" graded the episode with a "B+".cite web |url= http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/the_office/the_client.php |title= "THE CLIENT" |accessdate=2008-07-28 |last= |first=Alli |coauthors= |date= |work= |publisher=TelevisionWithoutPity.com]

References

External links

* [http://www.nbc.com/The_Office/episodes/season2/205/ "The Client"] at NBC.com
* [http://www.tvguide.com/News-Views/Interviews-Features/Article/default.aspx?posting={3788AE42-DC18-4F69-A0F3-0A2749F8ADCA} BJ Novak's Blog on "The Client"] on [http://www.tvguide.com/ TVGuide.com]
* [http://www.northernattack.com/archives/the-client/ "The Client"] on NorthernAttack.com