Launch Party

Infobox Television episode
Title =Launch Party
Series =The Office


Caption =Phyllis and Angela hang the misspelled sign for the "Launch Party".
Season =4
Episode =3
Airdate =October 11, 2007cite web |url=http://www.nbc.com/The_Office/episodes/season4/4005/ |title="Launch Party" | Season 4 | 10/11/2007 |accessdate=2008-07-28 |work= |publisher=NBC |date= ]
Production =04005
Writer =Jennifer Celotta
Director =Ken Whittingham
Guests =Chris Cockerham Kevin Michael McHale
Episode list =List of The Office (U.S. TV series) episodes
Season list =
Prev =Dunder Mifflin Infinity
Next =Money"Launch Party" is the third episode of the fourth season of the American comedy television series "The Office", and the show's fifty-fifth episode overall. The episode was written by Jennifer Celotta and directed by Ken Whittingham. It first aired in the United States on October 11, 2007 on the National Broadcasting Company (NBC).cite web |url=http://www.nbc.com/The_Office/episodes/season4/4005/ |title="Launch Party" | Season 4 | 10/11/2008 |accessdate=2008-07-29 |work= |publisher=NBC |date= ]

In this episode, Dunder Mifflin prepares for the launch of their new website. Dwight tries to outsell the website, Andy makes a move for Angela, and Michael accidently kidnaps a pizza delivery boy.

Plot

Dunder Mifflin is preparing a party for the launch of their new website "Dunder Mifflin Infinity". Since Jan Levinson (Melora Hardin) doesn't want to go to the launch party, Michael Scott (Steve Carell) invites Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer), who makes Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) take her place. Only after they reach New York does Jim realize that Michael received an "invitation" to a chat room, not the actual party. Michael returns to Scranton dejected and attempts to plan a better party. This irritates party planner Angela Martin (Angela Kinsey), who has already been in an exceptionally irritable mood.

Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) decides to compete against the website to see who can make more sales. Andy Bernard (Ed Helms) keeps a running tally of reams sold, blowing a bear horn each time Dwight makes a sale. Irritated by the distraction, Jim and Pam plot a prank. They send Dwight instant messages pretending to be the company's computer system, taunting Dwight when he believes it has achieved self-awareness. Dwight wins the challenge, but when he gloats to Angela about his victory, she rejects him outright and makes it clear that they are broken up for good. Pam, feeling sorry for Dwight, sends another message as the computer acknowledging him as a superior being.

Michael accidentally orders pizza from the office's least favorite pizzeria and refuses to let the surly delivery boy (Kevin Michael McHale) leave when he refuses to honor an ambiguous coupon; he vents his frustration of the day on the delivery kid. The party goes on (with good pizza) even while Michael's kidnapping victim sits next to them. Jim and Pam escape the madness and dine on the rooftop.

When it is his turn to appear at the party via webcam, Michael uses the opportunity to insult Ryan Howard (B. J. Novak) who is in New York City and point out that Dwight actually sold more paper on its first day. The pizza boy also uses the webcam to send out word that he has been kidnapped. Eventually Michael has an epiphany, realizing that he has committed a crime, and lets the delivery boy go after Dwight pays full price for the pizzas.

Andy's romantic attentions turn to Angela, eventually serenading her with ABBA's "Take a Chance on Me" in front of the entire office. She does not answer, but stifles a smile. After the Scranton party, Michael decides that he wants authentic New York sushi, and he and Dwight crash the just-completed main party. One of Ryan's coworkers tells Michael they enjoyed his earlier webcam outburst because it clearly embarrassed Ryan.

Production

"Launch Party" was the sixth episode of the series directed by Ken Whittingham. Whittingham had previously directed "Health Care", "Michael's Birthday", "The Convention", "The Merger", and "Phyllis' Wedding". "Launch Party" was written by Jennifer Celotta, making it the sixth episode written by her.

According to Jennifer Celotta, the idea for the first scene of the episode where the office workers are watching a logo bounce around a television screen, came when the writers were in a room watching the DVD logo bounce around the television screen, and were arguing about whether it would ever hit the corner. [cite web|url= http://www.nbc.com/Comic-Con/video/clips/the-office/279939/ |title=Panels "The Office" |publisher=National Broadcasting Company |accessdate=2008-07-28] For Ryan's new appearance this season, the writers originally had B. J. Novak grow a goatee. Show runner and executive producer Greg Daniels decided to have Novak lose the goatee, because according to Novak "a goatee would make Ryan a flat-out chump. And we wanted it to be more subtle." In addition to his five o'clock shadow, Ryan was also seen wearing black clothes. Novak explained that "We wanted him to dress as obnoxious as possible. As much black as possible."cite web|url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2007_4435539|title=The temp label is permanent / Ryan is still Ryan to co-workers and viewers of "The Office"
accessdate=2008-07-21|last=Dansby|first=Andrew|date=October 3, 2007|publisher="The Houston Chronicle"] "Dunder Mifflin Infinity" went along with a website that had been created with the same name. The website was part of game in which fans of "The Office" would sign up, and become "employees" of different "branches". Members of the site would do tasks such as design a logo for the company or make Creed look young again.cite web |url=http://www.dundermifflininfinity.com/tasks |title=Tasks |accessdate=2008-07-21 |work= |publisher=NBC |date= ]

Reception

"Launch Party" received a 5.2 Nielsen Rating and an 8% Share. The episode was watched by 8.91 million viewers and achieved a 4.7/11 in the key adults 18–49 demographic. [cite web|url= http://entertainmentnow.wordpress.com/2007/10/12/broadcast-tv-ratings-for-thursday-october-11-2007|title=Broadcast TV Ratings for Thursday, October 11, 2007|publisher=Your Entertainment Now|accessdate=2007-10-12]

"Launch Party" received mixed reviews from critics. TV Squad's Jay Black wondered why the writers "feel the need to veer off into increasingly more ridiculous places", especially because "The Office" is "hailed by critics and adored by fans for its ability to find humor in the smallest pieces of real-life human interaction". Black did say that except for the kidnapping, he "thought tonight's episode was the best of the season."cite web |url= http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/10/12/the-office-launch-party/ |title="The Office": "Launch Party" |accessdate=2008-07-29 |last=Black |first=Jay |coauthors= |date=2007-10-12 |publisher=TV Squad] Travis Fickett of IGN wrote that "Launch Party" was "a very entertaining episode with some terrific moments." Fickett did say that with all the hour-long episodes "things start to feel stretched and some scenes take on a sense of redundancy and certain storylines seem to peter out before they even get going."cite web |url=http://tv.ign.com/articles/826/826895p1.html |title="The Office": "Launch Party Parts 1 & 2" Review |accessdate=2008-07-29 |last=Fickett |first=Travis |coauthors= |date=2007-10-12 |work= |publisher=IGN]

References