The Client (The Office episode)

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The Office episode
"The Client"

Jan watches Michael charm "The Client"
Episode No. 13
Prod. Code 02005
Airdate November 8, 2005
Writer(s) Paul Lieberstein
Director Greg Daniels
Guest star(s) Tim Meadows

The Office Season 2
September 2005 - May 2006
  1. The Dundies
  2. Sexual Harassment
  3. Office Olympics
  4. The Fire
  5. Halloween
  6. The Fight
  7. The Client
  8. Performance Review
  9. E-mail Surveillance
  10. Christmas Party
  11. Booze Cruise
  12. The Injury
  13. The Secret
  14. The Carpet
  15. Boys and Girls
  16. Valentine's Day
  17. Dwight's Speech
  18. Take Your Daughter to Work Day
  19. Michael's Birthday
  20. Drug Testing
  21. Conflict Resolution
  22. Casino Night
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"The Client" is the seventh episode of the second season of the television series The Office (U.S. version). It was written by Paul Lieberstein and directed by Greg Daniels. It originally aired on November 8, 2005.

Contents

[edit] Synopsis

Michael and Jan meet a client 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 finds a screenplay written by Michael, and the staff read it together. Dwight realizes that Michael based the incompetent sidekick on him and quickly shuts down the exercise to invite everyone to set off fireworks outside. Jim 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.

[edit] Deleted scenes

The Season Two DVD contains a number of deleted scenes from this episode. Notable cut scenes include:

  • Michael tells an uninterested Pam about his new egg yolk diet.
  • Michael empties the kitchen refrigerator of all foods containing carbs.
  • Michael jokes around with an unamused Jan regarding plans for the client meeting.
  • The script for Threat Level: Midnight ends abruptly.
  • Jim describes to the camera his worst first date.

[edit] Notes

 Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.
For a list of songs featured in this episode, see List of songs featured on The Office.
  • Tim Meadows and Steve Carell improvised while the cameras were on, but the majority never made the final cut.[1] The "Baby Back Ribs" song was improvised and was not a planned product placement.[2]
  • The idea for Jan and Michael to "hook up" was conceived by Carell as far back as the filming of the pilot episode. The writers described their relationship as "it was like he was turned on by his teacher."[3]
  • Although Michael says that Chili's is "a couple blocks away" and mocks Jan for not knowing this about Scranton, in reality there is no Chili's in Scranton — the closest location is about 30 minutes away in the Wyoming Valley Mall in Wilkes-Barre.
  • When the workers are table reading Michael's script, the parts they play are as follows:
  • The closeup of the script reveals the lines to be in a different order than they are read; specifically, the line introducing Goldenface follows the "Dwigt" line, rather than preceding it.
  • Reshoots were needed to explain the "Dwigt" situation clearly and concisely.[2] On the day of the reshoot, Jenna Fischer had a cold; you can hear the change in her voice when she says, "leaving behind one Dwigt."
  • The illustrations that accompany the screenplay were drawn by Greg Daniels. The task was first given to a professional artist, but the results were too good to be convincing as something Michael would have drawn.[2]
  • During the scene where Christian and Michael eat baby back ribs, the sound effects were added in later by the editors. Apparently, Steve Carell and Tim Meadows weren't being loud enough.
  • The producers tried to obtain permission to use The Rolling Stones' iconic tongue logo for Michael's tie. They were unsuccessful.
  • The scene where Jim insults Pam for being ditched at a hockey game upset Jenna Fischer so much that after filming, she asked John Krasinski for a hug to show that he wasn't actually angry with her.[4]
  • Paul Lieberstein said the first idea that anybody came up with for this episode was the final shot, where Jim and Michael look at each other and shake their heads, suggesting that they had just been through similar experiences. The episode was written so events would lead to that scene.[5]
  • The story of Oscar's first date is based on an actual date that writer Paul Lieberstein went on.[5]
  • The song on Jim's iPod that he and Pam sway to has been identified as the Travis song "Sing". However, in the episode commentary, John Krasinski claims that they were listening to an Interpol song, and that the Travis song was inserted in post-production.
  • In a deleted scene, Jim states that his "worst first date" was "right down here, at Cugino's", and points out the window. However, in the episode "Branch Closing", when Kevin suggests the office employees go to Cugino's to commemorate their time together in the office, Angela complains that she doesn't want to go "all the way to Dunmore". The real Cugino's is in Dunmore, which is a five minute drive from downtown Scranton.
  • This episode was originally intended to air before "Halloween", as evident in a deleted scene where Devon can clearly be seen in the background at his desk.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Novak, B.J. (November 8, 2005). "The Office Presents: The Client", TVGuide.com
  2. ^ a b c Daniels, Greg (Producer/Director). 2006. "The Client" [Commentary track], The Office Season Two (US/NBC Version) [DVD], Los Angeles, CA: Universal.
  3. ^ Ryan, Maureen (February 23, 2006). "'Office' promotions pay off in a big way", Chicago Tribune
  4. ^ Fischer, Jenna (Actor). 2006. "The Client" [Commentary track], The Office Season Two (US/NBC Version) [DVD], Los Angeles, CA: Universal.
  5. ^ a b Lieberstein, Paul (Writer/Actor). 2006. "The Client" [Commentary track], The Office Season Two (US/NBC Version) [DVD], Los Angeles, CA: Universal.

[edit] External links

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