| "Diversity Day" | |||
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| The Office episode | |||
Michael takes a question from Dwight on "Diversity Day". |
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| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 2 |
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| Directed by | Ken Kwapis | ||
| Written by | B. J. Novak | ||
| Production code | 101 | ||
| Original air date | March 29, 2005 | ||
| Guest stars | |||
| Episode chronology | |||
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| List of The Office (U.S. TV series) episodes | |||
"Diversity Day" is the second episode of the first season of the American version of The Office. Written by B. J. Novak and directed by Ken Kwapis, it first aired in the United States on March 29, 2005, on NBC. The episode guest stars Office consulting producer Larry Wilmore as Mr. Brown.
When a corporate consultant is sent by Dunder Mifflin in response to a racially derogative impersonation made by Michael, the employees are subjected to a tolerance seminar conducted by Mr. Brown. In an attempt to upstage Mr. Brown, Michael decides to create his own racial tolerance seminar.
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Manager Michael Scott (Steve Carell)'s controversial imitation of a Chris Rock routine forces the staff to undergo a racial diversity seminar. Michael refuses to allow Mr. Brown to control the seminar, instead attempting to assist him in teaching, much to Brown's chagrin. However, when confidentially informed by Brown that the seminar was not meant for the staff, but instead only for Michael, he decides to create his own seminar.
Michael hastily fashions his own more ambitious and improvisational program, under the name "Diversity Tomorrow" ("because today is almost over"). He first asks the employees to detail their particular ethnicities, helpfully offering that he is a "virtual United Nations" of English, Scottish, Irish, German and "2/15 Native American Indian" origins.
Michael assigns each staff member an index card with a different race written on it. They are not allowed to read the card, wearing it on their foreheads for others to see. He then compels the employees to interact and "mix up the melting pot." Thus, Michael reasons, they will learn how it is to "be a minority" (Scott has no card for "Arab" or "Muslim", because, he explains, it would be "too explosive").
Salesman Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) desperately tries to close on an important annual sale that makes up about 25% of his annual commission. In the chaos of the day, it is Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson), another salesman, who closes the sale for himself. Nevertheless, when Jim's love interest, Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer), falls asleep on his shoulder at the end of the meeting, he concludes that it was "not a bad day."
Wilmore, who plays the sensitivity trainer Mr. Brown, is a writer for the show. At the table-read for this episode, they had not cast the part yet and Daniels had Wilmore read for the role to fill in. After the read, producer Greg Daniels thought he was perfect for the role.[1] However, because of stipulations with the Screen Actors Guild, producers still had to have Wilmore formally audition with other actors for the role.[2] Daniels was also not sure where to use Mindy Kaling on screen in the series until the point came in this episode's script when Michael needed to be slapped by a minority. Her character in this episode, however, is far from the bubbly, chatty character that Kelly later becomes.[3][4] The second episode of the series was the first to feature predominantly original writing, as the "Pilot" contained many jokes from the British series pilot.[5] During one of Michael's impersonations, a racial expletive spoken by Michael had to be censored by the producers for NBC.[6]
While the pilot episode garnered over eleven million viewers,[7] the second episode lost over half its viewing audience from the previous episode.[8][9] Entertainment Weekly gave the episode positive reviews, stating that "Think of the toss-off racism of the original, plopped into a PC-gone-wrong showcase that might be entitled The Accidental Bigot. As when the African-American diversity trainer introduces himself as Mr. Brown, and Scott assures him, 'I will not call you that.'"[10] Ricky Gervais, who was the lead in the British series, stated that, in comparison to the British version, "It is as good. I love the fact that, apart from the first one, the scripts are all original. You've gone back to the blueprint of what the characters are and you've started from there, as opposed to copying anything."[11] The episode was nominated for the 2006 Writers Guild of America Television and Radio Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Writing for a Comedy Series.[12]
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