"The Banker" (alternately titled, "Clip Show") is the fourteenth episode of the sixth season of "The Office" and the 114th episode overall. It was written by Jason Kessler and was directed by Jeffrey Blitz, who directed Stress Relief and Business Ethics. It aired on January 21, 2010, and was partially a clip show. It was viewed by 7.29 million people.
An investment banker comes to Scranton to perform a "due diligence" check on Dunder Mifflin to verify that the company can be purchased without any hidden liabilities. Michael is devoted to making the branch look good, including replacing Stanley Hudson with an attractive young man and having Dwight pose as the branch HR representative. The second ruse is exposed when Toby returns to his desk, however. The banker asks Toby about any misconduct in the company (for example, time wasting), and after every question, several flashbacks are shown from previous episodes regarding the topic being discussed. Toby admits to the documentary crew that he doesn't want to lie, "and I don't want to tell the truth."
Michael comes to talk to the banker. When the banker asks a question about if anyone is near retirement age, Michael and Toby awkwardly look at each other and flashbacks of Creed are shown. Dwight eavesdrops on the banker checking back with the main office and begins to get suspicious that the banker may not sign off on the deal.
Over Toby's objection, Michael brings up that many people in the office have been in sexual relationships. Scenes of many office relationships are shown.
After the banker leaves, Michael expresses sympathy for the banker because he must determine the value of the office. Michael says that he doesn't care about the banker's opinion. Everyone waits for the banker to say he'll buy the company, however, it never happens.
Amusing Details
Michael had "helmet hair" in this episode (flat and compressed), thanks to the helmet he wore while riding the Segway. The practical reason for this is that actor Steve Carell had just returned from filming a movie for which he had his hair cut very short.[1]
Ryan Howard still works inside the closet in the break room.
Most of the office didn't have lines and was the first episode where Jim Halpert had no lines
When the flashback to the hot dog eating contest from Beach Games in Season 3, Michael tells Phyllis to "dip it in the water so it'll slide down your gullet more easily," to which everyone responds, "That's what she said!" However, in Beach Games, no one says anything in response.
Connections to Previous Episodes
Michael's parking space reads "Employee of the Month" which was introduced in Scott's Tots. Michael expressed how much he wanted to win Employee of the Month to Jim, who told him it wasn't possible because he was a branch co-manager.
Pam slaps Michael in the face for dating her mother. ("Koi Pond")
Dwight takes a couple jabs at Michael, who granted him a free shot. ("The Fight")
Jim slaps Dwight for not answering the "door" in a "Ding-Dong" joke, in answer to a joke told by Dwight to Michael. ("Lecture Circuit")
Dwight attempts to knock Michael unconscious while driving him to the "wilderness". ("Money")
Phyllis throws her crumpled-up notes on how to deal with Angela, in Angela's face. ("Dunder Mifflin Infinity")
Kelly slaps Michael for mocking people of her ethnicity. ("Diversity Day")
Oscar shoves Angela out of his way, and Dwight tries to go after him. ("Gay Witch Hunt")
Michael asks "Can't we all just get along?" ("The Merger")
Q: "Sexual harassment?"
Michael refers to a picture of Stanley's daughter as "hot" and "center-fold" and says that he enjoys staring at it. ("Sexual Harassment")
Pam walks in on Michael while he is changing in his office. ("Fun Run")
Toby asks Meredith to pull down her skirt, one of her breasts falls out, and then she pulls it up to reveal she isn't wearing any undergarments. ("Heavy Competition")
Michael hugs and kisses Phyllis after one of Packer's jokes offended her. ("Sexual Harassment")
Dwight thinks that Meredith's vagina was removed during her hysterectomy. ("Health Care")
Michael declares he will no longer tell jokes or forward jokes by email, his "retirement from comedy" including "that's what she said", then Jim gets him to immediately break it when he provokes him with many "that's what she said" lines. ("Sexual Harassment")
Kevin asks Michael why he got the Christmas tree so big, and Michael answers, "That's what she said." ("Christmas Party")
The doctor asks if Michael's foot is "red, or swollen" and Dwight answers, "That's what she said." ("The Injury")
Michael adds a "that's what she said" after he asks about a "Phyllis-Angela dispute" and Angela replies "You already did me." ("Conflict Resolution")
Michael directs Phyllis to dip her hot dog in the water so it will slide down her gullet more easily, and several employees remark with "that's what she said." ("Women's Appreciation")
Q:"Waste of time and resources?"
Michael and Dwight go on an "old-fashioned raid, sales on accounting" and dump binders and papers on the floor. ("The Carpet")
Phyllis and Kevin play Flonkerton, Phyllis winning "by a nose" and Jim and Pam announcing. ("Office Olympics")
Dwight finds his desk missing, while Jim acts baffled as well. (Jim relocated it to the men's room which is not shown in the clip.) ("The Fight")
Dwight finds his desk and chair wrapped in gift wrap, but when he sits down, the desk and chair collapse. ("The Surplus")
Dwight opens his desk drawer to find his stapler suspended in Jell-O and accuses Jim of putting his stuff in Jell-O again. ("Pilot")
Michael wobbles into the conference room in his sumo suit as his Michael Klump character. ("Weight Loss")
Stanley charges at Jim, both in sumo suits at the "beach", and Jim runs in fear. ("Women's Appreciation")
Jim impersonates Dwight including his speech, topics of conversation, and dress, and Dwight catches on, informing him of the seriousness of identity theft. ("Safety Training")
Q:"Is anyone near retirement age?"
Michael introduces Creed to the children of various office employees, and Creed asks if they have ever seen a foot with four toes. ("Take Your Daughter to Work Day")
Michael reads a complaint filed by Ryan about Creed's "old man" smell, which Creed attributes to the Mung beans he sprouts in his desk and eats throughout the day. ("Conflict Resolution")
Oscar, just back from vacation, asks where Dwight is. Without pause, Creed says that he was decapitated and that they had a funeral for a bird. ("Traveling Salesmen")
A:"This is a building where friends become lovers and lovers become sexually interactive."
This episode is the only clip show in the entire series. (A clip show is where the bulk of the plot is shown through clips from previous episodes).
Cultural references
Lady Gaga is a musician known for her outlandish make-up and costumes. She intentionally portrays herself androgynously.
Michael rides a Segway device. The device was introduced to great fanfare in 2002 but quickly became relegated to a niche product.
H.R. Pufnstuf was a live-action life-size puppet television program.
NFL stands for National Football League, the professional American football league in the United States. It celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1970 and not 1972 as claimed by "Computron".
Maine Lobster is a variety of lobster found in the Atlantic coast of North America.
Mul Yam is a seafood restaurant in Tel Aviv, considered by many to be the best restaurant in Israel.
The song Michael and Dwight sing at the end of the episode prior to the credits is a parody of Lazy Sunday, a musical skit by The Lonely Island made for Saturday Night Live.