Entertainment
 

Women's Appreciation

From Dunderpedia: The Office Wiki

Women's Appreciation
Season
Episode

21
Production Code
Airdate
May 3, 2007
Written by
Directed by

Product Recall
Women's Appreciation
Beach Games


"Women's Appreciation" is the twenty-first episode of the third season of The Office. It was written by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky and directed by Tucker Gates. It first aired on May 3, 2007.

Contents

[edit] Synopsis

Outrage breaks out in the office after Phyllis gets an unexpected eyeful from a male flasher in the parking lot. Michael tries to downplay the event with humor, questioning in particular why anyone would want to flash Phyllis. When that upsets the employees further, Michael sticks his finger outward through his fly and goofingly pretends that the flasher is back. After realizing that his jokes were horrible miscalculations, Michael overcompensates by verbally blasting the other men with self-righteous, fake-feminist indignance (to appear empathetic with the women). Next, he forces everyone into an impromptu seminar on the everyday prejudices that women face -- after deeming himself the most qualified to teach it. Oblivious, as usual, to his own biases, Michael makes several sexist verbal gaffes. Panicked, he tries to make it up to the women by offering to take them to the place that they, as women, would feel the most comfortable: the mall. Although they consider the offer extremely condescending, they ultimately decide that they'd rather go shopping than stay at the office.

Dwight takes charge of the effort to find the flasher, and orders Pam to make a sketch of "the pervert". However, Phyllis says that she didn't get a good look his face, so Pam draws a picture of Dwight -- but, with a mustache and without glasses. An oblivious Dwight and a vengeful Andy dutifully set about posting fliers with the "predator's" face. Later Andy says he would like to take some of the fliers and post them near where he lives (close to a school).

Michael's group outing to the mall comes as he is beginning to openly doubt his relationship with Jan, having received an aggressive "booty call" from her earlier that day (which her assistant Hunter dutifully agrees to put on her schedule). Over lunch at the food court, Michael eventually starts "dishing" about his romance with Jan, after his attempt to prod them into gossiping yields awkward silence. (Angela abruptly leaves, mostly out of moral outrage, but also to special-order clothes for her embarrassingly undersized frame.) The women encourage him to weigh the pros and cons of his relationship. During the exercise he slowly reveals, with noticeable unease and shame, that Jan is sexually controlling in ways that humiliate him. Karen tries to give Michael reasons to stay and work things out with Jan. Pam urges that his relationship with Jan is unhealthy; an open rivalry between Karen and Pam begins to brew. Finally, Michael flatly states that he's not happy around Jan, and the women convince him that this particular "con" outweighs all of the "pros." Pam is visibly pleased that her intuition won out over Karen's.

To thank them for their advice, Michael treats the women to one item each at Victoria's Secret. Karen buys some sexy lingerie for her and Jim's six-month anniversary (which a depressed Pam sees as she buys a fuzzy bathrobe, which she plans to cut up into towels).

Meanwhile, with the women out of the office, Kevin decides it is time to fulfill his fantasy of entering a women's bathroom. He discovers a plush waiting room inside. Later, while Kevin, Jim, Ryan and Toby hang out in the women's room, Creed enters, and it is revealed that he uses the women's room to "go number 2" (but has been caught and has had to pay for it). Ryan sheepishly admits to Jim that he'd asked Karen out, via e-mail, in the past. Jim, visibly caught off-guard, recovers and replies that Karen had already read it to him, and that "she liked him as a friend."

On the way back from the mall, Meredith's minivan breaks down, and Michael is unable to change the tire. Pam steps in and changes it herself. Upon returning to the office, Michael decides to call Jan and end their relationship. When he gets her voicemail, he leaves a message telling her he wants them to "go on a little break, permanently." Before he can finish the message, Jan walks into his office, and Michael hangs up the phone, pretending he was speaking with a friend. Jan tells Michael that she feels badly about their earlier conversation, so she drove all the way from New York City to personally apologize. Michael, seeming touched but confused, accepts her apology. Her cell phone then buzzes, and Jan is initially pleased to see that she has a voicemail from Michael. Despite Michael's protests, she listens to it immediately. When she hears the message she hangs up the phone; looking hurt, she leaves Michael's office without a word.

The episode ends with Jim giving Dwight a tip on the identity of the flasher. Jim tells him that he saw the pervert above the sink in the women's bathroom. Dwight storms into the bathroom, where a mustache has been drawn on one of the mirrors. Upon seeing his reflection line up with the mustache, Dwight realizes he was duped by Pam.

[edit] Alternate versions

An alternate version of the episode aired on August 30, 2007:

  • Added: Jan convinced Michael to subscribe to the Wall Street Journal, but he hasn't been reading it.
  • Cut: Phyllis talks about being flashed to the office. Angela unkindly says "Phyllis, you're a married woman!"
  • Cut: Pam asks Kelly how things are going with Ryan.
  • Cut: Footage from the visit to Victoria's Secret, particularly Pam's purchase of a robe.
  • Cut: Ryan and Kevin's responses after Jim describes Karen's reaction to Ryan's e-mail.
  • Cut: Meredith tossing garbage out of her car window and saying "My car, my rules."
  • Cut: Meredith's flat tire.
  • Added: Michael sees the pervert picture on a tree.

[edit] Deleted scenes

  • Jan convinced Michael to subscribe to the Wall Street Journal, but he hasn't been reading them.
  • Kelly learns that Phyllis got flashed.
  • Bob Vance comes to see Phyllis.
  • Andy tries to earn back Dwight's favor by bonding over their mutual appreciation of cold soups.
  • In the conference room meeting, Michael asks why women can't have orgasms.
  • In a talking head interview, Michael imagines himself as a woman.
  • Kelly gleefully leaves for the mall.
  • Dwight escorts the women to Meredith's car.
  • In a talking head interview, Andy explains that his goal is to dominate.
  • Michael tries to encourage the women to go into Victoria's Secret.
  • Michael chooses lingerie for Pam.
  • Alternate take of Jim seeing the poster of Dwight.
  • In a talking head interview, Andy describes why he's so dangerous.
  • Michael sees the poster of Dwight.
  • Alternate version of Michael's concluding talking head.

[edit] The anti-flashing task force

After the episode aired, callers to the telephone number printed on the flyer received a message from Dwight Schrute:

You have reached Dwight K. Schrute, Commander of the Lackawanna County Anti-Flashing Task Force and Assistant Regional Manager of Dunder Mifflin. If you have any information leading to the capture and/or castration of this pervert, press 1. If this is the flasher, [adopting the tone of a therapist] let's talk. You need a friend right now, and I can help you. Just tell me where you want to meet, and I promise to help you with whatever it is that you need. [normal voice] Thank you and have a nice day. Oh, and if you are inquiring about any of our paper products and would like a catalog, please press 2. Finally, if anyone (not the flasher) is interested in a kick-ass 1985 maroon Firebird, I could be persuaded to sell mine. Please press 1 for that, too.

Listen to it here.

[edit] Trivia

  • Dwight is using the sharpened handle he made when he thought Jim was a vampire in Business School.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Main Cast

[edit] Supporting Cast

[edit] Recurring Cast


Retrieved from "http://theoffice.wikia.com/wiki/Women%27s_Appreciation"
Rate this article: