Michael's Last Dundies

"Michael's Last Dundies" is the twenty-first episode of the seventh season of the American television comedy series The Office and is the show's 147th episode overall. It was written and directed by Mindy Kaling. It originally aired on April 21, 2011. It was viewed by 6.85 million people.

Synopsis
The episode opens with Michael and Deangelo personally delivering Dundies nomination plaques to the employees of Dunder Mifflin. At the office, Michael announces to the employees that Deangelo will be his co-host at the Dundies. The idea of performance is worrisome to Deangelo though, but Michael makes him take the job. Michael brings some of the staff together in the conference room to try and help Deangelo get prepared for the show, but Deangelo has problems riffing (even Ryan's pointers don't help him).

Andy tries to help him, saying he should just think of performing like conducting a meeting, but Michael objects to that, saying Deangelo should perceive it as the performance of his life. Michael tries a number of different things to help Deangelo, such as sitting on his stomach, ordering him to tell him something traumatic that happened in his childhood, and making him listen to a Walkman with the music turned up all the way so he can't hear himself talk, but none are effective.

Meanwhile, Jim and Pam, coming from elsewhere, see Erin sitting in her car eating a sandwich. Afraid of being spotted, she brings them into the car to explain she's taken to eating lunch in her car to get some time away from Gabe, who she's starting to despise. Pam coaches Erin, saying if she doesn't love Gabe she should break things off with him, as to not lead him on any further. This amuses Jim, given Pam's history with Roy, and he leaves to avoid the temptation to comment on the irony of her advice. In a talking head interview, Jim claims the situation simply didn't interest him.

A few hours after work, the employees arrive at Louie Volpe's (the restaurant the Dundies are being hosted at) and are treated to an opening video where Deangelo is searching for Michael to be his co-host, in which Michael plays various employees around the office. First, he's Jo Bennett. Then, he's Angela, which gets laughs, particularly from Oscar. Next, he's Jim, who he plays as sort of a stoner type character. He then finishes up as Phyllis, who he plays as being an old, enfeebled woman. Only when Deangelo "looks into his heart", does Michael appear before him in a bathroom mirror.

After the movie, Dwight introduces Michael and Deangelo. However, moments after being introduced, Deangelo disappears into the bathroom to vomit. Eventually, Michael is able to psych him up, and the show begins. Even though he hosts it poorly, Deangelo manages to pull the ceremony off. Jim wins the "Best Dad" award, and in a humorous twist, not only does Pam not win "Best Mom", but Meredith does. Dwight wins the "Promising Assistant Manager" Dundie, but as he is still mad at Michael, he tosses his award in the trash.

The evening takes an even more awkward turn when Erin wins the "Cutest Redhead" award, and she gives a speech in which she breaks up with Gabe, who takes the stage to defend himself and express his emotional pain. Michael then awards Deangelo with the "Best Dundies Host" award. The staff urges him to make a speech, and Deangelo, still nervous, puts on his Walkman and turns it on full blast and talks extremely loud, resulting in all of the office workers getting kicked out of the restaurant.

Michael is upset that his last Dundies ended like this, but the staff manages to convince Michael to keep the Dundies going, and to host the rest of it at the office, which Michael gives in to. Dwight rides with Michael and Deangelo, and he insults the Dundies. Michael pulls over the car, and he and Dwight get into a fight, which leads to Dwight exiting the car and leaving down the highway. Back at the office, Michael and Deangelo continue to host the Dundies in the conference room. After Michael awards Andy with the "Doobie Doobie Pothead Stoner of the Year" Award (since Andy tried marijuana in college), he is taken by surprise when Andy leads the employees (except Dwight and Gabe, who are not present) in serenading the soon-to-depart Michael with a version (backed up on the keyboard by Darryl) of "Seasons of Love" with altered lyrics. Michael is touched, and in a talking-head interview held in his office, says leaving the office is going to hurt like a "mother f**ker".

A flashback occurs where Toby gets the "Extreme Repulsiveness" Award. Toby mentions that he was part of the verdict in the Scranton Strangler case and is having doubts about the outcome.

Deleted scenes

 * When Michael announced the "Hottest in the Office" goes to Danny Cordray, Michael said "Danny could not be here tonight to accept his award, so he is live via satellite. Oh, Danny! Are you there?"

Amusing details

 * This is the second Dundies related episode.
 * Jim's Dundie nomination has "James" written on it instead of Jim, but Pam's Dundie nomination has "Pam" written on it instead of Pamela.
 * In season 2, Jim doesn't care much for the Dundies, but in this episode, he seems sincerely proud to win his "Best Dad" award.
 * DeAngelo is terrible at performing, the one thing Michael thrives at.
 * Right when Michael says that he always gives the "Hottest in the Office" award to a man, the camera focuses in on The Senator. This could be foreshadowing for when The Senator is revealed to be gay.
 * Ryan is visibly upset that Michael did not present the “Hottest in the Office” award to him this year, despite his complete disgust and discomfort at receiving the same award for the first time in season 2.
 * At the Dundies Award Ceremony, Dwight Schrute's name is spelled incorrectly on one of DeAngelo's cue cards.
 * This is the fourth episode where characters dress up as one another. This happened previously in "Product Recall", "Costume Contest" and "Classy Christmas".

Behind the scenes

 * The exterior of the fictitious Louis Volpie restaurant was filmed at Barone's Famous Italian Restaurant in Valley Glen. The dining room was a set and was not filmed on location.
 * Steve Carell did not know that the cast would sing "9,986,000 Minutes", as it was kept a secret from him. His reaction to the song is real and not scripted.

Cultural references

 * Meredith's house reminds Deangelo of the aftermath of.
 * Meredith takes a , most likely returning home after a one-night stand.
 * Larry King Live was replaced by , a talk show hosted by the British television personality and journalist . Michael thinks that is dead and Morgan took over his show.
 *  is a form of dress code.
 * Michael randomly shouts "Nice! Regis and Kelly!" after a successful joke with Ryan. ' was a long-running morning TV show featuring and  who had a father/daughter-style chemistry on the show. Interestingly, Regis Philbin stepped down from the show in 2011 and was eventually replaced by, so the name of the show became '.
 * Deangelo's uncomfortable question about Jim's whereabouts on September 11 is a reference to.
 * There are several references to the film , notably when Deangelo gives his speech at the Dundies while listening to his Walkman played at a high volume, so he cannot hear his own voice.
 * The DMV stands for, famous for long lines.
 * Kevin brings his crayons to make the place feel more like a kid-friendly restaurant for himself, i.e. . The usage of crayons may be a reference to Macaroni Grill, which allows patrons to draw on their tablecloths.
 * is an adventurous red-headed girl from Swedish children's books.
 * is the red-headed best friend of.
 * is also known for his movies, TV shows, and ginger beard.
 * Michael also mentions wife" as an example of a red-head.
 *  is a movie featuring Bruce Willis as a New York City detective caught in the middle of a hostage situation while visiting his estranged wife in Los Angeles on Christmas Eve.
 * Dwight's line "Always the Padawan, never the Jedi," is a reference to both Star Wars, and another saying: "Always the bridesmaid, never the bride". The are characters in the  who are famed for their ability to tap into the energy field that connects all things known as the Force, and as such, they were charged with maintaining the balance between the light and dark sides of the Force and keeping the peace in the Galactic Republic. A Padawan is a Jedi in training, usually an adolescent.
 * and have hosted several award shows but were unavailable for the Dundies.
 * Michael thought that the awards would end up like ', but it turned out "confusing" like '. The  film series chronicles the life of Michael Corleone as he rises to the top of a crime family. Michael was under the mistaken impression that it was a comedy, saying that it had "maybe three big laughs." It's notable that Michael's favorite film of the trilogy is the least critically acclaimed one, but understandable given his misinterpretation.
 * The final song that the office sings to Michael is a parody of "Seasons of Love" from the musical .
 * Michael describes the Dundies as "like the but less mean" referring to ' hosting of the 2011 Golden Globe Awards; which left critics questioning if he had gone "too far". Gervais stated on his blog that the line was inserted as a  was intended as "a little in-joke".

Connections to previous episodes

 * Michael throws eggs at Toby's house. In "Initiation", Ryan and Dwight throw eggs at the building where Ryan fails a sales call.
 * "They're like breadsticks on steroids" resembles Michael's vague quote from "Valentine's Day": "Scranton is great, but New York is like Scranton on acid. No, on speed. Nah. On steroids."
 * Dwight plays his recorder, seen in episodes like "Michael's Birthday", "Take Your Daughter To Work Day", "Grief Counseling", and "Money".
 * Several of the lines in the song sung by the office employees in the conference room reference previous events, such as Oscar's line "I forgive you for kissing me!" (from "Gay Witch Hunt"), and Meredith's line "You hit me with your car!" (from "Fun Run"). It also references Ryan's struggle with drugs and Michael's involvement in his recovery ("Night Out").
 * Deangelo mentions having to testify against both his parents when they got divorced as a child. Toby told Michael a similar story in "The Deposition". Michael's reaction seems to imply that he noticed the connection.
 * Dwight questions why Deangelo is even wearing a seatbelt because he's in the backseat. In "Traveling Salesmen", Dwight sits in the back of Jim's car because it's the safest place, as the driver always protects his side first.

Dundie winners

 * Best Dad - Jim
 * Best Mom - Meredith
 * Hottest in the Office - Danny Cordray
 * The Diabetes Award- Stanley
 * Promising Assistant Manager - Dwight, who promptly throws it into the trash
 * Cutest Redhead in the Office Award - Erin, which prompts Meredith to throw her Dundie away
 * Best Dundies Host - Deangelo Vickers
 * Doobie Doobie Pothead Stoner of the Year Award - Andy
 * Extreme Repulsiveness Award - Toby
 * The Kind of a Bitch Award - Dwight (Not an actual Dundie but Michael stated Dwight should have gotten it)
 * World's Best Boss - Michael, it was given to Michael by the employees, although it was only revealed in the later episode (Goodbye, Michael)

Parody lyrics
The lyrics to the parody the employees sing to Michael in the conference room are as follows:


 * Andy:
 * Nine million nine hundred and eighty-six thousand minutes,
 * we actually sat down and did the math.


 * All:
 * Nine million nine hundred and eighty-six thousand minutes,
 * that's how many minutes that you've worked here.


 * Pam:
 * In costumes


 * Jim:
 * And impressions


 * Toby:
 * In meetings


 * Kelly and Erin:
 * In cups of coffee


 * Kevin:
 * Our birthdays


 * Stanley:
 * More meetings


 * Angela and Phyllis:
 * And e-mail forwards you made us read


 * All:
 * Nine million nine hundred eighty-six thousand minutes,
 * that's like watching Die Hard eighty thousand times.


 * Meredith:
 * You hit me with your car


 * Ryan:
 * You helped me get off drugs


 * Creed:
 * I watch you when you sleep


 * Oscar:
 * I forgive you for kissing me


 * All:
 * Remember to call


 * Darryl:
 * (You got to remember to call)


 * All:
 * Remember to call


 * Andy:
 * (Love is a gift from up above)


 * All:
 * Remember to call


 * Kelly and Erin:
 * (Text or call or e-mail, or call)


 * Deangelo:
 * Measure, measure your life in love


 * All:
 * Remember to call


 * Deangelo:
 * (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)


 * All:
 * Remember to call


 * Deangelo:
 * (Yeah, yeah, you got to remember to call)


 * All:
 * Remember to call

Main cast

 * Steve Carell as Michael Scott
 * Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute
 * John Krasinski as Jim Halpert
 * Jenna Fischer as Pam Halpert
 * B.J. Novak as Ryan Howard
 * Ed Helms as Andy Bernard

Supporting cast

 * Leslie David Baker as Stanley Hudson
 * Brian Baumgartner as Kevin Malone
 * Creed Bratton as Creed Bratton
 * Kate Flannery as Meredith Palmer
 * Mindy Kaling as Kelly Kapoor
 * Ellie Kemper as Erin Hannon
 * Angela Kinsey as Angela Martin
 * Paul Lieberstein as Toby Flenderson
 * Oscar Nunez as Oscar Martinez
 * Craig Robinson as Darryl Philbin
 * Phyllis Smith as Phyllis Vance
 * Zach Woods as Gabe Lewis

Special guest star

 * Will Ferrell as Deangelo Vickers

Guest cast

 * Jack Coleman as State Senator Robert Lipton
 * Timothy Olyphant as Danny Cordray (Deleted Scene)