Doomsday

"Doomsday" is the sixth episode of the eighth season of the American television comedy series The Office and is the show's 158th overall. It was directed by Troy Miller and written by Daniel Chun. It originally aired on November 3, 2011.

In the episode, Dwight installs a doomsday device that will fire all of the employees and effectively close down the branch if they make too many mistakes. Meanwhile, Gabe attempts to court the new warehouse worker, Val.

"Doomsday" received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics, with some reviews critiquing the episode's resolution. According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was viewed by 6.15 million viewers and received a 3.2 rating/8% share among adult between the ages of 18 and 49, marking an increase in the ratings from the previous episode. The episode ranked third in its time slot and was the highest-rated NBC show of the night.

Cold open
In the cold open, Andy, to commemorate and "bring closure" to the end of each work day, sings "Closing Time", much to the dismay of his visibly annoyed co-workers. Andy, frustrated that no one but he and Erin enjoy the tradition, starts to scold the workers until Stanley comes in happily singing the song alongside him.

Synopsis
When Robert California confronts Andy about the number of mishaps and blunders made in the office, Dwight devises a system to find mistakes made by employees in the office. To improve efficiency, he installs a "doomsday device" that will send incriminating emails to Robert if they make five mistakes in one day, effectively causing them to lose their jobs. After only one day, however, the group manages to make five mistakes, and Dwight reveals that the emails will be automatically sent to Robert at 5:00 pm. Andy pleads with Dwight to deactivate the machine, but Dwight refuses, belittles the rest of the office staff for being so careless, and retreats to Schrute Farms.

After Dwight abandons the group, Andy tasks Pam, Erin, and Kevin to try and change Dwight's mind. The group find Dwight digging a horse grave and offer to help him out. Andy tries to talk to Dwight about deactivating the machine, but Pam consistently quiets him, saying she knows Dwight will come to understand if they aren't pushing it. After complimenting Dwight numerous times and having a small meal, Pam makes a joke that emphasizes that everyone is human and makes mistakes. Dwight, after hearing this, deactivates the machine after the party leaves Schrute Farms. Meanwhile, Jim is tasked with tracking down Robert at a squash court and intercepting the doomsday emails before Robert has a chance to view them. To distract him, Jim plays several games, demonstrating his complete lack of skill at squash. Eventually, he discovers that the email has not come through, and prepares to leave, but Robert makes him stay and continue playing.

Meanwhile, Gabe unsuccessfully tries to strike up a relationship with a new warehouse worker, Val. Gabe believes that he and Val have a connection, and constantly pursues and tries to impress her throughout the day. Darryl, observing Gabe's pitiful attempts, tries to imply that Val doesn't feel the same way, but to no avail. When Gabe does ask Val out, she politely declines and says she does not date co-workers at all. Darryl hears all of this and decides he won't pursue Val either.

Cultural references

 * Andy sings "Closing Time" by the American alternative rock band Semisonic at the end of every workday.
 * Andy says Oscar is "the Sex & The City gang", referring to the group of girlfriends in the HBO comedy series.
 * Tweedledee and Tweedledum has become slang for any two people who look and act in identical ways, generally in a derogatory context. Andy calls Kevin "both".
 * Iron Chef is a cooking show.
 * Andy tells Dwight, "You're the deuce I never want to drop," to literally mean that Dwight is a good #2. Dropping a deuce is also a euphemism for pooping.
 * Jim and Darryl talk about the 2011 NBA lockout.
 * Jim jokes that Robert's favorite songs are "Creep" by TLC and "Creep" by Radiohead.
 * Dwight briefly compares himself to Doctor Frankenstein, Doctor Jekyll, and Doctor Moreau, but the doctor he is searching for is Dr. No.
 * Angela says, "Where were you two hours ago, Beautiful Mind?" referring to the 2001 American biographical drama film based on the life of John Nash, a Nobel Laureate in Economics.

Amusing details and trivia

 * Pam doesn't know the lyrics to "Closing Time." Oddly enough, while the term is traditionally about a bar, the song is about being anxious at the arrival of a new baby (which is why the room will not be open again "'til your brothers or your sisters come").  Pam, being so far along in her pregnancy, would probably get a kick out of this if she knew of it.
 * Stanley is the only person to gather his stuff and leave the office when "Closing Time" finishes playing. Everyone else is still working.
 * Dwight tells Kevin to keep his shoes on when entering Dwight's house referencing Kevin's medical condition with his feet.
 * Gabe asks Val to a date in the cemetery, further emphasizing his love for all things scary/creepy.
 * Despite his teasing, it appears Darryl did get Gabe a Frappuccino after all.
 * The flag at Schrute Farms has 15 stars. This flag was used from 1795 to 1818, which is consistent with the establishment of Schrute Farms in 1812, as claimed in their merchandise.
 * When Oscar makes a mistake on purpose to see if the doomsday device is legit, the device says that they made a late delivery, however the mistake Oscar claimed he made was sending an order down to shipping before payment was received for the order.
 * Dwight says the email doesn't go out until 5:00 P.M., however when Oscar gets the fifth strike, the camera pans on Dwight's computer loading up several files, presumably to be sent to Robert.
 * Robert doesn't question Jim being at the squash court instead of at work.
 * Pam is once again one of the only people who is able to get through to Dwight as she did with her "Pobody's nerfect" saying.
 * Jim tells Robert that he has the iPhone that "nobody has," then proceeds to use a phone that isn't an iPhone at all.

Goofs

 * Pam says Andy has played "Closing Time", and been manager, for 105 days, but in "The List" we see the office close and Andy does not play "Closing Time".
 * When Jim leaves the court after being asked if he was interested in Robert's business, the clock on the wall says it is about 5:10. Because time plays a huge role in this episode, it's quite a noticeable mistake.

Main cast

 * 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
 * James Spader as Robert California

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-Lipton
 * 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

Recurring cast

 * Ameenah Kaplan as Val
 * Mark Proksch as Nate

Guest cast

 * Michael Daniel Cassady as Gideon
 * Mike E. Winfield as Bruce
 * Tom Virtue