Vandalism

"Vandalism" is the fourteenth episode of the ninth season of the American television comedy series The Office and is the show's 190th episode overall. It was written by Owen Ellickson and directed by Lee Kirk. It aired on January 31, 2013. It was viewed by 3.97 million people.

Synopsis
Erin helps Darryl sneak out of the office early. Someone vandalizes Pam's warehouse mural by drawing lewd pictures on it. In a talking head interview, Pam expresses that she feels no one's there to help her and feels alone. The boom mic then taps her on the head and Pam smiles. Distraught, she seeks the help of Dwight and Nellie, who both eagerly help her track down the vandal. The three eventually find out that the criminal was a warehouse worker named Frank. Pam and Dwight take revenge by painting childish pictures on his beloved truck with washable paint. However, Frank overreacts and begins to show signs that he is going to physically assault Pam. Brian, the documentary crew's boom mic operator, breaks protocol and intervenes by hitting the warehouse employee across the face with his mic. In the end, the audience learns that both Frank and Brian have been fired from Dunder Mifflin and the documentary, respectively. As Brian leaves, he tells Pam that he will always be there for her if she needs someone.

Meanwhile, in their Philadelphia apartment, Darryl is uncomfortable with Jim's lack of cleanliness. After Jim accidentally uses Darryl's labeled coffee mug, the two begin bickering; both feel that the other is being unreasonable. Eventually, Jim decides to try and make an effort to keep the apartment clean, and Darryl tries not to be so retentive about the cleanliness of his things.

Angela and Robert Lipton celebrate their son Phillip's first birthday. Angela is shocked to learn that Robert invited Oscar to the party, even though she told Robert she didn't want him there. Angela invites Dwight, but after he refuses, Angela then invites Kevin, both in retaliation and to keep him from being alone with the office's accounts. Oscar, who believes he is invited because he thinks Robert is in love with him, soon realizes that he was only invited to boost Robert's opinion in the polls among Latino voters. After the party Kevin thanks Angela and Robert for the food, but tells Robert that he is a terrible person for using his friends to gain political support.

Deleted scenes

 * An upset Pam tells Val that the vandalism was a hate crime. Val is not convinced. Pam says, "I bet it was Hide. Hide is always heckling me." She does an impression of Hide's Japanese accent, and Val is shocked. Val tells Pam that Hide is out of town, and Pam, chagrined, says, "Then I really regret that imitation." Watch it.

Connections to previous episodes

 * Meredith wears a wig after she shaved her head in "Lice."
 * This is not the first time Jim has used someone else's mug. In "Customer Survey," he is caught by Andy using Andy's mug. Incidentally, it's also obvious who it belongs to, as Darryl had his name on his mug, and Andy's face was on his.

Amusing details and trivia

 * The Meredith Palmer "Get Glue" sticker was released alongside this episode.
 * This is the first time we get to see the inside of the storage room, during the scene between Pam and Brian. Characters have been inside this room before but never filmed. We learn that it's been a locker room for the camera crew.
 * When Pam is talking to Nate in the warehouse office, the speakerphone appears to be turned on.
 * Ed Helms (Andy Bernard) is credited but does not appear in this episode.

Behind the scenes

 * Angela Kinsey kept the portrait of Angela Martin from this episode. It was given to her by the art department.

Main cast

 * Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute
 * John Krasinski as Jim Halpert
 * Jenna Fischer as Pam Halpert
 * Ed Helms as Andy Bernard

Supporting cast

 * Catherine Tate as Nellie Bertram
 * Leslie David Baker as Stanley Hudson
 * Brian Baumgartner as Kevin Malone
 * Creed Bratton as Creed Bratton
 * Clark Duke as Clark Green
 * Kate Flannery as Meredith Palmer
 * Ellie Kemper as Erin Hannon
 * Angela Kinsey as Angela Lipton
 * Jake Lacy as Pete Miller
 * Paul Lieberstein as Toby Flenderson
 * Oscar Nunez as Oscar Martinez
 * Craig Robinson as Darryl Philbin
 * Phyllis Smith as Phyllis Vance

Guest cast

 * Jack Coleman as Robert Lipton
 * Chris Diamantopoulos as Brian
 * Brad William Henke as Frank
 * Ameenah Kaplan as Val
 * Mark Proksch as Nate
 * Fred Cross as Wesley Silver
 * Adam Lustick as Athlead Employee
 * Sam Richardson as Colin, Athlead Employee
 * Abe Spigner as Shawn
 * Calvin Tenner as Glenn