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}}'''"Chair Model"''' (originally titled '''"Parking"''' and '''"The Chair Model"''') is the 14th episode of the 4th season of ''[[The Office (US)|The Office]]'' and the 67th episode overall. It was written by [[B.J. Novak]] and directed by [[Jeffrey Blitz]]. It first aired on April 17, 2008. It was viewed by 9.81 million people.
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}}'''"Chair Model"''' (originally titled '''"Parking"''' and '''"The Chair Model"''') is the 14th episode of the 4th season of ''[[The Office|The Office]]'' and the 67th episode overall. It was written by [[B.J. Novak]] and directed by [[Jeffrey Blitz]]. It first aired on April 17, 2008. It was viewed by 9.81 million people.
  +
  +
== Cold Open ==
  +
A tennant in the [[Scranton Business Park]] is having renovatation work done which causes parking issues for the office staff. [[Pam Beesly|Pam]] and [[Jim Halpert|Jim]] describe the five minute walk they now have to take to get to work, whilst [[Oscar Martinez|Oscar]] and [[Andy Bernard|Andy]] voice their frustration at the long walk they have to take. [[Kevin Malone|Kevin]], sitting on the side-walk and rubbing his feet threatens to quit unless the issue is resolved.
   
 
==Synopsis==
 
==Synopsis==
Line 16: Line 19:
   
 
==Deleted scenes==
 
==Deleted scenes==
* Michael has been staying at [[Dwight Schrute|Dwight]]'s beet farm house for the past six weeks, letting [[Jan]] stay in his condo. Now that Jan is staying with her sister in [[Wikipedia:Scottsdale, Arizona|Scottsdale]], Michael can return home. Dwight tallies up Michael's bill for staying in the Americana Room for six weeks. Michael is hurt by the gesture but hands Dwight his credit card, explaining that everything that happened between them for the past six weeks (such as slumber parties) was strictly business and not personal. Moved by Michael's words, Dwight tears up the bill. He tells the documentary camera, "We don't take debit cards anyway."
+
* Michael has been staying at [[Dwight Schrute|Dwight]]'s beet farm house for the past six weeks, letting [[Jan Levinson|Jan]] stay in his condo. Now that Jan is staying with her sister in {{W|Scottsdale, Arizona|Scottsdale}}, Michael can return home. Dwight tallies up Michael's bill for staying in the Americana Room for six weeks. Michael is hurt by the gesture but hands Dwight his credit card, explaining that everything that happened between them for the past six weeks (such as slumber parties) was strictly business and not personal. Moved by Michael's words, Dwight tears up the bill. He tells the documentary camera, "We don't take debit cards anyway."
  +
*Kevin sits at the couch in reception, soaking his feet in a footbath. The noise from the footbath is so loud, Pam has trouble answering the phones.{{Template:OfficeLadiesCitation070|25:17}}
 
*Michael asks [[Angela Martin|Angela]] if she has any single friends, maybe a religious type in uniform. Angela asks, "A Catholic school girl?" Michael clarifies: "Older." Angela asks, "A nun?"
 
*Michael asks [[Angela Martin|Angela]] if she has any single friends, maybe a religious type in uniform. Angela asks, "A Catholic school girl?" Michael clarifies: "Older." Angela asks, "A nun?"
 
*In a talking head interview, Michael muses on the schoolyard taunt, "Love, marriage, baby carriage." He explains that he had love with Jan, no marriage, but he did buy her a baby carriage to carry groceries after her DUI.
 
*In a talking head interview, Michael muses on the schoolyard taunt, "Love, marriage, baby carriage." He explains that he had love with Jan, no marriage, but he did buy her a baby carriage to carry groceries after her DUI.
 
*Michael sits at [[Kelly Kapoor|Kelly]]'s desk. Kelly arrives and Michael asks if she can set him up with one of her friends. Kelly says, "Oh all my friends are crazy, like Brianna." Michael asks for Brianna's number, but she's only 23. Kelly then volunteers that she knows "a ton of people." She begins talking about her friends' divorced parents, but Michael walks out on her.
 
*Michael sits at [[Kelly Kapoor|Kelly]]'s desk. Kelly arrives and Michael asks if she can set him up with one of her friends. Kelly says, "Oh all my friends are crazy, like Brianna." Michael asks for Brianna's number, but she's only 23. Kelly then volunteers that she knows "a ton of people." She begins talking about her friends' divorced parents, but Michael walks out on her.
*In a talking head interview, [[Toby Flenderson|Toby]] explains that there is no explicit company rule against Michael forcing employees to set him up on a date. Then again, there is no explicit company rule against forcing employees to take part in a shot-by-shot remake of ''[[Wikipedia:Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark|Indiana Jones]]''. "How do you make a rule book like that?"
+
*In a talking head interview, [[Toby Flenderson|Toby]] explains that there is no explicit company rule against Michael forcing employees to set him up on a date. Then again, there is no explicit company rule against forcing employees to take part in a shot-by-shot remake of ''{{W|Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark|Indiana Jones}}''. "How do you make a rule book like that?"
 
*Michael comes to the break room and asks everyone for their index cards. When [[Pam Beesly|Pam]] comes up empty, Michael explains that he's not looking for "a perfect ten", but all his suggestions involve models or former models. [[Jim Halpert|Jim]] offers to set up Michael with a sex model. "She's blind. Is that a problem?" And she's not actually a model; she's a toll booth attendant. In a talking head interview, Michael holds two index cards. "A blind toll booth operator and a 1200-pound catcher".
 
*Michael comes to the break room and asks everyone for their index cards. When [[Pam Beesly|Pam]] comes up empty, Michael explains that he's not looking for "a perfect ten", but all his suggestions involve models or former models. [[Jim Halpert|Jim]] offers to set up Michael with a sex model. "She's blind. Is that a problem?" And she's not actually a model; she's a toll booth attendant. In a talking head interview, Michael holds two index cards. "A blind toll booth operator and a 1200-pound catcher".
   
 
==Trivia==
 
==Trivia==
* [[B.J. Novak]] ([[Ryan Howard]]) is credited but does not appear in this episode
+
* [[B.J. Novak]] ([[Ryan Howard]]) is credited but does not appear in this episode.
 
*This is the second episode in which a character named Deborah is introduced, and in both cases, she meets an unfortunate fate. In the episode "[[Product Recall]]," [[Creed Bratton|Creed]] framed [[Debbie Brown]] and forced her dismissal.
* The working title for this episode was "Michael Dating", but a more vague title was selected for public release in order to avoid giving away the ending of the episode [[Dinner Party]].
 
 
*The "Five Families" meeting is [[Bob Vance]]'s only appearance independent of his relationship with [[Phyllis Vance|Phyllis]].
*This is the second episode in which a character named Deborah is introduced, and in both cases, she meets an unfortunate fate. In the episode [[Product Recall]], [[Creed]] framed [[Debbie Brown]] and forced her dismissal.
 
*The establishing shot for the coffee shop is from [http://funkylittlecoffeehouse.com/ The Coffee Gallery].
 
*The "Five Families" meeting is [[Bob Vance]]'s only appearance independent of his relationship with [[Phyllis]].
 
*In the original script, Michael and Dwight sang "[[Wikipedia:Candle in the Wind|Candle in the Wind]]" in the cemetery, but the producers were unable to secure permission to use the song. The NBC comedy ''[[Wikipedia:30 Rock|30 Rock]]'' had previously requested permission to use the song, but [[Wikipedia:Elton John|Elton John]] was so deeply offended by their parody that he flat-out refused even to consider the request from ''The Office''. Coincidentally, this song was eventually referenced in ''Parks and Recreation'' when Leslie Knope requests that Andy Dwyer write a song to commemorate the passing of Li'l Sebastian. ''Parks and Recreation'' was also created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur. Another song considered (but for which rights could not be obtained) was "[[Wikipedia:Ruby Tuesday|Ruby Tuesday]]", sung as "Good-bye Deborah Shoshlefski".<ref name="novaknpr">[http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90365876 Talking with 'Office' Star B.J. Novak], NPR, The Bryant Park Project, May 12, 2008.</ref>
 
 
*[[Deborah Shoshlefski]] is played by April Eden, who also appears on ''Parks and Recreation'' as the Miss Pawnee pageant winner Trish Ianetta.
 
*[[Deborah Shoshlefski]] is played by April Eden, who also appears on ''Parks and Recreation'' as the Miss Pawnee pageant winner Trish Ianetta.
  +
*This episode begins a trend for later episodes of Jim pretending to propose to Pam, only to be talking about something irrelevant.
*In the original script, Michael and Dwight sang "[[Wikipedia:Legs (song)|Legs]]" late into the night. The producers invited the actors to sing "American Pie" instead, and the performance was so compelling, it went into the final cut.<ref name="bjnovak"/>
 
*The original script had a subplot where Jim sends Dwight to fake management training, but it was abandoned when "the network pointed out ... that it felt like something we had already done." The writers considered other options, such as Jim and Pam moving in together, and then they realized, "Why wouldn't they just get engaged?"<ref name="BryantPark200508">[http://www.npr.org/blogs/bryantpark/2008/05/the_offices_bj_novak_uncut.html The Office's BJ Novak Uncut], NPR, ''The Bryant Park Project''.</ref>
 
   
 
==Analysis==
 
==Analysis==
Line 39: Line 39:
   
 
==Amusing details==
 
==Amusing details==
 
* We briefly see Michael's computer- it is the same wallpaper image that he changed it to in "[[Survivor Man]]."
* At the end of the episode, when Andy makes a comment about "Joe Sixpack," he says several things that don't make sense, including paying a mortgage on a rented apartment and paying orphanage bills one's own kids. This further perpetuates the image that Andy doesn't understand how the real world works.
 
* We briefly see Michael's computer- it is the same wallpaper image that he changed it to in [[Survivor Man]].
 
 
* Andy has a Cornell sticker on his windshield.
 
* Andy has a Cornell sticker on his windshield.
* While sitting on the couch talking with Michael about [[Stacy]], Kevin soaks his feet, presumably using the footbath he bought himself in the episode [[Christmas Party]].
+
* While sitting on the couch talking with Michael about [[Stacy]], Kevin soaks his feet, presumably using the footbath he bought for himself in the episode "[[Christmas Party]]."
* At the coffee shop, Michael ordered a large hot chocolate with caramel and peppermint. His sweet tooth continues unabated.
+
* At the coffee shop, Michael ordered a large hot chocolate with caramel and peppermint. [[Michael Scott's sweet tooth|His sweet tooth]] continues unabated.
* When Michael pays for his coffee we see that his his wallet is decorated with rhinestones.
+
* When Michael pays for his coffee we see that his wallet is decorated with rhinestones.
* After Michael asks the office to provide the names of possible girlfriends Jim jokingly offers up [[Pam's mother]], foreshadowing a real relationship between the two in [[Season 6]].
+
* After Michael asks the office to provide the names of possible girlfriends Jim jokingly offers up [[Helene Beesly|Pam's mother]], foreshadowing a real relationship between the two in [[Season 6]].
 
* The headstone on the grave of the chair model, Deborah Shoshlefski, indicates that she died in 2003. The catalog has used that photo for years and will probably use it again next year.
 
* The headstone on the grave of the chair model, Deborah Shoshlefski, indicates that she died in 2003. The catalog has used that photo for years and will probably use it again next year.
* The phone number to call for a free consultation from [[W.B. Jones Heating & Air]] (1-800-984-3672) is the same number used in the episode [[Women's Appreciation]] for Dwight's Anti-Flashing Task Force. After the episode aired, the message changed to tips from W.B. Jones on using heating and cooling equipment.
+
* The phone number to call for a free consultation from [[W.B. Jones Heating & Air]] (1-800-984-3672) is the same number used in the episode "[[Women's Appreciation]]" for Dwight's Anti-Flashing Task Force. After the episode aired, the message changed to tips from W.B. Jones on using heating and cooling equipment. The message is no longer available. The phone number is now a sex chat phone number.{{OfficeLadiesCitation064|01:03:47}}
 
* Keeping with the mockumentary nature of the show, credits and citations are given when the bosses of [[Scranton Business Park]] are introduced.
 
* Keeping with the mockumentary nature of the show, credits and citations are given when the bosses of [[Scranton Business Park]] are introduced.
 
* At the end of the episode, Michael and Dwight literally dance on the grave of the chair model.
 
* At the end of the episode, Michael and Dwight literally dance on the grave of the chair model.
* Watch closely when Kevin is rubbing his feet in the beginning of the episode. A huge drop of spit falls out of his mouth.
+
* A huge drop of spit falls out of Kevin's mouth when he is rubbing his feet in the beginning of the episode.
 
* When brushing his teeth before going on his blind date with Pam's landlord, Michael simply swallows the toothpaste instead of spitting it out.
 
* When brushing his teeth before going on his blind date with Pam's landlord, Michael simply swallows the toothpaste instead of spitting it out.
* At the meeting with the "Five Families", Andy says that Michael couldn't make it to the meeting due to an "unforeseen prior engagement".
+
* At the meeting with the "Five Families", Andy says that Michael couldn't make it to the meeting due to an "unforeseen prior engagement", an oxymoron.
* When Kevin is introducing the heads of the Scranton Business Park 5 families, Bob Vance appears holding a cigar that is neither lit nor circumcised, despite the tip being moist.
+
* When Kevin is introducing the heads of the Scranton Business Park 5 families, Bob Vance appears holding a cigar that is neither lit nor cut, despite the tip being moist.
 
* At the end of the episode, when Andy makes a comment about "Joe Sixpack," he says several things that don't make sense, including paying a mortgage on a rented apartment and paying orphanage bills one's own kids. This further perpetuates the image that Andy doesn't understand how the real world works.
  +
  +
==Behind the scenes==
  +
* The working title for this episode was "Michael Dating", but a more vague title was selected for public release in order to avoid giving away the ending of the episode "[[Dinner Party]]." The working title became "Parking" before the final title "Chair Model" was settled on.<ref name="bjnovak-officetally">[http://www.officetally.com/bj-novak-answers-chair-model-questions B.J. Novak answers 'Chair Model' questions], [http://www.officetally.com/ Office Tally].</ref> The working title of "Parking" was used in a TV Guide article that teased future story lines.<ref name="tvguide-parking">Skerry, Kath. "[https://www.givememyremote.com/remote/2008/04/07/the-offices-tv-guide-cover/ THE OFFICE's TV Guide Cover]." ''Give Me My Remote'' web site, April 7, 2008.</ref>
  +
*Kevin soaking his feet in a footbath is more clearly established in a deleted scene. In Kevin's scene with Michael, they found that including the footbath distracted from the dialogue, so they intentionally kept it out of frame.<ref name="bjnovak-officetally"/>
  +
*The establishing shot for the coffee shop is from [https://web.archive.org/web/20081121000635/http://funkylittlecoffeehouse.com/ The Coffee Gallery] at 2029 Lake Ave in Altadena. The original coffee shop is no longer in business. (As of 2020, the location is a music venue, but kept the name "The Coffee Gallery".)
  +
*In the original [[The Office (UK)|British version]] of ''The Office'', [[David Brent]] is extremely rude to his blind date when he sees that she is a bit overweight. Writer [[B.J. Novak]] was careful to make Michael's rudeness stem from disappointment due to unrealistically high expectations: He wears a rose to the date and mistakes the attractive young woman for his date, despite her not matching the description in any way.<ref name="bjnovak-officetally"/>
  +
*The character of [[Paul Faust]] is played by [[Paul Faust (actor)|Paul Faust]], who really is the owner of a company that sells disaster preparedness kits. See [[Paul Faust (actor)]] for details of how he got cast.
  +
*The idea for the "Five Families" was that most of the company representatives took the pomp of the meeting seriously, except for "Cool Guy Paul" who hates being there.<ref name="bjnovak-officetally"/>
  +
*Originally, the photo of "[[Paul Faust|Cool Guy Paul]]" was supposed to be on the back deck of a house overlooking the ocean. However, they were running out of time, so instead they filmed in the front yard of Tom Melby, a crew member on the show who lived in the neighborhood right behind the studio. The motorcycle belonged to a crew member.{{OfficeLadiesCitation070|35:40}} Fans have identified the home as 7777 Cherrystone Ave, Panorama City. {{Spoiler|This same home would later be used as the exterior of Irene's home in "[[Get the Girl]]".}}
  +
*Director [[Jeffrey Blitz]] came up with the novel composition of the shot where Dwight and Michael discuss "closure": The camera is low, and Michael's feet are up on the desk.<ref name="bjnovak-officetally"/>
  +
*Other improvised takes of Andy's "Joe Sixpack" monologue included "milking the cows" before going to his job at the factory.<ref name="bjnovak-officetally"/>
 
*In the original script, Michael and Dwight sang "{{W|Candle in the Wind}}" in the cemetery, but the producers were unable to secure permission to use the song. The NBC comedy ''{{W|30 Rock}}'' had previously requested permission to use the song, but {{W|Elton John}} was so offended by their parody that he flat-out refused even to consider the request from ''The Office''.<ref name="novaknpr"/> John presumably reconsidered his position, for three years later, the song was parodied in the "{{W|Li'l Sebastian}}" episode of ''{{W|Parks and Recreation}}'', created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur.
  +
* Another song considered (but for which rights could not be obtained) was "{{W|Ruby Tuesday}}", sung as "Good-bye Deborah Shoshlefski".<ref name="novaknpr">[http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90365876 Talking with 'Office' Star B.J. Novak], NPR, The Bryant Park Project, May 12, 2008.</ref>
  +
*The show obtained permission to use ''{{W|American Pie}}'' and ''{{W|Legs (song)|Legs}}''. The intention was to begin with ''American Pie'', and then time-jump late into the night with Michael and Dwight singing ''Legs''. On the last late-night take, the producers let [[Steve Carell]] and [[Rainn Wilson]] go all-out with ''American Pie'', and the performance was so compelling, they decided to use it instead.<ref name="bjnovak-officetally"/>
 
*The original script had a subplot where Jim sends Dwight to fake management training, but it was abandoned when "the network pointed out ... that it felt like something we had already done." The writers considered other options, such as Jim and Pam moving in together, and then they realized, "Why wouldn't they just get engaged?"<ref name="BryantPark200508">[http://www.npr.org/blogs/bryantpark/2008/05/the_offices_bj_novak_uncut.html The Office's BJ Novak Uncut], NPR, ''The Bryant Park Project''.</ref>
   
 
==Cultural references==
 
==Cultural references==
* A ''[[Wikipedia:Loafers|penny loafer]]'' is a style of shoe. It has no laces or buckles. Some people consider it good luck to put a penny in one's penny loafers.
+
* A ''{{W|Loafers|penny loafer}}'' is a style of shoe. It has no laces or buckles and has a strip of material with a slit that goes over the top of the foot. It got its name due to the fashion of putting a penny in the slit.
 
* The type of chair Pam mimics in her talking head interview is one with a pneumatic height adjustment. Older chairs employed more complicated means for adjusting the seat height.
 
* The type of chair Pam mimics in her talking head interview is one with a pneumatic height adjustment. Older chairs employed more complicated means for adjusting the seat height.
 
* Michael tells Kevin, "''You don't deserve her''," inadvertently reversing the traditional consolatory words, "He/she doesn't deserve you."
 
* Michael tells Kevin, "''You don't deserve her''," inadvertently reversing the traditional consolatory words, "He/she doesn't deserve you."
* ''[[Wikipedia:Oscar Meyer|Oscar Meyer]]'' is a company best known for its [[Wikipedia:Hot dog|hot dogs]], known as "Oscar Meyer Wieners". The term "wiener" is slang for penis, and Michael blends the two when he calls Oscar an ''Oscar Meyer Wiener lover''.
+
* ''{{W|Oscar Meyer}}'' is a company best known for its {{W|Hot dog|hot dogs}}, known as "Oscar Meyer Wieners". The term "wiener" is slang for penis, and Michael blends the two when he calls Oscar an ''Oscar Meyer Wiener lover''.
 
* Michael asks whether Phyllis's friend is a ''jolly, sassy, opera singer''. The terms "jolly" and "sassy" are sometimes used euphemistically for people who are overweight. Opera singers are stereotypically overweight.
 
* Michael asks whether Phyllis's friend is a ''jolly, sassy, opera singer''. The terms "jolly" and "sassy" are sometimes used euphemistically for people who are overweight. Opera singers are stereotypically overweight.
 
* Michael asks whether Phyllis's friend plays ''catcher or infield''. Catchers in softball are usually short and stout, while infielders are more graceful and thus skinnier.
 
* Michael asks whether Phyllis's friend plays ''catcher or infield''. Catchers in softball are usually short and stout, while infielders are more graceful and thus skinnier.
 
* Michael says that his employees are "''hanging me out to dry''". To "hang someone out to dry" is to abandon someone after taking advantage of him.
 
* Michael says that his employees are "''hanging me out to dry''". To "hang someone out to dry" is to abandon someone after taking advantage of him.
* Michael says that he needs to ''get laid'', a rather lewd term for having sex.
+
* Michael says that he needs to ''get laid'', a rather crude term for having sex.
 
* Michael says, "''I am a catch and I am not going to be the one who got away''." These idioms are commonly used in discussing dating, relying on an analogy with fishing. A "catch" is a desirable mate, and one who "gets away" is a "catch" that one fails to get. The term is not used in the first person, as Michael does.
 
* Michael says, "''I am a catch and I am not going to be the one who got away''." These idioms are commonly used in discussing dating, relying on an analogy with fishing. A "catch" is a desirable mate, and one who "gets away" is a "catch" that one fails to get. The term is not used in the first person, as Michael does.
 
* The term ''eligible'' is a common euphemism to indicate that the person is neither married nor has a boyfriend or girlfriend.
 
* The term ''eligible'' is a common euphemism to indicate that the person is neither married nor has a boyfriend or girlfriend.
* Michael and Dwight sing ''[[Wikipedia:American Pie|American Pie]]'' at the chair model's grave, with altered lyrics. The meaning of the song's original lyrics is in dispute, but the singer [[Wikipedia:Don McLean|Don McLean]] claims (and few dispute) that it was inspired by his memories of the death of singer [[Wikipedia:Buddy Holly|Buddy Holly]]. The song is notable for its unusually long length: 8 and a half minutes.
+
* Michael and Dwight sing ''{{W|American Pie}}'' at the chair model's grave, with altered lyrics. The meaning of the song's original lyrics is in dispute, but the singer {{W|Don McLean}} claims (and few dispute) that it was inspired by his memories of the death of singer {{W|Buddy Holly}}. The song is notable for its unusually long length: 8 and a half minutes.
 
* The phrase ''Five Families'' could have been taken from the movie ''The Godfather''.
 
* The phrase ''Five Families'' could have been taken from the movie ''The Godfather''.
   

Revision as of 16:30, 6 June 2021

"Chair Model" (originally titled "Parking" and "The Chair Model") is the 14th episode of the 4th season of The Office and the 67th episode overall. It was written by B.J. Novak and directed by Jeffrey Blitz. It first aired on April 17, 2008. It was viewed by 9.81 million people.

Cold Open

A tennant in the Scranton Business Park is having renovatation work done which causes parking issues for the office staff. Pam and Jim describe the five minute walk they now have to take to get to work, whilst Oscar and Andy voice their frustration at the long walk they have to take. Kevin, sitting on the side-walk and rubbing his feet threatens to quit unless the issue is resolved.

Synopsis

Michael's fascination with a woman modeling a chair in an office supply catalog makes him feel things he hasn't felt in a while. With Michael distracted, Kevin and Andy team up to win back Dunder Mifflin's stolen parking spaces, forcing them into a showdown with the bosses of the five businesses of the office park.

Deleted scenes

  • Michael has been staying at Dwight's beet farm house for the past six weeks, letting Jan stay in his condo. Now that Jan is staying with her sister in Scottsdale, Michael can return home. Dwight tallies up Michael's bill for staying in the Americana Room for six weeks. Michael is hurt by the gesture but hands Dwight his credit card, explaining that everything that happened between them for the past six weeks (such as slumber parties) was strictly business and not personal. Moved by Michael's words, Dwight tears up the bill. He tells the documentary camera, "We don't take debit cards anyway."
  • Kevin sits at the couch in reception, soaking his feet in a footbath. The noise from the footbath is so loud, Pam has trouble answering the phones.[1]:25:17
  • Michael asks Angela if she has any single friends, maybe a religious type in uniform. Angela asks, "A Catholic school girl?" Michael clarifies: "Older." Angela asks, "A nun?"
  • In a talking head interview, Michael muses on the schoolyard taunt, "Love, marriage, baby carriage." He explains that he had love with Jan, no marriage, but he did buy her a baby carriage to carry groceries after her DUI.
  • Michael sits at Kelly's desk. Kelly arrives and Michael asks if she can set him up with one of her friends. Kelly says, "Oh all my friends are crazy, like Brianna." Michael asks for Brianna's number, but she's only 23. Kelly then volunteers that she knows "a ton of people." She begins talking about her friends' divorced parents, but Michael walks out on her.
  • In a talking head interview, Toby explains that there is no explicit company rule against Michael forcing employees to set him up on a date. Then again, there is no explicit company rule against forcing employees to take part in a shot-by-shot remake of Indiana Jones. "How do you make a rule book like that?"
  • Michael comes to the break room and asks everyone for their index cards. When Pam comes up empty, Michael explains that he's not looking for "a perfect ten", but all his suggestions involve models or former models. Jim offers to set up Michael with a sex model. "She's blind. Is that a problem?" And she's not actually a model; she's a toll booth attendant. In a talking head interview, Michael holds two index cards. "A blind toll booth operator and a 1200-pound catcher".

Trivia

  • B.J. Novak (Ryan Howard) is credited but does not appear in this episode.
  • This is the second episode in which a character named Deborah is introduced, and in both cases, she meets an unfortunate fate. In the episode "Product Recall," Creed framed Debbie Brown and forced her dismissal.
  • The "Five Families" meeting is Bob Vance's only appearance independent of his relationship with Phyllis.
  • Deborah Shoshlefski is played by April Eden, who also appears on Parks and Recreation as the Miss Pawnee pageant winner Trish Ianetta.
  • This episode begins a trend for later episodes of Jim pretending to propose to Pam, only to be talking about something irrelevant.

Analysis

  • Both Kevin and Michael are dealing with the consequences of a nasty break-up, but they handle them in very different ways.
  • This episode provides another example of Michael unwittingly providing emotional assistance to another character. His refusal to help Kevin resolve the parking problem (selfishly motivated) forces Kevin to address the problem himself, allowing Kevin to enjoy the much-needed satisfaction of having taken control of his life back from those who had made it miserable.

Amusing details

  • We briefly see Michael's computer- it is the same wallpaper image that he changed it to in "Survivor Man."
  • Andy has a Cornell sticker on his windshield.
  • While sitting on the couch talking with Michael about Stacy, Kevin soaks his feet, presumably using the footbath he bought for himself in the episode "Christmas Party."
  • At the coffee shop, Michael ordered a large hot chocolate with caramel and peppermint. His sweet tooth continues unabated.
  • When Michael pays for his coffee we see that his wallet is decorated with rhinestones.
  • After Michael asks the office to provide the names of possible girlfriends Jim jokingly offers up Pam's mother, foreshadowing a real relationship between the two in Season 6.
  • The headstone on the grave of the chair model, Deborah Shoshlefski, indicates that she died in 2003. The catalog has used that photo for years and will probably use it again next year.
  • The phone number to call for a free consultation from W.B. Jones Heating & Air (1-800-984-3672) is the same number used in the episode "Women's Appreciation" for Dwight's Anti-Flashing Task Force. After the episode aired, the message changed to tips from W.B. Jones on using heating and cooling equipment. The message is no longer available. The phone number is now a sex chat phone number.[2]:01:03:47
  • Keeping with the mockumentary nature of the show, credits and citations are given when the bosses of Scranton Business Park are introduced.
  • At the end of the episode, Michael and Dwight literally dance on the grave of the chair model.
  • A huge drop of spit falls out of Kevin's mouth when he is rubbing his feet in the beginning of the episode.
  • When brushing his teeth before going on his blind date with Pam's landlord, Michael simply swallows the toothpaste instead of spitting it out.
  • At the meeting with the "Five Families", Andy says that Michael couldn't make it to the meeting due to an "unforeseen prior engagement", an oxymoron.
  • When Kevin is introducing the heads of the Scranton Business Park 5 families, Bob Vance appears holding a cigar that is neither lit nor cut, despite the tip being moist.
  • At the end of the episode, when Andy makes a comment about "Joe Sixpack," he says several things that don't make sense, including paying a mortgage on a rented apartment and paying orphanage bills one's own kids. This further perpetuates the image that Andy doesn't understand how the real world works.

Behind the scenes

  • The working title for this episode was "Michael Dating", but a more vague title was selected for public release in order to avoid giving away the ending of the episode "Dinner Party." The working title became "Parking" before the final title "Chair Model" was settled on.[3] The working title of "Parking" was used in a TV Guide article that teased future story lines.[4]
  • Kevin soaking his feet in a footbath is more clearly established in a deleted scene. In Kevin's scene with Michael, they found that including the footbath distracted from the dialogue, so they intentionally kept it out of frame.[3]
  • The establishing shot for the coffee shop is from The Coffee Gallery at 2029 Lake Ave in Altadena. The original coffee shop is no longer in business. (As of 2020, the location is a music venue, but kept the name "The Coffee Gallery".)
  • In the original British version of The Office, David Brent is extremely rude to his blind date when he sees that she is a bit overweight. Writer B.J. Novak was careful to make Michael's rudeness stem from disappointment due to unrealistically high expectations: He wears a rose to the date and mistakes the attractive young woman for his date, despite her not matching the description in any way.[3]
  • The character of Paul Faust is played by Paul Faust, who really is the owner of a company that sells disaster preparedness kits. See Paul Faust (actor) for details of how he got cast.
  • The idea for the "Five Families" was that most of the company representatives took the pomp of the meeting seriously, except for "Cool Guy Paul" who hates being there.[3]
  • Originally, the photo of "Cool Guy Paul" was supposed to be on the back deck of a house overlooking the ocean. However, they were running out of time, so instead they filmed in the front yard of Tom Melby, a crew member on the show who lived in the neighborhood right behind the studio. The motorcycle belonged to a crew member.[1]:35:40 Fans have identified the home as 7777 Cherrystone Ave, Panorama City. Spoiler: This same home would later be used as the exterior of Irene's home in "Get the Girl".
  • Director Jeffrey Blitz came up with the novel composition of the shot where Dwight and Michael discuss "closure": The camera is low, and Michael's feet are up on the desk.[3]
  • Other improvised takes of Andy's "Joe Sixpack" monologue included "milking the cows" before going to his job at the factory.[3]
  • In the original script, Michael and Dwight sang "Candle in the Wind" in the cemetery, but the producers were unable to secure permission to use the song. The NBC comedy 30 Rock had previously requested permission to use the song, but Elton John was so offended by their parody that he flat-out refused even to consider the request from The Office.[5] John presumably reconsidered his position, for three years later, the song was parodied in the "Li'l Sebastian" episode of Parks and Recreation, created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur.
  • Another song considered (but for which rights could not be obtained) was "Ruby Tuesday", sung as "Good-bye Deborah Shoshlefski".[5]
  • The show obtained permission to use American Pie and Legs. The intention was to begin with American Pie, and then time-jump late into the night with Michael and Dwight singing Legs. On the last late-night take, the producers let Steve Carell and Rainn Wilson go all-out with American Pie, and the performance was so compelling, they decided to use it instead.[3]
  • The original script had a subplot where Jim sends Dwight to fake management training, but it was abandoned when "the network pointed out ... that it felt like something we had already done." The writers considered other options, such as Jim and Pam moving in together, and then they realized, "Why wouldn't they just get engaged?"[6]

Cultural references

  • A penny loafer is a style of shoe. It has no laces or buckles and has a strip of material with a slit that goes over the top of the foot. It got its name due to the fashion of putting a penny in the slit.
  • The type of chair Pam mimics in her talking head interview is one with a pneumatic height adjustment. Older chairs employed more complicated means for adjusting the seat height.
  • Michael tells Kevin, "You don't deserve her," inadvertently reversing the traditional consolatory words, "He/she doesn't deserve you."
  • Oscar Meyer is a company best known for its hot dogs, known as "Oscar Meyer Wieners". The term "wiener" is slang for penis, and Michael blends the two when he calls Oscar an Oscar Meyer Wiener lover.
  • Michael asks whether Phyllis's friend is a jolly, sassy, opera singer. The terms "jolly" and "sassy" are sometimes used euphemistically for people who are overweight. Opera singers are stereotypically overweight.
  • Michael asks whether Phyllis's friend plays catcher or infield. Catchers in softball are usually short and stout, while infielders are more graceful and thus skinnier.
  • Michael says that his employees are "hanging me out to dry". To "hang someone out to dry" is to abandon someone after taking advantage of him.
  • Michael says that he needs to get laid, a rather crude term for having sex.
  • Michael says, "I am a catch and I am not going to be the one who got away." These idioms are commonly used in discussing dating, relying on an analogy with fishing. A "catch" is a desirable mate, and one who "gets away" is a "catch" that one fails to get. The term is not used in the first person, as Michael does.
  • The term eligible is a common euphemism to indicate that the person is neither married nor has a boyfriend or girlfriend.
  • Michael and Dwight sing American Pie at the chair model's grave, with altered lyrics. The meaning of the song's original lyrics is in dispute, but the singer Don McLean claims (and few dispute) that it was inspired by his memories of the death of singer Buddy Holly. The song is notable for its unusually long length: 8 and a half minutes.
  • The phrase Five Families could have been taken from the movie The Godfather.

Cast

Main cast

Supporting cast

Recurring cast

Guest cast

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Kinsey, Angela and Jenna Fischer. Episode 70: Chair Model. "Office Ladies" podcast, March 31, 2021.
  2. Kinsey, Angela and Jenna Fischer. Episode 64: Revisited with Randall Einhorn. "Office Ladies" podcast, February 10, 2021.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 B.J. Novak answers 'Chair Model' questions, Office Tally.
  4. Skerry, Kath. "THE OFFICE's TV Guide Cover." Give Me My Remote web site, April 7, 2008.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Talking with 'Office' Star B.J. Novak, NPR, The Bryant Park Project, May 12, 2008.
  6. The Office's BJ Novak Uncut, NPR, The Bryant Park Project.