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For other uses, see Dunder Mifflin Infinity (disambiguation).


"Dunder Mifflin Infinity" is the second episode of the fourth season of The Office. It was written by Michael Schur and directed by Craig Zisk. It first aired on October 4, 2007 and was an hour-long episode.

Synopsis

Part One

Toby sees Jim and Pam kiss secretly in the break room, and fires off an unsolicited memo warning about public displays of affection within the office. The entire office immediately speculates on the reason for the notice. Toby (whose crush on Pam has been previously established) tells everyone it's because of Jim and Pam, apparently in an attempt to shame them. To his surprise, all of the other workers are ecstatic. Jim and Pam later ask Toby whether they need to file the same paperwork Michael and Jan once had, but Toby tries to put it off, hoping the relationship won't last.

Ryan Howard returns to the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin for the first time since his promotion, sporting a much more urbane look and attitude (which does not prevent him from receiving a noogie from Kevin). He convenes a meeting to inform the staff about "Dunder Mifflin Infinity," his initiative to revitalize the company with new technology. Michael is initially excited about the prospect of getting a BlackBerry, but is warned by Creed that the purpose of the program is really to get rid of older workers.

Kelly tries to restart her relationship with Ryan, an effort he ignores until she tells him she's pregnant. He agrees to discuss the situation over dinner that night. Jim secretly informs Pam that Dwight and Angela are dating, only to discover that she already knew. Meanwhile, Dwight attempts to make amends for the death of Angela's cat Sprinkles by giving her a stray cat he found in his barn. Dwight's cousin Mose named the cat Garbage because that's what it eats. Angela rejects the gift, and Dwight attempts to dump the cat into the office of Vance Refrigeration.

Creed dyes his hair jet-black (using ink cartridges) in an attempt to convince everyone that he's much younger. After a conversation with Jan, Michael decides to formally challenge Dunder Mifflin Infinity by claiming that Ryan is being ageist. Michael brings the octagenarian cofounder of Dunder Mifflin into a meeting to make his point about old things still being useful, but shoves Dunder out after tiring of his rambling stories. And Angela asks Dwight out to dinner, where she breaks up with him, saying that she can't look into Dwight's eyes without seeing Sprinkles' corpse.

Part Two

To show that personal interaction is more effective than new technology, Michael decides to go out and win back the clients they lost in the past year with gift baskets. Dwight insists on going with him. Each manager they encounter refuses to consider returning to Dunder Mifflin unless the company improves its technology.

Michael misinterprets his rental car's GPS map system's directions and ends up driving into Lake Scranton. He takes this as further proof that new technology is useless because it "tried to kill him". After the lake incident, he and Dwight walk back to one of the former clients to awkwardly get back their gift basket, causing a scene.

Ryan learned during the previous night's dinner that Kelly's pregnancy claim was a lie. Back at the office, Ryan asks Pam to create a logo for Dunder Mifflin Infinity. Pam is excited about the opportunity to use her art background, but Ryan uses the logo as an excuse to ask her out, which he does in front of Jim. Pam responds that she's dating Jim, which leaves the new boss thoroughly embarrassed.

Trivia

  • After the episode aired, NBC launched the Dunder Mifflin Infinity online game, where fans can join virtual Dunder Mifflin branches and participate in various tasks to earn Schrute Bucks.
  • The character of Amy, Toby's new girlfriend, is played by actor Paul Lieberstein's real-life then-girlfriend (now wife), Janine Poreba.[1][2]

Interesting notes

  • Michael says they lost seven clients in the past year. In "The Job", David says that Michael did not lose a single client since the merger. It is possible these clients left before the merger, or in summer of 2007.
  • The two founders of Dunder Mifflin have the same first name, Robert.
  • Dwight says that his grandfather's name is Manheim but in a deleted scene from the Pilot, he said his name was Dweide Schrude. However, Dweide Schrude is his father's father, and Manheim may be his mother's father.

Humorous Details

  • When Michael notes all the ink in the printer is gone, Creed smiles, implying that he used the ink to dye his hair black.
  • As they are exiting the sinking rental car after Michael drives it into a lake, Dwight warns to "look out for leeches!". This is amusing on several levels: it is a non sequitur, as their most urgent priority is simply escaping the car; leeches are not life-threatening, and regardless are not commonly found in suburban lakes in the US; and both Michael and Dwight are fully clothed, making a successful leech "attack" improbable to begin with. It also calls into question the value and relevance of Dwight's "training" for emergencies of this sort, which he asserted moments before.

Cultural References

  • Dwight's grandfather lives in Argentina but Dwight's attempt to visit him was protested by the Shoah Foundation. Shoah foundations are organizations furthering the remembrance of the Holocaust. This follows the theme that Dwight's family has ex-Nazis in it: Josef Mengele, Adolf Eichmann and other high-ranking Nazis fled to Argentina following World War II; a popular myth is that Hitler also escaped to Argentina.

Cast

Main Cast

Supporting Cast

Guest Cast

References

  1. DVD commentary for episode Money.
  2. Janine Poreba, Paul Lieberstein, New York Times wedding announcement, July 20, 2008.


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