Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager

"Dwight K. Schrute (Acting) Manager" is the twenty-fourth episode of the seventh season of the American television comedy series "The Office" and is the show's 150th episode overall. It was written by Justin Spitzer and directed by Troy Miller. It originally aired on May 12, 2011. It was viewed by 6.45 million people.

Synopsis

When Deangelo Vickers ends up in a coma, Jo Bennett makes Dwight the interim regional manager before they find a proper replacement. Dwight establishes a strict management style, from making the employees say The Pledge of Allegiance, to setting up firewalls and long passwords to use the office's various machines, and installing antique punch clocks. Jim, who had turned down the temporary manager position believing that they should not be assigned one at all, is especially unhappy with the changes, and begins pranking Dwight by suggesting that he is leading an uprising called "The Fist". In order to impress Jo, Dwight buys a gun, though he is more excited when he receives a holster as a gift from a relative, and uses the gun to accessorize. Pam insists that he put it away, but Dwight accidentally fires the gun right by Andy, causing him temporary hearing loss. He attempts to bribe the office workers into silence with various favors, and Jim insists that Dwight do outlandish things (such as saying Shagedelic, baby) at certain promptings. Meanwhile, Gabe continues with his attempts to win back Erin. He invites Andy to go to the conference room to speak in private. He breaks down, and Andy promises he won't date Erin again. He confronts Andy with the promise after he sees the two hanging out together, but Andy stands up for himself and embarrasses Gabe by describing his crying fit to Erin. When asked whether or not he wants to date Erin, he does not give a straight answer, and eventually claims that it is between him and his diary. When Jo comes to visit the branch, Dwight admits to the gun incident. He attempts to divert the blame to his employees, saying that blackmail is a bigger crime than firing a gun accidentally, but Jo takes the position away from him. Jo later puts Creed, who has the most experience and seniority in the office, in charge until a committee composed of Jim, Toby, and Gabe, find a replacement. While Jim tells Dwight that Jo did the right thing, he also compliments Dwight, noting that the office got every single company order out on time.

Cultural references

Dwight makes everyone cite the Pledge of Allegiance.
Jim compares his social club The Fist to the French Revolution, The Black Panthers and Communism.
Jim says Dwight reminds him of a Bond villain.
Dwight's desk is a replica of Uday Hussein's desk from Newsweek.
Kelly wants to audition for American Idol, a popular reality TV singing competition.
"Shagadelic, baby!" is a trademark line of Austin Powers', the character from the eponymous film series and a parody of James Bond.

Connections to previous episodes

Dwight has regional manager experience from episodes The Coup and The Job.
Dwight's interest in his coworkers' medical issues dates back to Health Care.

Amusing details/Trivia

Dwight as acting manager creates his first character, Gun Safety Dwight. This is similar to the many characters Michael used to do as manager.
During the Pledge of Allegiance, Oscar doesn't say the "under God" excerpt of the Pledge.
When Dwight starts wearing a gun holster, Phyllis suggests putting his phone in it instead of an actual gun. Dwight's UK counterpart Gareth Keenan did exactly this.

Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager

Contents

Synopsis

Cultural references

Connections to previous episodes

Amusing details/Trivia

Cast

Main Cast

Supporting Cast

Recurring Cast

Fan Feed