Changes: Fun Run

Revision as of 03:09, 14 November 2019

"Fun Run" is the first and second episode of the fourth season of The Office and the 54th and 55th episode overall. It was written and directed by Greg Daniels and aired on September 27, 2007.

Plot

Part One

In a series of interviews, updates are given on the events that have taken place since "The Job". Michael and Jan are still living together, although she apparently puts little effort into the relationship and is usually still asleep when Michael leaves for work. Jim confirms that he broke up with Karen in New York. He says she insisted that she would continue working in Scranton, but disappeared immediately afterward. Jim and Pam indicate that they have been seeing each other socially, but only as friends. Kevin insists that they're secretly dating, since they seem so happy. He even comes up with a nickname for them: "PB&J" which stands for "Pam Beesly and Jim."

As he arrives at work, Michael accidentally hits Meredith with his car, sending her to the hospital for a fractured pelvis. This event alarms the rest of the office, and especially Michael's new direct superior Ryan, who is concerned about a lawsuit. As Meredith's coworkers make plans to visit her, Michael takes over, insisting they should all go together en masse on their lunch break. Angela bows out at first in order to attend to the intense medical regimen of her ailing cat, Sprinkles. Pam insists that Angela, as head of the Party Planning Committee, has a responsibility to be part of the visit. Dwight agrees to care for the cat in her place. Meanwhile, Pam's computer gets a virus necessitating the technical support employee, Sadiq to be called in; it is revealed she got the virus while trying to buy a celebrity sex tape.

The visit to the hospital is awkward, as Michael tries to extract forgiveness from Meredith, and Creed quizzes her about the pain killers she is taking. Upon the group's return to the office, Dwight unceremoniously informs Angela that her cat is dead, but is now "in a better place" (specifically, Angela's freezer).

The combination of Meredith's accident, Sprinkles' death, and the virus on Pam's computer convinces Michael that the office is cursed. He convenes a meeting to determine the cause, where he demands to know everyone's religious beliefs. Michael ultimately comes to the conclusion that "God is dead." Blaming Toby for the "curse," he orders research into mythical animals to which they could offer a sacrifice.

Dwight discovers during his own courtesy visit to the hospital that Meredith has had a precautionary rabies shot due to several recent animal bites (including a bat bite caused by Dwight himself). He informs Michael, who immediately takes credit for saving Meredith's life by sending her to the hospital. With that bit of good news, he decides the curse is over.

Kevin spies in the parking lot to see whether Jim and Pam are secretly getting together outside the office. He is disappointed to find no evidence, but the camera crew discovers Pam pulling over to a curb a block away and picking up Jim. They kiss and drive away.

Part Two

Jim and Pam privately are shown the footage of them taken at the end of Part One. They lamely deny a relationship at first, but Pam finally gives up and acknowledges they are dating. Both confirm things are going well, although they seem to have no immediate intention of telling the rest of the office.

Michael is still feeling guilty about hurting Meredith, so he decides to lead a charity 5K fun run, entitled "Michael Scott's Dunder Mifflin Scranton Meredith Palmer Memorial Celebrity Rabies Awareness Pro-Am Fun Run Race for the Cure" in an attempt to bring awareness to the dangers of rabies. The staff is mostly unsuccessful in getting donations, and nearly all of the $700 raised was donated by Jan (who is actually just donating Michael's money since she is now unemployed). Michael decides to spend $200 of that money on an oversized check, which he wants to present to a "rabies doctor."

Pam inadvertently walks in on Michael while he is changing for the race, even though Michael had said "Come in" in response to her knock on the door. Michael attempts to defend himself: "European offices are naked all the time." In a talking head interview, Pam rejects the advice that if nervous during public speaking one should picture the listeners naked.

Michael insists that everyone in the office participate in the 5K, although few take it seriously. Stanley, Creed, and Oscar take a taxi to grab some beers, returning to the race just feet from the finish line. Jim and Pam mostly walk, hand-in-hand, stopping at an estate sale where Pam buys a lamp. Kevin is quickly drenched in sweat because he forgot to bring running clothes, while Andy suffers from extremely irritated nipples.

Along the way, Angela confronts Dwight with her suspicion that Sprinkles had been deliberately killed. To her surprise, Dwight acknowledges doing so, saying his "farm" attitude is that any animal that is suffering (and cannot pull its own weight) should be put down. Angela is furious, saying that being euthanized prevents Sprinkles from being in "cat heaven."

Toby ends up finishing first thanks to some inadvertent help from Dwight (who slipped Toby Imodium instead of laxatives). His joy is short-lived as he learns that the course Michael created was not circular, leaving everyone five kilometers from the office.

Michael, who had decided to "carbo-load" on fettuccine alfredo and abstain from water, quickly becomes ill, but is convinced by Jim and Pam to continue. He considers reaching the finish line a major accomplishment, and is given Pam's lamp as a trophy.

Michael's poor dietary choice puts him in the hospital for dehydration, where he is visited by Meredith. In recognition of his attempt to make up for the car accident, she forgives Michael.

Deleted scenes

Much to the office's horror, Michael jokes that he got "25 points" for hitting Meredith, as seen in the film Death Race 2000 - though in a talking head, Creed, who has played the game for years, insists that Meredith is not worth 25 points.
Darryl erases the number on a poster in the warehouse saying how long it has been since an accident caused someone to miss work.
As Pam tries to organize a hospital visit, Stanley doesn't see the point since he barely knows her - he claims he would visit Phyllis in that situation, but looks into the camera and shakes his head.
Michael asks why Sadiq is there - when he answers that Pam's sex tape crashed hard drives, Phyllis whispers not to worry, because "we all do it".
Dwight compares his relationship with Angela to various different farm needs.
Michael tries to find a rationale where he is not subordinate to Ryan.
Ryan boasts that Michael can no longer protect himself by sleeping with his boss, only to recoil in horror as various memories from his time in Scranton come back to him.
Pam finds Kelly lying under her desk, tissues and candy wrappers strewn all over the floor.
Toby reveals that Kelly has been so upset since the breakup that "she can't even talk", breaking into a smile as it dawns on him that he has just used the words "Kelly", "can't", and "talk" in the same sentence.
Michael infuriates those in the break room by suggesting Meredith was drunk at the time (Kevin feels 9 in the morning is too early "even for her"), though when asked she essentially admits as much, insisting that you can't get drunk off Kahlua.
As Oscar looks on, Kevin offers to set Jim up with a non-existent friend, but Jim plays along and asks to meet her, leaving Kevin desperate to find such a person.
Sitting in on the Cursed Office meeting, Sadiq asks Kevin if this really is what they do all day.
Kelly does a talking head where she makes up terrible things about Ryan.
Dwight says that, if Meredith does have rabies, she can only be treated with a silver bullet - and pulls out a silver bullet.
Jim and Pam talk more about their relationship to the documentary crew after being shown the footage of Jim kissing Pam in her car.
Dwight IMs Angela to try and get her to cheer up.
Michael has a typically awkward conversation with Billy Merchant before the race.
Phyllis and Bob Vance walk up to Angela. Bob Vance asks if the cat (Sprinkles) on Angela's shirt is the one that bit Meredith. Angela responds by spitting towards Bob Vance and storms off avoiding Dwight.
Talking heads of Oscar, Creed, and Stanley talking about the 5K. Oscar had done several charity fun runs over the summer and is spent. Creed talks about how taking a cab can shave minutes off your time. Stanley says his feet swell up like two bags of pot roast when he runs, and no one wants to see that.
Michael, Phyllis, and Bob Vance during the 5K.
Dwight talks about how his sorrys mean nothing to Angela and how animals can't understand sorry in a talking head.
Michael receives a visit from his pediatrician at the hospital.

Trivia

Creed Bratton and Craig Robinson are now a part of the Main Cast starting with this episode.
As of this episode the end credits are no longer silent.
An old name for rabies is "hydrophobia". In advanced stages of the disease it is said that the patient has a fear of liquids, though this is a result of being unable to swallow without pain so they belligerently refuse to drink.
Despite what is stated in the episode, there is no cure for rabies, there is a post-exposure vaccination. The vaccination only prevents the disease from getting a solid foothold in the neurological system. If untreated after neurological symptoms have developed (usually 10 days), the death rate among the afflicted is 100%.
The writers seem to have confused rabies and tetanus. In the hospital, the doctor asks if Meredith has recently had a tetanus shot from being bit from a bat. Dwight later describes lockjaw as being a symptom of rabies. Lockjaw is actually a symptom of tetanus, not rabies.
The religious affiliations of many characters are revealed in this episode.
- Darryl and Pam are Presbyterian.
- Phyllis is a Lutheran and Bob is a Unitarian.
- Sadiq is a Sikh.
- Creed has been in many cults, both as a leader and a follower. According to Creed, "You have more fun as a follower, but you make more money as a leader."
- Stanley is Catholic.
- Kelly is Hindu.
- A deleted scene reveals that Oscar was raised Catholic, but now identifies as an agnostic atheist.
The Fun Run (in particular the estate sale scene) was filmed on Chandler Blvd. near Tujunga (north of Magnolia Blvd) in Los Angeles. This appears to be a popular location, because Oscar's house is in this neighborhood.
It appears that 1st Place was to Toby Flenderson and 2nd goes to Calvin. Last place went to both Jim and Pam.

Goofs

When camera crew discovers Pam pulling over to a curb a block away and picking up Jim, a palm tree can be seen on the left hand side of the shot, despite the setting of the series being in Scranton, PA.
At the end of the episode when Michael is making his final effort to the finish line, a palm tree can be seen in the background, despite the setting of the series being in Scranton, PA.
As Jim and Pam begin the Fun Run, a sign can be seen with a phone number bearing area code 818, which is not used in Scranton but is the primary area code in the San Fernando Valley, which lies almost entirely within the city of Los Angeles. The building they shoot in is at 13928 Saticoy Street, Los Angeles, California.
The Mountain (the geographic feature itself and not the ski resort) is and has always been Montage Mountain.

Amusing details

During the argument between Karen and Jim, both Phyllis and Angela look towards the reception desk as if to say "This is your fault."
Jim says "It was a little awkward when she came back from the city", referring to Karen and their interaction after the breakup. In The Job, Jim and Karen ride together to the interview. This implies that Jim left New York without Karen and had to find her own way back to Scranton, which is approximately a 2 1/2 hour drive.
Karen cleared everything off her desk, including her computer and phone (which belong to Dunder Mifflin).
Angela says that Sprinkles has an infection "under her tail" and that medicine goes "at the base of her tail"; in other words, on her anus.
One of the bizarre creatures Michael suggests the office could make a sacrifice to has "the body of a walrus and the head of a sea lion". Since these creatures resemble each other closely, this would likely just have the appearance of a regular sea lion.
Kevin coins the term "PB&J" to describe Jim and Pam, intentionally avoiding the term "Jam" popular among fans of the show.
In a deleted scene, Michael gives the correct definition of secular humanism (which is surprising).
Michael is not much farther than 100 meters from the finish line when he is convinced by Jim and Pam to continue.
The description on Netflix says that "Dwight destroys Angela's personal property."
Michael says, "I'm not superstitious, but I am a little stitous," thinking that the "super" at the beginning of the word is separate from the rest of the word. He does the same exact thing in "The Convention", when Jan says that she underestimated Michael, and he responds, "Yeah? Well maybe next time you should estimate me, Jan."
Angela does not appear to believe in marrying people of different religions. In another episode, Dwight claims that Angela "introduced him to monotheism."
Andy sits closer to Michael than Dwight does, implying that he is still trying to get ahead.
Darryl is at the conference room meeting, for no apparent reason.
Michael wears a pair of women's running shorts during the run, similar to his wearing a women's suit during "The Negotiation".

Connections to previous episodes

Phyllis sews three squares of a 'rabies quilt' on Michael's orders. In Safety Training, Dwight suggests that a 'depression quilt' be made as a visual aid.
Meredith's medical history indicates she got a tetanus shot when she was bitten by a bat, an event that took place in the episode Business School.
While trying to convince Michael to let him off doing the run, Kevin mentions that Michael didn't do a run for him when he thought he had skin cancer. Kevin awaiting the results of a skin cancer test was a plot point in Michael's Birthday.
The "nurse" that comes to accept the check is the stripper Elizabeth from Ben Franklin. Michael recognizes her and incorrectly thinks she gave up stripping and went to nursing school.

Cultural references

Kevin insists that Jim and Pam are hooking up, slang for having sex.
A flea market is a disorganized marketplace for inexpensive products. A drive-in is an outdoor movie theater wherein customers watch the movie from their cars. Montage Mountain is a local ski resort.
Michael calls Ryan a little fish in a big pond, turning around the idiom a big fish in a small pond (meaning an important person but only within a small group). He also uses the idiom top dog (meaning the most important person in a group).
Michael tries to reassure Ryan by using the phrase double jeopardy incorrectly. Double jeopardy is putting a person on trial a second time for the same offense, something prohibited by the United States Constitution. Double jeopardy is also the name of a round in the game show Jeopardy!. The gimmick of the game show is that it reverses the question/answer format of traditional quiz shows. Contestants are given the answer, and they must ask the appropriate question, usually of the form What is X?
Angela says that she has to visit the alky, slang for alcoholic.
Dwight suspects that Meredith pretended to injure herself at work to get worker's comp, short for Workers' compensation.
Shotgun is a nickname for the front passenger seat.
Michael asks if anybody did anything involving an Indian burial ground. According to popular culture, one becomes cursed if one shows disrespect to an (American) Indian burial ground.
Toby wins a week of free pizzas from Alfredo's Pizza, a Scranton pizza restaurant.
Michael says, "God is dead," a quotation associated with philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.
Michael taunts Toby with the shout, Psych!, a term used when the speaker successfully fooled someone.
Michael asks if rabies is like an STD, short for sexually transmitted disease.
Jim says, Six of one, the first half of the idiom, "Six of one, a half dozen of the other," meaning that the two items under discussion are basically the same.
Kevin coins the term PB&J to describe Pam and Jim. The term PB&J is more commonly used as an abbreviation for peanut butter and jelly, a popular type of sandwich.
Pam asks Michael how much time he spends naked, Just ballpark. A "ballpark" estimate is a very rough estimate.
Michael compares himself to Forrest Gump, except I am not an idiot. Gump is the low-intelligence title character in the movie (and book) of the same name. He is an avid runner.
Michael says Excellent! in the style of the evil nuclear power plant owner Montgomery Burns on The Simpsons.

Cast

Main cast

Supporting cast

Recurring cast

Rashida Jones as Karen Filippelli
Bobby Ray Shafer as Bob Vance
Omi Vaidya as Sadiq
Marcus A. York as Billy Merchant
Jackie Debatin as Elizabeth (The Stripper)
Calvin Tenner as Calvin (Uncredited)

Guest cast

Justin Spitzer as Hospital Intern
Sylvia McClure as Nurse
Takayo Fischer

@@ Line 92: / Line 92: @@
 ==Amusing details==
 *During the argument between Karen and Jim, both Phyllis and Angela look towards the reception desk as if to say "This is your fault."
+*Jim says "It was a little awkward when she came back from the city", referring to Karen and their interaction after the breakup. In [[The Job]], Jim and Karen ride together to the interview. This implies that Jim left New York without Karen and had to find her own way back to Scranton, which is approximately a 2 1/2 hour drive.
 *Karen cleared everything off her desk, including her computer and phone (which belong to Dunder Mifflin).
 *Angela says that Sprinkles has an infection "under her tail" and that medicine goes "at the base of her tail"; in other words, on her anus.