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"Secretary's Day" is the twenty-second episode of the sixth season and the 122nd episode of The Office overall. It was written by Mindy Kaling and directed by Steve Carell and aired on April 22, 2010.

Synopsis

It's Secretary's Day, and Andy tries to make Erin's special holiday a memorable one. He convinces a reluctant Michael to take her to lunch to a place of her choosing. While they are out, Michael accidentally reveals to Erin that Andy used to date, and was engaged to, fellow office worker Angela. However, Andy has not yet revealed this fact to Erin yet. She becomes visually disturbed, but tries to keep it in as best she can. Back at the office, during the main party, Andy begins to serenade her when she hurls a piece of cake at his face. She angrily reveals that she knows about Angela and Andy's relationship from Michael, and begins to accuse the other women in the office of sleeping with Andy. Despite numerous attempts from fellow office workers to help console and calm her, Erin ultimately decides to take some time away from Andy. At the end of the day, Andy looks on as it is Michael who makes her happy on Secretary's Day.

Meanwhile, Oscar circulates a video he made, which compares Kevin's voice to Cookie Monster's. Kevin finds it offensive rather than funny, and complains to Gabe about the video. In an effort to assert his authority, Gabe bans the office from talking about the video and about Cookie Monster. However, this doesn't stop Pam and Jim from sharing a laugh, while Kevin is at Erin's desk. In retaliation, Gabe suspends Pam without pay for contradicting his orders, then Jim for defending her, and eventually Dwight for applauding Gabe's actions. It all comes apart when Gabe calls corporate and finds out he has virtually no power. He returns to the office to try to undo the damage and make everyone forget about the incident, but Toby tips off Pam about the mistake. Pam and Jim team up and reverse the situation, getting a "two day paid vacation", while Dwight apologizes and kisses Gabe's hand instead. After Jim and Pam leave, he decides to save face and mock Kevin as well, but does a poor impression. Kevin finally retaliates by doing an impression of Gabe, and the rest of the office joins in on mocking Gabe. However, Gabe becomes upset and walks back to his office.

At the end of the episode, Kevin tries to get Oscar back by making his own parody video by using Oscar's voice and comparing him to The Count. However, everyone finds it in bad taste but only Michael ends up finding it funny.

Amusing Details

  • Writer Mindy Kaling explains Erin's Secretary's Day gifts:[1]
    • Ryan gives her a small box of chocolates.
    • Creed gives her a Beanie Baby teddy bear, presumably stolen from a local gas station.
    • Meredith gives her a $5 Amazon gift certificate.
    • Dwight gives her a crate of beets, with reminder emails to "make sure to return the crate as soon as possible."
  • Ryan, continuing to explore with fashion, wears an untied bow-tie. Ever since Ryan has become 'sober', his fashion sense has become more and more 'hipster'-esque.
  • Angela is once again head of the Party Planning Committee, a development which is not explained.

Connections to previous episodes

  • Kevin wishes Darryl a happy bird-day, a callback to The Alliance.

Goofs

  • Andy's suit shows no trace of cake stains at the end of the episode.

Cultural References

  • Sesame Street is an award-winning children's television program. It is set on an urban street with a variety of human and muppet residents.
    • Dwight identifies it as a show set in the barrio, a derogatory term for a lower-class Hispanic neighborhood. Many of the characters on Sesame Street are bilingual in English and Spanish.
    • Cookie Monster is a character with a gravelly voice. He is known for his craving for cookies (which he eats with the sound om nom nom) and his signature song C is for Cookie. Cookie Monster habitually substitutes the word "me" for "I", as in the sentence "Me eat cookie" used in the episode.
    • The Count is a vampire who loves to count.
    • Oscar the Grouch is a character who lives in a trash can and enjoys complaining and being unhappy.
  • Cadillac is a brand of luxury cars. It is common to describe something as "the Cadillac of X" to mean that it is the most luxurious X in the world.
  • Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire (usually shortened to Precious) is a 2009 movie which won two Academy Awards in 2010.
  • Taco Bell is a chain of fast-food restaurants serving Mexican-style food. Taco Bell Express is a version of Taco Bell with a more limited menu.
  • At the restaurant, Michael announces, "I'll have what she's having," the punch line to the deli scene in the movie When Harry Met Sally, another scene in which a character creates a disturbance in a restaurant.
  • Mr. and Mrs. Smith is a romantic, action, comedy film about a couple who learn that they are secret agents hired by competing agencies to kill each other.
  • Gabe suggests that people leave the impressions to the pros at MADtv, a sketch comedy show which ran from 1995 to 2009.

Cast

Main Cast

Supporting Cast

Guest Cast

References

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