Stress Relief

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"Stress Relief" is the fourteenth/fifteenth episode of the fifth season of the television series The Office, and the show's 87th/88th episode overall. It was written by Paul Lieberstein and directed by Jeffery Blitz. The episode aired U.S.February 1, 2009, after the Super Bowl. It had major viewers (see The Office Nielsen Ratings). It was viewed by 22.91 million viewers.

Synopsis

Dwight tries to teach fire safety by example, but forces all the doors closed and heats up all the doorknobs. During the subsequent panic Stanley has a heart attack, the copy machine is destroyed, and the office undergoes physical destruction. Kevin takes advantage of the havoc to raid the snack machine.

As Dwight's actions could have burned down the building, Corporate is not amused. Michael and Dwight are called on the carpet in New York, Michael to be reminded of his responsibilities to his subordinates and Dwight to be warned that he is subject to being fired. Back in Scranton, because he hadn't had any idea how to give first aid to Stanley, Michael has the American Red Cross send over an instructor (and most importantly a dummy) to teach CPR. Dwight pouts, Andy sings, and naturally no one learns anything except the lyrics to The Bee Gee's song "Stayin' Alive" - and that Dwight looked very realistic wearing the face off the dummy. CFO David Wallace and Corporate HR Kendall, upset that Dwight's mutilating the dummy cost the company $3500, requires Dwight to apologize to his co-workers and get their acknowledgement of his apology in writing. Phyllis is the only holdout; she only signs when Dwight has a fake delivery sent to her.

Michael tries a number of ways to get his employees to unwind, like soft music (it puts him to sleep) and a relaxation exercise (walking over his employees stresses everyone out) before discovering that he is the number one cause of stress at work. So that people won't feel afraid of him, he insists on a no-holds-barred roast of himself. He actually thought that each speaker would also express love for him, so while the employees had a great time, Michael ends up with his feelings hurt. Later, after taking a "Personnel Day," he recovers and conducts a mini-roast of his employees - initially making them somewhat uncomfortable, before Stanley bursts into laughter about his joke and the rest of the office jumps in.

Also, while watching a pirated movie, Andy is convinced that Jim and Pam are film gurus because they are talking about Pam's parents, but Andy thinks they're talking about the movie—and by chance, it sounds like it. The episode features movie stars Jack Black, Cloris Leachman, and Jessica Alba in the pirated film which some would consider a taboo subject, a love triangle with a "May - late-December" relationship. Andy does not know that Jim and Pam were actually discussing Pam's mother and father's deteriorating relationship. Pam's father stays with Pam and Jim for several days. Pam asks Jim to talk to her father and see if her dad will tell Jim what is wrong with his relationship with Pam's mother. After the two men talk her father says he is going to get his own apartment. Jim has no idea what he could have said to make Pam's father leave her mother for good. Later Pam is stunned by revelations on two fronts: 1) that Jim has been deeply in love with her since the beginning and 2) that her father never felt a deep emotion for her mother - Mr. Beesly realized the latter after hearing the former from the heart, and that was what Jim had said.

Trivia

This is the only episode in which Leslie David Baker (Stanley Hudson), Brian Baumgartner (Kevin Malone). Creed Bratton (actor) (Creed Bratton), Kate Flannery (Meredith Palmer), Mindy Kaling (Kelly Kapoor), Angela Kinsey (Angela Martin), Paul Lieberstein (Toby Flenderson), Oscar Nunez (Oscar Martinez), Craig Robinson (Darryl Philbin), and Phyllis Smith (Phyllis Vance) are credited during the Theme Song
B.J. Novak (Ryan Howard) only appears in this episode in Archive Footage
Oscar's rant in Spanish translates as "You give me an ulcer every time I wake up and I have to come to work. I have to come to work for you. For you!"
The lyrics to Andy's song
- What I hate about you
- You really suck as a boss
- You're the laziest, jerkiest, and you're dumber than apple sauce
- We're stuck listening to you all day
- Stanley tried to die just to get away,
- well it's true
- That's what I hate about you
- That's what i hate about you
- Yoooooooooouuouoooouuouoooooooooououououooooouuuu
- YEAH!
When the employess were meeting in the break room after the roast there were no snacks in the vending machine. This can be explained by assumming that in the days after Kevin broke the glass the rest of the office also decided to steal any snacks that they could.
During the roast, Kelly lists things she would rather make out with than Michael Scott. When she says "a fridge", Bob Vance can be heard in the background saying "Yeah!"

Amusing Details

During the cold open fire scene, Kevin is seen breaking open the vending machine. After Stanley faints Kevin is messily eating snacks while dropping bags on the floor
When the CPR trainer Rose asks Dwight if he would like to try CPR on the dummy he says "Absolutely, I would not." This echos Jims instructions to Pam to always respond to Dwights offers to be involved in anything secret "Absolutely, I do." It suggests that over their time together Jim has gotten into Dwights mind.
When Michael arrives from his personal day Oscar says that he was being harsh when his rant, being in Spanish means nothing to Michael

Deleted Scenes

These were notable cuts from this episode as seen on the Season 5 DVD:

Michael congratulates Darryl, Stanley, and maybe Kelly on the inauguration of President Obama. Michael tells Darryl that black people have to be responsible and Darryl jokingly rebuts that Public Radio will become private, NASCAR is over, and Morgan Freeman movies will be cancelled.
Andy gives Stanley a mix of his songs.
Kevin offers Stanley to go to the bathroom with him. Stanley looks confused.
Phyllis explains that it was hard for her when Stanley was gone.
Michael shows Stanley that he got a defibrillator.
Kelly explains that she came in seventeenth in the Scrips National Spelling Bee, and then she gained 40 pounds.
Michael tries to shock Toby with the defibrillator but fails.
Michael thinks that Stanley is dead, shocks him, and realizes that he was just sleeping. He then puts a sign on Stanley saying, NOT DEAD.
An alternate extended scene of the Rose/CPR scene.
The office lists things that are stressful.
The office tries to find things that stop stress.
Dwight gets Stanley to sign the sheet, however, he fails to get Phyllis to. Dwight angrily tells her to sign it.
Stanley eats a wheel of brie as his reward for "letting go of [his] anger" by signing Dwight's apology letter.
Angela and Kevin mess up Meredith's hair using the defibrillator.
Michael wakes up from sleeping and says that beaches aren't stressful.
Dwight receives a text message and tells the office the Albany Branch is closing during Michael's relaxation seminar. Angrily, Michael confiscates everyone's cellphone and places them in a plastic garbage bag. Later the bag is seen placed on his desk but the vibration of the many phones causes them to fall off the desk.
Michael is angry that the mayonnaise is gone as he is the habit of eating a spoonful of mayonnaise during tough situations.
Dwight tries to get Jim's signature and Jim asks him whether or not he thinks he's part of the problem, which Dwight scoffs at, but then asks hypothetically what he could do to improve. Jim tells Dwight to smile more often and instructs him on twisting his face into a creepy leer. Jim then takes a photo of Dwight with his cellphone and happily signs the sheet.
Extension of the roast. Kelly says she saw Michael at a screening of Twilight, with his mother. Oscar rants to Michael in English - in a talking head, he says he came up with the material simply by writing down a typical drive-home rant. Jan calls and is placed on speakerphone, saying how Michael destroyed her life. Michael then rebuts with a crack about her breast augmentation.

Cultural References

When Michael yells at Stanley not to die because "Barack is president," he is referring to Barack Obama, the first African American president of the United States, who was elected in 2008.

Cast

Main Cast

Steve Carell as Michael Scott
Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute
John Krasinski as Jim Halpert
Jenna Fischer as Pam Beesly
B.J. Novak as Ryan Howard (Only appears in Archive Footage)
Ed Helms as Andy Bernard
Oscar Nunez as Oscar Martinez
Brian Baumgartner as Kevin Malone
Angela Kinsey as Angela Martin
Leslie David Baker as Stanley Hudson
Phyllis Smith as Phyllis Vance
Mindy Kaling as Kelly Kapoor
Paul Lieberstein as Toby Flenderson
Creed Bratton (actor) as Creed Bratton
Kate Flannery as Meredith Palmer
Craig Robinson as Darryl Philbin

Recurring Cast

Andy Buckley as David Wallace
Bobby Ray Shafer as Bob Vance
Hidetoshi Imura as Hidetoshi Hasagawa (uncredited)
Calvin Tenner as Calvin (uncredited)
Melora Hardin as Jan Levenson (Deleted scene/Voice only)

Guest Cast

John Hartmann as Kendall (Corporate H.R. Rep.)
Robin Lynch as Rose the CPR Instructor
Lamont Ferrell as Michael the Warehouse Worker
Rick Overton as William Beesly
Joanne Carlsen as Terri Hudson (uncredited)
James O. Kerry as Deliveryman

Special Celebrity Guest Cast

Jack Black as Sam (in a Fake Movie)
Cloris Leachman as Lily (in a Fake Movie)
Jessica Alba as Lily's granddaughter (in a Fake Movie)
Nate Federman as Lily's New Boyfriend (in a Fake Movie)