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"The Duel" is the eleventh episode of the fifth season The Office and the show's seventy-sixth episode overall. The episode aired in the United States on January 15, 2009, on NBC.
Synopsis
Andy still hasn't found out about fiancee Angela's affair with Dwight seventeen days after Phyllis revealed it to everyone else in the office. Michael suggests that somebody inform Andy, but the entire office is against that idea; Jim is particularly concerned that Andy's past anger management issues may lead to in-office violence between Andy and the combative Dwight. Michael then asks Andy to accompany him to the parking lot before he leaves for a meeting with David Wallace. Michael carefully times the conversation so that he reveals the affair while simultaneously driving out of the parking lot. A shocked and dismayed Andy heads back into the office to confront Angela regarding the affair, but she continues to hold back, as everyone else looks on. Andy then confronts Dwight about it and challenges him to a duel in the parking lot over who gets Angela, which Dwight accepts. Angela finds this flattering. Jim, acting in Michael's stead, concedes that he does not have the power to prevent them from fighting outside of work, but he locates and confiscates most of Dwight's hidden weaponry throughout the office.
Meanwhile in New York, Michael is nervous as to why David Wallace called a meeting with him. He is, however, surprised and relieved to hear that David is proud of Michael for making the Scranton branch the most successful one, as the other branches are struggling due to the current economic crisis. David wants to know what Michael is doing to make his branch productive and Michael is unable to come up with a reason, speaking off topic for most of the meeting, but David understands that it is hard for someone to come up with a self-evaluation and lets him leave. Michael then thanks David for holding him in high esteem.
Dwight waits in the parking lot for Andy, who doesn't show up on time. Dwight then finds a note hanging in the bushes in an empty parking space from Andy, saying he is giving up. Andy is actually in his car (a Toyota Prius), which, as Oscar points out, is silent below 5 MPH (due to the electric motor). Because Dwight is unable to hear him, Andy drives into the empty space and pins Dwight between the car and the bush. After much banter between the two--in which Andy complains about Angela's affair, and Dwight makes fun of how pathetic he thinks Andy is--Andy reveals he had slept with Angela only twice. Dwight is shocked as Angela told him she was only sleeping with Dwight. They both head back into the office, where Andy makes a call to cancel his wedding cake (which was shaped like a sailboat) and Dwight throws out his bobblehead doll, which was a gift from Angela, as a dismayed Angela looks on.
Reception
"It’s more impressive stuff from the writers of The Office as they negotiate their way out of a bad storyline to an appropriate finish. That takes some skill and some good actors." - The TV Critic's Review
Cast
Main Cast
- Steve Carell as Michael Scott
- John Krasinski as Jim Halpert
- Jenna Fischer as Pam Beesly
- Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute
- B.J. Novak as Ryan Howard
Supporting Cast
- Ed Helms as Andy Bernard
- Leslie David Baker as Stanley Hudson
- Brian Baumgartner as Kevin Malone
- Creed Bratton (actor) as Creed Bratton
- Kate Flannery as Meredith Palmer
- Mindy Kaling as Kelly Kapoor
- Angela Kinsey as Angela Martin
- Oscar Nunez as Oscar Martinez
- Craig Robinson as Darryl Philbin
- Phyllis Smith as Phyllis Vance
Recurring Cast
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