The Job

"The Job" is the twenty-third episode of the third season of The Office. It was written by Paul Lieberstein and Michael Schur and directed by Ken Kwapis. It first aired on May 17, 2007 and was an hour-long episode.

Synopsis

Michael is overconfident that he will be getting the corporate job. He has sold his condo on eBay and names Dwight as his successor as Regional Manager. Back in Scranton, Oscar, Kelly and Stanley poke fun at Pam's speech at the beach (in "Beach Games"), but Pam insists the evening was an important milestone in her life and reveals that she and Jim had privately agreed to try to mend their friendship. Pam explains to Karen that she is not sorry about what she said, but does regret putting Karen in such an awkward position. In an interview, Karen calls Pam "kind of a bitch."

In an attempt to win Michael back, Jan arrives at the office telling him that she's been more confident and better than ever after taking a vacation. In a panic, Michael consults the women of the office. Pam tells him to be strong and to not get back together with her. Michael attempts to reject Jan's request, but reverses himself immediately when he sees that Jan had a breast augmentation. Soon after, Jim and Karen leave to spend the night in New York City before their interviews. Karen tells Jim that if either of them gets the job, both should move to New York. She promises to do so, but is met with awkward silence when she asks Jim to reciprocate. Back in Scranton, Dwight begins his new regime, assigning Andy the role of his No. 2. Not surprisingly, Dwight's new motivational style is not popular. He and Andy repaint the walls of Dwight's new office black in order to instill fear.

During his interview at Corporate, Michael learns from CFO David Wallace that he is interviewing for the job currently held by Jan, who will be fired. Michael immediately tells Jan, who storms into Wallace's office while he's interviewing Karen and has an emotional breakdown. Jan refuses to leave, and must be escorted out by security. As Michael leaves, Wallace tells him that he won't be getting the position. While being driven home by Michael, Jan begins to realize that she's ruined her career and ponders making their relationship her "full-time job," much to Michael's visible discomfort.

Karen leaves to meet friends for lunch, asking Jim to call her when his interview is finished. Jim's interview with David begins very well. When asked for his sales report numbers, Jim discovers Pam had slipped in an encouraging note along with a yogurt lid medal (a reference to a scene from "Office Olympics"). Jim, visibly distracted, stumbles through the rest of the interview until Wallace asks him where Jim thinks he will be in ten years. The scene flashes back to Jim and Pam's talk after her confession on the beach. He tells her why he left and how he feels that he has never really come back. She tells him that she wishes that he would. After the interview, Jim drives back to Scranton without Karen.

In her interview, Pam says she is convinced Jim will be hired in New York. She reaffirms that she is fine with the way things worked out with her and Jim, and that they just "never got the timing right." Her interview is interrupted when Jim bursts in and asks her if she is available that evening for dinner. Pam, who is caught completely off-guard, answers, "Yes." Jim replies, "All right, then it's a date," and leaves just as quickly as he arrived. Pam smiles with tears in her eyes.

The episode and season end with Wallace offering the job over the phone to Ryan, despite the fact that in the previous episode "Business School" Michael said that Ryan had never made a sale. Wallace indicates that Ryan's MBA was a key factor. A gleeful Ryan accepts and says without missing a beat to a nosy Kelly: "You and I are done."

Deleted scenes

Michael takes photographs of the office as mementos. Inspired by Pam's speech in "Beach Games", Michael tells Toby that he hates him and then exults at how good it feels to 'get that off (his) chest'. Toby barely reacts to this news. As Michael leaves for his interview, Toby wishes him good luck and Michael snarls at Toby for jinxing him, adding that everyone in the office hates Toby as much as he does, to no response from anyone else.
Ryan chuckles at a fax he receives. When Pam asks him what the fax said, he grins and says he'll tell her if she'll promise not to make a speech about it to everyone in two years (describing Pam's speech at the end of "Beach Games") and Pam grins good-naturedly. Meanwhile, Kevin continues comparing Pam and Karen.
Michael bids a confused farewell to the accounting department.
Dwight caresses his new office. Michael asks him not to change anything for one month to allow the staff to grieve.
Michael finds an apartment in Jamaica, Queens, on his transit line's very last stop, where he will room with Vijay Chokalingham and live directly over an Indian restaurant.
Additional scenes from Andy's interview with Dwight. Andy says, among other things, that "Eli Edison" invented the cotton mill and goes through a several step description of how to do an emergency appendectomy.
Extension of Andy's "my brain" talking head interview.
In a talking head interview in his new office, Dwight describes his management style.
Extension of Pam's "Absolutely I do."
Kelly gives Pam erroneous advice about Jim's feelings for her, telling Pam that "he's just not that into you." In a talking head interview, Pam realizes that she and Kelly have nothing in common.
Michael answers the interview question, "Where do you see yourself in ten years?"
Dwight sits behind his new desk, and Angela tells him he looks "like Sean Hannity."
Several of the office workers talk about who will get the Corporate job, and Kevin is insistent that Karen will be the winner. In a talking head interview, Kevin says that he bet a friend at the Albany branch one month's salary that Karen would get the job, and realizes that he might have a gambling addiction.
Additional scenes from Dwight's conference room presentation.
Creed produces $2.1 million in counterfeit Schrute Bucks and demands that they be converted to their cash equivalent.
In a talking head interview, Dwight discusses how he can't pal around with his colleagues now that he is the boss.
Dwight and Andy paint Dwight's office.
Additional footage of Michael's face-saving speech when he returns to Scranton.
In a talking head interview, Dwight reflects on his one-day reign as regional manager.
Stanley tells Michael he never thought he'd say this, but he's glad Michael is back. Michael opens his arms to offer Stanley a hug, but Stanley just looks at him and then walks back to his desk.
As Michael settles back into his office, he talks about how he loves Scranton, then mentions Jan is moving in with him the next day. Jan gives specific orders to the movers while Michael watches her with abject horror.

The Job

Contents

Synopsis

Deleted scenes

Trivia

Cast

Main Cast

Supporting Cast

Recurring Cast

Guest Cast

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