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| Director = [[Paul Feig]]
 
| Director = [[Paul Feig]]
 
| Prev = [[Frame Toby]]
 
| Prev = [[Frame Toby]]
| Next = [[Moroccan Christmas]]}}'''The Surplus''' is the tenth episode of the fifth season of ''[[The Office (US)|The Office]]'' and the show's 74th episode overall. It was written by [[Lee Eisenberg]] and [[Gene Stupnitsky]] and directed by [[Paul Feig]]. It first aired December 4, 2008. It was viewed by 8.33 million people.
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| Next = [[Moroccan Christmas]]}}'''The Surplus''' is the tenth episode of the fifth season of ''[[The Office (US)|The Office]]'' and the show's 74th episode overall. It was written by [[Lee Eisenberg]] and [[Gene Stupnitsky]] and directed by [[Paul Feig]]. It first aired December 4, 2008. It was viewed by 8.33 million people..
   
 
==Synopsis==
 
==Synopsis==

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The Surplus is the tenth episode of the fifth season of The Office and the show's 74th episode overall. It was written by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky and directed by Paul Feig. It first aired December 4, 2008. It was viewed by 8.33 million people..

Synopsis

Oscar informs Michael that the office must spend a $4300 surplus or lose it in next year's budget. When Michael opens up the floor for suggestions, factions break out and office employees square off against one another in order to get what they want. Oscar suggests that they replace the copier while Pam suggests they buy new chairs. Jim takes Oscar's side, much to Pam's shock, because he started making copies himself since he and Pam started dating and knows how bad the copier is, while the rest of the employees side with Pam. Toby is the only employee who does not choose a side. He instead suggests that they get the air quality in the office tested saying that there is radon coming from downstairs and asbestos coming from the ceiling, and calls them "silent killers", to which Michael replies that Toby is the silent killer. Pam notices the copier malfunctioning when she uses it, but still wants to replace the chairs. Michael feels indifferent about the matter, so both sides start warming up to him to win him over. Jim and Oscar take Michael out for lunch, while Pam puts on more make-up and starts to hit on Michael.

Meanwhile, Angela and Andy visit Schrute Farms to discuss wedding plans with Dwight. Dwight holds a mock wedding in a barn, with Dwight playing Andy and Andy playing Angela's father. A Mennonite minister who only speaks German plays the minister and performs the mock-ceremony. Dwight goes through the steps of the wedding, putting a ring made of twine on Angela's finger and having them both say "I do" to each other. Angela appears to be very happy with Dwight and tells him that she made a mistake getting together with Andy. Dwight acknowledges her mistake and tells her that the mock wedding was an actual wedding since Andy technically acted as their witness and the supposedly fake minister was actually marrying them in German. He tells her that this was why he allowed her to have her wedding to Andy on his farm, and she angrily storms off. Back in the office, Angela passionately kisses Andy in front of everybody and tells him that she is going into town to take care of a "legal issue" (presumably annulling her marriage to Dwight).

Michael still remains indifferent regarding what to buy, so he brings in a third party: Hank the security guard. However, Hank is more interested in staying in the warm office than making a decision so Michael calls CFO David Wallace to help settle the matter. David informs Michael that he has the option of turning in the surplus, which would result in him getting paid a bonus equal to 15% of it. Michael then tells the employees that he is not going to replace the copier nor the chairs, but Oscar realizes that Michael now knows about the 3rd option (Michael says "645 dollars" when Oscar asks him what 15% of 4300 is instead of just saying 645). Michael becomes indecisive again and, unable to take the employees' intrusive behavior anymore, delegates the decision-making to them, hoping that they will be unable to come to a consensus so that he can take the bonus. The employees quickly decide to have the chairs replaced instead of having nothing replaced. Michael is upset because he already bought a fur coat when he expected to receive the bonus from the surplus, and because a group of people threw a bucket of fake blood on his coat when he walked out of the store. Throughout the day, Jim and Pam try to get each other to switch sides. Pam gives Jim a scare, implying that he should switch to her side. Jim later shudders in a talking head spot, amazed at Pam's ultimatum. At the end of the episode, Jim gets back at Pam for getting the chairs replaced by having her make three copies of a document on the copier, initially telling her he is kidding. He then reveals that he actually needs four copies, doing so in the same way Pam had mock threatened him earlier.

Deleted scenes

  • Dwight states half his ancestors came on a U-boat.
  • Jim tried to scare Dwight with a screamer video but it seemingly backfired when Dwight knew what it was, but as he watched it anyway Jim popped up next to him in a mask.

Cultural references

  • Michael mispronounces "ergonomically" as "urkelnomically". Urkel was the nerd on the television comedy Family Matters.
  • A U-boat is a German submarine. They became notorious in the First and Second World War for hunting Allied cargo ships and for their high casualty rates; of the 40,000 U-boat sailors in World War II, 30,000 never returned.
  • Andy whistles Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D major as he takes Angela down the aisle at the mock wedding. The song is commonly used at weddings as the processional.

Trivia

Cast

Main cast

Supporting cast

Recurring cast

Guest cast

  • Potsch Boyd as Mennonite Priest