Despite the success The Office had during its initial run on cable, the show's popularity has exploded ten-fold in the age of streaming. Becoming the spirit show for millennials all over the globe, The Office became one of the most iconic shows of all-time. We’re here to rank every episode, 1 to 201.
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Here at The Circuit, we loooooove The Office. It’s probably collectively our favorite show. It’s an endless well of content, from ranking the best characters to arguing who the villain of the show is (that article coming soon to The Circuit). But we begin our Office content with perhaps the most ambitious of them all; ranking all 201 episodes of the American workplace sitcom.
Before we begin it’s important to note this is entirely objective. These rankings are final. If you have a different opinion, then we’ll agree that you’re wrong (but seriously, there are 201 of these f*cking things. Our rankings will differ, and that’s okay. As long as we agree that each episode is great, and it’s like choosing a favorite amongst your 201 children. Your poor wife).
For each episode, we’ll provide:
A brief one-line recap of the episode
Reasoning for the ranking
Iconic quote from the episode
Winner of the episode
Every day for the next seven days, The Circuit will release episode rankings, leading to the ultimate reveal of the top episodes, plus the characters with the most wins! This second post will feature episodes #151-#175, the "lower-tier" 25 episode in the nine-season run of the show.
#151: Fundraiser (Season 8, episode 22)
One-line recap: The office goes to a fundraiser to support dogs, and Andy goes despite being fired very recently.
Reasoning: While I don’t love the Andy storyline after Get the Girl, I do enjoy the fundraiser where Dwight doesn’t understand what a silent auction is and Kevin thinks it’s really, really weird.
Iconic quote: “I knew this would happen! Everybody told me if I moved to America, I’d be murdered.”- Nellie Bertram
Winner: Kevin Malone! Kevin actually displays a rare moment of emotional intelligence when he recognizes that Andy going to the fundraiser is really weird. Plus he gets an incredibly low-maintenance dog from the fundraiser to keep him company at home, despite her unbelievable smell.
#152: Angry Andy (Season 8, episode 21)
One-line recap: Andy returns to find Nellie doing his job and he gets very angry and punches the wall yet again.
Reasoning: This is a great call-back to when Andy first punched the wall, and seeing Erin join in is even better. We also get a great Ryan vs. Pam rivalry as she does everything in her power to sabotage him and Kelly.
Iconic quote: ““Take a man’s job, but leave him his balls.” Margaret Thatcher said that… probably. Don’t know. Don’t read. Didn’t see the movie.”- Nellie Bertram
Winner: Nellie Bertram! While her reign is about to come to an end, she does out victorious in this episode against Andy.
#153: Dwight Christmas (Season 9, episode 9)
One-line recap: Dwight dresses up as Belsnickel for the office, Erin and Pete grow closer, and Nellie kisses Toby.
Reasoning: I love Belsnickel, seeing Dwight decide who is impish and who is admirable. Plus we get perhaps the most touching moment ever in the show between Jim and Dwight when Jim comes back and Dwight beats Pam to hug him. Plus Darryl falling through the table is iconic.
Iconic quote: “Jim Halpert. Cheer or fear? Belsnickel is here! I judge your year as impish.”- Dwight Schrute
Winner: Darryl Philbin! He gets very drunk, and even though he spends most of the episode upset, he ultimately gets what he wants in a job opportunity in Philadelphia with Jim’s new company.
#154 & 155: The Delivery Parts 1 & 2 (Season 6, episodes 17 & 18)
One-line recap: Jim and Pam are about to have their baby, but run into speed bumps (both figuratively and literally) before and after the birth.
Reasoning: This show marks the start of a new chapter for the show, taking Jim and Pam from the cute office couple to parents. We get some great moments before Pam goes to the hospital, and some amazing Dwight moments destroying their home. Plus a very rude nurse.
Iconic quote: “Great. I will do that. Sorry, Pam, I just feel a little bit frazzled. And you know how very rarely I use that word. Frazzled.”- Jim Halpert
Winner: Jim & Pam! Our first co-winners of the series, but there is really no way to break this tie. They become parents in this episode, and we couldn’t be happier to watch them start this journey.
#156: The Meeting (Season 6, episode 2)
One-line recap: Jim meets with David Wallace to talk about a promotion and Michael doesn’t handle it well.
Reasoning: We get some great Michael spy tactics in this episode with the help of Andy, plus we see Toby and Dwight team up to try and bust Darryl. And Big Tuna gets his Big Break.
Iconic quote: “I can’t believe this. Hey you, asshole!... You gonna eat all that dog food yourself?”- Toby Flenderson
Winner: Jim Halpert! Jim gets promoted to co-manager, meaning a big raise and a big win over Dwight.
#157: The Promotion (Season 6, episode 3)
One-line recap: Michael and Jim need to figure who to give raises to, and they quickly find that everyone in the office would like more money.
Reasoning: We get our first glimpse at Jim and Michael working together… and it does not go well. We get some great antics with beans, and then we get a very touching moment when Michael gives Jim a World’s Greatest Boss mug.
Iconic quote: “I’ve been studying Michael for years, and I’ve condensed what I’ve learned into this chart. How Michael spends his time. As you can see, we have procrastinating and distracting others, and this tiny sliver here is critical thinking. I made it bigger, so that you could see it.”- Jim Halpert
Winner: Michael Scott! Very close call between Michael and Jim, but Michael gets the nod because now he has someone to help him make the unpopular decisions and to hideout with in his office.
#158: Women’s Appreciation (Season 3, episode 22)
One-line recap: After Phyllis gets flashed in the parking lot, Michael takes the women to the mall for Women’s Appreciation day.
Reasoning: Michael interacting with a woman is always intriguing, but here we get him with all the women of the office. We also get Meredith driving, and Dwight hunting… himself.
Iconic quote: “The guy was just hanging brain. I mean, what’s all the fuss?”- Creed Bratton
Winner: Pam Beesly! She gets to go to the mall during work, and she changes a tire which is yet another big step of independence for her character.
#159: Grief Counseling (Season 3, episode 4)
One-line recap: Michael learns that his old boss is dead, Jim helps Karen get the chips she wants, and the office holds a funeral for a bird.
Reasoning: This episode goes a long way in teaching Michael about life and death, and helps him mature, plus we see the beginnings of Jim and Karen which is an underrated relationship in the series.
Iconic quote: “Well, you know what? I didn’t wanna hear about it either, Stanley, but I did and now I can’t stop picturing it. He leaves work, he’s on his way home… wham! His cappa is detated from his head!”- Michael Scott
Winner: Karen Filippelli! She gets to spend all day flirting with Jim, plus she gets her favorite chips. Pretty great day.
#160: Hot Girl (Season 1, episode 6)
One-line recap: Katy comes into the office to sell purses, and is immediately hit on by basically every guy in the office.
Reasoning: The addition of Amy Adams is a welcomed one, and seeing Michael and Dwight fight over here is great, and it’s nice to see Jim make Pam jealous for a change.
Iconic quote: “Wow. How many filet-o-fishes did you eat?”- Ryan Howard
Winner: Jim Halpert! He gets to take Katy home, plus he makes Pam jealous. 2 for 1.
#161: Valentine’s Day (Season 2, episode 16)
One-line recap: Jan and Michael have a meeting in New York with the CFO, Dwight gives Angela a key to his place, and Pam is mad at Roy for not getting her gifts on Valentine’s Day.
Reasoning: Michael and Jan are much better before they really become a couple, and this episode highlights that. Plus we get the beginning of the Ryan and Kelly Ka-Who? Relationship in this episode.
Iconic quote: “I hooked up with her on February 13th.”- Ryan Howard
Winner: Kelly Kapore! Ryan hooks up with her the night before Valentine’s Day, which begins their life-long roller coaster of a relationship.
#162: Whistleblower (Season 6, episode 26)
One-line recap: The press finds out about Sabre printers catching fire, so Jo Bennett arrives in Scranton to find out who the leak was and take care of them.
Reasoning: What we think is a straight-forward case with Andy being the one to leak the story, is actually a wild winding mystery as there prove to be many different sources. We also get Jo, the IT guy, and Michael asks Jo to bring Holly back, planting the seeds for season 7.
Iconic quote: “We should give him a one-way ticket to Montego Bay, where they keep all the al-Qaeda.”- Michael Scott
Winner: Michael Scott! He gets a lot of facetime with Jo, something he’s wanted all season, and Jo tells him that she’ll work on bringing Holly back to Scranton.
#163: The Sting (Season 7, episode 5)
One-line recap: Jim and Dwight are bested by Danny Cordray on a sale, so they join forces with Michael to learn his tactics.
Reasoning: Seeing Jim and Dwight team up for a sales call never gets old, and watching Meredith completely ruin the sting by coming onto Danny is a classic Office scene.
Iconic quote: “Well, I know a lot of you thought that my sales days were behind me, and to be honest, so did I…and the only reason I got out of the sales game was to be reluctantly called back in.”- Michael Scott
Winner: Danny Cordray! What an introduction to the show for Danny, plus his life gets better thanks to Michael Scott.
#164: Junior Salesman (Season 9, episode 13)
One-line recap: Dwight is tasked with hiring a new part-time salesman, and resorts to only interviewing his friends… and Clark.
Reasoning: Dwight has had many memorable friends over the show, and here we get them all in one room. And Clark.
Iconic quote: “Next up, my cousin Mose. Mose could make a great paper salesman. He’s got a natural fear of paper, which would motivate him to get as much of it out of this office as possible. I’ve got big expectations, Mose-wise.”- Dwight Schrute
Winner: Clark Green! Clark is able to beat out all of Dwight’s friends to win the sales job, plus he gets a highly coveted seat next to Pam and Dwight.
#165: The Cover-Up (Season 6, episode 24)
One-line recap: The office convinces Michael that Donna is cheating on him, and Andy uncovers some troubling truths about sabre printers.
Reasoning: Michael is finally in a great relationship… until the office convinces him she’s cheating. So, naturally he sends Dwight to investigate her at the gym. Plus Darryl pranking Andy is a fun sequence. Plus we see the morse code cold-open.
Iconic quote: “I don’t wanna prank anymore. Things get real. It’s not funny. I’m just gonna be good, stay in my room, go to church, try to do one nice thing per day. I do not wanna prank anymore.”- Darryl Philbin
Winner: Creed Bratton! He gets $3 from Darnell to intimidate Andy when he would have done a lot more for a lot less.
#166: Body Language (Season 6, episode 23)
One-line recap: Jim and Pam try to sell to Donna, but Michael comes onto her multiple times throughout the day, only to discover she is actually into him.
Reasoning: It’s always fun to see Michael misread situations, especially romantic situations. This episode makes us believe he has misread things all day, but it turns out he was right all along.
Iconic quote: “I’m not saying she’s in love with him. But she could have left a while ago. Most printer sales are done over the phone, Ms. Boob shirt.”- Pam Beesly
Winner: Michael Scott! Even though he’s about to be heartbroken in the next episode, he ends up getting the girl and the sale.
#167 & 168: Lecture Circuit Parts 1 & 2 (Season 5, episode 16 & 17)
One-line recap: Michael and Pam are going around to different branches to talk about Scranton’s success, while Jim and Dwight need to plan a birthday party for Kelly.
Reasoning: We see Jim and Dwight go at it so often, it’s a real treat to see them working together to throw an incredibly awful party for Kelly. And we see Michael have to confront Holly’s new boyfriend, which goes terribly wrong.
Iconic quote: “I want to get that image out of my head. The psychological issues that go behind licking a cat, are not things I want to go into. Also, I’m pretty sure she coughed up a hairball.”- Oscar Martinez
Winner: Kelly Kapore! She goes through a lot in these episodes, but eventually she does get ehr party and gets to nap at work.
#169: Baby Shower (Season 5, episode 4)
One-line recap: The office throws a baby shower for Jan’s child, who turns out has already been born.
Reasoning: This episode gives us an all-time cold open with Dwight giving birth to a watermelon to help Michael prepare for the birth. Plus Dwight tests out a stroller very thoroughly, and all of Kevin’s games are ruined.
Iconic quote: “Jan is about to have a baby with a sperm donor. And Michael is preparing for the birth of a watermelon with Dwight. Now, this baby will be related to Michael through delusion.”- Jim Halpert
Winner: Jan Levinson! Not many winners in this episode, but at least she has a baby.
#170: Cocktails (Season 3, episode 18)
One-line recap: David Wallace throws a party for select Dunder Mifflin employees, meanwhile Pam tries to work things out with Roy.
Reasoning: We get to see Michael and Jan flaunt their relationship very awkwardly, Jim gets to shoot hoops with Wallace, Dwight tests the structural integrity of the house, and Karen pranks Jim.
Iconic quote: “I am taking a calculated risk. What’s the upside? I overcome my nausea, fall deeply in love, babies, normalcy, no more self loathing. Downside? I, uh, date Michael Scott publicly and collapse in on myself like a dying star.”- Jan Levinson
Winner: Pam Beesly! It might not seem like she’s the winner, but her interaction with Roy at the bar is the final straw in this relationship, and she finally takes back her life and gains independence.
#171: Boys and Girls (Season 2, episode 15)
One-line recap: Jan holds a seminar with the women, Michael with the men, and talks of unionization swirl around the office.
Reasoning: What’s better than Michael & Jan? Michael vs. Jan. Their relationship works much better as work adversaries than lovers (sans Dinner Party), so it’s fun to see them go head to head in this episode.
Iconic quote: “What about second base? Like if Michael said that he got to second base with you? Does that mean you like closed a deal?”- Kelly Kapore
Winner: Phyllis Vance! There are basically no winners in this episode. But she loves girl talk, so she wins.
#172: Email Surveillance (Season 2, episode 9)
One-line recap: Jim throws a party while Michael is at his improv class.
Reasoning: We see Ken Jeong! We see Jim’s place! And we see some great interactions at the barbeque.
Iconic quote: “Just because two people are hanging out, it doesn’t mean that they’re together, you know? Like people can just be friends. And I think that it was really unfair to think that there was anything else going on.”- Pam Beesly
Winner: Jim Halpert! Everyone seems to have a great time at his party, plus Pam hangs out in his bedroom.
#173: Costume Contest (Season 7, episode 6)
One-line recap: It’s Halloween again in Scranton, and this year there is a prize for the best costume.
Reasoning: We get to see Oscar manipulate the entire office with his intellect, Pam obsess over her past with Danny, and an all-time Kevin moment that will live on forever.
Iconic quote: “You think that I would let this happen again?! NO WAY JOSE.”- Kevin Malone
Winner: Oscar Martinez! He wins the costume contest as an irrational consumer, as it were.
#174: Spooked (Season 8, episode 5)
One-line recap: Erin is tasked to throw a Halloween party for Robert California, and Jim argues with Pam over whether or not ghosts are real.
Reasoning: This one should probably be higher, as we get some great moments between Andy and Robert, plus Jim and Pam arguing about ghosts is really cute and fun.
Iconic quote: “I just got a text from Broccoli Rob – “Boo!” Scared me. And then I got this text from Robert California – “Looking forward to Halloween party. Expectations are high.” Scared the s**t out of me.”- Andy Bernard
Winner: Robert California! Really no winners amongst the main cast, so the tie goes to the Lizard King.
#175: Performance Review (season 3, episode 8)
One-line recap: Michael asks for advice on a message left from Jan, while Jim & Pam convince Dwight it’s Friday instead of Thursday.
Reasoning: This is one of the funnier pranks Jim ever pulls on Dwight, convincing him it’s Friday, not Thursday. And the payoff is incredible at the end when we see Dwight sprint in late with his clothes all disoriented.
Iconic quote: “Never missed a day, my ass.”- Michael Scott
Winner: Michael Scott! Jan admits he’s attractive, and despite everything else she says is wrong with him, that seems to be all he hears.