Season four is definitely an unconventional one for the hit NBC comedy, The Office. Because of the writers’ strike, there is an abbreviated number of episodes. However, many of the early installments in the season are plus-sized episodes. It’s a tricky part of the show’s run, but it is wholly worthwhile. It is when The Office is at its finest clip narratively, clicking along at a hilarious and thoughtful pace. Jim and Pam’s relationship is begun in earnest and Ryan’s vice president job in New York makes for a ton of great content for the show to mine.
Fortunately, the great users over at IMDB have given fans a way to rank the episodes, according to the individual ratings they received.
“Dunder Mifflin Infinity” - 8.3
Relationships are abundant in “Dunder Mifflin Infinity,” an episode penned by the great Michael Schur. When Ryan returns to Scranton, Kelly makes a desperate ploy to reconnect with him. However, at the same time, Dwight and Angela’s relationship is on the rocks, just as Jim and Pam’s coupling is beginning to flourish (and subsequently exposed to their coworkers).
But the episode is most famous for Michael’s identity crisis and fear that he is growing old and out of touch. It leads him down a classic road of misguided decisions, culminating in him driving his car into a lake after trusting his GPS.
“Launch Party” - 8.4
“Launch Party” is the episode that immediately follows up “Dunder Mifflin Infinity” and continues the arc of Ryan trying to establish a website for Dunder Mifflin. In the installment, there are a ton of moving parts. Jim and Michael drive about halfway to New York before they realize that Ryan’s party is for a web chat forum, rather than an in-person get-together. Angela attempts to throw a party in Scranton (while Andy attempts to woo her). A pizza delivery boy is kidnapped after the wrong pizza is ordered. And Dwight attempts to defeat a computer in terms of sale count.
It is a testament to the brilliance of The Office that one episode could contain so many iconic moments and not even feel slightly overstuffed.
“Branch Wars” - 8.5
“Branch Wars” is a hilarious installment of The Office that comes from the high-pedigree team of Mindy Kaling as writer and Joss Whedon as director. The main conceit of the episode is that Karen, running Dunder Mifflin in Utica, attempts to coax Stanley to work for her branch, instead of Scranton.
What results are classic foibles from Michael as he leads a coup, with Jim and Dwight, to the branch, in order to prank her. Seeing those three in a car with false mustaches is one of the show’s funniest singular images.
“Night Out” - 8.6
In another episode written by Mindy Kaling, “Night Out” does a lot of work for the future of The Office. It begins to show that Ryan is addicted to drugs in New York, which is obviously a crucial plot development.
Additionally, it begins the storyline of Toby moving away from Scranton to go to Costa Rica. Of course, the episode does not reach this point without laying on the cringe factor. Watching Toby inadvertently grab Pam’s knee in an act of flirting is still one of the most uncomfortable moments the show ever pulled off.
“The Deposition” - 8.7
“The Deposition” is another episode of The Office’s fourth season that ranks as one of the funniest. The B-plot of the episode, focusing on a ping pong table in the warehouse, is solid, but it is nowhere near as funny as the main plotline.
When Jan sues Dunder Mifflin, Michael is called in as a witness against his own company. Of course, he gets caught in the middle and becomes unsure of who to be loyal to. But hearing Michael’s diary read and seeing Toby’s uproarious reaction to is a classic moment of The Office that made all the Jan troubles worth it.
“Money” - 8.7
“Money” has to go down as one of the best episodes ever made of The Office. In terms of singular moments, it produced an iconic one when Michael storms into the office and yells, “I declare bankruptcy!” But in terms of arcs, few are as satisfying to watch as the ones in “Money.” The audience gets to see a different side of Jan when she comforts Michael about their money problems.
And the audience sees a different side of the Dwight and Jim friendship when the latter comforts the former over his break-up with Angela. But not before the hilarious stay overnight at Schrute Farms dominates the laughs of the episode.
“Local Ad” - 8.8
“Local Ad” is a great episode if one would want to introduce the show to someone. It is hilarious in its own right, but there is also an aspect of sweetness to it. The main story of the episode sees Michael attempting to put together his own commercial for Dunder Mifflin.
Things don’t quite go according to plan, but it is still cool to watch the office rally around Michael’s ambitions and his creativity. The ad he produces in the end? It is actually pretty well-done! Not only is “Local Ad” emblematic of The Office, but it is also one of the best to watch and relax to.
“Fun Run” - 8.8
“Fun Run” is the season four premiere of The Office and the show made it clear that it was back in a major way when it began with Michael hitting Meredith with his car. Chaos can only ensue from that point, which results in Michael organizing a 5K race to support rabies awareness or cures or something. (It’s never clear with Michael.)
The episode also finally gives viewers confirmation that Jim and Pam are dating, a lovely moment which was three seasons in the making! “Fun Run” is among the show’s most important and transformative episodes.
“Goodbye, Toby” - 9.3
With “Fun Run” as the premiere of season four, “Goodbye, Toby” was the arc’s finale. Following Toby’s impulsive decision to move to Costa Rica, Michael throws a massive bash to celebrate the riddance of his most hated employee. As such, Holly is introduced as Toby’s replacement, to hilarious and heartwarming results. (Though, the mileage may vary on that.)
The episode also sees the dual proposals of Jim and Pam versus Andy and Angela, prompting the episode to end with a massive cliffhanger: the reveal that Dwight and Angela are still hooking up.
“Dinner Party” - 9.4
“Dinner Party” is a polarizing episode. There are a select few out there who find the episode too cringe-worthy and uncomfortable to watch. But the vast majority recognize it as one of the funniest episodes in the history of television. The titular dinner party takes place at Michael and Jan’s condo and sees the couples of Jim and Pam, Andy and Angela, and Dwight and his babysitter show up.
What follows is the hysterical destruction of societal norms as the gang is trapped in a dinner party with no dinner and only disquieting games. Every single scene and every single line is hysterical and “Dinner Party” is one of the best to ever come from The Office.
