"Broke" is the twenty-fifth episode of the fifth season of the television series ''
The Office
''The Office'' is a mockumentary sitcom created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, first made in the United Kingdom, then Germany, and subsequently the United States. It has since been remade in ten other countries.
The original series of ...
'', and the 97th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
in the United States on April 23, 2009. In this episode,
Michael
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...
learns his paper company is broke, and tries to keep this fact a secret when
Dunder Mifflin
Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, Inc. is a fictional paper and office supplies wholesale company featured in the American television series ''The Office''. It is analogous to Wernham Hogg in the British original of the series, and Papiers Jennings ...
offers to buy out the Michael Scott Paper Company since the company has stolen most of Dunder Mifflin Scranton's core clients.
The episode was written by
Charlie Grandy
Charles Brendan Grandy (born March 5, 1974) is an American stand-up comedian, television writer and producer. He began his career on the television series ''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart'', ''Saturday Night Live'', ''The Office'', and ''Guys ...
and directed by
Steve Carell
Steven John Carell (; born August 16, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He played Michael Scott (The Office), Michael Scott in ''The Office (American TV series), The Office'' (2005–2011; 2013), NBC’s adaptation of the The Office (B ...
, marking his directorial debut. "Broke" was the last of a six-episode arc involving Michael quitting to start the
Michael Scott Paper Company
"Michael Scott Paper Company" is the twenty-third episode of the fifth season of the television series ''The Office'', and the 95th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on April 9, 2009.
In the episode, ...
; it was also the last of six episodes to prominently feature
Idris Elba
Idrissa Akuna Elba (; born 6 September 1972) is an English actor. as Dunder Mifflin V.P.
Charles Miner
Charles Miner (February 1, 1780 – October 26, 1865) was an anti-slavery advocate and politician who served in the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives from 1807 to 1808 and the United States House of Representatives from 1825 to 1829. He ...
. According to
Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
, it was watched by 7.21 million viewers, and received the season's lowest rating in the 18–49 age group during its regular timeslot to that point in the season.
Plot
Michael Scott,
Pam Beesly
Pamela Morgan Halpert (née Beesly) is a fictional character on the U.S. TV series, television sitcom ''The Office (American TV series), The Office'', played by Jenna Fischer. Her counterpart in the original UK series of ''The Office (British TV ...
and
Ryan Howard
Ryan James Howard (born November 19, 1979), nicknamed "the Big Piece", is an American former professional baseball first baseman. Howard spent his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career playing for the Philadelphia Phillies, from to . He is ...
make paper deliveries in a used van. This routine, in addition to their duties at the Michael Scott Paper Company, takes such a toll on the group that they look into hiring a delivery person. They are told by their accountant that because of their low prices and fixed-cost pricing model, they not only cannot afford a delivery person, but will be bankrupt in another month.
At
Dunder Mifflin
Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, Inc. is a fictional paper and office supplies wholesale company featured in the American television series ''The Office''. It is analogous to Wernham Hogg in the British original of the series, and Papiers Jennings ...
,
Charles Miner
Charles Miner (February 1, 1780 – October 26, 1865) was an anti-slavery advocate and politician who served in the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives from 1807 to 1808 and the United States House of Representatives from 1825 to 1829. He ...
announces that the Scranton branch, previously the company's most profitable office, has lost ten major clients to Michael's company. Chief Financial Officer
David Wallace visits Scranton to see what can be done to stem the losses. In an about-face from his no-nonsense persona, Charles sucks up to David. David calls a meeting with Charles and
Jim Halpert
James "Jim" Duncan Halpert is a fictional character in the U.S. version of the television sitcom ''The Office'', portrayed by John Krasinski. He is introduced as a sales representative at the Scranton branch of paper distribution company Dunder ...
, but Charles insists
Dwight Schrute
Dwight Kurt Schrute III () is a fictional character on ''The Office (U.S.)'' and is portrayed by American actor Rainn Wilson. Dwight's character was a salesman and the assistant to the regional manager, at the fictional paper distribution compan ...
be present because he is Charles's right-hand man. During the meeting, Dwight embarrasses Charles with outlandish suggestions.
David decides the cheapest option is for Dunder Mifflin to buy out the Michael Scott Paper Company. Jim has learned the company's financial situation from Pam but feigns uncertainty when asked whether Michael is likely to be interested in a buyout. At David and Charles's orders, Jim brings the idea of a buyout to Michael, reassuring Michael that Dunder Mifflin is unaware of his company's financial situation. Dwight learns from a past client that Michael is begging customers for more money and informs Charles, but Jim manipulates their conversation so that Charles refuses to listen.
After Michael rejects an initial offer of $12,000 to buy the company, David suggests that he is bluffing, saying he knows that his company's prices are too low to be sustainable. Michael rebuts that Dunder Mifflin's best branch is "bleeding" and David could be replaced during an upcoming stockholder meeting. David gives a second offer of $60,000, but Michael rejects this offer at the last second and demands the company give him his old job back and hire Ryan and Pam as salespeople. David is reluctant to hire three people with full benefits, especially given Ryan's disastrous history with the company, and likens it to "a multimillion-dollar buyout". Michael refuses to back down, and David agrees to his demands.
As Charles leaves Scranton, Michael does not allow him any final words, mirroring Charles's earlier treatment of Michael.
Production
![Steve Carell November 2014](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Steve_Carell_November_2014.jpg)
"Broke" was written by Charlie Grandy and directed by Steve Carell, who made his directorial debut with the episode.
It was the last of a six-episode story arc involving Idris Elba's character Charles Miner,
although Elba has indicated the character would return in future episodes: "Mr. Charles doesn't leave the picture.
..My storyline has come to an end, but there is a good indication that the writers see my character coming back." Elba made an appearance in "
Company Picnic
"Company Picnic" is the fifth season finale of the American comedy television series ''The Office'', and the 100th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on May 14, 2009. In the episode, Michael plans to ...
", the fifth season finale. Elba said he did not watch "Broke" after it aired because "I'm hypercritical about my work, so I try not to torture myself."
The official website for ''The Office'' included three cut scenes from "Broke". In the first 90-second clip, Michael is running late because he overslept, and he instinctively runs into the Dunder Mifflin office by accident instead of his Michael Scott Paper Company office. In the second one-minute clip, Andy is angry that he cannot find his personalized coffee mug with his face on it, and he and the others around the office complain about losing their clients to Michael's new company. In the final 80-second clip, stress drives Ryan to the breaking point and he begins trashing the Michael Scott Paper Company Office, for which he quickly recovers and apologizes.
Reception
In its original American broadcast on April 23, 2009, "Broke" was watched by 7.21 million viewers, according to
Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
. The episode received a 3.7 rating/10 share among viewers aged 18–49, the lowest rating in that age group for the season during its regular timeslot. It received a 4.0 rating/12 share among viewers 18–34.
The episode received highly positive reviews. Alan Sepinwall of ''
The Star-Ledger
''The Star-Ledger'' is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to ''The Jersey Journal'' of Jersey City, ''The Times'' of Trenton and the '' Staten Island Advance'', all of wh ...
'' called "Broke" a "great, great" episode, although he said he wished the Michael Scott Paper Company arc could have lasted longer. Sepinwall praised touches such as the Korean women who were constantly getting into the sales van, and Michael's moment of nervousness on the elevator, and said the ending when Michael came through was particularly satisfying.
Will Leitch of ''
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
'' magazine described "Broke" as "a rousing, exuberant episode that continues one of ''The Office''
's best runs in history". Leitch said the negotiations during the latter half of the episode had genuine tension, and that all the storylines of the Michael Scott Paper Company arc were wrapped up perfectly. Travis Fickett of
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
said the episode was strong enough that it could have served as the season finale. He said the episode had many good throw-away moments, like Charles brown-nosing to David and realizing Dwight is eccentric, as well as several clever twists, like Jim's actions in tricking Dwight and helping the Michael Scott Paper Company get bought out. Eric Rezsnyak of the ''
City Newspaper
''City Newspaper'' is the alternative weekly newspaper of Rochester, New York. It was first published October 5, 1971 and is free in over 600 locations across Rochester and the Finger Lakes region. Owned by founders Mary Anna and Bill Towler fro ...
'' said the episode was a strong finale to the Michael Scott Paper Company arc, which was "probably the best thing to happen to the show in the last two seasons". Rezsnyak praised Michael's impressive actions in the episode and said he was curious to see how Michael's relationship with several of the supporting characters would be recast as a result of this episode.
Margaret Lyons of ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' said, Broke' was an incredibly brisk episode that covered a lot of ground, so it worked as a good capstone on the whole Michael-leaving-the-company plot." She also said although the plot arc was a good one, she looked forward to future episodes focusing more on the Dunder Mifflin supporting cast.
Rick Porter of
Zap2it praised the episode, but expressed concern that the show would grow more stale now that Michael, Pam and Ryan were back to their old jobs at Dunder Mifflin; Porter particularly complimented the new aspects of the Charles Miner character presented in "Broke", including his interaction with David and his exasperation with Dwight. Dan Hopper of
Best Week Ever
''Best Week Ever'' is an American comedy series created and executive produced by Fred Graver. The series originally aired from January 23, 2004, to June 12, 2009, on VH1.Harris, Scott"VH1 Cancels 'Best Week Ever'". ''Inside TV''. January 13, 20 ...
praised the episode and Michael's shrewdness, but also expressed worry that the quality of future episodes would dip now that Dunder Mifflin was back to normal. Nathan Rabin of ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' said of the episode, "Elba's stint on ''The Office'' went out on a high note. I'll miss his joyless scold of a middle manager but it's nice to have the gang reunited." Rabin also said the moment when Charles fails to listen when Dwight learns Michael's company is broke "rang a little false", but praised the episode as a whole.
Meghan Carlson of
BuddyTV
BuddyTV is an entertainment-based website, which generates content about television programs and sporting events. The website publishes information about celebrity and related entertainment news through a series of articles, entertainment profile ...
said she enjoyed seeing Michael so victorious at the end, and said, "as far as ends getting tied off cleanly, 'Broke' was an inspired episode, full of tension, suspense, and yes, humor."
"Broke" was voted the highest-rated episode out of 26 from the fifth season, according to an episode poll at the fansite ''OfficeTally''; the episode was rated 9.17 out of 10. For his work on this episode,
Charlie Grandy
Charles Brendan Grandy (born March 5, 1974) is an American stand-up comedian, television writer and producer. He began his career on the television series ''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart'', ''Saturday Night Live'', ''The Office'', and ''Guys ...
was nominated for a
Writers Guild of America Award
The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949.
Eligibility
Th ...
for
Best Screenplay – Episodic Comedy.
Steve Carell
Steven John Carell (; born August 16, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He played Michael Scott (The Office), Michael Scott in ''The Office (American TV series), The Office'' (2005–2011; 2013), NBC’s adaptation of the The Office (B ...
submitted this episode when he was nominated for the
, which he lost to
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae Baldwin III (born April 3, 1958) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. In his early career, Baldwin played both leading and supporting roles in a variety of films such as Tim Burton's ''Beetlejuice'' (1988), Mike Nichol ...
.
References
External links
"Broke"at
NBC.com
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
*
{{The Office US Episodes
2009 American television episodes
The Office (American season 5) episodes