"Diwali" is the sixth episode of the
third season of the American
comedy
Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...
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 o ...
'' and the show's 34th overall. It was written by
Mindy Kaling
Vera Mindy Chokalingam (born June 24, 1979),Additional archive on June 25, 2015. known professionally as Mindy Kaling (), is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter and producer. She first gained recognition starring as Kelly Kapoor in the N ...
, who also acts in the show as
Kelly Kapoor
Kelly Rajanigandha Kapoor is a fictional character from the American television series ''The Office'', portrayed by Mindy Kaling. She is the customer service representative at the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin from seasons 1 to 8. Followin ...
, and directed by
Miguel Arteta. The episode first aired on November 2, 2006, on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
, twelve days after the actual
Diwali holiday.
The series depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 U.S. census, Scranton is the largest city in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Wyoming V ...
, branch of the fictional
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 Jenning ...
Paper Company. In the episode, Kelly Kapoor (Mindy Kaling) invites the office to a Diwali celebration, where
Ryan Howard (
B. J. Novak) struggles to make a good impression on Kelly's parents and
Michael Scott (
Steve Carell
Steven John Carell (; born August 16, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He played Michael Scott in ''The Office'' (2005–2011; 2013), NBC’s adaptation of the British series created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, where Ca ...
) considers taking his relationship with
Carol Stills (
Nancy Carell
Nancy Ellen Walls Carell (born July 19, 1966) is an American actress, comedian, and writer best known for her work on ''Saturday Night Live'', ''The Daily Show'' and ''The Office''. In 2016, she co-created the TBS comedy series '' Angie Tribeca' ...
) to the next step. Meanwhile, at the
Stamford branch,
Jim Halpert (
John Krasinski) and
Andy Bernard
Andrew Baines Bernard is a fictional character from the NBC comedy television series ''The Office (U.S. TV series), The Office'', portrayed by Ed Helms. He is introduced in Season 3 as the Regional Director in Charge of Sales at the Stamford br ...
(
Ed Helms
Edward Parker Helms (born January 24, 1974) is an American actor and comedian. From 2002 to 2006, he was a correspondent on Comedy Central's ''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart''. He played paper salesman Andy Bernard in the NBC sitcom '' The Offi ...
) get drunk while working late, leading
Karen Filippelli
''The Office'' is an American television series based on the British television comedy of the same name. The format of the series is a parody of the fly on the wall documentary technique that intersperses traditional situation comedy segments w ...
(
Rashida Jones
Rashida Leah Jones (; born February 25, 1976) is an American actress.
Jones appeared as Louisa Fenn on the Fox drama series '' Boston Public'' (2000–2002), as Karen Filippelli on the NBC comedy series ''The Office'' (2006–2009; 2011), and ...
) to give Jim a ride home.
Kaling and executive producer
Greg Daniels
Gregory Martin Daniels (born June 13, 1963) is an American screenwriter, television producer, and director. He has worked on several television series, including writing for ''Saturday Night Live'' and ''The Simpsons'', adapting ''The Office (Am ...
came up with the episode idea after Kaling held a Diwali party in 2005 for series staff. She undertook research about
Indian culture
Indian culture is the heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, belief systems, political systems, artifacts and technologies that originated in or are associated with the ethno-linguistically diverse India. The term al ...
and the resulting episode was substituted in place of one that would have been Halloween-themed. The episode was directed by
Miguel Arteta. According to
Nielsen Media Research
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 rati ...
, an estimated 8.8 million viewers tuned in; it earned a 4.2/10 rating among adults aged 18 to 49, placing first in this demographic group. Critical reception to the episode was largely positive, with many praising Kaling's writing, Carell's performance, and other comedic elements. As a result of the episode, ''The Office'' became the first American comedy series to depict the holiday, and several commentators have credited it with helping introduce Indian customs to American audiences.
Plot
Kelly Kapoor
Kelly Rajanigandha Kapoor is a fictional character from the American television series ''The Office'', portrayed by Mindy Kaling. She is the customer service representative at the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin from seasons 1 to 8. Followin ...
(
Mindy Kaling
Vera Mindy Chokalingam (born June 24, 1979),Additional archive on June 25, 2015. known professionally as Mindy Kaling (), is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter and producer. She first gained recognition starring as Kelly Kapoor in the N ...
) invites the entire office staff to a celebration of
Diwali, the
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
Festival of Lights, which
Michael Scott (
Steve Carell
Steven John Carell (; born August 16, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He played Michael Scott in ''The Office'' (2005–2011; 2013), NBC’s adaptation of the British series created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, where Ca ...
) mistakenly believes to be an Indian version of
Halloween.
Ryan Howard (
B. J. Novak) fails to make a favorable impression on Kelly's parents, who in turn try to set up Kelly with a young doctor. Initially reluctant to attend the festival,
Pam Beesly (
Jenna Fischer
Regina Marie "Jenna" Fischer (born March 7, 1974) is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Pam Beesly on the NBC sitcom ''The Office'' (2005–2013), for which she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Suppor ...
) gives in and ends up enjoying herself. Inspired by a conversation with Kelly's parents about Hindu marriage customs, Michael publicly proposes to
Carol (
Nancy Carell
Nancy Ellen Walls Carell (born July 19, 1966) is an American actress, comedian, and writer best known for her work on ''Saturday Night Live'', ''The Daily Show'' and ''The Office''. In 2016, she co-created the TBS comedy series '' Angie Tribeca' ...
). Uncomfortable, Carol declines his offer and leaves the room. She later explains that this is only their ninth date, and drives home, leaving Michael to find a ride.
Meanwhile, in
Stamford,
Jim Halpert (
John Krasinski) decides to
bike
A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist.
Bic ...
to work. Working late,
Andy Bernard
Andrew Baines Bernard is a fictional character from the NBC comedy television series ''The Office (U.S. TV series), The Office'', portrayed by Ed Helms. He is introduced in Season 3 as the Regional Director in Charge of Sales at the Stamford br ...
(
Ed Helms
Edward Parker Helms (born January 24, 1974) is an American actor and comedian. From 2002 to 2006, he was a correspondent on Comedy Central's ''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart''. He played paper salesman Andy Bernard in the NBC sitcom '' The Offi ...
),
Karen Filippelli
''The Office'' is an American television series based on the British television comedy of the same name. The format of the series is a parody of the fly on the wall documentary technique that intersperses traditional situation comedy segments w ...
(
Rashida Jones
Rashida Leah Jones (; born February 25, 1976) is an American actress.
Jones appeared as Louisa Fenn on the Fox drama series '' Boston Public'' (2000–2002), as Karen Filippelli on the NBC comedy series ''The Office'' (2006–2009; 2011), and ...
), and Jim turn a late night of paperwork into an excuse to drink, although Karen, unbeknownst to Jim and Andy, pours her shots into her wastebasket. Pam sends a text message to Jim, who does not answer because he is passed out on his desk. At the end of the evening, Michael mistakenly thinks that he and Pam have a connection, and is rejected when he tries to kiss her. She gives him a ride home on the condition that he sit in the back seat. Jim tries to bicycle home but is too drunk, crashing after leaving the office, and an amused Karen gives Jim a ride.
Production
Writing and filming
![Mindy Kaling at PaleyFest 2013](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/Mindy_Kaling_at_PaleyFest_2013.jpg)
"Diwali" was written by
Mindy Kaling
Vera Mindy Chokalingam (born June 24, 1979),Additional archive on June 25, 2015. known professionally as Mindy Kaling (), is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter and producer. She first gained recognition starring as Kelly Kapoor in the N ...
and directed by
Miguel Arteta. While the episode is partly set at West Scranton High School,
filming actually took place at
Grant High School in Los Angeles, the same building where ''
Freaks and Geeks
''Freaks and Geeks'' is an American teen drama, teen comedy-drama television series created by Paul Feig and executive producer, executive-produced by Judd Apatow that aired on NBC during the 1999–2000 United States network television schedul ...
'' was shot. That series' co-creator,
Paul Feig
Paul Samuel Feig (; born September 17, 1962) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He is known for directing films starring frequent collaborator Melissa McCarthy, including '' Bridesmaids'' (2011), '' The Heat'' (2013), '' Spy'' (20 ...
, has directed several episodes of ''The Office'', including "
Email Surveillance".
[
Kaling used her own Indian cultural background as inspiration when writing the episode, which portrays the Indian festival of Diwali. She and her friend, '']My Name Is Earl
''My Name Is Earl'' is an American television sitcom created by Greg Garcia that aired on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, in the United States. It was produced by 20th Century Fox Television and starred Ja ...
'' writer Vali Chandrasekaran, had held a Diwali party in 2005 for the cast of their two shows. According to Kaling, NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
was "so excited. They were like, 'What the hell is this holiday? I've never heard of it'." The following year, while discussing the possible creation of a Halloween episode, she and executive producer Greg Daniels
Gregory Martin Daniels (born June 13, 1963) is an American screenwriter, television producer, and director. He has worked on several television series, including writing for ''Saturday Night Live'' and ''The Simpsons'', adapting ''The Office (Am ...
agreed to instead create one that was Diwali-themed, as the two holidays fall near each other.
When it came time to write the episode however, Kaling had to perform a Google
Google LLC () is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company focusing on Search Engine, search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, software, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, ar ...
search, as she had forgotten many details. She explained, "I was a little embarrassed with how little I knew about it. I'm Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
, but I'm not really a practicing Hindu, so I had to do a lot of research."[ Kaling was pleased to learn more about her culture, at first being concerned that Daniels "and people I work with were a little antsy about assigning the Hindu writer the Indian episode. I didn't want to feel like they pigeonholed me, but I felt like I'd done enough episodes that it was okay."][ She found that making the episode "was kind of the perfect meeting of being the child of immigrants and writing for a comedy show".] The series writers have since joked that they should do a Diwali-themed episode every year in the same vein as the Christmas specials.[
When creating the story, Kaling knew that "a lot of stuff has to happen" in the midst of the festival, including Michael and Carol's relationship becoming "very roller-coastery". As with other series storylines, this development was decided upon before Kaling began writing the episode. She stated, "But it was always sort of built in that the peak of 'Diwali' would be this incredibly romantic overture nd its uncomfortable aftermath"][ Kaling was pleased that much of "Diwali" took place at Stamford, especially as she was able to explore the contrasts between the two offices.][ She also liked that the episode contained "romance, people getting dressed up in costumes, lots of food, smooching and making out ... and little girls making fun of B.J. Novak".]
In her weekly blog for ''TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news.
The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008.
Corpora ...
'', actress Kate Flannery
Kate Destiny Flannery (born June 10, 1964) is an American actress. Following her early theatre work, Flannery had her screen breakthrough playing Meredith Palmer on the NBC series ''The Office'', which won her two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Sh ...
wrote that "Mindy shares that B.J. Novak talent of being able to write an incredibly funny episode (" Hot Girl," " The Injury") and be in it. Diwali is the Indian festival of lights. So this week Dunder-Mifflin gets a spicy taste of Indian culture in a hurry. Michael decides the office needs an outing to the local high school for the annual Indian Diwali party."[
]
Casting
Kaling cast her own mother and father, a doctor and an architect respectively, as the parents of her character. Kaling was proud of their acting, though she admitted that their presence on set was at first "mortifying". She commented, "Of course I sort of lapsed back into that pre-teen attitude of every single thing my parents do embarrasses me. But they were great about it. They were such pros – they had all these scenes with Steve Carell and they were completely unafraid. They got along effortlessly."[ Kaling injected elements of '' Romeo and Juliet'' and '' Pride and Prejudice'' into her character's relationship with Ryan, with her parents attempting to persuade her to date an Indian doctor. She remarked, "Kelly's family has, like, nine daughters, and if only they could marry them off it would be wonderful. But Kelly is the oldest and most idiotic of them all."][
Though he wanted to avoid becoming an actor, Chandrasekaran was cast by Kaling as the "suitable boy" Kelly's parents want her to marry. Chandrasekaran later stated, "I asked Mindy to write as few lines as possible. Acting is not a skill that I have particularly a lot of." Other guest stars included Creed Bratton as ]Creed Bratton
Creed Bratton (born William Charles Schneider, February 8, 1943) is an American actor, singer and musician. A former member of the rock band the Grass Roots, he is best known for playing a fictionalized version of himself on the NBC sitcom '' ...
, Charles Esten
Charles Esten Puskar III (born September 9, 1965), also known professionally as Charles Esten, and Chip Esten, is an American actor, musician and comedian.
Esten played the role of country singer Deacon Claybourne on the ABC/ CMT drama ''Nashvi ...
as Josh Porter, Ed Helms
Edward Parker Helms (born January 24, 1974) is an American actor and comedian. From 2002 to 2006, he was a correspondent on Comedy Central's ''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart''. He played paper salesman Andy Bernard in the NBC sitcom '' The Offi ...
as Andy Bernard, and Rashida Jones
Rashida Leah Jones (; born February 25, 1976) is an American actress.
Jones appeared as Louisa Fenn on the Fox drama series '' Boston Public'' (2000–2002), as Karen Filippelli on the NBC comedy series ''The Office'' (2006–2009; 2011), and ...
as Karen Filippelli.[ Nancy Carell, Steve Carell's wife, reprised her role as Carol Stills, the girlfriend of his character.][
]
Deleted scenes
The third season DVD contained a number of deleted scenes, including Angela complaining about attending the Diwali party, Michael hoping that the office does not embarrass themselves, Kelly explaining that Diwali is an "Indian Halloween" to Michael, an initially angry Jan being supportive about the office attending the festival, Michael explaining to the office that Ben Kingsley
Sir Ben Kingsley (born Krishna Pandit Bhanji; 31 December 1943) is an English actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning five decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Grammy Award, and tw ...
liberated India and then became an actor, Carol meeting Ryan and Dwight, and Angela leaving the party with Dwight.
Reception
"Diwali" first aired on November 2, 2006, in the United States on NBC during November sweeps week.[ According to ]Nielsen Media Research
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 rati ...
, an estimated 8.8 million viewers watched the episode, and it earned a 4.2/10 ratings share among adults aged 18 to 49. In other words, it was seen by 4.2 percent of all 18- to 49-year-olds, and 10 percent of all 18- to 49-year-olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. This was the series' highest rating since the season premiere
A season premiere is the first episode of a new season of a returning television show. In the United States, many season premieres are aired in the fall time or, for mid-season replacements, either in the spring or late winter.
In countries such ...
. The episode also ranked first in its timeslot among both adults and men aged 18 to 34.
"Diwali" received generally positive reviews from television critics. ''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 cu ...
'' columnist Abby West thought the episode "hit all the show's major buttons," focusing on Michael while also furthering the Jim/Karen and Pam/Roy storylines as well as showcasing the other characters.[ West added that "Kaling gets what makes the show work, and she pulled it together while displaying great timing."] AOL TV
AOL TV was the name of both a thin client which uses a television for display (rather than a monitor), and the online service that supports it, both of which were launched in June 2000 to compete with WebTV.
The product and service were develo ...
's Michael Sciannamea considered the episode "a classic," though he thought that "the Stamford scenes don't seem to add much to the story other than the burgeoning flirtation between Jim and Karen."[ Sciannamea concluded that it was "a terrific episode. The scenes inside the hall were hysterical, especially the dancing."]
Brian Zoromski 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 ...
rated "Diwali" 9.3 out of 10, an indication of an "amazing" episode. He wrote that "Michael completely stole the episode with a truly dizzying number of uncomfortable situations. ''Daily Show
''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk and satirical news television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central with release shortly after on Paramount+. ''The Daily Show'' draws its comedy and satire form fro ...
'' vet Steve Carell has become the king of the uncomfortable moment, throwing himself completely into situations viewers know won't end well."[ Like West, Zoromski also appreciated the other characters' moments, such as Angela's "xenophobic" comments during the festivities.] Television Without Pity
Television Without Pity (often abbreviated TWoP) was a website that provided detailed recaps of select television dramas, situation comedy, situation comedies and reality TV shows along with discussion forums. These recaps were written with sarca ...
gave the episode an A grade.
Cultural impact
As a result of this episode, ''The Office'' became the first American comedy series to depict the Diwali holiday.[ Lauren Markoe of '']The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'' has credited the episode with helping to introduce Diwali to the American public, writing that it "represents perhaps the brightest spotlight ever shone on Diwali in the United States." In their 2012 book ''Diversity in U.S. Mass Media'', Catherine A. Luther, Carolyn Ringer Lepre, and Naeemah Clark noted that "Diwali" "introduces the audience to Indian dancing and singing, a tradition rarely seen on television."
References
External links
* at NBC.com
*
{{The Office US Episodes
2006 American television episodes
Office
An office is a space where an organization's employees perform administrative work in order to support and realize objects and goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific du ...
Television episodes about Hinduism
Diwali
Television episodes written by Mindy Kaling