The Office is one of the very best work-based sitcoms, and fans know the layout of the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin even better than the back of their hands. From the meeting room where so many iconic arguments have taken place, to every inch of the warehouse including the secret sleeping area, to the stairwell where so many bonding moments have happened, it’s almost like a second home for audiences.
However, the type of humor in The Office isn’t grounded to just the workplace, as there have been so many classic episodes that take place elsewhere too. Whether it’s a business trip in another state, an employee’s wedding, or a romantic getaway, there are hilarious, cringe-worthy tension to be enjoyed outside of the Scranton branch.
10 Tallahassee
From Andy taking his staff to Gettysburg to boost morale, to Robert California’s pool party, to Dwight hosting a garden party just so Andy can impress his parents, there are so many episodes not based in the office in season 8. However, there’s one that goes overlooked way too often, which is when a few of the staff members travel to Tallahassee to work on the development of the pyramid line.
The episode has one of the best soft openings ever, as it features one of Jim’s most creative pranks. Jim pretends to have been murdered, and written in blood on the wall is “Dwight did it,” which led to the assistant to the regional manager running out of the room screaming. It’s one of the most classic moments in the final couple of seasons.
9 The Dundies
Back when the show was at its most awkward, being more like the UK original, Michael Scott hosts the award show inside a Chili’s, surrounded by couples and families who clearly feel so uncomfortable.
Throughout the episode, Michael raps along to Naughty by Nature, gets heckled as he sings along to “Tiny Dancer,” and Pam gets so drunk and is way too excited about winning the award for “whitest sneakers.” The whole performance is a mess, but by the end of the episode, everybody is in good spirits, and that’s what Michael is able to do best.
8 Beach Games
When Michael decides to hang up his managerial coat, he decides to offer the job to somebody who is willing to go the extra mile, but not in the office. The staff travels to the Beach, which is more like a rundown lake than anything, and the episode shows everybody’s aptitude and how willing they are to progress at Dunder Mifflin.
It’s a little redundant because, three seasons into the show, fans already know how much Stanley and Kevin couldn’t care less. But nevertheless, it’s still hilarious as the team battles it out in sumo suits, walks over hot rocks, and take parts in hotdog contests in order to be rewarded with Michael’s job.
7 Money
The whole of “Money” isn’t set outside of the office, but a good chunk of it sees Pam and Jim book a romantic getaway… to Schrute Farms. After overhearing that Dwight is now using the farm as an agritourism bed and breakfast, Jim of course booked it immediately.
During their stay, Jim and Pam were treated so much differently by Dwight to how he handles them in the office. And though Jim was humoring Dwight the whole time, it actually resulted in a wholesome bonding moment between the two frenemies.
6 Dinner Party
After one of the very few times when Michael outsmarted Jim, he had no other choice but to visit Michael and Jan with Pam for their dinner party. What followed was tons of jokes that created so much tension, as Jan and Michael would continuously fight in front of their dinner guests.
It’s full of iconic scenes from the series, including the tiny $200 plasma TV attached to the wall, and it was so funny that it was the hardest scene for John Krasinski to shoot in the series.
5 Test The Store
With a few of the episodes set in Florida in the eighth season when members of staff are tasked with opening a Sabre store to sell the Pyramid line of phones and tablets, “Test The Store” is one of the funniest of them all.
Erin dresses as a hipster to seduce nerds at the store, and Jim has to spin a “grand opening” sign to attract the attention of passers-by. But best of all, Jim has to wear eye make-up and dress in a strange cult leader-like outfit to give the most embarrassing speech there has ever been in the show, which is saying a lot.
4 Company Picnic
“Company Picnic” is another episode that’s full of cringeworthy moments, as Michael meets Holly for the first time since they broke up, and she’s with her new boyfriend. The tension grows even further when Michael and Holly accidentally reveal on stage that the Buffalo branch is closing down, and they do it in front of the staff and all of their families.
The most hilarious part of the episode is the volleyball game against corporate, as the Dunder Mifflin branch fiercely competes, trying to take down David Wallace and Charles Minor. But the biggest moment comes right at the end when it’s revealed that Pam is pregnant.
3 Last Day In Florida
The final episode in the long Florida arc is one of the best set outside the office, not because of the over-the-top pranks or the cringy moments, but because of the bond between Jim and Dwight. Just like in “Money,” the two competing paper salesman make another giant leap forward in their relationship, as Jim keeps Dwight from getting fired.
Though Robert California planned to use Dwight as the fall guy for the failure of the Pyramid line, it gets even better when it’s Todd Packer who becomes the fall guy.
2 Phyllis’s Wedding
Though it isn’t actually based in the office, “Phyllis’s Wedding” is full of peak Office moments. Between Creed sticking his name on a gift that he didn’t buy, Kevin playing in the band Scrantonicity, and Michael awkwardly forcing himself into the wedding, it’s hilariously uncomfortable and full to the brim of cringe moments.
However, Michael’s outrageous antics make his surprising appearance at Dwight and Angela’s wedding in the series finale strangely restrained.
1 Pool Party
Season 8 was full of episodes based outside of the office, and while it may have been because the well was getting dry after over 150 episodes and ideas were getting thin, most of them were just as funny as ever.
The best of them all comes when Robert California allows the staff of the Scranton branch to party at his mansion one last time before he loses it in a divorce settlement. Robert has a whole wine cellar and treats every guest to a bottle each, and the night ends in the weird trio of Robert, Gabe, and Ryan skinny dipping in the pool.
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June 23, 2021 at 12:00AM
