GAY WITCH HUNT

'"Gay Witch Hunt"' is the first episode of the third season of ''The Office'' (U.S. version). It is written by Greg Daniels and directed by Ken Kwapis. It first aired on September 21, 2006.

Contents

Synopsis

Deleted scenes

Behind the scenes

Notes

References

External links

Synopsis

Several months have passed since "Casino Night". No longer a temp, Ryan accepts the sales position vacated when Jim transferred to Stamford, Connecticut. A flashback is shown from right after when Jim and Pam kiss. Jim asks, "You're really gonna marry him?" referring to Roy, to which Pam nods. Meanwhile, Michael calls Oscar "faggy", and Toby asks him not to use such terms, especially since Oscar is homosexual and finds the word offensive. Michael then inadvertently outs Oscar to the entire office.
Jim, newly-promoted to Assistant Regional Manager at the Stamford branch, settles into his new office. In talking-head interviews, smug co-worker Andy brags about his wild college days at Cornell, and Karen expresses disdain for Jim's constant smirks to the camera.
In a talking-head interview, Pam explains that she got cold feet a few days before the wedding. She moved into her own apartment and began taking art classes. In a separate talking-head interview, Roy explains that Pam's rejection sent him into a downward spiral, hitting rock bottom with a drunk driving arrest. He vows to win Pam back.
When Dwight and Michael call Jim to learn where to purchase "gaydar" online, he pretends to check and reports that gaydar is sold out on the Internet. Jim encases Andy's calculator in Jell-O, but Andy's violent reaction is not what he expected.
Jan Levinson arrives in Scranton to berate Michael for his behavior, and Michael responds by calling an emergency meeting in the conference room. His seminar on homosexuality is a disaster. When Oscar threatens to quit, Michael attempts to reconcile with Oscar, first by hugging him, and then kissing him on the lips. In a talking head interview, Oscar reveals that Jan gave him three months paid vacation and use of a company car in exchange for signing an agreement not to sue.
Dwight receives a "gaydar" machine from Jim (really a metal detector). He tests it first on Oscar, and, later, is shocked when it beeps as he inadvertently swipes it across his own belt buckle.

Deleted scenes

★ Jan, on speakerphone, demands to know what Michael's plans are for the day. In a talking head interview, Michael explains that every day begins with him reporting to Jan on what he intends to accomplish and ends with him reporting on what he did accomplish. "It's voluntary, really, even though she makes me." Over scenes from the episode "Casino Night", Michael explains that Jan is struggling to get over him. Meanwhile, he and Carol have gone on seven dates. On the phone, Jan suspects Michael is on the toilet and tells him to call her back once he is done.

★ Pam will be spending the evening painting her apartment. Michael tries to be supportive but his efforts are not helpful. In a talking head interview, Pam angrily complains, "What do I think? I think everybody should stay out of everybody's personal business."

★ In a talking head interview, Meredith frustratedly asks, "Why are all the best-looking single men always gay?"

★ Andy asks Jim if he's ever googled Google. Jim promptly does so, but Andy, upset, explains that he was supposed to ponder it, not do it, and that he ruined the fun.

Behind the scenes

★ The cast and crew worked hard to keep the new season's plot elements from leaking and didn't even show clips of the episode until a few days before the premiere. However, in a ''New York Times'' article about producer Ben Silverman on September 17, it was written that, in the new season, Jim "was going to be in a long-distance relationship" with Pam^[1], essentially revealing that Jim took the Stamford position.

★ The flashback footage of the aftermath of Jim and Pam's kiss in last season's "Casino Night" episode is actually new footage shot a few months after the episode aired. The main giveaways are that the kiss is different and Jim's hair is slightly shorter than in the original episode. Also, the lighting and camera positioning is different.

★ The kiss between Michael and Oscar was improvised. Jenna Fischer explained in her MySpace blog: "Steve (Carell) just went into that bit on the fly. It was brilliant! Those looks of shock/giddiness/confusion on our faces are REAL. We were all on the edge of our seats wondering what would happen next. I can't believe we held it together for as long as we did. I'm not sure we've ever laughed so hard on set."^[2] In turn, Dwight's attempt to kiss Oscar after Michael was improvised as well.^[3] Writer Paul Lieberstein explained that in the script, Oscar was supposed to turn his head, with Michael kissing him on the cheek.^[4]

★ On Angela's MySpace blog, in response to the question of "Is Oscar really going to be gone for awhile?", she stated "Yes. On the show he and his partner, Gil, are going on a three-month trip to Europe. In real life, Oscar Nunez sold a TV show to Comedy Central called "Halfway Home"^[5]

Notes

★ This episode marks the second time an expletive has been censored.

★ The 'zoom in' of the office park where the Stamford Branch is supposedly located is actually an office park in Stamford, Connecticut. The tallest building in the city, the Landmark Building, is visible in the background.

★ Chip Esten's character Josh Porter, the manager at Dunder Mifflin's Stamford branch and first seen in "Valentine's Day", returns in this episode. This is the first appearance of Stamford employee Andy, played by Ed Helms, as well as the first appearance of Rashida Jones' character. Although her name is not mentioned, the nameplate on her desk reads "Karen Filippelli".

★ In the season two episode "Dwight's Speech", Ryan notes that Jim eats the same ham and cheese sandwich every day. In this episode, we see that Jim has adventurously tried a tuna sandwich only to be given a permanent nickname "Big Tuna" because of it. Jim also notes he's been promoted at Stamford, though in "Health Care", he noted that moving up in the company would make paper sales his career, a move which would cause him to "jump in front of a train."

★ In his talking head, Andy mentions attending Cornell University and being a part of an a cappella group named Here Comes Treble. Although no such group exists or has ever existed at Cornell, there is an all-female group called Nothing But Treble.^[6]

★ Dwight says he was unable to tell that Oscar is gay because he's "not dressed in women's clothes." However, in "Halloween" Oscar wears a dress and a woman's wig as his costume.

★ During Jim's first shown meeting in the Stamford office, the unnamed older woman seated to his right has the same hair and blue and white striped buttoned up shirt that Pam is wearing back in Scranton.

★ Near the end of the episode, the character Mr. Brown has his second (but brief) appearance in the series, the first being in the "Diversity Day" episode from season one. He is going over the meaning of "HERO", which was part of his diversity training course. Also, Jim looks towards an empty seat next to him and then his shoulder and smiles. This is also in reference to "Diversity Day" when Pam unintentionally fell asleep with her head on Jim's shoulder.

References

1. Carter, Bill. September 17, 2006. The Whole World Is Watching, and Ben Silverman Is Watching Back, ''The New York Times''
2. Fischer, Jenna. September 24, 2006. blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=27753303&blogID=171880351&Mytoken=55FA4FC5-D403-4D53-B136CAD64CB7B10C50086130 BIG Winners, BIG Ratings and BIG New York Wrap-Up with Pictures!, ''MySpace.com''
3. Kinsey, Angela. September 28, 2006. blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=32799810&blogID=173740650&Mytoken=42C4C3B7-29DB-4CEA-A8ED6275C66011544484039 Behind the scenes of Gay WitchHunt and other stuff..., ''MySpace.com''
4. Paley Fest 2007 Week 2 Highlights. Direct link to video
5. blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=32799810&blogID=176681041&MyToken=d12951e2-f796-4d14-90cc-c4bc38b580f3]
6. Nothing But Treble's official site

External links

★ Gay Witch Hunt at NBC.com

★ Memorable Quotes From "Gay Witch Hunt" at QuotesFromTheOffice.com