History Recap / TheOfficeUSS3E6Diwali

* AluminumChristmasTrees: One fan blog has questioned the realism of a large Diwali party in a mid-sized Pennsylvania city. However, Scranton has a Hindu temple, and it's just a two hour drive from Philadelphia, which has a sizable South Asian community, so it's not that outlandish of a concept.

* RealityEnsues: So it turns out that a marriage proposal in front of a large group of strangers to someone you've only recently begun dating maybe won't work out very well.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Kelly's parents try to get her interested in marrying an Indian doctor. [[spoiler: In Season 9, she does]].

* WrongGenreSavvy: Michael apparently thinks he's in a RomanticComedy and assumes that no woman could possibly turn down a public marriage proposal, even if they've only been dating a few weeks. [[RejectedMarriageProposal Carol shows him otherwise]].

* WrongGenreSavvy: Michael apparently thinks he's in a RomanticComedy and assumes that no woman could possibly turn down a public marriage proposal, even if they've only been dating a few weeks. Carol shows him otherwise.

* ShownTheirWork: The episode has been praised for getting the details of a Diwali celebration accurate, right down to the music featured (several classic UsefulNotes/{{Bollywood}} songs and Music/{{Beyonce}}'s "Crazy in Love", which is a popular choice for South Asian get-togethers).

** Michael's proposal to Carol is similar to Roy taking the mic to announce that he and Pam are finally setting a wedding date in "Booze Cruise"

* CallBack: Michael wears the papier-mâché second head from "Halloween," thinking that Diwali is basically a costume party.

* ItsACostumePartyISwear: Downplayed. It's a genuine misunderstanding, in that Michael thinks Diwali is like Hallowe'en. He invites Carol, who dresses up as a cheerleader, and no one at the festival can understand why.

* WrongGenreSavvy: Michael is obviously savvy enough about RomanticComedy to assume that no woman could possibly turn down a public marriage proposal, even if they've only been dating a few weeks. Carol shows him otherwise.

* StrawVegetarian: During the festival, Angela asks what she can eat because she's vegetarian. When the server replies that all the food ''is'' vegetarian, she settles for some ''naan'' bread.

* SongParty: The episode ends with Michael performing Creator/AdamSandler's "The Chanukah Song" with the lyrics changed to being about Diwali. The crowd actually appreciates and applauds his performance.

* JerkassHasAPoint: Angela is always a stuck-up, wet blanket who complains about things being "inappropriate." In this case, she's right, when Michael brings in a copy of the Kama Sutra, which is ''completely'' inappropriate for a workplace.

** [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation It also suggests that Angela's hostility for Indian culture is not merely xenophobia, but because of jealousy over Dwight's interest in Kelly's ethnic background.]]

** Andy describes his relationship with Karen as [[Series/{{Cheers}} "Sam and Diane."]]

* AllGuysWantCheerleaders: Reflected in Carole's costume.

* ItsACostumePartyISwear: Downplayed. It's a genuine misunderstanding, in that Michael thinks Diwali is like Hallowe'en. He invites Carole, who dresses up as a cheerleader, and no one at the festival can understand why.

* AllGuysWantCheerleaders : Reflected in Carole's costume.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn : While in "Diversity Day," Michael's racist jokes got him slapped, he's making a genuine effort to understand the festival and have a good time at the festival, including asking about arranged marriage and dancing in a group. It's still awkward, but he's trying.
* DrinkingGame : An in-universe example of Andy trying to make their reports more fun.
* {{Foreshadowing}} : Kelly's parents try to get her interested in marrying an Indian doctor. [[spoiler: In Season 9, she does]].
* HiddenDepths : Dwight knows quite a bit about Diwali, along with the historical and mythological significance. It's also a CallBack to an early episode, where Dwight expressed an attraction to Indian women.
* ItsACostumePartyISwear : Downplayed. It's a genuine misunderstanding, in that Michael thinks Diwali is like Hallowe'en. He invites Carole, who dresses up as a cheerleader, and no one at the festival can understand why.
* JerkassHasAPoint : Angela is always a stuck-up, wet blanket who complains about things being "inappropriate." In this case, she's right, when Michael brings in a copy of the Kama Sutra, which is ''completely'' inappropriate for a workplace.
* ShoutOut : Angela doesn't want to go because "they eat monkey brains." Andy describes his relationship with Karen as [[Series/{{Cheers}} "Sam and Diane."]]

* CharacterMarchesOn : While in "Diversity Day," Michael's racist jokes got him slapped, he's making a genuine effort to understand the festival and have a good time at the festival, including asking about arranged marriage and dancing in a group.
* HiddenDepths : Dwight knows quite a bit about Diwali, along with the historical and mythological significance. It's also a CallBack to an early episode, where Dwight expressed an attraction to Indian girls.