Ryan brings Michael to his business class as a guest speaker. Pam and Roy are back together. Dwight finds a bat hiding in the ceiling, leading to Jim's prank: he makes Dwight believe he's been bitten and will turn into a vampire. Pam has her first art show.
Air date: February 15, 2007
Tropes
- Bad "Bad Acting": To convince Dwight that Jim is turning into a vampire, Karen and Jim both engage in melodramatic-but-stilted exchanges about things like garlic bread and crucifixes, knowing that Dwight can overhear them. They're only convincing to Dwight, but Karen is noticeably less committed to the part than Jim is (and especially, more than Pam would be).
- Call-Back: Michael references the events of "The Fire" when he tells the class about Ryan starting a fire in the office kitchen by burning a cheesy pita in the toaster oven.
- Cool Teacher: Michael considers himself to be this, like Mr. Handell. He says that he would hang out with the students and tell awesome jokes."And he actually hooked up with one of the students. Um... and then like twelve other kids came forward. It was in all the papers. Really ruined eighth grade for us."
- Cool and Unusual Punishment: As punishment for embarrassing him, Michael makes Ryan move to the annex...with Kelly. Where Toby can overhear them.
- Didn't Think This Through:
- Michael rips out multiple pages of a student's textbook to make a point, before realizing how expensive they are.
- Ryan inviting Michael to speak to his class, knowing how cringeworthy Michael can be addressing a large group, and compounding that by not letting Michael know that he's going to speak after Ryan's presentation has painted Dunder Mifflin as a prime example of Incompetence, Inc..
- Dogged Nice Guy: Subverted. Roy is one of the only people from work who shows up to Pam's art show, but he's happy about it, thinking this act has scored him points with her (instead of feeling sad for her or genuinely interested in her artwork). Pam notices this and doesn't go home with him.
- Dumbass Has a Point:
- While Michael does not possess as much expertise as he thinks he does, he makes a great point when he tells the class knowledge obtained in business school does not necessarily translate to a real business environment. Case in point, Ryan, for everything he's learned in class, has never made a single sale at Dunder-Mifflin.
- After sending Ryan to the annex, Michael imparts some wisdom.
"A good manager doesn't fire people. He hires people and inspires people. People, Ryan. And people will never go out of business."- Michael is right about analog art being one of the uses of paper that will never go away. Art is about flourishing within limitations, and technology is about destroying them entirely.
- Funny Background Event: When the employees first get freaked out about the bat, Angela does the "stop, drop and roll" technique.
- Holy Burns Evil: While making Dwight believe that he's slowly turning into a vampire, Jim states that Angela's cross is blinding him like an extremely bright flash of light.
- Hypocrite: Ryan's presentation denouncing Dunder Mifflin as Incompetence, Inc. using Michael as an example takes on this edge when Michael angrily points out in return that Ryan has never made a sale, and his one notable accomplishment during his time there has been to accidentally start a fire. While the Hypocrite Has a Point in this case, nevertheless it's not like Ryan has that much room to sneer since he's clearly not that as superior to his surroundings as he clearly likes to think.
- Hypocritical Humor: Kelly begs Creed not to kill the bat, saying that "it has feelings and a family." When the bat is accidentally released again and swoops over Kelly, she screams "Kill it! Kill it!"
- It Will Never Catch On: Michael once again downplays the importance of computers in the changing marketplace. He tells the students that "real business is done on paper" and instructs them to write that down, which they do on their laptops.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Gil rips into Pam's art, calling it "motel art." She's visibly crushed, but it contributes to her Character Development, when she later tries to take more risks, since she has indeed made something that lacks courage and honesty.
- Know-Nothing Know-It-All: Michael, who uses a number of contradictory metaphors to explain his points. Ryan is only having him speak to boost his grades.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Ryan brings Michael to speak in front of his class largely to demonstrate how incompetent he is, largely as part of his presentation denouncing Dunder Mifflin as an Incompetence, Inc.. This unfortunately backfires when Michael, nettled to learn this, humiliates Ryan in turn by pointing out that he's an incompetent salesman who has never made a sale and whose one notable achievement during his time there has been to accidentally start a fire by burning a cheesy pita.
- One of the Kids: Michael jumps into the middle of two students throwing a frisbee.
- Only One Finds It Fun: Pam's art. Roy doesn't get it (though he pretends to) and Gil dismisses it as only worth decorating a motel, but Michael loves it. Interestingly, he wants one of the paintings to decorate the office, so he likes the painting for a reason similar to why Gil dislikes it.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: This is one of the few episodes Michael is visibly mad at Ryan.
- Or Are You Just Happy to See Me?: When Michael hugs Pam at her art show, the two have the following exchange:Pam: Do you have something in your pocket?
(long, awkward pause)
Michael: A Chunky. (takes Chunky candy bar out of his pocket) - Pet the Dog: Dwight touchingly seems concerned about the prospects for Jim's soul if he turns into a vampire.Dwight: Jim is on a path now, an eternal journey, and I wish him well.
- So is Michael going to Pam's art show and giving a compliment.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech:
- Ryan gives a scathing critique of Dunder-Mifflin to his class, though Michael doesn't hear most of it due to being in a soundproof room.
- Michael gets his own back: he points out to the class that for all Ryan's dismissiveness of Dunder-Mifflin he's never actually made a sale and the most notable thing he's done while there is to accidentally start a fire.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Stanley immediately leaves the office after the bat starts flying around.
- Shout-Out:
- Michael tears the pages out of one student's book. In a deleted scene, he also tells the students to stand on their desks.
- Dwight pushing open the ceiling tile is a reference to Aliens.
- And the "vampire" episode is directed by Joss Whedon.
- Totally Radical: Michael seems to think Beanie Babies are still as popular as they were in the 90s.
- Vampires Hate Garlic: As part of his prank on Dwight, Jim acts as if his hand is burned from touching garlic bread.
