At a company-wide picnic, Michael meets Holly again while the Scranton employees play volleyball.
Tropes
- Birds of a Feather:
- Michael and Holly continue to have the same interests and sense of humor.
- Dwight brings a friend named Rolf, another bespectacled German-American with whom he chats about hunting and pesticide.
- The Bus Came Back: Holly and AJ return in this episode.
- Cannot Keep a Secret: Michael having this problem was well-established by this point, but the fact that Holly also had no problem putting The Reveal of information that David Wallace had told them in strict confidence into their sketch shows that this is an issue with her as well.
- Clock Tampering: Jim, Pam, and Dwight do this in the Cold Open so Michael will think it's 5:00 and let everyone go home.
- Comically Missing the Point: When Dwight is assigning everyone to rows on the volleyball team, Andy asks if he can be put on the same row with Erin. Dwight is confused by this, but then realizes what's going on... he wants Erin to set him up so he can spike the ball!Dwight: I’m gonna do you one better. I’m gonna put you next to Phyllis! She is the best setter on the team.
- Continuity Snarl: Pam is established here to be an ace spiker, while in "Job Fair" Pam mentioned she faked PMS to get out of sports, including volleyball.
- Dark Comedy: Michael and Holly's trivia game show sketch seems bizarrely (and seemingly unintentionally) to rely on this, with questions ranging from which branch of the company is about to be shut down to one of the Dunder Mifflin founders' method of committing suicide.
- Didn't Think This Through: During their comedy show, Michael and Holly reveal that the Buffalo branch is closing, which hadn't been announced yet. In front of all the Buffalo employees and their families. And that David Wallace had been telling other branch managers about it. David Wallace himself also acknowledges this trope, clearly regretting confiding in Michael and Holly.
- Dude, Not Funny!: Dwight finally steps in and tells Rolf to stop harassing Angela when he mockingly calls her a whore.
- The audience are not impressed with Michael and Holly's sketch.
- Everyone Has Standards: Even when Dwight is still very much angry with Angela, he stands up for her once Rolf calls her a whore.
- Five-Second Foreshadowing: As Pam is being prepared for an X-ray, the nurse asks about other exposure to radiation, metal plates, and the possibility of pregnancy. All Pam can focus on is the need to get back to the volleyball game. However, minutes later, we get the scene of Pam and Jim discovering Pam is pregnant.
- Genre Savvy: Right after introducing Michael and Holly's skit, David Wallace quickly disclaims, "I have not seen this", in case it turns out to be something dangerous. He is right in doing so.
- Hidden Depths: Pam is a volleyball whiz, much to everyone's surprise (even Jim's). Also see Continuity Snarl above.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Subverted. Dwight convinces the others that they need to finish their volleyball game and beat Corporate, as payback for them closing Buffalo. However, Pam is injured and has to go to a clinic. In a deleted scene, when Pam and Jim don't come back for possibly an hour, Meredith forfeits the game.
- Middle-Management Mook: Dwight brings his friend Rolf to the picnic, where he acts as his assistant volleyball coach. Rolf's main task in that role seems to be to berate Angela.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Michael and Holly are clearly upset about inadvertently revealing Buffalo's closure to the employees.
- Not So Above It All: Dwight assists Jim and Pam with changing all of Michael's clocks so he'll think it's 5:00 and let everyone leave, explaining that he normally doesn't condone leaving early but happens to have an appointment with a horse doctor that day.
- Oh, Crap!: David Wallace when he realizes that Michael and Holly are about to reveal the next branch closing.
- Only One Finds It Fun: Stanley is pretty much the only person who genuinely enjoys Michael and Holly's sketch.
- Rule of Three: For the first two questions Holly asks Michael in the SlunDunder Mifflinaire sketch, the option for D is "brushing their teeth". When it gets to the last one about which branch is closing, option D is "Toothbrush".
- Serious Business: As you might expect, Dwight is a bit too intense in his role as the coach of the Scranton branch's volleyball team. However, everyone else treats it just as seriously as he does, as Charles forces Pam to go to the hospital to give Corporate an edge and Jim and Dwight agree to have the latter stall so she can get back in time to finish.
- Ship Tease: Andy is shown to still be carrying a torch for Erin, and Dwight defends Angela from Rolf's insults, causing her to smile a little. And, of course, Michael still isn't giving up on Holly even though she is attached.
- Shout-Out: Michael and Holly's presentation about the history of Dunder Mifflin is a parody sketch called SlumDunder Mifflinaire.
- Thanks for the Mammary: During a talking head, Pam and Jim reveal that last year, a drunkard grabbed Pam's boobs for "balance".
- Wham Episode: Pam is pregnant!
- You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Used almost word-for-word by one of the Buffalo employees after Michael and Holly let slip in their sketch that the branch is closing, and David Wallace reluctantly confirms the news.
