As the summer interns prepare to depart, the office gossips about them and Michael feels left out. Michael discovers that Stanley is having an affair, and tells everyone. When Michael realizes the damage he's caused, he fabricates numerous other rumors to discredit himself, including that Andy is gay (confusing Andy) and that Pam is pregnant (unbeknownst to him that she is actually pregnant). As Michael tries to clear the air, Jim and Pam admit their rumor is true in an attempt to save Stanley from embarrassment.
Episode Tropes:
- Accidental Truth: Out of all the lies Michael made up in this episode, it was the one with Pam being pregnant that ended up being real.
- All for Nothing: The three interns basically learned nothing from their summer intern job.
- Jim and Pam, in an attempt to save whoever Michael spread the rumor about, admit that she is pregnant and even show the sonogram. Then, Michael announces that Stanley's affair was the real rumor.
- When he gets Stanley's wife on the phone, Michael concocts an elaborate plan to ask her (an interior decorator) for assistance redoing his condo so as to not reveal Stanley's affair. He proceeds to call her by the mistress's name. Twice.
- Cannot Keep a Secret: Once again, do not trust Michael with your secrets.
- Continuity Nod: One of the interns previously appeared at "Job Fair".
- I Am Spartacus: Discussed with Michael's own spin. He can't figure out who the real Spartacus is, either, and that's what makes Gladiator "a classic whodunnit".
- Internal Reveal: All of the office now knows Pam is pregnant.
- Mistaken for Gay: Andy, one of Michael's lies. Amusingly, he seems to be mistaking himself for gay, noting that the same rumor followed him through high school and college.
- Mobile-Suit Human: One of Michael's spread rumors is that Kevin has a smaller person inside of him working the controls.
- No Bisexuals: Andy is apparently slightly attracted to Brad Pitt, as well as women, but the question of bisexuality never comes up.
- Noodle Incident: "Michael, you told everyone that I use store-bought manure, when I showed you where my manure comes from."
- Oh, Crap!: Jim and Pam both separately have these moments when people make unsubtle remarks about Pam's pregnancy, leading them to believe they'd somehow been found out.
- One Dialogue, Two Conversations: Several between the office goers as Michael's rumors take hold.
- Pet the Dog: Michael doesn't fabricate any rumors about Ryan, Phyllis or Meredith.
- Refuge in Audacity: Michael attempts to dispel having just gossiped to everyone that Stanley was having an affair by spreading increasingly audacious rumors about everyone else, in hopes that the employees will find all these rumors so ridiculous that they'll choose to disbelieve all of them, including Stanley having an affair.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Michael attempts this when he is exposed as the originator of the rumors, but Pam convinces him to stand down.
- Shotgun Wedding: Joked about by Pam when she states that she doesn't want people gossiping if Jim will be walking down the aisle with her father pointing a shotgun at Jim's head.
- Unstoppable Rage: With his marriage over, Stanley goes absolutely mental on Michael's car.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Stanley's reaction after Michael confirms Stanley's affair.
