David Wallace calls Michael to ask him to interview in New York for a position at corporate. This prompts the Beach Games, which will allow Michael to test his employees' leadership skills.
Air date: May 5, 2007
Tropes
- Beach Episode: Sort of, although no one actually wears swimsuits.
- Butt-Monkey: Michael doesn't allow Toby to come, because he wants "beautiful memories." This is compounded when Pam mentions that she is wearing a 2 piece swimsuit.
- California Doubling: Lake Scranton is played by LA's Hansen Dam reservoir. The real Lake Scranton is much nicer, but the producers sought a locale as bleak as the Dunder Mifflin offices.
- Cannot Tell a Joke: Dwight tries to tell the routine from The Aristocrats. Instead, he merely describes the premise of the joke rather than properly tell it.
- Character Development: Pam's story arc of the season concludes with a firewalk and an epic speech to her co-workers, especially Jim.Hey, I want to say something. I've been trying to be more honest lately, and I want to say a few things. I did the coal walk. I did it! Michael, you couldn't even do that. Maybe I should be your boss. Man, I feel really good right now. Why didn't any of you come to my art show? I invited all of you. That really sucked. It's like sometimes some of you act like I don't exist. Jim, I called off my wedding because of you. And now we're not even friends. Things are just weird between us, and that sucks. And I miss you. You were my best friend before you went to Stamford, and I really miss you. I shouldn't have been with Roy. There were a lot of reasons to call off my wedding, but I didn't care about any of those reasons until I met you.
- Cloud Cuckoolander: Creed decides to go fishing by snatching fish from the water barehanded. Later, during the hotdog eating contest, he appears again, the fish picked down to the bone.
- Naked People Are Funny: Meredith lifts her shirt to show off her new swimsuit, forgetting that she was going to change at the beach.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: Angela's strategy to sabotage Andy is to pretend she doesn't hear anything he says.
- Scary Black Man: Stanley's "game face" during the sumo wrestling match, much to Jim's terror.
- Shout-Out: To Survivor. And to Harry Potter. And The Aristocrats.
