Everyone in the office is excited when promos start running on TV for the documentary. Dwight makes Angela jealous when he starts dating a brussel sprout farmer. Meanwhile Jim has a big meeting with Major League baseball player, Ryan Howard.
Promos balances cringe and character comedy at 85 points with steady 2-per-minute joke delivery throughout.
Directed by Jennifer Celotta · Written by Tim McAuliffe
WAR
44.7
Wins Above Replacement
“Promos” ranks #28 of 186 The Office episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 85.0 — Elite. The episode packs 42 scored jokes at 2.0 per minute, averaging 7.1 on craft and 7.0 on impact, with Angela landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
Dwight: You know, Clark, I've come to accept that we may never find perfect women. But that's okay.
Dwight: It's like a used tractor. Sure, it's got some wear and tear, maybe the engine's a little rough, but it still gets the job done.
Dwight: And honestly, a used tractor is more reliable than a new one anyway.
Dwight Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Angela: Someone's been taking candy from my jar.
Clark: That was me. I did it on purpose so I could get camera time for the confessional.
Clark: I contaminated the candy so you'd have to talk about it. Genius, right?
Clark Cringe/Discomfort Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch God, a lot of my buddies are going through the same thing right now. Something in the air.
Clark Absurdist Escalation ★ Rewatch That shady grove out by Willard's Pond.
Esther Misdirection Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Creed: Well, I've been called worse. At least it's not 'Dumpster *boy*.' That would suggest I'm still learning the trade.
Creed Absurdist Character Comedy All Jokes — 42 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Pam: It's a story about a complex relationship with some mature themes and—
Jim: It's porn.
Jim Deadpan/Understatement Meredith: You know what? I once told a woman she was being too flirty. You know what she did? She keyed my car. So I slashed her tires. Then she called the cops on me. Then I went to jail for three days. But the point is, I confronted her, and it worked out great.
Stanley: You gotta be firm with her. You gotta show her who's in charge.
Angela: Oh my God. No. That is not what I meant at all!
Angela Reaction Beat Character Comedy Toby: Well, technically, there's a difference between experiencing arousal and acting on it. The company's policy is clear about the action part.
Toby Absurdist Character Comedy Oscar: Well, actually, the erotic novel has deep roots in the literary canon. From the Marquis de Sade to Anaïs Nin, exploring human sexuality through prose is a legitimate form of artistic expression.
Oscar Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Angela: Phyllis, I'm going to need that audiobook back. It's not appropriate for the office.
Phyllis: But Angela, I'm almost done with it.
Angela: I don't care. Hand it over now, or I will f*** it up.
Angela Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Dwight: Clark, I need your advice. My John Deere and I, we've been together for fifteen years, but lately the spark has gone out of our relationship.
Clark: Have you considered a lease agreement instead of ownership? Sometimes a fresh tractor every few years can really revitalize things.
Dwight: A lease? But that's not real commitment.
Clark: Neither is taking her for granted, Dwight. Sometimes you need to put in the work or accept that it might be time to move on to a newer model.
Clark Absurdist Deadpan/Understatement God, a lot of my buddies are going through the same thing right now. Something in the air.
Clark Absurdist Escalation ★ Rewatch Pam: Jim, when Cece called me 'Pamela' today, I felt so old.
Jim: That's just what kids do sometimes.
Pam: No, it was different. It was like she was mad at me or something. She used my full name!
Jim: Pam, you're reading too much into it.
Pam: Am I? Because next thing I know she'll be calling me 'Mother' and wearing pearls to dinner.
Pam Observational Character Comedy Andy: This is like when that guy did the backflip off the roof and everyone was talking about it. You know, viral video stuff.
Kevin: Did that documentary promo air? The one where I talked about my bathroom breaks?
Kevin: Oh no. Oh no, no, no. They showed the part where I said I take four-hour bathroom breaks, didn't they?
Kevin: That was supposed to be off the record. I can't believe they aired that.
Kevin Character Comedy Observational Kevin: Maybe we're not in a documentary. Maybe we're all in a coma and this is the coma dream.
Kevin Observational Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Pam: Oh my God, look at your hair!
Jim: What? I liked that hair.
Pam: You looked like you were in a boy band.
Jim: Well, I was cute.
Pam: You were not cute. You were a disaster.
Pam Observational Character Comedy Andy: Oh wow, okay. 'Chobblegobbler says I'm pretty good.' Thank you, Chobblegobbler. I appreciate that.
Andy Absurdist Character Comedy Jim: This is Ryan Howard, baseball player. Eat fresh.
Dwight: Esther loves apples and carrots.
Jim: So basically she eats like a horse.
Jim: Here, Esther. *makes horse noises and holds out apple*
Jim Visual Gag Character Comedy Jim: So these are your friends from the beet farm? They really have that authentic rural charm.
Jim Visual Gag Deadpan/Understatement Angela: I think it's sweet that Dwight found someone who... shares his interests. I mean, not everyone can appreciate a man who wears a clip-on tie and treats a beet farm like it's a Fortune 500 company. But she seems... nice. In that way that people who don't have any other options tend to be nice.
Angela Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Jim: When you say 'Eat fresh,' people think of Subway. It's a very effective slogan.
Jim: But if you really want to sell it, you have to commit to the bit. Method acting. You have to become the sandwich.
Jim Absurdist Character Comedy Creed: Well, I've been called worse. At least it's not 'Dumpster *boy*.' That would suggest I'm still learning the trade.
Creed Absurdist Character Comedy Erin: Wait, what does '3:00 p.m. girl' mean?
Erin: Oh my God. Oh my God, no.
Erin: That's not... that's not what they meant, right?
Erin Reaction Beat Cringe/Discomfort Erin: Are we filmed while we're sleeping?
Oscar: No, Erin. They turn the cameras off when we leave.
Oscar Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Angela: Fine! Fine, okay? I didn't wash my hands after I used the bathroom. There, I said it!
Angela: I was in a hurry, and I just... I didn't wash them. I know it's disgusting, and I'm ashamed, but that's what was on the tape.
Angela Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Angela: Someone's been taking candy from my jar.
Clark: That was me. I did it on purpose so I could get camera time for the confessional.
Clark: I contaminated the candy so you'd have to talk about it. Genius, right?
Clark Cringe/Discomfort Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Dwight: I know what you're doing. You're trying to lowball me on this tractor because you think I'm just some city boy who doesn't know the value of farm equipment. Well, you're wrong. I've done my research, and I know exactly what this John Deere is worth.
Farmer: Now hold on there, son. I'm just trying to make a fair deal.
Dwight: Fair? You're dating my girlfriend! Of course you're going to try to cheat me!
Andy's Mom: Hi honey, it's Mom. I'm calling about the TV. We need to keep it off during the documentary airing tonight.
Andy: Why? What documentary?
Andy's Mom: Well, you know how the repair man said we shouldn't use it for 24 hours after he fixed it? That's tonight.
Anonymous Commenter: Your tie is stupid and you look like a thumb.
Andy Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Bizarrely phrased insult that sounds like broken English
These chicks are way too hot to be into us.
Clark Observational Character Comedy Dwight: An auger? It's a tool for boring holes. Any man worth his salt knows what an auger is. It's basic farm equipment knowledge. If you don't know what an auger is, you might as well not be a man.
Dwight Absurdist Character Comedy Angela: I kissed the Senator.
Angela: It was like kissing a marble statue of a man who disappoints you.
Pam: How much of this was filmed?
Brian: All of it.
Brian Deadpan/Understatement Cringe/Discomfort Ryan: What are you reading?
Pam: Your screenplay.
Ryan: Oh, what do you think?
Pam: Well, on page three, the main character flies around on a giant bald eagle.
Ryan: Yeah, that's the twist.
Dwight: Angela was a nine. A nine in Scranton. In New York, she's a six. In Los Angeles, she's a four. In Europe, she's a two. She's not a nine, she's a geographic nine.
Dwight Observational Character Comedy Dwight: You know, Clark, I've come to accept that we may never find perfect women. But that's okay.
Dwight: It's like a used tractor. Sure, it's got some wear and tear, maybe the engine's a little rough, but it still gets the job done.
Dwight: And honestly, a used tractor is more reliable than a new one anyway.
Dwight Character Comedy ★ Rewatch That shady grove out by Willard's Pond.
Esther Misdirection Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Dwight: An auger is a tool used for boring holes in the earth.
Clark: Oh.
Dwight Callback Deadpan/Understatement Callback Angela: Hi Senator, this is Angela Martin calling. I wanted to reach out about the documentary that's being made about our office. I think it's important that you know I've been very cooperative with the film crew. Also, I just wanted to mention that I've been having an affair with Dwight Schrute. Anyway, please call me back. Thank you!
Angela Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Andy: Oh, you think you're funny, 'XxNoobSlayer420xX'? Yeah, well guess what? I'm going to find you, and I'm going to tell you exactly what I think about your opinion on my a cappella rendition of 'Unchained Melody.'
Andy: And 'SugarMommaLover69,' thanks for the constructive criticism. Really helpful. You know what? I hope your next download takes forever.
Andy Cringe/Discomfort Escalation Callback Meredith: Can I get a copy of that?
Jim: What? No!
Meredith: For personal use.
Meredith Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy ⏩ The part you fast-forward
Our scorer flagged 03:00-04:00 range with awkward Jim-Pam phone conversation as the stretch with the fewest or weakest comedic moments. Everything else lands harder.
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