15 of the Most Memorable Episodes of ‘The Office’

1. Dinner Party

If The Office’s brand of humor could be described simply, you’d have to go with “awkardly acidic.” The show wrung so much humor from putting their characters in the most horribly awkward situations and just watching them squirm. This was never better executed than in season four’s “Dinner Party,” when Michael tricks Jim, Pam, Andy, and Angela into attending a dinner party with him and Jan. What follows is a masterpiece in slowly unraveling domestic discord. There’s the “sex camera” left out by accident during the bedroom tour. There’s Michael’s pathetically small flat screen TV, that he has to stand to watch. There’s Jan’s obvious affair with her former assistant, revealed as she’s playing (and dancing to) his horrific single. Oh, Dwight shows up, too, with his old babysitter in tow (because he needed a plus one). Did you know that in Spain sometimes they don’t even eat until midnight? It’s a series of inspired disasters that culminates in a visit from the police and the end of Michael and Jan’s relationship. It’s the series’ best writing and acting, and it’s the single best example of the singular voice The Office developed during its run.