Dinner Party is the best and funniest episode of The Office

Dinner Party is the funniest episode of The Office

The Office is officially leaving Netflix in a few weeks, which means you’re running out of time to watch “Dinner Party,” the best episode of The Office.

Look, I love so many episodes of The Office, so it’s very difficult for me to choose just one. “Dinner Party” is one of my favorites and the episode I consider the best episode of the series.

“Dinner Party” is written by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky and directed by Paul Feig. It’s the 13th episode of season 4, and it’s the bridge between the events of “The Deposition” and “Chair Model,” making this trio one of the best three-episode stretches in The Office history.

In the episode, Jan and Michael come up with a plan to trick Jim and Pam and Andy and Angela into coming to a dinner party at the condo to, hopefully, get them to invest in Serenity by Jan, Jan’s candle company.

Michael even fakes working late into the night to make sure Pam and Jim have an open schedule. Michael finally caught on after all the years of Jim skipping out on hanging out with him. It’s the perfect plan.

What happens next is not-so-perfect for Jan and Michael, or Jim and Pam and Andy and Angela, but it’s hilarious for the rest of us.

We all know what happens. There are so many incredible moments from this episode, though. I just had to list some of my favorites below!

• Michael and Jan’s argument about having kids
• Michael’s coffee table that he made
• Michael running through the sliding glass door because he heard the ice cream truck
• Jan thinking Pam and Michael dated
• Jim trying to leave the party
• The tiny plasma screen TV
• The camera in the bedroom
• Michael sleeping at the foot of the bed
• Hunter’s “That One Night” song
• Jan throwing the Dundie through the TV
• Dwight and his date
• Michael saying the wine has an “oaky afterbirth”
• The police showing up and Michael taking the fall

That’s not even everything, but it’s all so good.

There are so many awkward and cringe-worthy moments in The Office, but few things are more awkward than the whole dinner party. And, I think it particularly resonates with the audience. We might not be able to relate to burning our foot on a George Foreman Grill, but we’ve all been to a party that goes sideways. This wild episode is so relatable to most viewers.

It’s hard to compare “Dinner Party” to other episodes, and that’s mostly because it’s one of the few episodes of the series that’s almost entirely set outside of The Office. I think that’s one of the reasons it’s so good. It feels so fresh and it gives us a long, uncomfortable look into Michael and Jan’s dysfunctional relationship.

Do yourself a favor and watch “Dinner Party” before it leaves Netflix at the end of December 2020.