UPDATE 12/30: congratulations to GRAND PRIZE WINNER ctl5 (120) and RUNNERS-UP Hannah (64), MaddieMagnus (66), Callan (2), Sarah (6), and absolutely i do (8)! Please check your email for further instructions. :)
Here’s your chance to win tickets to watch The Office’s Melora Hardin perform in the hit Broadway musical Chicago!
“Hey there everyone at OfficeTally! I’m so excited to play Roxie Hart and also so happy that two lucky Office fans will get free tickets through OfficeTally. Good luck and definitely meet me at the stage door after the show and bring your favorite pics for me to sign! Look forward to seeing you there!” — Melora/Roxie
Sound awesome? Read on.
Task
Describe your favorite Jan Levenson moment in ‘The Office.’
Rules
- Submit your entry by adding a comment to this post.
- One entry per person. If you post multiple entries, you will be disqualified.
- Provide a valid email address.
- You must live in the NYC area or be able to travel on your own to NYC to see the performance of CHICAGO. Transportation not provided.
- Tickets are for select performances in January only.
- Rules and deadlines subject to change without notice.
Prizes
- Grand Prize: A pair of tickets to see Melora Hardin in Chicago on Broadway and an exclusive CHICAGO prize package.
- 5 Runners-up: CHICAGO CD/DVD box set.
Deadline to submit your entry
Submit your entry by Saturday, December 27, 11pm PT.
Winners will be randomly selected and announced on Monday, December 29th!
Related links: Chicago the Musical | Melora.com
I think she will be awesome! Good luck Melora!
I loved watching Jan give into her self-destructive tendencies. Her downfall was summed up perfectly in this brilliantly delivered line: “Downside? I date Michael Scott publicly and collapse in on myself like a dying star.” Just classic!
My favorite Jan moment has to be at the Dinner Party, when Jan puts in Hunter’s CD and begins to sing and sway to it. Not only is the look on her face truly orgasmic, but the emotion that she puts into “That One Night” is just pragmatic and seen in the looks on the rest of the party guest’s faces. No wonder Jim resisted a dance with the infamous Jan Levinson Gould (no Gould :) )
Jan’s talking head in Cocktails pretty much summed up her whole existence.. The fake boobs were a close runner up but this actually made me laugh out loud..
“I am taking a calculated risk. What’s the upside? I overcome my nausea, fall deeply in love, babies, normalcy, no more self-loathing. Downside, I date Michael Scott publicly and collapse into myself like a dying star.”
My favorite Jan moment was during the Dinner Party when Jan was giving the tour of Michael’s home to Jim and Pam, specifically when they were in the bedroom (e.g. Tripod with camcorder, and “Michael’s Bed”)
My favorite Jan moment might be all the way back in season 2– at the business meeting at Chili’s (the new golf course), her constant exasperated looks as a result of Michael’s inanity and then her final giving in (thanks to alcohol, of course!) captures Jan in true form!
My favorite Jan moment of all time is when gives into the dark side: “Why is this so hard…That’s what she said. Oh my God, what am I saying?” -Cocktails. This is when I think Jan truly went crazy, but we wouldn’t have her any other way.
By far my favorite Jan moment (one of my favorite Office moments ever) is the dancing to “That One Night” in Dinner Party. I watched that one scene over and over again.
This moment is my favorite:
Jan: [on speakerphone] Michael, …
Michael: Huh?
Jan: …come over after work tonight, OK? I miss your body.
Michael: I don’t know. I feel… I drive a lot. I’m spending a fortune on gas and tolls –
Jan: I’ll give you $200. And if I get up before you, I’ll leave it on the dresser.
Michael: Um, that… I don’t know. That makes me kind of uncomfortable.
Jan: $300?
Michael: I… uh, well, I don’t know.
Jan: You know whatever. Just let my assistant know if you’re coming over so he can get more vodka, OK? Hunter, are you on?
Hunter: [on speakerphone] You got it, Jan.
Woo, Go Chicago! Awesome possum.
Favourite Jan Moment? When her and Michael are sitting on the train (from the episode “Money”) and there was a beautiful shot of the train cars extending into the distance and just Jan and Michael’s feet cut off at the shins, and she was swinging her feet like a little kid normally would… I think that, even though it was shot masterfully, was my favourite Jan and Michael moment, it was very very humanizing…. and awesome cinematography.
My favorite Jan moment was in “Valentines Day” when she kissed Michael, but didn’t see the camera’s until afterwards.
Best Jan moment when Michael realizes how bad it is going to be when Jan says she can move into his condo, and wait for him to come home at 5:05 in stretch pants.
My all time favorite Jan moment was from the Dinner Party. When she first put on Hunter’s song and began swaying and dancing. Then when she grabbed Jim’s hand, but he did not stand up so she went with it and twirled herself anyway. For me that was the instant when I knew Jan was in a definite downward spiral. In the episodes before you knew something was off, but in that moment I just knew she was totally gone…mentally…perhaps forever?
HA!
Wow, there are so many great Jan moments. To just name one, I’d have to say when she says to Michael, “Please don’t smell me, Michael.” I love how she was forced to treat him like a child.
My favorite moment is the car ride home from Jan being fired from corporate. Watching the look in Michael’s eyes as she goes on about staying at home and wearing sweatpants…
I love the panicked look on Jan’s face whenever she explains to the cameramen her dating predicaments. She’s like a mischievous little kid who knows what they’re about to do will really piss of their parents. She just can’t control herself when it comes to Michael, which would actually be adorable if it weren’t for her psychopathic tendencies. My favorite of these moments accompanies the line “date michael scott publicly and collapse in on myself like a dying star”. So perfect.
My favorite Jan moment is definitely from ‘The Client’. When Michael and the client begin to sing the baby back ribs song, and Jan is staring daggers at him, but she can’t do anything because the client is having so much fun. So she just sits and stares and drinks (a lot), and the way Melora plays it is hilarious.
My favorite Jan moment happened in Casino Night: Jan goes to her car, looks at the over-night bag she had packed to stay overnight (most likely at Michale’s ) and just looks at the camera defeated
My favorite Jan moment had to be at the end of Dinner Party when you see her futility trying to put that poor little Dundie back together. I loved that after she was crazy and so mean to Michael, she still wanted to do that for him.
In “The Client”, when she and Michael are on the phone, and you don’t hear what she says, but Michael says, “You want us to see other people? Only other people?” I love imagining the panic on her face and in her voice when she realizes the can of worms that she’s opened up.
My favorite jan moment is when she is describing things michael is good at and comes up with ice skating. Then she goes on to tell michael she loves him too then they go to seperate lunch tables haha.
When Jan says that she wouldn’t have Michael’s baby because she wanted to make “this one count”
Aw, I was Roxie Hart last year in a dance production of Chicago!
Melora and I should be best buds :)
It’s hard to pick just one, but I love when she was trying to put Michael’s Dundie back together. It was so funny and sweet at the same time.
My favorite Jan moment? When she says “That’s what she said” at the “Cocktail[s]” party. She realizes Michael’s buffoonery is sinking into her, and you can see the disgust in herself in her facial expression.
I still think hands down my favorite Jan moment ever was in Performance Review, after her and Michael have their tryst at Chilies and she comes back to the office to sort of “set the record straight” about their relationship. Her and Michael are in her office and he very inappropriately tells her that her perfume is sexy and she replies, “please don’t smell me Michael…” I think I laugh harder at that moment than any other in the entire series. Just the delivery of the line was so dead on and you could really feel her tension and anxiety, it was just perfect. All time favorite!
My favorite Jan moment is at the end of “Valentines Day” when Jan kisses Michael near the elevator after he defends her in front of David Wallace. Michael acknowledges the camera and Jan realizes that the kiss is on tape. The excessive sigh and horror that follows is priceless.
My favorite Jan moment can’t really be summed up in words. The episode “Dinner Party” was the episode that most let us see what the character of Jan is really like, beyond her business-like front. But it was the look on her face when they’re talking about the smudges on the door, and Jan says “You are SO RIGHT, because before I lived here, the glass was always covered in smudges! And then I moved in and I cleaned it, so I guess that makes me the devil!” I feel like that line, with the look on her face, is the character of Jan in a nutshell. You could see every ‘tick’ in her eyes and it just completely sold me on what a passive aggressive nutjob Jan is. But oh, she tries so hard!
I’m a huge Broadway fanatic and Chicago is one of my all time favorite shows! How awesome!
The entire Dinner Party episode is hilarious, but my favorite Jan moment is probably when she throws one of Michael’s Dundies at his TV and then is watching the broken TV while she tries to glue the Dundie back together later on.
I am a big fan of “Competent” Jan and loved The Client. It is great to watch Jan suffer through what she perceives to be Michael’s buffoonery to then see her come around and realize what a fantastic salesman he really is.
My favorite Jan scene is during “The Client” at Chili’s after she believes that Michael just ruined the chances of getting the contract with Christian, Michael pulls in the sale and Jan has the look of awe on her face of Michael’s accomplishment. It was the first time that you could sense Jan genuinely falling for Michael.
My favorite is from “Cocktails” when Jan has her very own “That’s what she said”. Everyone needs to have one – and I love how she looks surprised with herself after saying it.
I loved watching Jan decline from a seemingly bright, competent business woman into the completely crazy woman we all know and love. It was just so fun to watch her character develop (for lack of a better word). So naturally, my favorite Jan moment was when we really started to see her go downhill, which was in “The Job.” It was just so funny to watch her get angry and then try to leave the office with some dignity, only to drop the box of her belongings.
Since a few of my favorites were already mentioned, I’m going to have to say that my favorite Jan moment was when she hears that Kelly wants an SUV with three rows of seats instead of a minivan to carry her kids around. Then of course Jan latches onto the idea of Pam being driven towards art school.
Jan swaying along to Hunter’s CD and trying to get Jim to dance with her. So awkward.
Jan, in the Dinner Party, asking Pam (incredulously), “Are you eating?”
I love musicals and Chicago is one of my favorites! Great for you Melora, hope to see you there!
My favorite Jan moment has to be when Jan found out about the candle-light vigil for the girl who went missing, and then was later found. The Serenity by Jan bit is some of the funniest stuff on television. \
FAVORITE Jan Moment – from Cocktails:
“I am taking a calculated risk. What’s the upside? I overcome my nausea, fall deeply in love, babies, normalcy, no more self loathing. Downside? I, uh, date Michael Scott publicly and collapse in on myself like a dying star…Why is this so hard? That’s what she said. Oh my God. What am I saying?”
It just seemed so right – and then it all went downhill from there….
My favorite Jan moment: her talking head during “Cocktails.” Priceless.
“I am taking a calculated risk. What’s the upside? I overcome my nausea, fall deeply in love, babies, normalcy, no more self loathing. Downside? I, uh, date Michael Scott publicly and collapse in on myself like a dying star.”
Thanks for this opportunity, Tanster!
My favorite Jan moment is in of the episode “Coctails” when she has her talking head outside of David Wallace’s house. She’s bundled up in a coat, smoking, and contemplating the ups and downs of dating Michael Scott. Then, she says, “Why is this so hard? That’s what she said…. Oh my God, what am I saying?!” I really like this moment because the audience is able to feel, along with Jan, the realization of what this relationship is actually doing to her; physically and mentally.
My favorite Jan moment was during ‘Dinner Party’ when Michael says “oh good, I’ll be your first customer” and she replies sacastically: “You’re hardly my first!”
and Michaels finishes it with the loudest TWSS!
My Favorite Jan moment was when she tries to dance with Jim (“Dinner Party”) while listening to Hunter’s song “That One Night.”
Where do I begin. Jan has always been one of my favorite characters ever on The Office. My favorite is the episode Back From Vacation and Michael sends the topless photo of her to the company and doesn’t figure it out. Then in Michael’s office he thinks he is getting is trouble but Jan is giving out all her feelings to Michael and then starts to make out with him. Amazing.
Two words.
Breast. Implants.
My favorite Jan moments are her conversations with Michael over speakerphone, when she was still his boss. Jan was so awesome and so on-the-edge all of the time! And I am still amazed that she put up with Michael for so long!
I love Jan’s talking head in The Deposition where she explains that contrary to what some people might think, Michael is actually good at certain things, like ice skating. Her delivery is perfect.
My favorite Jan moment is from The Deposition. When Michael tries to clarify that even though HE considered HER to be his girlfriend, SHE never considered HIM to be her boyfriend, her reaction is beautiful. No better
way to explain it. It’s like Jan was actually human for once. Not the monster we’ve come to know in the recent seasons. And Melora did that so subtly. It was perfect. Simply lovely and perfect. Just like Melora :)
when she ‘that’s what she said’s herself.
Favorite Jan moment was in “Money”, when she really opens up to Michael, about him always being there for her, and how they’d find a way to work through it.
Oh, and tossing her keys at Oscar just before that scene, still a riot.
In “Cocktails,” Jan has what I consider her character’s definitive moment, a turning point in the form of a talking head interview in which she explains what she’s doing with Michael. No, not the tawdry, behind-closed-doors things she’s doing with him, but why she’s had this change of heart about him. In deadpan seriousness, she assesses her calculated risk and ultimately sees two paths for herself: overcoming her nausea, babies and normalcy or to collapse in upon herself like a dying star. This is the moment when the old Jan put Gould behind her and became the new Jan. It is the beginning of her long, slow downfall. And it is a thing of comic beauty.
You can’t beat this, you really can’t:
“Please don’t smell me, Michael”
My throat wells up with joy and laughter when I hear this…the fact that she actually has to tell him not to smell her, the whole scene is just amazing, his total oblivious behavior to her soooo many explanations that this is a professional working relationship. Yet there’s still something so tender about her in her voice when she says that line, revealing a human side to her harsh career-driven exterior. Love it!
Loved, loved, loved Jan’s decline and her eventually completely losing it in The Dinner Party episode. Completely reminded me of my own mother . . .
My favorite Jan moment was when she started having a mini-concert at her Office baby shower under the pretense of singing to her child. Son of a preacher man? Hilarious.
My favorite Jan moment is her scene in Money when she runs to find Michael in the train yard. That scene shows Jan’s strength and that this strength can come from her relationship with Michael. She is so afraid of losing him. Her convincing him to get off the train is so lovely that it inspired me to write a song. It’s one of the great moments of the whole series.
**THIS IS NOT AN ENTRY**
I can’t travel to New York, I just wanted to share my Jan moment: when Pam comes in with a post-it note (I think it has a smiley face or something), Michael says, “Tell them I’m in a meeting. I don’t have time for that right now,” and Jan looks all impressed. I always thought it was funny that even with all her past experience with Michael, she fell for his trick. :)
My favorite Jan moment is when she is talking about taking a risk with michael in cocktails. “I am taking a calculated risk. What’s the upside? I overcome my nausea, fall deeply in love, babies, normalcy, no more self-loathing. What’s the downside? I date Michael Scott publicly and collapse on myself like a dying star”
Her delivery is so good and then to top it off she says “Why is this so hard? That’s what she said, oh my god…” This is a priceless moment and one of my favorites. You see the softer side of Jan rather than the hard-to-get biotch we’re used to seeing. As we see later in the episode her inner craziness gets her when the ruder Michael gets the more she wants him… in the bathroom.
Fav Jan moment:
“Really Michael, I’m dropping an atomic bomb on you?”
My favorite Jan moment is post-breakdown. I love the party at Jan and Michael’s house where she gets up and starts to dance inappropriately to Hunter’s song. It’s the uncomfortable comedy that The Office is so great for, but normally it’s Michael’s character causing that kind of strained embarrassment. And just when you think it can’t get any more uncomfortable and embarrassing, she reaches over and tries to get Jim to stand up with her. The look on Pam and Jim’s face as she keeps trying long after he makes it clear that he’s not going to get up is so great! The whole moment is so beautifully horrible it became an instant classic.
My favorite Jan moment is when she throw’s the dundie at the plasma TV.
My favorite Jan moment is when she tells Michael not to date Holly. There is so much understanding in that one look she gives when she sees the two of them together and Melora puts so much into that scene. You can feel that she definitely has a connection with Michael that she doesn’t understand but can’t let go of-and no other woman better move in on him. It’s amazing how she is able to convey so much with just her tone and one look.
My favorite Jan moment is in “Dinner Party”. During the argument with Michael about the screen door, Jan can be seen wafting one of her serenity candles towards her and later on sniffing it directly. It was such a subtle yet hilarious action building off of her earlier explanation as to why she makes candles. If I remember correctly, there were more candle-sniffing shots in the deleted scenes, but I’m pretty sure that is the only one that made it into the episode.
Congrats to Melora on her role in Chicago! How exciting!
My all time favorite Jan moment would have to be her rendition of “Son of a Preacherman” at the baby shower. It is the type of horrible yet hilarious awkward moment that is Melora Hardin’s specialty. And of course, her dance to Hunter’s song at the dinner party…..priceless. AND her reaction to Holly’s attempt at small talk in “Baby Shower”…….”That’s not funny.” Melora is AMAZING.
My favorite Jan moment is when she throw the dundie at the television. It just showed how low she had sunk.
I love in “Cocktail Party” when she is describing how she sees her new life with Michael, and she refers to herself as a dying star who will collapse into itself.
I loved the way how Jan described it, and the way Melora performed it like it was kind of no big deal. Extremely sad, but oh, how I love it.
I don’t know why, but I absolutely love the scene in Casino Night when she’s outside, talking to Jim. She seems so real, just venting to him, and smoking a cigarette. In comparison to so many of Jan’s scenes, (crazy freakouts and odd habits) this one minute clip is just so real. It gives the viewer a glimpse of who she really is.
Congratulations to Melora Hardin in getting the role!
I’ve always loved Chicago.
One of my favorite Jan moments was in “Baby Shower” when Jan was singing “Son of a Preacher man” to her baby, the song along was so funny, but then the awkward stares she got from everyone in the office made it absolutely hilarious!
My favorite Jan moment is in “The Client” after she’s had a few cocktails and Michael glances towards her and she grins at him back. I really enjoy pre-breakdown Jan.
Congrats, Melora!
My favorite Jan moment was actually a phone conversation in “The Coup.” It was between her and Dwight about the Liz Clairborne outlet. Here is the exact quote because I can’t do it justice, just trying to remember it…
Dwight Schrute: [to Jan on the phone] Pull over at exit 40. There is a Liz Claiborne outlet. I know you like that store. Go inside and shop until I can meet you.
Jan: How do you know I like that store?
Dwight Schrute: Many of your blouses are Claibornes.
Jan: How do you know that?
Dwight Schrute: It’s part of my job.
Jan: No, it’s not. It’s officially, not.
Dwight Schrute: Noted.
My favorite Jan moment is when she talks about collapsing on herself like a dying star.
My favorite Jan moment has to be in ‘Money’ when she and Michael are having their heart to heart in the trainyard. I thought it really showed, that despite all the turmoil in the Michael-Jan relationship, there was some real care and feelings there between the both of them.
THere are so many outrageous Jan moments but in one of my favorites she doesn’t even say anything. During Dinner Party when Michael says something ridiculous you see the camera turn on Jan and she’s soaking up the smell of one of her candles to calm herself.
There are some great Jan moments, and by far Dinner Party is one of my all time favorite episodes (I must have watched it 50 times since I got the Season 4 DVD). My favorite Jan moment is a deleted scene from that ep. The one where her, Pam and Angela are having girls time in the kitchen. The scene comes in and Jan is telling this involved story about her high school rival for Ms. Junior Virginia or something (I don’t have my DVD’s home with me now so can’t give details). The story is fabulous and when she gets to the end she realizes she went off on a tangent and asks Pam what her question was again. Pam replies “Ah where did you grow up?”. So self-involved and typically hilarious Jan. A close second is in the Initiation when she asks Pam to write down everything Michael does for the day. Pam’s talking head response is “she used to treat Michael like he was 10, but lately its like he’s 5.”
My favorite Jan moment had to be in the Dinner Party because you were able to see just how crazy she had become since leaving corporate and living with Michael. “When I get stressed… I just come up here and SMELL ALL MY CANDLES!!!”
Up to that point, part of me felt Jan was still “normal” – but after the Dinner Party it was clear she and Michael may have been cut from the same crazy-tree (in a good way!!), BABE!
For me, It would have to be the look she gives the camera in “Money” when she tells Michael to drive because she drank too much wine.
my favorite jan moment had to be when melora, steve and tim meadows were at chili’s. the entire business lunch seemed to be one michael scott blunder after another, and jan acting like she has to play babysitter. without saying a word, her facial expressions reveal that she is scared losing this huge business opportunity and at where it is all going to go (she’ll probably have to explain to david wallace what went wrong with this deal) until michael and tim meadows’ character were talking about growing up in scranton, how many hospitals there are, and then suddenly michael’s genius is revealed and in one amazing second of television magic, you see that jan realizes that michael just sealed the deal. it’s the camera catching these fleeting glances or facial expressions that make me love the office, and seeing jan in chili’s at that moment sold me on melora as the perfect actress for that role. it reminded me of ricky gervais’ expression when dawn walked in and kissed tim. no amount of dialogue could ever be as effective at conveying a sudden moment of realization as melora’s chili’s moment.
My favorite jan moment would have to be in the episode money. I love it when she comes to pick michael up in the porshe at what she thinks is improv and says you drive I drank too much wine. That along with the whole apartment decorating shows how crazy jan can be. And then you get to see the sweet and grounded side of jan at the end of the episode when she joins michael on the train and says that she is going to stick by him.
Jan’s talking head before going into the Cocktail party. In addition to the “collapse in on myself like a dying star” comment, she asks herself, “Why is this so hard?” and then mutters, ” That’s what she said… Oh my god” realizing the effect Micahel is already having on her.
My favorite Jan moment is at the cocktail party, when she says “Why is this so hard? That’s what she said.”
If i had to pick just one Jan moment it would be in Goodbye Toby, when she tells Michael about how she became pregnant. You can tell that its rather difficult for her to confess to Michael that she looked into the procedure while she was with him yet you can see how she is trying to be delicate and caring towards Michaels feelings. Through out the whole season you dont really see much affection from Jan but here i believe that Jan shows Michael a certain amount of respect and nuture by letting him be part of that moment in life with her, yes its rather unconventional but its Jan’s way of caring.
So many amazing moments for my favorite Office character!
Anyway, I’d have to say it’s her reaction to Michael’s “You complete me.” She’s taken aback, amused, disturbed and pleased all at once.
Jan pwns all!
My favorite Jan moment is after she kisses Michael in her office and tells her to meet him at the townhouse. And then does the “You complete me” motions and she just looks like, “Oh God.”
My FAVORITE Jan moment is when she’s talking to the camera outside of David Wallace’s house and she’s talking about her relationship with Michael and says “Why is this so hard?” and then she says “That’s What She Said” only to be followed by “Oh, god what am I saying…” Wonderful haha.
I love the scene between Jan and Michael during “Money”. It has a perfect mix of humor and serious moments – from Jan throwing her keys in Oscar’s face to the heartfelt talk with Michael, it was just priceless. Her mention of how her family still won’t talk to her on the advice of counsel cracks me up, and shows just what a nutbar Jan really is.
My absolute favorite Jan moment is when she sings “Son of a Preacher Man” to baby Astrid. HAHAHAH She gets so into it!
My favorite Jan moment has to be at the dinner party when she and Michael keep calling each other ‘babe.’
Also…one of my other favorite Jan things is how she decorated Michael’s Condo and has the huge Warhol-esqe painting of her face in the stairway. Cracks me up every single time!
My favorite Jan moment was one in which she actually showed that she had a heart. When Michael was trying to run away on the train and she went after him. I think it took a lot for her to climb up there with him and admit that he stood by her when things were at their absolute worst, and she decided to stand by him. It was a very classy moment for Ms. Levinson.
My favorite Jan moment has to be in Season 4’s “Dinner Party”, during her fight with Michael. I laughed all the way from her ending every phrase with “babe”, to turning on her assistant’s CD, to yelling at Michael for putting up his beer sign, and finally to throwing a Dundie through his flat-screen TV!! Classic Office awkwardness led by the “clinically insane” Ms. Levenson…
I have never been to NYC or to see a Broadway show and I sure would love to have a great excuse to come see Chicago! My theatre has been trying to get the rights but it is impossible – so this is the next best thing (and much easier) :-)
At the end of “Money,” when Jan chases after Michael on the train is my favorite Melora Hardin moment for two reasons. As Melora Hardin sits on the train next to Steve Carrell and tells him she is there for the long haul, she not only creates one of the most beautifully composed scenes of “The Office,” but also demonstrates this comedy show’s unique ability to entrance viewers in a scene with nothing funny about it.
Jan has had some amazing moments on the show, a lot of them being as simple as her reactions to things Michael says. However, I think the thing that stands out most in my mind is the episode “Casino Night.” When Michael initially calls her and she says she won’t come, and then ends up changing her mind, it shows she has conflicting feelings for Michael. The fact she drove that far for just some silly little party shows she really cares for him. She saw it was a big deal for him so she made the effort. The scene where she gets in her car to leave and you see she has packed a bag, shows she has expectations and you see her defeated for once instead of Michael always being the one shut down. Melora plays Jan with heart and she really shines in “Casino Night”.
I love Jan’s ark as a character. I love how she goes from the only truly stable character to…well a crazy person. Her fall from grace is pretty amazing.
Favorite Jan moment is when she is carrying/dropping her desk contents at corporate, after suffering the indignity of being let go and she turns to Hunter – “Don’t give up the band!” Her cold, corporate exterior had begun to melt.
I would have to say my favorite Jan moment was when she came down for Casino Night. The events of the night unravel and she ends up just going home, but you can tell she is really upset about it. I like it because it shows that she really does like Michael and that she is not as mean as she seems. I would have to say that is my favorite.
“No one ever said it would be this hard…” *thats what she said* HAHA I love Jan!!!!
My favorite Jan moment is in Dinner Party, when she is showing Jim and Pam her “workspace”. I just love the line: “When I get frustrated, or irritated or… angry, I come up here and I just smell all my candles and it just -poof- goes away.” It is my favorite line of Dinner Party!
So many Jan moments to love! But I don’t think I EVER laughed harder than in the episode “Cocktails” when Jan was attempting to defend to the documentary crew why she was coming out publicly with her relationship with Michael through the love contract and she said it was really hard and then said “That’s what she said!” The look of horror on her face is just PRICELESS!!!
My favorite Jan moment HAS to be “Cocktails”: “Why … is this … so hard? That’s what she said. … Oh God. What am I saying?”
When Jan is singing “Son of a Preacher Man” to Astrid.
I can not not laugh when Jan is dancing to The Hunter’s “One Night” during dinner party, followed by breaking Michael’s TV with his Dundie award.
There are so many amazing Jan moments!!! but I’m going to have to say when she is singing “Son of a Preacher Man” to Astrid and she gets so incredibly into it.
and i also love haw she and michael call each other “babe”.
I love the episode that Jan meets with just the ladies in the office to discuss “women’s issues” in the workplace. She is able to fend off attempts from Michael to infiltrate the meeting, and generally keeps the ladies focused on the issues she is determined to discuss. Jan shows a tender moment with Pam when she is geniunely interested in Pam’s desire to go to art school and gives her the opportunity to follow her dream. Her plans become unravelled as the girls begin to have fun with her when she begins to cover the “sports terminology” section, shows a little evidence of being shaken, but snaps right back to her ever present professional mode when the boys downstairs in the warehouse start talk of unionizing. Jan rode the rollercoaster well, and remains above the fold even while dodging the curve-balls of the Scranton branch (once again!).
This is kind of an indirect moment but it’s so great…
There’s some sort of corporate lady on the ‘party’ boat during “Booze Cruise”, and Michael asks her if they can have a moment alone, and she says “Jan said if you asked me that I was supposed to say no.”
Hands down.
Jan twirling herself under Jim’s arm in “Dinner Party.”
My favorite Jan moment is the awkward conversation with Ryan in Dunder Mifflin Infinity when he points out that she was fired and she’s just like, “yeah, love the beard. Keep it forever.”
Best Jan moment: when she throws Michael’s Dundie at the flat screen TV.
My favorite moment is when Jan gets her boob job, and reconciles her relationship with Michael.
In “Cocktails” when Jan gives into her attraction and decides to be in a relationship with Michael.
In “The Coup” when Jan is talking to Dwight and he tells her there is a new Ann Taylore outlet store and he knows she likes the earrings from that store. She just says: “Where is it?”
In “Performance Review”, when Dwight says, “Don’t sleep with your boss? Is this referring to you boning Jan?” and Jan immediately goes outside and starts sucking down the cigarettes. Classic.
Hands down, the dinner party episode featured the best Jan moments. Smelling her candles to calm down, calling out Pam for sleeping with Michael, and dancing to her secretary’s lame cd….
But my favorite moment is when she throws Michael’s Dundie at his tiny flat screen TV. We all knew Melora could act with the best of them, but I wasn’t expecting to see the arm strength and accuracy of an MLB pitcher.
My favorite Jan moment would have to be from “The Client”. I love the look on her face when she realizes that Michael actually knows what he is doing and is closing the sale. She looks so utterly bored and defeated and the change in her expression is fantastic!
Performance Review: “Don’t smell me Michael.” One of the funniest moments in Office history.
Jan smiling at Michael when he landed the account after the babyback rib meal at Chili’s.
My favorite Jan moment is from the Baby Shower episode, Season 5. I believe this moment appeared in the episode’s deleted scenes. I love when Jan and Kevin are discussing the sperm bank from which Jan conceived Astrid. Jan tells Kevin that the particular sperm bank that she used is very exclusive. Then, Kevin describes where it is and says he has donated sperm there. I think that scene sums up Jan perfectly. She has a life that she wants to lead and expects to lead. But the Michaels and Kevins of the world keep interfering.
I have lots of favorite Jan moments, but since I have to pick one I’m going with a scene from “Money”. I really like the part whenever Jan comes to pick Michael up from “improv” and she gets out and tells him to drive because he’s had too much to drink. She was supposed to go to yoga but you know she spent the whole time curled up with a bottle of wine. So they were both kind of keeping secrets from each other about where they were. And Jan’s look to the camera when she’s walking around the car is priceless :)
My favorite Jan moment:
“Why is this so hard…that’s what she said. Oh my god, what am I saying.”
There’s that moment before Jan says ‘that’s what she said’ where she can’t seem to find an answer as to why it’s so hard for her to date Michael. It seems like it was kind of a cop-out to actually having to think about the answer to the question, but it also shows that Michael is starting to have an effect on the way she thinks. I think it’s a very cute moment.
I love the end of Money, with Jan and Michael on the stopped train with their feet dangling. Jan seems so normal, and the moment is very cute for the two of them. But the best part is after the heartfelt conversation, Michael requests that Jan keep her implants, and she does despite the fact that they hurt. To me that is cute and hysterical at the same time.
My favorite Jan moment is when she brings her baby into the office for the baby shower and serenades everyone with “Son of a Preacher Man”!
I love it (but also find it extremely depressing) when Jan is trying to name everything Michael is “above average” at, but all she can think of is ice skating.
Good luck as “Roxie” in Chicago!
Without a doubt when Jan puts on Hunter’s song during “Dinner Party” and then starts dancing to it…awesome!
“If I was twenty-two and I had lots of time to have lots of children, sure, then let Michael have a shot at one of them. But honestly, I need to make this one count.”
I loved this whole scene so much. Mostly because I myself was born through donor insemination and I swear I’ve heard my mom say stuff like this before. =D
My favorite Jan moment occured in ‘The Deposition’. Its actually more of a Michael/Jan moment. Those two have such great chemistry…it makes for great moments! They are quietly discussing the fact that Jan brought Michael’s diary and showed it to everyone. Jan reminds Michael that he emailed a topless photo of her to half the company. They decide to call it even and without making eye contact Michael state “I love you”, Jan replies “I love you too.” And they walk away in different directions!
Jan’s dancing to Hunters song in Dinner party is the funniest thing I have seen in a long time. Then when she gabs Jim’s hand to dance and he doesn’t budge;its so cringe-worthy. Its so subtle but it must have took courage to do it. Great preparation for her role in Chicago!:)
Favorite Jan moment: At the meeting with Michael and Tim Meadows, when they are singing about Baby Back Ribs, and Jan just has this look on her face.
My favorite Jan moment is from Money…when she speeds up to the parking lot, throws the keys at Oscar, and runs after Michael. Their conversation on the “runaway train” was probably the most human, sympathetic Jan moment ever on the show. :)
My favorite Jan moment is in “Dinner Party” when she starts swaying to ‘That One Night’. It’s so awkward and surprising.
My favorite Jan moment comes at the end of “The Dinner Party.” It’s a silent shot but it speaks volumes. She is sitting on the couch, gluing Michael’s broken Dundie back together.
She is surrounded by the aftermath of her erratic behavior, trying to exert some control over the debris that her life has become. It’s mostly the mess of her own making, and she might hate these Dundies and all that they represent (Michael’s ridiculousness, pièce de résistance in her otherwise perfect decoration scheme), but she also has that soft spot for the cheap trinket, because of what else it represents (Michael’s infectious enthusiasm and the joy he radiates at the silliest things in life, the warmth Jan is drawn to).
Gluing that silly statue back together is an act of faith and supreme futility. It’s surprisingly beautiful. And that’s Jan in all her contradictions: vitriol, frustration, destruction and, somehow, unending hope and grace.
My favorite Jan moment is from “Cocktails.”
Jan’s conversation with the camera before heading in to the Wallace house is one of those early moments that confirm Jan’s spiral towards instability and overall craziness.
“I am taking a calculated risk. What’s the upside? I overcome my nausea, fall deeply in love, babies, normalcy, no more self-loathing. What’s the downside? I date Michael Scott publicly and collapse on myself like a dying star.”
Looking back, the progression of Jan’s character from high-powered executive to sweatsuit-wearing crazy woman is brilliant. The fact that she thinks that by dating Michael she’ll achieve normalcy in her life is just so backward, and it will forever be my most prized Jan scene!
P.S. Break a leg with Chicago, Melora!
In ‘Back from Vacation,’ after she’s told Michael that she, for whatever reason, wants to be with him, Michael stops her just before she leaves and says (and signs) “You complete me.” Jan pauses a moment and as she turns away, she quietly says “Oh dear God.” That is my favorite moment. It’s sublimely acted – understated and completely real.
I can’t enter the contest but I have to reply because Jan and Michael and Jan together were what drew me in to watching the office. The sweetest and most meaningful Jan scenes are when you have a glimpse of how she truly feels about Michael. The character is so adept at hiding her feelings and Melora portrays Jan’s icy self-control so well that you really have to watch to see how Jan truly feels. In “Branch Closing” Michael bursts into hysterical tears and Jan is seemingly composed. As Michael pulls a tissue out of his desk, Jan looks down for a moment with her mouth drawn downward in pain showing she truly is agonizing at having to hurt Michael by telling him such painful news. The Negotiation when Jan looks toward the camera before telling Michael how to get a raise was significant because Jan realized exactly what she was doing and that she was being recorded. For the first time she showed that Michael was more important to her than her job, and that her feelings for him perhaps ran deeper than she even realized at the time.
My favorite Jan moment is her reaction to Michael putting up his St. Pauly’s Girl beer sign right in the middle of dinner during “Dinner Party”. Classic!
Melora is such a fantastic actress, and I think my favorite performance from her comes from “The Client.” Her facial expressions are brilliant. I especially love the proud look she has when Michael seals the deal with Tim Meadows’ character.
Favorite Jan moment: When Jan got mad at Pam for seeing Michael’s penis and thinking that Pam was trying to steal him away from her!
My favorite Jan moment was when Jan was sitting on the train with Michael at the end of Money.