The Office: Gettysburg, 8.08

75 comments

1. I feel like there have been too many “field trips” this season. More episodes should be strictly in the office. Every episode except Lotto and Spooked have had other venues..

2. yeah I remember when it used to be a treat when they went on a field trip

3. The List – in Office for everything except one little lunch, and even old office episodes did that (eg. The Coup, Business Ethics)

   The Incentive – tattoo parlor, but TOTALLY worth it

   Lotto – in office

   Garden Party – completely out of office, but really well done

   Spooked – in office

   Doomsday – gonna be in office

   Pam’s Replacement – gonna be an in office episode

   Gettysburg – the summary says its half in/half out

   basically, I won’t complain as long as the out of office episodes don’t suck!

4. >implying garden party was good

5. I agree with #3. This will be episode #8, and it will be the 2nd out-of-office episode. That’s 1 for every 4. Season 3, which was definitely the peak year for the Office IMO, had around 9 or so out-of-office episodes, depending on your definition, out of 23, which is about 2 in 5 (way more often than 1 in 4), including the last 3 of the year. Season 2, which many people say was the best year, had about 8 out-of-office episodes out of 22, which is more often than 1 in 3. Considering the quality of these episodes has remained consistent from then to now, someone who is opposed to field trip episodes (not me, btw) has no reason to complain.

6. As long as there will be lots of Jim, I don’t care where the episode is based;)

7. Scranton to Gettysburg is a 3 hour drive (drove it a lot in college) – so it would have to be an overnighter, unless we are “suspending our disbelief” lol

8. given the fact that 99% of the office viewers don’t know and don’t care enough to mapquest the distance of drive time from scranton to gettysburg, i’d say that the writers are allowed a little creative liberty here

9. @7: If you want to get THAT technical, which really isn’t necessary, allow me to defend the writers: I live a 3-hour train or car ride from New York City. I and many others I know have taken day trips to New York for field trips, etc. and, depending on what one plans to do there, you can leave around 6 or 7 in the morning and get back to my town between 7 and 10 at night. So if Scranton-to-Gettysburg, which I’m sure has less traffic, is the same driving time, that’s not “suspending disbelief”.

10. I live exactly 3 hours from Gettysburg (from the Pittsburgh direction) & my dad and I used to take day-trips to Gettysburg a couple times a year. It’s perfectly do-able.

11. How many times in the past have characters driven back and forth from New York in one episode? In the third season there was an episode where Jan drove from New York to Scranton to Stamford back to Scranton all in one day. So I don’t think a trip to Gettysburg is that big of a deal.

12. Do we know if they filmed at the REAL Gettysburg?

13. I’m wondering if Pam is gonna be in this episode, despite the fact she’s on her second maternity leave.

14. I live 20 minutes down the road from Gettysburg. I didn’t hear anything about them being in town and I think if they were in town I would have heard something. So my guess is no.

15. Stapler & Tori – I live close to Gettysburg too (York County – woo hoo!), and I didn’t hear anything. I’m sure our local NBC station would have jumped on it if they had filmed here. But I am super excited about this episode! I’ve done day trips to Scranton – it’s really not that far, and it’s mostly major highways. Although I’m not exactly sure what Andy would want to show them there. I hope Dwight goes because it would be really hilarious to see him amid all of the Civil War history. He’d probably get kicked out of the Visitors Center or battlefield area for trying to demonstrate proper use of one of the artifacts.

16. I worked at the gettysburg reenactment two years ago- and Ed Helms was there- I was told by a staff working there. But that was two years ago. I’m from that area and I hope to God they filmed there!

17. I have to agree that they’ve taken it “out of the office” less this season than in the past – if you look at the Season 2 episode list, there were a lot of episodes outside the office and many that were half in-half out. If Michael didn’t leave the office, there wouldn’t have been an Office Olympics!

18. @Andy That’s awesome that Ed was there!! I wonder if he’ll visit again some summer.

19. If Ed was there, he probably recommend the idea of going to Gettysburg as an idea for an episode.
    So I bet it’s the real location.

20. I read on Facebook it was filmed in CA. Mystery solved!

21. Not much to go on, but it looks like it’s going to be a good episode. I wonder how many episodes Jenna Fischer will miss because of her pregnancy.

22. I want Dwight and Angela to get back together…I was really rooting for it this season. Does anyone think that she’s not really pregnant??

23. @Katrina – I’ve been convinced of that since Spooked, when Angela commented to Pam how everyone was so surprised she could still fit into that dress. That’s when it hit me. Pregnant women give up their vanity, because they can’t control their appearance.

    Angela is controlling the size of her midsection, which is why she looks like she’s carrying a grapefruit, instead of a watermelon (like Pam). She is faking her pregnancy, because she already knows the (state) senator is gay, and is covering for him to advance his career. She’s also covering for her own huge mistake of being duped into marrying a gay man.

    It’s just a theory, but it fits Angela to a T.

24. @Katrina & @mose wannabe

    Maybe it’s Dwight’s baby? Just a thought. She hasn’t spoken much about the Senator at all this season

25. Does anyone know where they filmed the scenes that were supposed to be in Gettysburg?

26. kind of a snoozer for me, it had its moments though and i enjoyed the kevin plot

27. Excellent, Excellent episode!
    The Robert/Kevin plot sort of confused me when he first came in, but they did have some pretty good dynamic and I liked seeing them together!
    The Gettysburg part was hilarious! Everyone finally admitting that going on the trip was a bad idea, but realized that it was because they liked making Andy happy was a really good idea!
    And Jim’s confrontation with Andy was genuinely sweet. It’s nice to see the differences between how Jim speaks to Michael and how Jim speaks to Andy. He thinks of Michael like a child/dad-figure, where as Andy, he sees him as an equal and a brother.
    Great stuff by Gabe, by the way!
    8.5/10 for me!

28. I probably won’t be popular when I say this, but I truly feel like Andy and Robert California are why this show hasn’t been funny as of late. I think the reason last week’s episode was so awesome was because Jim, Pam, and Dwight had the A storyline. And I’m a bit frustrated by the fact that the manager continues to have the A storyline almost every episode, after we were promised that wasn’t going to be the case this season.

29. Here is the link that confirms that the Gettysburg episode was NOT filmed in Gettysburg.

30. I actually thought this episode wasn’t bad!
    The Robert/Kevin plot was by far the better one for most of the episode, but the ending with Jim and Andy was great. and I agree with whoever said that the Jim/Andy dynamic was more of a brother dynamic.

    Also, I’m glad they’re making Gabe less of the stalker psycho freak, and slowly but surely mellowing him out little by little!

31. I need one of those pink Dunder Mifflin hats NOW!

32. I loved the episode. I liked the cold open with Pam faking labors everyday to get out of the office fast. I still don’t know what else to say about it so far.

33. I live in Gettysburg. This is our paper, it wasn’t filmed there.

34. One thing I did fail to mention was how much I laughed at the cold opening. (even after seeing the promo beforehand). Part of me was expecting to have Pam go into labor for real at the end though. However, now that I think about it, I bet the writers expected to have Jenna around a little longer. It almost sounded like she went into labor before her due date (just based on the wording in her one Myspace blog.) Just a thought ;)

35. A woman tweeted on 9/21 that she saw TO filming at Woodley Park Cricket Complex which is located in Van Nuys, not too far from the studio.

    A quick Google of the location shows a definite match.

36. This was another ok episode. It wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t remarkable either. I thought Ryan and Gabe were better than normal. Kinda hoped for something more serious about Phillip being on his way. But I would think he’ll just be revealed without any episode development like a bolt of lightning.

37. Not going to lie, probably my least favorite of the season. In my opinion, California is kind of ruining it. I don’t find him funny at all. Definitely missing me some Michael Gary Scott. Dwight and Jim continue to be my comic relief.

38. Halfway through the episode and I’m having Beach Games flashbacks. :(

    Favourite line so far: Ryan’s “I’ll give you three reasons why you’re wrong about True Blood.”

39. I didn’t care for this one. I’m really ready to move on from Andy feeling insecure about his position and everyone (mostly Jim) reassuring him.
    Honestly episodes that don’t have Jim and Pam interaction don’t work for me. The dynamics of this show have changed so much I miss the mondane subtle show it once was.

40. You know you’re a true Office nerd when you watch the “Battle of Schrute Farms” documentary and immediately recognize the voice of editor Dave Rogers.

41. I loved the parody of Ken Burns’s Civil War.

42. Just caught the reference to Michael’s line from Casino Night. “I need to see this play like i need a hole in the head” Awesome!

    Jim does so well in the mentor role, though i hope Andy feeling insecure will not be a constant theme.

43. It did have kind of a Beach Games vibe to it. Only not as funny. Still good though with the ensemble focus.

    Ryan was great in this one.

44. Thanks for the info, halfbaked! My friend lives in Van Nuys! Next time I’m in California I’ll have to check out the park.

    34. halfbaked Thu. Nov. 17, 2011 | 9:14pm
    A woman tweeted on 9/21 that she saw TO filming at Woodley Park Cricket Complex which is located in Van Nuys, not too far from the studio.

45. Please stop having Andy make Michael Scott type comments. It’s just not funny. Also, Robert California does nothing for the show. He has to go and they should bring back David Wallace.
    Finally, whatever happened to the new characters that they talked about this past summer (e.g. Stanley’s daughter and a new accountant)?

46. Did not like this episode at all, it seemed to be all over the place. I miss Michael!!!!

47. I’m a big fan of The Office and I thought “Gettysburg” was probably the worst episode of the series – EVER. I agree with several others that the Andy-Robert California focus is ruining the show. I’m so tired of Andy and his insecurities as manager. And Robert California is not funny at all.

48. This episode was okay. When the focus is on Robert California and Andy, I won’t lie, it makes me miss Michael.

    Everything Pam was awesome! When the focus is Dwight, Jim, and Pam, that’s where the magic is. And, where has Creed been?

49. The Office is a great show. Keep up the great work. Why do so many people watch the office to just find flaws in every single scene? Just watch it for the fun and the entertainment. You’ll enjoy a lot more. #TheOffice!!

50. It was boring. Everything was so predictable: of course Andy was going to be overly-enthusiastic about the field trip while everyone else : Jim, Daryl, Oscar, Phyllis, would realize it is pointless and irrelevant. I saw that coming 2 weeks ago when I read the preview. The setting at Gettysburg was so dull. I understand that that is part of the joke (how lame the trip is), but I do not want to watch half an hour of people walking through and sitting in grass fields. The Dwight-Oscar battle was kind of interesting, but felt like a historical lesson rather than a comedy. Also, why was there no Erin-Andy interaction? I know Andy has a girl, but c’mon not even one line of awkward interaction?

51. I really liked this episode! But I hope this is the end of Andy trying to win affections, and hopefully Jim’s speech sealed that.

    Gabe’s stuff was funny!

52. Just a mess of an episode. Andy is not Michael, has never been Michael, so stop trying to make him Michael! That said, there were some good moments, but the episode as a whole was awful. The best thing the writers can do is spread the love to the cast and take the spotlight off Andy, he’s great as a part of the ensemble, but it’s uncomfortable in a bad way right now.

53. This was actually one of my favourites so far this season – Gabe was awesome and so was Kevin (the stapler-pen was genius)! People say they want the show to be about everyone in the office, but I don’t think they mean it because whenever the focus isn’t Jim and Pam they say an episode is “the worst ever.” Sorry, but I think this week’s episode was much better than last week’s – way funnier.

54. Besides the awesome cold open, this episode was meh. What made this show awesome in the first few seasons was Jim/Pam/Dwight/Michael. Now that Michael is gone the writers should be focusing on Jim/Pam/Dwight. It works, the last episode was great, but all of these Andy centric ones are getting boring.

55. Definitely not filmed in Gettysburg, folks. Not a single ounce of it. I agree with you guys that say this was one of the worst of the entire series. If Andy’s not singing, then he’s completely insecure. He’s very predictable. I don’t get Robert California at all at this point, and he’s not really that funny. Only time I laughed was when the water bottle fell out of Pam’s dress.

56. It was an alright episode, might need to re-watch it as I was busy at the time. From what I saw, it was a good all- around episode. The DM does GB hat was pretty funny. I too believe that Robert California is bringing down the show down a bit, not so much Andy. I just feel as if the show is less animated when he’s around. If I had to go back in time to pick the bosses from “Search Committee” I would’ve picked Will Arnett.

    As for the rating, I don’t know yet haha.

57. I don’t know what anybody is talking about, I thought this episode was hilarious! Pam saying she spit her gum on the carpet, Kevin’s Big Mac theory, and Gabe impersonating Lincoln! All of those were big laughs for me!

58. @#49: Agreed.

59. [ from tanster: thank you! :) ]

60. Robert California is not living up to what I expected in his first interview. After seeing that interview, I proclaimed aloud, “Robert California will deliver us to a new and better The Office!!”

    Well, I hate to say it, but he has completely failed us. He was supposed to be the illuminati of the Dunder-Mifflin world. A deep conspiracy. Something other-worldly.

    Instead we see him fooled by Kevin’s cookies. erp.

61. @49 I agree with you all the way there. I think people here have loved The Office for so long that they start to become more critical, putting aside their enjoyment for the show and nitpicking everything. Haha, I’m guilty of doing the same thing.

62. I think they really hit on something with Erin acting as Dwight’s sidekick. That little scene with them arguing with Oscar was hilarious.

    I agree–why turn Andy into Michael 2.0? These storylines aren’t entirely out-of-character for him, but we’ve seen these storylines over and over in 7 seasons with Michael.

63. I agree wholeheartedly with #49. I’d like to add that I don’t see what’s wrong with following a proven formula for the manager, or “more field trips” – which isn’t actually true, there have been less field trips recently than in S2/S3. Anyways, this episode was a big win, even if last week’s was better. And I can’t believe it, but I’m starting to like Gabe! 8.5/10.

64. St. Albans Raid, and some battles in Morgan’s Raid of Ohio, were further North than Gettysburg. So I can out-Oscar Oscar! (Granted St. Albans Raid wasn’t precisely a battle)

    Oh and I liked the Dwight and Erin stuff too, and Ryan was finally useful for something, but mostly it was a meh episode.

65. Please please please stop being so critical of the show! 49, agreed completely. Just watch it. It’s as good as it has ever been.

66. @50, your description of how the characters were “predictable” sounds more to me like they were true to character, which is something some people have been complaining about not happeneing. I thought this episode was very good. Not as great as last week’s, but very good.

    I also agree with @49. This is not the same show it was 5 years ago. Who’s to say it can’t still be enjoyable? I still love it. :o)

67. I liked the episode, but where has Angela been?? I don’t recall seeing her at all for at least 2 weeks… is she off on assignment somewhere? I miss her scenes.

68. I didn’t like the main plot line with Andy that much. I enjoyed Gabe’s Lincoln and Kevin’s/Robert’s side plot. Also Ryan had a great moments in which I would like to see more. It’s just looking like Andy is trying to be like Michael. I Hate being be so negative of a show I love so much :-/

69. So I’m guessing they’re going to have to establish Andy admitting to have copped Michael’s mannerisms now. That would be cool to see IMO.

    I thought the episode was also meh. I mean, it wasn’t exactly bad, but it wasn’t really good either. I don’t really know what to rate it.

70. @60. Eh, I knew he’d turn some heads, but also knew his novelty would wear off really fast. Was really disappointed they picked him as Michael’s initial replacement and I’m a bit happy to see others are slowly starting to agree with me. The show would be doing a huge favour by getting rid of him/bringing back Jo and incorporating elements from Dwight K. Schrute, Acting Manager.

71. Didn’t Michael make an Abe Lincoln hole in the head joke not too long ago?

72. really, a 5.55 average? i mean, it wasn’t an amazing episode, but that seems a bit harsh…

73. the fact that this episode was ranked lower than christening is blowing my mind. it wasn’t THAT bad, what’s the dealio

74. Let’s settle this once and for all:
    Season 2:
    Out of Office Episodes: The Dundies, Office Olympics, The Fight, The Client, Email Surveillance, Booze Cruise, Valentine’s Day, Dwight’s Speech, Michael’s Birthday,Casino Night. That’s 10 out of office episodes, excluding all the episodes with small subplots outside (eg. The Secret, The Fire)
    Season 3: The Convention, Initiation, Diwali, A Benihana Christmas, Travelling Salesmen, The Return, Phyllis’ Wedding, Business School, Cocktails, Women’s Appreciation, Beach Games, The Job. That’s 12 episodes.

    it’s pretty clear that “field trip episodes” aren’t proven to be bad.

75. WHO THE FRAKK is the guy sitting third from the left in the photograph shown during the documentary about the pansies during the Civil War???? I KNOW THAT FACE! He’s an English actor, right?