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The Office: The Boat, 9.06

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Writer: Dan Sterling, Director: John Krasinski

Summary (NBC): Andy is forced to step up when his family comes under hard times — Andy must man up when his dad blows all the family money. When Dwight is interviewed on local radio, Jim and the office torture him with bizarre call-ins. Meanwhile, Kevin discovers a secret about Oscar, and struggles to keep it, while Oscar’s fate hangs in the balance. Guest stars: Jack Coleman, Andrew Santino.

The Office The Boat extras

  • Photos
  • Videos
  • The song Walter (Josh Groban) plays on his guitar at the end of the episode is More Than Words by Extreme. This song was also sung by Andy and his dad (Stephen Collins) in the Season 8 episode, Garden Party.

The Office The Boat rating

In a poll conducted November 8-12, 2012, Tallyheads rated this episode: 8.10/10

See all The Office Season 9 ratings.

The Office The Boat quotes

Manually transcribed by tanster :)

Oscar: I hope that I can count on your sensitivity, maturity, and discretion.

Andy: I’m kind of crushing it in the damage control department, so that’s cool.

Dwight: Do you have any idea how easy it is to sell something when you’re famous?

Dwight: Uh, whatever you say, Brad Pitt. It’s that easy.

Dwight: Greta, the tittle tattle, prattled on about the little metal bottle. She spat a bit of spittle… Tricky Siskel spat a bit of wicked biscuit…

Erin: I bet you wouldn’t sell that Jiffy Lube for all the money in the world, would you, Darryl?
Darryl: I would, if I owned it and I went broke.

Erin: It’s a girlfriend’s job to know her man, and I know Andy. He’s seriously juvenile.

Andy: “You can’t be skipper until you’re a man.”

Dwight: Entirely is the perfect way to describe it, Iris.

Angela: Last night, he was so tired, he just wanted a little Mexican brought in.

Oscar: I’m in big trouble.

Kevin: Yeah, Oscar’s in big trouble.

Dwight: This is gotcha journalism, but you know what, they’re not going to gotch me.

Nellie: Did you just call Miss Mick a moron?

Kevin: Hey Oscar, what if I’m getting a promotion?

Toby: The Scranton Strangler, I always thought he might have been set up, but I felt pressure to convict. I put an innocent man on death row.

Erin: So this is how your family came to America.

Boat guy: I’m not a ghost, so I can’t walk through people.

Boat guy: I can smack you all day if you keep touching what you’re not supposed to touch.

Erin: Andy, you never had to sail the boat to be a man.

Andy: How much for that cool fisherman sweater?

Walt: I figured I’d get that first relapse out of the way.

Andy: Three weeks, open ocean, no booze. You need this. I need it. We need this.

Dwight: I’m going to need you to let the mailman go, okay?

Dwight: Overall, I’d say my first radio interview went pretty much the way I expected.

Andy: Erin, I gotta go! Them’s my chords!

Icon provided by pessimistreader.

78 comments

  2. Interesting that the summary doesn’t mention Josh Groban, though we already know he will be a part of this episode. I hope that means Stephen Collins and Dee Wallace will be in it, too; I thought they were great as the Bernards in last year’s Garden Party.

  3. So Kevin will find out about the Senator and Oscar… it’s gonna get interesting, can’t wait…

  4. Hmm this is very interesting… Could Dwight being on local radio be involved with his ‘Mad Man’ search in the previous week?

  5. I am calling this right now. Dwight is being interviewed because in the episode “Here comes treble” he catches the Scranton Strangler.

  8. @ScrantonStrangler666 – What do you mean ‘catch’ the Scranton Strangler? The SS has been convicted of murder and was put in death row.

  10. It’s possible that Erin won’t end up with either Andy or Pete. She’s the office receptionist, like Pam use to be, but with her own life journey. I don’t think that Erin has found her soul mate. Remember Pam’s talking head in “The Job,” Season 3? Pam said that she’d be okay if Jim got the New York job. That’s where I think Erin will end up. Alone, and still searching, but definitely okay.

  11. Am I the only one who’s noticed that Andy’s parents have been inconsistent? If you watch “Goodbye, Toby” you’ll notice that Andy introduces his parents before he proposes to Angela. However, they’re completely different parents than the ones featured in “Garden Party”.

  12. @Michael Klump – No, but it wouldn’t be the first time that this show has used different actors for immediate family members. Pam’s mom was one actress in “Sexual Harassment” before being recast with Linda Purl by season 6. Both that and this instance seems to be a situation where they were cast in small, barely speaking roles. When they needed to be expanded, the producers wanted “bigger names” or whatever.

    I’ve been wondering if maybe the Scranton Strangler is Mose. Michael Schur has already said that he doesn’t want to act on The Farm and wouldn’t mind if the pilot of that show was about Mose’s funeral. Obviously it’s a stretch, but if it’s not Gabe, I’m not sure there are a lot of credible suspects. Originally, I thought maybe it was the Senator but that wouldn’t fly with the subplot in this episode.

  13. Last thought on #10. In September, NBC bought a sitcom from Ellen DeGeneres which has as its lead character a successful and independent 32-year-old single woman. Emphasis on single and worried about it. I bet Ellie Kemper already has the role.

    For Rainn Wilson, The Farm is a backdoor pilot from The Office. NBC could have decided to develop Ellie’s character Erin in a way that makes her fan base really see her in the new role. In Season 9, The Office has become a place to transition some of the actors into their own TV shows.

  14. @11. Michael Klump

    That is correct. They are the same “characters”, simply different actors. Same as Pam’s mom in Season 2’s “Sexual Harassment”. She was replaced by a different actress later, shown primarily in the Season 6 arc, where Michael starts dating her.

  15. No, Klump, you’re not alone. They also changed Pam’s mom who showed up in season 2. I suppose it was cheaper for them to hire those actors for those small roles at the time, but when they later decided to expand their role on the show (as was with Pam’s mom), they had to find better (aka different) actors.

  16. @13 lynn, that would be exciting!

    I am a big fan of Ellie Kemper and I can totally see her in that role. (However, there are so many roles I just can’t see her in.)

  17. The actress who played Pam’s mother in ‘Sexual Harassment’ was doing a play and so wasn’t available during the time they were filming the story arc between Pam’s mom and Michael in Season 6. That’s why they had to recast her. Andy’s parents could well have been recast, because the original people were extras, not actors.

  18. First an episode called The Boat and then one called The Whale? Feel like there’s some connection here. Maybe Andy and his brother go on a sailing trip together or something.

  19. Now that Andy is gonna try to support his family in this episode, I hope everything is okay with them; and for the record, I consider him and Erin as good soulmates, like Pam and Jim. And, it’s gonna be so funny to see the office messing with Dwight on the radio. Speaking of parents, I’d really wish Pam’s dad appeared more on the show. We’ve already seen her mother long enough.

  20. @11 Indeed. Andy’s father is also introduced as Andrew Bernard Sr early on, but later on his name gets switched to Walter Bernard. In another episode Andy refers to having a step-mother, yet his parents are obviously not divorced. Andy also references a sister at one point, but she has never been mentioned since. Either the writers should try to be more consistent or I should be less of a geek. Or maybe both! :-P

  21. In “Health Care” Dwight mentions Meredith having 2 kids. Later on Michael mentions her as having one. :)

  22. @Michael Klump. I believe it’s said that Meredith has a son and a daughter at one point and I’m not sure if it was a deleted scene or what but I remember her saying one of her kids lives with their father

  23. @AmandaTrip, you’re right, she says her husband got “the good kid”. In ‘Blood Drive’, she also refers to her “kids” when she says that they call her ex’s new wife ‘Mom’. Also, in ‘Todd Packer’, Michael tells Meredith that Packer’s kid “doesn’t speak to him either”, when he’s trying to show people in the office that they have things in common with Packer. I always took this to refer to her daughter, since her son lives with her.

  24. I do like where Erin is heading. But I don’t see how they give us a good conclusion to Andy’s character at the end of the series. He has essentially been four different characters during the run of the show. Unlikeable, somewhat likeable, likeable, somewhat dislikeable.

    Dwight/interview subplot was great.

  25. GREAT episode!! 10/10, first time I’m giving that this year. Kevin was great!! So funny!!

    But my favorite part tonight? Jenna Fischer. When she did that voice I just lost it. Reminded me of Search Committee when she played that prank on Creed. She’s great!! I love that woman! She’s so adorable when she does her voices! :D

    Felt so bad for Erin at the end… don’t know why Andy has been so mean lately. :( Makes me upset.

  26. We now know the real Scranton Strangler is on the loose; that Oscar’s a jerk, but at least he has SOME decency left inside him (confessing to Toby); that for all the new found bravado and machismo, Andy’s still an insecure, obtuse, twit; that IMO Pete is destined to be heartbroken and Erin to settle for the wrong man; that Nellie is really fitting in; that JAM can still pull a wicked prank; and that Dwight is still that same guy who tried to take Michael’s job only to end up begging for forgiveness, pleading for his job, and telling Michael he was the best of the best…except this time it was David Wallace, and Wallace had no idea what was going on. Brilliant episode.

  27. Best episode of the season!!! Loved how so many of the actors finally were involved. Loved the prank on Dwight, & that Phyllis was in on it. Loved Nellie’s un-British accent. Love the trouble in accounting with Oscar, Angela, & Kevin (nice to see more of Kevin!). However, not too excited about the boat issue with Andy.

  28. Great episode. The call was hilarious. Kevin’s parts were great as well. I loved the Pete-Erin thing at the end. I’m not sure if I’m happy with the writers sending Andy away AGAIN. I don’t like tool Andy, but this is the 2nd time he’s going away for a while. I wonder if Nellie will take over. Also, I loved the Scranton Strangler reference.

  29. NO!!!! I live in Indiana, so they showed football instead!!! Now I have to watch it on Hulu tomorow and can’t dish with everyone tonight…

  30. It was nice to have a storyline going on in the accounting department, involving none of the lead actors. I miss seeing those guys. Hopefully the future episodes will do that again, and also include more Creed, Meredith, Phyllis, and Stanley. I don’t think Stanley had any lines tonight. Overall however, a great episode. :) Kudos Office team.

  31. Going against the opinion. Didn’t love this one. The Dwight prank was the only part I found funny. I will agree when Jenna threw that voice out there I had a huge laugh.
    I think Ed was off filming The Hangover 3 so they had to write him out. Not too hearthbreaking for me.

  32. Really great writing, they really juggled the multiple plot lines well and a lot of great one liners.

  33. I hugely enjoyed this episode. All the storylines worked so well. Andy sailing off into the distance is obviously to allow Ed Helms to film Hangover 3. Erin’s going to be with Pete by the time he gets back, eh?

  34. Impressive episode!!!!! The scenes with Andy and his boat were amazing, specially along with Erin and his brother. And the way the office messed with Dwight pretending to be a radio station was totally awesome. But when Kevin was this close to ruin Oscar’s secret, that’s creepy.

  35. Now that it looks clear Erin and Pete will be a thing, I like to look back at Michael’s prophecy from his last episode ever in season 7:

    “Erin: I know that Gabe is young and hot and everything and he’s begging me to reconsider, but I- I just think I’m in love with someone else.
    Michael: Kevin?
    Erin: Andy… I wish I knew who my birth mother was so she could just tell me who to choose.
    Michael: Maybe neither.
    Erin: I’m not attracted to Kevin.
    Michael: Erin, listen to me. You shouldn’t rush into this, at all and you know why? Because you are beautiful and you are fun and you are smart. And when the right guy comes along, you’ll know it. You will.”

  37. Nice blending of the three storylines. Someone is doing a great job of this. And Dwight…….he made the episode for me!

  38. I really like this episode. One of the best this season IMO. But I feel like Andy has turned into a a’hole a bit this season. Is it just me??

  39. Just like an ER doc, I’m callin’ it on Andy and Erin’s relationship. Time of death: November 8, 2012. I think even clueless Erin recognizes that he’s “juvenile” and she rightfully looked disgruntled at not being invited on the boat trip. So much for them.

    Loved the elaborate prank on Dwight, and how JAM got Nellie and Darryl and Phyllis involved, too. The writers have done a great job of making me really like Nellie this season, which I would have predicted was an impossible job. Loved her “American” accent. :-) Dwight was hilarious.

    The Oscar/Kevin/Angela story was riveting, too. I’m eager for that sham marriage to unravel in some comedic way. Overall: great episode.

  40. My favorite episode this season, by far, was Work Bus. That episode was driven (pun intended) by things intrinsic to the show.

    Maybe The Boat idea was created to give Ed Helms time to film the Hangover 3. I don’t know. While Andy is gone, Erin will have a decent storyline. In The Boat, I loved the Oscar/Kevin bit. The situation exposed character flaws. As their story develops, it can really build from Oscar, Kevin & Angela’s relationships with each other since Season 1. Speaking as a long time fan of the show, that would be a genuine payoff for me.

  41. My husband and I laughed out loud throughout the entire episode! Such fantastic writing and directing! The prank on Dwight and Kevin and the bathroom is so “classic” Office! This episode deserves a perfect “10”! ;)

  43. The real treat of the episode was the Oscar/Kevin story line. So refreshing to have a central story line revolving around non-central characters.

  44. I missed Clarke in this episode. Also this is the first episode that Nelly didn’t annoy me. She should join forces with Jim and prank him more often

  45. From the commercials, I was afraid this episode would be too over the top, but it wasn’t; I loved it! John did a great job directing. Pam’s accent! Kevin, Kevin, Kevin! I laughed out loud many times. Erin and Andy are just straight-up depressing me, which I thought I’d never say. I think they’re going to stay together though. Didn’t one of the show runners say something like, “we’ll get to see what would have been had Pam and Jim never happened,” sort of a thing?

  47. Loved this one – my goodness, it went by so quickly! P.S. I’m actually cheering for Oscar and the Senator.

  48. I laughed a few times at this one and then imagined Andy and his boat being run over by an oil tanker, never to return.

  51. Perhaps the “Pam and Jim never happened” comment refers to Oscar and the senator?

    I sincerely hope that Peterin will work out. That is now the only arc I am interested in.

    [ from tanster: i think pete is adorable! ]

  52. This one was great and kept me entertained throughout.

    I am also one of those who never liked Nellie last season, but she’s become very likeable lately and am glad the writers have kept her character involved.

    My heart went out to Erin at the end, especially since she was so instrumental in encouraging Andy to make the most of his time left with the boat. I haven’t figured out if Andy is being a jerk or a blockhead. What happened to the dramatic efforts he made in “Get the Girl” ?

    I was hoping to see more Val (warehouse) & Darryl chemistry, but I think they showed a quick shot of her at Roy’s wedding and am figuring that she was Darryl’s date, but why hasn’t she even been mentioned in any of the episodes ?

    Miss Ryan and Kelly !

  53. 1) Either Toby or the senator is the Strangler. 2) Why can’t we see The Office being an office anymore? That was the original premise of the show. 3) Andy became a normal human being at the beginning before inexplicably leaving his girlfriend at a dock alone and reverting to his new oblivious personality. 4) Season 2 or 3 Kevin would’ve been more interesting to deal with the Oscar-Angela thing than new invalid Kevin.

  54. so, no andy for 3 weeks? :))))))))))))))) great!
    and kudos for jenna fischer, she made me laugh out loud with her voices. I love that woman. and nellie was brilliant on the prank.

  55. Did anyone else notice that Kevin had also stripped to his underclothes in one of the Dwight radio-call scenes? I about fell off of my couch! Great episode!

    [ from tanster: yes! that was awesome. ]

  56. I really enjoyed The Boat. Nice storyline and cast was showcased at their best. Did you notice how Pam was in almost every scene with Jim sitting very close to him. No doubt that they are still a very happy couple

  57. This was the best episode so far. Action packed and full of laughs. I think this might be the first one to break through 8/10 on the fan ratings.

  58. This was for sure the best episode of the season so far. I laughed so hard. This was a great episode for Kevin. He wasn’t TOO far out there.

  59. Dwight made this episode for me! And I thought the blending of the 3 stories was well-done — maybe that’s due to Krasinski’s excellent direction. I’m still not so enthused about Erin and Plop, but it’s OK. The Office is great this season!

  61. The ridiculous overnight transformation of Andy into the biggest asshole on the planet is making me not want to watch this show anymore. He doesn’t invite Erin along on his 3-week cruise and leaves her standing on the dock? You gotta be kidding me. Also, does the Plop character exist only to hit on Erin? He never seems to interact with any other character on the show.

  62. Toby regretting not going against his peers while he was on jury. Creed is the Scranton Strangler!

  63. Reviews I’ve read seemed to just see Andy as a jerk in this one, but I thought they did a better balance of his good and bad qualities than they have for awhile. He praised Erin and I think was sincerely grateful to her. But events are pushing him toward his family and there’s at least some indication his family looks down on her. I think if they’d done a better job of indicating this has been going on for awhile, that even before his Dad left for Argentina the time spent with his family was causing him to regress, it might have been better. Instead you got the sense Andy is so impressionable he just goes through personality meltdowns anytime he spends a few weeks away at camp or anger management.

  64. I’m still worried that the Scranton Strangler will turn out to be The lustful Senator. Jack Coleman has played the Salem Strangler in Days of Our Lives so…

    I want a happy ending for Oscar and The Senator!

  65. Loved this epi! I laughed so hard, especially at the part where Kevin was also in his underwear.

    Now, I wasn’t as fond of the Andy/boat, Andy/Erin plotlines. To me, it is like they are trying to focus on Andy since Michael is not there anymore, but Andy is just not Michael Scott.

  66. I really loved this episode, the whole radio storyline was hilarious!

    I’m guessing this whole Andy/Erin/Pete triangle is going to play out a lot longer. I get that Andy wants to help his family, did he just forget to ask Erin along?

    Will the story wrap up with Andy making a big gesture to Erin to win her back? I’m very interested to see how it plays out.

  67. Wow! What a great episode! Easily the best of the season so far. So many laughs, particularly from Nellie, Kevin, Pam, Jim & obviously Dwight! I’m starting to think the strangler storyline is turning a bit more serious than I originally thought, can’t wait for that to develop! Great episode!

  68. #64, @dref22 I love your idea, and so far I haven’t heard anyone else suggest it. The Senator as the Scranton Strangler. What a great twist that would be!

  69. I do find it odd how Andy has apparently become public enemy number one in some quarters for his insensitive behaviour. Michael did terrible, terrible things at times. I mean, he tried to frame Toby for possession of drugs!

  70. Great episode. Loved the parts with Kevin and Oscar; Kevin’s valiant efforts to keep Oscar’s secret in front of Angela were priceless.

    – – –

    [ from tanster: thanks for reviewing the quotes! ]

  71. @lynn , Actually I saw discussions on the wiki page, but none of them mentioned Mr Coleman’s DOOL role! It would really be a great twist, but is this show THAT cynical and dark?

  72. Am I the only one wondering where the “Shots have been fired!” scene from the promos was?

  73. Is it just me? I think Erin has significantly matured this season. She can even distinguish The Bahamas from Bermuda. (They are almost 1000 miles apart.)

  74. @dref22 Yes, sometimes that dark, but balanced with a lot of heart and humor. Michael Scott was often an insensitive jerk. He also loved the people in the office like family – except Toby.

  75. There was so much to like in this episode! Easily the best one since season 7. The Dwight phone call prank was side-splittingly hilarious, and felt very reminiscent of earlier Office episodes, and the Kevin and Oscar thing? Priceless. Some of Kevin’s best moments ever! Kevin’s final talking head had me in tears from laughing! The Andy and Erin thing was a nice touch but wasn’t as compelling as the rest of the show but still solid. That was pretty messed up that Andy left without her in the end though.

  76. HILARIOUS episdoe! Kevin the best! But…whatever happened to Gabe? I was starting to like him in season 8. Especially during the Gettysburg episode! I guess he’s gone… :-/ But if the Office keeps making episodes like this it will be a great final season!

  77. So I just noticed this while watching “The Boat”. Pete and Erin are the new Jim and Pam. Andy is Roy….self centered, uncaring, jerk. The office is coming around full circle, back to the beginning. The cool, sane, normal guy falls in love with the secretary and, in the end, gets the girl.

  78. Absolutely wonderful episode. The ensemble shined and the Oscar/Angela/Senator plot line was moved along nicely. My one complaint however is the very existence of that plot line. Granted, I have been longing for SEASONS to see some of my favorite ensemble members get some significant plot lines and the Oscar/Angela story definitely fulfills that desire. However, given that this is the last season, I really wish some of the primary cast had a more significant role. Namely Dwight. It would be a shame if the series ended without giving him one last chance to shine.

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