r/funny 2d ago

Is there a better silent background joke than Michael adding sugar to diet coke?

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71.4k Upvotes

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u/FeralArmy 2d ago

Michael eating tiramisu a few scenes after Pam throws a tiramisu in the trash.

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u/letmeusespaces 2d ago

and then chokes on it while on the phone, finally gets it down, takes another bite while talking on the phone, and promptly chokes on it again

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u/puukottaa666 2d ago

“is this why you’re calling me”

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u/OnlySpoilers 2d ago

David Wallace is one of the best straight man

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u/QuestionTheOrangeCat 1d ago

Apparently he wasn't even an actor at the time. He was just David Wallace playing himsf

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u/babygrenade 1d ago

According to imdb he was as an actor that only really had a few small parts here and there then gave up acting in the early 2000s, before auditioning for The Office as a fluke.

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u/Bitter_Print_6826 1d ago

He thought he was interviewing for a job in an office

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u/IndianaDrew 1d ago

Daddy Wallace

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u/thedon051586 1d ago

David Walrus, in his native habitat

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u/peeparonipupza 1d ago

Thinking about this scene cracks me up

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u/ciggybuttz 1d ago

Cuz there was a "tiny little hair in it!"

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u/ew435890 2d ago

She didn’t just throw it in the trash either. She opened the lid, dumped it into the trash, then threw the container away too. That tiramisu was raw dogging the trash.

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u/comettheconquerer 2d ago

He makes a comment in a speech later on too: "We are spoiled because we throw out perfectly good tiramisu because it has a little tiny hair on it"

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u/makdoll 1d ago

His emphasis was all funny too “tir-a-ME-su”

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u/humancartograph 2d ago

And apparently has a hair on it according to his later comment

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u/KojakMoment 2d ago

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u/its_large_marge 2d ago

David Wallace is prob my favorite straight character (comedy-wise). His deflated, yet not very irritated, “Ok..” gets me every time.

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u/lemonylol 2d ago

He arguably is one of the most important characters of the peak seasons in the show, even though he doesn't really have much time on screen.

I also just love that his character, at the very core, actually respects Michael's ability as a manager and a salesman, and later on pretty much confirms he's also his friend in the Deposition.

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u/user888666777 2d ago

One of the best if not the best scene in the show is when Michael forces David to buy him out.

Cause David knows he did Michael wrong by bringing in Charles but also knows Michael is true to his word.

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u/Ffdmatt 1d ago

"You have a board meeting coming up, and you're going to have to explain to the investors why your best branch is bleeding. No, I don't have to wait Dunder Mifflin out. I just have to wait you out."

Still get chills from that random genius Michael monent.

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u/kriskringle19 1d ago

Yeah that's why Michael Scott is still one of my favorite characters ever, and why he still holds up. He's a fuckin goofball who infuriates me sometimes but when it really counts he goes serious mode and you see the respect it pulls when it's needed.

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u/DiskDizzy8566 1d ago

Tell that to Scott’s Tots

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u/Fauxparty 2d ago

Which is so brilliantly inverted once he quits Dunder Mifflin and it's revealed he's exactly like everyone else and has massive imposter syndrome

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u/Rizzle322 1d ago

Makes sense as the character is named after the author David Foster Wallace who wrote heavily on imposter syndrome. Check out his speech "This is Water" if you wish to dive deeper into the rabbit hole.

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u/Unlucky-Confection73 2d ago

His speechless no when Michael asks him if they hire cirque du soleil as salaried employees to help with year end taxes is one of my favourite moments from him too haha

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u/MycroftNext 2d ago

I was surprised the David Wallace actor didn’t become a bigger star. Pretty funny and really good looking.

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u/lemonylol 2d ago

He's in a lot of movies. In The Other Guy's he more or less plays the same character. He's in a lot of great appearances in other shows too, like Always Sunny and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

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u/socialistcabletech 1d ago

And his day job is on wall street, he is a full time finance exec. When asked why he is acting as a side job his answer as i recall it was "some guys golf, i do this." He juat likes acting, and i think those are the best actors.

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u/pmp22 2d ago

Creed vibes

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u/misterdeal 2d ago

I forget which episode, but I think there's one where Ryan, who is wearing a watch, instead checks his full size tablet which has an analogue clock background for the time. So many subtly douchey things.

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u/xThrillhoVanHoutenx 1d ago

There’s an exact moment where Ryan becomes a hipster douche. He comes out of the annex wearing dark framed glasses and a bow tie and he nods at the camera as if to say “this is who I am now” it was his final form on the show.

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u/OTTER887 1d ago

I think he becomes goatee'd business leader for a while, and then is humbled back to his original state.

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u/xThrillhoVanHoutenx 1d ago

The hipster switch is way after that. It’s after the Michael Scott Paper Company.

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u/i_am_a_baby_kangaroo 1d ago

That’s the one with Andy’s play!!!! 😂😂😂

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u/g_r_e_y 2d ago

the sugar addiction and the soft teeth go hand-in-hand

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u/-Tayne- 2d ago

Your dentist's name... is Crentist?

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u/BLADE_OF_AlUR 2d ago

That sounds a lot like dentist....

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u/nickc21_ 2d ago

Maybe that’s why he became a dentist.

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u/alex_northoc 2d ago

He also said he brushes his teeth for about ten seconds.  

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u/KypDurron 2d ago

I made a resolution to floss, and I did it. 12:01, January first, BAM! Blood everywhere.

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u/K-Shrizzle 2d ago

In many scenes if you look in the background at people's computers, they're unashamedly playing solitaire

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u/peoples888 2d ago

To add to this, it was not only for comedic effect, but they were legitimately playing solitaire between takes out of boredom.

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u/ArchDucky 2d ago

Fun Fact : Phyllis was wanting to buy a gate for her house and you can see her looking at gate websites at various times throughout one of the seasons.

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u/FlannelBeard 2d ago

That's fucking hilarious. I remember seeing a computer in the background with an odd layout and was wondering what it actually was

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u/Dodgerson99 1d ago

Fun fact: they didn't have computers in season one. They were just cardboard. Real PCs didn't come till they expanded the budget

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u/RichWPX 1d ago

and they bothered to connect them all to the internet?

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u/XpCjU 1d ago

If you are plugging them in, it's a small task to also run an ethernet cable, and I can't really think of any easier way to get some realistic computer backgrounds than telling them to just goof off on the pc.

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u/xGIJOSEx 1d ago

Wtf I need to rewatch this season just to look for this

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u/pedanticPandaPoo 1d ago

The proper term is "method acting"

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u/A7xWicked 1d ago

That means those computers had internet which is also interesting

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u/KathrynTheGreat 1d ago

They were connected to the internet! So if someone in the background looks really focused on what they're doing, they probably weren't acting.

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u/Altthisisnot 1d ago

I head that the actor who plays kevin used to do his taxes on them

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u/Willnotholdoor4Hodor 1d ago

"Ok so if I did the math correctly then the government owes me about Keleven dollars and Keleven cents."

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u/iwishihadnobones 2d ago

Jenna said that In the early days they were often talking to fans on myspace

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u/Beast_Warrior 2d ago

They probably only started watching Youtube while filming Season 3, and started using smartphones while filming Season 5.

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u/starmartyr 2d ago

A lot of the actors were also writers. They would be background actors while writing scripts for upcoming episodes.

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u/Gofastrun 2d ago

All off the characters in “the annex” were writers.

The set was designed with it obscured from view so that the writers could leave without introducing continuity errors.

They were there a lot of the time but would have to step away to collaborate with non cast-members.

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u/BradMarchandsNose 2d ago

Presumably that’s also why Kelly and Ryan were always in the back room?

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u/AlexHimself 2d ago

They were there a lot of the time but would have to step away to collaborate with non cast-members.

I would imagine they're only there when they would be on camera at some point and while there, they used the computers to write for other things, ya?

Or are you saying sometimes they'd just sit back there and work when they weren't even going to be on camera?

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u/Gofastrun 2d ago

According to cast interviews they were on set a lot of the time, writing scripts on the set computers

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u/caninehere 2d ago

They'd shoot a lot of the in office scenes on the same days so writer-actors would be there filming anyway, it made sense to sit there and write while they were in and around other writers anyway.

Anything shot in the breakroom has the potential to catch them in the annex too as background.

A lot of the actors would literally just do stuff they needed to do between takes. As someone else mentioned Brian (Kevin) would pay his bills because... well, he's gotta do it sometime, why not then?

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u/DougsdaleDimmadome 2d ago

Yeah, seen an interview with (I believe, was ages ago) BJ Novak saying they put the writers in the Annex so they could write in the background and talk with non cast members while they were filming, but still be there to do whatever they needed to in the script.

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u/Uppgreyedd 2d ago

without introducing continuity errors.

Where would the conference room table go?

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u/dont_shoot_jr 2d ago

They didn’t have internet the first season so solitaire it was

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u/Jaymesned 2d ago

Saw a reel recently where Brian Baumgartner mentions he would pay bills during takes he wasn't in.

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u/anne_jumps 2d ago

I don't think I ever saw Meredith NOT playing Solitaire.

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u/octopornopus 2d ago

I seen her get hit by a car that Micheal Scott was in...

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u/sevargmas 2d ago

Who was driving the car, Michael….?

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u/Leonleonphelps 2d ago

Was it on company property

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u/natnupf712 2d ago

With company property

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u/toonboy01 2d ago

So double jeopardy. We're in the clear.

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u/imperfectcarpet 2d ago

I don't think you know how double jeopardy works.

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u/Dr100percent 2d ago

Oh sorry, “what is we are in the clear?”

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u/Jimmyg100 2d ago

Just adds to the authenticity of a real office environment.

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u/itsthatdamncatagain 2d ago

First 2 seasons they had no internet on the set computers. Solitaire or a fake spreadsheet were the only options

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u/SerenaPettite 2d ago

Just as noteworthy is the moment in the Michael Scott Paper Company episode when we learn that he only consumes milk and sugar for breakfast

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u/JesusStarbox 2d ago

I thought he made bacon in bed on a George Forman grill?

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u/InsertScreenNameHere 2d ago

He just likes to wake up to the smell of it, not necessarily eat it.

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u/Murky_Crow 2d ago

Don’t we all?

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u/big_duo3674 2d ago

As a kid it was great waking up to the smell of bacon. As an adult unfortunately I'm the one who has to get up to cook said bacon for everyone else, it loses its allure

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u/TheMurkyLurk 2d ago

Have you tried preparing the bacon the night before and setting an auto timer for your George Foreman to start in the morning?

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u/MycroftNext 2d ago

Wouldn’t that require leaving the bacon out at room temperature overnight?

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u/wheresbrazzers 2d ago

Not if you put the George Foreman in the fridge

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u/Doogiemon 2d ago

What's worse?

A foot injury or a head injury?

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u/magicomiralles 2d ago

If you are unhappy with your compensation, maybe you should talk to HR. But not today ok? Be professional.

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u/deniall83 2d ago

Is that the same grill you burned your foot on?

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u/Silver_Matter_2244 2d ago

I cleaned it!

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u/Holsche_V 2d ago

cleaned the foot or cleaned the grill?

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u/TheConstant42 2d ago

Sue me..

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u/Silver_Matter_2244 2d ago

No… don’t sue me. That is the opposite of the point I’m trying to make

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u/Jimmyg100 2d ago

Not anymore. Too hazardous.

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u/TooStrangeForWeird 2d ago

Makes sense to me. I can only get burning hot oil splatters on my dick so many times before I finally stopped cooking it naked.

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u/Jimmyg100 2d ago

Dude, the whole reason aprons exist is so you can cook naked without getting hot bacon grease on your dick.

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u/bleuballsz 2d ago

But then they wouldn’t be naked anymore, would they?

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u/Jimmyg100 2d ago

That’s what I said, but Whole Foods still fired me!

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u/_Sausage_fingers 2d ago edited 2d ago

If your ass is hanging out and there is a breeze on your testicles, is that not sufficiently naked for you?

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u/beartheminus 2d ago

Any coffee? Milk and sugar! hahahah the best

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u/iheartmagic 2d ago

Every morning.

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u/BetaSpreadsheet 2d ago

I love how he says it like he HAS to drink it, not like he wants to

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u/Compost_My_Body 2d ago

It’s like the recycling sorting into whites and colors. How many rules does Michael silently live by? 

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u/jerry_woody 2d ago

Presumably because he was stung by Phyllis criticizing him for coffee breath.

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u/Ohshithereiamagain 2d ago

That’s how he takes his coffee. Milk and sugar, sans coffee

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u/DiamondBurInTheRough 2d ago

There’s the episode where Pam tells him they don’t recycle and he says “why have I been separating the trash into whites and colors?”

In an earlier season, he’s crawling around on the ground and you can see different recycling bins in the background labeled “colors” and “whites”.

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u/ValjeanLucPicard 2d ago

I love how he murmurs "eight years..." in that scene.

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u/TuahHawk 1d ago

this thread is making me feel like I haven't watched the series 3 times over

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u/user_41 1d ago

Rookie numbers; gotta pump those numbers up

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u/RadWalk 1d ago

Pam's response to michael separating them is "I'm sure no one asked you to do that." so good.

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u/Horn_Python 2d ago

it seems its been a couple decades since dundermifflin got new bins....

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u/Gh0stMan0nThird 2d ago

Pretty sure in one episode Jim started before Pam, and in another Pam started before Jim.

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u/StepArtistic9746 2d ago

My favourite part though not a joke is Michael knowing Angela’s cat’s name when nobody knew it. It just shows how much Michael cares and why they put up with his obnoxious behaviour ahhahaha

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u/its_large_marge 2d ago

You can tell Michael can be extremely empathetic and a good listener when he wants to be lol

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u/Clown_Baby15 2d ago

His detailed color-coded client notes…

“Green means go ahead and shut up about it.”

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u/No_Kangaroo_9826 2d ago

Orange is "orange you glad you didn't bring it up"...

Most of the colors mean don't say anything

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u/KathrynTheGreat 1d ago

It's a solid system as long as you know the code.

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u/Scaryclouds 2d ago

Emphasis on can be, and when he wants to. Because while it’s often played for laughs in the show, he can be a real bastard at times as well.

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u/its_large_marge 2d ago

Exactly what I mean! He can be a total asshole but there are some nice, lucid comments from him. Rare, but he’s not completely devoid of empathy.

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u/Grogfoot 2d ago

The episode where he is the only one that shows up to Pam's art show. He tells her how proud he is of her, gushes over her drawings, and buys the one she drew of the office building.

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u/ProfessionalSock2993 2d ago

And you can tell he really connected with that painting because where others see a boring office building Michael sees his home and his pseudo family

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u/gman8686 1d ago

They really nailed that scene, Michael felt so genuine.

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u/ExtendedMacaroni 2d ago

He was also using her dead cat as an excuse to prove that terrible things were happening all over the office, thus taking some of the blame off him for running Meredith over

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u/jsteenmac 1d ago

My personal favourite is the certificate hanging on Michael's office wall, up and to the left in most shots. It looks like a degree, but it's actually a certificate of authenticity for a watch.

It's a knock off watch, the brand name is misspelled. He's proudly displaying a counterfeit watch certificate.

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u/Zeno66 1d ago

Yes this one is hilarious. I don’t know if they did it on purpose but it seems that it is out of focus the entire time until that one episode when he is giving his watch away to toby.

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u/lynivvinyl 2d ago

Just so you know, if you actually do this it bubbles over like crazy. Not that I would have ever done it or anything but...

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u/cile1977 2d ago edited 1d ago

When I was a kid, we rarely had a cola for a drink, I would get only one glass, so I would leave quarter of the cola in the glass, add sugar and than water, so I would have another glass of cola (just less flavor and not so fizzy) :D

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u/juhesihcaa 2d ago

I'm just picturing a young kid, all excited for coming up with this play, thinking they made an infinite soda glitch. Did your parents ever figure out what you were doing?

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u/HallowskulledHorror 2d ago

In middle school I had a civics class that was in one of the few rooms with carpeting - and not just carpeting, it was new carpet, installed the summer before we had that class. Teacher had a total ban in her room on any drinks other than water - and no snacks, no gum. Sign at the front of the room and everything.

There was a boy that sat near me that was... well, a character. Not the brightest, not the best impulse control, a class-clown. I have a lot of stories about him. In any case, he would regularly sneak sodas into class by opening them in the hallway before coming in, then taking little sips while the teacher wasn't looking. No one wanted to snitch on him directly for various reasons (for the most part, most of us really did like him, there were just times when he was annoying), but when he started really rubbing it in our faces that he was getting away with it and making actual statements to us outside of class how we were all dumb/chicken for not doing what he was, his desk buddy had enough.

I sat to one side of both of them, so I was right there to hear and witness it all; kid brought in a pixie stick and, once class had started and when this boy was at it again, got his attention, whispering "hey - did you know if you pour a pixie stick into pop it tastes really good and makes it like pop rocks in your mouth? I have one, you wanna try?" Clown-boy enthusiastically took the pixie stick, and moments later there was bubbling red foam like a science-experiment volcano frothing in his hands as he jumped up in a panic.

Immediate detention. For all I know, the red stain around his seat is still there.

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u/Funny2Who 2d ago

When I was in high school, my friend had diabetes. So he normally drinks diet coke. We were going to drive to get a burger. My friend takes his insulin shot, and we decide to walk. We arrive at the restaurant, our other friend orders, i order, and then my diabetic friend walks up to the counter to order. He just stares at the menu, lost. He is just staring, and the lady asks, "Can I help you? He blurts out, cheeseburger! I ordered for him. I tell our other friend to get him something with sugar. Now my other friends common sense was always a bit off. So, in his own thoughtful manner, he fills up diet coke in a cup and adds sugar to it. We made fun of him for years. Just get him a coke! Our friend ended up being okay.

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u/sunny_sanwar 2d ago

The only time in my life I came close to peeing while laughing, was the unexpected scene of Michael saying “it’s Britney, bitch” listening to a Gaga song. 

That scene had no impact on the episode’s overall plot, and was so unpredictable that my brain was not ready for it. Never again have I laughed so hard at something so forgetful and unplanned. 

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u/cebruthio 1d ago

I had a similar moment, but it's when Pam says something like "My mother is coming" and Michael stops himself halfway between saying "That's what she said".

"That's what she s... nope." - had me on the floor laughing.

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u/Extreme-Pea854 1d ago

Mine was the fire > cat > ceiling scene. The absolute funniest scene in TV history for me.

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u/Curly-help-plz 1d ago

I love when the State Senator is coming out on tv and one of the reporters says to Angela, “Question for the Senator’s beard.” Just kills me.

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u/King_Buliwyf 2d ago

Not a "background joke," but a tremendous subtle one when Michael and Andy come to the Christmas party with two different waitresses than the one they were flirting with.

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u/RedditBugler 2d ago

I listened to a podcast where someone from the show said the girls they brought were supposed to be really ugly. The joke was meant to be that they flirted with the hotties but ended up bringing the notties. He said the joke didn't work because the actresses were too attractive. It ended up being a meta joke like the show just swapped two other Asian women in because "they all look alike" is what he said. 

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u/King_Buliwyf 2d ago

And they double down on it later when Michael can't tell his girl from the other, and draws a line on her arm.

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u/TheFBIClonesPeople 2d ago

I swear, this is a common L that filmmakers take. They have a role that specifically needs to be played by someone who is unattractive, but they can't get past their lizard-brain impulse to only cast young attractive women.

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u/NotReallyJohnDoe 2d ago

This was a thing in Ready Player One. In the book the lead female character was obese and didn’t want the guy to see her in person. In the movie she was a hottie with a small birthmark on her cheek.

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u/lemonylol 2d ago

Wow that's a good one I never even noticed. But I also just assumed they were flirting with all of them and those are just the ones who chose to go with them.

When he slyly marks one with a marker though, it's one of the funniest bits of this century.

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u/Ok_Difference8202 2d ago

First time I’ve seen this. Hysterical and totally on brand for Michael Scott.

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u/No_Election_3206 2d ago

Did you also notice that the 'diploma' he has displayed on the wall behind him in his office is actually a certificate of authenticity that he is the proud owner of a quality Seiko timepiece?

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u/BigSamProductions 2d ago

And I’m pretty sure it’s spelled “Seyko” inferring it’s from a fake watch.

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u/Samisabitch420 2d ago

Sorry to be that guy but it’s implying that, you’re inferring it

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u/GiveMeBreak 2d ago

Your usernames aligned perfectly

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u/UB3R__ 2d ago

I never look at usernames and I so much appreciate your comment

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u/HoneyWhiskeyLemonTea 2d ago

Holy crap, that's amazing.

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u/WannaTeleportMassive 2d ago

I didn't imply it, I DECLARED IT!

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u/612stone 2d ago

Circling a word with a highlighter in the opening credits?

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u/LongmontStrangla 2d ago

My god that's been lost on me this entire time.

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u/vancouver2pricy 1d ago

Lmao that never clicked

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u/LORDK1N6 2d ago

To me, yes. Creed calling everyone by the wrong name constantly except he knows Hanks name when everyone else forgets. This Michael adding sugar to Diet Coke is solid though as I never noticed it hahaha. Good eye

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u/Mikeythegreat2 1d ago

My favorite is when the cops show up for the weed and Creed starts freaking out 😆

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u/Jeff_Johnson 2d ago

Not sure if background, but when he took his passport with himself to NY

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u/Stoned_jake_plummer 1d ago

Then tips $100 with the per diem at the banquet to flex on Josh

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u/Clark-Kent 1d ago

No he doesn't, that was different $100 Dwight

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u/didyousayquinceberg 1d ago

The toner being missing when creed has dyed his hair

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u/DrewRyanArt 2d ago

Coke? That's a Wegman's soda, good sir

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u/syntax138 2d ago

W P O P…it’s dynamite!

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u/shmooieshmoo 1d ago

Ryan telling Pam and Oscar that the senator is gay while digging through Kelly’s purse and taking cash 😂

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u/acroasmun 2d ago

Michael and Jan both hugging Jim when they arrive at the dinner party is pretty great.

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u/HyzerFlipDG 2d ago

"You know i have soft teeth."

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u/goforpoppapalpatine 1d ago

Probably Meredith casually pumping some hand sanitizer into her hand, and then eating it.

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u/NEDGO 2d ago

If you’re not just limiting the question to the office and showing general. In community over the course of many seasons they say the word beetlejuice. And on the 3rd one he appears walking in the background on what I believe is a Halloween themed episode. He’s literally in the background scene through windows walking and totally missable. 

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u/vancouver2pricy 1d ago

Yeah in general; this just happens to be a good example. Community had a few good ones like the baby delivery

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u/Level_Alps_9294 1d ago

Abed also makes an announcement to students not to wear condoms ( I forget the reason, he misunderstood something or communicated his actual intention poorly). In following episodes, a couple that listened to him end up pregnant, and episodes after that you can see Abed in the background of a scene helping the couple to deliver the baby in the back of an suv!

(I may have some of the details a little bit off - it’s been a bit since I’ve seen it)

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u/looking_good__ 2d ago

I know not silent but the speed bump on the highway always gets me

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u/Herteitr 2d ago

The one that i chuckle to myself remembering is when the bar owner was flirting with him and asked him what his drink was, and he casually said grenadine.

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u/anthrohands 2d ago

But quietly like he knew something was weird about it but not enough to know why

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u/InternetPharaoh 2d ago

That's just the joke. There's no background to it.

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u/Orleanian 2d ago

I had the show on in the background, duh.

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u/dwightuignorant_slut 1d ago

Andy floating away in the lake in a sumo suit as Michael talks to the cameras.

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u/Horn_Python 2d ago

ok i completly cant remeber the episode its in

but theres a scene in Deep space nine where doctor bashir , is talking to garak at a restraunt in the promonade or something

but through out the scene hes getting up and walking around the tables trying to find a working salt shaker for his food, but hes so non shalant about it no one pays any notice to his salt hunt

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u/talish2000 1d ago

When Gabe first gets on the show, Dwight welcomes him with Scranton hot dogs from Scranton and Gabe doesn’t grab one, so the scene continues but in the background Dwight just puts the tray of hot dogs on the ground. Gets me every time.

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u/Successful_Home_7848 1d ago

Angela stops, drops, and rolls to avoid the bat

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u/Fly_Rodder 2d ago

Wegmans brand diet cola! lol Never noticed that part before. On-brand for Scranton.

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u/Zenkou 2d ago

I'd personally say the background side story of Abed interacting with a couple and then delivering their baby, all happening in the background throughout the episode. But it's not exactly a joke but it is interesting and nicely done

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u/mastermoge 2d ago

I mean, the punchline of the joke is Troy asking about what side adventures he gets up to when he's not with them

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u/No_Influence_9389 2d ago

For me it was in a later episode when Sirley is in labor and he steps in to help because he has recently delivered a baby. Then when they ask "where were we when this happened?" He answers "I don't know, off in the background."

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u/hates_stupid_people 2d ago

Personally I like the Beetlejuice one better. They said it across three seasons, and the third time he walks past in the background.

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u/Spazzway88 2d ago

My favorite one comes from community as well: summoning Beetlejuice over the course of multiple episodes

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u/StretchyPlays 2d ago

My favorite silent "background" joke is from Psych. Shawn and Gus are sneaking around following someone, and they come across and candy dispenser/vending machine. Without any acknowledgment or words about it, Shawn just starts putting money in the machine, catches the candy in his hand, and shares it with Gus. All of this while they are bickering with each other.

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u/FergusonTerd 1d ago

Creed walking out of the bathroom eating a chicken wing.

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u/HARR15N1PE5 2d ago

Its so subtle, most people probably wouldnt even consider it a joke, but i love how in the opening credits jim uses a highlighter to circle some text.

I must’ve watched the show a couple of times over before i realised, and it just shows the commitment to a good gag however underappreciated it is by the audience.

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u/saucermen 1d ago

Best in show - when checking into the hotel - the 4 clocks on the wall all have the same time on them - Boston , New York, Philadelphia and DC. Classic background funny

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u/rabid_spidermonkey 2d ago

Chris Traeger biking next to the Knope campaign bus.

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u/Krednaught 2d ago

Arrested development has quite the few good ones

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u/schrankenstein 2d ago

I love the random blue handprints that start appearing everywhere in the model home after Tobias starts auditioning for the Blue Man Group.

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u/23421314 2d ago edited 2d ago

Yeah AD is kinda king at subtle jokes. Or jokes that are really inside baseball.

Tobias not getting the part he thought he would, but already had a license plate made up for it. Cut to Tobias flipping through several license plates he had made pre-maturely. One of the license plates is Dr. House because David Cross (the actor playing Tobias) auditioned for that role and didn't get it.

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u/KittenPics 2d ago

Or what I like to call pre-jokes. Jokes you only get on a second watch through. Like when Buster finds the stuff that Lucile gave away to the house keeper. There’s a chair in the shape of a hand and Buster says something like, “I used to have a chair just like this! I never thought I’d miss a hand so much.” Means nothing at the time, but then later loses his hand to a loose seal.

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u/alheim 1d ago

A loose seal?

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u/DoctorRabidBadger 1d ago

I don't give a damn about Lucille!!!

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u/moak0 2d ago

It's the same attention to detail that made Community so great. Both AD and Community being directed by the Russo Bros., of course.

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u/reddit_sucks_clit 2d ago

Eating mustard with parmesan because martin mull plays gene parmesan and also played colonel mustard in clue

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u/NotReallyJohnDoe 2d ago

I would love a pop up video version of AD

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u/schrankenstein 2d ago

Not the Office, but my favorite is season 2 of the Boys, where the superhero Stormfront has a cup from a coffee shop where the barista has clearly written “Storefront” for her name on the side.

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u/replayer 2d ago

My favorite is Community, which took three seasons to pay off one joke in the background.

https://youtu.be/CheGRIf-zsM?si=Z7fKxx1Kl2G7qL2G