TV.com

The Office Season 2 Episode 9

Email Surveillance

Favorite

Watched It I've Watched This 1

Next
Episode Previous
Episode

8.9

User Rating

465 votes

Your Rating: 10
Your Rating: 9.5
Your Rating: 9
Your Rating: 8.5
Your Rating: 8
Your Rating: 7.5
Your Rating: 7
Your Rating: 6.5
Your Rating: 6
Your Rating: 5.5
Your Rating: 5
Your Rating: 4.5
Your Rating: 4
Your Rating: 3.5
Your Rating: 3
Your Rating: 2.5
Your Rating: 2
Your Rating: 1.5
Your Rating: 1

Rate Now

EPISODE REVIEWS
By TV.com Users

Write A Review

Episode Summary

EDIT

AIRED: 11/22/05

Michael starts monitoring the e-mails sent out in the Dunder Mifflin workplace, upsetting the employees. Meanwhile, Pam believes that the relationship between Dwight and Angela is more than just worker-to-worker, Jim throws an office BBQ at his house, and Michael annoys everyone at his improv class.

FAN RECAP

Fan Episode Reviews (19)

Jim has a party and Michael spies on people

9.0

By Lostindharma, Aug 20, 2012

This was a cute little episode. This was an example of how great this season was. This was the first episode that showcased the employees outside of work. I really enjoyed that they did it. It was good seeing everyone outside of the workplace for a time. The start of the episode was very funny. It shows how good the character of Steve Carell is. Anyone else it would come off as racist. What Michael did to his employees was a little mean but it didn't cross the line.

The party that Jim had was entertaining. My favorite part was how Pam really enjoyed Jim's high school yearbook. Dwight's reaction to when Jim's roommate was very funny. A very sweet part is when Michael was signing and Jim joined him. It was a bit of a callback to the Season 2 premiere.

Michael's performance in the improv class was great. I loved the Michael Scarn references. I also liked seeing Ken Jeong. This also set up what would happen with the comment made by Phyllis comment to Pam. Another part of this episode was the start of a very complicated relationship between Dwight and Angela. This episode had a lot of great moments.moreless
DO YOU AGREE?
0 0

Flag
Share Hide
209

8.0

By Canogaparkcindy, Sep 26, 2010

A lot of revelations on tonight's episode of The Office. Something that starts out as e-mail surveillance ends with development, surprises, and of course hilarity. Michael finds out that Jim is having a barbecue and that he is not invited through e-mail surveillance. By the end of the day, no one invites him, so he goes to his improv class which by the way was the funniest thing about this episode. Michael always starts with a gun, just the reactions from everyone else was hysterical.

Finding out that Dwight and Angela were in a relationship was very clever. We've got a shot of both of their shoes, and in the end, we've got them making out, but you know because of the shoes, their faces aren't shown. Pam & Jim development is always great as more people suspect that something is going on between them.

The ending was pretty great, Jim jumping in for Michael on the karaoke which shows that Jim cares for Michael, even though he won't admit it. Great episode.moreless
DO YOU AGREE?
0 0

Flag
Share Hide
A terrific episode. Some parts wern't very good, but still a great and advised episode.

9.3

By FireWolf787, May 17, 2008

This is great episode for the season two storyline and The Office in general. Micheal sets up email survalence in the office, though nobody wants it to happen. Jim deciedes to throw a party at his house and Micheal finds out about it through the survalence even though he wasn't invited. Pam starts to think that Dwight and Angela are together, while Dwight thinks Jim's party is a surprise party for Micheal. While everyone is at Jim's, Micheal goes to improff class, where people don't like him, but Micheal doesn't know that. After not being able to go to a party some other people are going to, Micheal deciedes to crash Jim's party. In an attention grapping moment, he starts singing a song, and to make him feel more welcome, Jim sings the song with him. Unknown to anyone there, Dwight and Angela kiss in a different area.moreless
DO YOU AGREE?
0 0

Flag
Share Hide
Jim's party is in danger as Michael realizes he didn't get an Evite-tation.

9.6

By SuperHiro77, Oct 02, 2007

This episode provided one of the best segments ever with Michael going to his improve class. He made all of them interesting by bringing a gun each time using it. Then Jim's party is crashed when Michael shows up, learning of this by email surrvalience. Michael goes because he reads some of his co-workers emails, he realizes he's not as popular as he thought. This comes as a shock and after attempts to get Jim to invite him Michael goes anyways. This was exactly what Jim did not want, he wanted it to be a relaxed party for all of his co-workers, also so he could see Pam outside of work. This was one of my favorite episodes from the second season. I give it a 9.6.moreless
DO YOU AGREE?
0 0

Flag
Share Hide
Great episode.

9.1

By ScreamingViking, May 21, 2007

After Michael mistakes the company's tech support employee for a terrorist, he informs Michael that he can monitor his employee's e-mails which causes Jim to worry that Michael will discover the party he is throwing that night, to which Michael is not invited. Inevitably, Michael notices and tries to get Jim to admit that he's having a party, while Jim acts nonchalantly as if nothing is happening. Pam notices some things that lead her to suspect that Dwight and Angela are dating. However she discreetly abandons her suspicions when she realizes that suspicions could just as easily be raised about her and Jim. Jim and Pam bond when she sees Jim's room for the first time and looks through his high school year book. After ruining an improv class, Michael decides to crash Jim's party, much to the staff's dismay (and Dwight's cluelessness). The documentary crew catches Angela and Dwight making out in Jim's backyard.moreless
DO YOU AGREE?
0 0

Flag
Share Hide

See All Fan Reviews

Cast & Crew: STARS

EDIT

B.J. Novak	Ryan Howard
Jenna Fischer	Pam Beesly
John Krasinski	Jim Halpert
Rainn Wilson	Dwight Schrute
Steve Carell	Michael Scott

See All Cast & Crew

Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

EDIT

Michael Naughton	Chris	Guest Star
Omi Vaidya	Sadiq	Guest Star
Jonathan Browning	Steve	Guest Star
Brian Baumgartner	Kevin Malone	Recurring Role
Oscar Nunez	Oscar Martinez	Recurring Role
Paul Lieberstein	Toby Flenderson	Recurring Role

See All Cast & Crew

Watch Online

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

FILTER BY TYPE

TRIVIA (5)
ADD TRIVIA
- When Michael is talking to Dwight before he leaves for the day, Dwight's collar is up, but as he's walking away it's down.
  EDIT SHARE
- According to the e-vite, Jim's home address is 2147 West Silverlake Drive and his phone number is 550-555-1212.
  EDIT SHARE
- Jim's yearbook actually contains two pictures of John Krasinski - the class picture of Jim, and one of him playing basketball on the opposite page.
  EDIT SHARE
- This episode reveals that Angela is a vegetarian.
  EDIT SHARE
- According to Jim's e-vite, the date for the party is November 5, 2005, which was a Saturday, even though this episode takes place on a Friday.
  EDIT SHARE
QUOTES (18)
ADD QUOTES
- Jim: My roommate wants to meet everybody, because I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm making Dwight up.
  EDIT SHARE
- Dwight: Jim! You really think this is a good idea? A hide-a-key rock?
  Mark: Hey, you must be Dwight!
  Dwight: You don't work with us.
  Jim: That's because Mark's my roommate.
  Mark: Hey, I love the Birkenstocks.
  Dwight: Thanks. Yeah, I always keep an extra set in the car, for special occasions.
  EDIT SHARE
- Pam: Hey, Dwight, umm, my friend is kind of into these two girls that he works with.
  Dwight: Nice.
  Pam: One is tall and brunette, and the other one is short and blond and perky and kind of judgmental. Who do you think he should choose?
  Dwight: Does he have access to their medical records?
  EDIT SHARE
- Michael: Yeah, I tried to install it myself, but you guys have these things so password protected.
  IT Guy: That just means you have to enter your password. What's your password Michael?
  Michael: Um...
  IT Guy: (sees Post-it note on Michael's monitor) Oh. It's 1234.
  EDIT SHARE
- Michael: There are certain things a boss does not share with his employees: his salary, that would depress them; his bed; (pauses) and I am not going to tell them that I will be reading their e-mails.
  EDIT SHARE
- Michael: So Bernie's huh? We're all going to Bernie's?
  Improv Classmate: Oh, uh, sorry. We're not going as a group. This is a private friend who happens to know all of us from different ways who is throwing a private birthday thing.
  EDIT SHARE
- Michael: (About his approach to improv) Think about this - what is the most exciting thing that can happen on TV or in movies or in real life? Somebody has a gun. That's why I always start with a gun, because you can't top it. You just can't.
  EDIT SHARE
- Oscar: Why are you spying on our computers?
  Michael: Wow, Oscar's gone crazy! What other ghost stories do you have for us? That I'm a robot?
  EDIT SHARE
- Kevin: I've gotta erase a lot of stuff. A lot of stuff.
  EDIT SHARE
- Pam: (About her fascination with the Angela-Dwight relationship) It's like squishing a spider under a book - it's gonna be really gross, but I have to look and make sure that it's really dead.
  EDIT SHARE
- Michael: (to Dwight) If I step on a landmine in Scranton, Pennsylvania, you can have my job, okay.
  EDIT SHARE
- Dwight: As a volunteer sheriff, I can look up anyone's psychiatric records or surgical histories. Yeast infections - there are a huge number of yeast infections in this county. Probably because we live right down the river from that old bread factory.
  EDIT SHARE
- Michael: I do think I'm very approachable as one of the guys. But maybe I need to be approachable-er.
  EDIT SHARE
- Jim: It's true - I'm having a party. I've got three cases of imported beer, a karaoke machine, and I didn't invite Michael. So, three ingredients for a great party.
  EDIT SHARE
- Michael: (About improv class) I wouldn't miss it for the world, but if something else came up, I would definitely not go.
  EDIT SHARE
- Ryan: Hey, is Katy coming?
  Jim: Actually, I haven't talked to her in awhile.
  Ryan: Is it okay if I call her?
  EDIT SHARE
- Michael: (About Jim's party) Woah. Who opened the morgue for this thing?
  EDIT SHARE
- Michael: The problem is that when people hear the term Big Brother, they immediately think it's scary or bad, but I don't. I think, "Wow, I love my big brother."
  EDIT SHARE
NOTES (2)
ADD NOTES
- The German episode title is "Unter Kontrolle?", meaning "Under Control?". The French title is "Surveillance Electronique". The Italian title is "Controllo e-mail", an exact translation. The Spanish title is "Correo Intervenido", meaning "Mail Surveillance".
  EDIT SHARE
- Music: "Ring Around the Rosies" performed by Dee Ryan/Nikki McCauley; "Side" by Travis (playing at Jim's party) and "The Skin Of My Yellow Country Teeth" by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (playing at Jim's party); "Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake, performed by Phyllis Smith; "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor, performed by Brian Baumgartner; "Islands In The Stream" by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, performed by Steve Carell and John Krasinski
  EDIT SHARE
ALLUSIONS (2)
ADD ALLUSIONS
- After everyone lies to Michael about where they are going to after work, he asks Dwight about his plans. Dwight, trying not to spoil what he thinks is a surprise for Michael, lies, cueing Michael to say, "Et tu, Dwight?" This is a reference to Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, the epic where, in the scene in which he is stabbed to death, Caesar says, "Et tu, Brute?" to his friend Brutus who participates in the murder. This line of dialogue become a universal symbol for the ultimate betrayal, and the Latin words, translated, mean "and you, Brutus?"
  EDIT SHARE
- When Oscar accuses Michael of spying on the workers' computers, Michael makes a joke out of it and asks if Oscar is going to accuse Michael of being a robot as well. Somehow, he connects robots to the Tinman from The Wizard of Oz, portraying the character from the popular musical by muttering out of the side of his mouth, "oil can, oil can."
  EDIT SHARE