Traveling Salesmen

Season 3, Episode 13, Aired
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Episode Summary

It's time for Michael to revisit his roots with the company as he hits the road for sales call duty. Meanwhile, Dwight attempts to cover up a crucial deadline missed by Angela while Karen is in for some surprising news.
9.0
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Fan Episode Reviews (21)

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  • Traveling Salesmen

    5.0
    "Mediocre"
    By thefanof, Oct 29, 2011 Report Abuse
    This was not a particularly good episode of The Office, but when you compare this episode to Seasons 4-6, it's like AT&T, there's no comparison. The jokes just seem so much fresher, the characters are not dull and lifeless, and the season long story arcs do not having you smashing your head against the wall.

    Andy was so much better here and was actually somewhat tolerable, and this was before there was that insufferable Jim and Pam relationship that has made any male viewer so annoyed with how irritating the two of them are together. For some reason female viewers approve of this pairing together.moreless

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    2 7

  • "That's what she said." "Don't you dare!"

    10
    "Perfect"
    By jenicecream, May 04, 2011 Report Abuse
    This episode is a classic. We are taken out of the office, we learn unexpected things about familiar characters, and we are shocked by plot developments. What more could you ask for in half an hour?

    Michael Scott organizes an Amazing Race for his sales staff. Each team of two learns more about the other, as does the audience. Andy is diabolical. He is setting up Dwight for a fall. I really, really hate him, but I think he is a wonderful addition to the show. Phyllis seems silly when she and Karen get gawdy makeovers, but she knows exactly what she is doing. Phyllis also reveals to Karen that Jim had a thing for Pam. It's about time! Ryan, for all his bravado, is really very awkward on sales calls, much to Stanley's delight. Most shocking of all, Jim and Dwight work very nicely together. It was exciting to see.

    Angela and Dwight are growing on me. They truly do care about each other and share a lot in common (scary as that thought is). Dwight took the fall for Angela, but she seems to be onto Andy's machinations. Sic him! There is no Office without Dwight. That would really Shrute it up!moreless

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    1 1

  • This episode had everything I love about this show!

    10
    "Perfect"
    By DandMonkey4ever, May 04, 2011 Report Abuse
    This episode is just fantastic! It has humor, romance, and character devlopment. Dwight and Angela's relationship in this episode progressed and showed that they really do care for eachother. Dwight sacrificed the one thing that he loves more than almost anything, for Angela. And, Angela (in The Return, which I think as just the second part of one episode) sacrificed the one thing she prides herself for--her reputation--for Dwight when she told Michael what Dwight did for her. This episode showed us a side of Dwight we normally don't get to see-- his loving side-- and it showed us that Dwight's love/adoration for Michael and Dunder Mifflin does have a limit. We also got to seea side of Angela we don't normally see-- her happy side. When she is with Pam at the coffee shop, she is just absolutely glowing when she talks about Dwight (ahem, I mean Kurt;)). Along with development for Dwight/Angela's relationship, the episode also gave the audience another view of the Dwight/Jim friends relationship; we see that Dwight/Jim are very much like brothers b/c they are mean to eachother and play tricks on eachother, but they work well together and obviously care about eachother(even if they won't admit it out loud), as seen by Dwight's goodbye hug to Jim. This episode is also one of the funniest episodes of the show. The way Dwight and Jim interact as a sales team is just hillarious! Dwight in the car, Jim slapping him in the face. ALL the various sales teams were very funny too! Phyllis and Karen's makeover, Ryan's unsuccessful attempt at a sales pitch ("hi, hi, hi, hi...oh" :D ). Then, I loved Michael in this episode too; Andy was trying so hard to make Dwight look bad, but Michael was just so oblivious to everything, as usual. I really hated Andy in this episode, but in a good way, for lack of a better term. He was so evil and schemeing, which is why I loved the hateful glare Angela gave him at the end of the episode. That evil eye was amazing! This episode was fantastically written, and is my favorite episode of the show (along with "The Return").moreless

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    1 1

  • 313

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By Canogaparkcindy, May 04, 2011 Report Abuse
    A very eventful episode of The Office this week, a lot of things revealed, and a just a lot of things happened in general, not to mention it was hilarious.

    Everyone's different sales call was absolutely genius, pairing up people who usually don't get paired up often such as Karen & Phyllis. Karen finds out that Jim had a thing for Pam the past year, which causes some definite tension especially in the end. Stanley messes with Ryan, and Jim & Dwight are the only ones that make a successful sales call.

    Andy tries to get Dwight fired by trying to find evidence that Dwight has betrayed Michael again when he has proof that Dwight went to corporate, turns out he only went to get something for Angela. Expose their secret relationship? Or get fired? Dwight quits in the end, definitely a memorable Office episode.

    So a lot of things happened, mostly funny, and definitely eventful, so a great installment to The Office.moreless

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    0 1

  • I'm sold

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By oceanic6, Dec 29, 2008 Report Abuse
    In this episode; the sales team splits into teams of two for their sales calls resulting in various mishaps, meanwhile Angela attempts to bond with Pam over coffee. This episode is Seinfeld - esque, the way they have very thin plots that are padded out with the chemsitry between the characters and it works great.

    Whoever decided on which two characters to have together chose perfectly as they've blended the right peronalities together resulting in many memorable moments but none surpasses the Jim and Dwight scenes. The goal of the epsidoe is not to be funny but to seem realistic and despite much of the sales banter seeming a little slow, it really adds to the documentary feel and the lack of jokes are fairly supplemented. One of the only negatives was how since it was all about the sales team, the other occupants at the Office were given almost nothing to do; an episode isn't the same without Toby's whispering, Kelly's endless speeches and Kevin's huffing and puffing. It's proven that no matter who is paired with Andy (be it Carrell of Wilson), they will end up being the straight man next to this zany individual. This episode sees him really stretch his suck - up muscle but also shows that he is an inept salesman despite his arrogance. The episode ends on an unusual note; Andy's constant sabotaging of Dwight finally results in Dwight quitting, on one hand it attracted some unintentional sympathy, especially when he hugs Jim but we're also curious to see how the office will cope without their most loyal employee and more importantly how Dwight will manage without the job of his dreams. Just when we think a 3rd season episode will go by where Jim and Karen's relationship isn't furthur complicated, we're wrong. In this episode, Karen learns of Jim's prior (and current) feelings for Pam and we know it won't be long until Karen's prankster boyfriend has the last laugh.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

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    • There is an extra line Michael typed on the computer when using the text to speech. It seems as though this line was cut from the final edit. It says "Pam is the receptionist." Edit
    • Angela's middle name can be inferred to be Noelle, since in her story to Pam she refers to herself as Noelle and Dwight as Kurt, which is his middle name as we learned in "The Injury". Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • The French episode title is "Le départ de Dwight", meaning "Dwight Leaves". The Spanish title is "Carrera de vendedores", meaning "Sales Race". Edit
    • Music: Mötley Crüe's "Kickstart My Heart" Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Jan: Dwight's name is on the security sign-in sheet, but I don't know who he met with. And where it asks to state your business, he wrote "Beeswax. Not yours, Inc." Edit
    • Andy: I really 'Schruted' it. Michael: What? Andy: 'Schruted' it. It's just this thing that people say around your office all the time. Like, when you screw something up in a really irreversible way, you 'Schruted' it. I don't know where it comes from though. Do you think it comes from Dwight Schrute? Michael: I don't know. Who knows how words are formed. Edit
    • Pam: Angela, you seem so happy. I bet you wish you were like this all the time. Angela: This friend of mine - let's call her Noelle - she missed this deadline turning something in to Corporate in New York. But then this gallant gentleman - we'll call him Kurt - he drove all the way to New York and handed it in for her. That's... I don't know. I guess he really just likes her a lot. Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory There are two references to the classic film in tonight's episode. In the first instance, Andy tells the camera that five people from Stamford came to Scranton and there are only two left. He likens it to the children who meet mishaps in Wonka's factory, even saying he is "not falling into a chocolate river." The second is after Dwight quits he sings a version of the famed "Oompa Loompa" song from the film. Edit

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