One of my all-time favorite TV shows is The Office from NBC. Almost everyone has either heard of it or watched it on repeat, but for the few that do not know what the show is about, here’s a little background: The Office is a TV comedy, written as a documentary. The show focuses on the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of the fictitious paper company “Dunder Mifflin.” It showcases the humorous and relatable day-to-day lives of the workers employed there.
Usually, whenever there is a major holiday coming up, my family and I like to watch the holiday episodes of The Office. While we were watching the six Halloween episodes this year, my brother and I were talking about which episodes we liked the best, and this was what we decided:
Number 6: Season 6, Episode 8 – “Koi Pond”
Not many people would remember this as a Halloween episode because the portion that mentions Halloween was cut. The Office has cold opens at the start of each episode; for this episode, the opening featured a haunted house that the Scranton branch was hosting for their town people. It was deemed too harsh because of Michael Scott’s dark humor. I am putting this at number six because it doesn’t count as an episode, so a lot of people don’t know about it — plus, this section was removed from that episode for a reason.
Number 5: Season 9, Episode 5 – “Here Comes Treble”
“Here Comes Treble” is the last Halloween episode coming from The Office, and in my opinion, it wasn’t that great. A lot is going on between Andy Bernard and his former acapella group, as well as Jim and Pam Halpert. Maybe it’s because I don’t like “Season 9 Andy”, but I feel like all of his interactions with his former a capella group, Here Comes Treble, were uncomfortable to watch. I did like the cold open for this episode, where Dwight Schrute puts his head in a Jack-O-Lantern to scare the receptionist, Erin Hannon, and then gets his head stuck, unable to take it off. Overall, I don’t think that this is the best Halloween episode, although there are some funny parts to it.
Number 4: Season 2, Episode 5 – “Halloween”
This is the first Halloween episode, and it’s a classic. Throughout the episode, the viewer is reminded what kind of manager Michael truly is because he puts off downsizing till the last day — which just so happens to be right before the office Halloween party. While I do like this episode a lot, and I think it’s pretty funny, it doesn’t compare to the next three episodes in my mind. I don’t have much else to say about this one.
Number 3: Season 5, Episode 6: “Employee Transfer”
My favorite part of this episode is definitely when Kevin Malone, Creed Bratton, and Dwight Schrute all dress up as The Joker from The Dark Knight for this episode’s cold open. Other than that, this episode makes me sad because of what happens to Holly Flax and Michael’s relationship. What keeps this episode in the third spot on my list is mostly the unforgettable cold open. It’s amusing how all three of the guys attempt to copy Heath Ledger’s “Joker” role and how different all of their interpretations are — especially Kevin’s version.
Number 2: Season 7, Episode 6 – “Costume Contest”
Deciding between “Costume Contest” and “Spooked” was hard; I love watching these two all the time — not just for Halloween. Because both of these episodes were centered around Halloween as opposed to only mentioning the holiday in the cold open, these episodes are my top two. I would say that this one is second, in my opinion, because of what this episode doesn’t have compared to what “Spooked” has. However, I loved the costume contest portion and the whole interaction everyone has with the branches’ traveling salesman, Danny Cordray. I guess I agree with what Kelly Kapoor said when Michael “impersonated” Darryl Philbin — you probably would, too, if you watched the episode!
Number 1: Season 8, Episode 5 – “Spooked”
This is my favorite Halloween episode because of the way Robert California ties everything we hear throughout the episode together to create a horrifying story and bring everyone together—at least that’s what I’m telling myself. Along with this, there are many smaller stories incorporated in this episode that are followed through quite well. For instance, all of Dwight’s previous costumes contribute to his unlikely friendship with Robert’s son. Another one would be Andying vetting all of the workers’ costumes for the party, leading to matching costumes for Gabe Lewis, Toby Flenderson, and Kelly. The best part is the dance that they create because of their matching costumes. There’s a lot of little things that make this episode great, and for that reason, this episode is the best.
I would recommend watching the whole show if you have the time. If not, try to watch the Halloween episodes before the 31st to get into the Halloween spirit! If you only have the time for one episode, I would recommend watching “Spooked” because there’s a lot to unpack — including many things I didn’t mention so that the people who have never watched the show can look forward to something new.
Happy watching and Halloween! Stay safe!