Watching The Office

The show opens with Michael telling the documentary crew that providing care for his workers and their family is a sacred thing for him. And today, Corporate is asking him to pick a new health care plan. At his meeting with Jan, Michael tells her he has picked the plan that offered all the works, like acupuncture, which is part of the Gold Plan. Jan tells Michael he needs to pick a plan that will also save the company money. Michael is uncomfortable about this sensing his employees would be upset with what he’d choose. Michael calls it a suicide mission, so he gives the task to Jim. But he tells Michael, he’s not up to task and then recommends Dwight, who’s more than willing to take over and decide for the company.

Dwight is a bit overzealous about his task, and demanded a temporary office. Michael situates him in the conference room. Dwight calls this the Dwight Schrute Workspace. Later, Dwight passed around a memo and the staff weren’t too pleased with what was on it. Dwight’s plan has no dental, no vision, with a 1200 salary deduction.

Dwight: In the wild, there is no healthcare. In the wild there is…”Ow, I hurt my leg. I can’t run. A lion eats me, and I’m dead.” Well, I’m not dead. I’m the Lion. You’re dead.

All the while this was happening, Michael locks himself in the office, not wanting to face his staff. He calls Pam via phone call that he’s swamped with work. Jim and Pam confronts Dwight about his plan, while the rest are wondering when they can speak with Michael. So, they follow him when Michael had to go to the bathroom. Michael tries to dodge them but he’s cornered and the staff tells him Dwight made a lot of cuts. So he instructs Dwight to devise a better health care plan. To boost the morale of his staff, he tells them there will be a surprise at the end of the day, as if that was something they have to look forward to. He later tells the documentary crew he has no idea what the surprise is but telling them about it was supposed to make the staff feel better. He leaves the office to go to what looks like a travel and tours agency, trying to come up with a good surprise.

At the office, Dwight passes around a survey form and they have to write down, in utmost confidentiality, whatever diseases they have that they want covered. Jim and Pam put fake diseases in their survey forms. Dwight is furious, confronts everyone and accuses Jim, who denied it. He was so upset he tells everybody there will be no health care coverage at all. Dwight talks to Jim in his workspace but Jim ends up locking him there, prompting Dwight to report to Jan. Jan is furious Michael had to assign the task to his staff.

Michael returns to the office bringing ice cream sandwiches and Stanley asks if this was the big surprise to their crappy day. And Michael tells them that it was just a surprising gesture. He sees that Dwight is locked in the conference room, but he ignores him.

Dwight calls everyone to the conference room and tells them he’s going to read aloud the diseases they wrote down and they could raise their hands if they want coverage for it. He’s going to forego with confidentiality because of what happened with him and Jim earlier. The staff felt very uncomfortable and humiliated, having to disclose to everyone any diseases they might have. Kevin decides not to disclose his condition.

It was already the end of the day and everyone was waiting outside Michael’s office. They wait for his big surprise but typical of Michael, he never gives them any. One by one, they all walk away.

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