Michael Scott’s relatonship with Jan Levinson (neé Gould) was one of the most painful parts of viewings of The Office. The whole relationship was a mess, a weird, inter-office romance that should have gotten more than just Jan fired, if we’re being honest with ourselves. It did, however, make for weirdly entertaining television. Which is why The Office’s official YouTube channel posting a recap of the romance’s rise and fall is so compelling.
Billed as a “breast of” because of, well, some enhancements made along the way, the video starts with the events of ‘The Client,’ the Season 2 episode where Michael meets and impresses county employee Christian (Tim Meadows) with a meeting at a Chili’s.
Though Jan was skeptical, Michael closes the deal with the help of some casual sit-down Mexican(ish) food and celebrates with Jan in the parking lot. The two then kiss, which was not part of Jan’s plan and sets a long and weird courtship that ends up with Jan unemployed and sleeping off wine hangovers at Michael’s condo.
The infamous ‘Dinner Party’ episode is covered at length, which is the real gem here. It’s one of The Office‘s darkest and somehow funniest episodes, the highlight of which is the reveal that Michael isn’t allowed to sleep in his bed, but on the tiny sofa at the foot of his bed.
It’s a scene where the actors involved could barely keep it together as Michael improvises a physical display of his sleeping habits, curling up on the end of the bed like a dog while Jan is imagined sprawling out on the huge mattress all on her own.
The video doesn’t cover the denouement of their relationship — Jan showing up pregnant at a grocery store and Michael’s attempt to be a father to a child that isn’t his. In a way, though, there’s something elegant to the edit ending at ‘The Dinner Party,’ which is one of the best episode in the show’s history and was a perfect way to encapsulate a troubled relationship in a way that served a comedic purpose for the show.
Michael and Jan both ended up having much better lives apart. Both of them ended up happy, Michael especially. And that’s part of what makes looking back on how terrible things were between the two of them so fun. We’ll never be able to smell the candle-making room Jan had in that tiny condo, but but it’s safe to say we all learned something from That One Night. And the rest of their wretched relationship.
