The first cut of the episode ran 37 minutes long and the producers were tasked with cutting the footage down to 22 minutes. Mindy Kaling later noted that she "hated it." on camera." During the writing of the episode, Daniels made the writers spend actual time on the set, most notably in Michael's office.
Daniels later defended the show, saying that the show was different because of "the fact that they are on TV and they know they are being filmed. When the episode was being written, many of the cast and crew feared that it would bear too many stylistic resemblances to Curb Your Enthusiasm. In addition, Randall Einhorn, the cameraman for the episode, was a cameraman for Survivor. The "Can I trust Jim ." line was a direct reference to the show and was a "last-second addition" according to Daniels. The episode was inspired by popular reality television shows, most notably Survivor. Randall Einhorn, a former Survivor crew member, shot the episode. Dwight reveals that he had no problems betraying Jim, despite the fact that he recently fell into one of Jim's tricks. Jim tries to convince Roy that it was just "office pranks" and asks Dwight to back him up, but he simply denies any involvement leaving Jim awkwardly embarrassed. However, Pam's fiancé Roy Anderson ( David Denman) catches this and sees it as an attempt by Jim to make a move on Pam. At the same time, Oscar also gets him to donate money to his nephew's cerebral palsy walk-a-thon, which Michael accidentally overcontributes to in an effort to look like a good boss.Īt the end of the day, after a breakthrough in his pranks on Dwight, Jim giddily grabs Pam's hand in an attempt to explain what has just happened. In the end, his joke (and subsequent rejected ones) fall flat and ruins the party. Michael agonizes over writing the perfect greeting in her birthday card.
Meanwhile, Michael Scott ( Steve Carell) tries to boost morale in the office by having an office birthday party for Meredith Palmer ( Kate Flannery), even though her birthday is a month away.
The two continue to perform a series of office pranks at the expense of Dwight.
He immediately enlists Pam Beesly ( Jenna Fischer)'s help in the situation. Jim sees the alliance as an opportunity with great potential and agrees as a lark. Dwight Schrute ( Rainn Wilson) feels particularly threatened by the impending crisis, and, in an act of desperation, forms an alliance with his office nemesis Jim Halpert ( John Krasinski). The episode received positive reviews from critics.Īlthough time has dragged on, the downsizing rumors at Dunder Mifflin have not ceased. "The Alliance" was viewed by an estimated 5.4 million viewers and received a 2.4/6% rating share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49. In addition, several of the lines and scenes from the episode were improvised or ad-libbed by the cast. Originally, the first cut of the episode ran 37 minutes long and the producers considered making the episode a two-parter, one focusing on the Alliance and another focusing on Meredith's birthday party, but later decided against the idea. Michael agonizes over writing the perfect greeting in her birthday card, and in the end, his joke falls flat, ruining the party. Meanwhile, Michael Scott ( Steve Carell) arranges a morale-boosting birthday party for Meredith Palmer ( Kate Flannery)-although her birthday is more than a month away. Dwight Schrute ( Rainn Wilson) forms a Survivor-esque alliance with Jim Halpert ( John Krasinski) against the other employees-later adding Pam Beesly ( Jenna Fischer) also. In this episode, paranoia takes over the members of the office as downsizing rumors swirl. It was written by Michael Schur and directed by Bryan Gordon, marking their first credits for the show. The episode aired on NBC in the United States on April 12, 2005. " The Alliance" is the fourth episode of the first season of the American comedy television series The Office.