Having submitted his two weeks' notice to Dunder Mifflin, Michael Scott (Steve Carell) begins goofing off and drinking around the office, while new company vice president Charles Miner (Idris Elba) plans to hire the new regional manager from the outside, for "obvious reasons." The employees suggest that Michael start looking for another job. Michael is unworried at first, until he learns how poorly the economy is performing. He first tries Prince Paper, but they had been run out of business by Dunder Mifflin. After finding no available work, Michael decides to start his own paper company and unsuccessfully tries to convince others around the office to join him. When Charles catches Michael labeling Dunder Mifflin customer lists with his new company's name, he orders security guard Hank (Hugh Dane) to escort Michael from the building. Charles cuts off Michael's attempt to deliver parting remarks to the office, forcing him to leave immediately. Michael drives out of the parking lot, but is later spotted sneaking back into the building.
The official The Office website included three cut scenes from "Two Weeks" within a week of the episode's original release. In one minute-long clip, Michael asks Darryl for warehousing advice for his new paper company; Darryl gives Michael encouraging words about the new business venture before admitting, "I'm messing with you. This doesn't sound like a good idea."[3] In a second one-minute clip, Michael tries stealing office supplies from the Dunder Mifflin office for his new company, until he is caught by Charles, who literally chases him out of the office; Charles then tries to describe what Michael's like to the camera but finds himself shocked into silence.[4] In a final 38-second clip, Kelly visits Michael's office to ask what he will do with his life, then starts talking about her own fantasy of running off to Mexico with Charles.[5] B. J. Novak wrote a talking-head segment for Toby, where he compares Michael to a movie on a plane because "it's not great, but it's something to watch, and when it's over you're like, how much longer is this flight? Now what?"
Brian Howard of The Journal News said the episode flowed well and he liked the payoff at the end when Pam joined Michael's new paper company, but he said the moments with Michael crawling on the floor felt like "unnecessary padding". Nevertheless, he said, "I'm looking forward to rewatching this episode, probably the first time I've done that since 'Lecture Circuit: Part I'".[7] Andy Shaw of TV Fodder said Michael was much more likable in "Two Weeks" than in other recent episodes, and said, "Steve Carell was at his best, with great throwaway lines and getting to the heart of Michael's love for Dunder-Mifflin and paper."[10] Will Leitch of New York magazine said the episode marked a "major step" for the series and had some particularly sweet moments between Michael and Pam. He also particularly liked the moment when Charles Miner, who is played by the same actor who played drug dealer Stringer Bell on the HBO series The Wire, threatened to attack Michael: "Michael Scott being beaten up by Stringer Bell. That's one for the TV annals."[15]
In the episode, Michael, Pam and Ryan try to get their new paper company off the ground, but end up bickering among themselves due to the stress and cramped office space. Meanwhile, Jim tries to do a "rundown" for new boss Charles Miner without admitting he does not know what a rundown is, while Dwight and Andy compete for the affections of the new receptionist, Erin, played by Ellie Kemper.
Michael hosts a pancake luncheon to introduce the company to potential clients, but only one person and a few Dunder Mifflin employees show up. When Michael, Pam, and Ryan come close to giving up, the potential client from the luncheon calls asking for paper. Pam closes the sale and the three cheer in celebration.
Prior to the episode's airing, NBC set up a web site for the new Michael Scott Paper Company at www.michaelscottpapercompany.com,[3][7] which included a mission statement for the company, photos of the new office space and a downloadable copy of the coupon for "unparalleled customer service" featured in the episode.[8] The official website for The Office included four cut scenes from "Michael Scott Paper Company" within a week of the episode's original release. In one 85-second clip, Dwight and Andy pretend to shoot, stab and throw grenades at each other in pantomime in anticipation of their hunting trip; they pretend to kill Jim and pester him until he plays dead, after which Charles walks in and believes he is napping.[9] A second one-minute clip includes Pam and Ryan fighting around the new office until they are interrupted by a janitor who believes the room is still a closet and leaves water jugs on the floor.[10] In a third, 40-second clip, Jim asks Charles directly what a "rundown" is, but when an annoyed Charles asks if this is "one of your pranks", Jim gives up and leaves.[11] The fourth and final clip, which is 85 seconds long, features Andy and Dwight both making passes at Erin; Andy discusses how easy it would be to learn sign language, while Dwight tells her to be careful not to get her hair or clothes caught in the nearby paper shredder.[12]
Having submitted his two weeks notice to Dunder Mifflin, Michael begins goofing off and drinking around the office, while new company vice president Charles Miner plans to hire the new regional manager from the outside, for "obvious reasons." The employees suggest that Michael start looking for another job. Michael is unworried at first, until he learns how poorly the economy is performing. He first tries Prince Paper, but they have been run out of business by Dunder Mifflin. After finding no available work, Michael decides to start his own paper company and unsuccessfully tries to convince others around the office to join him. When Charles catches Michael labeling Dunder Mifflin customer lists with his new company's name, he orders security guard Hank to escort Michael from the building. Michael drives out of the parking lot, but sneaks back into the building.
Andy: Ehh... [in accent] well it's a very intriguing concept, isn't it? Um... hmmm..[makes weird noises to stall, Dwight enters] Michael is starting his own paper company. What do you think about that?
In Season 5, Episode 21 ("Two Weeks"), Michael reveals to his coworkers that he's going to start his own paper company, which results in his two weeks being cut short by Charles (Idris Elba). After sneaking back into the office, he tries to recruit his pals to join him, and the only employee silly enough to take him up on his offer is Pam. When Michael is on the floor hiding from Charles, he asks those in the bullpen if they're "doing their best" at Dunder Mifflin, and a camera pan to Pam shows the comment hitting her hard.
Michael has resigned and submitted his two weeks notice. He starts goofing off and drinking around the office, while new company vice president Charles Miner plans to hire the new regional manager from the outside, for "obvious reasons." Everyone suggests to Michael that he start looking for another job. But Michael is unworried... and then he learns how bad the economy is. He first tries to find a job at Prince Paper, but Dunder Mifflin ran them out of business. After he's unable to find work, Michael decides to start his own paper company. He tries to convince others around the office to join him, but ends up unsuccesful. Nobody wants to leave their jobs on Michaels sketchy new company. Charles catches Michael labeling Dunder Mifflin customer lists with his new company's name and he orders Hank to escort Michael out of the building. Michael drives away but comes back later and sneaks into the building.
Season 5 was also the season with the rise and fall of the Michael Scott Paper Company. Michael, Ryan, and Pam all left Dunder Mifflin when they felt like they were being treated unfairly to start their own paper company in attempts to rival those who had wronged them.
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