Top 10 Unhinged Moments on The Office

“Dunder Mifflin Infinity”

A new website has Michael feeling like he and his employees may become obsolete. To prove their worth, he and Dwight attempt to win clients back with gift baskets. However, they’re largely unsuccessful. Technology betrays Michael once again, resulting in him literally driving into a lake. As if that moment of chaos wasn’t enough, the duo then returns to one of the ex-clients, Aaron Grandy, to ask for their basket back. And they’re pretty insistent, rubbing their soaked selves on office couches. Even when Grandy gives in and returns it, Michael isn’t satisfied - the chocolate turtles are missing. Grandy ate them, and good thing too, otherwise we’d miss an epic meltdown.

“Ultimatum”

The office makes resolutions for the new year. However, some are more successful than others at sticking to their goals. Holly, meanwhile, reneges on the ultimatum she had given her boyfriend about proposing to her. Michael, who’s head over heels for her, takes out his anger at the situation on other employees who didn’t keep to their resolutions. To that end, he decides to make Kevin eat broccoli, given that he wanted to consume more veggies. But he’s not gentle about it, and ends up practically shoving it down his throat. Seeing him treat his employee like an unruly child, particularly when he acts like one himself, is both surreal and unhinged – poor Kevin.

“The Return”

Andy Bernard can be a little annoying sometimes. One day, he outdoes himself and irritates the whole office with everything from his constant brown-nosing of Michael to his acapella ringtone. When Jim can’t take it anymore, he enlists Pam’s help to prank Andy, stealing his phone and hiding it in the ceiling. After Michael rejects Andy’s awkward attempts to ingratiate himself, and the pranksters repeatedly call the cell, Andy’s frustrations boil over. This culminates in him having a meltdown and punching his hand through a nearby wall. Look, Andy’s a nice guy once you get to know him, but his anger issues lead to this catastrophic overreaction.

“Fun Run”

The first scene of season 4 sees Michael happy, despite not getting a job at the corporate office. He tries keeping that attitude up while on his way to work, and feels optimistic about the coming year and what it has in store for him and his employees. And then, in direct contradiction to his words, he accidentally runs over Meredith in the parking lot. We’re not sure what’s funnier – her cartoonish fall or his stunned disbelief! Still, there ends up being a sort of silver lining - Meredith learns that she needs to get a rabies shot while being treated at the hospital. It’s just another chaotic day with “The Office” gang!

“The Duel”

Infidelity is a difficult subject to broach. But because Dwight and Andy are Dwight and Andy, they have a tense showdown in the office after Andy learns his fiancée Angela has been sleeping with Dwight. Their absurd posturing also leads to a parking lot duel. At first, it appears that Andy has given up. However, using his hybrid car’s silence at low speeds, he sneaks up behind his opponent, trapping him against the hedge. While it’s a surprisingly clever – if chaotic – move, all it results in is Dwight’s foot falling asleep. The whole thing is so off the rails it’s hard to watch it play out with a straight face! The fact that they both ultimately give up on Angela just adds to the mess.

“The Convict”

After Michael reveals that Martin Nash, a new employee, has a criminal record, much of the office reacts with their usual teasing towards his attempts to stir up drama. When Martin reveals that some parts of prison weren’t so bad, some of them joke that the conditions there are better than at Dunder Mifflin. Michael takes this too seriously and tries to spook the employees with one of his patented characters, “Prison Mike.” “Mike”’s experience in prison seems to echo stuff seen in various media, like the “Harry Potter” films. His account is also heavily contradictory. Michael’s attempts to educate the office are rarely accurate or even coherent, but we always appreciate the unhinged hilarity they bring.

“Stress Relief”

After an emergency in the office, Michael has everyone receive CPR instruction. He proceeds to question the value of life without limbs, and things just go completely haywire from there. A trick to time compressions soon turns into an impromptu dance party. And after the “death” of the dummy, Dwight takes it upon himself to get its “organs” ready for donation. Then, when everyone’s distracted by Stanley feeling ill, Dwight takes the dummy’s face and really channels Hannibal Lecter in “The Silence of the Lambs.” It’s just a few minutes, but the escalation and varied, bizarre events prove that this office is off its hinges.

“Gay Witch Hunt”

Michael inadvertently exposes a secret about one of his employees after he finds out Oscar is gay. The office’s reactions vary, and things get pretty horrible. Ultimately, Michael essentially forcing Oscar out of the closet causes an angry reaction from the accountant when his boss tries to hug him. After Michael cries, Oscar relents and goes along with it. However, the former takes things a step too far and decides to kiss the latter in an inexplicable attempt to show how open-minded he is. In what universe did Michael think this was an acceptable thing to do?! The moment was reportedly improvised by actor Steve Carell, so it was truly unexpected by basically everyone.

“Dinner Party”

It’s impossible to choose just one moment from the trainwreck that is Jan and Michael’s dinner party, so we didn’t even try! Both of them are clearly unhappy together, yet they have invited several couples to join them for an incredibly awkward evening. Oh, and Dwight crashes with his old babysitter. There are so many highlights, from the passive aggressive energy running throughout the evening, to the interestingly revealing song, to Michael and Jan’s explosive fight. And the list goes on. It’s one of the most nonsensical and hilarious episodes the show has ever given us, filled with one chaotic moment after the next. We won’t soon forget it.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Only Your Nemesis Can Elicit This Kind of Horror

Michael’s Breakfast in Bed Gone Wrong Leads to Dwight Having a Car Accident

Chestnuts Weren’t the Only Things Roasting On An Open Fire This Christmas

He Is Truly a Worthy Opponent

This is What Comes of Michael & Dwight Putting Their Heads Together

“Stress Relief”

For reasons only really known to Dwight, he decides to get the office to care about fire safety by holding a fire drill. And he really goes all out to create his simulation. While he calmly gives unhelpful advice, the entire office descends into several minutes of complete and utter pandemonium, as everyone else genuinely believes they’re in danger. Kevin loots the vending machine! Michael screams for help! A group uses the copier as a battering ram! Oscar tries to escape through the ceiling and Angela throws her cat at him! Dwight eventually tells them it’s a ruse, but by then Stanley is having a heart attack! It’s some of the most chaotic and hysterical comedy not just on “The Office,” but in sitcom history.