Supporting Cast Shines in The Office Webisodes
While these four characters serve as the brunt of the shenanigans on The Office, they are far from the only characters in much the same way that an actual office is comprised of more than merely management. There are accountants, for instance, as represented by Angela Martin, Kevin Malone and Oscar Martinez; sales personnel along the likes of Andy Bernard, Stanley Hudson and Phyllis Lapin-Vance; and additional support staff such as customer service rep Kelly Kapoor, quality assurance rep Creed Bratton and receptionist Erin Hannon. While this ensemble cast has had its fair share of moments to shine on the television series proper, they have also been given the additional showcase of exclusive webisodes to further delve into and develop their relatable personas.
For the uninitiated, a webisode is a shorter version of a regular television episode that is only available on the Internet. Webisodes consist of a series of installments tha are only a few minutes in length each but, taken together, tell a longer story. The Office first experimented with the format in 2006 with “The Accountants,” a ten-episode short that centered on Angela, Kevin and Oscar discovering a three thousand dollar discrepancy in the books and their subsequent investigation into resolving the matter. Although Dwight Schrute made a brief appearance in the final installment, “The Accountants” was devoid of Michael Scott, Jim Halpert and Pam Beasley, allowing the large supporting cast to have their own moments in the spotlight.
Unfortunately for the actors and writers involved, there was no financial compensation by NBC for “The Accountants” as they deemed it as a mere marketing device. In late 2007, the Writers Guild of America went on strike and one of the major issues was the subject of Internet based entertainment like webisodes and an appropriate pay structure for them. Since the resolution of that strike, The Office has churned out numerous additional webisodes, each consisting solely of the supporting cast of the show. In November 2010 these webisodes—as well as “The Accountants” and the fake PSAs (public service announcements) from 2006—were collected into DVD format and released under the title The Office Digital Shorts Collection. Taken together, they demonstrate just how extraordinary of a cast The Office has assembled, and how the series itself truly represents white collar America.
The majority of The Office webisodes center on one particular character and incorporates other members of the supporting cast within the narrative. In “Kevin’s Loan,” for instance, accountant Kevin Malone decides to take out a bank loan under the pretext of opening an ice cream store but in actuality intends to use the money to pay off gambling debts. “Every few weeks, we have the same conversation,” Oscar laments when Kevin asks vague questions about bank policies. “‘Can I pawn off stuff from the office and sell it on eBay?’ Um, no Kevin, you can’t. ‘Can I say I was an astronaut and sell the movie rights?’ What is he talking about?” Warehouse foreman Darryl Philbin joins in to assist Kevin in his charade, which ultimately proves unsuccessful. In “The Outburst,” meanwhile, it is Oscar Martinez who takes center stage as Kevin, Angela, Kelly, Creed, Andy and Toby Flenderson all attempt to find out who he was arguing with on the phone.
Fan favorite Creed Bratton gets the webisode treatment in “Blackmail,” in which the quality assurance rep attempts to illicit payments from his office colleagues in exchange for keeping unnamed secrets about them confidential. “I want a helicopter,” he tells Kelly Kapoor at one point. “I want commodities. Gold. Oil. Political capital. Four-leaf clovers. Bones. Information. Uranium.” The remaining targets of his scheme—including Oscar, Angela, Meredith and Andy—attempt to blackmail Creed back but end up paying the six-dollar demand when the culprit shrugs off the dirt they have dug up from his past.
In “Subtle Sexuality,” Kelly Kapoor and new receptionist Erin Hannon share the spotlight when they form a female music act and attempt to film their first music video. While the first two episodes revolve around Kelly’s relationship with co-worker Ryan Howard—the song “Male Prima Donna” was written about him—the third and final installment is the true gem as it contains the actual music video. From pirates to a bride and priest, Kelly and Erin masquerade their way through the song with additional assistance from Ryan and the multi-talented Andy Bernard.
Erin pops up in the final two webisodes on the DVD, “The Mentor” and “The Podcast.” In the first, Angela Martin takes The Office newbie under her wings, much to the chagrin of BFF Kelly Kapoor. In the second, meanwhile, parent company Sabre employee Gabe Lewis attempts to produce a work-related podcast after Oscar Martinez finds corporate success with his “There’s No Accounting for Taste” blog, but the other members of the staff turn it into a Tonight Show-style gabfest with Kevin Malone playing the role of Ed McMahon and Creed Bratton on acoustic guitar as the house band.
The Office has been a spot-on satire of corporate America during its many years on NBC. But just like with any company, there are additional stories that can be told, smaller in scale but entertaining nonetheless. The writers and actors on the series have found a way to utilize a new and growing medium to continue the larger Office narrative by focusing on the supporting cast of the show—and supporting staff of a real-life office—to the benefit of all involved.
Especially the many fans of Creed Bratton, Andy Bernard, Erin Hannon, Kelly Kapoor, Phyllis Lapin-Vance, Kevin Malone, Oscar Martinez and Angela Martin.
Anthony Letizia (November 24, 2010)
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