Diwali (The Office)

Kelly Kapoor invites the entire office staff to a celebration of Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights, which Michael Scott mistakenly believes to be an Indian version of Halloween. Ryan Howard fails to make a favorable impression on Kelly's parents, who in turn try to set up Kelly with a young doctor. Initially reluctant to attend the festival, Pam Beesly gives in and ends up enjoying herself. Inspired by a conversation with Kelly's parents about Hindu marriage customs, Michael publicly proposes to Carol. Uncomfortable and already embarrassed by her cheerleader outfit (worn because Michael had told her it was a costume party), Carol declines his offer and leaves. Later, Michael makes a pass at Pam, which she rebuffs before reluctantly giving him a ride home. Meanwhile, in Stamford, Jim Halpert decides to bike to work. Working late, Andy Bernard turns a late night of paperwork into an excuse to drink, although Karen, unbeknownst to Jim and Andy, pours her shots into her wastebasket. After several shots, Jim passes out at his desk, missing a text from Pam. Jim tries to bicycle home but is too drunk, crashing after leaving the office, and an amused Karen gives him a ride. ==Production==

Writing and filming drew upon her own cultural background to write the episode. "Diwali" was written by Mindy Kaling and directed by Miguel Arteta. While the episode is partly set at West Scranton High School, filming actually took place at Grant High School in Los Angeles, the same building where Freaks and Geeks was shot. That series' co-creator, Paul Feig, has directed several episodes of The Office, including "Email Surveillance". The following year, while discussing the possible creation of a Halloween episode, she and executive producer Greg Daniels agreed to instead create one that was Diwali-themed, as the two holidays fall near each other. When it came time to write the episode however, Kaling had to perform a Google search, as she had forgotten many details. She explained, "I was a little embarrassed with how little I knew about it. I'm Hindu, but I'm not really a practicing Hindu, so I had to do a lot of research." The series writers have since joked that they should do a Diwali-themed episode every year in the same vein as the Christmas specials. In her weekly blog for TV Guide, actress Kate Flannery wrote that "Mindy shares that B.J. Novak talent of being able to write an incredibly funny episode ("Hot Girl," "The Injury") and be in it. Diwali is the Indian festival of lights. So this week Dunder-Mifflin gets a spicy taste of Indian culture in a hurry. Michael decides the office needs an outing to the local high school for the annual Indian Diwali party." Kaling was proud of their acting, though she admitted that their presence on set was at first "mortifying". She commented, "Of course I sort of lapsed back into that pre-teen attitude of every single thing my parents do embarrasses me. But they were great about it. They were such pros – they had all these scenes with Steve Carell and they were completely unafraid. They got along effortlessly." Other guest stars included Creed Bratton as Creed Bratton, Charles Esten as Josh Porter, Ed Helms as Andy Bernard, and Rashida Jones as Karen Filippelli. ==Reception==

received positive critical reception for his performance. "Diwali" first aired on November 2, 2006, in the United States on NBC during November sweeps week. "Diwali" received generally positive reviews from television critics. Entertainment Weekly columnist Abby West thought the episode "hit all the show's major buttons," focusing on Michael while also furthering the Jim/Karen and Pam/Roy storylines as well as showcasing the other characters. AOL TV's Michael Sciannamea considered the episode "a classic," though he thought that "the Stamford scenes don't seem to add much to the story other than the burgeoning flirtation between Jim and Karen." Brian Zoromski of IGN rated "Diwali" 9.3 out of 10, an indication of an "amazing" episode. He wrote that "Michael completely stole the episode with a truly dizzying number of uncomfortable situations. Daily Show vet Steve Carell has become the king of the uncomfortable moment, throwing himself completely into situations viewers know won't end well." Television Without Pity gave the episode an A grade. ==Cultural impact==

As a result of this episode, The Office became the first American comedy series to depict the Diwali holiday. In their 2012 book Diversity in U.S. Mass Media, Catherine A. Luther, Carolyn Ringer Lepre, and Naeemah Clark noted that "Diwali" "introduces the audience to Indian dancing and singing, a tradition rarely seen on television." ==References==