Season 3 of The Office began airing on September 21, 2006, on NBC. It is based on the BBC series created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, and developed for American television by Greg Daniels. It consisted of 25 episodes (divided into 15 half-hour episodes, six 40-minute "super-sized" episodes, and two one-hour episodes) and ended on May 17, 2007.
Season Overview
During the summer, Jim accepted Pam's intentions to marry Roy and transferred to the Stamford branch. He is not particularly fond of short-tempered co-worker Andy, though he appears to have a budding relationship with co-worker Karen. Ryan is hired on full-time in Scranton to fill Jim's position.
A few days before her wedding, Pam got cold feet and called off her relationship with Roy. Roy is determined to win her back.
The original plans to close Dunder Mifflin Scranton are thrown into disarray when Stamford Regional Manager Josh Porter suddenly resigns to work for Staples. Instead, the Stamford branch is closed. Jim returns to Scranton with new girlfriend Karen, which prompts Pam to return to Roy, a relationship which is short-lived: She breaks up with him when he reacts violently upon learning of Jim and Pam's kiss.
Over time, the Stamford employees leave Scranton one by one, leaving only Jim, Karen, and Andy. Karen slowly learns of the history between Jim and Pam, but is determined to make her relationship with Jim work.
Jim, Karen, and Michael all vie for an opening at Corporate, a position which they do not initially realize is open because Jan is being fired. The position appears to go to Jim, but when he sees a note from Pam among his papers, he turns down the job and immediately returns to Scranton to ask Pam on a date. With tears in her eyes, she accepts. This is the beginning of a long and happy relationship.
Episodes
| Picture | Episode Title | Season Episode Number | Production Code | Original Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Gay Witch Hunt | 1 | 3001 | September 21, 2006 |
| It's four months after Casino Night and there are a number of changes at Dunder Mifflin. When Michael unintentionally outs a gay employee, he stumbles through a sensitivity mine-field. Also, we find out what happened with Jim and Pam. | ||||
 |
The Convention | 2 | 3006 | September 28, 2006 |
| After meeting Jan in Philadelphia for the annual Northeastern Mid-Market Office Supply Convention, Michael enlists Dwight's help in organizing a party in his room for fellow conventioneers. Meanwhile, Ryan and Kelly join friends out on a double date. | ||||
 |
The Coup | 3 | 3002 | October 5, 2006 |
| After Jan busts Michael for declaring it's “movie Monday,” where everyone watches a movie instead of working, an upset Angela pushes Dwight into making a play for Michael's job. Meanwhile, Pam internet shops and has a fashion show at lunch and Jim plays video games and gets killed again and again in virtual reality. | ||||
 |
Grief Counseling | 4 | 3003 | October 12, 2006 |
| After learning that his old boss, the former regional manager, has died, Michael attempts to guide the Dunder Mifflin staff through their grief as he searches for the right way to honor a company man. Roy helps Pam duck out of the session. In the Stamford office, Jim and Karen go on a hunt for snacks. | ||||
 |
Initiation | 5 | 3005 | October 19, 2006 |
| Ryan accompanies Dwight on his first sales call, but is taken aback by the odd series of challenges Dwight puts him through along the way, including a sidetrip to the Schrute family beet farm. Back at the office, Michael is forced by corporate to keep a log of his day's activities, and Pam tries to help. Meanwhile, Jim begins to settle into the Stamford branch. | ||||
 |
Diwali | 6 | 3004 | November 2, 2006 |
| Michael encourages the entire Scranton branch to support Kelly and attend a local celebration of Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights. As Ryan nervously faces Kelly's family at the event, Michael, new girlfriend Carol and the staff sample a range of Indian culture and cuisine. Meanwhile, Andy convinces Jim to turn a late night of work into a drinking game. | ||||
 |
Branch Closing † | 7 | 3007 | November 9, 2006 |
| When Jan tells Michael that the Scranton Branch will be shutting down, Michael strives to keep his staff's spirits up. Meanwhile, everyone privately begins to envision how their lives will change in the aftermath. | ||||
 |
The Merger † | 8 | 3008 | November 16, 2006 |
| The Scranton branch and the Stamford branch of Dunder-Mifflin are merged, bringing old friends Jim and Pam back together after months apart. Michael and Dwight and the other employees deal with the changes. | ||||
 |
The Convict | 9 | 3010 | November 30, 2006 |
| Michael tries to be supportive after learning that one of the new employees is an ex-convict, but gets upset when the staff starts to compare the office to prison. Meanwhile, Jim “coaches” Andy when he decides to make a play for Pam. | ||||
 |
A Benihana Christmas ‡ | 10/11 | 3009/3014 | December 14, 2006 |
| In a special one-hour holiday episode directed by Harold Ramis, Michael sends out an inappropriate photoshopped Christmas card and gets his heart broken for the holidays by girlfriend Carol. Andy takes Michael out drinking with Dwight and Jim, while tensions on the party planning committee between Angela, Pam and Karen cause rival parties to form. | ||||
 |
Back From Vacation | 12 | 3011 | January 4, 2007 |
| Michael returns from his Jamaican vacation a relaxed and revitalized man, but that quickly changes when a spicy vacation photograph makes its way around the office. Meanwhile, Jim and Karen have an argument — with Pam caught in the middle of it all. | ||||
 |
Traveling Salesmen | 13 | 3012 | January 11, 2007 |
| Michael pushes his desk jockeys to pair up and hit the road for sales-call duty. Meanwhile, Angela misses a crucial deadline, so her secret boyfriend, Dwight, tries to cover for her; and surprising news comes Karen's way. | ||||
 |
The Return † | 14 | 3013 | January 18, 2007 |
| When Oscar returns from vacation pondering his future at the office, Michael orders the party-planning committee to organize a bash for him. Meanwhile, power-hungry Andy exploits recent events to inch closer to Michael; and Jim colludes with Pam and Karen to trick someone in the office---but the target's not Dwight. | ||||
 |
Ben Franklin | 15 | 3015 | February 1, 2007 |
| Acting on bad advice from his friend Todd Packer, Michael brings two “adult” performers into the office — a stripper and Ben Franklin — in honor of Phyllis's wedding shower. Meanwhile, Karen confronts Pam about her past with Jim. | ||||
 |
Phyllis' Wedding | 16 | 3016 | February 8, 2007 |
| Phyllis regrets giving Michael an important job at her wedding after several embarrassing moments. Pam has flashbacks of her own wedding planning when she sees Phyllis's decorations. Meanwhile, Dwight is determined to catch wedding crashers. | ||||
 |
Business School | 17 | 3017 | February 15, 2007 |
| Ryan invites Michael to be a guest speaker at his business school. Meanwhile, Dwight battles a bat that gets loose in the office while Pam invites co-workers to her first art show. | ||||
 |
Cocktails | 18 | 3018 | February 22, 2007 |
| Michael and Jan go public with their relationship during a party at their CFO's home. At the party, Jim meets Karen's ex. Meanwhile, the rest of the office decides to go to happy hour for drinks. | ||||
 |
The Negotiation † | 19 | 3019 | April 5, 2007 |
| Darryl decides to meet with Michael to negotiate a pay increase. Meanwhile, Jim deals with the consequences of Pam's confession to Roy. | ||||
 |
Safety Training | 20 | 3020 | April 12, 2007 |
| Andy returns to the office after several weeks of anger management training, determined to make a fresh start with all the Dunder-Mifflin employees. Meanwhile, it's safety training day in the office, and Michael and Dwight are on a mission to illuminate the true dangers of the workplace. | ||||
 |
Product Recall | 21 | 3025 | April 26, 2007 |
| The office is in crisis mode after a large shipment of Dunder-Mifflin paper is accidentally sent out with an obscene watermark. Michael tries to manage the media with an impromptu press conference. Jim and Andy try to calm the high school principal who has sent out prom invites on the affected stationery. | ||||
 |
Women's Appreciation † | 22 | 3021 | May 3, 2007 |
| Outrage breaks out in the office after Phyllis gets an unexpected eyeful from a flasher. Michael makes some important personal decisions when he takes the women on a special outing. Meanwhile, Dwight and Andy work on catching the predator. | ||||
 |
Beach Games † | 23 | 3022 | May 10, 2007 |
| Michael is being considered for a position in corporate and has to recommend his replacement, but while the group expects a fun outing at Lake Scranton, Michael has planned a day of “Survivor”-like competitions to find his successor. Meanwhile, Pam is not asked to join in any of the activities and is forced to watch Jim and Karen have fun together. | ||||
 |
The Job ‡ | 24/25 | 3023/3024 | May 17, 2007 |
| In a special one-hour finale, the office is still buzzing from the events of their day at the beach. A job opening in Corporate pits coworker against coworker as Michael, Jim and Karen all head to New York for final interviews. In Scranton, Dwight's new regime institutes sweeping reforms, Pam plays an interesting role and Jan comes in with exciting news. | ||||
- † denotes a "super-sized" 40-minute episode (with advertisements; actual runtime around 28 minutes)
- ‡ denotes an hour-long episode (with advertisements; actual runtime around 42 minutes)
External links
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