S09E03 · EP 179
season 9 · 2012-10-04
Andy's Ancestry
written by ? · directed by David Rogers · 4.14M viewers · image The Office Wiki (CC BY-SA)

Episode DNA

24 scenes · 4 threads
scheme 12%absurd 9%awkward 9%tense 9%tender 8%secret exposed 7%misunderstanding 5%cheerful 5%lie 5%triumphant 5%

Story threads over runtime

click a block to open the scene
0:005:0010:0015:0020:00
A · Jim impersonation prank
B · Andy genealogy prank
C · Pam driving lessons
D · Jim Philadelphia job
01

Every scene

24 scenes · our breakdown
1 ▸ 00:05
1 · Office bullpen · cold_openFake Jim pranks Dwight

Jim and Pam replace Jim with actor Steve to prank Dwight, who fails to notice the difference.

00:05–01:54impersonation · scheme
2 · Office bullpen · act1Dwight brushes teeth in shower

Dwight shows Jim his productivity trick of brushing teeth in the shower.

01:54–02:38obsession
3 ▸ 02:38
3 · Office bullpen · act1Dwight teaches Dothraki

Dwight teaches Jim Dothraki, a fake language, to impress Andy's family.

02:38–03:20obsession · misunderstanding
4 · Office bullpen · act1Pam offers driving help

Nellie stresses about her driving test, and Pam offers to practice with her.

03:20–04:27scheme
5 · Andy's office · act1Nellie shows fake genealogy

Nellie shows Andy a fabricated family tree linking him to Michelle Obama.

04:27–05:45scheme · lie
6 · Office bullpen · act1Andy announces relation

Andy proudly announces his supposed relation to Michelle Obama to the office.

05:45–06:58scheme · social_rule_violation
7 · Office bullpen · act1Darryl shares productivity tips

Darryl tries to show Andy his productivity suggestions, but Andy is distracted by his genealogy news.

06:58–07:41scheme
8 · Car · act1Driving and eating

Nellie eats while driving, and Pam warns her about brake lights.

07:41–08:13scheme · lie
9 · Car · act1Nellie confesses prank

Nellie confesses to Pam that she faked Andy's genealogy as a prank.

08:13–09:11confession · scheme
10 · Office bullpen · act1Oscar's slave theory

Oscar theorizes Andy's ancestors were slave owners, upsetting Andy.

09:11–09:19misunderstanding · social_rule_violation
11 · Office bullpen · act1Darryl reassures Andy

Darryl tries to reassure Andy that even if his ancestors owned slaves, it's not his fault.

09:19–10:01misunderstanding
12 · Car · act1Pam shows mural

Pam shows Nellie her mural for Angela's baby while driving.

10:01–11:06
13 ▸ 11:06
13 · Office bullpen · act1Jim discovers Dothraki is fake

Dwight continues teaching Jim Dothraki, and Jim realizes it's a made-up language.

11:06–11:43misunderstanding · obsession
14 · Office bullpen · act1Andy's ringtone changed

Kevin changes Andy's ringtone to a racist song, upsetting Andy.

11:43–12:35social_rule_violation · petty_grievance
15 · Office bullpen · act1Nellie plans more pranks

Nellie and Pam plan fake genealogies for other employees, including Jim.

12:35–13:33scheme · lie
16 · Conference room · act2Andy reveals fake dirt

Andy holds a meeting to expose embarrassing relatives of his coworkers.

13:33–14:47scheme · lie
17 ▸ 14:47
17 · Conference room · act2Andy defends family

Andy argues with Oscar about his family's wealth and slave history.

14:47–16:24social_rule_violation
18 ▸ 16:24
18 · Conference room · act2Andy calls mom again

Andy calls his mother to confirm his family's history, learning they transported slaves.

16:24–16:56secret_exposed · humiliation
19 · Office bullpen · act2Andy asks Darryl for help

Andy asks Darryl to help him sound like he had a difficult childhood.

16:56–17:40lie · scheme
20 · Office bullpen · act2Jim pitches Philly job

Jim tells Darryl about a job opportunity in Philadelphia and asks him to join.

17:40–17:55secret_exposed · negotiation
21 · Office bullpen · act2Darryl questions Pam

Darryl asks if Pam knows about the Philly job, and Jim admits she doesn't.

17:55–19:25secret_exposed · betrayal
22 · Warehouse · act2Nellie offers mural job

Nellie offers Pam a mural project for the warehouse wall.

19:25–21:06scheme
23 · Warehouse · act3Jim confesses to Pam

Jim finally tells Pam about the Philadelphia job, and she reacts with shock.

21:06–21:23confession · betrayal
24 · Warehouse · tagPam and Nellie react

Pam and Nellie discuss Jim's confession, with Nellie offering support.

21:23–21:30betrayal · secret_exposed
03

Same DNA

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Episode facts

Wikipedia · Wikidata
Aired
2012-10-04
Overall
#179
Writers
Director
David Rogers
Viewers
4.14M (US)
Pace
131 words/min · 78 questions

Where to watch

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In this episode

JH
Jim Halpert184 episodes · drives 443 scenes
PB
Pam Beesly184 episodes · drives 289 scenes
DS
Dwight Schrute184 episodes · drives 491 scenes
NB
Nellie Bertram33 episodes · drives 32 scenes
AB
Andy Bernard151 episodes · drives 333 scenes
CG
Clark GreenClark Duke19 episodes · drives 5 scenes
PM
Pete MillerJake Lacy21 episodes · drives 10 scenes
DP
Darryl Philbin119 episodes · drives 61 scenes