Gettysburg (The Office)

The series—presented as if it were a real documentary—depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania, branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company.

In this episode, Andy Bernard (Ed Helms) takes some of the office staff on a field trip to Gettysburg for inspiration.

Meanwhile, the rest of the office, under orders from Robert California (James Spader), are tasked with coming up with a new business idea for Dunder Mifflin.

According to the Nielsen Media Research, "Gettysburg" drew 5.50 million viewers, and ranked first in its time slot and was the highest-rated NBC show of the night.

Andy is unhappy at Gettysburg with the lack of morale and belief in his leadership and attempts to make an analogy between running a paper company and fighting in the Civil War.

Jim Halpert and Darryl Philbin follow Andy after he presses on, and eventually tell him to stop trying to impress the office.

Oscar is annoyed even more when Dwight attempts to convince Erin Hannon that the Battle of Schrute Farms is real.

Robert California makes a spontaneous visit, and he asks the remaining people to come up with Dunder Mifflin/Sabre's next big idea.

[4] The episode also marks the second appearance of Lindsey Broad, who plays Cathy, Pam's replacement during her maternity leave.

Club reviewer Myles McNutt noted that the writers' used Andy's "overeager qualities" to have the office group skip the official tour, allowing for "some random California heritage site" to stand in for the real Gettysburg.

Notable cut scenes include Andy preparing the office to go to Gettysburg, and Kevin discussing his newfound approval by California.

"[10] In its original American broadcast on NBC on November 17, 2011, "Gettysburg" was viewed by an estimated 5.50 million viewers and received a 2.9 rating/7 percent share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49.

[14] Chris Plante from New York wrote a generally positively review, saying "No episode has done the ensemble work better than 'Gettysburg', a kind of sitcom buffet, its many stories giving the audience a small taste of every personality.

"[15] The episode's opening, featuring Pam Halpert (Fischer) faking her water breaking, received mixed reviews.