Junior Salesman

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 the episode, Dunder Mifflin CEO David Wallace (Andy Buckley) tasks Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) with finding a part-time replacement for Jim Halpert (John Krasinski), and Dwight must choose among Clark (Clark Duke) and several of his close friends, including his cousin Mose (Schur).

The episode received mixed reviews from television critics, however many considered it superior to "Vandalism", particularly for the lessened presence of Brian.

Dunder Mifflin CEO David Wallace has tasked Dwight Schrute with finding a part-time replacement for Jim Halpert.

Dwight puts the conversation on speaker phone, allowing him to hear Wallace first tell Jim his salary is going to be cut to reflect his part-time status, and then bluntly shoot down the idea of investing in Athlead.

It is also hinted that Brian, the boom mike operator for the documentary crew, has developed a crush on Pam, paired with audio of Jim’s talking head, “Because of where my desk was, I spent all those years looking at Pam, and I fell in love.” "Junior Salesman" was written by executive story editor Carrie Kemper, who is the younger sister of cast member Ellie Kemper, making it her fourth writing credit for the series, following the ninth-season entry, "The Whale".

[7] In addition to new guest stars, the episode saw the return of several minor characters, including Lance Krall as Sensei Ira, Chris Gethard as Trevor, Noel Petok as Troy Underbridge, Beth Grant as Dwight's babysitter, Melvina, and James Urbaniak as Rolf.

David Rogers, who is also an editor on the series, said that storyline was cut because "we had so much great comedy and needed the time for Dwight and his freaky friends and how Jim and the gang reacted".

[14] In its original American broadcast, "Junior Salesman" was viewed by 4.45 million viewers and received a 2.1 rating/5 percent share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49, marking a slight rise in the ratings from the previous episode, "Customer Loyalty".

[18] IGN writer Roth Cornet said the Dwight plotline yielded the "funniest and most disturbing moments of the night", but that the episode did not allow for much work to be given to the rest of the ensemble cast.

[20] Brett Davinger of The California Literary Review called Brian's antics "creepy", particularly his smile at the end of the episode.