[1] It was written and directed by Jennifer Celotta and originally aired in the United States on NBC on October 1, 2009.
They get a call from CFO David Wallace who tells them that not everyone in the branch will get their desired raise and that they will have to decide how to disperse it amongst the employees.
Jim comments that Michael is currently his only friend in the office at the moment, as everyone else, even probably Pam, is upset at him about the raise situation.
When she then tries Ryan Howard, he cons her into giving him $50 as a supposed investment in betting on college basketball games.
[3][4][5][6] ""The Promotion" stands as a perfect marriage between a genuinely funny situation and a number of goofy asides and comedic gags, a formula which always makes for a great episode.
Club said the episode "represented both a return to The Office's roots and a bold look at what the future holds for the Dunder-Mifflin gang" due to the Michael and Jim co-manager arrangement.
Rabin praised the episode's "sharp little character moments", like Oscar's deadpan speeches and Ryan's gambling schemes.
[3] Alan Sepinwall of The Star-Ledger said "The Promotion" did not live up to a "promising new dynamic" between Michael and Jim set up in the previous episode, "The Meeting".