Welcome Party

"Welcome Party" was written by Steve Hely and directed by series regular Ed Helms, who portrays Andy Bernard.

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.

Meanwhile, Erin Hannon (Ellie Kemper) helps Andy Bernard (Ed Helms) break up with his girlfriend, Jessica.

According to Nielsen Media Research, "Welcome Party" was viewed by an estimated 4.39 million viewers and received a 2.2 rating/6% share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49.

Jim and Pam, out of solidarity to Nellie, sabotage the magician's tricks until he reaches breaking point, angrily yelling at everyone, and Dwight kicks him out.

Nellie and Robert commend the employees for throwing a good party, but Kevin Malone complains that the carrot cake has actual vegetables in it, which Pam made as a prank.

Erin passionately kisses Andy inside the car while the party throws things at their vehicle, prompting a quick getaway.

Notable cut scenes include Jim trying to stall Nellie, Robert California asking the party planning committee how great the party will be, Nellie checking out her new neighbors and asking her neighbor if he is an abortion care provider, in order to make sure her building will not be the target of a fire-bombing, and the party planning committee trying to think of catty ways to make Nellie angry.

[6][7][8] The episode finished fourth in its time slot, only beating The CW drama series, Supernatural.

Club reviewer Myles McNutt wrote that while the series had two goals to perform by the end of the episode—to turn Nellie into a relatable character and break Andy and Jessica up—he felt that both plots failed in execution.

[10] She also went on to praise the interaction between Jim and Pam, saying "Their ability ... to communicate volumes with a few words or merely a glance demonstrates why their chemistry has been so difficult to replicate with other couples.

[10] Writing for New York, Lucy Teitler unfavorably compared the Andy-Erin plotline to Jim and Pam's from the early seasons of the series, writing that the romance was not able to "take off, because Erin has no real agency" and that the scene where Andy returned to the bachelorette party felt too superficial to reach its potential of becoming a "classic" Office scene.