Pool Party (The Office)

"Pool Party"
The Office episode
Episode no.Season 8
Episode 12
Directed byCharles McDougall
Written byOwen Ellickson
Featured music
Cinematography byMatt Sohn
Editing byClaire Scanlon
Production code812
Original air dateJanuary 19, 2012 (2012-01-19)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
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"Trivia"
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"Jury Duty"
The Office (American season 8)
List of episodes

"Pool Party" is the twelfth episode of the eighth season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's 164th episode overall. The episode originally aired on NBC in the United States on January 19, 2012. It was written by Owen Ellickson and was directed by Charles McDougall. The episode guest starred Lindsey Broad and Eleanor Seigler.

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, Robert California (James Spader) decides to sell his mansion following his divorce and Kevin Malone (Brian Baumgartner) suggests that he have an office pool party. There, Erin Hannon (Ellie Kemper) tries to make Andy Bernard (Ed Helms) jealous by flirting with Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson). Meanwhile, Robert gives everyone a tour of his massive home.

"Pool Party" received mostly mixed reviews from critics, with many criticizing the episode's lack of a finite plot. According to Nielsen Media Research, "Pool Party" drew 6.02 million viewers and received a 3 rating/7% share in the 18–49 demographic, marking a slight increase from the previous episode, "Trivia". The episode ranked third in its timeslot, and was the highest rated NBC series of the night.