Sex Ed (The Office)

"Sex Ed" is the fourth episode of the seventh season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's 130th episode overall. Written and directed by Paul Lieberstein, the episode aired on NBC in the United States on October 14, 2010. The episode features the return of several recurring characters, most notably Melora Hardin as Jan Levinson, Linda Purl as Helene Beesly, and Nancy Carell as Carol Stills. Actresses Amy Pietz and Amy Ryan — who portray Donna Newton and Holly Flax — only make vocal cameos, though Ryan is credited as a starring role.

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, Michael Scott (Steve Carell) comes to work thinking he has a pimple, but it turns out to actually be a cold sore. When he is told that it is a form of herpes, Michael contacts all his ex-girlfriends—Jan, Holly, Helene, Donna, and Carol. Andy Bernard (Ed Helms) holds a sex education meeting in the office hoping to learn if Erin Hannon (Ellie Kemper) is having sex with her boyfriend, Gabe Lewis (Zach Woods).

Along with several actresses reprising their characters, "Sex Ed" also saw the introduction of warehouse worker Nate Nickerson, played by Mark Proksch; he would go on to recur for the remainder of the series. "Sex Ed" was viewed by 7.36 million viewers and received a 3.8 rating among adults between the ages of 18 and 49, marking a slight increase in the ratings when compared to the previous week. The episode was also the highest-ranked NBC series of the night, but it received mixed reviews from critics, many of whom felt that Michael was characterized as too stupid and that Andy's subplot was not compelling.