| "The Alliance" | |
|---|---|
| The Office episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 4 |
| Directed by | Bryan Gordon |
| Written by | Michael Schur |
| Cinematography by | Randall Einhorn |
| Editing by | |
| Production code | 1004[1] |
| Original air date | April 12, 2005 |
| Guest appearances | |
"The Alliance" is the fourth episode of the first season of the American comedy television series The Office. The episode aired on NBC in the United States on April 12, 2005. It was written by Michael Schur and directed by Bryan Gordon, marking their first credits for the show.
In this episode, paranoia takes over the members of the office as downsizing rumors swirl. Dwight Schrute (played by Rainn Wilson) forms a Survivor-esque alliance with Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) against the other employees—later adding Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer). Meanwhile, Michael Scott (Steve Carell) arranges a morale-boosting birthday party for Meredith Palmer (Kate Flannery), although her birthday is more than a month away. Michael agonizes over writing the perfect greeting in her birthday card, and in the end, his joke falls flat, ruining the party and the employees' morale.
The episode was inspired by popular reality television shows, most notably Survivor. The first cut of the episode ran 37 minutes and the producers considered making the episode a two-parter, one focusing on the alliance and another focusing on Meredith's birthday party, but decided against the idea. "The Alliance" was viewed by an estimated 5.4 million viewers and received a 2.4/6% rating share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49. The episode received positive reviews from critics.