The Negotiation (The Office)

"The Negotiation" (originally titled "Labor Negotiation")^[2] is the nineteenth episode of the third season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's forty-seventh episode overall. The series depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. In this episode, Roy Anderson (David Denman) tries to attack Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) for kissing Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) on Casino Night, only to be pepper-sprayed by Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson). Jim repeatedly tries to thank Dwight for his actions, but each attempt is rejected. Meanwhile, with Roy fired, Darryl Philbin (Craig Robinson) asks for a raise and is astounded when he learns that this raise would cause him to be paid more than his boss, Michael Scott (Steve Carell).

"The Negotiation" first aired on April 5, 2007 on NBC as a longer, "super-sized" episode. It was written by Michael Schur and directed by Jeffrey Blitz, and featured the end of Roy's plot arc to win back Pam, his former fiancée. This also marked the end of Denman's recurring tenure on the show, though he made guest appearances in subsequent seasons. The episode also included the return of actor Ed Helms, who portrays Andy Bernard. The episode was first screened at Paleyfest in early 2007. According to Nielsen Media Research, it was viewed by an estimated audience of 6.7 million people and earned a 3.2/10 ratings share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49. The episode received generally positive reviews, with television critics in particular praising the Dwight–Angela storyline. Schur received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, but lost to fellow Office writer Greg Daniels for his work on "Gay Witch Hunt".