The Office – Season 3 Episodes Ranked

I was a little worried that this show had peaked early, but Season 3 of The Office continued to serve up the laughs and iconic workplace antics.

There were a lot of episodes here that I loved, and the characters / writing are really starting to come into their own. How would I rank every episode?

Before we begin, you can check out some of my related blog posts below:

23 – Diwali

Rating: C

The episode with the biggest waste of potential.

There’s an awkward moment where Michael proposes to his girlfriend (why Carol doesn’t leave him there and then I’ll never know …), and Jim gets drunk. That’s it. That’s all “Diwali” has to offer.

Maybe a hot take, but I found the closing song kinda cringy too.

22 – Ben Franklin

Rating: C

The other of the completely pointless episodes.

Phyllis and Bob Vance both get “strippers” for their parties, with the ladies getting a Ben Franklin impersonator. His flirting with Pam and his argument with Dwight were kinda funny, but that’s about it.

21 – The Merger

Rating: C+

Considering “The Merger” is one of the most important episodes in the season, I thought it would be funnier.

Michael makes a “Lazy Scranton” video to welcome the new employees, Andy tries to woo both Michael and Angela, and the whole thing feels a little bitter. It mostly serves as a bridge to things to come.

20 – Traveling Salesmen

Rating: C+

The salesmen pair up for some on-the-road assignments, and it’s interesting to see them in action.

Jim and Dwight’s pitch is clever, but it’s Andy making Dwight quit that has the biggest implications on the overall story.

19 – Grief Counseling

Rating: C+

Michael’s old boss dies, and he starts to panic that nobody will miss him when he’s gone.

It leads to everyone explaining their grief in movie plots as well as a funeral for a bird, and it’s mostly alright. Jim and Karen also hit it off, setting up a love triangle later in the season.

18 – Phyllis’ Wedding

Rating: B-

Pam sees a lot of her old wedding items, and even gets back with Roy by the end of the episode.

The best part of “Phyllis’ Wedding” is when Phyllis’ wheelchair-bound dad upstages Michael, as otherwise Michael is more insufferable than usual.

17 – Back from Vacation

Rating: B-

Michael accidentally sends a picture of him and Jan on holiday to everyone in the office, and chaos ensues.

Jim and Karen also have their first major argument as a couple, and Dwight has a tender moment when he consoles a crying Pam.

16 – A Benihana Christmas

Rating: B-

“A Benihana Christmas” is effectively a two-parter with its double run-time, and a lot of stuff happens.

Carol breaks up with Michael, Pam and Karen stand up to – and then concede to – Angela’s party planning committee, and Dwight thinks he’s getting messages from the CIA.

The best moments definitely come in the final office party – Michael forgets which girl he brought, has a laugh with Jim, and Kevin really gets into the karaoke.

15 – Women’s Appreciation

Rating: B-

After Phyllis gets flashed, a series of events leads to the ladies of the office going to the mall and advising Michael to break up with Jan.

I also really like the sub-plot of Dwight putting up sexual predator warning posters … of himself.

14 – Cocktails

Rating: B-

I love the cold open of “Cocktails” where Michael attempts to escape a Houdini-esque magic trick, and the rest of the episode is solid too.

Some in the office go to a fancy managers’ party, the rest go to the bar from some drinks, and Roy freaks out when finds out about Pam and Jim’s kiss in “Casino Night” – the latter leads to a great cliff-hanger of Roy swearing his revenge.

13 – Product Recall

Rating: B-

Most people remember “Product Recall” for its legendary cold open – Jim pretending to be Dwight is probably his most iconic prank, and Dwight’s rebuttal is as pitiful as you’d expect.

As for the rest of the episode, a Creed cock-up leads to emergency press conferences and apology calls / videos, and Andy discovers that his girlfriend is still in school. Yikes.

12 – Initiation

Rating: B-

I do love me a Dwight-centred episode, and “Initiation” is one of his best. His attempts at teaching Ryan business are terrible and hilarious at the same time, and if the whole episode had just been that it would have been great.

The rest of the stuff, however, is passable. Pam monitors Michael, the office wait in line for pretzels, and Stamford has a squeaky chair. Hardly the stuff of comedy gold.

11 – The Convict

Rating: B-

“The Convict” is another of those episodes that has a golden plot among a series of weaker moments.

Prison Mike is one of the highlights of Season 3, but the other stuff, like Jim giving Andy the wrong advice on how to woo Pam, don’t hit has hard.

10 – Safety Training

Rating: B

When Michael gets jealous of the warehouse’s lack of safety, of all things, he decides to prove to everyone that his office is a dangerous work environment. One of the craziest premises of the series.

He uses watermelons, a trampoline and a bouncy castle to prove his point, and the B-plot of the workers betting on random things works well too.

9 – The Return

Rating: B

Dwight now works in Staples after being outed by Andy, but Andy himself doesn’t gel well with the office workers – in fact, he gets so annoyed by one of Jim’s pranks that he punches a hole in the wall.

I also really liked Oscar’s return party, the scene where Jim admits he still has feelings for Pam, and how Dwight massacres the piñata.

8 – The Coup

Rating: B

The B-plots here are decent at best – Pam buys some new clothes for herself, and Stamford plays COD in their spare time. But the main plot of “The Coup” fires on all cylinders at all times.

Dwight’s betrayal of Michael plays out like an epic Shakespearian tragedy, and their reactions and dialogue exchanges are absolutely golden throughout the episode.

7 – Branch Closing

Rating: B

“Branch Closing” starts strong with a fax from the future cold open and doesn’t let its foot off the gas.

Creed sells all of the office’s gear in preparation for the closure, and Stamford’s boss quitting is a nice twist. The only thing holding the episode back is the part where Michael and Dwight visit David Wallace’s house – nothing happens, and that plot goes nowhere.

6 – The Convention

Rating: B

“I love inside jokes … I’d love to be a part of one someday.”

Michael’s pettiness towards Josh is great, and him throwing a techno party that Jim stumbles upon is a fantastic visual gag – Jim and Michael’s dynamic is great across the whole episode.

Back in the office, Pam has a date and Toby starts to crush on her – the latter is a bit of an uncomfortable recurring gag across the series, but it has its moments.

5 – Beach Games

Rating: B+

Michael looks for his replacement among the office’s top salesmen, thinking that he’s got the corporate promotion in the bag, and it leads to one of the most engaging episodes of the season.

There’s lots of in-fighting, Andy floats away, and Pam finds her courage and speaks honestly to Jim and the others after a brave walk through fiery coals.

4 – The Negotiation

Rating: B+

I remembered “The Negotiation” for the cold open where Dwight heroically pepper-sprays Roy (… and then Andy), but I forgot how funny the rest of the episode was.

Michael gets bad negotiation advice online, wears a woman’s suit, is persuaded to ask for a raise by Darryl, and meanwhile Angela goes round the office to hear the story of Dwight’s bravery over and over again.

3 – Gay Witch Hunt

Rating: A-

Season 3 starts strong with “Gay Witch Hunt” – Jim is now in Stamford, Pam broke up with Roy, and Michael finds out that Oscar is gay. Michael means well, but he ends up making the situation ten times worse by publicly kissing Oscar in one of the show’s most uproarious moments.

I know most Office fans would put this in the top spot, but I think the other two episodes above it are more consistent across the board.

2 – The Job

Rating: A-

This might be an unpopular opinion, but I found the Season 3 finale – “The Job” – to be stronger than the season opener.

Creed starts a “blog”, Dwight gets “promoted” (with an amazing Andy interview), Jan gets “enhanced”, and the final two scenes of Jim finally asking out Pam and Ryan getting the job were a great way to build up hype for the next season.

1 – Business School

Rating: A

I never would have expected “Business School” to top this list when I started my Season 3 re-watch, but almost every single scene blew me away.

Dwight catches a bat and thinks Jim has become a vampire, Michael does a terrible presentation at Ryan’s school (before giving some genuinely good advice afterwards), and Michael visiting Pam’s art show is the most heart-warming scene of the season. A near-flawless episode.

Season Rating: A-

This was yet another fantastic season, but the diminished Jim / Pam dynamic made Season 3 feel like a slight step down from the previous.

Let’s look at the stats for the season:

• 3A (13%)
• 15B (65%)
• 5C (22%)

And the stats for the series so far:

• 6A (12%)
• 32B (63%)
• 13C (25%)

Aaaand that’s my list. You can check out some of my latest blog posts below: