The Final Jim Prank We Never Got To See On The Office
No one could've predicted that a sitcom based around a paper company in Scranton, PA, would become the hallmark TV comedy of an entire generation, but with a solid nine seasons, The Office managed it with humorous grace.
One of the best things about the show is Jim and Dwight's dynamic. The latter is eccentric and totally convinced of his own badassery, regardless of how absent that badassery might be, and Jim ... well, Jim likes to give Dwight a hard time and often gets other characters to join in on the fun. Essentially, Jim is a psyche-manipulating mastermind with a penchant for tricking Dwight into thinking he's going insane. The highlights include wrapping Dwight's desk and all of his personal objects like Christmas gifts (or did he?), dressing and acting exactly like Dwight, and sending Dwight faxes from his future self. As great as those all were, though, Jim pulled one final prank on Dwight, and we never got to see it.
Dwight, you're in The Matrix
We've already established that Jim's second favorite thing to do is play pranks on Dwight, falling slightly bellow "homewrecking." One of Jim's pranks was supposed to fill the cold open of the series finale, but was cut in post-production because of time constraints
From what David Rogers, one of the producers of The Office, said on the An Oral History of The Office podcast hosted by "Kevin" actor Brian Baumgartnera, the final prank was Jim convincing Dwight that he was actually living in The Matrix. The crew spent six months training a cat to remake the déjà vu scene from The Matrix film in Michael's office, a feat that would surely drive the fantastical point home and leave Dwight thinking that being trapped in the Matrix is a real possibility. A table read of the finale tells us the action.
The cats walk by. Then, all of a sudden, a message pops up on Dwight's computer screen asking him if the world seems odd. He looks over to Jim, but Jim is just doing normal work stuff. Dwight engages with the random messenger, trying to figure out who's messing with him. Erin puts a package on Dwight's desk containing a ringing phone. He answers, and two guys dressed like agents show up at reception. The mysterious caller convinces him to crawl his way to the warehouse to avoid the "agents."
Dwight chooses the Matrix
Once in the warehouse, Dwight discovers Hank, the Dunder Mifflin security guard, who's portraying Morpheus' brother "Dorpheus." Two armchairs and a glass of water are laid out to recreate the red vs. blue pill scene. Hank offers Dwight a choice to leave his software-induced slumber and fight as a rebel against the machines that enslave him, or stay living in the false world.
"I'll take the blue pill," says Dwight.
"But the blue is the one that keeps you in the program, the red's the cool one," responds Hank as "Dorpheus."
Dwight cuts Hank off."No, I understand, and I will take the blue pill, please," he says with the confidence that can only come after deep thought or from a powerful, irrational impulse. Either way, Dwight clearly wants to stay in the world of The Office, the world he knows and loves. "The timing is off," he says. He's made manager and has a lot going for him that he doesn't want to give up.
Even though it didn't make the final cut, the prank was filmed, and is surely a brick of gold hidden on a reel somewhere that we never got to see. Luckily, David Rogers thinks The Matrix parody might be released for the show's 10-year or 20-year reunion. Let's hope he's right.