The Office Episode 9.12 Customer Loyalty

Dwight sifts through some old office files and discovers a mysterious folder containing a letter from Robert Dunder. The note seems to make reference to a trail leading to a precious artifact - the Holy Grail - stashed somewhere in the office. Excited, Dwight and his coworkers race around connecting clues. Meanwhile, Pam is on the phone with Jim about what's clearly one of his pranks. He admits to engineering it years ago but can't seem to remember if he did plant a fake chalice as the payoff. Dwight and the gang tear apart the warehouse but can't find the final clue. As they give up, we see Glen in his warehouse office, dunking his donut in an ornate chalice.

Pete and Erin brief Nellie on their efforts to get some social buzz going online for Dunder Mifflin. They've invented several fake followers in an attempt to start a small groundswell of excitement. In an interview, Erin explains that she and Pete are working well together and having fun, but there's nothing going on. Meanwhile Jim gets an important message at Athlead: Peter Rowley, a primary investor, has requested a lunchtime meeting. Jim takes it in stride, but wants to make sure it won't interfere with his plans to leave the office early. Cece's first ballet recital is this afternoon, and he's promised Pam he'll be there to see it with her.

Dwight learns that Darryl's looking to jump ship to Athlead too. He immediately puts Clark on a task to dig up whatever performance complaints he can find in Darryl's file. Meanwhile, Toby shares his crush on Nellie with Clark, and Pam checks in with Angela about a public mural project Angela's husband recommended Pam for.

Pam heads off to the recital. She checks in with Jim only to learn that he's still stuck in Philly, trying to keep their big investor from bailing out. He asks Pam to record video of the recital on her phone, double-checking that she knows how to do that. Irritated and offended, Pam assures Jim she knows how to operate her phone.

Pete and Erin's Facebook machinations begin to pay off: the page begins to pick up some followers. As Pete and Erin celebrate, Nellie realizes that their relationship has budded. She's concerned; with Andy returning soon, Nellie knows that she might be blamed for any fallout.

Dwight assembles the staff in the conference room for a lecture on customer loyalty. He's brought an unhappy customer in, Mr. Romanko, to express his dissatisfaction with Darryl. Darryl acknowledges that his delivery was a day late, due to two trucks being under repair. Romanko is quite forgiving, to Dwight's chagrin. But Dwight hammers the point home: loyalty is everything. Nellie echoes the idea, pointing out that Erin has been flirting with others despite having a boyfriend. This kicks off a group discussion as to how attractive Andy is. Erin defends herself, saying that she and Pete are just friends - a fact to which Pete attests.

At the recital, Pam is beaming as her daughter takes the stage. But while she's shooting the performance, she gets a phone call informing her she's gotten the mural project. It's great news, but unbeknownst her, she's inadvertently interrupted the video recording of the recital. She calls Jim to share her joy, but he's still busy trying to keep his investor from jumping ship.

Dwight keeps hammering on Darryl not to leave the company. He tricks Darryl into accompanying him on a delivery just to demonstrate how fun it really is. He blasts music and throws a mini basketball around inside the delivery truck cab. Darryl looks tortured. Dwight pulls into a drive-through fast food joint. Before driving off, he hurls a full milkshake cup through the server's window, splattering the restaurant crew. It's Dwight's idea of a fun prank, but Darryl makes Dwight stop, go inside and clean it up.

Back in the office, Toby congratulates Nellie on her successful meeting by giving her a big, awkward hug. They discuss the merits of Pete versus Andy as a match for Erin. Toby explains that not everyone can have what he and Nellie share. Nellie's confused until she realizes that she kissed Toby once. It clearly sent a lasting and unintended message. Toby agrees that separating Erin and Pete from working together is probably the best idea.

The gang files out for the day. Pam lingers at her desk and gets a call from Jim. He's despondent: the investor has pulled out. He asks Pam if she could post the video she took of Cece's recital to lift his spirits. She sheepishly admits she didn't successfully record it. Jim's really upset. He keeps scolding her until Pam pushes back that she's trying her best - and maybe he should have been there to the see the recital. Jim fights back explaining he's doing everything he can to build something for their future. Realizing they're hurting each other, they agree to get off the phone before they do further damage.