Reception
"Chair Model" first aired on NBC on April 17, 2008. The episode received 5.8/9 percent share in the ages 18–49 demographic in the Nielsen ratings. This means that 5.8 percent of all households with an 18 to 49 year old living in it watched the episode, and nine percent had their televisions tuned to the channel at any point. The episode was watched by 9.86 million viewers total, as well as 6.49 million viewers in the 18–49 demographic.
"Chair Model" was generally well received by critics, although some fans were alienated by the darkness of the episode. Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club gave the episode a moderately positive review and awarded it a "B+". He noted that the episode "fell on the wrong side of the funny/creepy divide for a lot of Office fans", but that he enjoyed the entry, calling the grave scene "unexpectedly sweet". He also enjoyed the maturation of Andy, describing him as "coming into his own something more than just a foil for Dwight". M. Giant of Television Without Pity awarded the episode an "A". BuddyTV senior writer Oscar Dahl wrote that "The Office is sharp as ever" and Jim saying he was going to propose was "a big time moment in the Jim/Pam story". Dahl also praised the parking lot storyline, saying "what started as merely a joke (Kevin was dumped), became a feel-good moment."
IGN's Travis Fickett said that Michael falling in love with the chair model was "a hysterical turn and highlights just how deluded Michael – and Dwight – can be". Fickett was critical of the "parking" storyline, saying that it was "a bit over the top and runs a bit thin", but he did think that the scene at the end with Kevin was "a sweet and genuine moment". Aubry D'Arminio of Entertainment Weekly stated that, in relation to the previous episode "Dinner Party", "Last night's show took another approach. Don't get me wrong. It was a blinder—but a totally different animal, so to speak." D'Arminio went on to praise the dual plots of the episode.
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