Plot Summary
Michael (Steve Carell), inspired by Willy Wonka, decides to put five "golden tickets" randomly into five different shipments of paper that will provide Dunder Mifflin clients with a ten percent discount for one year. Michael is initially excited about the promotional gimmick, which prompts him to dress and act like Wonka throughout the day. However, the golden tickets prove to be a problem when all five go to one of their biggest clients, the Blue Cross of Pennsylvania; because Michael did not specify "limit one per customer", the company is owed a fifty percent discount for a whole year. As a result, the Scranton branch is expected to lose a significant amount of revenue which could shut down the branch, making everyone in the office upset with Michael. When angry Chief Financial Officer David Wallace (Andy Buckley) demands to know who is responsible, Michael claims Dwight (Rainn Wilson) thought of the idea. Michael then tries to convince Dwight to take the fall, explaining that Michael needs the job more than Dwight and insisting it would allow Dwight to focus more energy on his beet farm.
Dwight remains unconvinced. However, when David Wallace comes to the Scranton branch, he explains that the client has decided to make the company their exclusive provider of office supplies due to the idea. Grateful, David congratulates Dwight for the idea and after a moment's hesitation, Dwight accepts the credit. Michael is shocked and upset, especially when the rest of the office plays along with Wallace's misunderstanding and congratulates Dwight. When David sets up a conference call with the marketing department so Dwight can explain his Golden Ticket promotion, Michael interrupts and goads Dwight into revealing the idea actually came from Michael. After much bickering between Michael and Dwight, a frustrated David leaves the office, appearing to be indifferent about the outcome.
Meanwhile, Kevin (Brian Baumgartner) seeks advice from others in the office on how to start a relationship with Lynne (Lisa K. Wyatt), the woman he socialized with at the Valentine's Day singles mixer at the office (from the previous episode, "Blood Drive"). Andy (Ed Helms), still upset from his recent broken engagement with Angela (Angela Kinsey), suggests that Kevin should be mean to Lynne, providing only backhanded compliments and ignoring her calls. Jim (John Krasinski) suggests he ask her out, but not immediately and take things slow. Pam (Jenna Fischer), on the other hand, suggests he ask her out immediately and not be afraid to express himself to her. When Lynne visits the office, Kevin said he has decided to simply tell her what exactly he is thinking. He tells her that she has a nice smile and would like to take her out to dinner and a movie, which she accepts. Kevin then accidentally says "Nice...boobs", but Lynne seems flattered by the statement.
Read more about this topic: Golden Ticket (The Office)
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