“ | Bears, Beets, Battlestar Galactica | „ |
~ Dwight talking about his interests |
Dwight Kurt Schrute III (born January 20, 1968) is a character in the NBC sitcom The Office. He is based on Gareth Keenan from the original UK version of the show, and is played by Rainn Wilson.
D he was a goldfish in the last lifewight is one of the highest ranked and most successful salesmen at Dunder Mifflin, despite lacking in social skills and common sense. He has a rivalry with fellow salesman Jim Halpert. He frequently serves a second in command position as Assistant (to the) Regional Manager, but is offered the role as manager in the final season.
Character Information[]
When the series begins, Dwight is a competent salesman working at the Scranton Branch of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. He held the title of Assistant to the Regional Manager but constantly refers to himself as Assistant Regional Manager in an attempt to elevate his role to second in command to regional manager Michael Scott. Dwight craves authority over his co-workers, and relishes any task Michael gives him. Although he acts superior to others, Dwight is gullible, ignorant and naïve, and is often the victim of pranks by his co-worker and desk-mate Jim Halpert.
Dwight often uses one-upmanship to better himself over his colleagues, and boasts about training specific parts of the body. Dwight will often engage in jokes and games to impress Michael, but usually fails due to Michael's perception of himself being a joker. When Dwight temporarily left Dunder Mifflin, he watered the plants and arranged the toys on Michael's desk in a manner that made Michael happy.
Dwight is a former volunteer sheriff's deputy, but had to step down after helping his boss illegally pass a drug test. He resides on his family's beet farm with his cousin Mose. Dwight has affinities for paintball, Battlestar Galactica, ping pong, survivalism, karate and weapons. He also prefers to ride in the back of the car, behind the driver, as he believes this is the safest location in a car.
In the episode "Whistleblower", encouraged invest in real estate by former CEO and owner of Dunder Mifflin, Jo Bennett, Dwight decides to buy the industrial park building. He shows entrepreneurial traits, such as converting the building lobby into a coffee shop, and empty room into a state-of-the-art gym, and organizing a barn maze for children to play in.
Family and Childhood[]
Dwight was born on January 20, 1968, and claims to remember his birth, including his father delivering him, and his mother biting of his umbilical cord. He also claims to have had a twin, that was "reabsorbed" while still in the womb, causing him to believe he has "the strength of a grown man and a little baby." He claims to have weighed 13 lb 5 oz (6 kg), rendering his mother incapable of walking for three months and two days. He has also claimed to have performed his own circumcision, and once told Jim and Pam that in the Schrute family, the youngest child raises the others.
Little is known about Dwight's parents, except that his father used to take him hunting, cheat in games, battled obesity, high blood pressure and cholesterol. When Pam Beesly dresses up as Olive Oyl for the annual Halloween costume contest, Dwight believes she has dressed up as his mother, and tells her she's "only one third as beautiful, and only half her height."
Dwight's maternal grandfather, whose surname is Manheim, fought in the Second World War. He killed twenty men before being imprisoned in an Allied prison camp, implying he fought for the German army. In "Dunder Mifflin Infinity", Dwight tells the documentary crew that Manheim is 103 (when the episode aired) and "puttering around down in Argentina", implying he was an SS member who fled to South America after the war. Michael also refers to Dwight's grandmother as a "Nazi war criminal." Dwight's father and paternal grandfather were both named Dwight Schrute, but his Amish great-grandfather was named Dweide Schrude. In "Casino Night", Dwight reveals that the tuxedo he is wearing is the one that his grandfather was buried in. It is possible that this is the same grandfather that was reburied in an "old oil drum." It is revealed in "Money" that the Schrute family has a tradition, where when a male has intercourse with a woman, he is rewarded with a bag of wild oats that are left on his doorstep by his parents. It appears that, like his great-grandfather, other members of Dwight's family have been Mennonite or Amish, as well, as Mose dresses similarly to that of a practicing member. Dwight also speaks German, but his knowledge of it is "pre-industrial and mostly religious", as might be expected if the language was learned exclusively in a Mennonite or Amish church or context.
Dwight was shunned by his family from the age of four until his sixth birthday for forgetting to save excess oil from a can of tuna. He also lost a spelling bee at school due to misspelling the word "failure" in front of the entire school. During the seventh grade, he played the invented role of "Mutey the Mailman" in a production of Oklahoma!. He explains that the reason for this was because there weren't enough roles to hand out, so the school invented their own.
Dwight lives in a nine-bedroom, one-bathroom farmhouse on his family's 60 acre beet farm with his cousin Mose, and sells beets to restaurants, stores and other beet stands. Dwight and Mose have also turned the farm into a bed and breakfast, which Jim and Pam visited. The bed and breakfast had three rooms: "America, Irrigation and Nighttime." Schrute Farms was also the planned site of Andy Bernard's wedding with Angela Martin, before Andy cancelled the engagement when he discovered Angela was having an affair with Dwight. In "Garden Party", Andy throws a garden party at Schrute Farms, in order to impress new CEO Robert California, and, at the end of the episode, Robert also discusses the possibility of holding his birthday party at the farm.
Interests[]
Dwight is trained in the art of surveillance, and is a former Lackawanna County volunteer sheriff's deputy. He has a purple belt in Goju-Ryu karate, and is the senpai at his dojo.[ Dwight is a pop culture and sci-fi enthusiast, who has expressed fanship of many sci-fi movies and popular television series. In the episode "The Fire", he mentioned the movie The Crow as being his favorite film. He hints at belief in fictional creatures such as androids, zombies and vampires (though curiously, despite having claimed in "Business School", to have shot a werewolf, he says in one of his blog entries that he does not believe in them; however, he may have simply been denying claims of werewolves at Schrute Farms in order to prevent potential visitors from being frightened away). He enjoys, and is shown to be skilled at, playing table tennis, and states that many of his heroes are table tennis players. His musical tastes vary, but heavy metal and classic rock seem to be a recurring theme. His personal musical talents are not lacking, as he plays guitar and recorder, and sings, as well. He has a fascination with cars; he usually checks a car's suspension, especially muscle cars. He drives a 1987 Pontiac Trans Am though in the finale he's driving a 2013 Dodge Challenger. His technological talents are limited, but he shows a passion for the online role-playing game Second Life, in which the only difference between himself and his avatar is that his avatar has the ability to fly. He also shows an interest in trains, as he is restoring a life-size train in his slaughterhouse, during "The Meeting", which has him bonding with Toby Flenderson, as they share the same interest. In "Todd Packer", it is revealed that Dwight does not know who Justin Bieber is, asking Jim "Who is Justice Beaver?", leaving Jim to answer "A crime-fighting beaver."
Dwight owns an impressive array of weaponry. In addition to Laser Tag and paintball equipment, he has a crossbow range at his farm ("Office Olympics") and, when he was named official Security Supervisor of the Scranton branch hinted that he might bring a bo-staff to work. He maintained a hidden arsenal of weapons around the office, including pepper spray, nun chucks, throwing stars, a stun gun, a boomerang, handcuffs, a nightstick, a pair of brass knuckles and a Chinese sword, all of which were confiscated by Toby. Dwight also claimed to have sat at his desk for an entire day with a spud gun, without any difficulty from Security. Dwight also uses a real gun, a Colt Anaconda, fired within city limits, to start off the race in "Fun Run". In "Branch Wars", he produces a disturbing number of Molotov cocktails for a panty raid on Utica. In "Survivor Man", it is revealed that Dwight still has numerous knives (and other weapons) hidden on himself (as in "Stress Relief", there is a knife strapped to his leg) or strategically positioned throughout the office (such as "Mr. A Knife" in a filing cabinet, twin sais behind a water cooler, a sword in a ceiling tile, a blow dart in a bathroom stall, and a compound bow under a couch), and that he owns a .22 rifle with scope. Also, in this episode, it is shown that Dwight has extensive knowledge of how to survive in the wilderness, being able to provide himself with food, and, by observing Michael, from a distance, through the scope of his center-fire rifle, he stops Michael from poisoning himself, although it is not clear whether the mushrooms Michael started to ingest were actually poisonous.
Dwight is vocal about his views on justice, which is reflected in his television viewing habits, as he enjoys watching and has great admiration for Judge Judy, as well as Vic Mackey on The Shield. In "The Negotiation", Roy Anderson attacks Jim, because he kissed Roy's fiancée, Pam, but Dwight intercepts the attack with pepper spray. Throughout the episode, Jim attempts to show his appreciation, but Dwight refuses to accept his gifts, simply stating "Citizens do not accept prizes for being citizens". In "Drug Testing", Dwight finds half of a joint in the parking lot, which incites him to carry out a severe, and thorough, investigation. When he discovers that Michael might have been exposed to illegal drugs at a concert, he substitutes his own urine during the mandatory drug test. Dwight then resigns from his volunteer position at the Sheriff's Department, because he feels that he is no longer worthy of working there. In "Frame Toby", Dwight states that he is skilled at framing people, as well as animals, revealing that he once framed a raccoon for opening a Christmas gift, and a bear for eating out of the garbage, although, he had made it obvious to the police that he wanted Toby to be imprisoned. In the episode "Women's Appreciation", he is quoted as saying "Better a thousand innocent men are locked up, than one guilty man roam free."
In "Conflict Resolution", Dwight states that he does not like to smile, as showing one's teeth is a submission signal in primates, and that whenever someone smiles at him, "all [he] sees is a chimpanzee, begging for its life". In "Body Language", Dwight reveals that he and Mose are currently attempting to reanimate a deceased bull. It has been implied that Dwight is against vegetarianism. In "Stress Relief", when asked which charity he dislikes, he states PETA. In "Happy Hour", he tells Isabel that he is pleased that she is not a vegetarian. Dwight's dislike of cats, made evident in "Fun Run", also seems to support this theory, as he states that "cats do not provide milk, wool or meat". Dwight owns many exotic pets including piranhas, frogs, a wolf, a raccoon, and an opossum, although the wolf escaped, and he flushed his piranhas down the toilet. He also has an interest in bears, and is ready to debate the habits and characteristics of different species of bears.
In "Booze Cruise", Dwight claims to have been the youngest pilot in Pan Am history, stating that, when he was four, he and his father were invited into the cockpit of an airplane, and that he was allowed to co-pilot the aircraft. He also claims that he would have been capable of landing it, but his father had wanted them to return to their seats.
In "Costume Contest", Dwight claims to be able to sit on a fence, and that he is even able to sleep on one, stating that "The trick is to do it face down, with the post in your mouth"
It also appears that Dwight is a fan of the band Mötley Crüe, as he is seen in "Performance Review" and "Traveling Salesmen", dancing to their music. He also appears to be a fan of the band The Decemberists, as shown by his family singing their song "Sons and Daughters" in "The Farm", to convince his siblings to run the family farm with him, through the "power of nostalgia".
Relationships[]
In "Drug Testing", Dwight states that he likes his co-workers, "with four exceptions", leaving it up to the audience to make educated guesses about whom these four exceptions are. The four are most likely Jim Halpert, Ryan Howard, Meredith Palmer and Toby Flenderson, due to Michael's hatred of him. However, it is also probable that Phyllis Lapin-Vance could be one of the exceptions, as, on many occasions, she and Dwight are shown to have a strained relationship. Kelly Kapoor is likewise a viable choice, as her ditsy nature contrasts Dwight's overly serious character, as we see later in the same episode during Dwight's interrogation of Kelly. This theory is also reinforced by Angela's hatred of Kelly and the influence Angela may hold as Dwight's girlfriend at the time. Pam Halpert is also a possible exception, as she is often an accomplice to Jim's pranks against Dwight.
Angela Martin[]
Towards the middle of season 2, Dwight develops a secret relationship with Angela Martin. Pam begins to suspect a relationship between the two, in "E-mail Surveillance", by observing their interactions, suspicions which are strengthened in "The Injury" and "Conflict Resolution", and confirmed by "Traveling Salesmen", where Angela confides in Pam about her relationship, using code names. In "Michael's Birthday", Ryan discovers the relationship between the two when he overhears a coded conversation between them in the kitchen, while in "The Negotiation" Jim discovers the relationship while coming out of the office bathroom after quitting time, to find Dwight and Angela kissing (he then tells the documentary crew that, with his silence, the debt he feels to Dwight is repaid), although, on an earlier occasion, he unwittingly glimpsed Angela dressed in lingerie, lying in Dwight's hotel room, but mistook her for a prostitute.
In the episode "Fun Run", Angela asks Dwight to care for her sick cat, Sprinkles. Instead of caring for the feline, Dwight feels he should put Sprinkles out of its misery, and feeds it antihistamines until it falls asleep, to which he then subsequently places the sleeping, but not deceased, cat in Angela's freezer. This backfires, and Angela terminates their relationship. Jim, on a visit to Dwight's beet farm, finds Dwight sitting alone at night, contemplating Angela's cherub figurineand moaning in anguish.
In the fourth season finale "Goodbye, Toby", Dwight is obviously hurt when Angela's boyfriend, Andy, proposes to her. However, in the final scene of the episode, Phyllis re-enters the office, following Toby's farewell party, and catches Dwight having sex with Angela, strongly indicating a reconciliation between the two is possible.
In the fifth season premiere, "Weight Loss", Dwight and Angela have resumed a covert relationship, using a storage room in the warehouse to have sex whenever Angela finds Andy too unbearable. In "Business Ethics", it is revealed that it takes Dwight nineteen minutes and forty-eight seconds to make love to Angela. In "Crime Aid", Dwight once again becomes depressed when Andy and Angela have set a date for their wedding. After some advice from Phyllis, Dwight gives Angela an ultimatum: call off the engagement, or he will no longer be with her. She ultimately chooses to marry Andy.
Phyllis eventually tells everyone, apart from Andy, about Angela's affair with Dwight; Michael steps in and tells Andy, when Angela fails to do so. A duel between Dwight and Andy takes place, but both realize that Angela has been lying to them, and neither one remains with her. For quite some time afterwards, Dwight and Angela avoid each other; however, later episodes have hinted at a possible future for the couple.
In the season 6 episode "The Delivery", Dwight, witnessing Jim and Pam talk to customers about their unborn child, decides that he wants a child, and asks Angela to be the mother. They sign an elaborate contract, including eating guidelines for Angela to follow when she is pregnant, and how the baby will be raised. While Angela seems excited by the reconciliation, Dwight doesn't appear to share her romantic feelings. When Dwight develops an interest in Pam's friend Isabel, he tells Angela to forget about the contract; this infuriates Angela, and she sues him in small-claims court. When an arbitrator tells them that the contract is valid and would involve a $30,000 settlement (because it would be illegal to force Dwight and Angela to procreate), Dwight cuts a deal with Angela for five sessions of sex. He then proceeds to abuse his genitals in an effort to sterilize himself, and curtly fends off Angela's efforts to be romantic during Session 6 in "The Chump".
In Season 7, the deal continues, but, a combination of both she and Dwight having mixed feelings about it, along with Angela's meeting of a handsome, though closeted homosexual, State Senator, leads her to void the pact in WUPHF.com. Upon seeing the now-defunct document, Dwight looks visibly distraught.
In "Jury Duty", it is revealed that, a month before her wedding to the State Senator, Robert Lipton, Dwight and Angela had sex, as Robert was not fulfilling Angela's sexual needs, so Dwight believes that he is the baby's biological father. In "New Guys", it is revealed he isn't the father.
In season 9, they become close again first when Dwight finds out that Robert is cheating on Angela with Oscar, and later in "Moving On" when Angela helps him take care of his elderly aunt. They share a kiss, but afterwards both say that she should remain faithful to her husband. After inheriting his aunt's beet farm, Dwight starts a relationship with neighboring milkmaid Esther Bruegger. When Dwight seems to be getting serious with Esther and the Senator has publicly dumped Angela, Angela breaks down and admits to Oscar Martinez that she still loves Dwight. On the day that he intends to ask Esther to marry him, Dwight instead proposes to Angela. She says yes, finally admitting that he is the father of her son, Phillip. ("A.A.R.M.")
Michael Scott[]
Dwight holds a high level of respect for Michael, viewing him as a model for success, and often participating with Michael's ill-conceived schemes. With the enormous exception of going over Michael's head to vie for the manager's job in "The Coup", his loyalty to his boss rarely flags. Despite this, Michael frequently dismisses Dwight and often appears embarrassed by his antics; for much of the series, he also refuses to promote Dwight from "Assistant to the Regional Manager" to "Assistant Regional Manager". Several times throughout the series, however, it is revealed that Michael does care about Dwight's feelings, and the two sometimes share bonding moments. In "Training Day", Dwight is unhappy when the open branch manager position goes to Deangelo Vickers, and when he learns that Michael did not recommend him for the job, as he led him to believe, he snubs Michael and goes to a meeting Vickers has called, leaving Michael standing outside, by himself. In "Goodbye, Michael", Dwight is still frustrated with Michael, but his hostility turns into heartfelt appreciation as Michael hands him the recommendation letter. At first, the letter does not seem to impress him, but, as he reads through, he realizes that Michael really does truly care for him. They are later seen engaging in a friendly paintball fight, and Dwight's loyalty to Michael is once again restored.
In the episode "Finale", as Jim explains that the "Bestest Mench" (best man) in Dwight's wedding must be older than him, Dwight is disappointed. However, the camera reveals that Michael returned, and the two continue to engage in a friendly conversation. During the wedding, Michael is present behind Angela and Dwight getting married, eventually attending the reception. He watches as his "family" is sitting together, and is last seen dancing with Dwight.
Jim Halpert[]
Dwight is frequently the victim of practical jokes by co-workers Jim Halpert and Pam Halpert, including putting his desk supplies in the snack machine, putting his stapler into jello (also seen in UK version), and moving his desk into the men's restroom, although it appears that he remains oblivious to Pam's involvement; these pranks tend to exploit his stubborn and gullible nature. As a result of this, Dwight and Jim have an ongoing feud that reaches to a crisis point in "Conflict Resolution", when Dwight threatens to quit, unless Jim is transferred. Professionally, Dwight wins the 2005 Salesman of the Year Award, although, this is likely due to, at least in part, his theft of Jim's largest client.
Somewhat surprisingly, Dwight was regretful during "Initiation", as he told Ryan that he and Jim never got along, and since, from that point onwards, and Jim's return from Stamford, they have generally gotten along better; their relationship could be best described as "frenemies." In "Traveling Salesmen", Jim is irritated when Andy replaces Dwight, in the brief time Dwight has quit. Jim even consoled Dwight during the painful aftermath of his breakup with Angela, although Dwight maintains a supercilious attitude towards him. In addition, as shown in "Traveling Salesmen", Jim and Dwight make an incredibly efficient sales team, functioning well as a duo and thinking similarly in their tactics. The two were paired together when they began as traveling salesmen at the company. Dwight did plan to demote Jim from the Assistant Regional Manager spot, and make him miserable, during "The Job", but Jim mocked his plans, and they did not produce any severe impact on Jim.
Dwight's relationship with Jim mellows somewhat in later seasons, and they, at times, cooperate effectively on sales calls or running the office in Michael's absence, sometimes even socializing together. Jim often supports Dwight when he is genuinely hurt or in danger (such as in "Money" and "Last Day in Florida") and occasionally compliments his successes (such as in "Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager"). Dwight has even come to accept Jim's pranks as inevitable, in the eighth season episode "Mrs. California", Jim notices Dwight hiding an aluminum pole under his pant leg so he can stand upright all day and, before tipping him over, says "you know I have to do this" to which Dwight resignedly replies "I know." However, when Jim is promoted to co-manager, Dwight's enmity returns to full force, and he conducts an ongoing campaign to depose Jim, who eventually resumes his old job as sales representative, pleasing Dwight who (wrongly) believes that his "diabolical plan" forced Jim to resign.
Jim and Dwight team up in "Todd Packer", to attempt to remove Todd Packer after he returns to the Dunder Mifflin offices and takes Dwight's desk. The two at first cannot agree on a plan, but eventually trick Packer into thinking he has got a job offer in Tallahassee. Michael tries to derail their scheme, but changes his mind after Packer insults Holly.
During "After Hours", Jim enlists Dwight into trying to get Kathy, an unwanted female suitor, out of his room by tricking Dwight into thinking that he has bedbugs. This prompts Dwight to overreact, first by stripping down to ward off bugs and then spraying Jim's bed with cleaning chemicals. However, the ploy works when Kathy exits the room. Jim and Dwight are then shown sharing ice cream and a friendly smile in Dwight's room, while watching TV on his bed, where it is implied Jim will have to stay the night due to the chemicals in his own room, as earlier Dwight suggested Jim stay with Kathy. In "Last Day in Florida", Robert California confides to Jim that he's going to terminate Dwight's plans to launch the Sabre store, effectively terminating Dwight's job altogether. Jim tries to let Dwight know, who dismisses his warnings as nothing more than just another prank and insults Jim throughout the day, including in front of the other Sabre staff. At Pam's insistence, Jim tries to tell Dwight one more time before he's dismissed, just as Dwight is about to accept what he thinks is his promotion in the board room. However, Jim physically attacks Dwight just before he goes in, and the two had a wrestling match to which Jim finally concedes. When Dwight steps in, he sees that Packer, who has stolen Dwight's promotion in the meantime, takes the fall and is promptly fired by Robert in the meeting. Defeated, Dwight walks out of the boardroom and lends Jim a hand up and returns to Scranton. When Kelly sees Dwight, she mentions that she thought Dwight was staying in Florida, prompting Jim to distract her with a compliment.
During season 9's Dwight Christmas Dwight is convinced by Jim to hold a traditional Christmas party in the style of his family. Jim must leave before the party is over and Dwight is noticeably emotionally upset when Jim must leave. Later, when Jim returns, Dwight embraces him in a hug. Soon after, in "Suit Warehouse", Dwight absent-mindedly says "love you" at the end of a phone conversation with Jim, much to his embarrassment and the bemusement of his coworkers.
In "Livin' the Dream", the 3rd-to-last episode of the series, Jim suggests to David Wallace that Dwight deserves to replace Andy Bernard as Regional Manager because Dwight loves paper more than anyone else. David agrees and Dwight is promoted to Regional Manager at the end of the episode as a result; Dwight subsequently appoints Jim to fill his old position, Assistant to the Regional Manager.
In the final episode of the series "Finale", Dwight asks Jim to be the best man at his wedding. Jim throws Dwight a commendable bachelor party rife with surprises (which Jim refers to as "pranks"). Before the wedding, Jim informs Dwight that under Schrute tradition, he is not allowed to be the best man as he is younger than him. Jim surprises him with the arrival of Michael Scott. The wedding proceeds in Schrute tradition, with Michael as Dwight's new best man. Later in the episode Jim and Pam tell Dwight they are quitting, so Jim can pursue a sports marketing career in Austin, but Dwight fires them instead so he can give them severance packages.
Pam Beesly[]
Although she is often involved in Jim's pranks on Dwight, Dwight has, at certain times, displayed a curious sense of protectiveness towards her. In "Back from Vacation" and "Diwali", he comforts a tearful Pam, and in "China", he secretly allows Pam to save face when she feels vulnerable about her job abilities. The two even become friends after he suffers a concussion in "The Injury". In the season 6 episode "The Delivery", Dwight shows more signs of his begrudging friendship with Jim and Pam during Pam's pregnancy. In the episode, he is sent to the Halperts' house to retrieve Pam's iPod, while they are at the hospital. Instead of finding the iPod and bringing it back to her, Dwight decides to completely rebuild and repaint their kitchen, after discovering mold. He also advises Pam on how to keep her daughter, Cece, from crying, during "Viewing Party", by relating his child-rearing experiences. Dwight's odd friendship with Pam is explored again in "Doomsday". At this point, Pam seems to be the only one in the office who is able to understand Dwight's inner feelings, as she successfully convinces him to deactivate his doomsday machine. It is implied at the end of the episode that Dwight, despite his outward contempt for his coworkers, feels a sense of responsibility (and possibly even affection) towards them.
Dwight has several times mentioned not finding Pam particularly attractive. In "The Sting", he refers to her as "one of the plain, hearty women of Scranton" and he thinks that she doesn't wear any make-up. In "Pam's Replacement", when Pam asks Dwight if she is attractive, he says "Meh", and goes on to say that her attractiveness is "at an all-time low" after having had a "steep drop-off" after her first pregnancy.
In a talking-head interview, in the episode "Tallahassee", Dwight talks about how first impressions last forever. He recalls that, when he first met Pam, she said something to him that "slightly rubbed [him] the wrong way", and while he has since loved working with her, even stating that she is wonderful, due to that first impression, he hates her. In the episode "The Whale", Dwight openly tells Pam that he considers her his friend. In the final episode of the series, Dwight refers to Pam as his best friend and ensures that she and Jim get a nice severance as they leave Dunder Mifflin.
Andy Bernard[]
As a result of the Scranton-Stamford merger, Dwight loses his number two position to Jim and engages in an ongoing battle with new salesman Andy Bernard, to gain Michael's favor for "third-in-command". The struggle comes to a climax in "Traveling Salesmen". In Season 4, Andy and Dwight are shown to work well together as a sales team, but Andy's successful pursuit of Angela, after she broke up with Dwight, was irritating to him. When Andy gets engaged to Angela, Dwight is greatly upset by this, and embarks on an affair with her. This affair culminates in a short-lived fight between Andy and Dwight, when they discover Angela has lied to both of them, about having sex with another. In "Michael Scott Paper Company," they once again find themselves courting the same woman - Erin Hannon. However, by the end of the fifth season, Andy and Dwight become friends, and discover they both share a mutual interest in music and hunting.
Ryan Howard[]
In the beginning of the series, Dwight feels threatened by Ryan Howard, to whom Michael often assigns personal tasks. He continues to resent Ryan, throughout the second season, often addressing him as "Temp", even after Ryan took over Jim's position. In the beginning of season 2, Dwight's friendship with Michael was slightly torn during "The Fire", when Michael seems to be viewing Ryan more favorably than Dwight, and in "Performance Review", in which Michael must evaluate Ryan. In "Initiation", Dwight decides to assist Ryan, during his first sales call, although the two get off to a rough start when Dwight hazes him in a series of bizarre initiation rituals. But soon afterwards, Dwight takes Ryan on his first meeting, which ends in disaster. Ryan then eggs the potential customer's building out of spite, and Dwight develops some respect for him.
During season 4, Dwight, along with Michael, comes to Ryan's rescue when they visit him in New York City, when he gets into a fight.
Ryan and Dwight later team up again in season 6, when Dwight plans to sabotage Jim's occupation, as branch co-manager.
Other office staff[]
Dwight has an odd relationship with Phyllis Vance, often treating her badly (such as abandoning her across town, so that she would lose weight by walking back), but also well (such as bidding to win a hug from her at the auction in "Crime Aid", and massaging her back when she injured it from dancing). He has a rare interaction with Creed Bratton, when he suspects Jim to be a vampire, and he questions Creed if he could make a wooden stake for him, in less than an hour. Dwight has a low opinion of Meredith Palmer, once causing her to get bitten by a bat by putting a garbage bag over her head, in order to catch it. During "Todd Packer", he cheers up Kevin Malone upon witnessing Packer insult Kevin for being overweight by telling Kevin that he would be a promising fighter in sumo wrestling. However, during "Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager", when Dwight has to give a back massage to Kevin, he is disgusted. Dwight has little respect for Kelly Kapoor, but at one point tries to become her svengali when he learns that Dunder Mifflin is launching a "Minority Executive Training Program". He soon regrets his decision, however, and tries to convince Hidetoshi Hasagawa from the warehouse to run for the position instead.
Romantic relationships[]
A subtle running joke throughout the series is Dwight's surprising success with attractive women, with Michael often failing to "hook up" at the same time. Despite Dwight's unusual appearance and mannerisms, he manages to attract women, who usually develop stronger feelings for him than vice versa. Michael has even pointed out how socially weird Dwight is acting, only for the woman to brush it off. In "Night Out", Dwight hooks up with a women's basketball player, while Michael fails in his attempts with other women. As Michael and Dwight leave the club, the woman calls out for Dwight to call her, which he says to Michael that he will not do. In "Niagara", Michael and Dwight compete for the attention of Pam's best friend, Isabel. When Dwight starts talking about his farm, Michael tries to explain that no one can connect with his experiences as farmer, only for Isabel to become interested in Dwight's horses. Dwight ultimately manages to have sex with her, and she begins to develop deeper feelings for him which he does not return, although it is finally hinted in "The Delivery" that Dwight might have more intimate feelings for her than he originally let on. They meet again at the bar in "Happy Hour", and bond further, kissing at the end of the episode. In a chat at OfficeTally.com, Mindy Kaling noted that Dwight is not a typical "nerd" character, that he is a "farmer and kind of strapping and tall", and it generally makes sense that he does well with the opposite sex. In season 9 he begins to date an attractive neighboring farmer named Esther. He ultimately ends his relationship with her in "A.A.R.M.".
In the final episode of the series, Dwight marries Angela Martin.