Unpop Culture

My introduction to Mindy Kaling was through the NBC hit sitcom The Office . Kaling not only played one of the main characters in the show, but also acted as a writer and eventually a producer. She penned one of my favorite episodes (“The Injury”), and she wrote another episode (“Diwali”) that has my favorite line from the entire series. I haven’t kept up with Kaling’s career since The Office . However, while researching future writing projects, I planned on skimming a couple of her books. They were easy and enjoyable reads, and I ended up devouring almost the entirety of both volumes. There’s a certain charm to Kaling’s personality and writing style. She’s witty, funny, and entertaining. One of Kaling’s books, Why Not Me? , has a chapter entitled “I Love Sex Scenes!” In it, she explains why she is attracted to sexually charged scenes: “Obviously, on-screen sex is not actual penetrative sex, but as any religious high-schooler will tell you, simulating sex can be pretty damn e...

Last night’s episode of The Office ( 4.07: Survivor Man ) was one of my favorite episodes of the show’s existence. I can’t remember the last time I laughed that loud and hard watching television. Below are some highlights from the script. (Note: if you haven’t watched the episode yet, I’d advise skipping over these quotes. Some of them won’t make sense in and of themselves, and there are minor spoilers that will take away from the experience of watching the episode for the first time.) Dwight : It’s better to be hurt by someone you know accidentally than by a stranger on purpose. Dwight : Do I believe that Michael possesses the skills to survive in a hostile environment? Let’s put it this way: no, I do not. Dwight : I would remove your teeth and cut off your fingertips so you could not be identified. And they would call me the Overkill Killer. Creed : You tell her it’s for Creed. She’ll know what that means. Michael : The sun is in the two-thirds easterly quadrant, which would make it...