Bringing out the employees of Dunder Mifflin to new places has always been a pleasing distraction from the office walls of the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch. So far, we've seen them playing a
Survivor-like competition at Lake Scranton, settling issues at the corporate office in New York and going to Chili's for either an important client meeting or the annual Dundies award show, just to name a few. But among all the out-of-office trips, there's one location that I just can't seem to get enough of. I'm referring to Schrute Farms, Dwight's (
Rainn Wilson) 60-acre beet farm where he and his cousin Mose grow beets (and hemp). The place shows a lot of promise in terms of being a good venue for what could be hilarious future storylines in
The Office, and the possibilities in exploring the farm are endless.
We first got a glimpse of Schrute Farms, which also serves as Dwight's residence, in the season 3 episode “Initiation,” where Dwight surprises Ryan (
B.J. Novak) in what was supposed to be his first sales call. Instead, Dwight takes him to the farm to both teach and haze him.
Then we saw it again in “Money” where Pam (
Jenna Fischer) and Jim (
John Krasinski) decide to spend the night at Dwight's family farm. This time, the place, which was previously used by teens for sex, has been converted into a bed and breakfast. The plot thread featured a more detailed description of the farm, offering three themed rooms (America, Irrigation and Night-time), handmade mattresses, beds that do not conform to traditional sizes, a crossbow/paintball range and some sort of home made beet demonstration. The episode also featured Dwight's shout out to TripAdvisor, which, in a silly and inspired publicity stunt, currently features
a real page dedicated to the faux Schrute Farms.
I actually pity those travelers who are not in on the joke and want to go for the table-making demonstrations and the “beet wine.” Reviews about the farm, which include raves from Pam and Jim, and other faux travelers, are quite believable, from the distinct musty smell of the site to the offered farm life activities of German immigrants of the 19th century. And if you're not fan of
The Office, then you'd probably be fooled.
The last time we saw Schrute Farms was in the episode “The Surplus” where Angela (
Angela Kinsey) and Andy (
Ed Helms) visit the vicinity to discuss wedding plans with Dwight, who then sets up a mock wedding in the barn. I'm really looking forward to Andy and Angela's wedding, even though I'm convinced that it's not likely to happen. But if and when it does happen, perhaps there will be a flower girl tossing beets or Mose officiating in a T-shirt marked “FEAR.”
Aside from Andy and Angela's questionable wedding, I think that Schrute farms can serve as a hilarious venue for team building seminars, birthdays, and other holiday celebrations. Perhaps a future episode of
The Office could feature some of the Scranton employees having a sleepover or engaging in some bizarre outdoor activity. After all, Schrute Farms is now considered the number one beet-related agro-tourism destination in northeastern Pennsylvania.
-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
(Image courtesy of NBC)