 Erik Adams of The A.V. Club awarded the episode an " A " and called it " a series @-@ best episode of The Office whose series @-@ best status sneaks up on you " . He was largely complimentary towards the way the episode built towards a climax , and followed various successful " setup @-@ punchline rhythms " . He also applauded the introduction of the Threatlevel : Midnight screenplay , calling it " a subplot so crucial to the mythology of the series , it would form the basis of an entire episode near the end of Steve Carell ’ s time in Scranton . " Adams ultimately concluded that the episode is " a top @-@ notch Office installment overall " , thanks in large part to the Pam @-@ Jim and Michael @-@ Jan subplots and dynamics . 
