Original artwork, not a still
Well, well, well, how the turntables...
— The Office (U.S.) • 2005
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Michael wants to sound like a movie villain with the upper hand, but he cannot get the idiom right, and that is the joke. It has become the standard way to quote the real saying with a wink whenever fortunes reverse. It sits with his other mangled phrases from the same scene, such as the balls in the other court.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for The Office (U.S.)Show the scene
In "Broke" (season 5, episode 25, April 2009, written by Charlie Grandy and directed by Steve Carell), Michael's breakaway start-up, the Michael Scott Paper Company, is secretly close to collapse while its cut-price poaching is hurting Dunder Mifflin, and CFO David Wallace comes to Scranton to deal with it. Sitting down with David and Charles Miner, Michael opens with a mangled version of the proverb about the tables having turned. He goes on to state demands, saying their balls are in his court. David decides the cheapest option is to buy the company out.
Sources (3)
- The Office Wiki: Broke QuotesMichael's linesReference checked
- The Office Wiki: Michael's Botched PhrasesEntry for BrokeReference checked
- The Office Wiki: BrokeInfobox and synopsisReference checked
Context reviewed
