Contains spoilers for this episode and earlier episodes.
David Brent welcomes temporary employee Ricky Howard to Wernham Hogg's Slough branch while trying to present himself as an unusually entertaining manager. His tour gives Ricky a quick introduction to the office's arguments and practical jokes. Gareth insists on the importance of his position, but Brent corrects his job title to assistant to the regional manager. Tim has put Gareth's stapler in jelly, and the dispute soon becomes another chance for Brent to join in.
Behind the jokes, Jennifer Taylor-Clarke brings a serious warning from head office. The company cannot justify keeping both Slough and Swindon, and the two managers must make the case for their own branch. Redundancies will follow whichever arrangement wins. Brent agrees to keep the discussion quiet, but rumours spread. When the staff demand answers, he promises their jobs are safe even though Dawn points out that Jennifer gave no such guarantee.
Tim and Dawn find small distractions together, although her fiance Lee prevents their proposed after-work drink from becoming an easy social outing. Brent also wants Ricky to see his talent for practical jokes. He calls Dawn into his office and pretends to sack her for stealing Post-it notes. She starts crying before he admits the accusation was a joke. Dawn leaves angry, giving Ricky a much less flattering introduction to his new boss.