"Blood Drive" is the eighteenth episode of the fifth season of the American comedy television series The Office and the 90th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on March 5, 2009.
In the episode, a lonely Michael strikes up a pleasant conversation with a woman while giving blood, but passes out before he can learn her name. He holds a Valentine's Day singles party at the Dunder Mifflin office with the hopes of meeting her. Meanwhile, Jim and Pam go on an awkward double date with Phyllis and Bob Vance.
The episode was written by Brent Forrester and directed by Randall Einhorn. It featured the first appearance of actress Lisa K. Wyatt as Lynn, who would make recurrent appearances as a love interest for Kevin. The episode received generally mixed reviews and, according to Nielsen ratings, was watched by 8.63 million viewers during its original broadcast.
Plot
Michael Scott (Steve Carell) is depressed because it is the first Valentine's Day since he and Holly Flax broke up. Michael donates blood at a mobile blood drive being held in Dunder Mifflin’s parking lot and has a nice conversation with a female donor (Katie Aselton) laying next to him. When they both finish at the same time, Michael passes out because he did not eat for three days before giving blood out of nerves, and when he wakes up she is gone. A disappointed Michael finds a glove he assumes she left behind and takes it, hoping she will come back for it. When Michael goes back into the office, he gathers all the single employees into the conference room to discuss their own personal romantic dilemmas. After becoming further depressed by their sad dating stories, Michael tries lifting their spirits by holding a singles mixer. He puts up flyers which also advertise the finding of a missing glove, hoping his mystery woman will come to the party as a result.
Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) and Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) receive remarks about their relationship from the rest of the office, who are down due to their own struggling love lives, with Michael threatening them with banishment after they constantly gaze happily on each other. Taking pity on them as a fellow coupled person, Phyllis Vance (Phyllis Smith) invites them to have lunch with her and her husband Bob Vance (Robert R. Shafer). Their meal initially goes well, but Phyllis and Bob disappear for a while after their food arrives. Hungry and not wanting to be rude by eating before they get back, Jim and Pam check the bathrooms and hear Phyllis and Bob having sex in the disabled stall. Phyllis and Bob finally come back to their table and Jim and Pam lose their appetites and look on in disgust as Phyllis and Bob seductively put food in each other's mouths.
A few outsiders attend Michael's party. One of the attendees (Tate Hanyok) strikes up a conversation with Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson), who tries to sell her paper; Dwight becomes angry when she tells him she already has a paper supplier. Another attendee named Lynn (Lisa K. Wyatt) converses with Kevin Malone (Brian Baumgartner), who is still somewhat depressed over his breakup with his fiancée Stacy and walks away when he admits it was she who broke it off. Kevin returns later to apologize to Lynn and admits he gets nervous talking to pretty girls; Lynn is flattered and gives Kevin her e-mail address. Afterwards, Michael is disappointed the woman who lost her glove does not show up and tells the employees they can go home early, but the empathetic staff decide to stay, and encourage Michael to leave with them when she doesn't arrive.
Stanley Hudson (Leslie David Baker) attempts to get a cookie from a blood drive nurse at the drive by claiming he gave blood earlier and showing a cotton ball taped to his arm as proof. The nurse recognizes he is lying because they are using band-aids; a frustrated Stanley leaves, and tells Phyllis, who is about to try the same trick. Creed Bratton (Creed Bratton) leaves the blood mobile with a bag of donated blood in his coat pocket.