Mr. Motivation - Recap

At Trized Pharmaceuticals, the staff is having a birthday party for Charlie, including his attractive co-worker Linda. Their boss Rick arrives. He orders them all back to work and everyone heads back to their desks while Charlie apologizes. Rick gives Charlie a birthday gift: a small “Mr. Motivation” bobblehead doll. When Charlie hits the doll on the head, it makes motivational comments. Rick tells Charlie to dig up all the original factory manifests to find mentions of a particular drug, and if he can do it by three he’ll get a promotion. Rick warns that if Charlie fails, he’ll be fired.

Charlie toys with the doll and it starts giving him useful voice. It finally gets Linda’s attention and Charlie invites Linda to supper that night and she agrees. Once she leaves, Mr. Motivation compliments him and Charlie takes out the batteries and puts the doll back in the box. He keeps working and at lunch, Rick calls in him to tell him that he supposedly discovered a batch of birth control drugs, Overtril, that need a recall. Rick suggests that it would be difficult to prove Overtril had expired, and Charlie concludes that Rick plans to change the dates on the manifest to cover the fact he covered up the expiration. Rick tells Charlie he gets the promotion if he can find the manifest.

Charlie goes back to work and digs through the records, while Rick continually checks up on him by phone. He finally finds the manifest but as he gets up, the Mr. Motivation box falls open and the doll accuses him of being a doormat. Charlie realizes the batteries are still missing and thinks someone is playing a prank on him. When the doll keeps taunting him, Charlie tries to smash the doll without success. Finally he confronts one of his co-workers, Joe, who has no idea what he’s talking about. Charlie returns to his cubicle to find a satisfied Rick waiting for him. As Rick walks out, he trips on a wire and tells Charlie he can forget about the promotion. Charlie checks the wire and discovers that Mr. Motivation placed the cable. The doll tells Charlie that either he takes down Rick, or he will.

Charlie gags Mr. Motivation and stuffs him in a box and starts to leave, but runs into Linda. He makes a hasty excuse and tries to cover for the doll mumbling in the box, then takes him to the restroom. Mr. Motivation says he was trying to kill Rick. Joe comes in and wonders if Charlie is talking to himself. Once he leaves, Mr. Motivation says he helped Charlie get Linda and Charlie needs him. Charlie insists he needs his job and throws Mr. Motivation down the garbage chute.

Charlie returns to his cubicle and Rick calls him in to his office. Rick warns Charlie not to take him on and shows him Mr. Motivation in his office, holding an Overtril label. Rick thinks Charlie is trying to blackmail him and offers him a promotion and a 10% raise. However, he tells Charlie to stay late that night. Charlie says he has a date. Rick calls Linda in and tells her that Charlie can’t go on her date but he’ll take her out. She refuses and leaves, and Rick gives Mr. Motivation back to Charlie.

Charlie returns to his cubicle and Mr. Motivation continues to harass him. He tries to strangle the doll and Linda comes in and wonders what he’s doing. Linda says she’s been waiting months for him to ask her out and says he’ll have to stand up to Rick sometime. Charlie admits the doll is right but now it has nothing to say. Charlie decides to sneak into Rick’s office. Mr. Motivation appears in the room and helps him find the Overtril file. Rick comes in and realizes something is going on. He chases Charlie out of the office and he slams into a wall. Rick picks him up and warns they’re in it together. He knees Charlie in the groin and then smashes him in the head, then takes the file back. Charlie starts laughing and holds up the one incriminating piece of paper. Rick grabs him but Charlie tells him to kiss his ass and throws him off. Mr. Motivation trips Rick with a cable and the boss falls to the ground, unconscious. Everyone else applauds and Mr. Motivation congratulates him.

The next week, a new well-dressed Charlie arrives and everyone congratulates his promotion to their boss. A stock boy, Carl, bumps into him and drops his paper. Charlie snaps at him and goes to his office, where Mr. Motivation is on the desk. Charlie takes a look at it, and then calls Carl and apologizes. Mr. Motivation congratulates him and Charlie goes back to work.

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