As the office is beset with the flu, Simon (Robin Williams) rallies the troops to come up with a way to change public opinion for a doll whose malfunctioning voice box informed her young owner to kill her mother on Christmas. With Zach (James Wolk) quarantined along with an ever-increasing percentage of the office, Lauren (Amanda Setton) is given her first big chance and allowed to run the apology tour campaign.
The episode's B-story involves Sydney's (Sarah Michelle Gellar) upcoming date with a successful doctor which is put in danger both by the disease working its way across the office and Andrew's (Hamish Linklater) obvious jealousy. Eventually the situation works itself out as Sydney's big night is cancelled at the last moment by one ill-timed cough. As for Lauren, her big moment is even more of a disaster as the early onset of the flu makes her accidentally include Zach's doll (the one he tampered with to drive Andrew crazy with its creepy and awful comments) as part of the live kick-off of the apology tour.
Although much of the writing is over-the-top (such as the initial phrase used by the doll, the crazy owners of the company who treat the doll as a real person, and Simon's horrific attempt to end the press conference by stealing the doll from a small child and ripping its head off as it spouts its creepy sayings) "Outbreak" does include several undeniably funny moments. The episode also reintroduces the idea of a Sydney/Andrew romance down the line which might make for some fun fodder for future episodes.
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