Peacock Superfan: Customer Survey

Summary

Office Ladies – "Peacock Superfan: Customer Survey"

Episode Date: November 19, 2025
Hosts: Jenna Fischer & Angela Kinsey
Main Theme:
A deep-dive, behind-the-scenes rewatch of the “Superfan” cut of The Office Season 5 episode, “Customer Survey” — full of new stories, extended scenes, and delightful cast memories, plus a never-before-heard “lost scene” with Rich Sommer.

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Episode Overview

Jenna and Angela revisit "Customer Survey," exploring extra Superfan material, juicy character dynamics, and the unique context surrounding the filming and storylines. The episode is packed with best-friend banter, personal anecdotes from 2008, an exclusive lost scene recording, and fan questions that expand on both the episode's content and The Office lore.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Where Are They Now? (Character Recap)

(05:16)

• Jenna and Angela update listeners on key character storylines leading into "Customer Survey":
  • Michael & Holly: Michael was caught kissing Holly, resulting in her transfer (and their breakup).
  • Pam: In New York for art school and working at Dunder Mifflin corporate, engaged to Jim.
  • Angela: Engaged to Andy but secretly seeing Dwight.
  • Ryan & Kelly: Ryan is back at Dunder Mifflin, casually seeing Kelly.
• Notable Quote:

  “How many people are hooking up in this office, over the years?” — Jenna (06:08)

2. Where Were We? (Personal Memories from 2008)

(07:07–12:28)

• Angela shares old emails about viral cat videos and production schedules.
• Jenna recalls attending a Milk screening in a “high-fashion” black outfit, reflecting on 2008 style.
• They revel in revisiting their lives at the time, noting how much has changed.

3. Dr. Thibodeau’s Podcast Tidbit

(12:39)

• A fan calculated that, up to this point, listening to every Office Ladies episode would take 13 days straight.

  “Hopefully your 13 days were much less stressful [than the Cuban missile crisis].” — Dr. Thibodeau, read by Jenna (13:25)

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Extended and New Scenes in the Superfan Cut

4. Michael’s Fake Engagement: Superfan Extended Cold Open

(17:20–20:20)

• Michael dramatically lies about being engaged to Holly, creating an elaborate proposal fantasy.

  “I put the diamond into a cheeseburger, and she took a bite, started to choke. ... The ring pops out of her mouth, hits her shrimp cocktail right onto her finger. Million to one shot.” — Steve Carell as Michael (17:50)

  • Steve's acting is highlighted as making Michael’s improvised lies believable and childlike.

• Double Wedding Bit:

  • Andy immediately suggests he and Michael have a double wedding. Michael claims, “If we did, it would be with Jim and Pam.” Jim replies, “And we would never do that.” (19:03–20:20)

On Double Weddings (20:27)

• Jenna shares real and Quora-found double wedding stories; Angela and Jenna agree they would never want to share their wedding day.

5. Kelly’s Bridesmaid Dress & Michael’s Sadness

(24:18–25:10)

• Kelly tries to guilt Michael over a lost $100 for a bridesmaid dress for the fake wedding.
• Michael describes heartbreak as “like hot sand that you drink,” showcasing classic Michael weirdness.

6. The Case of the Smudgeness

(27:40–28:16)

• Michael reads Jim’s poor customer survey: “Jim Halpert is smudge and arrogant.” Jim corrects, “I think you mean smug.” Michael responds, “And there’s our smudgeness.”

  “I want to start using smudgeness.” — Angela (28:16)

7. Satisfying Office Props: Clacky Ball Catch

(25:41–26:46)

• Discussion about prop clacky balls, a fun bit of nostalgia for Jenna and Angela.

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Fan Letters, Commentary, & Office Culture

8. Is Jim a Coffee Mug Jerk?

(28:34–31:07)

• Jim drinks from Andy’s mug (“That is my face!”), refusing to swap it back — a repeated boundary issue from Jim.

• Both hosts side with Andy:

  • “Yes, Jim is a dick. Yes, I’m possessive about my coffee mug...” — Angela (30:08)
  • “How much effort is it for Jim to just transfer his coffee into another mug and give Andy his mug back and say, ‘Oh my god, I’m so sorry.’” — Jenna (30:16)

• A fan wonders if Michael was left out of the coffee mug gift party—Angela and Jenna believe Michael would have noticed and been upset if he wasn’t included.

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Mom Detective Corner: Who Sabotaged the Surveys?

(33:01–34:16)

• Dwight suspects sabotage of his (and Jim’s) customer surveys, and deploys classic “mom detective” skills, ultimately catching Kelly in the act of listening in on sales calls.

9. Jim & Pam’s Bluetooth Saga and Scarfgate

(38:31–42:38)

• Pam’s scarf/blazer New York “look” led to network notes; NBC eventually banned her from wearing bulky scarves.

  “There’s all I see is fabric and her face. We need to end this.” — Jenna, quoting NBC (41:12)

• Jim mutes Pam on their all-day phone call to hide his stress about losing his bonus, while Pam never mutes during her conversation with Alex (“Pam didn’t mute herself. Just something I’d like to get on record.” — Jenna (49:47))

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The Lost Alex-Pam “Love Confession” Scene

(52:41–56:08)

• Rich Sommer (Alex) joins to record the original, much flirtier version of Alex's speech to Pam.
  • He tells her she deserves a man who “challenges you,” confesses, “It’s you, Pam. It’s always been you.”
• Jim, played by Angela, “heckles” throughout as if listening on Bluetooth.
• Both hosts agree the aired/edited version was more realistic and fitting for Pam’s character and relationship with Jim.

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Superfan Runner: Dwight Was Right (Compilation)

(44:57–46:11)

• A series of Dwight’s “truths” are presented, e.g.:
  • “Battlestar Galactica isn’t a documentary — exactly.”
  • “The mayor is in the pocket of Big Lettuce.”
  • “What we have come to know as fake crab meat is in fact real crab meat, and real crab meat is lobster.” — Dwight (Rainn Wilson)

BONUS: Toilet Paper & Bidet Tangent

• Jenna and Angela digress into a hilarious mini-debate (“Clean drop!” – Jenna (46:58)) and stories about bidets as a mark of adulthood and luxury.

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Angela–Andy–Dwight Triangle Foreshadowing

(58:12–59:18)

• Angela keeps rejecting Andy’s wedding venue choices, agreeing only to Schrute Farms (foreshadowing her eventual wedding there with Dwight).
• A fan notices that Angela hates tent weddings with Andy but has one with Dwight, reflecting who her true soulmate is.

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Michael’s Redemption & Real Friendship with Kelly

(59:57–60:51)

• Michael comforts Kelly after her sabotage plot:

  “I have an enormous amount of trouble trying to get people to come to my place. … I can’t tell you how much leftover guacamole I have ended up eating.” — Michael (59:57)

  • They conspire to “make it look good” so Kelly doesn’t get in trouble, a classic moment of Michael softness and Kelly’s real laugh bleeding into the performance.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Michael’s fantasy proposal:

  “In his fantasy, his fiancée chokes on the ring and he has to save her life.” — Jenna (18:54)

• Angela on office trends:

  “The most predictable thing about me is my inconsistency with a new trend.” (05:03)

• On “Pa(m) the villain” discourse:

  “Want to make sure we remind everybody Pam is an awful person and Jim is wonderful. Don’t come for Pam, people.” — Jenna, tongue-in-cheek (42:44)

• On being possessive about mugs:

  “Boundaries, people. Boundaries.” — Angela (31:07)

• On bidets:

  “I can’t live without that thing.” — Jenna (47:24)
  “We made it into a Barbie fountain pool.” — Angela (48:53)

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Timestamps for Main Segments

• Character Recap & Where Are They Now: 05:16
• Emails & 2008 Memories: 07:26 – 12:28
• Dr. Thibodeau Stat: 12:39
• Extended Cold Open (Michael’s Proposal): 17:20 – 20:20
• Superfan Extended Scenes: 24:18 (Kelly’s dress), 27:53 (“Smudgeness”)
• Clacky Ball Catch & Mug Discussion: 25:41 + 28:34
• Dwight Investigates & Kelly Caught: 33:01 – 34:16
• Pam’s Scarves & NBC Notes: 38:31 – 42:38
• Lost Scene: Pam/Jim/Alex: 52:41–56:08
• Dwight’s “Right” Talking Heads: 44:57–46:11
• Triangle: Angela–Andy–Dwight: 58:12–59:18
• Michael & Kelly: Redemption Moment: 59:57–60:51

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Final Thoughts

The episode is both a deep investigation of “Customer Survey” and a love letter to The Office fan community. There’s a treasure trove of behind-the-scenes trivia, a rare unearthed lost scene, and refreshingly honest personal stories from Jenna and Angela. The tone is warm, funny, and intimate — making the episode engaging and accessible to all listeners, whether new or long-time fans.

End note:

“Thank you for listening and we’ll see you next time.” — Angela (61:10)

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Produced by: Jenna Fischer & Angela Kinsey
Executive Producer: Cassie Jerkins
Audio Engineer: Sam Kiefer

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This summary omits advertisements and non-content sections per request.

Transcript

[Jenna Fischer]

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[Jenna Fischer]

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[Angela Kinsey]

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[Jenna Fischer]

Okay. Ang, you were telling me recently that you got some meals off of Blue Apron and you love them.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, this was a really great fit for me because there was no subscription requirement.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's a new thing. Right. Like, you used to have to subscribe, but now it's a no subscription thing.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. Because one who needs another subscription. And then also, you know, sometimes it's just too much. Right. And it's like, when do I need these meals?

[Jenna Fischer]

That's amazing. I'm jealous because I get into that whole, like decision fatigue about like, oh, what's for dinner tonight? But if you go on the website, you can like order a week of dinner and now that decision is made for you. And I also can't keep eating the same three meals. If I keep eating the same three meals, I'm going to go insane.

[Angela Kinsey]

So if you go to their website, you're going to see that they have an assemble and bake meal. These are one pan meals with minimal prep and minimal cleanup. Just a few minutes hands on and then right into the oven and done. You get all the pre prepped ingredients and it's just easy. It was great.

[Jenna Fischer]

Try the new Blue Apron today and get 40% off and free shipping on your first two [e-mail] with code OFFICE40. Terms and conditions apply. Visit blueapron.com terms for more. I'm Jenna Fisher.

[Angela Kinsey]

And I'm Angela Kinsey.

[Jenna Fischer]

We were on the Office together and we're best friends. And now we're doing the ultimate Office Love podcast just for you.

[Angela Kinsey]

Each week, we will dive deeper into the world of the Office with exclusive interviews, behind the scenes details, and lots of BFF stories.

[Jenna Fischer]

We're the Office Lady 6.0. Hi there, everybody.

[Angela Kinsey]

Bonjour.

[Jenna Fischer]

Why Franch?

[Angela Kinsey]

Why Franche today? I don't know. I'm wearing a black and white stripy sweater, and I just feel like if I had a red beret, I'd be very Franche right now. You would? Well, I couldn't wear my beret and my headphones to podcast.

[Jenna Fischer]

True. Before we get into this episode, I mean, are you dying to hear a jumping up and down update?

[Angela Kinsey]

Did you do your 50 jumps every day?

[Jenna Fischer]

I'm doing them every day. My calves don't hurt anymore.

[Angela Kinsey]

Really?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. That was just the first couple of days, and I think there's something to this. It's really great.

[Angela Kinsey]

I have a question for you. What are you jumping in sneakers or barefoot? How? What?

[Jenna Fischer]

Not in sneakers. So here's what I do. I get up in the morning. I shower or get dressed. I mean, I have to put something on the ladies, some form of support before I start so they don't bounce like crazy, right? And then I jump. And then I go downstairs and I get my cup of coffee and I get my morning started, but it's, like, very first thing, and I'm usually. Sam, what is it?

[Angela Kinsey]

How high are you jumping?

[Jenna Fischer]

Not high. You don't have to jump high. Okay.

[Angela Kinsey]

I'm picturing you doing, like, basketball style. Like, leaps.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay, okay. No, imagine, like, enough for a jump rope to fit under my feet, but I'm not bending my knees. I'm just jumping up. But then I also, like, I wave my arms because I just, like, want my arms to be part of the pumping of the jumping. Perfect.

[Angela Kinsey]

What day are you on? How many days?

[Jenna Fischer]

Maybe, like 10 now or something. I don't know. I need to look and see.

[Angela Kinsey]

When I started, you got to mark that down. This is where my mind goes. Is that because my house is this older house, right? That if our kids jump upstairs in the kitchen, we're like, what was that? Yeah, I mean, it's so loud. So I started picture Lee making coffee in the morning and like, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.

[Jenna Fischer]

They didn't mention anything. I had to tell them I was doing the jumping. No one said, mom, what's happening up there every morning now?

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, you probably have better insulation than we have.

[Jenna Fischer]

Maybe.

[Angela Kinsey]

I mean, you could drop a quarter upstairs and we're like, oh, someone drop something?

[Jenna Fischer]

Are you still patting yourself down, Angela?

[Angela Kinsey]

I don't do it every day.

[Jenna Fischer]

I don't know why that's funny to me.

[Angela Kinsey]

Because it's predictable. The most predictable thing about me is my inconsistency with a new trend. The only thing I've stuck with is tennis. Like I. I do tennis every week. That's all I got.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, listen, why don't we jump into this episode today we are going to break down the super fan of Customer Survey. Customer Survey was season five, episode seven. It was written by Lester Lewis and directed by Stephen Merchant. We've got a version of Fast Facts for you, friends.

[Angela Kinsey]

It's called Where Are They Now? That's what it's called.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. Fast fact number one is called Where Are They Now? Character recap. Cassie helped us with this. We thought it might be good to frame Where Are We Now? In everyone's storyline. So last episode, the episode prior to Customer Survey, Michael and Darryl drop Holly off at Nashua. This is after David Wallace caught Michael and Holly kissing at the Crime Aid fundraiser and said they can no longer work together.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. So he transfers Holly. That was such a dick move, David Wallace.

[Jenna Fischer]

I agree. How many people are hooking up in this office over the years?

[Angela Kinsey]

Seriously?

[Jenna Fischer]

So many.

[Angela Kinsey]

Angela Martin would have been transferred a long time ago.

[Jenna Fischer]

I know. Well, Holly doesn't think that a long distance relationship is going to work and ends things with Michael. It's very sad.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Pam is in New York. She is attending art school and now also working at the corporate offices of Dunder Miff. She and Jim are engaged. Angela Martin is engaged to Andy, and Andy is very excitedly planning their wedding. But Angela is also having a secret affair with Dwight that Phyllis got a glimpse of back in season four finale. Goodbye, Toby. So there's a lot happening here.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

And finally, Ryan is back working at Dunder Mifflin and he's sort of seeing Kelly and his reluctant aloof dating style.

[Angela Kinsey]

So, you guys, this episode Originally aired on November 6, 2008, and Jenna thought it would be fun if we did a little thing called Where Were We?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

Where Were we?

[Jenna Fischer]

Our Fast Fact 2 is called Where Were We? Where Were We? As Jenna and Angela. Angela, do you want to tell us where.

[Angela Kinsey]

Where you were? Yeah, I went into my digital clutter like, you know, I like to do, and I have emails for you.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay.

[Angela Kinsey]

That I'm going to share. The first one is me and you and Jen Salata. Writer director. Jen Salata had a thread going the week. Yeah. The Week this episode came out. In fact, Jen emailed us and said, you guys, this is what I was talking about on set. Have you seen this? And it's titled Ninja Cat.

[Jenna Fischer]

What?

[Angela Kinsey]

And I wrote, lol, so awesome. And you wrote, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. And I went to the video and it's now unavailable.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, no, it was clearly has. I mean, if titled correctly, is some sort of cat doing ninja moves. I don't know.

[Angela Kinsey]

Ninja moves. Okay.

[Jenna Fischer]

But a glimpse into what we talk about on set, by the way.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. Also this week we got an email from Randy Cordray. Oh, I just love even saying his name because I just adore him. The email is titled Office latest schedule. And he addressed it. Hi, team office. Please see the attached schedule. It is now our plan to only shoot The Super Bowl 2 parter in December. We will shut down production for Thanksgiving from Monday, November 17 through Friday, December 12. We're also going to have a table read on Wednesday, December 3rd. Oh, I know. And then he sent us a whole schedule, which you would have loved. And it said who was writing what episode and what director they had picked.

[Jenna Fischer]

I would love that.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know. And then lastly, I have one where I sent you a picture of Isabel being super cute. And you sent back a picture of yourself in a Dallas Cowboys jersey in front of wallpaper that you'd put in your bathroom. And the wallpaper was all these different. It looked like bugs, maybe.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes, yes. So in our old house, we wallpapered our bathroom with the pages of this book that was like. It was like illustrations of bugs and insects and snakes and things.

[Angela Kinsey]

But it was really cool looking.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, we thought this was, like the coolest thing.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, you look adorable in this picture.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, thank you.

[Angela Kinsey]

I was trying to figure out if it was an early selfie or if you, like, set the phone down because. Oh, yeah, clearly you took it. But it's super cute. Well, there you go. That's what you and I were doing in my digital clutter. We were getting emails from Randy with schedules. We were looking at ninja cats and wallpaper and cute babies.

[Jenna Fischer]

I love your digital clutter. That brought back such great memories.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know, but don't you want to find Ninja Cat Now?

[Jenna Fischer]

I do.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, I did a little deep dive and I found that In November of 2008, I attended a special screening of the movie Milk in New York.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh.

[Jenna Fischer]

And I found pictures of it. And I was reminded of how incredibly proud I was of this outfit that I put together for myself. I styled myself for this screening.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, I Can't wait. What was your big showstopper fashion accessory?

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay, so it was all black. It was black pants, then this black blouse. But the blouse had, like a ruffle running down the front of it. Like it was a button down blouse. And then on each side of the buttons was like a structured kind of ruffle tuxedo.

[Angela Kinsey]

Ruffle. Like a prom tuxedo.

[Jenna Fischer]

A little, but it not super big, but like, I mean, cute. And then I had on a black blazer, and I had on black patent heels, and I had, like a black purse, but I know that sounds boring. Let me tell you my big style moment. I wore a gray patent belt. Oh, that's right. It was all black except the belt.

[Angela Kinsey]

I mean, you are just really on the edge of, like, crazy, risky fashion trend.

[Jenna Fischer]

I know. Exactly. I also wore some hoop earrings.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, yeah? Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Lee was my date. Apparently Sean Penn was there. I mean, he's in all the pictures when I was looking up this event, but I didn't meet him.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, well, I would very much like to see her outfit.

[Jenna Fischer]

All right, I'll send you a picture of it. I feel like if I had met Sean Penn, he would have been like, that's a stylish lady. I'm glad she came to my screening, you know?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, I'm sure. That is, like, how he measures.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

Like people by their style.

[Jenna Fischer]

Seems like it, right?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, he seems that way. He does. I'm just kidding. I don't know him at all.

[Jenna Fischer]

I know.

[Angela Kinsey]

I love that. I mean, one of the things that has been so fun about our Rewatch podcast and is just revisiting this time in our life, you know, it's been really, really delightful.

[Jenna Fischer]

And at this point, it's been long enough that revisiting the fashion of that time in our life is also kind of fun.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay, where are we?

[Jenna Fischer]

Fast fact 3. Are you ready for it?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

You don't know it. It's a Dr. Thibodeau tidbit.

[Angela Kinsey]

I love Dr. Thibodeau.

[Jenna Fischer]

All right. Someone shared this with me. I guess he posted this over on our Facebook fan page group. Here is what he said. If you listened to every podcast episode one time up through office food, you have now spent 13 days of your life listening to office ladies. That's like listening to office ladies all the way through the siege of the Alamo. Or if JFK played the ladies through the entire Cuban missile crisis. Oh, lord. Hopefully your 13 days were much less stressful.

[Angela Kinsey]

Aw.

[Jenna Fischer]

But we have created now even more than 13 days. But 13 full days. Of content for people. Listen to it.

[Angela Kinsey]

I mean, we are here for you if you're gonna drive coast to coast or.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, no kidding.

[Angela Kinsey]

We got you covered, Dr. Thibodeau. I love all of your stats.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, why don't we take a break and we'll come back with our breakdown of the superfan episode of customer survey.

[Angela Kinsey]

There is so much more delicious stuff and the super fan. I can't wait to chat about it.

[Jenna Fischer]

Lady. I think there's something weirdly therapeutic about getting fresh socks. Brand new socks.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. Nice, good socks.

[Jenna Fischer]

It's such a treat. It's a nice thing to do for yourself. And I think the best socks are Bombas socks. I asked for Bombas socks for Christmas. My, my father in law said, what do you want for Christmas? I said, I. I want Bombas socks. Like every year. Just get me fresh Bombas socks. And he does now. Every year that's what I get. And I absolutely love it.

[Angela Kinsey]

They're my daughter and I's favorite. I just ordered a two pack. I got her one and me one of the women's modern ribbed ankle sock. You can get it in an eight pack. I love them. I wear them all the time and so does she. But I have to share one other thing that I put. I put it on my Christmas list.

[Jenna Fischer]

What?

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay. Did you know that Bombas is making slippers now?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

I mean, lady, did you see them? They're so cute.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yep, I did. Well, I just love this company because for every pair of Bombas that you purchase, Bombas donates one to someone facing homelessness on your behalf.

[Angela Kinsey]

We love Bombas. You guys head over to bombas.com officeladies and use code officeladies for 20% off your first purchase.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's B O-M-B-A-S.com officeladies. Use code officeladies at checkout.

[Sharon McMahon]

Hey, friends, I'm Sharon McMahon, host of the Preamble. Listen, I know you're dealing with a lot, and it's even harder to do it when the world around you feels chaotic. But I'm here to help. Each week, my expert guests and I slow things down to talk about the stories shaping our world. What's really happening behind the headlines, why it matters, how it all connects. And if you're ready for real understanding and maybe even a little bit of hope, follow and listen to the preamble wherever you get your podcasts.

[Angela Kinsey]

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[Jenna Fischer]

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[Angela Kinsey]

And listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to get your job the premium status it deserves at indeed.com officeladies just go to indeed.com.

[Jenna Fischer]

Officeladies right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com officeladies Terms and conditions apply. Hiring. Do it the right way with Indeed. All right, we are back. And let's talk about a few of the storylines in this episode, starting with the cold open where Michael is lying about being engaged to Holly.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, yes. Michael has everyone gathered around him in his office. He's sitting at his desk, and in true Michael fashion, he has to lie and say everything is fine. And not only that, they're engaged.

[Jenna Fischer]

Mm.

[Angela Kinsey]

Lady. In the extended version, Michael really, really spins a yarn that's so much longer than the one that is in the original broadcast. He details his huge proposal to Holly. It made me laugh so hard. I want us to hear the whole thing.

[Steve Carell]

Come on.

[Angela Kinsey]

How did you propose? Spill it. Were you wasted?

[Steve Carell]

How did I propose? Let me see. Well, I drove her up to Nashua, and either ring, big 10 karat diamond. Beautiful. And I got down on my hands and knees, and shooting star crossed overhead, and it just lit up the diamond like a shooting star. And we were in a restaurant, and I put the diamond into a cheeseburger, and she took a bite, started to choke. So what do I do? I accept PR training, go around, start doing the Heimlich. The ring pops out of her mouth, hits her shrimp cocktail right onto her finger. Million to one shot, all of the Greek people in the restaurant start screaming, which means congratulations.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, man. Okay, I just. Can we talk about how in his fantasy, he could make this engagement anything he wanted?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

In his fantasy, his fiance chokes on the ring and he has to save her life.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Amazing.

[Angela Kinsey]

And there's shrimp cocktail.

[Jenna Fischer]

There's like he's on his hands and knees. There's so many wonderful details.

[Angela Kinsey]

There's so many details. I just loved it. And as Steve, as Michael Scott is delivering this, Steve is so brilliant because he is making it seem like Michael is just making this up on the spot. And he's got that kind of look of wonder in his eye as the lie gets bigger and bigger. But we know that Steve was doing a scripted dialogue, but he's making it seem like Michael's discovering it. It's just brilliant. Steve is brilliant. We all know this.

[Jenna Fischer]

That was a big part of the Michael character that Steve had to play all the time, was delivering dialogue like that.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. With like this sense of wonder that it's coming out of his mouth. Well, after that moment, there was one more really great couplet of dialogue that is new to the superfan because right after Michael's speech, Andy gets very excited and he goes, big idea. We should totally do a double wedding. You and Holly, me and Angela. And Michael goes, we would never do that. And if we did, it would be with Jim and Pam. And then Jim goes, and we would never do that. And Michael goes to Andy. So there you go. It was like multiple disses on different levels.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. This got me curious about double weddings. Would you ever do a double wedding?

[Angela Kinsey]

Would I ever do a double wedding?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

I wouldn't know. I want the party to be my party.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

I don't want to share my party.

[Jenna Fischer]

I looked into it. I guess only 1% of weddings are double weddings in places like the US the UK, Canada and Australia. There are other parts of the world where double weddings are more popular. But I ended up on some thread about double weddings, and there were two people who shared double wedding stories, and I thought I could share them.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay. I mean, I guess.

[Jenna Fischer]

I mean, I think I was on Quora.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, yeah. Cora. Cora will get you a random answer. You know, here's the thing. I don't mean to poo poo double weddings for the 1% that have had them. I just. I guess maybe it saves money, right?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yep.

[Angela Kinsey]

But you would have to really like the other people and really have the same taste.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. Well, here's what one person said. They said, quote, I have only ever been to one double wedding. Two sisters whose parents had also been married in a double wedding and their father was the minister of the church. So the logistics were quite a performance. But it all went perfectly. This person went on to say, first the dad escorted his eldest daughter down the aisle. Then he went back, escorted his younger one down the aisle. He didn't bother asking, who gives this woman? I think he said something to the Effect of I give this woman. Then he went through all the vows with one couple, and then he did it again with the second couple. So not only was it a double wedding, but the dad was the minister of the double wedding.

[Angela Kinsey]

I mean, I feel like Michael Scott would be so delighted to be this dad. He could walk both his daughters down the aisle at the same day, and he gets to do all the talking. This is Michael Scott's dream wedding.

[Jenna Fischer]

I'm just asking myself if I'm the younger sister. Am I annoyed? Am I like, just this whole thing. It's like I'm the second bride to walk down the aisle. I'm the second set of vows that get exchanged. Like, is everyone done kind of like crying after the first one?

[Angela Kinsey]

Also, what about the bouquet toss? Everyone's fought it out for the older sister's bouquet. And then you're like. You're, like, in the back going, like, you guys, I have one to throw. So anyone want. Am I okay?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. I don't have any details on that. All right, here's my next letter, my next Quora. I have been a wedding officiant for 20 years and full time for six. That's literally hundreds of weddings. And I've done one double wedding. It was for two sisters. One was marrying a man, the other was marrying a woman. So the sister who was engaged to the man held off marrying her fiance until it was legal for her sister to wed her bride. And once marriage equality laws were passed, they decided to both get married in a double wedding. I was like, I had goosebumps by the end of this. I was like, that is very sweet. The sweetest thing.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, that is sweet sibling, like, support and love. That is really nice.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's special.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, I know.

[Jenna Fischer]

All right. That's what I got on double weddings, everybody. So back to this episode. After the credits, we have the scene where Kelly comes into Michael's office, and she's carrying a stack of customer surveys. But first she tells Michael, hey, you know, I just need you to know I'm out $100 on the bridesmaids dress that I bought for this wedding that turned out to be fake in the broadcast version. She sort of drops that news. And then Michael says, are those the customer surveys? Like, the joke is that he just kind of ignores her.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

In the superfan version, this conversation was longer. And Michael expands on what it's been like for him since he lost his fake fiance. I think we should hear it. So I returned my bridesmaid dress, and it was on sale. So I'm out $100, and I'm out of fiance.

[Steve Carell]

Know what that feels like? It is like hot sand that you drink, and then you go to get a glass of water, and it's just more hot sand. And then you start thinking, why is hot sand coming out of my faucet? You want to talk to your fiance about it, but she's gone.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's actually how I feel about my dress.

[Angela Kinsey]

I love that no matter what Michael says, Kelly's gonna bring it back to her dress.

[Jenna Fischer]

But also, how did she even have time to buy a dress? Didn't he's only had this fake fiance for, like. Didn't it all fall apart all in the same scene?

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, yeah. Do you think Kelly had bought this dress and wanted to return it? And this is like she's trying to get Michael to pay for it. It was, like, not connected.

[Jenna Fischer]

I don't know. Or am I missing something? Like, I feel like, didn't he announce he was engaged? And then it all fell apart all in the same scene.

[Angela Kinsey]

It definitely feels like it fell apart in the same day.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, we also learned pretty quickly that Jim and Dwight didn't do well on their customer surveys. And Sam, Cassie, Jenna. 4 minutes and 47 seconds. Clacky balls. Clacky balls. Catch.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. I just really miss a clacky ball catch. I still have the clacky balls that Cassie untangled for me in my office. Sam, it was a gift you gave me. Just want you to know.

[Jenna Fischer]

Wait, didn't somebody else's clacky balls get tangled and we never untangled them? Did that happen? Are they mine? Are my clacky balls tangled?

[Angela Kinsey]

No. Mine were tangled for, like, almost a year because my friends. My neighbor's toddler came over and went.

[Jenna Fischer]

You guys, please hold. I need to check my clacky balls. Holding.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, are your clacky balls tangled?

[Jenna Fischer]

You tell me.

[Angela Kinsey]

Nope. No. It's so frustrating to watch. It's so satisfying. I think it's so satisfying.

[Jenna Fischer]

All right, my clacky balls are fine. I couldn't wait. I'm sorry, everybody. I didn't want to wait till after we were done podcasting to know.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, there you have it. Clacky ball, catch. I also have another moment in this scene between Jim and Michael that I want to point out. First of all, one of my favorite lines in the whole episode, which is when Jim's like, how'd I do? And Michael goes, you did poopy. It's, like, so funny to me that he said the word poopy. I don't know. It makes me laugh every time. But Michael also mashes two words to form a new word. Lady. There's a new Michael word. We did not talk about this in any detail the first time we rewatched it. We sort of lightly mention it, but we don't share it in its full moment. You know what I mean? Okay, so in this moment, Michael is reading comments that people have said about Jim in his customer review, and Michael says, let's see what we can find out. Sorry, this line also made me laugh. I'm sorry. This whole scene got me. Jim's like, can I see what people said? And Michael's like, yeah. And he goes, let's see what we can find out. With reading.

[Jenna Fischer]

What?

[Angela Kinsey]

With reading just made me laugh. And then he reads, jim Halpert is smudge and arrogant. And Jim goes, I think you mean smug. And Michael goes, arrogant. And Jim goes, come on, Michael. And then Michael says, and there's our smudgeness. Smudgeness, yeah, it's smudge and arrogant. I love it. I want to start using smudgeness.

[Jenna Fischer]

All right, I'll do it with you.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay, well, this scene extends further in the superfan version, and we see who actually did well on the customer survey. Stanley and Phyllis are high fiving. Andy awkwardly tries to get in on the high five, but their whole desk clump did well.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

This is suspect.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, I want to discuss the scene in the kitchen with Jim and Andy. This is the one where Jim is drinking from Andy's mug and he wants coffee and he's annoyed because Jim is using the mug and he asked Jim to swap it out, but Jim refuses.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, I mean, I love it because Andy says, dude, that is my face. Like, it's very clearly his mug.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. And Jim, like, holds the coffee cup up and then Andy makes the face on the mug. Yeah, well, listen, we talked a lot about these mugs when we first broke down this episode, but we didn't discuss this scene, which I would like to do now because I want to know, how do we feel about this? Also, we got a fan letter from Vanessa G. Who said, not a question, but more of a comment. Jim has no sense of personal boundaries. He drinks out of Andy's cup, which he later does with Daryl's mug and doesn't find it wrong. Remember when they're at Athlead and he's drinking out of Darryl's stuff?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay. When I rewatched this episode, I was also struck by this. So here are my questions for Us. Number one, is Andy being unreasonable, asking Jim to switch mugs? Number two, is Jim being a dick? Number three, are you possessive about your coffee mug? And number four, how would you feel if you saw someone drinking from your mug?

[Angela Kinsey]

I have strong feelings right out of the gate. Okay, Andy is not being unreasonable. That's his mug with his face on it, and he probably drinks out of it every day.

[Jenna Fischer]

He.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes, Jim is a dick. Yes, I'm possessive about my coffee mug, and I would not like someone drinking out of my hummingbird coffee mug.

[Jenna Fischer]

I feel the same. I feel 100% the same. Like, how much effort is it for Jim to just transfer his coffee into another mug and give Andy his mug back and say, oh, my God, I'm so sorry.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. And look at home, you know, whatever. I have a bunch of different mugs. Josh might drink out of one of my mugs. I don't care. You know there are mugs in our kitchen.

[Jenna Fischer]

Right, Right, exactly.

[Angela Kinsey]

Work. You're working with people who aren't your family, they're your co workers. And you might have brought in your mug from home. Or maybe it's a mug you got at work, but it's your mug and everyone knows it's your mug.

[Jenna Fischer]

Exactly. I would not be happy if I came into work one day and one of y' all was drinking out of my pockets.

[Angela Kinsey]

Mug.

[Jenna Fischer]

I know I'd say, what's going on?

[Angela Kinsey]

I would never do that.

[Jenna Fischer]

Why are you. And I would not drink out of your hummingbird mug. I know I wouldn't do it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Mm. Mm. Boundaries, people. Boundaries. Well, we also got a letter about these coffee mugs from Roz F. Who wrote in to say there did not appear to be a mug with Michael's face. Was he left off Kelly's guest list? You would think he would be upset about not being invited to her party. Or was that addressed somewhere in the deleted scenes?

[Jenna Fischer]

I thought of this as well when I was re watching it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, you feel like for sure you would have seen Michael's face on one of those mugs. I went to the shooting draft and Roz, here's all that it said. I'm going to share with you in the stage direction. It says, Jim stops when he sees something on Stanley's desk. The camera zooms in on a mug of pencils with Stanley's snapshot printed on it. Jim turns to the other desk. The camera whips around and discovers other photo mugs. And Kevin has one full of M&MS. Angela has one full of paperclips. Next To a similar mug with a picture of her cat. We pan back to Jim as he heads into the kitchen. Jim opens a cabinet. Inside, amongst the random coffee cups, Jim finds photo mugs of Oscar, Phyllis, and Creed.

[Jenna Fischer]

So no mention of Michael.

[Angela Kinsey]

No mention of Michael.

[Jenna Fischer]

So at the end, when Michael is in that scene with Kelly.

[Angela Kinsey]

Right.

[Jenna Fischer]

I'm surprised he didn't say, why wasn't I invited to that party?

[Angela Kinsey]

See, now I am willing to suspend belief and believe that he was. And his mug is like in his office and we just don't see it.

[Jenna Fischer]

Right. Because I don't think he could be nice to Kelly at the end if he was also like, if she had not invited him.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. He would be so wounded. He'd see all those coffee mugs around the office. He would have known in the way that Jim and Dwight didn't even realize that Kelly had made a gift for her party. That a little take home gift. Michael would have noticed it right away.

[Jenna Fischer]

No, you're right.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, I agree. So now you guys, Dwight thinks he's being sabotaged, and he says, these can't be my scores. Jim, for your information, I'm being sabotaged and I'm going to find that person and punish them. And now he's on the case. He's gonna mom detective this.

[Jenna Fischer]

He really is. Do you think we could have solved this as mom detectives, me and you? Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

I don't think I would have picked up on Kelly on the phone. You know, when Dwight's like, I hear something. I don't think I would have heard anything.

[Jenna Fischer]

But she wasn't on the phone. He just. She was. She was listening in. How did I miss that?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes.

[Jenna Fischer]

No, he just storms back to her desk. But she wasn't really listening in, was she?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. She quickly hangs up the phone when he comes into her nook.

[Jenna Fischer]

I totally missed that.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. He's talking to the guy and he literally tells a person he's trying to make a sale to shut up. Shut up. Do you hear that?

[Jenna Fischer]

I know. And I thought the guy was like, what? No, I just need.

[Angela Kinsey]

And then Dwight immediately runs back to customer service because I think part of their job, like quality assurance, is they listen in on calls.

[Jenna Fischer]

There had to have been bloopers for that scene where rain storms back because there's absolutely no way that Mindy Kaling even. Like the first time he stormed back there. I don't believe she got a single word out of her mouth.

[Angela Kinsey]

No, there's definitely.

[Jenna Fischer]

I mean, that would be really hard for her.

[Angela Kinsey]

There's definitely bloopers. And also, Jon was really messing with rain. Remember, he kept pulling his arm back and they were like kind of fighting. Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Listen, lady, should we take a break and then when we come back we can dive into a little bit of this Jim Pam storyline with the Bluetooths.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, yeah. And all the different things they hear from each other's day. And then he mutes some stuff so she doesn't hear. Shady. That's some shady fiance material right there.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, Jim's doing some shady stuff in this episode with Andy's mug and with the Bluetooth.

[Angela Kinsey]

The muting Shady Jim. Shady Jim.

[Jenna Fischer]

All right, we'll be back, Lady. In a previous advertisement for quints, which is what we're talking about right now, I shared that in my play Ashland Avenue, my character wears a pair of Quint corduroy pants and I loved them so much and they gave them to me at the end of the run. I have now purchased two more pairs in other colors. I love the fit of them. But when I came out to do the stage door, I saw a woman and she goes, I saw your quince pants and I ordered them.

[Angela Kinsey]

Aww.

[Jenna Fischer]

Because of what you said.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, I want you guys to know I bought a few of the little cashmere pieces on Quint. There is a cashmere tee so it looks like a T shirt, but it's cashmere. It is so cute. It's only $44.90.

[Jenna Fischer]

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[Angela Kinsey]

From Quince, perfect for gifting or keeping for yourself. Go to quince.com officeladies for free shipping on your order and 365 day return.

[Jenna Fischer]

Now available in Canada too. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com officeladies to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com officeladies if you love finding the.

[Angela Kinsey]

Best deal or finding savings, which I love, you're going to love Rakuten. Here's what it is. Rakuten is a great way to save money when you shop because you earn cash back at all of your favorite stores. It's especially good over the holidays because you can stack cash back on top of the holiday sales to maximize your savings. That's savings on savings. For example, if your favorite store is having a sale for 20% off and Rakuten has 15% cash back, you can stack the two deals together to maximize your savings and they partner with all of your favorite stores across categories like fashion, beauty and wellness. Electronics, home essentials, travel, dining, and so much more. And keep an eye out for Rakuten's weekly Big Deal reveals where one great store offers epically high cash back for one day only. And did I mention, membership is free and it's super easy. To sign up, you can go to rakuten.com, download the app, or install the browser extension. Join today for a new member. Welcome bonus. After minimum qualifying purchases, terms and conditions apply. This show is sponsored by BetterHelp.

[Jenna Fischer]

As the seasons change and days grow darker sooner, it can be a tough time for people. There's an episode of the Office where Toby talks about this. It's called seasonal depression, and it's a real thing.

[Angela Kinsey]

It is. It is. One of my friends has this every year and struggles with it.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. This November, Better Help is encouraging people to reach out to check in on your friends, reconnect with loved ones, remind the people in your life that you're there.

[Angela Kinsey]

And, you know, sometimes it's hard to reach out and send that message or try to grab coffee with someone who you haven't seen in a while. You're not really sure how to approach that moment. And I know reaching out for therapy can feel difficult, too, but it's so worth it.

[Jenna Fischer]

So worth it. This month, don't wait to reach out. Whether you're checking in on a friend or reaching out to a therapist yourself, BetterHelp makes it easier to take that first step.

[Angela Kinsey]

Our listeners get 10% off their first month at betterhelp.com officeladies that's better. H-E-L-P.com officeladies.

[Jenna Fischer]

All right, we're back. And like we said before, this is the episode where Jim and Pam are on the phone with one another the whole time. And so throughout this episode, we cut between Jim at work at Dunder Mifflin and Pam at work at the corporate offices of Dunder Mifflin. And I want to start out by discussing a little of Pam's wardrobe. Okay, so there's a whole story here. And as I rewatched this, I was like, oh, yeah, I see what happened. This wardrobe. We received a note from NBC executives about this episode, and I'll explain why. You might notice I'm wearing a very chunky scarf with a blazer.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay.

[Jenna Fischer]

And I remember when we were designing Pam's New York corporate look, we wanted it to be different from what she might wear in Scranton, but we also wanted there to be some element of her artistic art school vibe. So the idea we came up with was this Idea of wearing scarves and blazers.

[Angela Kinsey]

So wait, let me get this straight. New York Pam is scarfy.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay.

[Jenna Fischer]

She wears a scarf with a blazer.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay. She's scarfy blazer.

[Jenna Fischer]

Scarfy blazer. So when this episode went to the network, they came back with a note. They said they felt like there was just way too much fabric up around my face. It was a real kind of chunky scarf. And unfortunately, I had also worn something very similar in Employee Transfer. That's when I meet Jim's brothers for the first time. And I'm wearing this scarf and blazer. But that scarf was not as bulky. I also had the same look in Business Trip, which we had already shot when we got this note about NBC hating the bulky scarves. So anyway, if you watch season five, you're gonna see that there's this scarf blazer trend. There's a couple of real bulky scarves. But then as soon as Pam gets back to Dunder Mifflin and frame Toby, it's like, no more weird scarf business. It's like. In fact, it's like a cute little top with, like, short sleeve. Like, there's way more skin. Because they were like, there's. All I see is fabric and her face. We need to end this.

[Angela Kinsey]

I am so curious about who this really bumped at NBC. Like, who fired off that email who was like, what the hell is happening to Pam in New York? The scarf. Lose the scarf. And then they probably stayed on top of it. They were like, I'm seeing another scarf. Hello. Scarf number three. Scarf number four.

[Jenna Fischer]

I know. And then they were like, I'm sorry. We already shot the episodes. Do you want us to reshoot these scenes without a scarf? And they were like, no, we can't afford that. But for all future episodes, I don't want to see another one of these scarves.

[Angela Kinsey]

I love the idea of someone being really pissed off at NBC about the scarves.

[Jenna Fischer]

They really would micromanage my Pam wardrobe sometimes. I mean, I told you early on, they tried to put me in a pair of pants, and they said, no, she needs to be in a skirt.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, that was an overall note for the ladies. Very 1950s of them. Because I wanted to wear pants one time, and I also was told they wanted us in skirts.

[Jenna Fischer]

But you eventually did get to wear a lot of pants. I remember you in several pants.

[Angela Kinsey]

No, no, no, not a lot. Once or twice here or there. Maybe for cold open, where we show a jump in time and then we jump back. But no, very rarely.

[Jenna Fischer]

The only time I was allowed to wear pants is if I was wearing jeans. And it was like some episode, like where we go to Jim's house for the barbecue or something.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. Or like Andy's play. I got to wear jeans. That was very exciting. Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

All right, well, listen, this is also the episode where Jim reveals that he needs his annual bonus so that he can buy his parents home because they want to retire. He has not told this to Pam. So this is why he's so nervous about these customer surveys, because they might affect his bonus.

[Angela Kinsey]

And that's why he has to mute. He has to mute so Pam doesn't overhear everything.

[Jenna Fischer]

Exactly. But definitely Pam is the villain in this relationship. So want to make sure we remind everybody that Pam is an awful person and Jim is wonderful.

[Angela Kinsey]

Don't come for Pam, people. Now we have this famous, hilarious, amazing buttlicker scene. I could watch this scene every day of my life. I'm not kidding. I love it that much. It's so damn funny.

[Jenna Fischer]

And just so y' all know, it is exactly the same in the broadcast version and the Superfan version. It's perfection. They included everything. It's so good.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. They did not mess with it, thankfully, because it is brilliant. I did have a fun catch that I didn't personally clock the first time. You guys might have all clocked this, but I don't know why. This whole episode, to me, I was really. I was really paying attention to the mangle phrase count. And Jim has his own mangled phrase. It's in this scene and I want you to hear it.

[Steve Carell]

Here's going to happen. I am going to have to fix you, manage you to. On a more personal scale, a. A more micro form of management. Jim, what is that called?

[John Krasinski]

Micro German.

[Steve Carell]

Boom.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes, Micro German.

[Jenna Fischer]

But listen, I don't think that's a Jim mangled phrase. I think that's Jim speaking. Michael.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, yes. Yes, I should have. I should have framed that better. Yes. That is Jim having a little fun with Michael, knowing that Michael will think that's an actual word.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

And maybe getting back at him for smudgeness. But it did crack me up. And I do have one more other runner I need to talk about. Lady. Okay, so finally we all find out that Dwight was right about him and Jim being sabotaged by Kelly. And in rewatching the Superfan version, there is this runner at the end where Jim says, you know, on the Bluetooth to Pam. Turns out Dwight was right. And then Pam says, I wonder what else Dwight was right about. And then there are a series of Dwight talking heads where he is supposedly right about things. It cuts all around the office, out in the parking lot, different days. It's like the documentary crew has compiled these moments over time and now they're airing them all. As a little runner.

[Jenna Fischer]

I thought it was so funny.

[Angela Kinsey]

So funny. I looked in our candy bag alts for this runner lady. The character of Dwight had 32 talking head alts.

[Jenna Fischer]

Wow.

[Angela Kinsey]

32.

[Jenna Fischer]

Wow.

[Angela Kinsey]

I want to play what made it into the super fan, and then I'll read a few that didn't make it in. Ready?

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay, great.

[Angela Kinsey]

Here's this runner.

[John Krasinski]

It is a fact that major pharmaceuticals do not want you to know that beet juice has medicinal value, both as an aphrodisiac and a lack of every article by Christopher J. Kelly of the Scranton Times Tribune contains five to seven swear words hidden amongst the letters of other words. The Scranton Zoning board has a strong bias against beet farmers. The mayor is in the pocket of big lettuce. Battlestar Galactica isn't a documentary exactly. The book all the President's Men is about a conspiracy, just not the one people think. Jesus had a daughter and she was the Mona Lisa. According to my sources, Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty checked out Patio Gardening over nine weeks ago from the Scranton Public Library. No fines, no fees, no nothing. Guess who appointed the head librarian. What we have come to know is fake crab meat is in fact real crab meat, and real crab meat is lobster.

[Jenna Fischer]

So much.

[Angela Kinsey]

So much. But there were so many more. Here are a few. Dwight would have also said bananas are upside down.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay.

[Angela Kinsey]

If ants and wasps ever figure out their differences, it's curtains for the human race.

[Jenna Fischer]

I actually think that's true. Really?

[Angela Kinsey]

Toilet paper one ply or two ply? How about no ply? What the bathroom tissue syndicate doesn't want you to know is that if you eat properly, you don't need their product at all.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay, I'm going to tell you something that's kind of true.

[Angela Kinsey]

What are you talking about? If you eat healthy and you poop, there's nothing. No residue on your butt?

[Jenna Fischer]

I think so. I think it's just you have a clean. What would you call that? A clean drop. A clean drop.

[Angela Kinsey]

Every time. You have to have a very specific diet.

[Jenna Fischer]

I don't know.

[Angela Kinsey]

What about pee? Come on.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. Ladies still need the toilet paper for pee. But, you know, I'm a big believer in the bidet. You know, I moved a wall in my house to make room for a bidet. Yeah, when we renovated our home after we bought it, I moved A whole wall so that I could put a bidet in my bathroom. I love my bidet. When we lived in London, we had a bidet. And when we came home from London, I was like, I can't live without that thing.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. I mean, when we went to Singapore, Josh was like, whatever that toilet is we're getting when we get home, because it does everything. It has a remote control.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's the thing. Now you can get, like, bidet toilets, but I'm talking. This was like, 15 years ago. And, like, the bidet that I knew of was the one that had to, like, sit next to your toilet as, like, its whole own separate.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Thing. But here's what got me into the bidet. Someone gave me this analogy. They were like, if you got poop on your hand, would you just wipe it off with some toilet paper and go about your day?

[Angela Kinsey]

You wouldn't, right?

[Jenna Fischer]

You'd wash your hand.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

So don't you want to wash your tush?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

And I thought, yeah, I do. I really do. By the way, this is coming from the person who doesn't always wash her hands after she pees at home. But I do wash Matush.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, growing up, my friend in Indonesia, her. Her parents bedroom had the bidet that sits next to the toilet. Like, what you're talking about.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's what I.

[Angela Kinsey]

This is like the 70s, you know, late 70s, early 80s. And we made it into a Barbie fountain pool.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. It also can double as a. As a Barbie swimming pool.

[Angela Kinsey]

All right, where were we?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, where are we? Oh, I wanna talk about the Pam Alex art school storyline, because I have a very fun new tidbit that, you know. Angela.

[Angela Kinsey]

Mm?

[Jenna Fischer]

When we originally broke down this episode, we interviewed Stephen Merchant and we discussed this scene where Alex pulls Pam aside and he tells her, I think you should stay in New York. If you're serious about being an artist, you have to stay in New York.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

You know, Jim is in her ear. He can hear all about it. We also talked about this scene with Rich Summer when he was on the podcast. You might remember. It was. Yes, Angela.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. I raised my hand.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

Just because I want to point out, when Pam talks to Alex and he's, you know, tiptoeing into the flirty land.

[Jenna Fischer]

Right.

[Angela Kinsey]

She doesn't mute. She got nothing to hide.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, lady, thank you for that. That's right.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Pam, the awful, horrible person who never supports her husband or believes in him, didn't mute herself. Just something I'd like to get on record.

[Angela Kinsey]

Jenna will never forget the snarky people who wrote about Pam being like, an a hole.

[Jenna Fischer]

I won't.

[Angela Kinsey]

She's like, I will see you forever. I'm gonna talk about you as long as I can. You're protecting Pam and her legacy, and I think it's wonderful.

[Jenna Fischer]

Thank you. Well, you guys, you might remember that this was a really difficult scene to film for many reasons. First of all, because it was a spy shot into this glass conference room. And yet Rich and I, we had to be able to hear Jim delivering his Bluetooth lines so that we got the timing right on our end. And the only way to do that was to have John hide under the conference room table the whole time.

[Angela Kinsey]

That is so bizarre to me that John Krasinski was under the table while you and Rich did your scene. That is so funny.

[Jenna Fischer]

So that's number one. And then number two, this whole time that Rich was on the show, there was all this back and forth over whether or not Alex was going to make a play for Pam. And. And it was like we often shot different versions of scenes because they would kind of decide in editing how flirty they wanted him to be. So you might remember that there was a different version of this conference room scene that was in the shooting draft. And it was very flirty. And Rich shared with us that he had memorized the original version. And so when he got to set that day and they handed him this less flirty alternate version, he was having such a hard time, like, getting all that sort of, like, lovey dovey, flirty stuff out of his head. He's, to this day, sort of haunted by this day of shooting. Whenever I talk to him, he's like, oh, if only I could go back. Well, here's what's crazy. Not even knowing that we were going to break this down. Out of the blue, Rich Summer texts me, like, two weeks ago, and he's like, jenna, look what I found. It's the original script for that conference room scene. It's the one that I memorized.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, wow.

[Jenna Fischer]

Where Alex confesses his love to Pam. So I asked him if he would record it, and he did. And Angela, you play Jim and I play Pam.

[Angela Kinsey]

I'm very sorry, everyone. Just apologies in advance. My version of Jim is not gonna be what you want.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's not true.

[Angela Kinsey]

But I just tried to fill in so I could make this moment happen.

[Jenna Fischer]

Lady, I thought you did great.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, well, you're my best friend.

[Jenna Fischer]

All right, well, anyway, here we go. Here is the lost Alex Pam gym conference room scene.

[Rich Sommer]

Hi, friends. I'm Glad we're doing this because it feels a tiny bit like therapy to get to say the lines that I first read that got stuck it so deep in my brain that I could never unsay the sort of intent of them, no matter how the lines changed. Did that make sense? Okay, here we go. Scene 5455 as originally written.

[Angela Kinsey]

Hey.

[Jenna Fischer]

What are you doing here?

[Rich Sommer]

Is there a place we could go talk?

[Angela Kinsey]

Who is that?

[Jenna Fischer]

Alex? Sure. Alex, is everything okay?

[Rich Sommer]

I think so. I don't know.

[Angela Kinsey]

Ooh, this is Juicy. Angle the Bluetooth towards him as he speaks.

[Jenna Fischer]

Hey, Barbara, I'll be right back. Can you watch my phone?

[Angela Kinsey]

Where are you right now? Don't go anywhere alone with him.

[Jenna Fischer]

Is this hallway okay?

[Rich Sommer]

There's no right place to do this.

[Angela Kinsey]

Alex is into you.

[Rich Sommer]

Okay.

[Jenna Fischer]

Wow.

[Rich Sommer]

The last thing I want to do is burden you with this.

[Jenna Fischer]

Alex, I.

[Angela Kinsey]

Let the man speak.

[Rich Sommer]

Please. Let me just get this out. I won't forgive myself if I don't say this. And I know you've got a boyfriend.

[Angela Kinsey]

Fiance. I am her fiance, Alex.

[Rich Sommer]

And a life planned with him in Scranton. And Jim's fine, but you deserve a man who challenges you. And I think we both know he's not that guy.

[Angela Kinsey]

Then who is the guy? Is he the guy?

[Rich Sommer]

And I don't want to ruin our friendship, but I will risk it for the chance of the future we might have. It's you, Pam. It's always been you.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, well, let's see him propose at a gas station.

[Rich Sommer]

I see things that nobody else sees. The. The way you are so annoying in the morning.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yup.

[Rich Sommer]

The way you bite your lip when you draw.

[Angela Kinsey]

What you draw.

[Rich Sommer]

I love the way you look at my art. I don't even know what I'm saying.

[Angela Kinsey]

Please tell me he's raising a boombox over his head. Please.

[Rich Sommer]

Look, just give me a chance. Please. Not for me, but for you.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. A million times, yes.

[Jenna Fischer]

Alex, I'm sorry. I love Jim.

[Rich Sommer]

I hope we can still be friends.

[Jenna Fischer]

Definitely. And thanks for saying all that. I know that took a lot.

[Rich Sommer]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

You're such an ass.

[Rich Sommer]

I know.

[Jenna Fischer]

No, not you.

[Rich Sommer]

Whatever.

[Jenna Fischer]

And scene. Can you believe he said it's been you? It's always been you.

[Angela Kinsey]

I mean, I also couldn't believe that he said, I see things no one else sees. That's some balls right there. Like, he's known you for a hot second, but he sees everything all these other people in your life have never seen in Pam.

[Jenna Fischer]

I know. And then he's like, I hope we can still be friends. I Mean buddy.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh my gosh, so many times.

[Jenna Fischer]

You're not gonna be friends after this. You're not?

[Angela Kinsey]

No, no. And I really want to apologize for that.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, don't apologize.

[Angela Kinsey]

My gym is. Was ridiculous. Like, I mean, I think I recorded that like on the go. And that is hilarious to me.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, I'm so glad we changed it to him suggesting that she not leave New York because I actually think that create. There's no way that Pam is going to dump Jim and be with Alex. That just isn't realistic. But it is realistic to like plant this seed of doubt in whether or not she should be going back to Scranton.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. That's the only seed of doubt in this scene that makes sense to me is about her questioning sort of her aspirations in life and her career hopes or sort of dreams. Right. She never questions Jim ever.

[Jenna Fischer]

Right.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's separate. Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. But like, what is the tension that would be created in their relationship if Pam had to say, hey, I don't want to move back to Scranton, I don't want to break up with you, but like, do you see a future in New York? And I have to say, why didn't she, like, what, they don't have kids yet? I guess Jim's not going to be for that because he's trying to secretly buy his parents house. But you know, why not transfer to Dunder Mifflin in New York and be with Pam and she gets to continue to pursue her artistic life.

[Angela Kinsey]

I think she didn't want it that bad. Yeah, I don't. I mean, Pam is not a doormat, you know, especially, you know, as her relationship with Jim grows, she's able to like, share with him that she really loves living in Scranton. Yeah, she really likes living there. She's happy there.

[Jenna Fischer]

We also find out that I guess a big part of this program was graphic design and she doesn't like it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Right.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's not what she meant by being an artist. And so I think she feels like, I don't need to keep pursuing this.

[Angela Kinsey]

Right.

[Jenna Fischer]

You know?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. So she had some self discovery there. She found out something about herself.

[Jenna Fischer]

She does.

[Angela Kinsey]

The other storyline in this episode is the whole Angela, Andy, kind of Dwight triangle moment because Andy's trying to find the perfect place for them to get married. But Angela doesn't really want to marry Andy, so she just keeps saying no to everything. And then finally they settle on Schrute Farms, which is also kind of foreshadowing for Angela. She does eventually get married at Schrute Farms.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. And when we Discuss this episode with the How We Made youe Mother. Guys. We discuss how this scene also shows people getting married in their own graves, and that ends up being a callback. But lady, we got a letter from Kara T. With another callback catch. Kara says Angela hates the idea of getting married in a tent when Andy proposes this idea. But she and Dwight end up getting married outside in a tent in the finale. Was this choice intentional to further drive home the fact that she and Dwight are soulmates and her and Andy's relationship was never meant to. Meant to last.

[Angela Kinsey]

That is a great catch, Kara. I don't think it was intentional, but I. I like it.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. I also loved in this storyline, just Andy talking about how he got the best dentist.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. Of all the dentists, he got the best. Aww, poor Andy. Well, before we wrap up this super fan breakdown, I thought we should play a classic Michael Redemption moment. I always love them in our episodes. It's that scene we talked about of when he's bonding with Kelly, and I thought it'd be a really nice way to end this episode. Let's hear it.

[Steve Carell]

I have an enormous amount of trouble trying to get people to come to my place, and I hate it. I can't tell you how much leftover guacamole I have ended up eating over the years. I don't even know why I'm making such great quantities. Here's what we're gonna do. We are going to sit here for a while, make it look good, and maybe you should cry. Can you make yourself cry?

[Jenna Fischer]

No problem.

[Steve Carell]

I think you should do.

[Jenna Fischer]

Amazing.

[Angela Kinsey]

So sweet, right?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

You know that second laugh is Mindy's real laugh.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes, exactly. It is.

[Angela Kinsey]

And I loved hearing it in the episode.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, everyone, that was our breakdown of this super fan of customer survey. A big thank you to Rich Summer for reading that long lost scene with us. I really enjoyed revisiting this one.

[Angela Kinsey]

I did too. And you guys, we hope you have a great week. Thank you for listening and we'll see you next time.

[Jenna Fischer]

Have a good one. Thank you for listening to Office Ladies.

[Angela Kinsey]

Office Ladies is a presentation of Odyssey and is produced by Jenna Fisher and Angela Kinsey.

[Jenna Fischer]

Our executive producer is Cassie Jerkins, our audio engineer is Sam Kiefer, and our associate producer is Ainslie Bubaco.

[Angela Kinsey]

Odyssey's executive producer is Leah Reese Dennis.

[Jenna Fischer]

Office Ladies was mixed and mastered by Bill Schultz.

[Angela Kinsey]

Our theme song is Rubber Tree by Creed Bratton.