Second Drink: Launch Party Part 1

Summary

Office Ladies: Second Drink – Launch Party Part 1

Episode Date: December 1, 2025
Hosts: Jenna Fischer & Angela Kinsey

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Overview & Main Theme

In this "Second Drink" episode, Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey—co-stars of The Office and real-life best friends—deliver an enthusiastic, behind-the-scenes breakdown of “Launch Party, Part 1” from Season 4 of The Office. The main focus is the legendary DVD logo cold open, a cultural phenomenon birthed by this episode, as well as juicy anecdotes about on-set shenanigans, deleted scenes, acting choices, and of course, the ongoing drama between Dwight and Angela.

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1. The Cultural Phenomenon of the DVD Logo Cold Open

Discussed in detail from [02:21]–[22:43]

• Origins (02:21–05:52):

  • They revisit the cold open where the office staff becomes transfixed by the bouncing DVD logo awaiting it to hit the TV corner.
  • Listeners shared their own "DVD logo" stories, including viral videos and stadium-sized crowd reactions.
    • Angela: “Lady, people at home also latched onto this idea and started posting on social media platforms of themselves in their own living rooms watching their TVs, waiting for the logo to hit the corner.” [03:28]
  • Jenna references a Reddit thread calculating the probability for such an event—1 in 11,780. So, on average, it happens every 6.5 minutes [05:49].

• Real Life Inspiration (14:37–16:01):

  • Writer Jen Salata shares her story: The idea came from the Office writers' room itself.
    • Jen Salata: “I was obsessed with it. ... And I remember that I saw it once hit perfectly in the corner ... And there was at least one non-believer.” [14:37]

• Relatability of Boring Meetings (16:16–18:34):

  • Angela shares her temping days story—her version of the “DVD logo” was people-watching in the parking garage with co-workers, showing how these moments ground office life in relatable reality.

• Filming Secrets (18:55–22:31):

  • Fans asked how the cold open was technically achieved. Jenna explains they acted in front of a blue screen, with the DVD logo composited in later. Ken Whittingham directed their reactions via hand signals.
  • Jen Salata (20:57): “I remember trying to match the dialogue with the reactions that everybody was having to the much more important DVD logo in the background.”
  • They’ll post a behind-the-scenes pic of the cast staring at the blue screen [22:15].

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2. Behind the Scenes: Deleted Scenes, Alt Lines, & Personal Stories

Highlighted throughout; major segment [06:02–07:29]

• Angela shares unused “Michael Scott at the party check-in” bits from the candy bag alts:
  • Michael: “Knock knock. Who's there? Michael Scott. Michael Scott who? Michael Scott. I'm on the list. ... Let me talk to your manager or you're fired ... But I thought there was no E. So he's out of luck.” [06:04]
  • Jenna notes this stretch of dialogue seems more “Dwight” than “Michael” [06:49].
  • They contrast with another alt line, showing the subtle differences in writing for characters [06:55–07:26].

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3. Fan Letters, Notable Quotes, and Community Feedback

Recurring throughout episode

• On Fan Communities Sharing “DVD Logo” Stories:

  • Angela (03:28): “Lady, people at home also latched onto this idea and started posting on social media ... of themselves ... waiting for the logo to hit the corner.”
  • Jenna (04:22): “One of my favorite things is that Michael C. wrote in to tell us about this Reddit thread that broke down the probability ...”

• On Giving Tuesday:

  • Jenna (07:30): Shout-out to foundations: Black Girls Code, AMSCI, World Central Kitchen, Ronald McDonald House, and advice on the value of recurring monthly donations.
  • Angela (08:49): “That makes sense—that then they could budget how to best use that money.”

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4. Episode Recap & Plot Deep Dive

Timestamps: [10:02] and on, with segment headers inline

• Episode Summary ([10:34]):

  • “On the day of the Dunder Mifflin Infinity website launch: Dwight tries to outsell the website to impress Angela, Jim & Pam prank Dwight, and Michael thinks he’s invited to a fancy NYC launch party only to discover his invitation is virtual.”

• Main Office Antics:

  • The “Lanch Party” Banner & Party Planning [11:30–12:15; 47:53–51:14]

    • Classic joke: “Is it a 'launch party’? Or is it a 'lunch party’? ... Or is it a 'lanch party'?”—Angela: “Get out. You and Kevin can get out.” [09:31]
    • Real-life banner typo leads to Angela’s meltdown and Phyllis’s new strategy—Google “how to deal with difficult people.”
    • Angela: “If someone had made a banner that said lunch party, and then turned to me and said, ‘how do you feel about ...’ I’d probably say, ‘I feel like you’re a dumbass.’” [50:14]

  • Deleted Scenes Insight:

    • Rivals in party planning: Angela is competing in her mind with Denise Stims of Buffalo [48:10].
    • Angela: “There is a party planning committee rival ... And Angela hates her. And they get their parties compared.” [48:36]

  • Short Jokes Runner:

    • Angela tracks Short Joke #1: “What’s that, pipsqueak?” (referencing Angela’s height)
    • Angela confirms Steve Carell improvised many of these, and the show would keep the best ones [40:19; 51:14–51:54; 72:19].

  • Meredith’s Cast Scene [31:47–36:07]

    • Meredith (Kate Flannery) tries to get Jim to sign her “cast undies.” On the first take, John Krasinski accidentally signed his own name—Kate kept that cast as a souvenir [35:26].
    • Kate Flannery guest audio: “And John accidentally signed his real name instead of Jim Halpert. And that is the one I kept. I still have my pelvis cast. I made a coffee table out of it.” [35:26]

  • Dwight vs. The Website [40:03–44:46]

    • Dwight becomes incensed at being replaced by tech, setting up the salesman vs. the website competition.
    • Angela: “If he beats the computer, he wins Angela back. I think that’s where his rationale is.” [71:37]

  • Pam & Jim’s Prank [57:24–60:14]

    • They send fake computer messages to Dwight, pretending the AI system is sentient.
    • Pam struggles with the typing program to keep her acting authentic:
      • Jenna: “I was personally compelled to type out the words correctly ... it was tough for me.” [58:22]

  • Angela/Phyllis “Tone” Scene [66:14–69:18]

    • Angela can’t stop laughing as Phyllis tries to keep it together during this now-classic confrontation (“I want to understand what you’re saying, but it’s difficult for me when you use that tone.”) [67:12]
    • Jenna: “One of my favorite moments is the hand gesture you make when you say blades. ... You do this little scoopy thing with your hand.” [67:59]
    • Angela goes off on a tangent explaining cheerleader hand positions: “blades...candlesticks...jazz hands” [68:59–69:45].

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5. Recurring Character Dynamics & Subplots

Timestamps & themes interwoven

• Dwight and Angela’s Post-Breakup Tension [44:12, 71:37, 78:01]:

  • Dwight grows facial hair to show distress; this was intentional, but the supporting talking head was cut [41:25].
  • Angela escalates her efforts to distance herself, including publicly asking Pam to set her up with another man, just to wound Dwight [78:31].
  • Pam offers Dwight a bit of kindness with a congratulatory fake computer message, but it backfires—Dwight’s still heartbroken [78:45].

• Ryan’s Corporate Persona [45:02]:

  • An iconic talking head where Ryan does interviews in someone else's office; the real office owner is a PA, "Thomas Dean," with the voice of editor Dean Holland [45:43].

• Michael’s Unraveling (60:40–77:33):

  • Hilarity ensues as Michael gets excited about a “European cut” shirt, gets shot down, and then, thinking he’s invited to an exclusive NYC party, discovers he’s only meant to virtually attend (“the club is called Chat Room ... the password is password?” [11:12]).
  • Michael’s heartbreak on learning the truth is palpable, ending with him throwing out the gift he got for Ryan and returning in shame [77:46].
  • Michael Scott energy: “I was invited to a chat room, which he thought was a club that had a secret password.” [11:04]

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6. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jenna (on the DVD phenomenon): "I know you love Simplisafe..." [ads skipped]
• Angela (on Pam/Phyllis confrontation): "I want to understand what you’re saying, but it’s difficult for me when you use that tone." [67:12]
• Kate Flannery guest spot (on the pelvis cast): "I literally had to lie down on my back wearing a pair of tighty whities over my clothes. And then they did these cast strips ... And John accidentally signed his real name." [35:26]
• Jenna (on Michael’s gift logic): “Also, hasn’t Ryan already gone to the places he’ll go?” [76:53]
• Short Jokes: “You must be this tall or you may not ride the roller coaster.” [72:23]
• Angela (on deleted scene rivalry): “Denise, you’re not fooling anyone with those curls. We know you get a perm.” [48:45]
• Jenna (on Pam’s typing): “My integrity as a typist … it was real hard.” [59:32]
• Angela (on Dunder Mifflin’s lack of reward): “He is clearly the best salesman and has been for a long time, and he never gets upper management … I feel like Dunder Mifflin could do better by Dwight.” [60:18]
• Angela (summing up the Angela-Dwight subplot): “And what if your ex is your notary?” [78:31]

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7. Deep Dives & Fun Tangents

• Power Gel/Energy Fueling (55:14):

  • Dwight squeezes “power gel” into his mouth to psych up. Angela goes on a rabbit hole about real-life energy gels (Beat Elite!) and how endurance athletes use them.

• Binary Code Prank (65:05):

  • Dwight replies to Jim/Pam’s fake computer with a binary code message; the fan community deciphers it to mean "Why don't you F off?"

• Angela’s Cheerleading Hand Gestures (68:40):

  • “Blade, candlesticks, jazz hands”—Angela takes listeners through her high school cheerleading lingo.

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8. Upcoming Teases and Extra Trivia

• Launch Party Part 2 will feature Michael taking the pizza delivery guy hostage.
• Andy will make a play for Angela [79:36].
• There was a deleted “Toby is a bad driver” runner written to keep Paul Lieberstein busy in the writers' room [80:44].

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Key Timestamps

• [02:21] – Episode welcome and DVD logo phenomenon deep dive
• [14:37] – Jen Salata (writer) shares real-life DVD logo inspiration
• [31:47] – Meredith’s cast scene; Kate Flannery audio guest clip
• [47:53] – The infamous “lunch party”/“launch party” banner fight
• [66:14] – Angela/Phyllis tone scene
• [71:37] – Dwight’s “stolen leads” reveal
• [75:02] – Michael and Jim’s NYC drive; “Dinner Party” setup
• [78:01] – Angela-Centric conference room drama and closing thoughts
• [80:44] – Deleted scenes and Toby driver subplot

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Summary

This rewatch episode immerses fans in both the nostalgia and minutiae of “Launch Party, Part 1.” Through lively banter, candid reminiscing, direct fan engagement, and guest appearances, Jenna and Angela answer burning questions about the making of iconic scenes, character motivations, prop oddities, and the enduring charm of watching people be people in an office. The tone is irreverent, nerdy, and full of affection for both the show and its community.

Whether you’re new to The Office or a veteran Dunder-Mifflin-head, this “Second Drink” is a giddy, trivia-laden companion to a classic TV episode, best enjoyed with a friend and a keen eye for unintentional corner hits.

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“We were there, and I was watching this, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, but I was there. I’m in that room. That’s me.’”
—Jenna Fischer, [22:58]

Transcript

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[Jenna Fisher]

Hello and welcome to our second drink of launch party part one.

[Angela Kinsey]

We did a great deep dive in this episode about that cold open where the little DVD logo bounces around the screen. Jenna, you got fantastic behind the scenes details from writer Jen Salata about it.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yes, and since our breakdown of this first went out, many of you have written to tell us about your own bouncing DVD logo stories. This whole bit that Jen Salata wrote for the office really took off for example, Ray S. Wrote in to say that he was at a John Mayer concert, and before John went on stage, he did a riff on this exact bit. And the crowd went nuts when it hit the corner.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. And so many folks wrote in about moments like that. Alyssia M. Wrote in to say, did you all see the video of this happening at a stadium? It must have been a football or soccer game. The whole stadium was awaiting the little corner. Boop. It was amazing and definitely inspired by the office. Alicia, I think I found the moment you're talking about. If it was the one at that West Point football game and everyone was watching and they went crazy. Folks also said they saw the same moment at baseball games and other big sports events. But lady, people at home also latched onto this idea and started posting on social media platforms of themselves in their own living rooms watching their TVs, waiting for the logo to hit the corner. And I want to share one from these folks. They posted a video of it. They titled it Freak Out After DVD Player Screensaver Bubble hits Corner Perfectly. Listen to how excited they get. Yeah, it will.

[Jenna Fisher]

You have to have faith. You got to have faith.

[Angela Kinsey]

Faith in the DVD player.

[Jenna Fisher]

Faith. And Sanya. Okay, it's coming up. This is the cycle. This is it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Come on, baby. It's not about yes, yes, yes, yes. Isn't that hilarious? Like how excited everyone is in their living room. Now imagine that at a stadium.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

And the roar from the crowd.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, one of my favorite things is that Michael C. Wrote in to tell us about this Reddit thread that broke down the probability of a DVD logo hitting the corner.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, my gosh.

[Jenna Fisher]

So this Reddit thread, I guess, is called they did the Math. It actually has a lot of great deep dives, but this particular, I guess, is it called a subreddit? Was called what are the odds of the DVD screensaver logo directly hitting the corner?

[Angela Kinsey]

And did they do the math?

[Jenna Fisher]

Yes, they did the math. They all agreed. Well, first of all, they all agreed that the actual odds of the logo hitting a corner on any given frame are heavily influenced by. By the dimensions of the screen, the dimensions of the logo, the starting point of the logo, the step size of the logo's movement, and the X and Y dimensions and the programmed behavior when the logo hits an edge or corner.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, no, this is.

[Jenna Fisher]

There's a lot of variables here.

[Angela Kinsey]

There's a lot of variables.

[Jenna Fisher]

But after much discussion, they, quote, did the math, and basically they calculated the number of frames between every corner hit. They determined the odds of hitting the Corner directly, which was 1 in 11,780. And then they determined the frame rate for the NTSC DVD player, which is 29.97 frames per second. All of this translates into. Are you ready? Drum roll.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fisher]

One Corner hit every 6.5 minutes.

[Angela Kinsey]

Wow. So you have to wait six and a half minutes. Mm, I love that. I love this conversation that Jen Salata kicked off just because of this cold open.

[Jenna Fisher]

I know.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, I have a little candy bag alt thing to share with you.

[Jenna Fisher]

Okay.

[Angela Kinsey]

When we first rewatched this episode, I didn't go digging in there, but for the second drink, I did. And I wanted to share something. So in this Michael Scott talking head that was in the candy bag alts, Michael Scott is kind of going up to the party and there's like guest check in list. And he imagines this whole conversation that he's gonna have with the person checking him into the party. Okay, here's what he had to say. Knock, knock. Who's there? Michael Scott. Michael Scott who? Michael Scott. I'm on the list. Oh, I don't see you. Double check. It's with two T's. Uh huh. Still can't find it. Let me talk to your manager or you're fired. I get in, he gets fired, he begs forgiveness, I ask him to spell it, he spells it right. But I thought there was no E. So he's out of luck.

[Jenna Fisher]

Can I say something? What? That sounds very Dwight Schrute to me.

[Angela Kinsey]

It does, right?

[Jenna Fisher]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

Here's an alt for that. Ready? It's a little shorter. Again, Michael is at that guest check in with the host. Knock knock. Who's there? Michael Scott. Oh, Michael Scott, we've been waiting for you. How is your convertible Sebring? Have a crab cake and a glow stick. Hey everyone, it's Michael. Hey, Michael. Hi, Michael. Have you met Paris? Hey, Paris. Hey, Michael. How's it going? Good, how about you? Pretty good. Let's move this conversation to the dance floor. I can't tell you the rest.

[Jenna Fisher]

I like that. That sounds a little more Michael to me.

[Angela Kinsey]

Right, I thought so.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, listen everyone, before we go, I just wanted to mention that tomorrow is Giving Tuesday and our media company Ramble does donations to various organizations each year. And I wanted to shout out our donations this year just to give a little visibility to some foundations that we think are doing great work. You know, I was on the board of directors for Miri's list for several years, and I just know how helpful shout outs like this can. In fact, Mary's list is a great organization. We've donated to them before. But this year we are giving to Black Girls Code AMSCI, World Central Kitchen and Ronald McDonald House.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. And I will put links to these places in our stories in case you want to find out more about them.

[Jenna Fisher]

And if you are doing any giving this Tuesday, I wanted to share another little thing that I learned doing my foundation work, which is that organizations really appreciate a small monthly donation. Like a one time donation is wonderful, but if you break up that amount into 12 monthly gifts, it really helps the foundation budget they're giving for the year. And when they're filling out grant requests, it helps them to have a sort of subscription base and they can plan more of their outreach in advance. So just throwing that out there in my personal giving, I do monthly donations now.

[Angela Kinsey]

That makes sense that then they could budget how to best use that money.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. All right, well, everyone, now here is our second drink of Launch party part one.

[Jenna Fisher]

I'm Jenna Fisher.

[Angela Kinsey]

And I'm Angela Kinsey.

[Jenna Fisher]

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

[Angela Kinsey]

Each week we will break down an episode of the Office and give explanation behind the scenes stories that only two people who were there can tell you.

[Jenna Fisher]

We're the Office ladies. It's party time, everybody.

[Angela Kinsey]

It's a launch party.

[Jenna Fisher]

Or is it a lunch party?

[Angela Kinsey]

How dare you?

[Jenna Fisher]

Is it a lanch party?

[Angela Kinsey]

Get out. You and Kevin can get out.

[Jenna Fisher]

That is one of my favorite jokes. Lanch party?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. Would that be better, Kevin? Would that be better for it to say lanch party?

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, it is a launch party. It is another one hour episode. So you know what that means. We're doing launch party part one today. This was season four, episode five, written by Jen Salata and directed by Ken Whittingham.

[Angela Kinsey]

I mean, one of our favorite duos.

[Jenna Fisher]

Oh, yeah. And this was actually Ken's sixth episode that he directed. We love Ken so much.

[Angela Kinsey]

I want you guys to know if you watch the bloopers, you will see a few times. Jen and Ken cracking up and they whip the camera over on them and bust them. But they were just so fun on set, weren't they, Jenna? They were so, like light and there for you and ready to laugh. I loved the two of them together.

[Jenna Fisher]

Same. All right, ladies, should I hit you up with a summary?

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, yeah, we got a lot to cover, so let's go.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, here's what we're going to talk about this week on the day of the Dunder Mifflin Infinity website launch. Dwight makes it his goal to beat the website in sales. To impress Angela, Jim and Pam prank Dwight into thinking the computer is communicating with him. And Michael thinks he got invited to the fancy launch party with sushi in New York, but he is embarrassed to learn he was only invited to attend. Virtually.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, he was invited to a chat room, which he thought was a club that had a secret password.

[Jenna Fisher]

Exactly. The password is password.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. Is there a www before that? Club name.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, listen, this episode also features a very famous cold open from the series. You know the one I'm talking about, Angela?

[Angela Kinsey]

I do. I love it. And Jenna. I have had people write in and tell me that they do this in their office now.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

That it sort of started a thing.

[Jenna Fisher]

When I watched this episode with Lee, he said, I've done this. I've done this. So it's the one that takes place in the conference room, and everyone's watching this little DVD square on the screen behind Michael as he is trying to lecture us about I don't know what ideas to improve.

[Angela Kinsey]

Totally. Yeah. He's trying to tell us how to improve or spruce up the quarterlies. Right. They're boring.

[Jenna Fisher]

Very boring. Well, we thought that today, in lieu of fast facts, we should do a deep dive on this cold open.

[Angela Kinsey]

We should, you guys, because there's some fun, fun info for you. So we reached out to our writer, Jen Salata, because we heard a rumor that this might have happened to her in her real life. It was somehow based on her. Right, Jenna?

[Jenna Fisher]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

And she had some great stuff to say. So let's do a deep dive with this cold open.

[Jenna Fisher]

Cold open, deep dive. Sam, will you play my son's sting?

[Angela Kinsey]

You got a deep.

[Jenna Fisher]

You got a dive.

[Angela Kinsey]

You put them together. Get it?

[Jenna Fisher]

Deep dive. There it is.

[Angela Kinsey]

There it is.

[Jenna Fisher]

All right, so like we said, Michael's having a meeting, and behind him is this TV screen. And you don't really know what's going on at first because it just keeps panning around to everyone in the conference room. And we are oddly riveted by what Michael is saying.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. And what he's saying is so boring. Like, he's saying, I want to make suggestions to spruce up these quarterly reports. He's saying things like, what if in a bad quarter, there's a storm cloud? Or in a good quarter, there's fireworks or a race car? And then we all go, ugh. And he goes, not a race car. Doesn't have to be a race car.

[Jenna Fisher]

So then we go to this gym talking head. And he explains what's going on. He says that they are all wanting to see if this little DVD cube on the TV screen will hit perfectly in the corner. And he says he doesn't think it can happen. And that Pam claims she saw once when she was alone in the conference room.

[Angela Kinsey]

And then, Jenna, it cuts to your talking head and you're so cute in this. You're like, I did see it. Did Jim say, I didn't see it? It's very cute. It seems like we get to see a little joke between Jim and Pam.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yes. So then the boring meeting continues. And then finally it happens. The little cube goes in the square and everybody cheers. And Michael thinks that it is because he has said something brilliant.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, his whole Where's Waldo thing was a big hit. And he's so happy. Michael is like, hey, some days you just got it.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah. Some days you're just on fire. Yeah. Well, I remember shooting Ms. Angela. It was so much fun, but it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Was also like something we had to choreograph. Do you remember?

[Jenna Fisher]

I do. And guys, it is true that this cold open was based on a real life experience of Jen Salata in the writer's room. And it was the inspiration for her writing this little cold open. We asked her about it and here's what she had to say.

[Jen Salata]

So the inspiration for the cold open, where the DVD logo bounces around the TV screen and everybody's transfixed, was definitely the writer's room. I was obsessed with it. We would all watch the little DVD logo, and I remember that I saw it once hit perfectly in the corner, that the edge of the logo lined up with the edge of the tv. And it just felt so good. And I remember there was at least one non believer in the room, and it would hit like, kind of close to the corner and they'd say, that was it. That must be what you remember. It's not going to hit perfectly in the corner. And so I was transfixed with the logo and watching it a lot of the time and maybe not paying attention as much as I should have to.

[Angela Kinsey]

The task at hand.

[Jen Salata]

So that is where the inspiration for it came from.

[Jenna Fisher]

So basically, Jen was Pam.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes, Jen was Pam. And no one believed her and she was adamant about it and she wanted everyone else to see it go in the corner to, like, affirm her. This is what I love about Jen, if you guys have noticed, you've been listening to our podcast. Her episodes are so personal to her life experience. Yeah, I mean, the WebMD thing remember that she wrote about and now this. And there's always these little moments from Jen's actual life, and I think it is such a nice touch.

[Jenna Fisher]

And there are always these really ordinary moments that might otherwise pass you by. And something in her brain makes note of these. And that is why when you watch this cold open, it is so deeply relatable.

[Angela Kinsey]

It really is. I mean, Jenna, you and I both tempt. We sat through boring meetings all the time. And Jenna, you do this. You find little hooks of something happening to get you through it. And it's like sometimes nothing you even, like, speak about with your other co workers. You just all, like, lock onto something. I tempt at this office. And all the executive side of the building face, like, a nice view of the city, but everyone in cubicles faced a parking garage.

[Jenna Fisher]

Okay.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay. This parking garage became our entertainment. Like, every day I'd be like, what's happening in the parking garage? And they'd be like, oh, you remember blue Zippy guy? You know blue Zippy guy. He always zips around in that blue Toyota. Oh, yeah. Blue Zippy guy got a new car. What? No. Yeah, and then one day, oh, my gosh, it was like it ate up our whole day. There was a couple that would meet in the parking lot at lunch. Lady, I shit you not. It was like their meetup place.

[Jenna Fisher]

What?

[Angela Kinsey]

And yes, they would pull up in two cars and we'd be like, oh, they're here, they're here. And then they would get in one car and they would talk. Sometimes they would kiss. Nothing more than just like a smooch or two. But we became so invested in the parking lot couple.

[Jenna Fisher]

They were having an affair. That must have been an affair.

[Angela Kinsey]

I. I mean, why do you.

[Jenna Fisher]

Why would you meet up in a parking garage and in two separate cars and then get into one car and, like, smooch and stuff? If you're not, like, sneaking around, that is not normal.

[Angela Kinsey]

I guess you're right.

[Jenna Fisher]

Unless it's like their lunch break or something. I don't know.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's what I. It was around lunch, and sometimes they would eat lunch together. So I thought, well, maybe they're a couple.

[Jenna Fisher]

Oh, well, then maybe they're a couple.

[Angela Kinsey]

I don't know. But also, maybe it was tawdry.

[Jenna Fisher]

I don't know.

[Angela Kinsey]

But one day they got in a fight, and we didn't know what it was about. We saw, like, sort of like hand, like, you know, you can tell body energy in the car. And then he got out and he slammed the door and he Kind of, like, leaned back on the back. I'm telling you, this is all we could think about. We couldn't think about any of the, like, work we were supposed to be doing. We were like, oh, he is pissed. Have you seen. He's leaning up on the back of the car. Have you seen him? Oh, there goes blue zippy guy.

[Jenna Fisher]

That couple. That parking garage. Was your DVD square?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes, yes. But this is what I love about Jen, is these little tiny moments that are so relatable when you work in an office all day, you have to find little things to get you through.

[Jenna Fisher]

Absolutely. Well, Angela, you mentioned that when we were shooting this, it was really technical, and we got a lot of fan questions about it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, let's hear them.

[Jenna Fisher]

All right. Sandy P, Megan S, Miranda D, Mo Downey, and Amanda McKnight all asked, how in the world did you time the cube to go in the corner at exactly the right moment? Did the show need to create, like, a special program for the DVD screensaver? You know, Ange, when I watched this, I have to say I was kind of amazed. And I could not remember how we did it. I thought, did they make, like, a DVD disc and we had to time it all out?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. I sort of remembered Ken Whittingham giving us cues. Did you remember that?

[Jenna Fisher]

Oh, like hand signals of when to cheer or when to be shocked or all of our reactions.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. But I can't be sure. I feel like Ken was giving us hand signals. But you know what? We asked Jen, and she had a little something to say about it.

[Jen Salata]

So I couldn't remember how we actually filmed the DVD logo part of the scene. So I asked Dave Rogers, who edited the episode, and he said that we put the DVD screensaver in later. It was burned in later, so it was just a blue screen on the monitor while we were filming, which allowed us to play with the timing of when the logo would hit the edges of the tv.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yes. That makes so much sense. There was nothing on the tv.

[Angela Kinsey]

Nothing. And I think Ken was telling us, like, either, like, thumbs up to cheer or thumbs down. And we had certain words that Steve was gonna say as Michael. Right. That we knew.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, I definitely remember that. I remember that Steve's dialogue was written. And this was unusual because a lot of times we would get in these conference room scenes and we could play around and we could improvise, but not with this, but with. Because it was too important that we react off of certain things.

[Angela Kinsey]

He said, yeah, and we all had to react at the same time. So it was Very sort of, like, planned out.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, we also asked Jen about writing this dialogue, and here's what she had to say as far as dialogue for.

[Jen Salata]

Steve in the cold open. I remember trying to match the dialogue with the reactions that everybody was having to the much more important DVD logo in the background. Steve always makes everything better, so it's possible that some of the dialogue was changed a bit or just made better. But I remember when we were filming it, we also. With the camera that was on you guys, we had you guys have various reactions so that we could just have them and Dave could edit them in, like, just the crazy joy that you'd feel when it hit the corner and how frustrating it would be when it missed, so that we had a bunch of reactions to play with that we could end up giving to Dave at the end when he was trying to assemble the scene. I thought it timed out so wonderfully and captured the excitement of when that cube hits the corner. And I just love so much how Steve plays the fact that he thinks that everything is about him, completely unbeknownst to him, the terribly exciting thing that's happening behind him.

[Jenna Fisher]

That is so much technical work that went into making this happen. And by the way, Jen sent us a picture of all of us from our point of view looking at that blue blank TV screen. So we'll post that in the podcast.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. That is so great. And what a fun thing that Jen's little idea, this thing that happened to her, ended up being this fantastic cold open. And there is your deep dive of this episode's cold open.

[Jenna Fisher]

I loved it.

[Angela Kinsey]

I did, too.

[Jenna Fisher]

I enjoyed learning all those things about it myself. And I was there.

[Angela Kinsey]

I feel like we say that a lot. We're like, oh, my God. And we were there. And that is so cool. And I didn't know that.

[Jenna Fisher]

That's how I feel when I rewatch the show sometimes. Sometimes I'm like, but I was there. I'm in that room. That's me.

[Angela Kinsey]

I did that.

[Jenna Fisher]

I did that. Exactly.

[Angela Kinsey]

All right, well, lady, I feel like we should go to break, and then we'll come back and let's get into this episode.

[Jenna Fisher]

We'll break it down, break it down, break it down.

[Angela Kinsey]

I have found that hiring isn't just about finding someone who's willing to take the job. You might get lots of folks that are like, sure, I'll do that job, but it's finding the right person for the job. You know, the right person with the right background who can actually take your business and move it to the next level. You know what we need?

[Jenna Fisher]

I know what you're going to say, Lady.

[Angela Kinsey]

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[Jenna Fisher]

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[Angela Kinsey]

Indeed.Com officeladies just go to indeed.com officeladies right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podc Indeed.com OfficeLadies Terms and Conditions apply. Hiring do it the right way with Indeed. This podcast is sponsored by Squarespace.

[Jenna Fisher]

We probably don't need to tell you that our officeladies.com website is active and wonderful. Thanks to Squarespace.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, we have talked about Squarespace a lot because we love it and we use it every single week.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yes, Ileana manages our website and she does it through Squarespace. And the reason that she does it through Squarespace is because it is so user friendly.

[Angela Kinsey]

It's so user friendly that only a handful of times when Ileana has taken a vacation or been out of town, she passes this torch along to Josh.

[Jenna Fisher]

Who then manages our website for the.

[Angela Kinsey]

Day and a half that he needs to. But it's that user friendly.

[Jenna Fisher]

It's amazing. It has cutting edge design, it will help you find a domain, it can help you fundraise, you can post videos. Head to squarespace.com officeladies for a free trial. And when you're ready to launch, use offer code officeladies to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

[Angela Kinsey]

You know, some people in your family can be hard to shop for. And what I love, lady, is I love to go to Shutterfly and I love to take a picture from a special moment in our life.

[Jenna Fisher]

Right?

[Angela Kinsey]

An adventure. We went on a trip, we went on a family member we got to spend time with and turn that moment into a gift for the holidays.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah, my sister and I do this for my dad. We bring together pictures of our kids and we put all the photos in a collage on a coffee tumbler. We call it Pawpaw's Coffee Tumbler. And we update it so that you know, cause the kids are growing, but he has all of them. It's so sweet.

[Angela Kinsey]

I just love that. You know what I do? I take our Christmas card that I make for the year. Also On Shutterfly, by the way, I take the Christmas card and I put it on an ornament and I send each set of grandparents that same ornament. It's such a big hit. Grandma Snyder loves them. Make something that means something. This holiday shop shutterfly.com officeladies for gifts like custom mugs, photo books, calendars, blankets, and tabletop prints. And right now, get free shipping on your order with promo code officeladies. This promo can be stacked with any other offer. Details are on site. You know how much our hair goes through. Blow dryers, curling irons, color, all of it. We love looking our best, but it can be a lot of stress on our hair. That's why finding Virtue Hair care is a total game changer. It's not just another shampoo brand. It's luxury hair care powered by science and born from regenerative medicine. Their technology, the Alpha Keratin 60 KU is a patented protein identical to the keratin in our own hair and skin. So instead of just coating the damage, it actually heals hair from the inside out.

[Jenna Fisher]

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[Angela Kinsey]

Okay, we are back for launch party. And Jenna, before we get into this, I just want you to know something. I think I might have found your soulmate. Now look, I know you're happily married and Lee, I apologize, but there's something Jenna needs to know. Jenna, Paul Reiser, star of NBC sitcom Mad about yout, might be your soulmate.

[Jenna Fisher]

Why are you saying this?

[Angela Kinsey]

He did an interview with the A.V. club recently where he said, and I quote, well, I just won't watch Game of Thrones. Oh, wait, it gets better. He says it doesn't come up that often. Nobody's lobbying for me to watch it. But there are certain things that I have learned that I just am not interested in. No matter how many times you tell me it's good, I can't. Are you ready?

[Jenna Fisher]

Uh huh.

[Angela Kinsey]

Then he goes on to say, like last year I went on Jimmy Fallon with Helen Hunt. And I didn't mean for this to be public, but, you know, they asked, what are you doing for Christmas? And Helen said, I'm going to go home and watch the new Star wars movie. And Jimmy said, what about you? And I said, here's the truth. Oh, no, I've never seen one. And the audience gasped like I had said, I strangled a puppy. He said, I've seen pieces. I know what they look like, but it's not for me. I'm not degrading it. They're clearly very good, but I'm gonna skip it, Lady. My God, she's a schoolmate.

[Jenna Fisher]

Okay, I am forming a dinner party for myself. I'm gonna bring Paul Reiser, and then I gotta bring Jon Favreau because I just watched him make some sourdough from scratch. He was.

[Angela Kinsey]

But Jon Favreau is doing the Mandalorian. He clearly loves Star Wars. This is a horrible dinner party. This is gonna. Do you want conflict at dinner? Oh, my gosh, you're so right. Invite me. I'll be the buffer.

[Jenna Fisher]

Okay.

[Angela Kinsey]

Between you and Jon Favreau. But I love that Paul Reiser said, I'm gonna skip it.

[Jenna Fisher]

Oh, my gosh.

[Angela Kinsey]

I got so tickled when I read that I had. I. Like, I've been saving that I couldn't wait to share it with you.

[Jenna Fisher]

I hope that I run into him one day so that we can discuss this. We're part of a very small group of people, but there's more of us out there. I've gotten mail. There's more of us out there who just do not connect to that material.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, my gosh.

[Jenna Fisher]

And it's very validating to hear from others.

[Angela Kinsey]

I just bought myself a shirt with Baby Yoda on it.

[Jenna Fisher]

See, I think Baby Yoda is very cute. I just maybe don't want to watch a whole show about it, but I'll hang the ornament on my tree in a hot second, you know?

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, Baby Yoda got a name, and everyone's a buzz about it, but I know you don't care.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, what is it?

[Angela Kinsey]

Grogu. G R O G U. Grogu.

[Jenna Fisher]

Grogu.

[Angela Kinsey]

Grogu is his name. Okay, okay. Paul Reiser. I'm going to skip it. You know what? That was some serious PR energy. I'm going to skip it.

[Jenna Fisher]

What's pr Paul Reiser energy?

[Angela Kinsey]

You had the look. I just love that he ends it with, I'm gonna skip it. It's so beautiful. It's perfect.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, maybe we should get into this episode.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay. I just wanted you to know that I found your soulmate. Anyway, let's get to the episode. You guys, this episode starts with a Fantastic scene. Kate Flanery and John Krasinski crush this. I was laughing so hard.

[Jenna Fisher]

It's all so good.

[Angela Kinsey]

John's tiny little moments are amazing. So Meredith kind of is, like, being flirty with Jim. She's like, hey, thanks for visiting me at the hospital. And he's like, well, we all came to see you. And she's like, yeah. And then she wants him to sign her cast, and she pulls up her skirt and leans her pelvis into him.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

And Jem is like, okay. No one else has signed it. No one.

[Jenna Fisher]

She doesn't ask anybody else to sign it.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know.

[Jenna Fisher]

She wanted one signature, and she wanted it where she could see it when she gets home.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, Lord.

[Jenna Fisher]

I have a question. Okay, we got a lot of fan questions about this scene, but I'm gonna start with my question. Do you get a cast on your pelvis when you break your pelvis? Is that even a thing? Should I have looked it up?

[Angela Kinsey]

I guess we should have looked it up. I didn't think to question it, but now that you mention it, it looks like cast undies.

[Jenna Fisher]

How do you sit in that? How do you go to the bathroom? I had a lot of questions. Okay, do we need a real time deep dive on pelvic casts?

[Angela Kinsey]

I'm looking it up right now. Do you get a cast? This is what I'm typing in on your pelvis. Oh, God. What's gonna come up?

[Jenna Fisher]

You know, I'll tell you what, Angela. I have a lot of weird searches because of this podcast.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, well, I know that if someone.

[Jenna Fisher]

Were investigating me, they would be very, very confused by my search history.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know. I think that all the time. Okay, so this doctor says it's like a rib. You can't cast ribs. We don't cast pelvic fractures, according to Dr. Rothberg. Is that correct, Internet? That's what Dr. Rothberg says.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, Cody is messaging us that she's seeing the same thing, that you cannot cast a pelvis. This was similar to my back fracture. You can't cast it. It's like a rib break. All right, well, moving on to our fan questions on this one, then.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay.

[Jenna Fisher]

Hannah Baumgartner, Megan Robinson, Miriam Humphrey, Miranda Dunham, Alison Ellis, and many others said, first of all, how many casts did they make for Meredith? And did John Krasinski sign his real name on this cast? Because it really looks like he wrote John Krasinski instead of Jim Halpert. And Charmaine Marshall asked, did anyone keep Meredith's cast?

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, we know the answers to all of that. We Reached out to Kate Flannery, the wearer of the cast undies, and here's what she had to say.

[Kate Flannery]

Kate Flannery here to clear up any mystery around Meredith's pelvis cast. First question, did they have more than one cast? Yes. I actually had to come in especially, and we did about eight casts. I literally had to lie down on my back wearing a pair of tighty whities over my clothes. And then they did these, like, cast strips that they got wet with, like, plaster paris, and they built the front of it so it had an elastic waistband, and I had to pull it off before it got too hard. That's what she said. And I remember doing MySpace post about it because I had a blog as Meredith, and I wrote a whole thing that said Meredith gets plastered. It just writes itself, doesn't it? I do remember doing multiple takes, although we did get it on the first one, except for the fact that John accidentally signed his real name instead of Jim Halpert. And that is the one that I kept. I still have my pelvis cast. I made a coffee table out of it. Now I don't know what to do with it. It's in my closet right now, but should I hang it on the wall? I don't know what to do. It's so good. Maybe it should be a coffee table. Maybe a Lucite box, like an art piece in the shrine that is the office in my house. Anyway, I hope I answered your questions.

[Angela Kinsey]

Bye.

[Jenna Fisher]

I vote for Lucite box.

[Angela Kinsey]

I would so want that as a coffee table.

[Jenna Fisher]

I mean, it's a conversation starter.

[Angela Kinsey]

It really is. Well, you know, when Kate stopped by our little Zoom chat, she showed us, she held up the cast, and there it is. She's got it. And John signed it. And if you're re watching the episode at 2 minutes, 42 seconds, you can see John's signature plain as day.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, I love knowing that that was the first take and that they used it anyway. They nailed it on the first take. Their. Their performance was so good that when they got in the editing room, they were like, we don't care that he signed John Krasinski. We need this performance. It's too good.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. I also think that was the first time, you know, because in rehearsal, Kate would not have lifted her skirt or any of that. Right?

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

So that was the first time John, as Jim, like, had to see all of it. And his reactions were so honest of like, oh, God. Oh, she's lifting her skirt. Here we go.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, we got another fan question. Angela from Caitlin Oliver, who noticed Meredith is wearing a purplish eyeshadow?

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, yeah.

[Jenna Fisher]

She looks kind of cute today. Is this because she's back in the office or did she dress up specifically for Jim because she planned on hitting on him?

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, I love to think she dressed up for Jim, but I noticed that too. Her makeup had a little bit of a zhuzh to it.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah, I noticed it as well. I like Caitlyn's theory.

[Angela Kinsey]

I do too. Well, Katelyn, you'd probably love to know that at 2 minutes, 55 seconds, there is a fabulous shot of the plant at front reception.

[Jenna Fisher]

Tell me more.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, there's a stripy pot. Stripey pot is back. Multicolored stripy pot.

[Jenna Fisher]

I remember it.

[Angela Kinsey]

So we are recycling pots, and this is a big leafy plant. We'll see how long it lasts.

[Jenna Fisher]

I need to reach out to. I don't know who it would be. Someone on Michael Gallenberg's team. I need to reach out to him and get more information on the plants. Who specifically? Some person on our crew was in charge of those plants each week. I need to know more.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, Yeah, I would love that. Oh, my God. You know how happy I'd be to do a deep dive on Pam's plants. Get out.

[Jenna Fisher]

All right. This is my new mission. We're on it. We're on it.

[Angela Kinsey]

We're on it. We're on it. Well, also, I want to put something on your radar for this episode. We're going to track it. We're going to track the short jokes. Jenna, there's so many. There's so many. I was texting with Jen Salata last night about it. What up with the short jokes? We'll get to it. So. All right. Pam hands Michael a press release. It's a big day in this office. Okay. Michael announces that he's going to New York to attend the party with all the important people.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yep.

[Angela Kinsey]

The non important people are going to be at these satellite parties. And now we also find out that Dunder Mifflin Infinity, the website, will be launching.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

And there is a moment when Michael says, hey, I'm going to the fancy party. So if any of you guys have any good stories for me, you know, that I can talk about at the party, Let me know. There is a shot of Creed. The camera zooms in and Creed's nodding like yes at like, 3 minutes, 21 seconds.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yep.

[Angela Kinsey]

Jenna, this would have cut to a deleted scene where Creed goes in and pitches stories to Michael. No.

[Jenna Fisher]

Are you serious?

[Angela Kinsey]

I am serious. And he talks about, like, A guy with a bird, and then someone jumps in the river. And Michael's like, this is a great story. And Creed's like, oh, no, no, no. You can never tell this.

[Jenna Fisher]

Oh, no.

[Angela Kinsey]

But Creed had some fun stuff in this episode that's in the deleted scenes.

[Jenna Fisher]

Oh, that's so good.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know. And then we have this great talking head by Michael where he says, dunder Mifflin infinity is the brainchild of his brainchild, Ryan. So therefore, this whole idea, Jenna, is Michael's brain grandchild.

[Jenna Fisher]

It is. And he's so proud of it.

[Angela Kinsey]

He's so proud of it.

[Jenna Fisher]

I mean, he basically did it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fisher]

If you really think about it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, as Michael is continuing to share with the group, he mentions that Dunder Mifflin is expecting record high sales and that they are anticipating that the website will become the new best salesman at the company.

[Angela Kinsey]

Mm.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, this really bumps Dwight. Yeah. Dwight does not want to be beaten by a website. So Dwight is going to challenge the website to a sales competition.

[Angela Kinsey]

And he's, like, trying to impress Angela.

[Jenna Fisher]

She's like, it's a waste of time.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, shorty joke number one. Angela's like, it's a waste of time. Michael says, what's that, pipsqueak?

[Jenna Fisher]

There it is. Number one.

[Angela Kinsey]

So jensalata was saying she doesn't think she wrote any of these height jokes. And I told her that Steve used to love as Michael to, like, comment on my size.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

And I know, in fact, the next one we're going to talk about was improvised, but yes. I also loved in this scene, Jenna, that as Michael's reading the memoir, Kelly's like, did Ryan mention if he's in a relationship?

[Jenna Fisher]

Yes. Is that in the memo? Does the memo say anything about if he's in a relationship?

[Angela Kinsey]

The corporate memo?

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah. Well, we had a fan question about this scene from Chris Martins and Wyatt Hensley. They said Dwight has a beard. Is that Rain's real facial hair? And how long was the break between episodes for him to grow this facial hair? They also want to know, is the unshaven facial hair supposed to show how distraught Dwight is without Angela?

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, I can tell you that the stubble was totally thought out. It was a plot point that Dwight is really distraught from his breakup and he's kind of let himself go. And there was a talking head that would have supported this. There's a talking head at the beginning of the day. Dwight comes in, and Jim kind of takes a double take at him, and he's like, what's up with the stubble? And he's like, Friday you left nothing. Monday you have stubble. So now we know this episode's on a Monday, right? But Dwight just looks at him and goes, I'm a man, Jim. And he's like, okay, all right, buddy. And then Dwight has a whole talking head and he says, yeah, I stopped shaving because my girlfriend broke up with me. And he talks about how he's in pain and it's comedic, but basically he's saying, my girlfriend broke up with me and it sucks.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah, so it was scripted that he would have this facial stubble, but that part got cut out. So that sort of leaves you wondering. But guys, in answer to the other question, there was just like in this deleted scene, a standard weekend break. So we would shoot Monday through Friday and Rain just had the weekend to grow this stubble. It's his real facial hair. The thing, though, that gets difficult is matching it every day throughout the week. So on Monday he came in with this stubble, but then they would have to match that exact length on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. So they would have to buzz it a little bit in hair and makeup. But listen, guys, I have worked with men who have to shave twice a day when they're shooting because our shoot days are so long. If they have a clean shaven look by 4 o', clock, they get a little bit of a shadow and they send them back in to wash their face and shave with a razor so that we can keep shooting into the night and they match.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, could you imagine if you had to shave your legs like halfway through the day?

[Jenna Fisher]

No.

[Angela Kinsey]

I'd be so bummed. Yeah, that's a lot of maintenance.

[Jenna Fisher]

It's a lot of maintenance. Those guys would come in the hair and makeup trailers in the morning and they would. First thing they would do is shave. They wouldn't even shave at home, a lot of them, because they wanted it to last as long as possible for the shoot day.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, then there's also the fellows that have a hard time growing a beard. My husband's one of those guys.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah. And then I've seen in there where they have to put hair on their face if their character needs a beard.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, they get fakey hair, fakey hair, fakey hair.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, moving on. Back in the episode, Pam has this talking head where she's going to explain. Explain this tension between Dwight and Angela. She says, Dwight Mercy killed Angela's cat and it's caused a lot of unpleasantness. Angela has been in this real foul mood.

[Angela Kinsey]

She has. He put her cat in the freezer.

[Jenna Fisher]

I'm not blaming her. I would be in a foul mood. I. By the way, this is setting up the runner between you and Phyllis in this episode. That is one of my favorite of all time.

[Angela Kinsey]

You know what I noticed in this talking head is that Pam has on that unicorn necklace again.

[Jenna Fisher]

Oh, she switched from her butterfly to the unicorn.

[Angela Kinsey]

She's a unicorn again. And Angela has a gold cat necklace.

[Jenna Fisher]

I noticed that. And it's real cute.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know. I would wear it.

[Jenna Fisher]

I would wear it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, back in the bullpen, Stanley is dancing to the music on his new website. And Phyllis is so tickled. And it's just a small moment, but these are the moments I absolutely love about our show. Yeah, just these little glimpses into the different desk pods. I just love it.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, then we go to corporate ang and we have Orion talking head. He is in this gorgeous corner office in a skyscraper, feet up on the desk. And you know what he wants you to know? Yeah, he created a website. Yeah, he created it.

[Angela Kinsey]

No big whoop. Whatever.

[Jenna Fisher]

He's not trying to reinvent the wheel, but he's taking it to the streets while keeping an eye on the streets. Wall street, you know, paper buying just became fun.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. Boom.

[Jenna Fisher]

But then you hear a voice of someone who's like, I told you not to do these interviews in my office.

[Angela Kinsey]

So first of all, it's like, how many of these has he tried to do in this guy's office? It's not his office. Ryan is such, like, oh, my God, he's such a cheeseball.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, and then the camera pans down and you see a name plate on the desk that says Thomas Dean. And we got a fan question about this from Miles Peterson. Does the name Thomas Dean have any significance? Yes. Guys, Tom Dean was our pa and that nameplate was in Tom's honor.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay, Jenna, I think the voice of Thomas Dean is our editor, Dean Holland.

[Jenna Fisher]

I think it is too. Right? Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

I would have sworn he was in the room with me when I heard that. It's gotta be him.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah, I think you're right.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, I want to take us now to the scene with Andy and Dwight. I love that Dwight has his little champion. That Andy is so rooting for him in this. He's gotten really into it. And he says to Dwight, you know what, you need like a noise or something for? Like when you make a good sale, right?

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

He's got his dry erase board. It's dried against the computer. And now they're brainstorming what's the noise that goes off whenever Dwight makes A sale. Right?

[Jenna Fisher]

We think we need a noise. Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

Here's Andy's suggestion. He could say, kudos, job well done. A chime, a bell. And Jim is peppering in these little smart ass comments. He's saying, how about zippity doo, Dahlia? A gong. And Dwight's like, ignore him. Here's what we're going to do. Here are the keys to my car. Go out under a whole bunch of pelts. Amazing. There's a bear horn. Get that.

[Jenna Fisher]

And he does.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, he does.

[Jenna Fisher]

Andy is going to blow a bear horn every time Dwight makes a sale. Well, now we go to a scene that I've been waiting for. Angela and Phyllis, they're unrolling a banner for the launch party. But Phyllis has printed a banner that says, lunch party.

[Angela Kinsey]

Angela is furious. She is so pissed off, she actually looks at Phyllis and says, what is wrong with you?

[Jenna Fisher]

Oh, Angela is in rare form.

[Angela Kinsey]

She's in rare form. And there was a deleted scene that might give us a window.

[Jenna Fisher]

Okay, about this.

[Angela Kinsey]

First of all, we know the breakup, right? She's still mad about sprinkles. She's ticked off. Well, there's another layer to it. There's a talking head where she says, tonight my party will be broadcast out to five other states, which means it will be compared to Denise Stims party in Boston. Buffalo.

[Jenna Fisher]

Oh, my God.

[Angela Kinsey]

There is a party planning committee rival.

[Jenna Fisher]

Denise Stims in Buffalo.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. And Angela hates her. And they get their parties compared.

[Jenna Fisher]

What is the backstory between Angela and Denise?

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, it goes on from there. She throws major shade at her. She's like, Denise, you know what? We can all defrost hors d' oeuvres in a microwave, all right? That's what she does every party. And also, Denise, you're not fooling anyone with those curls. We know you get a perm. Okay? Like, it goes, oh, my God, Denise Stims. So she's got her breakup. She has our cat in the freezer. Phyllis cannot handle one simple task and her party will be compared to Denise Stims. So Angela is not having it.

[Jenna Fisher]

The stakes are high for Angela. Yeah, well, this cuts to a Phyllis talking head where she explains that basically she's going to keep her cool and she is going to try out some new tactics for dealing with Angela. She has printed out all of this advice on how to deal with difficult people. She actually says she googled how to deal with difficult people. Well, you know what, Ange?

[Angela Kinsey]

What?

[Jenna Fisher]

Obviously I had to Google how to deal with difficult people.

[Angela Kinsey]

I wondered if she would. What'd you find out?

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, what I found out is that a lot of the tactics that Phyllis uses in this episode are the advice for dealing with difficult people. Asking the difficult person how they're feeling. Like, saying affirmative things. Like, I could see why you might be upset. Like, things like that.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, I'll tell you something. If someone had made a banner that said lunch party, and then turned to me and said, how do you feel about the fact that the banner says lunch? I would probably say, I feel like you're a dumbass. That's how I feel. Like, that is not something you say to someone who's already annoyed with you. So that cracked me up when Phyllis said that. I was like, if I was Angela, I would still be pissed off. That would not have helped my situation. And, you know, it's not helping Phyllis that Kevin is now involved in this discussion. And then Michael walks up and says, nobody cares about this party anyway. Booster seat, Shorty joke number two. Shorty joke number two. And I want you to know that Steve improvised a whole bunch, and I never knew what he was going to say. And there's bloopers of me cracking up, but there you go. Angela's ticked and no one is helping.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, this is when Angela has her talking head that I love so much when she says that she's been asked to plan a party with only a $65 budget and 4 idiots that are doing nothing but weighing her down. Oh, and her cat is still dead.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, and the entire world will see it, including Denise Stims. Yeah.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, listen, I think we should take a break, because when we come back, Dwight is going to fuel up for his big competition against the computer.

[Angela Kinsey]

He's got to. He's got to refuel. Yeah. Big day.

[Jenna Fisher]

All right, we'll see you in a sec. So, lady, you know that during the pandemic, I converted my guest bedroom into an office. Well, now I'm going to convert it back into a guest bedroom. And I'm going to need a great mattress. And you just got one, so tell everybody about it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Guys, we got a Leesa mattress. L E E S A. I am delighted to tell you about this mattress because I look forward to laying on it.

[Jenna Fisher]

This is messages you've left me.

[Angela Kinsey]

I got the legend chill hybrid mattress, lady. It pulls heat away from your body.

[Jenna Fisher]

I want something that pulls the heat away from my body.

[Angela Kinsey]

It's got this cushiony and cool billowy quilt top that is infused with phase change fibers that quickly pull heat away from your body.

[Jenna Fisher]

Go to Lisa.com for 30% off mattresses, plus get an extra $50 off with promo code officeladies, exclusive for our listeners.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's L E-E-S a.com promo code officeladies for 30% off mattresses, plus an extra $50 off.

[Jenna Fisher]

Support our show and let them know we sent you after checkout Lisa.com promo code office ladies, the holidays are coming up. That means a lot of people travel over the holidays, right?

[Angela Kinsey]

A lot. I mean, Thanksgiving is the most traveled holiday in the United States. I believe. I believe that's true.

[Jenna Fisher]

I believe that is true, yes. Okay, well, how about this idea? While you're away, why don't you host your place on Airbnb and make some.

[Angela Kinsey]

Moolah, and then also you're going to have some money for holiday shopping. How about that?

[Jenna Fisher]

I like how you transitioned that into shopping lady.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, here is who this is a perfect fit for. If you're someone who travels frequently, if you have extra space, maybe you're someone that has a seasonal home, or maybe you always go away at the same time of year for like a family tradition or work event. This is a practical way to earn money. While you're doing all those things, your.

[Jenna Fisher]

Home might be worth more than you think. Find out how [e-mail] Host studies show that 100% of everybody in the world wants to curl up indoors and do nothing because it's so darn cold out there. That's why many people are turning to Bombas, whose pillowy plush slippers and warm merino wool socks have been said to be the most comfortable in the history of feet. Bomba's products have been found to boost coziness by up to 1 million percent. Okay, enough fake statistics. But could Bomba's socks and slippers really be the cure? Guys, go to bombas.com audio and use code audio for 20% off your first purchase. That's B O M-B-A-S.com and use code audio. DSW Cyber Monday Sale is on. No reindeer games here. Get 30% off almost all the must have shoes and Fun [e-mail] Yep, designer shoe Warehouse has something for everyone on your list, including you, at prices you'll spend all season bragging about. If ever there was a time and a spirit sale to stock up on.

[Angela Kinsey]

Shoes, this is it.

[Jenna Fisher]

And you don't have to leave the house shop the Cyber Monday sale, Today [e-mail] exclusions apply. DSW, let us surprise you. All right, we are back. And like we said, Dwight is fueling up. Literally, he's squeezing some kind of power protein gunk in his mouth.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, it's a power gel. Of course, I had to look it up, Jenna.

[Jenna Fisher]

Oh, it's called power gel.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, their power gels are energy gels, right?

[Jenna Fisher]

Okay. Yup.

[Angela Kinsey]

And I looked them up. Here's what they are. They're like a liquid carbohydrate, and they're used by endurance athletes to fuel their training. Like, when you see guys running marathons or, you know, the triathletes or these people who do the whole, like, Tour de France, you know.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

And they're squeezing these little tubes of things in their mouth. That's what this is. But it's for high endurance athletes to, like, replenish everything that's been depleted from the running and cycling. Jenna, there's so much online about these. Oh, my gosh. There are multiple YouTube videos about how to eat one, when to eat them.

[Jenna Fisher]

Are you supposed to eat them before doing the endurance activity? While doing it or after?

[Angela Kinsey]

While doing it, like, when you get depleted, you know?

[Jenna Fisher]

Okay.

[Angela Kinsey]

And talk about your ranch in your search engine.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah. Jenna.

[Angela Kinsey]

I was watching a video of these two guys cycling in England who were talking about their energy gels. I'm like, what am I doing watching these two guys in England? Oh, my God. Also, there's a ton of, like, options for you if you want energy gels. And I found one that I really feel like Dwight inspired.

[Jenna Fisher]

What is it?

[Angela Kinsey]

It's called Beat Elite.

[Jenna Fisher]

No.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. Beat Elite energy gel.

[Jenna Fisher]

You know, this is what Michael needed during fun run.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. Not fettuccine Alfredo. No, he needed a Beat Elite.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, Dwight is being very annoying. He's annoying Jim. He throws his gel packet onto Jim's desk.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fisher]

Jim has to get rid of it. So Jim goes up to Pam and says, do you want to pull a prank on Dwight? Because he's being super annoying. And Pam is. She's torn. She's like, well, I mean, he's going through a breakup. But then the bear horn.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. So then Dwight, like, fires off the bear horn. It's really loud. And Pam's like, you know what? I'm in. What are we doing?

[Jenna Fisher]

So Jim hatches this plan where they are going to direct message Dwight as the computer system. They're going to send him messages as if the computer has come alive.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. And, you know, this is perfect for Dwight.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

This is the perfect prank because, of course, Dwight would entertain this.

[Jenna Fisher]

So when Pam is typing To Dwight these DMs we had some fan questions from Amanda McKnight and Matthew Lister. When Pam's typing all of the instant messages, was it Jenna typing with her crazy good typing skills, or was it the computer? Well, I'll tell you, it was both. So when they do these scenes where something specific has to show up on the computer screen, they've created a program where it doesn't matter what button you press on the keyboard, the words come up as they should, so you can't mess up.

[Angela Kinsey]

It's kind of fun, actually.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, it does. You can hit any key. You could hit the space bar five times. The sentence will type yes.

[Jenna Fisher]

And at the end of the scene, you hit escape. And then you would usually hit, like, F1. And then it starts the program over again. So they're super fun to play with. It sort of takes you back to your childhood when you would want to pretend like you were doing something. I always love these little programs, but at the same time, I was personally compelled to type out the words correctly. But this caused a problem because it was too many strokes of the keyboard, because each time I hit a key, it translated into more than one letter. Right. So it would be like, in order to run this program, I would have to type 24 things, but to actually type the sentence, it would be more like 48. So I had to, like, really hold back. It was. It was tough for me.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know. I know it was.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

Because your integrity as a typist, you're like, that's not correct. That is not how many keys you hit to spell the word hello.

[Jenna Fisher]

That's right. And I made my living as a transcriber for many years.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know.

[Jenna Fisher]

So I need to type what I hear, and it was real hard.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, you did it.

[Jenna Fisher]

I did it. I got through it.

[Angela Kinsey]

You got through it. But it's a really cute runner for Jim and Pam, and it's making Dwight crazy.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, he says in his talking head, sometimes computers come to life. But he is not scared. It is the computer that should be scared because he has been salesman 13 months out of the last 12 months. You heard him correctly. In February, instead of a raise, Dunder Mifflin awarded him two plaques.

[Angela Kinsey]

I really feel like Dunder Mifflin has overlooked Dwight.

[Jenna Fisher]

I agree.

[Angela Kinsey]

I mean, he is clearly the best salesman and has been for a long time, and he never gets upper management. And this is going to go on for years for him. Now, listen, he's salty. He's a salty character. But I feel like Dunder Mifflin could do better by Dwight. There. I'll just. I said it.

[Jenna Fisher]

I'm glad you said it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Thank you.

[Jenna Fisher]

It needed to be said.

[Angela Kinsey]

Michael is now really needing the ladies and Oscar to weigh in on his outfit for the fancy party he's gonna go to. This shirt is ridiculous.

[Jenna Fisher]

Ridiculous. It's bright purple.

[Angela Kinsey]

It has, like, a sheen to it.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

Like, light. Light bounces off of it, and it.

[Jenna Fisher]

Is so, so tight. And Oscar has a great line. Oscar says, is this why I'm in here? And he just gets up and walks out.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know. And no one likes it. All the women are like, no, no, no. Also, Jenna, did you notice how long it is?

[Jenna Fisher]

Very long. He insists that it's European cut, which is the same thing he said about the woman's suit that he bought. He. Michael is very attracted to this idea of a European cut. He thinks that this is style.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. It could also be what you say when something doesn't fit you right. Like, the next time I put on a pair of sweatpants that are, like, too long in the crotch or something, I'm gonna say, oh, it's European cut.

[Jenna Fisher]

European cut. Well, then Jan calls in the conference room, and it's clear that Michael is unsure about taking this call. But he does take the call.

[Angela Kinsey]

He. Yeah, he does not want to talk to her. And he takes the call. She does not want to go to the party. She doesn't want to go. But why?

[Jenna Fisher]

All her friends will be there.

[Angela Kinsey]

She's like, michael, I was fired.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah. She's like, they're not my friends. So Michael asks if he could bring Carol instead.

[Angela Kinsey]

She's like, what? And he's like, fine, I'll find someone I didn't sleep with.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah, but he doesn't want to go alone. That's the point.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, there is a deleted scene. Michael and Jan go on to have even more conversation. And Jenna, it's all delicious. It is all amazing. If I could, I would have, like, asked them to leave it all in. I am telling you. She says, you know what I want to do? I want to make a pot roast. Why don't we stay home? I'll make a pot roast. Oh, do you know what I did today? I went to Costco. I got some more Zinn. Oh, and I bought a bike. Guess how much the bike was? And he's like, I don't know. $60? She goes, why would you say a bicycle was $60, Michael? Why would you say that? And he's like, I don't know. And she goes, it was $500, Michael.

[Jenna Fisher]

Oh, my God.

[Angela Kinsey]

It's just more of a window into their relationship, and I can't get enough of it.

[Jenna Fisher]

I can't get enough either. It's all so good.

[Angela Kinsey]

She bought a bike at Costco for 500 bucks. What is she doing all day?

[Jenna Fisher]

Wait, did she buy the bike at Costco or she went to Costco?

[Angela Kinsey]

She bought the bike at Costco.

[Jenna Fisher]

Oh, I see. Well, listen, the competition is on between Dwight and the website. Dwight is not doing well, but in the meantime, Pam and Jim, they're in the break room, the flirt room. They're having a snack. 12 minutes, 2 seconds. Baby carrot alert. John Krasinski's eating those baby carrots again.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, he's back on his healthy kick.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, yeah, he's. No more popcorn. He's back to the carrots. Michael walks in and says, hey, what are you guys doing tonight? Because I've got two tickets to the party in New York. You want to go?

[Angela Kinsey]

And they're like, you know what? Why not? They're like, let's go to New York together. Let's do it.

[Jenna Fisher]

But then he says, all right, great, but you're going to have to duke it out. Just let me know who wins. And that's when Pam realizes, oh, one of the tickets is for Michael. And then she says, as soon as he leaves the room, not it. Smart. Yeah, smart. So Jim is going to go to this fancy sushi New York launch party with Michael.

[Angela Kinsey]

I bet he's so excited. Now Dwight is on the phone and he's yelling at a client for ordering through the website rather than through him.

[Jenna Fisher]

And.

[Angela Kinsey]

And Jim and the computer both insist that Dwight seems worried.

[Jen Salata]

Right?

[Jenna Fisher]

Yep.

[Angela Kinsey]

It's like the computer is, like, heckling Dwight. He's kind of trolling him. And Dwight writes a very long message at 1301 in binary. And I looked it up on the Internet.

[Jenna Fisher]

I looked it up as well.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay, what did you find?

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, Pam says that Dwight said, why don't you 0, 1, 1, 1, 1,1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 1,1. Yeah, I ended up on Reddit.

[Angela Kinsey]

So did I.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, oh, boy. And someone said that in the way that Pam reads it, it means nothing. Right. But if you add back the zeros that I guess would normally be there in binary code, that it spells fo, like F off. Why don't you F off?

[Angela Kinsey]

Did you read the same thing? I read the same thing. There was a lot about the two ASCII codes in binary. It was, like, a little detailed, but according to that Reddit thread that I Think we both read hi Reddit thread, folks. Dwight's telling the computer to F off.

[Jenna Fisher]

There you go. Well, now Angela is very angry about some spoons.

[Angela Kinsey]

This is one of my favorite scenes I ever did with Phyllis. For the whole run of the show, I was texting with Jen. I was like, jen, I love this scene so much. And she said it was one of her favorite things to write this whole exchange. And I want you to know we could not stop laughing.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, I know that, Angela, because you can't see me, but I sat at reception the entire time you were filming this scene.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes, and we were cracking up.

[Jenna Fisher]

It was so funny.

[Angela Kinsey]

And it's in the bloopers. And at one point, I was finally holding it together, and then Jen Salata, who's sitting on the sofa by reception, starts laughing.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

And I was like, jen. And so if you watch the bloopers, you will hear Jen laughing.

[Jenna Fisher]

I'll tell you the line that got you guys every time. I remember it so clearly. It was when Phyllis says the word tone.

[Angela Kinsey]

She couldn't get through that word.

[Jenna Fisher]

Couldn't say tone.

[Angela Kinsey]

She couldn't say tone without laughing. And then I started anticipating her little mouth saying tone. And then I couldn't keep it together. Sam, will you play this scene? It's at 13 minutes, 32 seconds. I asked for assorted cutlery, and I got back spoons. These are worthless. I. I want to understand what you're saying, but it's difficult for me when you use that tone. Phyllis, these are spoons. Spoons have rounded tops and are used to scoop things. What we need are forks, which have prongs or tiny spears on top. And we need knives, which have blades. Do you understand me?

[Jenna Fisher]

Now, I have to say, you can't see it when you listen to that clip, but one of my favorite moments is the hand gesture you make when you say blades. You do this little scoopy thing with your hand. You're like, blades.

[Angela Kinsey]

We did a few takes, and in one take, I did forks like this. Like, I did, like, prongs, my fingers, but that looked too weird. So then I thought, I'll only do one hand gesture, and I'll save it for the night life.

[Jenna Fisher]

So good.

[Angela Kinsey]

And my cheerleaders out there, you know, that, you know, blades. Blades, Candlesticks. Come on.

[Jenna Fisher]

Wait. That's actually a hand gesture in cheerleading for a blade.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's blade.

[Jenna Fisher]

Okay.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. Candlesticks.

[Jenna Fisher]

Candlestick is a fist. Why did these need special names?

[Angela Kinsey]

I don't know. I don't know. It was cheerleading camp, and who even knows if it's universal? Maybe it was just my cheerleading camp.

[Jenna Fisher]

Are there any more? I'm dying to know.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, you know, jazz hands.

[Jenna Fisher]

Jazz hands. I get that's a whole thing. I mean, you have to, like, put all your fingers out and kind of, like, flutter your hands. I mean, that makes sense to me.

[Angela Kinsey]

And then this is candlesticks.

[Jenna Fisher]

Candlesticks is fists.

[Angela Kinsey]

And then blades.

[Jenna Fisher]

Blades is just your palms up.

[Kate Flannery]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

Like what I did in the scene.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah. All right. Okay, so, like, when you're doing cheerleading camp and you're choreographing your cheer in your head, are you thinking, like, blade. Blade. Jazz hands. Candlesticks. Blade. Blade.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. And you're like, ready? Okay.

[Jenna Fisher]

Blade.

[Angela Kinsey]

Candlestick. Candlestick.

[Jenna Fisher]

Okay.

[Angela Kinsey]

Blade.

[Jenna Fisher]

Got it.

[Angela Kinsey]

We're doing this, and no one can see us.

[Jenna Fisher]

No one can see. But I am enjoying it immensely.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay. Okay.

[Jenna Fisher]

This is another thing Angela did in high school. Everyone also a cheerleader, in addition to all of the musical instruments and sports that she played.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, I was the mascot for football.

[Jenna Fisher]

And the mascot.

[Angela Kinsey]

I was the mascot for football. And then I cheered. I cheered for basketball. No, but I told you, my mom's theory is keep them busy, they stay out of trouble.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah. And also, nothing good happens after midnight.

[Angela Kinsey]

Nothing good happens after midnight.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, listen, Daryl is about to deliver some paper to Kelly, and there's some flirty flirt that happens in that annex.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, Dwight is so furious that Kelly ordered off the website. He's like, do you know what this means? And he's yelling at her, and Daryl's like, step off.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, listen, she explains, it's really cute. You take the paper and you put it in a little shopping basket, and it makes a cute little sound.

[Angela Kinsey]

This is all Kelly could ever hope for.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

Online shopping. Like, she has arrived.

[Jenna Fisher]

But Darrel comes to her defense, like you said, and suddenly she's not missing Ryan so much, is she? There's a little moment here.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fisher]

Mm. So now we're gonna move into some sabotage.

[Angela Kinsey]

Did you say sandwich?

[Jenna Fisher]

Dwight gets out this little red box. He unlocks a lot of things, and then he unlocks this little box, and he explains that when he left Staples. He took some of the staples. Leads as a souvenir. He doesn't know why he did it, but maybe it was to use them one day. And he's going to use them today.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. He has got to beat the computer. In his mind, if he beats the computer, he wins Angela back. I think that's where his rationale is.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yes, exactly. And it's Working. He calls up and they're like, how did you get this number? And he's like, it's not important, but do you want to save money on paper? And they clearly say, yes, because he starts logging all of these sales, and it's a very big deal.

[Angela Kinsey]

It's a big, big deal. And while this is happening, Michael and Jim are getting ready to leave for the party. Michael sort of does this sing songy and tells everyone that he'll be back tomorrow. You know the way he does his little sing talky thing.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yep. And he's leaving in Jim's car.

[Angela Kinsey]

In Jim's car. And he tells everyone they can leave early. And Angela's like, no, they can't. I have been planning a party for weeks. You can't leave early. And then he makes fun of her. And he's like, you must be this tall or you may not ride the roller coaster. Shorty joke number three.

[Jenna Fisher]

That's my favorite one. That was my favorite.

[Angela Kinsey]

Jenna's like, ang, I do not remember writing those. I don't think they were in the script. And I think Steve was just having fun.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, after Michael and Jim leave, the competition is over and Dwight wins. He beats the computer. Like you said, Angela, he is really does not get the attention he deserves from this company. He beat a computer? Yeah. I mean, yes, he had to use the stolen leads, but he beats a computer.

[Angela Kinsey]

He beat the computer. Andy starts blowing this bear horn like crazy. And Angela is not having it. She's just like, just stop it.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, when I watched this episode with Lee, at the end of it, he said, I have one question. Did that bear horn really make a sound or did they put that in in post?

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay, well, here is my memory of this particular moment. Now, I don't know about the other moments where it went off, but in this moment where I walk by, I was just supposed to walk by and sort of like glare at them and cruise on past. And that whole thing where I'm like, give me that, give it. That was all improvised because Andy. Well, Ed as Andy, is just kind of having fun with that thing. He's like, he's doing a dance. And so I had to grab at it a few times to get it. So I just sort of improvised all of that. And I can tell you he was really shooting it off in that moment.

[Jenna Fisher]

I told Lee, my memory is that they gave Ed a bear horn, and Ed had a great time with it. I remember it going off constantly. This reminded me of when they gave Rain the keyboard in the dundees yes. Do not give these guys things that make sounds.

[Angela Kinsey]

No. No props that make noises. They cannot stop using them.

[Jenna Fisher]

It was really funny.

[Angela Kinsey]

So, yeah, I was just supposed to walk by and just kind of grab it and give him a look. And that's like me legitimately trying to grab it out of Ed's hand. Like, give it. Give it here.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, now we cut to the car where Michael and Jim are driving to New York City. And I noted something in this scene.

[Angela Kinsey]

Was it. Was it when Michael blew a kiss to Pennsylvania?

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, he blew a kiss. One for him and one for Jan.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know. I thought it was the cutest thing. My kids, whenever we leave a city, say goodbye to the city. If we're driving.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

We wave goodbye. Like, if we're driving to the beach or up to the mountains, we're like, goodbye, Los Angeles. Goodbye, beach. And to me, it was this very sweet, childlike moment of Michael.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, I'll say the moment that struck me in the car was when Michael says to Jim, you should come over for dinner on Friday night.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, girl. Oh, girl. I was like, ding, ding, ding. It's coming. Dinner party is coming.

[Jenna Fisher]

And also that deleted scene you talked about where Michael and Jan were on the phone, and she's like, we should make a roast this Friday. All of these things. I feel like that's planting a seed for her. Osso buco. Is that how you say it? Osso buco.

[Angela Kinsey]

Her five hour.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah. With no snacks out.

[Angela Kinsey]

Who does that?

[Jenna Fisher]

Who doesn't offer a cheese plate? We'll discuss later.

[Angela Kinsey]

We'll get there.

[Jenna Fisher]

We will have a lot of discussion about it. But I felt like this planted the seed, this idea that Michael was going to want Jim and Pam to come over for dinner. Michael has also purchased a gift for Ryan. He wanted to get Ryan, oh, the Places yous'll go by Dr. Seuss, but it wasn't available, so he got green eggs and ham. It's kind of the same thing, he says.

[Angela Kinsey]

And what is Ryan going to think when he opens this and it's green eggs and ham?

[Jenna Fisher]

I don't know.

[Angela Kinsey]

Also, oh, the places you will go is such a personal message to someone. And again, Michael doesn't have this kind of relationship with Ryan, but is convinced he does.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah. And also, hasn't Ryan already gone to the places he'll go?

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, there's that.

[Jenna Fisher]

I don't know. Well, finally, on this drive, Jim asks Michael for the exact address of the party. And Michael says it's at a bar called Chat Room. And there's A password to get in.

[Angela Kinsey]

And Jim's like, michael, you're invited to the satellite party. That's our party.

[Jenna Fisher]

Well, first he just pulls the car over.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fisher]

As soon as he hears this, he's like, I don't even need to hear anymore. He just starts slowing the car down and he's gonna do a ui. He's like, michael.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. And Michael is on the phone to Ryan. He's like, what do you mean? I'm already in the city? Part of the city. I'm in the city. How could you do this? He's so upset. He feels so rejected.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

And he throws the book out the window.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah. He's not gonna give that book to Ryan anymore. And now Michael is going to have to go back and celebrate this launch with the rest of the folks in the conference room.

[Angela Kinsey]

The losers at the satellite party. And Dwight is convinced that winning and beating the computer, that Angela's going to be impressed. It's going to be the thing that turns the tide. She's going to want him back. And she is not impressed. In fact, she's annoyed by it. And she has a talking head where she's like, how do you tell someone it's over? You send them a notarized letter. Right. But what if your ex is your notary?

[Jenna Fisher]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

It's really perplexing. And she makes a big to do of going up to front reception and telling Pam that she would very much like to date a man. And if Pam could please set her up.

[Jenna Fisher]

And she says it loud enough for Dwight to hear. And then Dwight is just. He's just brokenhearted. And Pam sees it. And so in this way that we have these little moments with Pam and Dwight, Pam sends him a little direct message as the computer, congratulating him on his win and telling him he is the superior being. But it doesn't help much.

[Angela Kinsey]

It doesn't. Dwight's heartbroken. Yeah, he's heartbroken. And that is the first part of Launch Party Part one.

[Jenna Fisher]

Yes. Next week we're going to see Angela's party in the conference room and Michael is going to take the pizza delivery guy hostage.

[Angela Kinsey]

Michael's going to be Michael. Michael's going to be in rare form.

[Jenna Fisher]

And Andy is going to make a play for Angela. Yeah. Yeah, good stuff.

[Angela Kinsey]

Next week there's one runner in deleted scenes. Before we go, I wanted to tell you about Jenna because I think you really should watch it. You would get a kick out of it. You personally, Jenna Fisher, love the character Toby. You love Toby. And there is a Toby Runner where he is taking an online, like, driving driver's school course or something. And there's a series of scenes where we find out that Toby is a horrible driver.

[Jenna Fisher]

This is such a random runner.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know. It's not related to anything else. And Oscar has a great talking head. Talking about what? It's like riding in a car with Toby. Anyway, apparently Toby is a horrible driver, and it just was so delightful, it made me laugh.

[Jenna Fisher]

They probably created that for Paul so that he didn't have to be in any of the main scenes. They created a reason that his character was off doing something independently so he could actually be in the writers room. They would do that a lot.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. So he was through this whole episode. Toby is taking this online driver school course and we find out what a crappy driver he is.

[Jenna Fisher]

I love it. Well, guys, that was launch party part one. We'll be back next week with part two.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. Look out, Denise. Stems.

[Kate Flannery]

Look out.

[Jenna Fisher]

I don't think that Angela's gonna win this one. I'm sorry. I don't know.

[Angela Kinsey]

I hate to tell you. Buffalo's gonna show you up.

[Jenna Fisher]

All right, we'll see you next week.

[Angela Kinsey]

Bye, you guys.

[Jenna Fisher]

Thank you for listening to Office Lady's second drink.

[Angela Kinsey]

This episode was enough. Initially created in collaboration with Earwolf, Office.

[Jenna Fisher]

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

[Angela Kinsey]

Our executive producer is Cassie Jerkins and our audio engineer and associate producer is Molly Nugent. Odyssey's executive producer is Leah Reese Dennis.

[Jenna Fisher]

Office Ladies was mixed and mastered by Bill Schultz. Our theme song is Rubber Tree by Creed Bratton.

[Angela Kinsey]

Tis the season for all your holiday.

[Jenna Fisher]

Favorites like a Very Jonah's Christmas Movie and Home Alone on Disney plus.

[Angela Kinsey]

Did I burn down the joy? I don't think so.

[Jenna Fisher]

Then Hulu has National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

[Angela Kinsey]

We're all in for a very big Christmas treat.

[Jenna Fisher]

All of these and more streaming this holiday season and right now, say big with our special Black Friday offer bundle Disney plus and Hulu for just 4.99amonth for one year savings compared to current regular monthly price. Ends 121 offer for ad supported Disney Plus Hulu bundle only then 12.99amonth or then current regular monthly price 18 plus terms apply.