Second Drink: Michael’s Birthday

Summary

Office Ladies Podcast Summary

Episode: Second Drink: Michael’s Birthday
Release Date: April 21, 2025
Hosts: Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey
Podcast: Office Ladies
Podcast Description: Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey, co-stars and best friends from The Office, delve into an episode-by-episode re-watch of the beloved series, sharing exclusive behind-the-scenes stories and insights.

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1. Introduction to "Michael’s Birthday"

Jenna and Angela kick off the episode by sharing their excitement about breaking down "Michael’s Birthday," Season 2, Episode 19 of The Office. They set the stage for an in-depth analysis, promising exclusive anecdotes from their time on set.

2. Cold Open Breakdown

Scene Analysis:

• Calling Cards Pitch: Michael Scott attempts to sell calling cards to his employees, leading Jim to expose it as a pyramid scheme.

  Notable Quote:

  Jenna Fischer [23:12]: "Jim convinces Michael that this is a pyramid scheme. Michael draws a chart, and then Jim turns it into a literal pyramid."

Behind-the-Scenes Insight:

• Angela and Jenna discuss the absence of female employees in the conference room scene, pondering Michael's belief that men would take his pitch more seriously.

  Notable Quote:

  Angela Kinsey [23:34]: "Do you think a Michael thinks the women will say this is a load of crap, but he thinks the guys will go along with it."

3. Main Plot Points

a. Michael’s Birthday Celebrations

Scene Analysis:

• Michael is eager to center his birthday celebrations amidst the office’s preoccupations.

  Notable Quote:

  Angela Kinsey [26:04]: "Michael's birthday is hard for me because he gets very excited, but he's also under a lot of pressure, which builds up until he's ready to explode."

Character Dynamics:

• Tension arises between Dwight and Angela over who should handle the party planning, highlighting the budding frictions in their relationship.

Notable Quote:

Angela Kinsey [30:31]: "Yes, yes. She's like, oh, I'm sorry, are we boring you?"

b. Kevin’s Health Scare

Plot Development:

• Kevin is anxiously awaiting the results of a mole biopsy, adding a layer of seriousness to the office dynamics.

  Notable Quote:

  Angela Kinsey [39:37]: "Is that pragmatic? I think she is, you know? Yeah, she's pragmatic. She doesn't need to see the rosy picture."

c. Jim and Pam’s Interaction

Scene Analysis:

• Jim and Pam collaborate to purchase thoughtful gifts for Kevin, showcasing their close friendship and camaraderie.

  Notable Quote:

  Jenna Fischer [51:50]: "Jim and Pam, what's going on? But guess what happens? What does Pam do?"

d. Office Ice Skating Outing

Behind-the-Scenes Insight:

• Jenna shares her experience training for Blades of Glory, which ironically didn’t require her character to ice skate, adding authenticity to their ice rink scenes.

  Notable Quote:

  Jenna Fischer [67:12]: "I had to go early in the morning and spend about three hours learning to ice skate. And the crazy thing is, my character didn't even ice skate in the movie."

Stunt Anecdote:

• Angela recounts a humorous incident involving a stunt ice skater spinning her, which was ultimately not used in the final episode.

  Notable Quote:

  Angela Kinsey [14:51]: "He spun me. He picked me up and twirled me."

4. Behind-the-Scenes Stories

a. Shooting Locations and Challenges

Rite Aid Shoot:

• Filming at the Rite Aid on Woodman and Sherman Way required starting early at 4 AM to accommodate store hours.

  Notable Quote:

  Jenna Fischer [13:26]: "And that all the customers that you see in those scenes are hired background performers. None of them are real customers."

Pickwick Ice Rink:

• The ice skating scenes were shot at Pickwick Ice Rink in Burbank, where the team had exclusive access for a day.

  Notable Quote:

  Angela Kinsey [14:15]: "We shut that place down. It was all ours."

b. Costume and Wardrobe Details

Multiple Outfits Strategy:

• Jenna and Angela explain how the wardrobe department managed multiple outfits to accommodate long shooting hours and unexpected spills.

  Notable Quote:

  Jenna Fischer [18:24]: "They always had multiples and they. Part of the wardrobe department's job is to launder and prepare your outfit for the next day."

c. Interaction with Cast Members

Steve Carell’s Ice Skating:

• Jenna highlights Steve Carell’s genuine ice skating skills, which added authenticity to the scenes.

  Notable Quote:

  Jenna Fischer [09:05]: "Fact number one is that Steve Carell is a very, very good ice skater."

Nancy Carell’s Cameo:

• Angela shares memories of Steve Carell’s wife, Nancy, appearing as Carol Stills, enhancing on-screen relationships.

  Notable Quote:

  Angela Kinsey [70:21]: "She was so good with the kids. She's so sweet."

5. Fan Reactions and Questions

Notable Fan Comments:

• Fans expressed concern over Michael’s reaction to Kevin’s health scare, questioning the appropriateness of his behavior during his birthday.

  Notable Quote:

  Angela Kinsey [54:02]: "He's being a little bit of a baby, but I think if any of us really cared about him the way we should as his co-workers, someone should have pulled him aside early in the morning and said..."

Answering Fan Questions:

• The hosts address questions about improvised lines and the authenticity of certain scene elements, providing deeper insights into character portrayals.

  Notable Quote:

  Jenna Fischer [56:35]: "How do I describe it? You know how long distance phone calls, they would cost money?"

6. Concluding Thoughts and Deleted Scenes

Episode Wrap-Up:

• Jenna and Angela reflect on the episode's resolution, where Michael’s birthday celebrations conclude positively despite earlier tensions and concerns.

  Notable Quote:

  Jenna Fischer [77:05]: "It did."

Deleted Scenes Highlight:

• Angela shares a deleted Dwight talking head that encapsulates Dwight’s role in managing Michael’s expectations and pressures.

  Notable Quote:

  Angela Kinsey [77:21]: "This is a Dwight talking head from Michael's birthday. Michael's birthday is hard for me because he gets very excited, but he's also under a lot of pressure..."

7. Final Reflections

Jenna and Angela conclude the episode by celebrating Michael’s emotional journey during his birthday, emphasizing themes of friendship, concern, and the complexities of workplace relationships.

Notable Quote:

Angela Kinsey [76:38]: "This episode was initially created in collaboration with Earwolf."

Closing Remarks:

• The hosts express their gratitude to listeners and tease the next episode’s focus on drug testing and Dwight’s antics.

  Notable Quote:

  Jenna Fischer [78:25]: "Next week, we're gonna do some drug testing. Dwight, why is your urine green? We'll find out."

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8. Additional Insights

Personal Anecdotes:

• Both hosts share personal stories related to the episode’s themes, such as Jenna’s bread-making experiments and Angela’s experiences podcasting from home.

  Notable Quote:

  Jenna Fischer [63:32]: "I just ate a slice. It's freaking Delicious."

Engagement with Fans:

• The hosts frequently interact with fan questions and comments, enhancing listener engagement and providing a community feeling.

  Notable Quote:

  Jenna Fischer [48:26]: "He wanted to know, did any of you guys actually eat any of that horrible sub sandwich?"

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Conclusion:

In this episode of Office Ladies, Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey provide a comprehensive and entertaining breakdown of "Michael’s Birthday," blending scene analysis with personal anecdotes and behind-the-scenes stories. Their engaging discussions offer both fans and newcomers a deeper appreciation of the episode’s nuances and the enduring chemistry between the hosts.

Transcript

[Jenna Fischer]

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[Angela Kinsey]

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[Jenna Fischer]

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[Angela Kinsey]

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[Jenna Fischer]

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[Angela Kinsey]

Welcome back to the second drink of Michael's birthday. We've got some fun stuff to share before our breakdown begins.

[Jenna Fischer]

We went into our candy bag alts and found an alt Jim talking head that would have come at the very top of the episode. And it really sums up how Michael feels about his birthday. Here's what Jim said. Michael makes a pretty big deal out of his birthday. A couple of years ago. It fell on a Saturday, so we observed it on a Friday and again the following Monday.

[Angela Kinsey]

I mean, we kind of do this lady. We kind of now celebrate our birthdays, like for a week.

[Jenna Fischer]

Birthday week.

[Angela Kinsey]

It's birthday week.

[Jenna Fischer]

This is starting to happen. This is a thing. I see this all the time on the gram.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, you do?

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

I think we just do it because we celebrate here at work and then we celebrate with our families and Then we go for a birthday walk together. I love it.

[Jenna Fischer]

I'm here for little traditions that requires multiple celebrations.

[Angela Kinsey]

I'm with Michael on this one. I also went to the Season 2 DVD for this episode, and I found a treasure trove I was not expecting in the bonus features. Okay, There are a whole list of Fakie PSAs. Yeah, yeah, I know we talked a little bit about this when Steve did one, but there's a series of them with you, Jenna, Rain, and John. There are 10. Can I what? Yes, there are 10 of them on this one particular DVD.

[Jenna Fischer]

I have no memory of this.

[Angela Kinsey]

Here is a list.

[Jenna Fischer]

I'm in them.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. I'm going to play some for you. Here is a list of the PSA titles. Ready?

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay.

[Angela Kinsey]

Public service announcements. Remember, these used to play on television for the young child.

[Jenna Fischer]

And these are like satire. These are fakey.

[Angela Kinsey]

These are fakey.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay.

[Angela Kinsey]

All right, here's a list. Meteor, smell invite, Cake, Fowl, jellybeans, fugitive saltine thumb, and Arctic wolf. Did any of those ring a bell for you?

[Jenna Fischer]

Nothing.

[Angela Kinsey]

Nothing?

[Jenna Fischer]

No recall of any kind.

[Angela Kinsey]

All right, well, I think I'll play two of them today. And you know what? I'm going to start just sprinkling these into second drinks. All right, so first up, let's hear the PSA for smell.

[Jenna Fischer]

People may laugh at you when you put the word smell into everyday phrases like smell you later or smell O, but I promise you, it's not funny. And they're just being nice to you because you maybe are their boss.

[Angela Kinsey]

I don't remember.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's literally me talking. I know.

[Angela Kinsey]

And if you watch it, you're so earnest. All right, okay, next one I'm gonna play for you is Arctic Wolf.

[Jenna Fischer]

Is this Rainn Wilson by any chance?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yep.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay. The Arctic wolf lives on a diet of caribou, musk, oxen, lemmings and hares. I could do that if I had to. I mean, what were these for?

[Angela Kinsey]

I don't know, but I'm gonna start sharing them every once in a while.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, I can't wait to hear more of those. I love this idea.

[Angela Kinsey]

All right, everyone. Well, here is our breakdown of Michael's birthday.

[Jenna Fischer]

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 Rewatch podcast just for you.

[Angela Kinsey]

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

[Jenna Fischer]

Where the Office ladies. Happy birthday, everybody. It is Michael's birthday.

[Angela Kinsey]

Michael, it's your B day. Oh, my gosh.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, Angela, he would be so happy if anyone responded to his birthday like that.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. This guy needs a party like nobody else. He needs the party.

[Jenna Fischer]

It's so true. Guys, it's season two, episode 19, Michael's birthday. Written by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stepnitsky. Directed by Ken Whittingham. Guys, I'm in my closet right now.

[Angela Kinsey]

I am in my. That's what she shed. This morning, my husband figured out how to try to soundproof at Sam. I don't know if we did it. We tried, but we got a shower curtain out of the guest room and Josh put it across the shed and hung some blankets on it. We took, you know, the clamps that our kids have a fort building kit. Wow. And we took all of their clamps. So I hope the K kids don't get to do a fort this week because mom is trying to podcast from home.

[Jenna Fischer]

The best part of seeing you right now on this video chat while we do this is that you are wearing a set of gamer headphones.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes, I am. I have a giant microphone, but I've pointed it up to the sky like.

[Jenna Fischer]

An antenna coming out of your ear.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

And we're gonna put a photo of this on the pod. Should I do a summary? Here it is.

[Angela Kinsey]

Do a summary, babe. I don't know why I called you babe. I don't know.

[Jenna Fischer]

I don't know. I don't know either.

[Angela Kinsey]

Do a summary, babe.

[Jenna Fischer]

It's Michael's birthday and he is desperate to be the center of attention. Meanwhile, we learn that Kevin is waiting for the results of a mole biopsy. Yes, Kevin is very worried he might have skin cancer, and this is causing a distraction to Michael's birthday that he is unhappy with. Oh, my gosh.

[Angela Kinsey]

Michael's like, today is the day for celebration and you guys are all worried about Kevin and I am grumpy about it.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

There's my summary.

[Jenna Fischer]

I like it, babe. Babe. I like it, babe.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay, wait, are we just going to jump right in?

[Jenna Fischer]

No more. There's more summary and fast facts. You've forgotten everything.

[Angela Kinsey]

Wow.

[Jenna Fischer]

There's more summary.

[Angela Kinsey]

What is happening?

[Jenna Fischer]

Also in this episode, Dwight and Angela really bicker over who exactly is in charge of planning Michael's birthday party. Is it Dwight as his right hand man, or is it Angela, head of the ppc? This is the first time we're going to see a little tension going on between Duangela.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, well, I mean, there was tension in Season one over who was the security officer. You know, that was pre them dating. So they. They have some issues about who gets to have control of what. They had that going into this relationship. And I have a note card, guys, that says Dwaynella sass.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, de Angela sass all through this episode. We're gonna track it. Also in this episode, Jim and Pam, they sneak out of the office together, and in the end, the entire office gang is going to go ice skating.

[Angela Kinsey]

Who saw that coming? I didn't see that coming.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, the writers knew that we were going to end up at an ice skating rink. That leads me into. Sam, please play my special audio clip. Fast fact.

[Angela Kinsey]

What is that? What is happening?

[Jenna Fischer]

We had a fan submit some little. They're called stings, Angela.

[Angela Kinsey]

I love that so much. I didn't even know there was such a thing.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, thank you.

[Angela Kinsey]

So more stings, please.

[Jenna Fischer]

More stings. Guys, send us your stings. I didn't even know that was a term. We're learning so much.

[Angela Kinsey]

We're a hundred. But thank you for making us stings so fast.

[Jenna Fischer]

Fact number one is that Steve Carell is a very, very good ice skater. He played hockey growing up. He played pickup hockey every week as an adult fan. Question from Matt Loveless. Was the plot built around Steve's ability to ice skate? Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

He's so good. He's really good.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. The writers had on one of their cards up on the wall, this fact about Steve being a good ice skater. And they had been looking forever for a way to incorporate it. And you guys might remember that later when we film the Threat Level Midnight. That again, that plot of Threat Level Midnight, the movie takes place in an ice skating rink, and that was just like another opportunity to feature Steve's ice skating ability.

[Angela Kinsey]

I was at the car wash one time waiting for my car to get washed. Right. You know the one you kind of. You can drive through part of it and then you wait on the other side, Right?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

So I'm at the car wash, and this guy walks up to me and goes, I ice skate with Steve. Just, you know, sometimes I ice skate with Steve. And I was like, oh, what? Oh, okay. Well, way to go. You're probably very good. Cause Steve is good. Have a nice day.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, you know, Angela, my husband Lee ice skates. He's on several pickup hockey teams. And my son as well is a hockey player. And my husband now plays on the pickup team that Steve used to play on. I wonder if he plays with the guy from the car wash. Steve does not Play pickup hockey anymore. He told me he kind of retired from that, but back when we shot this episode, he was really into it.

[Angela Kinsey]

He was really into it. And, Jenna, you're like a hockey mom. I have been on the ice with you now, and I've met your hockey mom friends, and I am into it. I don't have a kid that plays hockey, but they told me you can drink beer at, like, 10am hockey matches. And I'm like, I think this is the crowd I should be in. I mean, I'm over at the soccer field. They got nothing at that concession stand. Maybe some pretzels.

[Jenna Fischer]

I mean, we're at these hockey rinks sometimes at 7 in the morning or 8 in the morning, and they open up that concession stand and they go for it. I am not a beer drinker, but I am amazed at people's ability to. To have.

[Angela Kinsey]

Have a beer in the morning.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's a beer in the morning. I'm like, that would do me in. But yeah. Oh, God, I love the hockey community. It's a great. It's a great, great community. I'm. I love being a part of it. All right, fast fact number two. This is a fan question from Renata. She said this episode has several external locations. Did it take longer to produce this episode because of that? So we usually would take five days to shoot an episode, and we were still able to shoot this episode in five days, even with our multiple locations. And guess what I did, Angela?

[Angela Kinsey]

What?

[Jenna Fischer]

I got some scoop from Kentopedia about our locations.

[Angela Kinsey]

Kent's a bornak. Let's hear it.

[Jenna Fischer]

All right, so first up, the store that Jim and Pam go to was a Rite Aid at Woodman and Sherman Way. Do you remember that Rite Aid, Angela?

[Angela Kinsey]

I do.

[Jenna Fischer]

I pass by it every day on the way to work, and I would shop there constantly. Yeah, I would always, like, pick up stuff. Some milk on the way home. One time I bought some socks. I was low on socks.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, I remember setting up my trailer. You know, we would sort of decorate, and I got a few different little things. I got like, a doormat.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

At that Rite Aid. Okay. So cute. You were at the Rite Aid by us.

[Jenna Fischer]

He said that we shot there for a half a day, but we started very, very early. I think my hair and makeup started around 4am or 4:30am I believe it. Because, yeah, we had to start shooting on camera by six, and the Rite Aid said we could only shoot there until 11am with the store closed after 11am we could keep shooting, but they were going to let customers in. And Kent said that we finished by 10am we finished an hour early. And that all the customers that you see in those scenes are hired background performers. None of them are real customers. All right.

[Angela Kinsey]

Good job, team. Good job. You got in, you got out.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's the scoop on the Rite Aid. So the ice skating, we shot that at Pickwick Ice Rink in Burbank. I know this rink well. And we had the whole place to ourselves for one full day. We were there from 7am to 7pm Again, we started our hair and makeup very early, around 5am and we were all shooting by seven. The other skaters in the background were background actors. We shut that place down. It was all ours. So Kent also told me that luckily, both Randall Einhorn and Matt Sohn, they were our camera operators, that they could ice skate. And so they were skating around with cameras. Do you remember that, Angela? Because I didn't. I did not remember that those guys were skating with us.

[Angela Kinsey]

I remember Randall on the ice. I do. Because I have a little funny backstory about. There was a stunt ice skater. Jenna, do you remember the stunt ice skater?

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, yeah, the guy who filled in for Oscar.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. So you'll see later in the episode as we watch it that Oscar is, like a very good ice skater. He does like a kind of a pirouette and spins around. Well, that's because there was a stunt guy that looked like him that was a really great figure skater. And I have a little story about that. I don't know if you remember this, Jenna, but Randall was filming the stunt guy getting all of the moves, right.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

And they wanted us skating in the background. And I sort of skated in the background, and I did a big circle. Like, I kind of opened my legs and did a big circle. And the guy said to me in between takes, he goes, hey. He said, can you skate? And I was like, well, I can roller skate. So I'm just trying to do what I do on roller skates. And he said, come here. And he spun me around. And then Randall was like, oh, wait, I'll get this just in case. Maybe it'll be funny that Oscar spins Angela or something, you know?

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay.

[Angela Kinsey]

And so the stunt ice skater started doing all these things with me, Jenna. He spun me. He picked me up and twirled me. He had me stick one leg out and one leg up, like. Like. And then. And, like, spun me and set me down. And we, like, somewhere there is footage of this stunt ice skater lifting me in the air and spinning me around. And where is this footage? We never use the footage, but it really made me laugh to think that maybe there is a world where Angela and Oscar figure skate together.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay, two things. Number one, NBC released this footage immediately. Number two, Angela, do you know who that guy was? I looked up, okay, his name is Bert Jude Lankin.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay?

[Jenna Fischer]

And he was a pear skater, a famous pair skater who won the silver medal at the 1982 United States Figure Skating Championships and then later placed sixth at the 1984 Winter Olympic Games.

[Angela Kinsey]

Wow.

[Jenna Fischer]

You were figure skating with an Olympic pears figure skater. Where is this footage?

[Angela Kinsey]

That is amazing. That is so cool. Well, you know, I'm not very good, but he was very good, so.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, I'm gonna find the footage for you. I'm gonna surprise you with it at some milestone birthday in the future.

[Angela Kinsey]

You'll have to ask Randall Einhorn. Say, Randall, did any of that, like, end up somewhere?

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, my gosh. Well, next up is fast fact number three. But I don't even know how to follow that because that was good stuff.

[Angela Kinsey]

Picture me and Oscar right now in your mind. Guys, close your eyes. Picture me and Oscar right now as a figure skating couple on the ice. And go. Oscar makes all of our costumes.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, Angela, that is a good segue for me into fast fact number three. Because you mentioned costumes, we got a fan question from Alyssa, and this is not specific to this episode, but a general fan question. And I thought it was a good one, so I thought we would include it. Alyssa wants to know, what do you do with your clothes after you've been shooting in the same outfit for 12 to 15 hours at a time? She says, I imagine they would get stretched out and wrinkly and dirty. Do you have multiple sets of the same outfits for each day of shooting, or does someone wash them for you?

[Angela Kinsey]

First of all, I like where her head's at. Yeah, I like this person. I know this person is a planner. She probably packs very well for a trip. I like it. I like your train of thought.

[Jenna Fischer]

These are things I wonder about when I watch movies. Especially if I see a movie where, like, it's a flood or they're submerged in water somehow. I think, oh, my gosh, how many hours that day did they have to stop? Stand, like, waist deep in water? Probably, like, 12 hours.

[Angela Kinsey]

So here's the thing. We often had. Well, we always had duplicates. They wanted to make sure that you had two of every outfit so they could wash and have the next set ready the next day. Also, if you were to spill something on it, or get a tear or whatever, they would have the duplicate ready to go.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. And if you did have to do some sort of a stick stunt or something in that particular outfit, then they might have even more than two. You know, they, they might have seven shirts if part of the scene involves you purposely dripping ketchup on your shirt or something. So yeah, they always had multiples and they. Part of the wardrobe department's job is to launder and prepare your outfit for the next day. So that's how that worked.

[Angela Kinsey]

I like the question though. I like the question.

[Jenna Fischer]

All right, that's the end of my fast facts. Oh, I'm so sorry, guys. My.

[Angela Kinsey]

What the was that?

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, I think my bread is done. I have some bread in the oven.

[Angela Kinsey]

I thought that was like a, an alert. Like they always say, you can tell a little something about the person by which alarm they pick. And by they, I mean me. This is my theory. So like your alarm is like gang, gang, gang, like mayday, mayday. And like my alarm, my alarm is like two banjos playing. Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.

[Jenna Fischer]

Angela, this is saying everything about us that's 100% true. Everybody. What is your alarm on your phone and what does it say about you? Lee is telling me that the internal temperature of my bread is only 154 degrees. Do you mind if we take a break?

[Angela Kinsey]

I do want to take a break because my that's what she shed is really cold and I turn my heater off when we podcast and I want to warm it back up. So you take care of your bread. You heat up your bread. I'm going to heat up my she.

[Jenna Fischer]

Shed and we'll be right back.

[Angela Kinsey]

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[Jenna Fischer]

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[Angela Kinsey]

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[Jenna Fischer]

This is the perfect time for dressing, inspiration and gift ideas to celebrate Mother's Day. I'm gonna throw some ideas at you.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay.

[Jenna Fischer]

Mother's Day gifting idea. A fragrance set. Right?

[Angela Kinsey]

I like that.

[Jenna Fischer]

I know. What about leaning into some spring trends, like something linen.

[Angela Kinsey]

I have always wanted like a linen pants and top, like matching set.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

I've never done this for myself. Maybe I'll buy myself a Mother's Day gift.

[Jenna Fischer]

You know I'm all about that. But, you know, you could also do like a beauty basket because Macy's has Lancome Clinique.

[Angela Kinsey]

I'm just figuring out everything I want for myself for Mother's Day.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, Ange, then you should head to Macy's to shop the sale April 24th through May 4th. And get up to an extra 30% off on your favorite brands and 15% off beauty exclusions.

[Angela Kinsey]

Apply shop in store or online@macy's.com.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, I just oversaw the bread. We're still not at the right internal temperature. I had to leave it for Lee to make a judgment call. I hope it turns out. I hope we can make some sandwiches today. Time will tell.

[Angela Kinsey]

Let's get back on track, Jenna, and let's jump into this episode.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes, the cold open. Michael is trying to sell the employees some calling cards.

[Angela Kinsey]

Did you notice something about this scene, Jenna? It's in the conference room, right?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yep. Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

Who all is in attendance?

[Jenna Fischer]

Who? It is Jim Dwight.

[Angela Kinsey]

Jim Dwight, Toby, Creed, Oscar, Ryan, and Stanley. Not a single woman.

[Jenna Fischer]

Hey.

[Angela Kinsey]

Hey. Now, do you think a Michael thinks the women will say this is a load of crap, but he thinks the guys will go along with it. Why aren't there any women? Hmm.

[Jenna Fischer]

Jim convinces Michael that this is a pyramid scheme. Michael draws a chart, and then Jim turns it into a literal pyramid. Do you remember in the Fire episode when Michael said he lost all of his money in a pyramid scheme and that's why he couldn't go to business? Business school.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. Toby brings it up in this scene.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

Toby's like, remember?

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, Toby brings up an email scam that Michael also participated in.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. And Michael's like, hey, when the son of the deposed king of Nigeria emails you directly asking you for help. Okay. His father ran the freaking country. Okay?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

Michael. Michael.

[Jenna Fischer]

Michael. All right, so that's our cold open and then when the episode begins, that was one of those standalone cold opens that did not end up applying.

[Angela Kinsey]

I have one more question about the cold open. You might know the answer.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, go ahead.

[Angela Kinsey]

Is a calling card the same as a business card?

[Jenna Fischer]

What?

[Angela Kinsey]

Angela, what's a calling card? Wait, I don't know what a calling is.

[Jenna Fischer]

You're not asking this question. Do you not remember the 80s?

[Angela Kinsey]

Honey, I was an Indian. Oh, I just called you honey.

[Jenna Fischer]

I'm a baby. I'm a honey.

[Angela Kinsey]

Honey, I was in Jakarta, Indonesia till 1984. What happened? What's the calling card?

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay, gosh, how do I describe it? You know how long distance phone calls, they would cost money? Like, so much money per minute if you wanted to call someone and you would usually just use your home phone and then. I can't believe I'm describing this right now.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, so it's like a card with a number on it, and you enter it or something, and then you use the minutes?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. It's like a prepaid credit card that you could apply to the price of a phone call.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay, I know what it is now. I got it. I remember that for whatever reason, in my mind, I thought this whole scene was about business cards, and I thought it was really funny.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, Ang, that's funny.

[Angela Kinsey]

So anyway, and I was like, oh, look, they're making their own business cards. That's kind of cute.

[Jenna Fischer]

No, no, you don't need Phil and.

[Angela Kinsey]

His Corvette for that. Now this makes sense.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay. I hear the tone in your voice, Jenna. I hear.

[Jenna Fischer]

I don't know how to end this.

[Angela Kinsey]

I hear it. It's like you pity me, but you love me. But you're perplexed that a grown woman doesn't know what a calling card is. I hear it all. It's all there. But I love you. Okay, so they weren't business cards. They were calling cards.

[Jenna Fischer]

All right. I love you, babe. I love you, babe.

[Angela Kinsey]

I love you, honey. Go.

[Jenna Fischer]

That was the cold open. It was a standalone cold open. Right. It doesn't apply to the rest of the episode because after the credits, we're gonna learn the real plot of this episode when Michael enters, and Pam, while handing him his messages for the day, says, happy birthday, Michael. And when he enters, he's carrying, like, his own box of donuts for his birthday. Is he carrying the balloons that we're gonna see later in his office?

[Angela Kinsey]

Probably.

[Jenna Fischer]

I couldn't track where the balloons came from. But then Michael has a talking head where he tells us that people go crazy for his birthday. They Just go all out.

[Angela Kinsey]

They go all out. And it's just a boring, like, shot of the office. Just everyone doing work.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

No one paying attention. And then, Jenna, he says that he shares a birthday with Eva Longoria. And I looked up her birthday. It's March 15th. Jenna, yours is March 7th.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

That means you and Michael Scott are both Pisces.

[Jenna Fischer]

We're both Pisces.

[Angela Kinsey]

Which I also looked up. And this was what I found on the Internets about Pisces. You, Jenna Fisher, and Michael Scott. Are you ready?

[Jenna Fischer]

I'm ready.

[Angela Kinsey]

In all matters of life, you bring intensity and passion. This explains why you will devote an endless amount of time and effort into anything that you feel is worthwhile, especially family and loved ones.

[Jenna Fischer]

Hey, I know that sounds like a compliment.

[Angela Kinsey]

I think it is.

[Jenna Fischer]

You are giving me a compliment.

[Angela Kinsey]

I am giving you a compliment.

[Jenna Fischer]

Thank you. So now Jim has a talking head.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, wait, wait, wait. Before we get to that, I think something really important happens here, which is Kevin is late for work. Now, we don't know why yet, but he's late. He seems a little preoccupied. And when he walks in, Michael's like, you're late, but you're forgiven because doss, it is my birthday. Made me laugh. Michael's such an idiot. I love him, but, yes, Kevin is late. So. And then we go to Jim's talking head.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, here's something I want to say about Jim's talking head. So the. The meat of the talking head is he's just kind of describing what Michael is like on his birthday. But look at the winter backdrop behind him.

[Angela Kinsey]

So you know how we. You love this.

[Jenna Fischer]

You know, I love our backdrops. Okay, so that's not a real window to the outside. That's just a window to a printed backdrop that we would change seasonally. And I just noticed that the backdrop is winter. It looks like it's maybe snowy. And I'm going to bring this up later, so put a pin in that. But I just want to say winter backdrop behind Jim.

[Angela Kinsey]

I am riveted. I am riveted. I cannot wait, cannot wait for this payoff of the winter backdrop. All right, so then we see Meredith and Kevin in the break room, and she says, did you hear anything yet? And so we start to see, like, what's happening with Kevin. Right. That he might have a skin cancer scare. And this storyline starts.

[Jenna Fischer]

And then we go to Dwight in Michael's office.

[Angela Kinsey]

There is no one more excited for Michael's birthday than Dwight. Really. I mean, it is. It is such a special day. For him, it is a huge day.

[Jenna Fischer]

If only everyone were reacting like Dwight, Michael would be happy. Michael reveals he's wearing a new suit. He says it's from Italy.

[Angela Kinsey]

No, Bulgaria.

[Jenna Fischer]

Right.

[Angela Kinsey]

New suit. And Dwight said maybe he'll have to get one. And Michael's like, good luck.

[Jenna Fischer]

It's pinstriped. I noticed. And the tie is insane. It's a crazy tie as well. This is also the scene where Michael tells Dwight that he's not worried about his birthday because the PPC has been working 247 since yesterday.

[Angela Kinsey]

But also, it's in the scene that Dwight actually begs Michael if he can be in charge of Michael's birthday. So this is setting up, like, what's going to be a big source of tension between Angela and Dwight. And I think Angela, you know, thinks that Michael's an idiot and thinks that Dwight is loyal to someone who doesn't deserve, like, his loyalty. And so she's just already. She already is, like, annoyed that it's Michael's birthday. And now on top of the fact her boyfriend wants to be the party planning, you know, committee chairman.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, Angela must be very conflicted because as party planning committee head, she is obligated to celebrate this birthday.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes, yes.

[Jenna Fischer]

Even though she feels that Michael is kind of going a little bit over the top, right?

[Angela Kinsey]

Mm. Yes.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, Ange, the next scene is the party planning committee scene.

[Angela Kinsey]

One more thing before we move on. There is a famous meme that came out of this Dwight and Michael scene. It is the raise the roof.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, the raise the roof. Yes, yes, yes. And in the super famous meme, it's.

[Angela Kinsey]

Even longer in the deleted scenes, you guys. So if you check out the deleted scenes, it's really funny because when Dwight starts to do it, Michael's like, no, that's not how I taught you. I like. Like, clearly they've practiced this move.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, I love that. I love that. There's an extra deleted scene of that raise the roof. Well, next up is the party planning committee meeting lady.

[Angela Kinsey]

It's the OG it's the OG it is Phyllis, Angela and Pam. That's it, baby.

[Jenna Fischer]

I don't know what OG is.

[Angela Kinsey]

I did.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's what it is today.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, gee, Jenna. Okay, get on the Internet, lady. You might know what a calling card is, but let me tell you what OG is. It means Original Gangster. Original Gangster. It's like you are the. The. The first person of this thing. Whatever. I don't know. Look it up on Urban Dictionary.

[Jenna Fischer]

So it's the OG of the ppc. Ppc. Oh, I want a hoodie that says OG of the ppc.

[Angela Kinsey]

Note to self, that'd be great.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, look to self.

[Angela Kinsey]

Look at the coffee mug I'm using.

[Jenna Fischer]

I'm using the OG PPC PC coffee mug today. That's apropos. That's another word, Angela. Apropos.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know what that means.

[Jenna Fischer]

It means appropriate.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, I got it.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay. All right. So they're having a riveting conversation in this meeting. They want to know what time we should bring out the cake.

[Angela Kinsey]

One or 1:30. Oh, wait, yeah. Pam says one o'clock. To which Angela immediately says 1:30. And then Pam yawns.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. And then Angela sasses her.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. She's like, oh, I'm sorry, are we boring you?

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, you know, there's in a deleted scene, I improvised a line where I said, not Phyllis.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes.

[Jenna Fischer]

Do you remember that?

[Angela Kinsey]

I do, I do.

[Jenna Fischer]

And then we all laughed. We used to laugh a lot when we did these PPC scenes.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, they would let us go. They would give us a few lines and then they would just let us go. And we would improvise the most boring, like, conversations, like, on purpose. We'd be like, well, I don't know, guys, how I feel about paper plates. I mean, which size should we get? Should we get the large oval one? No one gets oval. Who gets an oval paper plate? No one. I think we get the square one. Square paper plates. We would like. We would do this for, like, so long.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's because Greg Daniels loved the ppc.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know.

[Jenna Fischer]

He loved our mundane banter so much. He loved the dynamic of it. And so he would let us just go on forever. I loved it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. It was so fun.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, then Dwight enters and he tells us that Michael wants trick candles for his cake.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. He gives us a list, a list of surprises that Michael would like.

[Jenna Fischer]

And this is when Angela tells Dwight that this is a closed door meeting.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, yeah, Michael wants trick candles. He wants a stripper. Graham. And Angela's like, no, no, it's a closed door meeting. And then there's this sort of odd, like, stare off between Dwight and Angela. And Pam was like, what is happening?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes, I have a fan catch as well.

[Angela Kinsey]

What?

[Jenna Fischer]

This is a fan catch from sexually woke. This person wrote in to say, Phyllis is breaking at 4 minutes, 19 seconds. When you talk about the strip O gram, I did not notice this the first time I watched it and I saw it. She gets a little smirk. And I think you could think it was Phyllis the character. But Angela, we know Phyllis, and I think this was A real Phyllis smile.

[Angela Kinsey]

I'm sure it was. We laughed a lot in those scenes, so I love that. I'm gonna go back and look for that. That's so cute.

[Jenna Fischer]

I also wanna note that when Rain comes in and out of the door, John is not at his desk in the background. So he bailed on some background work.

[Angela Kinsey]

Way to go, John. Way to be sneaky and get out of that scene.

[Jenna Fischer]

I know. I guess. What was he. He was probably playing Madden football in his trailer with Brian or something. They were playing Madden in their downtime when they had scenes and they would yell. They were so loud.

[Angela Kinsey]

Do you remember? They were so loud, they'd be like, get it. Get him. All right, so at 4 minutes, 35 seconds, we now have this phone call between Michael and Jan in Michael's office.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

And Jenna, did you catch who is in the room with Michael?

[Jenna Fischer]

Ryan.

[Angela Kinsey]

Ryan is sitting there for the whole phone call. And the call is so awkward. He's like, hey, I called you. Wish you happy birthday. And she's like, it's not my birthday. And he's like, oh, I thought we had the same birthday. And she's like, no. And then she's like, happy birthday, Michael. And then she's like, are we being filmed? And he's like, nope, not at all.

[Jenna Fischer]

And then he says, jan, just feel free to say whatever is in your heart. And then doesn't she just, like, hang up?

[Angela Kinsey]

Click, dial tone. And the whole time, Ryan is sitting here. And I have a little something to point out if you go and watch the deleted scenes. There is a beginning to this scene, and that is that Ryan the timp has been given the task to tie those balloons in Michael's office.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, this is where the balloons come from.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. So him and Michael are in his office. Ryan is tying a balloon to, like, his chair. And then he's like, can I leave? And Michael's like, nope.

[Jenna Fischer]

Thank you so much for telling me this, because I was wondering, where did those dang balloons come from? Because Michael did not walk in with them. He must have somehow ordered Ryan the temp to get them.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. And then.

[Jenna Fischer]

And this deleted scene is the proof.

[Angela Kinsey]

He makes them stay in for the phone call. Oh, God, it's so miserable. I feel so bad for Ryan in that scene.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, the next scene is very cringy as well, because Michael's in the kitchen and he is just hovering over this box of donuts, waiting for someone. And then when Stanley comes in, he's like, oh, my gosh, somebody must have brought in Donuts for my birthday. Michael, we saw you carry that box in when you arrived.

[Angela Kinsey]

Michael.

[Jenna Fischer]

Somebody. Michael.

[Angela Kinsey]

Michael. Michael. Michael. Michael, I have something to point out here. So, you know in Booze Cruise, you and Jim look at each other for 27 seconds of silence, right?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

27 seconds. Is that right?

[Jenna Fischer]

27 seconds. That's right.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay, I want you to know how long Michael stood with his hand on that coffee pot waiting for someone to come in so he could act like he was pouring himself a cup of coffee, act surprised that there were donuts for his birthday. He stood there for 10 seconds of pure silence.

[Jenna Fischer]

Wow.

[Angela Kinsey]

Now, if you think about a TV show, you guys, that's like a long time to leave a character just sitting there waiting for someone to notice him.

[Jenna Fischer]

That is so true. That's amazing. 10 seconds.

[Angela Kinsey]

10 seconds. He stood there looking around, waiting for someone to walk in. And then.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, and then later, when Toby comes in, it's so sad. Toby sees the donuts and he finds out it's Michael's birthday. And he gives the most just upbeat.

[Angela Kinsey]

Genuine, warm, genuine happy birthday.

[Jenna Fischer]

Happy birthday, Michael.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

And then Michael is so mean. Michael's like, you didn't remember? Well, yeah, I guess I'm not going to remember to give you a donut.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know. He's such a turd to Toby. And Toby was being so nice to him.

[Jenna Fischer]

I know. So also happening in this episode is everyone kind of learning about the fact that Kevin's waiting for these skin test results. So, like, Jim's in the. In the break room, and they're talking about it, and Kelly overhears.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, Kelly. You mean Mindy. Mindy overhears. That is a Mindy Kaling talking head. When she's like, oh, my gosh, I never thought about death until Princess Diana's funeral, which was so sad. And then she pauses, and she's like that. And my sister's like, oh, it's such a dark.

[Jenna Fischer]

It's such a dark talking head. It's so dark. I don't know how Mindy got through that.

[Angela Kinsey]

She almost didn't. I want you to know, look at 6 minutes, 5 seconds, Mindy is so about to laugh. She's barely holding it together.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, then the accounting department is discussing Kevin's possible skin cancer. Angela. And you are. I mean, Angela Martin is a real downer.

[Angela Kinsey]

She's a little bit of Debbie Downer. I mean, Oscar's like, you know what? I'm sure it's going to be fine. I'm like, don't give him false hope. You don't know that.

[Jenna Fischer]

Is that pragmatic?

[Angela Kinsey]

I think she is, you know? Yeah, she's pragmatic. She doesn't need to see the rosy picture. She's like, just give me the stats.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. What are the stats on this? The stats are you should be worried.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, that's what the stats say.

[Jenna Fischer]

So next up, Michael gets a delivery.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, man.

[Jenna Fischer]

But he thinks that the woman is his strippogram.

[Angela Kinsey]

He's so excited. He's giddy. He literally says, here we go. And then he has a line that made me laugh so hard. He's like, oh, this chair has arms. Is that gonna be all right?

[Jenna Fischer]

I loved that line that made me laugh so hard. He's like, it'll be fine. It'll probably. You'll work around it.

[Angela Kinsey]

I feel like Steve improvised that. I feel like he improvised that. I don't know. I don't know, but I bet you're.

[Jenna Fischer]

I do. I wish I had the script for this one, because I would look it up, but I feel like that feels like. That feels like something you notice in the moment, Right?

[Angela Kinsey]

Because they just pulled the chair aside and it had arms. And I think he saw it in the moment and he said it.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's what I. It feels very much like a Steve improv moment.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, I do want to just give a shout out to this guest actor, Susan Foley, who played the delivery woman. I thought she was great.

[Angela Kinsey]

She was fantastic.

[Jenna Fischer]

She played it super straight, super real, made it very, very funny. Her confusion was not overplayed. It was perfection. Well done, Susan.

[Angela Kinsey]

And then we just find out some sad backstory of Michael's childhood. Jenna. His childhood breaks my heart. It breaks my heart. So he had this birthday party when he was 7. He was so excited. He said they got a pony and a cart, and the pony gave him a rash, and his mom rubbed cream on him for three hours, and then.

[Jenna Fischer]

He missed the party.

[Angela Kinsey]

He said it was his worst birthday. Well, this is a runner, and some of them got cut out, but Michael had this runner throughout this episode of all of his worst birthdays, comparing it to this one. So this guy has had a lot of bad birthdays.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, he's gonna get a pick me up from Dwight, who's gonna play the recorder for him while he eats donuts. Dwight is playing Billy Joel, which is a runner on our show. We're constantly going to the Billy Joel music library on the Office. I don't know why that is for the longest time, but of course, Dwight calls him William Joel. And then Michael is just sort of lamenting how he's being treated in the office. And he says, I bet Luke Perry's friends don't treat him like this.

[Angela Kinsey]

Wait.

[Jenna Fischer]

And he references this poster that this is what the delivery woman was delivering. It is a poster of James Dean, not of Luke Perry, that his mom sent him for his birthday. That's what his mom sent him. Now, do you think that his mom meant to send him Luke Perry or she meant to send him James Dean and Michael just mistook it for Luke Perry? Which. Which one is Michael a fan of? Or neither. Is it just Michael's mom was like, I don't know what to give him.

[Angela Kinsey]

I think Michael is probably a fan of Luke Perry, and that's who his mom thought it was. That's what I think.

[Jenna Fischer]

I think I like that story.

[Angela Kinsey]

I don't know, but I. I mean, I feel like that's something my mom would do. Or my sister. One year at Christmas, my sister got me a Green Bay packers baseball hat.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

And I was like, I don't. I don't get it. And she was like, well, you went to Baylor.

[Jenna Fischer]

Green and gold, same colors.

[Angela Kinsey]

I was like, what? Same colors? Right. Same colors. So I feel like that could be sort of a mom moment.

[Jenna Fischer]

Angela. One year for Christmas, my mom got me from, I guess, a local art fair in St. Louis, a drawing of a woman and her cat.

[Angela Kinsey]

Mm.

[Jenna Fischer]

She got it for me because she knows I love cats. I'm gonna post this on Office Ladies, Pod, Instagram.

[Angela Kinsey]

Is she gonna get upset with you? Is she gonna say something?

[Jenna Fischer]

No. This is a running joke in our family now. It is. Angela. It is a. It is a. I don't know how to describe it. It is a drawing of a woman on all fours.

[Angela Kinsey]

What?

[Jenna Fischer]

In lingerie with her tush in the air. And the cat is rubbing seductively on the woman's tush.

[Angela Kinsey]

And your mom missed all that? She just thought it was a lady and her cat.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. So, Angela, imagine me on Christmas morning. She hands me. I'm in, like, college when she gives me this. I come home from college, I unwrap this box, and I'm looking at, like, a semi pornographic drawing of a woman and her cat. Just like, mom, what is this present? And she goes, what do you mean?

[Angela Kinsey]

It's a lady who loves her cat. She loves that pussy so much.

[Jenna Fischer]

She's like, she loves. You love cats.

[Angela Kinsey]

And I'm like, mom, I do love.

[Jenna Fischer]

Cats, but what is happening? And I. She didn't. She still, like, didn't see it. She's like, I don't get it. My sister died laughing. I don't know if we've ever laughed so hard on Christmas ever in my family. So now here's. I still have it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Where is it?

[Jenna Fischer]

I'll tell you. I keep it in a drawer, but every time my parents come to my house and stay in my guest room, I get it out and I put it on the nightstand, and then there it is. And I'm like, mom, here's your gift you gave me. And she knows that I do that. She knows that I don't keep it out all the time, but I, like, religiously, I put it out whenever they visit.

[Angela Kinsey]

I.

[Jenna Fischer]

And I will post a picture of it. I'll post a picture of it.

[Angela Kinsey]

I love that story so much. I love it so much. That is something 100% that my dad would do. I have a story I will save for another one that my dad did. My dad bought a painting from a man on the side of the road. I'm gonna save it.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh.

[Angela Kinsey]

Because it was. It was a. It was a Valentine's gift. I'm gonna save it. Okay. Where are we? Where are we?

[Jenna Fischer]

Dwight goes into the bullpen and he announces that it is 11:23am the exact time of Michael's birthday. And he suggests that everyone lift him up in his chair.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. It's a tradition. They're gonna hoist him up in the air.

[Jenna Fischer]

It's a tradition. Well, I caught something here.

[Angela Kinsey]

What?

[Jenna Fischer]

I want you to look at Phyllis in the background of this scene. At the very beginning of the scene, she is behind Dwight at her computer. And I think that they said action before she had a chance to clear her computer screen.

[Angela Kinsey]

Is it Gates? Because is looking at Gates.

[Jenna Fischer]

I don't know. Cause she was. She did go on a long, deep dive where she would look for Gates for a long time.

[Angela Kinsey]

She wanted a gate for her driveway.

[Jenna Fischer]

I don't know. I really tried to zoom in and see what it was. But what you have to see is that right at the top of the scene, she puts her hand up to cover up whatever is on her screen. And then at 8 minutes, 53 seconds, when Michael comes out of his office, it's like a. It's a continuous shot. When you come back to Phyllis, the Dunder Mifflin screensaver is up.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, she was quick. She was quick.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. She puts her hand up, and with her left hand, she's like, closing out of whatever she was doing.

[Angela Kinsey]

I have such a vivid memory of our camera guys, Randall or Matt, saying, hey, Phyllis, we can see the gates on your screen because, like, for a year, she looked at gates for her driveway. Aw, I. That makes me laugh.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, it's at this point that Pam and Jim are in the kitchen. They are not participating in the hoisting of Michael. And Pam suggests to Jim that they sneak out and buy something for Kevin.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. At 10 minutes, 33 seconds, you guys, we learn who Dwight tips and who he doesn't. And let me tell you, he tips his urologist.

[Jenna Fischer]

He can't pulverize his own kidney stones, and he only tips people who do jobs that he couldn't do himself. So when the sub delivery guy, who was played by Justin Maloney, by the way, delivers a bunch of sub sandwiches, Dwight gives him exact change because he could have delivered his own subs.

[Angela Kinsey]

He could have.

[Jenna Fischer]

He didn't, but he could have.

[Angela Kinsey]

And then in the break room, we find out that these sub sandwiches are bologna, tomato, and ketchup. Yes, that's it. There's no other options. It's bologna, tomato, and ketchup. What is that?

[Jenna Fischer]

Angela, we had a fan question. This is a fan question from old man David.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay?

[Jenna Fischer]

He wanted to know, did any of you guys actually eat any of that horrible sub sandwich? I was at Rite Aid. Do you remember? Did anyone eat them? And were they actually bologna and ketchup?

[Angela Kinsey]

Old man David, whatever those sandwiches were, were maybe set out by craft services, and people could maybe snack on them. But I don't remember the cast or crew eating them. But they. They never let things go to waste. If they had food that was in a scene that was edible, they would set it out over by where all the snacks were, anything that wasn't used, or they would give them to crew members. So, like, if we had a scene where we had a bunch of birthday cakes, if they didn't use those birthday cakes, they would give them to people to take home.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's true. Maybe we set them out, and who knows what they really were? We don't know.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, maybe they were normal sandwiches, but my character kiboshes. Anyone eating. Cause she's got a really crappy attitude about these sandwiches. And she just makes Michael really mad. And he packs him up and he's like, fine, choke on it. And he walks right out.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, then, Angela, we have another one of Michael's sad birthday talking heads about his childhood. This time he talks about being 16 years old and how he was supposed to go out on a date with a classmate named Julie, but she went out with a different Michael from his class instead because she didn't realize which Michael she was supposed to go out with.

[Angela Kinsey]

He just has had a whole.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, here's an interesting catch, Angela. In this talking head, he says he had to hear all about it. The next day, it's school. Well, you mentioned that his birthday was March 15. I have a Dunderpedia catch for you.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay.

[Jenna Fischer]

They figured out that Michael's 16th birthday would have been March 15, 1980. That was a Saturday, so the next day would have been Sunday, and Michael wouldn't have been at school to hear all about it.

[Angela Kinsey]

What the heck?

[Jenna Fischer]

What? That's a crazy cat.

[Angela Kinsey]

Get it together. Get it together. Writer's room.

[Jenna Fischer]

I feel like a kinship with whoever figured out this fact because of the 45 minutes I spent trying to find Nyams and Carbondale.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, yeah, you did. You looked for them for a long, long time.

[Jenna Fischer]

I did.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, lady, you're a Pisces. You're intense, and you're passionate when the.

[Jenna Fischer]

Subject moves me, like, are there yams in Carbondale?

[Angela Kinsey]

Now we're at the Rite Aid with Jim and Pam.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

Extra flirty. You haven't really had an episode in a bit where you two got to be just, like, flirty, flirty. And so I feel like, probably for fans, they were so excited to be like, oh, they're back at it again. They're in. In cahoots.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. They've bought 69 cup of noodles for Kevin, some M&M's, and his favorite movie, American Pie, too.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, man.

[Jenna Fischer]

And then Pam even teases Jim for buying some fabric softener.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, she's like, you use fabric softener? And I feel like her internal monologue is like, oh, it's so cute. He does his laundry, and he makes sure his clothes are soft. He's going to be a great husband. I love him.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, you know, Roy isn't using any fabric softener.

[Angela Kinsey]

Roy's not doing laundry.

[Jenna Fischer]

Exactly. Well, now, next up, Angela is my favorite scene from this whole episode. No cookie.

[Angela Kinsey]

No cookie. Oh. You know, we talk about things that people will say to us when they meet us. I get Save Bandit and I get no cookie.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, Dwight and Ryan are in the kitchen, and Angela enters and tries to take the cake, the birthday cake from Dwight, but Dwight won't let go of it.

[Angela Kinsey]

But she's the head of the party planning committee. It's her job to bring out the cake.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. And they get in a little tiff about it. And then Dwight says, hey, is that meeting to discuss. Discuss finances still on for later? And Angela's like, fine.

[Angela Kinsey]

Fine, but don't expect any cookie.

[Jenna Fischer]

And Dwight says, but what if I'm hungry?

[Angela Kinsey]

No cookie.

[Jenna Fischer]

And then she leaves.

[Angela Kinsey]

And then Ryan's. Ryan's expression. Ryan. Oh, bj, your look is so fantastic. Of like, what the f. Did I just witness? What is happening?

[Jenna Fischer]

He has that silent talking head. All of that, whatever that minute and a half of television is from the time that scene starts until the end of his talking head is just my favorite from this episode. I loved it.

[Angela Kinsey]

It's so good. BJ's so good. It, like, makes it. It makes it, you know?

[Jenna Fischer]

So now it's happy birthday to Michael. The cake is out, the candles are lit. Michael is going to blow out his candles, and at the same time, Kevin gets his phone call. Is it. Is it the phone call?

[Angela Kinsey]

No, it's Stacy. Stacy. He says, it's Stacy.

[Jenna Fischer]

Michael is pissed because his candles aren't trick candles. And this is when everyone's kind of hugging Kevin. And Michael's like, you guys stop. What is going on? Angela says very pointedly, no one cares.

[Angela Kinsey]

About your birthday, Michael. Yeah, Kevin's waiting to hear if he has skin cancer. Michael, this is like. This is more important. She just, like, flattens it. She. I mean, she just destroys whatever good mood he was hoping to have.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, lady fan comments from Delaney and Kathy O'Dell, they both said, I feel like everyone was really hard on Michael. He didn't know about Kevin and it was his birthday. Is his reaction, like, really that out of line?

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, here's the thing. He's being a little bit of a baby, but I think if any of us really cared about him the way we should as his co workers, someone should have pulled him aside early in the morning and said, hey, listen, Kevin had this biopsy. Here's what's going on. We just want you to know. We don't know if you know.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, right, Right.

[Angela Kinsey]

So that in the moment, he wouldn't be such a jerk because someone would have let him in on it. Now, listen, he still would have been bummed. He still would have spent a ton of energy trying to make everyone, like, somehow find a way to be okay celebrating his birthday.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. Which he's going to do later. Okay, remember earlier when I told you that behind Jim's talking head there was a winter scene?

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, is this the payoff? Give it to me.

[Jenna Fischer]

I want you to notice that in the background of this birthday candle scene, my cardigan is draped on the back of my chair. It's a really nice detail because if you notice at the store, I'm not wearing it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

I also want you to know that on the coat rack in a little bit you're going to see Pam's giant puffy coat that you're going to see her wearing later at the ice rink is hanging up and Jim's big heavy winter coat are on the coat rack.

[Angela Kinsey]

I see what's happening here. Why didn't they take their coats if it's snowing out?

[Jenna Fischer]

If it's so freaking cold that they wore their heavy coats to work that day? Why is Pam leaving her cardigan behind and going shopping in just a button down shirt? What's up? Is it cold out or not cold out?

[Angela Kinsey]

It's cold out.

[Jenna Fischer]

Which one?

[Angela Kinsey]

Someone's slipping on the job there?

[Jenna Fischer]

I don't know. I don't know. I'm just saying.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay, well, I have a big thing to point out, everyone.

[Jenna Fischer]

What?

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay. At 14 minutes, 44 seconds, Jim dares Pam to make an announcement over the store intercom. Because these two are like teenagers. They play jinx, Buy me a Coke. Now they're daring each other to do stupid things in public. Jim and Pam, what's going on? But guess what happens? What does Pam do?

[Jenna Fischer]

I know.

[Angela Kinsey]

What does she do? Jenna, she.

[Jenna Fischer]

I know. Angela. She says, luke, this is your father.

[Angela Kinsey]

Star Wars. She makes a Star wars reference. Jenna, did you know what you were doing when you did it?

[Jenna Fischer]

I did, because I knew from just, you know, pop culture knowledge that there was a movie from the Star wars movies. Is it Empire Strikes Back that.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. Where they're fighting each other?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. And it is revealed that Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker's father.

[Angela Kinsey]

He says, I am your father. And Luke's like, no, that's not true.

[Jenna Fischer]

I knew the reference. But I did get a fan question from K. Slackish one who wanted to know if that bit where I make the announcement was improvised. So the Luke line was scripted. However, I did improvise a little bit. So when I say I'm sorry into the mic, that was my fun idea and it was a little nod to the movie When Harry Met Sally. So do you remember the scene in When Harry Met Sally? When Harry and Sally, they're singing karaoke in the store, they're singing Surrey with a Fringe on Top and Harry's ex wife starts to walk up and he stops singing and Meg Ryan is like, yeah, oh my gosh, it's my voice. I have the worst voice. And she's saying it all in the microphone and Harry is like, no, I think I see Helen. And then really Loudly into the microphone, Meg Ryan goes Helen. And it, like, goes out over the store. I always thought that was such a funny bit. So I thought, I'm gonna say I'm sorry into the mic really loudly. And I don't know, it. I mean, probably no one would ever.

[Angela Kinsey]

Think about it, but about your inspiration for that moment, I love that. I think that's so sweet. I also know how much you love When Harry Met Sally. It's one of your favorite movies, lady.

[Jenna Fischer]

When I was in college, I had a three and a half hour drive between St. Louis, which is where my parents still lived, and Kirksville, Missouri, which is a little rural town in Missouri where I went to college at Truman State University. And what I did to pass the time was I recorded When Harry Met Sally onto an audio tape. And then I played the movie back for myself in my car on my drive. I have that entire movie memorized from beginning to end. I love it.

[Angela Kinsey]

That is the sweetest thing.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

I recorded on my tape recorder David Letterman's opening monologues, and I would play them back and listen to his opening monologues.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, my gosh. Well, you said you wanted to work for a late night talk show.

[Angela Kinsey]

I wanted to work in comedy.

[Jenna Fischer]

You love. Yeah. Comedy, late night. Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. Aw, lady. Look. We were meant to be BFFs. We were both driving in our cars. We were listening to things we recorded off of our TVs. Because we're 100 on our tape decks, lady.

[Jenna Fischer]

I just got a text from Lee. He sent me a photo of.

[Angela Kinsey]

Is this about your bread?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. Can I go down and check it out? Can we take a break? He made sandwiches for the kids. I want to see if they like it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, my God. He did it. Way to go, Lee.

[Jenna Fischer]

But did they eat it? That's the question. We'll find out. All right, we'll be right back. If you are in healthcare, you've probably heard of figs. And if you haven't tried them yet, let me just say they are a total game changer. These scrubs are made specifically for awesome humans. They're designed to handle long shifts, constant movement, and everything the job throws at you, all so that you can perform at your best.

[Angela Kinsey]

I mean, they are just really great. My sisters nurse, I bought her a pair and I bought myself a pair.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, because they've got lots of pockets, right?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. And they're super comfortable. And I can tell you they are engineered for comfort and performance. They're just really lightweight. They're breathable, but they're Also stretchy.

[Jenna Fischer]

These are not your boxy one size fits all scrubs. They are designed with precision and they come in flattering styles and colors. So wherever you wear figs in the er, on rounds at the clinic, or even just running errands after a shift, make it count. Go to wearfigs.com and use the code FIGSRX to get 15% off your order.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's wherefigs.com code FIGS RX for 15% off your first order. FIGS where do you wear figs? This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. So here's how it works. With BetterHelp, you can pay a flat fee for weekly sessions and that's going to save you big time on cost and time because therapy should feel accessible. And with online therapy you get quality care at a price that makes sense.

[Jenna Fischer]

And with over 30,000 therapists, BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform and has served over 5 million people globally. And it's convenient. You can join a session with a click of the button and it helps you to fit therapy into your busy life.

[Angela Kinsey]

Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist and switch therapists anytime for no additional charge.

[Jenna Fischer]

Your well being is worth it and if you are thinking of starting therapy, you can give better help a try. Visit betterhelp.comofficeladies today to get 10% off your first month.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's BetterHelp. H E L p.com office ladies this.

[Jenna Fischer]

Podcast is brought to you by Squarespace. Squarespace is the all in one website platform for entrepreneurs to stand out and succeed online. I don't know if you are starting a new business. Maybe you're baking up a storm and you want to start selling your baked goods or you've got some pottery you're working on. But if you want to get your storefront started, Squarespace is a great place to start.

[Angela Kinsey]

Squarespace has a collection of cutting edge design tools. Anyone can build an amazing online presence that perfectly fits their brand or business.

[Jenna Fischer]

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[Angela Kinsey]

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[Jenna Fischer]

We're back. Bread Report for everyone who's curious. It's freaking Delicious. I just ate a slice.

[Angela Kinsey]

Is it.

[Jenna Fischer]

It's good. I don't know if the kids are gonna eat it.

[Angela Kinsey]

What is their deal?

[Jenna Fischer]

You know what, Angela? They love, love all of my other breads. They love my sourdough bread. They love when I make rolls. They love when I make popovers. For whatever reason, I cannot get them to like my sandwich bread. They just want store bought sandwich bread. I've tried three different recipes. Today will have been my third sandwich bread recipe. I don't know. Or they will like it the day it comes out of the oven, but the next day it's a no go for them. They only want it warm out of the oven. I don't know.

[Angela Kinsey]

Shall we get back into this episode, milady?

[Jenna Fischer]

I think we should. Where are we? I believe that we are back in human resources. 15 minutes, 15 seconds. Kevin is talking to Toby about his skin cancer.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. And this is a nice callback to season one's health care episode. Because Toby's like, can you get on your fiance's health care plan? Because honestly, ours is horrible.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's right.

[Angela Kinsey]

So to me, to me, it was a nice callback to the healthcare episode.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, Michael comes over with a bunch of facts that are about why Kevin shouldn't be worried. He's got some statistics. The subtext is why we can still celebrate Michael's birthday without any problem. But he's presenting it as why Kevin shouldn't be worried.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. And then Toby's like, you know, kind of gives him some Toby sassy. And Michael's like, why are you here? And Toby's like, I work here.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, now Michael is gonna announce that they're going somewhere and it's to make Kevin feel better. There's an outing for the whole office. But of course, if you remember, in an earlier scene, Michael asked Dwight if he's made all the plans for later. So this is clearly banner when we.

[Angela Kinsey]

Walk in, says, happy Birthday, Michael. Like this was planned for sure. Not by the party planning committee, by the way. Angela would not allocate funds to this. No, but Dwight had this. He had planned it.

[Jenna Fischer]

We had a fan question from Noel, Angela, because we're about to go to the ice skating rink now, and that's the big surprise, that he's taking us all ice skating. And Noelle wanted to know, did you have a safety meeting about ice skating? Remember? Safety meeting, lit candle.

[Angela Kinsey]

I'm sure we did. I'm sure there was a safety meeting about. We have heavy things being held on the ice. I'm sure there was all Kinds of safety meetings.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, I know we had a medic there. And the reason that I know this is because I don't know if you remember Angela, but Mindy fell while we were shooting.

[Angela Kinsey]

I don't remember that.

[Jenna Fischer]

And she hurt her knee. So, you know, there's that little bit at the ice skating rink where Kelly is helping Ryan. Yeah, well, she fell and she hurt her knee, and the medic had to give her some ice, but she was able to finish filming. Her knee was okay.

[Angela Kinsey]

I thought it was interesting when you saw the different couplings of people ice skating. In the beginning, you see Kelly and Ryan, you see Pam and Jim. I sort of just kind of go around solo. So does Dwight. We just kind of. We don't, you know, want anyone to know we're seeing each other. So we skate alone. And then later, you see Ryan and Phyllis holding hands and ice skating.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. At 19 minutes, we had a fan catch by KP who said, I love when you see Ryan and Phyllis at the skating rink holding hands so Ryan won't fall. It's such a random glimpse into their friendship. I think Angela, they did that because Mindy was icing her knee.

[Angela Kinsey]

And what's really cute if you watch it is Phyllis is so tickled. She's so tickled. It's just really cute.

[Jenna Fischer]

It's very, very sweet. And I actually, I went back after I read that comment and I watched it, and it's really very sweet to see the two of them skating together. So that was an accident. I had another fan question from LiveLong California. Did you and John know how to ice skate or did you have to learn for this episode? So here's something interesting. In this episode, Jim is kind of helping Pam on the ice. But right before we filmed this episode, I had actually been in some intense ice skating training because I was filming a movie with Will Ferrel called Blades of Glory. And, yeah, every Saturday morning for a few months, I had to go early in the morning and spend about three hours learning to ice skate. And the crazy thing is, my character didn't even ice skate in the movie. I am completely pretending to not know how to ice skate in this scene on the Office because I had actually just, I mean, kind of learned how to ice skate quite well thanks to this movie training.

[Angela Kinsey]

You're describing my fantasy, but all I ever wanted was to be cast in something where they're like, listen, Angela, you're gonna have to learn kung fu. You're gonna go every Saturday, you're gonna become a kung fu master. Or you're gonna have to learn how to throw an axe. You're gonna get really good at throwing axes. Like I wanted to learn something like that, but it's never happened.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, speaking of skating, Michael is zipping around in his hockey gear. So in the background of Michael's talking head, it's around 17 minutes, 42 seconds, there's a really great shot of that professional ice skater, Burt Lankin, who stands in for Oscar. He's doing a bunch of twirls. It's just sort of fun.

[Angela Kinsey]

You realize.

[Jenna Fischer]

Nothing with you, though, Ange.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know, nothing with me. But do you realize one of the office members who's not on the ice is Creed? And it's because he's in the arcade playing a shoot em up game with a bunch of kids.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, yes, that's right. That's right. Well, there's also that scene where Michael checks Toby into the wall.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

We had a fan question from Cardinals fan. Was Toby harmed in the making of that scene? No. And if you watch closely, Steve's body never really touches Toby. Like he, he, he really like Steve, I think because he's so good, he kind of slams into the wall and makes a noise with his arms. And then Paul just sort of falls to the ground himself.

[Angela Kinsey]

No, Steve had total control, but it's because he's such a good skater, and so he could definitely sort of show off a little bit and do all that stuff.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, this was for sure one of Steve's favorite film days, I think. It had to be. He was having the best time.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

And also he had the best time because Nancy Carell, his wife in real life, shows up in this episode again as Carol Stills, real estate agent. She's at the ice rink, but Michael's so innocent.

[Angela Kinsey]

He's like, oh, was this for sale? And she's like, no, Michael, I can go places that aren't for sale. You know, like, my kids are here to ice skate. And then he's so sweet with the kids. He's so sweet. And we sort of learned that, like, Michael probably could have tried to play professional hockey, but he didn't think it was a great job to have if you want a family. And that's all he wants. So it's just this theme again, that Michael just wants a family. That's what he wants.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, you know when he offers to pull the kids around the ice rink with his hockey stick, he's skating backwards and he's pulling the kids. Lee does that all the time with our kids. Aww. So when I saw that, I was like, oh, I think that's like a hockey guy thing to do. You pull your kids around as they hold onto the hockey stick.

[Angela Kinsey]

You just turned into like a 16 year old girl with googly eyes. You just thought about your husband. I know. I wish you could have seen Jenna just now. She just literally did this weird thing with her shoulder and she kind of tossed her hair and she was like, I think it's a hockey guy think. Like it was. What just happened to you?

[Jenna Fischer]

Clearly. Clearly.

[Angela Kinsey]

When you saw your husband do that, you're like, yes, Yales, baby.

[Jenna Fischer]

I get real smitten with him sometimes. Especially when he does, you know, when.

[Angela Kinsey]

He'S on the ice fathering.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. On the ice, being a great dad.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay, Now Kevin gets the phone call. Everyone skates around him. Jenna, I remember filming this because we had to time it out, and there were a bunch of us on the ice that skate up to where he is. Do you remember this?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. And we have to all be able to stop.

[Angela Kinsey]

I didn't know how to stop. Yeah, that was my one problem. I didn't know how to stop. So I remember trying to, like, push really hard to slow myself down so I didn't run into people, but I was, like, stressed out.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, guess what? His results are negative, which is a good thing.

[Angela Kinsey]

You want your results to be negative?

[Jenna Fischer]

I don't understand that.

[Angela Kinsey]

No, Michael's like.

[Jenna Fischer]

Michael is gutted. He's like, oh, no, this is horrible.

[Angela Kinsey]

We're gonna beat this.

[Jenna Fischer]

And he has that amazing talking head where he's like. It turns out that in the medical field, negative is a good thing. Now, in the real world, negative means bad, but when it comes to test results, it was. It was. It was one of those that you love, Angela, where he's describing things to us that the rest of us all know.

[Angela Kinsey]

One of my favorite things is when Michael is like, I'm gonna break this down for you.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

This is what it's like information.

[Jenna Fischer]

It's probably coming as a surprise to you, too.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, I know. I'm gonna fill you out. Yeah. Yes.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, now we're opening gifts, lady.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know. I love this scene. We're opening gifts. I have actually been in the room where we filmed. I'd been there before because I'd been to a kid's birthday party. And if you have a kid's birthday party at this particular rink, number one, your birthday child gets to ride the Zamboni around the ice one time.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

And then you get to have all of your birthday cake and presents in this room where we were. So it kind of cracked me up that this is where Michael's birthday would be because he's so childlike. So we're sitting at this table. Kevin gets a card that says, get well soon or something like that, but it's got a lady in a bikini. This clearly made his day. He's gonna save that. Maybe he'll put it with some of the things he keeps on his computer because he's a little pervy. He's very happy about this card.

[Jenna Fischer]

He loves it. And then Michael gets a Wilkes Barry Penguins hockey jersey from Dwight. This is a real team. It actually. Well, and it says from Dwight.

[Angela Kinsey]

From Dwight, number one. I have been to their rink. Me and Craig Robinson, Brian Baumgartner, Kate Flannery for the first ever office convention. We got to go. We got to go on the ice. We all got a jersey. I still have my jersey.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's amazing. Yeah. So they're the A and AHL team. So they're not the NHL team, they're the AHL team. And that's. Yeah. Real hockey team.

[Angela Kinsey]

Real hockey team. And their mascot is Tux the Penguin. Everyone there was really, really nice. That was. That was super fun.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, then Pam gives Michael Night Swept from everyone.

[Angela Kinsey]

Says it's from everyone. Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes, from everyone in the office. We had a fan question from boss lady. Is there really a cologne called Night Swept?

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, this. No, there's not, but. Jenna, did you know this is a callback? Did you catch this?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

It's from Hot Girl.

[Jenna Fischer]

When they're cleaning out his car.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. In season one, episode six, Hot Girl, Ryan and Michael are cleaning out his car and Michael says, that's my Drakkar Noir. Right? Is that how you say that?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

And Ryan's like, no, it's Rite Aid Night Swept. And Michael's like, it's a perfect smell alike. I'm not paying for the label, so he's probably very excited. He likes Night Swept and he already is a buyer of Night Swept. And here he gets a four pack. He got lotion, cologne, some kind of body spray maybe.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. That was all packaged and created by Phil Shea. That is a fictional cologne line. However, I just want to let you know that I did Google Night Swept and there is a Christian based mystery novel by writer Marvin Ream.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay.

[Jenna Fischer]

Called Night Swept and it's available on Amazon.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay. There you have it.

[Jenna Fischer]

For super fans out there who might want to read a book called Night Swept. It doesn't smell like anything from what I would assume, since it's a book and it's not a cologne. There you go.

[Angela Kinsey]

There you go. Where are we?

[Jenna Fischer]

It's the end of the episode. Cam ends this episode with a talking head. She says, it was a good day, Angela, because of what you said earlier, which is that, you know, finally we get a little flirty flirt for her and Jim. They got to go shopping.

[Angela Kinsey]

She got to learn he uses fabric softener. I mean, this was a good day for Pam. She got to pretend what it would be like maybe to be Jim's girlfriend for a day.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. Running errands.

[Angela Kinsey]

Run errands together. And she loved it. She loved it. So it was a good day. And Michael had a great birthday, as it turns out. He got to ice skate. He got a present he liked. Kevin was going to be okay. So it all ended well.

[Jenna Fischer]

It did.

[Angela Kinsey]

But before we say goodbye to Michael's birthday, there is a deleted scene that I have to read. I'm not going to tell you anything about it. It's a Dwight talking head. I'm going to read it, and then I'm going to just watch your reaction. Okay.

[Jenna Fischer]

All right.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay.

[Jenna Fischer]

This is okay.

[Angela Kinsey]

Deleted scene of a Dwight talking head from Michael's birthday. Michael's birthday is hard for me because he gets very excited, but he's also under a lot of pressure, which builds up until he's ready to explode. As his right hand man, it's my job to release that pressure so that he can enjoy himself, if only for a moment.

[Jenna Fischer]

Wow. That is brilliant. That is brilliant. That is a delightful, delightful talking head. Written by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky.

[Angela Kinsey]

Right? That's right in their wheelhouse. But, you know, it probably was hard for rain to get through that.

[Jenna Fischer]

For sure. Guys, that's it. That's Michael's birthday. We celebrated Michael's birthday.

[Angela Kinsey]

Happy birthday, Michael. We hope you had a good time.

[Jenna Fischer]

Thanks for coming along for the ride. Next week, we're gonna do some drug testing. Dwight, why is your urine green? We'll find out.

[Angela Kinsey]

Ooh.

[Jenna Fischer]

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

[Angela Kinsey]

This episode was initially created in collaboration with Earwolf.

[Jenna Fischer]

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

[Angela Kinsey]

Our executive producer is Cassie Jurkins and our audio engineer and associate producer is Daniela Silva.

[Jenna Fischer]

Odyssey's executive producers are Jenna Wise Berman and Leah Reese Dennis.

[Angela Kinsey]

Office Ladies is mixed and mastered by Chris Basel.

[Jenna Fischer]

Our theme song is Rubber Tree by Creed Bratton. If you live in California and you're looking to buy a home. Let's face it, buying a home in California can feel like a lot. It is overwhelming. But with a Realtor, it doesn't have to be.

[Angela Kinsey]

Everything's easier with a trusted advisor by your side, someone who knows California real estate inside and out. I'm talking about your Realtor.

[Jenna Fischer]

We love our realtor.

[Angela Kinsey]

We love our realtors like love love.

[Jenna Fischer]

Still in touch with him.

[Angela Kinsey]

One of my best friends has become one of my best friends. Walked my sisters down the aisle at my wedding.

[Jenna Fischer]

A great Realtor knows your neighborhood because they're your neighbors.

[Angela Kinsey]

If you're worried about how to make an offer, how much to put down contingencies, let your Realtor do the worrying for you.

[Jenna Fischer]

Let your realtor focus on all that paperwork, all the hassle and the headaches. You can just focus on making your new home the place of your dreams.

[Angela Kinsey]

Whether you're deep in the search or just daydreaming of your forever home, you don't have to go at it alone. Learn what your Realtor can do for [e-mail] I've been counted out, dismissed, passed over, told I'd never be a golfer with just one arm. But the only thing that feels better than proving people wrong is out driving them. I'm 14 year old golfer Tommy Morrissey and I want to be remembered for.

[Jenna Fischer]

My ability as a champion partner of the Masters. Bank of America supports everyone determined to find out what's possible in golf and in life.

[Angela Kinsey]

What would you like the power to do?

[Jenna Fischer]

Bank of America bank of America NA Member FDIC Copyright 2025 bank of America Corporation all rights reserved.