Second Drink: The Client with Melora Hardin

Summary

Office Ladies: Episode Summary - "Second Drink: The Client with Melora Hardin"

Released on January 27, 2025

Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey, beloved co-stars from "The Office," delve into the nuances of "The Client" episode in their podcast Office Ladies. This detailed breakdown not only revisits pivotal moments from the episode but also offers exclusive behind-the-scenes anecdotes, enriching the listener's understanding and appreciation of the show's intricate dynamics.

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Episode Overview

In "The Client," the Scranton branch faces the critical task of securing a major account from Lackawanna County. Michael Scott (played by Steve Carell) takes Jan Levinson (Melora Hardin) to Chili's in an unorthodox move, aiming to impress the potential client. Meanwhile, Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) uncovers Michael's secret screenplay, Threat Level Midnight, sparking intrigue among the staff.

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Key Discussions and Insights

1. Cold Open and Character Dynamics

• Michael's Dance in Jeans ([32:13]): The episode opens with Michael dancing around in jeans, juxtaposed with Angela Martin's (Angela Kinsey) subtle, judgmental glances. Jenna highlights the comedic timing and spatial humor, noting how Angela's presence adds a layer of silent critique to Michael's antics.

  Jenna Fischer ([32:13]): "This cold open made me laugh so hard. I just think it's really funny that when Michael is dancing around in his jeans... I'm judging him from the copier."

2. Behind-the-Scenes Prop and Wardrobe Choices

• Mindy's Hair Transformation ([15:25]): Angela and Jenna discuss Mindy’s evolving hairstyle, marking significant moments like her first appearance with her hair down in "Casino Night."

  Angela Kinsey ([16:00]): "We are starting our transition to all down. This is half up, half down."

• Dwight's Unique Underwear ([69:44]): The hosts delve into the humorous decision-making process behind Dwight Schrute's distinctive blue underwear and tank top ensemble.

  Angela Kinsey ([69:44]): "They decided on those blue kind of tighty whities. It was a big meeting about what underwear he would wear."

3. Guest Insights: Melora Hardin

• Introduction to Melora Hardin ([20:33]): The podcast features an exclusive interview with Melora Hardin, shedding light on her experience portraying Jan Levinson. She recounts her initial casting process and the chemistry with her co-stars, especially Steve Carell.

  Melora Hardin ([24:02]): "She really wanted you to get that one. Meaning The Office."

• Filming the Chili's Scenes ([27:02], [27:58]): Melora shares the challenges of maintaining composure during comedic improvisations, particularly the infamous Baby Back Ribs song.

  Melora Hardin ([27:02]): "I kept going, oh, my God, it was so hard to keep my straight."

4. Improvisation and Scripted Moments

• Baby Back Ribs Song ([52:24]): The hosts explore the blend of scripted lines and improvisation in crafting memorable scenes. Tim Meadows discusses how the iconic song evolved spontaneously during filming.

  Jenna Fischer ([52:08]): "I love that we were just like this little engine that could. This little team of, like, we need two people to make slurping sounds."

• Threat Level Midnight Table Read ([60:00]): Discussions on the collaborative nature of the table read sessions, highlighting the evolution of Jim and Pam's relationship through their fictional script.

  Angela Kinsey ([60:00]): "This is what a table read is. This is what we would do every week on The Office."

5. Technical and Production Trivia

• Prop Tricks ([09:30]): Angela unveils how subtle prop modifications, like altering the Wet Ones bottle to "we ness," help maintain continuity without incurring costs for custom props.

  Angela Kinsey ([09:30]): "They do this on sets to obscure a label or a logo. That way they don't have to make a fake one or a blank one."

• Location Choices ([45:06]): The duo discusses the discrepancy between Michael’s mention of a nearby Chili's and the actual absence of such a location in Scranton, adding authenticity and humor to local fans.

  Angela Kinsey ([45:06]): "When we were shooting it, we discovered that there isn't really a Chili's in Scranton."

6. Fan Engagement and Questions

• Pam's Worst First Date ([36:19]): Addressing fan inquiries, Jenna and Angela reveal that while Pam's hockey game story was fictional, Oscar's date had roots in Paul Lieberstein's personal experiences.

  Angela Kinsey ([37:52]): "Pam's story of being left at a hockey game was not based on anyone's real story, but the writers went around the room and they just pitched worst first date stories."

• Production Anecdotes ([62:56]): Sharing humorous behind-the-scenes moments, the hosts recount how slurping sounds were added in post-production to enhance Melora's reactions.

  Angela Kinsey ([58:15]): "They recorded slurping sounds in the editing room to make it even grosser for Melora's reaction."

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Notable Quotes

• Jenna Fischer on Michael's Enthusiasm ([75:12]):

  "He's so excited. I thought it was adorable."

• Angela Kinsey on Set Camaraderie ([56:00]):

  "Those are some of my favorite memories. And I'm so glad we did that stuff."

• Melora Hardin on Casting Perfectly ([26:09]):

  "Every single person is perfectly cast. There's not one person that you look at and go, well, you know, eh."

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Concluding Thoughts

"The Client" stands out as a pivotal episode that intricately weaves character development with sharp humor. Jenna and Angela's in-depth analysis not only highlights the brilliance of the writing and performances but also celebrates the collaborative spirit that brought "The Office" to life. Their reflections on guest appearances, improvisational genius, and technical craftsmanship offer fans a richer lens through which to appreciate their favorite show.

As Office Ladies continues its re-watch journey, episodes like this one deepen the connection between the audience and the beloved characters of Dunder Mifflin, ensuring that the magic of "The Office" endures for years to come.

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Perspectives and Recommendations

For those unfamiliar with the podcast, this episode exemplifies the perfect blend of nostalgia and fresh insights, making it both a sentimental journey for long-time fans and an informative deep dive for new listeners. Jenna and Angela's chemistry and genuine affection for the material shine through, making Office Ladies a must-listen for anyone who cherishes "The Office."

Transcript

[Jenna Fischer]

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[Angela Kinsey]

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[Jenna Fischer]

I want my baby back. Baby back. Baby back.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yep. And threat level midnight. We got really fun insights from both Tim Meadows and Melora Hardin. For this breakdown.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. But we did uncover a few more details we can share. First off, at the very beginning of the episode, everyone is gathered in the kitchen talking about their worst dates.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. And this is Pam's famous story about being left behind at a minor league hockey game. Lady, anytime I post a photo of myself at a hockey game, people just say, I hope you didn't get left behind. I bet the first variation.

[Jenna Fischer]

I bet the first time you were like, what? What's going on?

[Angela Kinsey]

I did.

[Jenna Fischer]

I.

[Angela Kinsey]

Cause I had forgotten. But yes.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, there is a deleted scene where Jim reveals his worst first date. You gotta hear it. What was my worst first date? It was a couple years ago. It was a lunch date, actually. It was right down here at Cogino's, and we had just met, and we really hit it off. It was kind of nice. Um, and then, as it turned out, it wasn't even a date because she was actually in love with someone else. So best first date's also my worst first date, oddly enough. What is happening? He's talking about Pam.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes.

[Jenna Fischer]

Right.

[Angela Kinsey]

He clearly asked Pam out for lunch when they first started working together and.

[Jenna Fischer]

Didn'T know about Roy.

[Angela Kinsey]

And slowly, during this lunch, found out she was dating. Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, my gosh.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know.

[Jenna Fischer]

Aw, poor Jim.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, we also got some fan mail about a moment that we missed in our breakdown, and it is a good one. At four minutes, Michael is walking out of the office with Jan. He's on his way to his meeting, and the camera swings over to Oscar in accounting, and you can see that he's talking to someone. You don't see the person completely. It's mostly just the top of their head. But it is clearly Devin.

[Jenna Fischer]

Wait, Devin's been fired?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes, he was fired two episodes ago in Halloween. And that is because we shot the Client before we shot Halloween.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh.

[Angela Kinsey]

In fact, here's how we shot the episodes. We shot the Client, the fight, but then we released them. Halloween, the fight, the Client. So that's how Devin sneaked into the background of this episode.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's a good catch.

[Angela Kinsey]

All right, well, next up, I have a tidbit for the scene where Michael calls Pam on the phone and he wants her to read him some jokes from his joke book. We talked about this a little bit the first time, but I have more to share. But first, let's listen to it. Dunder Mifflin, this is Pam. Pam, it's Michael. I need you to go into my office and check some data for me. Okay. You want me to read them?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay. A Fisherman is walking down Fifth Avenue leading an animal behind him when. Nope. Told it. Not as good as you think. Pick another one. Okay, there's a transcript between a naval ship. Okay.

[Jenna Fischer]

Bingo.

[Angela Kinsey]

And a lighthouse. Yes. That is hysterical. Could you start that one from the beginning? All right, so when we broke down this episode, I said that none of the jokes had any endings, that they were just the beginning. But this joke does have an ending. This is a very famous joke about a naval ship and a lighthouse. Although as soon as you say lighthouse, you kind of ruin the joke. But here it is. I'm going to tell you the joke. The joke is. It's a transcript. The naval ship says, please divert your course 0.5 degrees to the south to avoid a collision. The response is, recommend you divert your course 15 degrees to the south to avoid a collision. The US ship responds, this is the captain of a US Navy ship. I say again, divert your course. And the reply is, no. I say again, you divert your course. So the ship says, this is the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea. We are a large warship of the US Navy. Divert your course now. And the reply is, this is a lighthouse. Your call. That's the joke.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's a good one.

[Angela Kinsey]

But since we are talking about jokes, I thought maybe we could go around and each share one of our most favorite clean go to jokes.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay. Why didn't the baker buy a new car?

[Angela Kinsey]

Why?

[Jenna Fischer]

He was at Dough.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, Angela knew it.

[Jenna Fischer]

I didn't. I just guessed.

[Angela Kinsey]

Cassie, which baseball player wears the biggest helmet? I don't know.

[Jenna Fischer]

The one with the biggest head.

[Angela Kinsey]

Stupid.

[Jenna Fischer]

All right, so this is just one of Josh's favorite dad jokes. So I thought I had to tell it because he does it all the time, and the kids, like, walk right into it every time. So let's say we're, like, at the grocery store, and it's, like, during the holidays. It's like a busy time. He'll say, oh, man, this grocery store is like camping. And they'll be like, why? And he says, it's intense. Yeah, I know, Sam, I know, I know. He does it all the time. He'll be like, we're driving. And he'll be like, this freeway is like camping. They're like, why? It's intense.

[Angela Kinsey]

I'm clenching my fist.

[Jenna Fischer]

I know. It's endless.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, Ange, it's funny. I'm gonna share Lee's favorite joke.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay?

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay. A grasshopper walks into a bar, goes up to the bartender. The bartender says, oh, my gosh, we have a drink named after you, and he says you have a drink named Bill. Thank you, Sam.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's very cute. It's very cute. It's very cute.

[Angela Kinsey]

Our kids like that one.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay, well, next up in our second Drink tidbit, at 7 minutes and 57 seconds, Michael starts singing the baby back rib song. And we talked about this in our breakdown, how they could not keep it together. But I thought we could play the blooper because it is so funny.

[Angela Kinsey]

I want my baby back, baby back, baby back I want my baby back, baby back, baby back I want my baby back chili baby back rib. I want my baby back, baby back, baby back I want my baby back, baby back, baby back I want my chilies baby back ribs. Chili's chili's baby back ribs. No, wait out the second one. Okay. Clearly, clearly. When Steve goes into the chilies, they could. That was it.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's all they had in them.

[Jenna Fischer]

They couldn't make it through.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, final tidbit, everyone. I'm calling this prop trick of the trade. At 9 minutes and 40 seconds, Dwight has a talking head in the kitchen. And there is a can of wet ones by the sink. They are clearly the brand wet ones, but they have whited out the T in wet and the O in ones. So it actually says we ness, everybody. This is a prop trick of the trade. They do this on sets to obscure a label or a logo. That way they don't have to make a fake one or a blank one.

[Jenna Fischer]

Or pay for the company like product placement.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes, I noticed they also put a cozy on the hand soap to hide its label. And they put a tape over the dish soap label as well.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, there you go, you guys. That was our second drink of the Client.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Whoa.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's amazing.

[Jenna Fischer]

It's so fun.

[Angela Kinsey]

I'm Jenna Fisher.

[Jenna Fischer]

And I'm Angela Kinsey.

[Angela Kinsey]

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

[Jenna Fischer]

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.

[Angela Kinsey]

We're The Office Ladies. Season 2 Episode 7 the Client the Client welcome to Office Ladies, everyone.

[Jenna Fischer]

I am still putting my note cards on the table.

[Angela Kinsey]

This is more note cards than I've ever seen you have, Jenna.

[Jenna Fischer]

I take my job very seriously. I am keeper of the notecards. First of her name. It's Game of Thrones. Jenna. I'm keeper of the note cards.

[Angela Kinsey]

Angela, you know I don't know that show.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, I'm Going to quote it at you for the rest of my life. You quote it at me. Okay, where are we at? Let's get started.

[Angela Kinsey]

This episode was written by Paul Lieberstein and directed by Greg Daniels. You have nothing to say to that? You don't have. You've got a gazillion note cards, but nothing to say to that.

[Jenna Fischer]

I mean, that. Listen, sometimes you say things that are just facts. That's just a fact. I don't know what to do with that. So, like, yes, that is true, Jenna. That is a true statement. That is. Who wrote this and who directed this? Next.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay, well, I guess next. I usually do a summary.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

But I'm not gonna do it today.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, why?

[Angela Kinsey]

Because I don't Maybe, like. I don't like that you're not responding to me today. No, I'm kidding. But I'm not gonna do the summary today because I got someone else to do the summary.

[Jenna Fischer]

Who?

[Angela Kinsey]

I don't know. Somebody.

[Jenna Fischer]

Is it your husband Lee?

[Angela Kinsey]

It's not my husband Lee. I'm gonna let you listen. All right, hit play, Sam. In the Client, Michael heads to Chili's with Jan to try and close a.

[Jenna Fischer]

Deal with a major client.

[Angela Kinsey]

While Michael is gone, Pam discovers a screenplay Michael has been writing called Threat Level Midnight, an action movie about an FBI agent named Michael Scarn, who is married to yours truly, Catherine Zeta Jones. The staff divides up the roles and reads the script aloud. Also in this episode, Jim and Pam share grilled cheese sandwiches on the rooftop of Dunder Mifflin, and Michael and Jan share a kiss.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, my God. Holy crap balls. Is that Catherine Zeta Jones?

[Angela Kinsey]

That is Catherine Zeta Jones.

[Jenna Fischer]

You are freaking kidding me. I'm not.

[Angela Kinsey]

I'm not.

[Jenna Fischer]

What the hell? What the hell? You what? I mean, what is going on?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. Should I explain?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

All right. I've never met her. I should start. Wait, that. What I. Did you not know that we've never met?

[Jenna Fischer]

No, I didn't know that. In my mind, like, you have this whole friendship with, like, a big movie star, and I'm like, oh, that's cool, Jenna. I guess, Whatever.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, I'd like to say I would love to be friends with her. She has a love of movie musicals, like, traditional movie musicals. She's so good herself.

[Jenna Fischer]

Fantastic.

[Angela Kinsey]

But I also have that love. So I have daydreams of us watching, like, old movie musicals together and then tap dancing a little bit, and then maybe having a cocktail or some tea.

[Jenna Fischer]

Reenacting scenes from Chicago.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. This is what I imagine my friendship with Catherine Zeta Jones is like. But I did do a movie with Michael Douglas. I played his daughter in a movie called Solitary Man. He's so good in it. It stars him and Jesse Eisenberg in that movie. I did my first New York City walk and talk. Oh, do you know. You know those movies you see?

[Jenna Fischer]

They're walking down New York. Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

And they're just people. They're just walking and talking. And I. From the time I was little, I would see this in movies. And that, to me, was like, you're a movie star doing a walk and talk. You do a walk and talk on the streets of New York. You've made it, kid. So I'm shooting this scene with Michael Douglas, and I turned to him and I said, michael, this is my first New York City walk and talk. And he turned to me, he got it. He goes, what? You gotta be kidding me. This is fantastic. I am your first New York City walk and talk. Congrats. Like, he. It was all. It was everything I wanted the moment to be. Well, so flash forward to I'm on the Office, and they write this joke in this episode that Michael Scarn's wife is Catherine Zeta Jones. Cut even more forward. Their kids are now, I think, big fans of the Office. And she started posting about the Office, so I got up the courage to DM her on Instagram.

[Jenna Fischer]

You slid into Catherine Zeta Jones DMs?

[Angela Kinsey]

I did, and we've had a nice little DM relationship ever since. And then I became brave enough to ask her if she would please, please record our summary. And that brings us to now.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay, well, Katherine, I don't know you, but that was fantastic. And thank you so much.

[Angela Kinsey]

Thank you. Now can I go into fast facts.

[Jenna Fischer]

And please go into your fast facts.

[Angela Kinsey]

Fast fact number one. Big news, everybody. Big news. At 2 minutes, 50 seconds, Mindy's hair is down.

[Jenna Fischer]

Why?

[Angela Kinsey]

It is down.

[Jenna Fischer]

Why do you want to freaking steal one of my big note cards? Damn it, Jenna. My running bit about Mindy's hair.

[Angela Kinsey]

Your running bit?

[Jenna Fischer]

My running bit?

[Angela Kinsey]

It's not our running bit.

[Jenna Fischer]

It's mine.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, I have to admit, it is kind of yours. You started it.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay, yes, it's a half up, half.

[Angela Kinsey]

Down, but it's very flowy.

[Jenna Fischer]

Very flowy. We are starting our transition to all down. This is half up, half down. Because in Halloween, there were these braided. But you said it didn't count. Cause it was a costume.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's right. And I also claimed that I thought the first time we were gonna see her hair down was casino. Night. So I stand corrected. It is 2 minutes, 50 seconds. The client.

[Jenna Fischer]

The client.

[Angela Kinsey]

Also in that scene, I think we're getting closer to the Kelly Kapoor we will all know and love.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, she was giggly. She was like, say it's not your fiance.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. Bright, giggly.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

No more morose French twist. Kelly Kapoor.

[Jenna Fischer]

For those of you who've been listening to the podcast here, you know why this fast fact was so big for Jenna and I. Kelly's hair is almost all the way down.

[Angela Kinsey]

We've been tracking her transformation.

[Jenna Fischer]

When will she become Mindy? We're almost there.

[Angela Kinsey]

Speaking of hair, what is up with John's hair in this episode? Did you notice?

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, it's like it kind of, like, is flipping out a little.

[Angela Kinsey]

No, the front. Like, the bangs that are usually kind of, like, floppy and real cute.

[Jenna Fischer]

They're, like, shellacked a little bit.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, it looks like someone just took a pair of scissors and just did a real blunt horizontal cut.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, I have said I feel like he has a bowl haircut.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. This is the most bowl I've ever seen. So, guys, you can check that out.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

Fast fact number two. Tim Meadows guest stars in this episode as the Lackawanna county representative, Christian. I feel like, you know, we had this rule where we weren't going to do any stunt casting, and this is the first time we kind of broke that rule, but we had to because he was so good.

[Jenna Fischer]

He's so good. And actually, Jenna and I both know Tim, and I was able to connect with him this week, and we hopped on the phone and talked about this episode, and he was so delightful. So I have some fun Tim tidbits for this episode, and I'll get to those here in a minute.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, I didn't work the day that they shot the scenes with Tim, but I was such a big SNL fan that I went up to the set just to meet him, and I had lunch with him. I totally fangirled. And eventually we would end up doing the movie Walk Hard Together, and so I actually got to work with him. Talk about fangirl.

[Jenna Fischer]

I did a pilot with Tim Meadows for Fox called the Gabriels, and Rob Riggle was in it, and we had so much fun. He is so hilarious. He's a hoot. Did I just say he's a hoot? Am I a nerd?

[Angela Kinsey]

You did say he is a hoot.

[Jenna Fischer]

Why don't you give us a fast fact?

[Angela Kinsey]

Fast fact number three. This episode was inspired by an idea that they had in the writers room early on that Jim and Pam would go on a date without really being on a date. So that was the card that they put up on the wall. How can we get Jim and Pam on a date without really being on a date? But then they also wanted to do the same thing with Michael and Jan. They thought it would be really fun to have both of these couples have this romantic evening.

[Jenna Fischer]

Right. Sort of have a convention within the workday that they would somehow end up on a date.

[Angela Kinsey]

They also had the end of this episode written first, and then they wrote toward that ending. So that look that you see between Jim and Michael at the very end of the episode where they both kind of shrug together, like, ugh, the ladies.

[Jenna Fischer]

The ladies in our lives.

[Angela Kinsey]

They knew that that would be the ending, and then they tracked it back. Interesting, because another thing that they wanted was this moment where Jim and Michael relate and bond over something. So that's what they decided it would be. Those are my fast facts.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay, can I start my note cards?

[Angela Kinsey]

I think we have to take a break. What is with you today? What is with you? What is going on?

[Jenna Fischer]

I don't know.

[Angela Kinsey]

We are taping this, like, two days before the Christmas holiday week.

[Jenna Fischer]

I am. I am in check it off the list mode. It is pretty funny, though, because you're saying something and then I'm just looking at you, and you're like, that's it. You got nothing.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know you're just staring at me or nodding, and I'm like, it's. It's an audio show. You have to give some audio cue that. You've heard me.

[Jenna Fischer]

Are you done? Okay.

[Angela Kinsey]

All right, we're going to a break.

[Jenna Fischer]

I did it.

[Angela Kinsey]

I did nothing. I did it. I did it.

[Jenna Fischer]

Hey, we have a pretty special guest in this episode.

[Angela Kinsey]

We do. Coming up after the break, we're going to talk to Melora Hardin, who plays Jan. Yeah. We had to talk to her because we were not at the Chili's.

[Jenna Fischer]

No.

[Angela Kinsey]

So we had no firsthand knowledge of the Chili's, of the kissing.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's smooch.

[Angela Kinsey]

We had to go straight to the source. So when we get back from the break, we're going to talk to Melura.

[Jenna Fischer]

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[Angela Kinsey]

All right, Ang, let's call Melora.

[Jenna Fischer]

Let's call her Sam. Call me Laura.

[C]

Hello, Melora.

[Jenna Fischer]

Hello.

[C]

Hi, guys.

[Angela Kinsey]

Hi. Hi.

[C]

How are you?

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, man, we're great. It's so Great to hear your voice.

[C]

Nice to hear yours, too. It's been a long time.

[Angela Kinsey]

Melora, thank you so much for agreeing to do this. The fans are going to go crazy. Let's get started by asking you, how did you end up on the Office?

[C]

That's hilarious. Well, I got called last minute. It was sort of a last minute, like, come in and read for this, which I did. And I remember that, you know, I went in and, like, you know, literally looked at the sides right there before I went in, because it was that last minute.

[Angela Kinsey]

Wow.

[C]

You know, it was like Ken Kwapus was in the room, and so was Greg Daniels. And, you know, I could feel everybody was kind of excited. And Allison Jones, our casting director, you know, you can always feel that as an actor, right. When. When it goes well and people are responding to what you're doing.

[Jenna Fischer]

Sure.

[C]

And then the next day, I was testing for a pilot, and Allison Jones was casting that as well. She came out into the hallway, and I was about to go in for my test, and I was like, oh, that was really fun yesterday. I really like those sides. And she's like, yeah. And I said, maybe I'll get them both. Because that was the character of Jan at the time for the pilot was a guest star, possibly recurring character. But this one that I was testing for was a lead character, regular in a pilot for an actor. You want to get the pilot because, you know, when you're the regular or one of the stars of the show, because that's better money and, you know, just seems better. And she's like, well, I really want you to get that one. Meaning the Office. She really wanted me to get the office. Anyway, I went in, I did the pilot test. I didn't get the pilot test, but I did get the office.

[Angela Kinsey]

Wow. Well, the Client is a very big episode for Michael and Jan. Oh, yeah. You know, it is where you have your smooch in the parking lot, and we have a fan who wrote in. His name is Ryan. And he asked, how far in advance did you know about Michael and Jan's relationship?

[C]

Well, when we were filming the pilot, I remember sitting at the tables having lunch with Greg Daniels and Steve Carell, and we were all laughing at how kind of weirdly interesting Jan and Michael were together. Like, we sort of. And we were like, wow. Yeah, that's funny. You know, if we get a pickup and we get an opportunity to do this more of this show than just the, you know, the six that we're doing, which was our first season, then, you know, It'll be fun. We should have them hook up.

[Jenna Fischer]

Wow.

[C]

Because we kind of felt like there was a little spark between them and we kind of conjured it on the pilot.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, you guys had fantastic chemistry and I think they were all picking up on that and seeing the possibilities because you and Steven scenes together were just amazing.

[C]

You know what else is like, everybody is so perfectly cast in this show. I mean, that's one of the things I think that makes the show. Besides the writing, which is unbelievable, but also just every single person is perfectly cast. There's not one person that you look at and go, well, you know, eh. I mean, everybody's just absolutely spot on.

[Angela Kinsey]

I agree. Jinx.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay, well, Melora, can we ask you a little bit about what it was like filming those scenes in that Chili's? I mean, how did you get through those scenes? I was dying laughing.

[C]

Ugh. It is ridiculous. I will say that the stuff that Steve and Tim Meadows.

[Jenna Fischer]

Tim Meadows, he's actually a friend of ours. He was so great in that.

[C]

He is so frickin funny. And the stuff that they did and the improv that they did and it just. It just flattened me. I mean, and I swear last night when I was watching it, I watched it with my husband and you know, I was just like. I kept going, oh, my God, it was so hard to keep my straight. Oh my God, it was so hard to keep my straight. I was so amazed at how incredibly straight faced I was. Because I'm telling you, every time we cut, I would just burst into laughter and I had to look so irritated and so, you know, so like, just completely put off by all the stuff they were doing. But in reality it was tough.

[Angela Kinsey]

So do you remember anything in particular that those guys improvised? Like, was the Baby Back Ribs song? Was that improvised?

[C]

Yes, I think that was. That whole little section there was really. I think that really was just spur of the moment, the way that they kind of went back and forth.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, I have to move us along.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. We have another fan question that I'm actually dying to hear. Because when I rewatched it, I was like, oh my God, I forgot how long you and Steve kissed. You really smooched quite a bit.

[Angela Kinsey]

David R. Carroll said. BJ Novak has been quoted as saying that the kiss between Michael and Jan was rehearsed and filmed many, many, many times.

[C]

I don't remember rehearsing it. I'm certain that when we rehearsed it, we certainly didn't kiss during the rehearsal.

[Jenna Fischer]

No.

[C]

And actually last night when I watched it I was like, that was a really sweet and, like, kind of awkwardly, just bumpy, bumbly kiss that I. That I kind of loved. I thought it was a really great first kiss for the two of them.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. Do you remember any direction that Greg gave you during that scene?

[C]

I don't remember. I really think we did it, like, one time or two times. I don't even know what Bea is talking about. I remember it being really quick. And I actually think that the take that you see on there is the first time we did it. So I feel like. And it just has all that. It has everything it needs in it. You know, it has the tension. It has the kind of like, wait, that's so wrong. And wait a second. I want more of that.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[C]

Kind of thing that Jan, I think, struggled with the entire relationship with Michael. So I love that.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, that was really a spy shot. I know that Randall was crouched behind a car and he had this idea of shooting through the car window to you.

[C]

That's right.

[Angela Kinsey]

And I remember doing some scenes like that. And they always felt so real because you couldn't feel the camera, you know, a foot away from you. You really felt like you were out in a parking lot.

[C]

Exactly. You really do feel like you're in the middle of nowhere, doing your own thing. Having that private moment that we're all trying to strive for at all times as actors.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, Melora, there is a scene in the Chili's. I thought you did such a phenomenal job. And it's at the end of the night, and you guys, you've had a few drinks, you're over it. They're having beers and talking, and you're just sort of checked out. And then you realize that Michael is about to close this deal. You what he's doing, and you perk up and you look at him with this smile on your face. And that was the moment for me that I realized why she even entertained being in a relationship with Michael. She saw that side of him and was like, oh, my God, he's crushing it. And it totally made everything make sense for me. Yeah, but you did a great job.

[C]

It is a great moment. And it's. Jan really rarely smiles in the show. I do so much scowling and kind of disapproving looks. So it's really nice to see her kind of have that big, full expression of, kind of enjoyment of, oh, my God. This whole thing that he's been doing all night that I thought was just a bunch of BS actually was. There was a method to his madness. And I do love that. And I think that is the thing that leads to the kiss, is that he feels the. You know, he gets to have the moment of victory, and she has. You know, and she kind of is like, oh, there's more to this guy than I thought. You know, he's not just this idiot that I thought he was.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[C]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

Melora, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us about this. Will you consider coming back for future episodes, perhaps?

[C]

Oh, sure. Well, when you get to the dinner.

[Jenna Fischer]

Party, we will probably. I mean, it is, like, one of the best episodes ever, and you are so phenomenal in it.

[C]

Well, you guys are sweet, and what an amazing thing we've been part of together with the office and everything. It's really exciting. And I love that you guys are doing this for the fans and revisiting all this. It was really fun watching the episode last night.

[Jenna Fischer]

All right, well, great. We'll see you for dinner party.

[C]

All right, I'll see you then.

[Angela Kinsey]

Thanks, Melody.

[C]

Bye.

[Angela Kinsey]

Angela, I think we should get into this episode. Let's start talking about the client.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay. Can we talk about Michael and his jeans?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, my gosh. This cold open made me laugh so hard. I just think it's really funny that when Michael is dancing around in his jeans, there's this tiny spy shot of Angela Martin's head that's to the left of the potted plant while Michael is dancing on the end table. And she's just looking there, snarky. But I'm so short, my head barely comes over the partition. And so there's the plant, and then my head just for, like, a split second at 18 seconds, and then back again when he's goofing off. I'm, like, judging him from the copier. So Angela Martin is just being placed in these little spaces in the background, judging.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, I remember that I had to have a big wardrobe fitting of, quote, unquote, casual clothes so that we could shoot these flashbacks to Casual Fridays. But, Angela, are you just wearing your regular gray office wear?

[Jenna Fischer]

I am never. I never participate in Casual Friday.

[Angela Kinsey]

What's interesting to me is that this cold open implies that we have Casual Fridays at the office, but so far, we've never shown a Casual Friday or referenced a Casual Friday. And I believe we never do again, even though we very often have episodes set on a Friday.

[Jenna Fischer]

No, this is the one time I said, also, there's some real great Pam sass in this cold open, because what do you do at the end? You just chunk his jeans under the reception.

[Angela Kinsey]

Chunk them? Yes.

[Jenna Fischer]

You just. You flip them over and you toss them.

[Angela Kinsey]

Have you been saying chunk your whole life? It's Chuck. You Chuck Em. Wait, no. Have you. Have you been saying chunk for your whole life?

[Jenna Fischer]

I think. I think I have. I think I said you chunk it or something. Chunk it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Sam. Sam, it's Chuck, right?

[Jenna Fischer]

It's Chuck. It's 100% Chuck. Another Wiffle. Oh, my God.

[Angela Kinsey]

Do you chunk your Wiffle ball?

[Jenna Fischer]

I chunk it. You chunk it. Chunk it real hard at someone. Oh, my God. I have to take my glasses off because I'm crying.

[Angela Kinsey]

I'm crying.

[Jenna Fischer]

I'm laughing so hard. I chunk it.

[Angela Kinsey]

You don't chunk it. Oh, man.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, Lord.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. Pam chucks the jeans into the trash.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, there is some Pam sass there.

[Angela Kinsey]

There is also.

[Jenna Fischer]

How long in my life have I been saying things wrong? And now I'm just learning about it all on the podcast.

[Angela Kinsey]

I don't know.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, God.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay, well, that is life intimidating art right there. Okay, so after the scene with the jeans, the show opens with Michael and Jan having a meeting. They're talking about how they're hoping to secure a very big account. Lackawanna County. The whole county. They will buy their paper from Dunder Mifflin. This is when Michael tells Jan he has changed the meeting from the Radisson, which he describes as too snooty, to Chili's, which he says is the new golf course where business happens.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes, I have that on a card. I thought it was so funny. The Radisson. Too snooty. Too snooty.

[Angela Kinsey]

Too snooty, Too stuffy.

[Jenna Fischer]

I have two note cards from this scene that I have to bring up.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, well, then go.

[Jenna Fischer]

I mean, at a minute, 16 seconds. You guys, Jan has hot pink nail polish. She does? Yes. I think Angela Martin is probably judging her. I mean, you know, she judges her. But hot pink nail polish in the workplace. I'm just saying. And then a minute, 31 seconds. Jim has a talking head, and he says that if we get this big Lackawanna account, we might not have to downsize. But didn't we just downsize in the Halloween episode?

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, we let go of one person. But I think the bigger deal is that they're saying an entire branch might have to close.

[Jenna Fischer]

Ah.

[Angela Kinsey]

So it's either us or Stamford is going to have to close completely. Okay, so this would save us.

[Jenna Fischer]

I got it.

[Angela Kinsey]

This moves us into the scene in the kitchen where everyone is telling their worst first date stories. Oscar tells a story about how he went on a date and he found out the woman had background checked him.

[Jenna Fischer]

The woman?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. I have this on a note card. I'm like, Oscar is telling this, like, kind of horrible date scenario where he went on a date with a woman. So did. Did the writers not know that they were gonna make Oscar gay yet, or is Oscar kind of covering in front of his co workers?

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, that backstory of being on a date with someone who'd done a background check on you, that was based on a real story of Paul Lieberstein's dating life.

[Jenna Fischer]

What?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, he said he went on to date the woman for a while, but that on their first date, she revealed that she had done, like, some. A real deep dive on him to make sure that he was on the up and up. I have a fan question Both Sarah Clark and Kim asked. Who came up with Pam's worst first date story? Well, Pam's story of being left at a hockey game was not based on anyone's real story, but the writers went around the room and they just pitched worst first date stories. Where is the worst place that you could leave a date? That was their assignment one afternoon. That's a little insight into the writers room. What? It's like, they sit in there on a bunch of couches and they eat snacks. They eat a lot of snacks up there. They really do. We would go steal their snacks.

[Jenna Fischer]

We would steal their snacks. But they also do sit at a table with computers as well.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, they do, but sometimes when they pitch these ideas, it's really fun to go in there because they'll say, okay, what is the worst place to leave a date? And then they just go around the room. You just shout it out. It's, like, so fun in a writer's room because I feel when they do that kind of stuff, it's almost like playing a game of Pictionary or something.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

In your living room. So they said that they had a lot of alternates, but this was their favorite. They liked the idea.

[Jenna Fischer]

I wish we could know what their alternates were.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know this is the one that ended up in the script, but I think it's perfect. First of all, that he took her to a minor league hockey game on their first date. Second, that he brought his brother. And then. Third. Third. That they left her there.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

And then that it was Roy.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. It totally supports the backstory you made up that he bought Sea Doos with the money you were gonna plan your wedding with.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. With his brother.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, I loved it. I thought it was perfect at 3 minutes, 35 seconds. In the background, there is a mail cart. Like a rolly mail cart.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, yeah, it's there a lot.

[Jenna Fischer]

No one ever pushes it. No one ever delivers from it.

[Angela Kinsey]

No. Sometimes we've had people push that cart, I think. I feel like Oscar has done something with that cart.

[Jenna Fischer]

Really?

[Angela Kinsey]

I don't know, guys.

[Jenna Fischer]

We don't have a designated mailperson, though, that, like, comes around with their mail.

[Angela Kinsey]

We don't have a mail room.

[Jenna Fischer]

We don't.

[Angela Kinsey]

I feel like Pam handles all the mail.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, then she just pushes the cart to the back of the room.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, I never pushed the cart, but maybe anyone out there comment us, let us know. Yeah. Who pushes the cart at 3 minutes, 54 seconds. You can see three photos on my desk.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes, look, I have one of them.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, Jennet, there's a photo of your sister and her husband taped to your desk. Yes, that's right.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

And my sister's husband's name is Dwight.

[Jenna Fischer]

Isn't that crazy? Now, the writers didn't know that that was just all, like, by chance.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. Here's a little bit of interesting trivia. My father's name is Jim, my brother in law's name is Dwight, and my niece's name is Cece.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, and they named the character after Cece. Yes. The other two were already happening. Yeah, but that one was all you.

[Angela Kinsey]

My niece, Ce CeCe, was born about a week before we filmed the episode where Pam and Jim have their baby, and I asked if we could name their baby Cece after my niece.

[Jenna Fischer]

I think that's so cute. All right, ladies, should we take a break?

[Angela Kinsey]

I think we should. I see you've pared down your note cards.

[Jenna Fischer]

Now I'm paring down my note cards. I've collected myself. I'm no longer laughing at you when you just simply look at me.

[Angela Kinsey]

Thank you. Thank you for admitting that all I'm doing is looking at you.

[Jenna Fischer]

I know, but the expression was really funny.

[Angela Kinsey]

Now you just did it again. You just implied that there's some way I'm looking at you. At you? Oh, this is your thing.

[Jenna Fischer]

I'm gonna take a sneaky photo of your face. Don't you dare, lady.

[Angela Kinsey]

You.

[Jenna Fischer]

Do I have to do the impression? Ready? This is my impression. You be me.

[Angela Kinsey]

Hold on.

[Jenna Fischer]

Look down at your note, whatever you're doing. Okay, Ready? And those are my fast facts. Nothing. You have nothing. Angela, this is like a podcast. You're supposed to talk. That's my impression. But did you see my face?

[Angela Kinsey]

Barely. Those are my fast facts.

[Jenna Fischer]

And those are my fast facts.

[Angela Kinsey]

Your turn.

[Jenna Fischer]

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[Angela Kinsey]

Okay, we are back. Michael and Jan are getting ready to leave to go to Chili's for their big meeting. And did you notice in the parking lot, Michael says Chili's is just a couple blocks away. They should just drive together. However, the closest Chili's is actually about 30 minutes away in Wilkes Barre at the Wyoming Valley Mall.

[Jenna Fischer]

Somebody did a little bit of a deep dive.

[Angela Kinsey]

I remember this. I remember when we were shooting it that we discovered that there isn't really a Chili's in Scranton. You have to go outside to get there. And it wasn't a big deal when we did the Dundees. But here Michael does say it's only a couple blocks away, but it's not.

[Jenna Fischer]

And then he goes on to say, you don't know Scranton at all. It's like, well, maybe. Maybe you don't know it.

[Angela Kinsey]

What was it like for all the people in Scranton to see this episode and be like, wait, what? Where's the Chilies?

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, they probably had the same moment when they saw a palm tree or two. Every once in a while they'd be like, wait, what's a palm tree doing in there?

[Angela Kinsey]

I also want to say I looked it up. There still isn't a Chili's in Scranton. Chili's missed Opportunity here. You guys want to go ahead and put a Chili's in Scranton already?

[Jenna Fischer]

Chili's. Maybe you should call us because Jenna has some business plan for you.

[Angela Kinsey]

We will cut the ribbon.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, we would cut the ribbon.

[Angela Kinsey]

Cut the ribbon.

[Jenna Fischer]

I've never done that. That'd be fun.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know. I've always wanted to do that. Where you hold the giant scissors.

[Jenna Fischer]

Don't chunk them, though.

[Angela Kinsey]

I won't chunk them, Angela. I will not chunk them at anyone. So they walk inside the Chili's to one of my all time favorite scenes.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. I bet. I bet it's this. I'm holding up my note card.

[Angela Kinsey]

It is. Is Gould dead? No, Goa'uld.

[Jenna Fischer]

When she says no gold. When Steve's face as Michael, when he whips around and goes, no gold like it is, you see everything in him go electric.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. Is Gould dead? Do you want to talk about it?

[Jenna Fischer]

Are you okay? We're in a meeting. Michael. Michael, we're in a meeting.

[Angela Kinsey]

And then he has to give that look to camera.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, my God, it's so good.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, man, Steve is so good in that scene.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, we have the same thing written down now.

[Jenna Fischer]

What?

[Angela Kinsey]

I just peeked at your note card. The waitress.

[Jenna Fischer]

Megan, you hold your paper up so I can't see it. But my note cards are right here in front of you.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's your business.

[Jenna Fischer]

5 minutes, 47 seconds. Megan, may we have an awesome blossom, please?

[Angela Kinsey]

I think this is a great detail. Now, I don't know if this was in the script. I don't know if Steve improvised that, but I love that Michael remembers the waitress by name. I absolutely believe that the character of Michael would remember every waiter or waitress by name.

[Jenna Fischer]

I think that every flight attendant.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes.

[Jenna Fischer]

I was gonna say, I think Michael knows the name of every person he has to interact with.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes.

[Jenna Fischer]

And it's his pleasure to get to know their name. And I love that he knows the waitress is Megan.

[Angela Kinsey]

It is a great, great detail. 6 minutes, 19 seconds. Michael calls Pam on the phone back at the office to get him to read her a bunch of jokes from these joke books in his office. I got a lot of questions about this. People wanting to know the punchline for that joke about the lighthouse that Pam starts. And Michael's like, no, no, no, not that one. There is no punchline to the joke. It was not in the book. Those jokes, quote unquote, were scripted, and they just wrote the beginning of the jokes.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, I love it.

[Angela Kinsey]

There were no endings.

[Jenna Fischer]

I bet the writers had a lot of fun with that. Just Writing the first line of a joke that they know they don't have to worry about the payoff. That would have been fun.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, and I had the challenge of having to memorize the line but look like I was reading from the book that I was not reading from.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, yeah, that's tricky.

[Angela Kinsey]

It was a little tricky. After this, Pam finds Threat Level Midnight, the script that Michael has written, where he is an action star. Michael scarn. And at 7 minutes, 18 seconds, Jim finds drawings of the Threat Level Midnight poster within the script. And we had a fan question from Becca Ramirez. She asked who made the drawings in the script of Threat Level Midnight. Do you know?

[Jenna Fischer]

I don't. Great question.

[Angela Kinsey]

Greg Daniels.

[Jenna Fischer]

Did he really.

[Angela Kinsey]

He made the drawings himself.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, my gosh. I could see him sort of sitting on the side quickly drawing them.

[Angela Kinsey]

So he sketched them out, and then he gave them to. I guess it would be Phil Shea.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

And Phil hired an artist. But this was the example. Like, Greg kind of sketched it out to say, here's my idea of what the poster. This is what the drawing should look like. And Greg said the artist came back and the drawings were so good that he thought maybe his kind of crappier drawing was more realistic.

[Jenna Fischer]

More realistic? Yeah. That Michael would do that.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. So he kept his own drawing in. I think it's just perfect.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay, well, two things. Number one, here is the actual joke that Michael tells at the Chili's. At the Chili's. Here's the actual joke. Well, I'm an astronaut, so I drive a Saturn. Second guy says, I'm a pimp, so I drive a cheap Escort. Third guy says, I got you both beat. I'm a proctologist, so I drive a brown probe.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

And that's the line that, like, makes Christian the client just roll over laughing. How about at 7 minutes, 36 seconds, they're all eating this awesome Blossom with no drinks. Not even waters, Megan. Where's their waters, Megan? I mean, those are kind of salty. You need your water.

[Angela Kinsey]

You do. Oh, I have a fan question.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay.

[Angela Kinsey]

So a lot of people asked if this was the same Chili's where we shot Dundees.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

All right. I did some research. So we got a lot of conflicting information on this one. When I went to research it, first of all, the Internet says it was not the same Chili's, yet they have no citation for their information. That's right. So I asked Phil Shea. He said he thought it was the same one, but he said it was close to our set. But the original Dundees One was not close to our set. Then I asked Greg. He said he couldn't remember, but he knows it was an empty Black Angus, so I don't know.

[Jenna Fischer]

So I actually asked Tim this as well. I said, tim, can you tell me a little bit about where you filmed? Because we're trying to figure out if it was where we filmed the Dundees. And he said, well, I can tell you this. It was like this really gross out of business restaurant in a kind of sketchy area.

[Angela Kinsey]

So maybe it was the same. I know that makes me think it was the same.

[Jenna Fischer]

And he said it was gross because no one had been in that building in so long. There were like little nooks and crannies of it that were kind of dusty and karate.

[Angela Kinsey]

As I was watching it, I couldn't tell if it was different. They did an excellent job of making it look like it was the same place.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, I couldn't tell either, but Tim's description of it kind of brought me.

[Angela Kinsey]

Back 8 minutes, 34 seconds. Michael's tie with the little mouth on it.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

That he uses to eat the awesome Blossom. That was scripted that he would do that. And the wardrobe designer actually had to make that tie. That is a custom made tie. She made seven different mouth options that she showed to Greg and he had to pick the mouth that would go on the tie.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, my gosh. This is when I'm like, our jobs are crazy.

[Angela Kinsey]

That is a crazy thing.

[Jenna Fischer]

Hey, how was your day? Well, I had to make ties with mouths on them. Like a bunch of different mouths.

[Angela Kinsey]

I made seven different mouths. And then my boss picked one.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay, can we get to one of my favorite scenes, which is nine minutes, seven seconds? The baby back ribs.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes.

[Jenna Fischer]

All right. I was so excited to talk to Tim about this. Now, a lot of you guys wrote in and said, was that improvised? Was it scripted? And here's what Tim said. Tim said the beginning of that song when Michael starts off singing was in the script. And in the script that he was supposed to join in at the end.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay.

[Jenna Fischer]

Baby back ribs right at the end. And he said when they started filming it, Steve started to sing. And it just kind of wasn't working when Tim joined in. So Tim started doing the other part. Just kind of improvise that. I want my baby back, baby back, baby back. And then it was like lightning bolt.

[Angela Kinsey]

Off to the races.

[Jenna Fischer]

We've got it. And he said one of his favorite moments. It's in the bloopers. And I went and watched it, is he goes to do his. I Want my baby back? And Steve just improvises. No, you come in later. And he's like, oh, yeah, right. Like. And it's so funny. It's a great little moment in the bloopers.

[Angela Kinsey]

I watched those deleted scenes as well. So good.

[Jenna Fischer]

So good.

[Angela Kinsey]

And Melora is right. Melora could not hold it together.

[Jenna Fischer]

I mean, can you blame her?

[Angela Kinsey]

No.

[Jenna Fischer]

They were so funny.

[Angela Kinsey]

And they really wanted to hold that three shot. They really wanted her to be the anchor of the scene so they couldn't carve it up. They couldn't have all these singles or anything. So anytime she laughed, they had to start again. They did. You can also tell that those guys are having so much fun singing together.

[Jenna Fischer]

They're having a blast.

[Angela Kinsey]

The week after this scene, Steve was going to shoot to host Saturday Night Live. And so when I was there that day, I remember Tim giving him like some little. Yeah, all the Insider intro on what it would be like.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, I actually said to Tim, I was like, tim, you and Steve had such great chemistry. How long have you known each other? And he said, we've actually known each other a really, really long time. So they met a long, long time ago, before any of them were famous. When they were really young, they were all at Second City in Chicago, and they also did improv Olympic. And then Tim was cast on SNL with Nancy Carell and Dave Koechner.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, my gosh.

[Jenna Fischer]

Right. But he said, honestly, he said when they became really, really tight and got to know each other is the summer when he had off from Saturday Night Live, all of those guys went and did a Second city tour in D.C. and they were there for the summer. And he said that was. He said they would do their show and then after the show, they would all stay and do an improv set. And he said it's some of the best improv he's ever been a part of.

[Angela Kinsey]

Could you imagine if you could go back in time and buy a ticket to that show?

[Jenna Fischer]

I would have loved it.

[Angela Kinsey]

There are people who got to see that.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. And Tim said. I was like, who is in the cast? And he said it was Steve and Nancy, John Glaser, Adam McKay, Theresa Mulligan, who I know who is hilarious. And they just had the best time.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, some of the most fun we ever had, Angela, off camera on our show was when we would get to hang out with the cast of Saturday Night Live. Because, remember, they're an NBC show, we're an NBC show. So we would often have to do press with them. We would go to New York. They would fly the cast of the Office to New York, and we would spend an entire day doing press conferences. And then in the evenings, they would throw a little party for all of the actors on the NBC shows. And it would be the cast of the Office and the cast of Saturday Night Live. And we would just crack up, crack up and have dance parties. Those are some of my most fun memories. And I even remember being there and pinching myself and thinking, remember this? Remember all of this?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes, I remember. One of the things I remember is that you and I going to watch Saturday Night Live. And we got there, and we were sort of hanging out with everyone, you know, before they're kind of getting ready. So we just said hi quickly. We went to our seats, and then afterwards, we went back in their dressing rooms and hung out like, another half hour. Then we went to this, like, after party that they have after every one. Every taping. That was really cool. But then Chris Parnell was like, guys, do you want to go to the after party?

[Angela Kinsey]

The after, after party?

[Jenna Fischer]

And I was like, wait, isn't this the after party? And he goes, no, no, no. The after after party. And then we went to the after after party. And it was like, in this bar, Jenna, that looked like a forest. It had all these trees, I remember. And you. And I, like. I think I just had on, like, a denim dress I got at the Gap. And, like, everyone was dressed so cool looking. And I turned to you and I was like, it is three in the morning.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, I think the sun was coming up. When we finally called it a night.

[Jenna Fischer]

I remember going up to Chris Parnell and being like, so I think we're done. He's like, all right, guys, take. They were still there.

[Angela Kinsey]

Crazy.

[Jenna Fischer]

We left. And they were.

[Angela Kinsey]

Those are some of my favorite memories. And I'm so glad we did that stuff. Cause we are kind of the people who don't normally stay out late.

[Jenna Fischer]

No, we don't.

[Angela Kinsey]

But we went for it. And I was. There were two casts that we hung out with a ton in our heyday of the Office, I would say. And one of those was snl, and the other was Mad Men. Yes, Mad Men. That show was coming up at the same time that we were. And I would hang out with the cast of Mad Men a lot also. Same thing. We would have to go to these press junkets, and the stars of all the shows would be in their various conference rooms speaking to the press. But then they'd have some, like, big buffet lunch for all of us. And I Would chit chat with all the Mad Men people.

[Jenna Fischer]

The other cast that I ended up talking to quite a bit, who I really thought were fantastic was Community.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, yes, that's right.

[Jenna Fischer]

Everyone in that show was just so cool and fun. And I loved getting, when we got there, partnered with them, you know, to do press.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, bringing us back to the episode. You know that scene where they're eating the ribs?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay. I found out a really interesting little tidbit. I listened to the DVD commentary. That's actually Paul and Greg making the slurping sounds.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, no.

[Angela Kinsey]

They recorded slurping sounds in the editing room to lay on top of that scene to just make it even grosser for Melora's reaction.

[Jenna Fischer]

That is so funny. That is so funny. And just makes me, like, love our show because I felt like we were just like this little. This little engine that could. This little team of, like, we need two people to make slurping sounds.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, that happened all the time.

[Jenna Fischer]

All the time.

[Angela Kinsey]

You have some more stuff about Tim, though. What do you want to say?

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, I just asked him, you know, if he, you know, had heard of the Office and how he came to get the job. And he said that he was a humongous fan of the BBC version. And he said that when he got the call about the show, that it was not a hit. Right. It was kind of early on. It was still sort of. Sort of like, what is this show about? And like, he said in, like, inner comedy circles, people were like, the show's really funny. So he knew it was funny, but it was like the world didn't really know about this show yet. And he was kind of busy, and he was like, I don't know, guys. I don't know that I can do it. And so he initially said no.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, he turned it down?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. And then they called back, and Tim said his theatrical manager's assistant was like, tim, this show is so hilarious. And he was like, all right, all right, all right, I'll do it. I'll do it. And he said he's so glad he did. Of course. He had the best time with Steve. Thanks, Tim.

[Angela Kinsey]

So now, Angela, I think we should go back into the office and talk a little bit about Threat Level Midnight.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

Everyone in the Office goes into the conference room, they divide up the parts, and they start reading Threat Level Midnight. I think this is a great example of what a table read is. Like. This is what we would do every week on the Office. Tuesdays or Wednesdays at lunch, we would all go into this conference room, they would hand out the next week's script, and we would read it out loud.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. And usually the director was the narrator. They would read all the stage direction. And on Threat Level Midnight, Jim is the narrator when you guys all read it. And he casts Oscar as Golden Face. But when Threat Level Midnight is actually made, Jim is Golden Face.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. Yes, that's right.

[Jenna Fischer]

It's a little catch there.

[Angela Kinsey]

One of my favorite things in this is dwigd the fact that Michael's bumbling assistant clearly used to be named Dwight. So that talking head that Pam gives where she explains the typo and all of that, the first time we shot this episode, that that explanation did not exist. And so that was a reshoot.

[Jenna Fischer]

I actually like that talking head because it helped it make sense for me because Samuel L. Chang was actually dwicked.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's right.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, here's the cast that we see in Threat Level Midnight at the table read. Now it's more fleshed out and things have changed once it's an actual movie. And we see that in season seven. Phyllis is Catherine Zeta Jones. Dwight is Michael Scarna. Oscar is Golden Face. Ryan is Samuel L. Cheng. And that's the only people that are cast in what we see. Everyone else is sort of sitting around, but those are the ones that are called out.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, I had a big fan question here. A lot of people asked if Threat Level Midnight was a fully written script. It was written. They did write quite a bit so that we would have something to work with. But as you see in the show, it's an unfinished script. So it was not a fully written script. They also wanted to know if we read from the script or if it was improvised. I was gonna say that I thought we read from the script, but I found an interview with Brian Baumgartner where he said, we improvised it. And BJ backed that up, that we were sitting around for about five to 10 minutes and we were just throwing out anything at all, which seems almost impossible to me. But there's two people in the cast who say that's how it was. I remember it differently.

[Jenna Fischer]

Even Phyllis, when she said, I have two things to say. First thing is, I love you.

[Angela Kinsey]

No, no, no. So I should say some of it was scripted, but we did also improvise some. Okay, so it was both. And that happened a lot when we were shooting, they would leave the cameras rolling, and then we would throw stuff out there, and some of the improvisations stayed in.

[Jenna Fischer]

I love that. But you could definitely tell the beginning of the scene was Scripted getting you into it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes, that's true.

[Jenna Fischer]

Back at Chili's, guys, let's have a little bit of an adult beverage time code count.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, dear.

[Jenna Fischer]

So at 7 minutes, 59 seconds, Jan orders a vodka tonic. We never see this vodka tonic.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, that's right.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. At 8 minutes, 35 seconds, they all have margaritas. So is jan on her second drink? At 13 minutes, 44 seconds, Michael and Christian are having beers. Jan looks like she's having a water with lime. I can't tell. It's in a tall glass.

[Angela Kinsey]

Maybe that finally heart vodka tonic.

[Jenna Fischer]

I don't know. That's our adult beverage count. For those of you who love the background stuff, like me.

[Angela Kinsey]

Angela, I'm ready to take us on a date.

[Jenna Fischer]

To the roof.

[Angela Kinsey]

To the roof. Pam and Jim's roof date.

[Jenna Fischer]

I have so many questions. I have so many technical questions. And then I have some just, you know, fan of the office questions.

[Angela Kinsey]

What do you want to know?

[Jenna Fischer]

How did you get up on that roof?

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay, so the ladder that you see in the episode really leads up to the roof.

[Jenna Fischer]

You really climbed that little fire escape looking ladder?

[Angela Kinsey]

John and I did not. But that is how the crew got up there.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay.

[Angela Kinsey]

John and I, for, I guess, safety reasons and insurance reasons, we got into a harness.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay.

[Angela Kinsey]

And then they lifted us up to the roof.

[Jenna Fischer]

Like in a forklift kind of thing?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, in some sort of weird platformy forklift, which seemed scarier and more dangerous than if I'd just been allowed to use the ladder. And we shot on the actual roof of Dunder Mifflin. Of the Dunder Mifflin building.

[Jenna Fischer]

I asked you to climb the ladder.

[Angela Kinsey]

Same. I asked to climb the ladder. But we went up and down on the platform forklift. Okay, I have a fan question about the roof.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay.

[Angela Kinsey]

James K. Asked, was it cold on the roof?

[Jenna Fischer]

It looked cold.

[Angela Kinsey]

It wasn't.

[Jenna Fischer]

It wasn't.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, Angela. Shooting the scene is one of my fondest memories of all time from the show. Because the only people on the roof were me, John, Greg Daniels, Paul Lieberstein, our first ad, and our camera operator and DP Randall Einhorn. It was warm. It was a warm summer evening, but.

[Jenna Fischer]

Like a beautiful summer night.

[Angela Kinsey]

Warm breeze. It was. I can't explain it, but this little group of us up on the roof, it hit me while I was up there. I'm on a TV show. I'm living my dream. This is amazing.

[Jenna Fischer]

Right? I'm sure it felt really magical. Just like a magical moment.

[Angela Kinsey]

Completely magical. We had really gelled as a group at this point, you know, we were really in it all together. We all loved the show so much. We loved being at work so much. It was just really, really special. And the grilled cheese sandwiches tasted so good. It was great. I have another fan question. Donna asked, was anyone hurt by the fireworks? That looked kind of dangerous. So I saw Brian Baumgartner recently, and I asked him about the fireworks. He said, jenna, it was insane. There was no stunt coordinator for these fireworks. He said because they had to get the shot of us from so far away, they really left the two of them out in the middle of this parking lot field, which looked alone, looked very dry. Yeah, well, you know, fireworks are illegal in la.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, my God.

[Angela Kinsey]

They had a hard time even getting fireworks for this scene.

[Jenna Fischer]

We were breaking the law.

[Angela Kinsey]

I'm not sure. I know. BJ said once in an article that there was a rule about how big the fireworks could be. They weren't allowed to shoot anything up in the air because LA is very dry.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's right. I think I do know that. So you can do the thing that's on the ground, but that's it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes.

[Jenna Fischer]

So they were like the sparkler thing on the ground?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. And Brian said that they couldn't hear anything. They could barely hear action or cut. They just were out there playing in these fireworks. But at a certain point, he heard someone shout, hop over them, kick them.

[Jenna Fischer]

It was probably Greg.

[Angela Kinsey]

It was probably Greg screaming. But Brian said they were just. It felt very real. And I think that was part of it. About what made that night so magical was that it was really like we were watching those guys goof around with fireworks.

[Jenna Fischer]

Because they were. Because you were.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes, yes. And after this, when we come down from the roof, you know, Jim and Pam, they leave the office and they're listening on the headphones.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, at 14 minutes, 34 seconds. I have a note card that says old Tech alert.

[Angela Kinsey]

What?

[Jenna Fischer]

Because it's an ipod. Yes, it's an ipod. And you guys have, like, the little headphones where you each take a little ear. It's so cute.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, Matt Hurt asked, what, if anything, were you and John listening to when you shot the swaying dancing scene?

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay, that's one of my questions, too, Matt. So what was it?

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay, the song you hear in the episode is a song called Sing by Travis. But John and I were actually listening to an Interpol song.

[Jenna Fischer]

Which song?

[Angela Kinsey]

I don't remember.

[Jenna Fischer]

But you know, it was Interpol.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes, I remember that. And I think. I think that was John's actual ipod and that he Suggested that song that we listen to. The song.

[Jenna Fischer]

Aw, Jam fans are gonna love that.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. And that was also lovely. Same warm summer evening. It was awesome. So we talked to Melora a little bit about the next scene, which is Michael and Jan in the parking lot.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's at 15 minutes, 21 seconds. It is the big smooch.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes, the big smooch.

[Jenna Fischer]

All right. So I feel like there's just this brilliant moment. And I don't know if it was written or if Steve improvised this. That just shows how over the moon giddy Michael is that him and Jan just kissed. And that she said, let's get out of here. He's so giddy. And I wrote down the scene. Cause I thought it was so adorable. It's at 15 minutes, 21 seconds, Jan says. Jan is sort of like all of a sudden camera aware, right?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. She says she's looking for the camera. Is this getting caught on tape? She doesn't find the camera, but she wonders, right.

[Jenna Fischer]

And so she says, let's go. And Michael goes, what? And she goes, let's go. And he says, where are we going? Oh, okay. Doesn't matter. Go into the go. Go into the go. Go into the Go. Go. I thought that was so cute. He's just so excited. I thought it was adorable.

[Angela Kinsey]

All right, so it's the next morning now. The Dunder Mifflin film crew enters the office. Do they have a key?

[Jenna Fischer]

Do you notice that Dwight is sleeping on the couch? Maybe it's not even locked.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know. Maybe he never locked the door that night.

[Jenna Fischer]

Why is Dwight in blue underwear and his tank top under, like a foil. Like a FEMA foil blanket?

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, I'll tell you, there was a very big meeting about what underwear he would wear.

[Jenna Fischer]

Of course there was.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. Would it be boxers? Would it be briefs? What color? This is what they decided.

[Jenna Fischer]

Of course. There's a huge meeting about Dwight's underwear. Of course.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, I know.

[Jenna Fischer]

And they decided on those blue kind of like tighty whities.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, they're. I guess they were very baggy. They're all slouchy.

[Jenna Fischer]

Very baggy.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, you know, Rayn loved that.

[Jenna Fischer]

He loved every second.

[Angela Kinsey]

Uh, what about the scene where he runs to the window, Angela sees Jan. That's right.

[Jenna Fischer]

So obviously the camera crew busts Jan. Right? She's so busted. But there are two Dunder Mifflin employees who also now know Angela, who's arrived early in the parking lot, and Dwight, who's peeping down from the window.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

And Jan sees Dwight. I'm Assuming she sees Angela as she drives by. But I love that Dwight and Angela.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, and she totally clocks you.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, yeah, I do too. But I love that Dwight and Angela, who go on to have their secret relationship. Relationship totally bust. Jan.

[Angela Kinsey]

I love that it's Angela in the parking lot because I feel like the very last person who you want to see during your walk of shame is Angela.

[Jenna Fischer]

Exactly.

[Angela Kinsey]

All right, so Michael arrives into the office with his delicious secret. He's so giddy. I felt like Melora described that so well. How sweet and innocent and happy he is that he.

[Jenna Fischer]

He's so excited. And he really, he really is like. I'm not going to talk about it. Right.

[Angela Kinsey]

No, I'm not going to speak about it.

[Jenna Fischer]

Gentlemen don't kiss and tell. And neither do I. Hahaha. You know, and then the next thing we know, he's like, we'll have to disclose. We'll have to write a letter.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

About our relationship. He just. Oh, man.

[Angela Kinsey]

In that talking head. I love the camera work in that. It's a very, very slow push in on Michael's face and you can just feel the camera putting all this pressure on Michael to tell the truth. How long does he last? He lasts like 14 seconds.

[Jenna Fischer]

Seconds.

[Angela Kinsey]

He's like.

[Jenna Fischer]

He's like, all right, fine.

[Angela Kinsey]

We went, we went back and we.

[Jenna Fischer]

To our hotel. Yeah, we made out for a little. I held her and she talked to me about her divorce.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh my gosh. That phone call with Jan where he goes under the desk. Greg directed that. Greg told Steve, why don't you take this phone call under the desk to avoid the camera crew? And he said it was great because they were able to edit together all of Steve's improvisations because you can't see his mouth.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, so smart.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, because Steve was improvising a lot of that phone call and the things that, you know, he was saying back to Jan. Then we have Jim and Pam's kind of their first fight. I mean, they have that hiccup at the dojo, but this is different.

[Jenna Fischer]

They have little moments. I mean, he got his feelings really hurt when you suggested he try, you know, go for that job at the other branch. And then there was the dojo and now there's this.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, this one doesn't get resolved. At the end of this episode, Jim suggests to Pam that maybe they had their first date. That you could say this was their first date. And I wanna say something. I understand why Pam bristles at this.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, let me just take a minute. First of all, Pam lies to Roy, bold face, lies to Roy and says, I have to stay at work. And he's like, are you kidding me right now? And she's like, no, I have to work. So already, like, she has probably within her moral compass, stepped over a line, I think, for Jim. Now, look, guys, I'm a huge Jim and Pam fan, and I wanted them together from the beginning, but I would think as a guy, like, I was talking to my husband about this, and he goes, this is kind of a move, what Jim's doing. You know, he knows she has a fiance.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

But he makes a grilled cheese sandwich, takes her up on the roof. Like, he knows. He knows this is his moment. He's going for it. Ultimately, they end up together, so it's great. But that's not. That kind of breaks guy code of what you do with someone else's fiance.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, and then I think for him to call it out so clearly out in the open, I think Pam is willing to pretend like none of that is happening and they're just friends while it's happening. But for you to just look at her and say, hey, you were kind of unfaithful last night was very shocking for her, and she had to shut that down. She had to be like, I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about. You're just my friend. And we were hanging out after work, so I don't know what you thought that was, but uncool, Right. That was her way of trying to get her boundary back and also just being defensive, knowing that she did something she shouldn't have. I think.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, I think whenever, like, there's a moment when Angela catches her with Pam Pong, then Meredith catches the shirt coming up, right? And then this moment when he calls it out, all of those moments are when Pam gets a mirror held up to her behavior, and it makes her uncomfortable because she knows the right thing to do is say, roy, I'm in love with Jim and we should break up. But she's got all of these layers like you do in a relationship, and feelings, probably, of guilt and obligation and all of that all wrapped up into it. So she doesn't know how to make that break. And I think this is one of those moments where a mirror is held up and she feels bad and she bristles at it.

[Angela Kinsey]

And then it all ends with that final look between Michael and Jim, the little shrug. Eh, women.

[Jenna Fischer]

Ah. What are you gonna do?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Two lonely guys.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, guys, that was the client.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's the client. Thank you so much Melora Hardin and Tim Meadows for making this episode that much more special.

[Angela Kinsey]

And I want to say thank you to Brian Baumgartner and Phil Shea and Greg Daniels, all of whom I reached out to for this episode. Thanks, guys for your help.

[Jenna Fischer]

Help. Thanks, everybody. All right, we'll see you next week. We're going to be chunk and performance review your way.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, boy. Oh, boy. Hey, I'm proud of us for pulling it back together. We were really on the edge at the beginning of this.

[Jenna Fischer]

I got a little giddy. I was a little punchy. So thanks for sticking it out. That's what she said.

[Angela Kinsey]

Good ending.

[Jenna Fischer]

Thank you.

[Angela Kinsey]

Thank you for listening to welcome to Office Lady's second Drink.

[Jenna Fischer]

This episode was initially created in collaboration with Earwolf.

[Angela Kinsey]

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

[Jenna Fischer]

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

[Angela Kinsey]

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

[Jenna Fischer]

Office Ladies is mixed and mastered by Chris Basel.

[Angela Kinsey]

Our theme song is Rubber Treatment by Creed Bratton.