Second Drink: The Convention

Summary

Office Ladies Podcast Summary: "Second Drink: The Convention"

Podcast Information:

• Title: Office Ladies
• Hosts: Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey
• Episode: Second Drink: The Convention
• Release Date: May 26, 2025

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Introduction and Episode Overview

In the "Second Drink: The Convention" episode of the Office Ladies podcast, hosts Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey delve deep into Season 3, Episode 2 of The Office. They provide a comprehensive breakdown of the episode titled "The Convention," offering fans both a detailed analysis and exclusive behind-the-scenes anecdotes that only insiders can share.

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Episode Breakdown

Plot Summary: The hosts begin by summarizing the episode’s main plot:

• Michael and Dwight's Convention Trip: Michael Scott (Steve Carell) and Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) travel to Philadelphia for the Northeastern Mid Market Office Supply Convention, aiming to secure a major sale.
• Pam's Setup Date: Back at Dunder Mifflin, Kelly Kapoor (Mindy Kaling) arranges a blind date for Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) with her neighbor, Alan, a cartoonist.
• Angela's Surprise for Dwight: Meanwhile, Angela Martin (Angela Kinsey) plans a surprise for Dwight but ends up storming out of a conversation, leaving her food behind.

Notable Scenes and Quotes:

• Michael’s Adoption Plan: Michael expresses his desire to adopt a baby after watching Oprah, leading to a humorous yet awkward agreement with Pam to consider this option “if neither of them have a baby in 30 years” (26:30).

• Jim and Pam's Limited Interaction: A poignant moment occurs when Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) and Pam receive brief auditory connections, hinting at their lingering feelings (74:14). Angela remarks, “It’s like the Age of Innocence, I guess. That book made me crazy. I'm like, just be together already.”

• Hammermill Rep Cameo: The episode features a guest appearance by Matt Price as the Hammermill representative. Jenna shares that Matt Price was a favorite among the crew and almost reprised his role from the British version of The Office (76:10).

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Behind-the-Scenes Insights

Filming Locations and Logistics:

• Burbank Hilton Hotel: The convention scenes were filmed at the Burbank Hilton Hotel (now renamed). The production didn’t book the entire hotel but reserved the largest convention room, dedicating a week to set up (17:05).

• Amtrak Train Filming: Contrary to Dunderpedia's information, there is currently Amtrak service between Scranton and Philadelphia. The hosts revealed that filming took place on an actual Amtrak caboose, with the crew adhering strictly to the train's schedule (43:09).

Casting and Guest Appearances:

• Robert Bagnell as Alan: Robert Bagnell, known for his role as Tom Peterman on HBO’s The Comeback, guest-starred as Alan the cartoonist. Jenna shares a personal connection, revealing that Bagnell was involved in an "Instant Films" project with her, leading to their collaboration on the show (12:38).

• Jerome Bettis Cameo: Former NFL player Jerome Bettis made a cameo as himself. The spontaneity of his appearance added an authentic touch, with Bagnell highlighting Bettis’s friendly nature and philanthropic efforts (54:49).

Deleted Scenes and Alternate Takes:

• Angela’s "I'm Late" Cliffhanger: An initial table-read included Angela storming out with edible items, hinting at a pregnancy subplot. However, the writers and crew felt it was too abrupt, resulting in its removal (31:00).

• Fly Incident During Talking Head: Angela shared a humorous behind-the-scenes story where a fly interrupted her scripted talking head segment, leading to ad-libbed lines like, “Why are there flies in here?” (35:19).

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Fan Mail and Corrections

Continuity Errors Caught by Fans:

• Meredith’s Hammermill Rep Timeline: Multiple fans pointed out a continuity error regarding Meredith’s affair timeline with the Hammermill rep. Jenna addressed this by suggesting Meredith’s lack of awareness about current suppliers could explain the discrepancy (03:22).

Production Design Clarifications:

• BlackBerry Mascot Costume: Fans inquired about the individual in the BlackBerry mascot suit. Jenna clarified that it was an official representative from RIM Technology, not a cast member in disguise (58:18).

Character Legitimacies:

• Angela’s Leg in Jim’s Hotel Room Scene: Confirming fans’ curiosity, Angela verified that the leg seen in Dwight's hotel room was indeed hers, meticulously styled with red toenails and a specific pajama outfit to maintain character integrity (77:25).

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Thematic Discussions and Character Development

Michael and Dwight’s Friendship: Jenna and Angela explore the dynamics of Michael and Dwight’s relationship, highlighting Michael’s insecurities about losing Jim as a friend and his overzealous attempts to reestablish their bond (71:19).

Jim and Pam’s Complex Relationship: The hosts discuss the unspoken tensions and emotional complexities between Jim and Pam, emphasizing the subtle yet significant moments where their feelings almost surface but remain unexpressed (74:14).

Angela's Character Depth: Angela sheds light on her character’s softer side, revealing her genuine desire to spend time with Dwight, which contrasts with her often rigid and strict demeanor (32:54).

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Production and Crew Acknowledgments

Special Thanks: Jenna and Angela express gratitude towards key members of the production team:

• Kent Sabornak (Kentopedia): For providing detailed behind-the-scenes facts.
• Robert Bagnell: For sharing personal stories and enriching the episode’s content.

Personal Reflections: The hosts reminisce about cherished moments on set, such as reviewing old crew photos, highlighting the camaraderie and affection they have for the unsung heroes behind the scenes (21:13).

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Closing Thoughts

Jenna and Angela conclude the episode by reflecting on the joy and laughter "The Convention" brought them, both as castmates and friends. They express enthusiasm for future episodes and encourage listeners to tune in for more in-depth analyses and insider stories from The Office.

Notable Closing Quote: Angela shares her delight, saying, “I had such a great time doing it. It was so fun to rewatch it again. I just remember laughing a lot, and that was a real joy for me this week. I hope you guys enjoyed it.”

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Highlighted Quotes with Timestamps

• Michael’s Adoption Idea:
  Angela Kinsey: “So here’s the chance to take the first step.” 00:14

• Pam’s Reluctance on Adoption:
  Jenna Fischer: “Pam agrees that she will have Michael’s baby if neither one of them have a baby in 30 years.” 27:23

• Angela’s Reaction to Meredith’s Comment:
  Angela Kinsey: “That town is full of history.” 40:52

• Michael’s Packing List Humor:
  Angela Kinsey: “How many condoms are in a pack? Sam, do you want to contribute to how many packs are in.” 28:37

• Jerome Bettis’s Philanthropy:
  Jenna Fischer: “He has the Jerome Bettis Bus Stop Here foundation... delivering over 1,000 pairs of cleats to children in the Detroit school system.” 57:27

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Conclusion

"Second Drink: The Convention" offers a rich and engaging exploration of a pivotal episode of The Office, enhanced by Jenna and Angela’s personal insights and behind-the-scenes stories. Through their detailed analysis and heartfelt anecdotes, listeners gain a deeper appreciation for the nuances of the show and the enduring friendships it fostered.

Transcript

[Angela Kinsey]

What does a confident smile say to you?

[Jenna Fischer]

And maybe more importantly, what does it say about you?

[Angela Kinsey]

With Smile Generation, it says you're taking care of more than just your teeth.

[Jenna Fischer]

Because confidence doesn't start and stop at a bright smile. It's about your whole body wellness.

[Angela Kinsey]

Smile Generation reimagines oral health as the gateway to long term confidence. Why? Because oral health issues have been linked to heart disease, diabetes, and even cognitive conditions. When you care for your smile, you're investing in your future and that confidence. It starts with feeling supported. With Smile Generation trusted providers, you're not just another patient, you're a partner.

[Jenna Fischer]

They prioritize personal, patient focused care that truly listens to you. Plus, with education and preventive care at the core, Smile Generation empowers you to understand the connection between your mouth and your overall health. So. So you can stop issues before they start.

[Angela Kinsey]

Here's your chance to take the first step. Smile Generation is offering a $59 new patient special. That's a comprehensive exam, cleaning and x rays. A $290 value.

[Jenna Fischer]

New patients only offer not valid for Tricare or Medicare Advantage. May be covered by insurance, subject to plan restrictions.

[Angela Kinsey]

Book by December 31, 2025.

[Jenna Fischer]

Visit smilegeneration.com officeladies for full terms and to book.

[Angela Kinsey]

Now we are getting ready to plan some travel for the holidays. And so we've started to look on Airbnb. We love to stay at an Airbnb because when you travel with children and your family, it is nice to have a kitchen. It's nice to have you all in one area. Jenna, I got a hot tip for you.

[Jenna Fischer]

What is it?

[Angela Kinsey]

Do you know that you could make money off of your home while you're away on vacation?

[Jenna Fischer]

Tell me more.

[Angela Kinsey]

I will. While you're away, your home could be an Airbnb.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, really?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. Think about someone who's frequently traveling, you know.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

While they're away, their home's making them money.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's pretty sweet.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's very Schrute Farms of them. Although Dwight doesn't leave.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's true. And if he did leave, you'd be stuck with Mo's.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. Well, it sounds like Airbnb is a really practical way to earn some extra money.

[Angela Kinsey]

If you've stayed at an Airbnb, wouldn't it be cool to give that experience to others?

[Jenna Fischer]

Your home might be worth more than you think.

[Angela Kinsey]

Find out how [e-mail] host.

[Jenna Fischer]

Hello and welcome to your second drink of the convention. Ain't no party like a Scranton party.

[Angela Kinsey]

Cause Scranton Party. Don't stop.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's right. So I went back to our mailbag for the convention. I looked at comments and mail that we got for after our breakdown came out just to see if there was anything that people felt like we missed. I'm proud to say there was not much, but there was one very big fan mail flurry.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, yes.

[Jenna Fischer]

And I tried to grab everyone who wrote in about this. So here we go. Hannah B. Alexis L. Alicia W. Lisa S. Carly D. Susanna W. Jenna D. Taylor R. Nikki W. Jennifer P. Andrew L. Miley W. Haley L. Allie S. Bailey M. Emily W. And Aaron P.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, that's a lot of people, lady. Why don't you tell everyone what they caught?

[Jenna Fischer]

It was a continuity catch. Here's what all those people wrote in to say that in season five, episode three, business Ethics, Meredith admits to having sex in exchange for supplies and Outback Steakhouse gift certificates.

[Angela Kinsey]

Right.

[Jenna Fischer]

And she is having sex with the Scranton Hammermill rep for, like, six years. That's what she says.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh.

[Jenna Fischer]

However, Hammermill was exclusive to Staples until this episode of the convention, which is season three, episode two. So by the time we get to Meredith's storyline in season five, Hammermill would have only been with us for two years.

[Angela Kinsey]

It's a lot of math.

[Jenna Fischer]

And you might think, okay, what happened here? I like to think that Meredith was having sex with the Hammermill rep and that she didn't even know that they didn't supply us with paper until this episode. I don't know why. I don't know why. I feel like that could track.

[Angela Kinsey]

I feel like that could track. I feel like she's probably not really keeping up with where everyone's working.

[Jenna Fischer]

If you say you supply paper to Dunder Mifflin, Meredith will show you a good time.

[Angela Kinsey]

Pretty much.

[Jenna Fischer]

There it is.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, we also got several letters similar to this one from Meadow. S. Okay. In the scene where Michael and Dwight are discussing what possible fluids the black light could be revealing in the hotel room.

[Jenna Fischer]

Gross.

[Angela Kinsey]

Meadow says, I am curious if that was a real hotel room and those fluids were really there. Or did you guys concoct fluids that would show up if so, what was used? I asked this out of a morbid fascination because I fear the fluids in hotel rooms. So much so that we vrbo whenever possible, assuming and hoping they clean better and wash all the bedding, etc. Thank you so much. Love your show and podcast.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay, well, there's no way those fluids were real.

[Angela Kinsey]

No.

[Jenna Fischer]

No.

[Angela Kinsey]

Please tell me no.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, the answer is no.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay.

[Jenna Fischer]

I reached out to Our production designer, Michael Gallenberg.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, my gosh. Poor Michael. I know you're texting me about, what.

[Jenna Fischer]

Did you spray on the walls? And he said that he had to reach out to the person he called his quote unquote, paint lord. Who is Ron Hinson, the paint lord? Yes. I guess he was in charge of all of our paint for our productions. He got the tech specs for what Ron used on the walls.

[Angela Kinsey]

Michael, thank you so much for going to this length. For us and our listeners, here's what it was.

[Jenna Fischer]

It was a product called Wildfire, and evidently it is only available through film industry vendors, at least at the time. And it is a liquid reactive medium vehicle that responds to black light but is invisible to the eye in normal light. Basically, it's just a really high end black light paint.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay.

[Jenna Fischer]

And that is what we splattered all over.

[Angela Kinsey]

All over the place.

[Jenna Fischer]

And then he sent me a photo of his view in Florida, and it is gorgeous.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know. He moved there.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. I mean, stunning.

[Angela Kinsey]

He loves it.

[Jenna Fischer]

I see why. Yes. Look at that.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, my gosh. That's lovely.

[Jenna Fischer]

Right?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Thank you, Michael Gallenberg. You know, we also got a fan mail correction from Michael. Hi. Who said in this breakdown, you said the BlackBerry was made by RAM, but it's actually RIM, which stands for Research in Motion. They are a Canadian company out of Waterloo, Ontario. I'm not affiliated with them, but I am a proud Canadian, so given some love to Canada there.

[Angela Kinsey]

Was I the one that got it wrong?

[Jenna Fischer]

No, it was me.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, okay.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, don't worry.

[Angela Kinsey]

Finally, we got a callback catch from Chris S. In Toronto. Chris says, I've been waiting for the convention for so long. Ha ha. But may have missed the boat. My fan catch is Angela, you got such a kick out of Pam storming off and leaving her food in season one, which I also loved as an observation. But it immediately made me think of the convention when you storm off after Meredith says, ugh, that town smells like cheesesteak. Leaving behind what looks like a bowl of cereal, which Creed promptly begins to eat. It's just a small catch, but I've been waiting since season one to write in about it.

[Jenna Fischer]

All right, Angela, I saw this piece of mail as well, and it made me want to ask you in the same way that you have made me reexamine my strong position about Jim and Pam's first kiss.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay.

[Jenna Fischer]

Have you reconsidered your judgment of Pam for storming off and leaving part of her meal on the table here? Now, your character does it in this Episode. You said you would never in your life leave a half eaten meal behind. If you were in an argument, you would at least pick up your things and take them with you.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, wait, are you asking me the person or Angela Martin the character?

[Jenna Fischer]

I think I'm asking you the person because you, the person judged Pam.

[Angela Kinsey]

I'm sorry. I still think I would grab my food.

[Jenna Fischer]

Very tidy, even in an argument.

[Angela Kinsey]

Why would I leave my food? It's my food. I might not like the company I'm in, but I'm gonna take my food with me.

[Jenna Fischer]

This was the same argument you made the first time. And I mean, it's not unreasonable. It's not unreasonable.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. I don't know. Just because someone's pissing me off doesn't mean they get to, like, have my food. I'm taking it. I'm gonna eat it.

[Jenna Fischer]

All right, well, thank you, everyone, for writing in. I hope we cleared up a few things. And now, here is the convention. 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. Stories that only two people who were there can tell you.

[Jenna Fischer]

We're the Office ladies.

[Angela Kinsey]

Howdy, everybody. Angela Kinsey here.

[Jenna Fischer]

It's Jenna. And today we're talking about the convention. It's season three, episode two, written by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky and directed by Ken Whittingham.

[Angela Kinsey]

Jenna, this was a really fun episode for me. I got to travel. I got to go on the road.

[Jenna Fischer]

I know. Remember last week we were talking all about how we got that big season three bump so we could leave the Office and do things. Hello. We created an entire paper convention in episode two.

[Angela Kinsey]

We are going for it this season.

[Jenna Fischer]

All right, well, let's get into this episode. I have a summary for you.

[Angela Kinsey]

I'm so excited.

[Jenna Fischer]

Here we go. Do it. Thanks. Thanks. Thanks, babe.

[Angela Kinsey]

Babe. Read me your summary, babe.

[Jenna Fischer]

Sweetie. Here we go, dollface.

[Angela Kinsey]

Read your summary, doll face.

[Jenna Fischer]

Hey, toots. I got a summary for you, sweet cheeks.

[Angela Kinsey]

Read your summary, sweet cheeks.

[Jenna Fischer]

You know what? I might have just watched the Broadway HD 42nd Street. Oh, by the way, we watched that. Lee and I, we really miss live theater. We really miss it. It's one of our loves. And they have this great catalog of Broadway shows on Broadway HD. And so we watched 42nd Street. It's so good. The woman who plays the lead, her name is Clara and oh my God, she is mind blowing. The tap dancing this woman does is just insane. So anyway, but that show has a lot of like Toots Darling, Babe, Honey, because, you know, it's all set back in the time. I don't know what time that was. What was that? The Roaring twenties?

[Angela Kinsey]

When it's Roaring Twenties, probably.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. All right, anyway. Summary.

[Angela Kinsey]

Summary. Listen, you watch your Broadway shows on the telly. I'm going to watch my hummingbirds.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. This is what we're doing. This is what we're doing.

[Angela Kinsey]

Maybe I'll put on the Weather Channel. I don't know. Anything could happen. Okay.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay. Michael and Dwight travel to Philadelphia to meet Jan, Jim and Josh for the Northeastern Mid Market Office Supply Convention. Meanwhile, back in Dunder Mifflin, Kelly sets up Pam on a date with her neighbor Alan. He's a cartoonist. They're going to have so much in common. Right. But Angela sneaks off to surprise Dwight.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

All right, fast fact number one, we're going to. We've got a big guest star, Robert Bagnell, who played Alan the cartoonist. Now you might recognize him because he also played Tom Peterman on HBO's the Comeback starring Lisa Kudrow. Did you watch that show?

[Angela Kinsey]

I did. I thought she was so funny. Well, the whole cast was phenomenal.

[Jenna Fischer]

I was obsessed with that show. Like, obsessed.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

It is such an amazing satire of the entertainment industry. And of course, an actress.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes.

[Jenna Fischer]

Like, there's this scene where she opens up a refrigerator and there's nothing in there except for like seltzer water and these prepackaged diet meals. And it made me laugh so hard. She's so self obsessed and narcissistic and she plays it perfectly. Check it out, guys. It's amazing. And Robert Bagnell is on there, so I was so excited to get to work with him. But I knew him.

[Angela Kinsey]

How?

[Jenna Fischer]

We used to do this thing called Instant Films together where they take these writers, directors, actors and crew and you get 48 hours to make a short film. You're randomly matched. You start at like 7am on Saturday with a little script that's been written for you. It's usually like four pages long. And on Sunday night everyone gets together and there's a little film festival and it's so fun.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. I have friends that did this and I. I don't know why I didn't participate, but I have friends that did this and loved it.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, it's funny, Ange, because you're always kind of talking about how you did the Groundlings. Or you did the sketch shows, Improvolutions, festivals. Yeah, yeah, I didn't do any of that stuff. But I did do these, like, short films, short film festivals. And then they do one for plays as well. They do like a 24 hour play where you have to stage a mini play in 24 hours. So I would do, like, that kind of stuff. But I knew him from that. That's how I knew Robert. He was in the instant film world with me. Oh, wow.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's so cool.

[Jenna Fischer]

So I reached out to him and we had the best conversation about his time on the show. And then he sent me, like, two pages of memories.

[Angela Kinsey]

Stop it.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's so fantastic.

[Jenna Fischer]

So kind, so generous. So he told me that the way he got the role on the show was through Mike Schur.

[Angela Kinsey]

How?

[Jenna Fischer]

Mike Schur had been a writer on season one of the Comeback. Aw. And he had actually left the Comeback to go work on the Office.

[Angela Kinsey]

I never knew that.

[Jenna Fischer]

Me either.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, my God. I would totally have talked to him about that. That's so cool.

[Jenna Fischer]

I know. How did I not know to pepper Mike Scher about? Come back questions.

[Angela Kinsey]

Lisa Kudrow tidbits, please.

[Jenna Fischer]

But here is the craziest thing about him. Do you want to hear this crazy personal connection?

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay. Were you and him dating in college?

[Jenna Fischer]

No.

[Angela Kinsey]

I'm kidding. Go.

[Jenna Fischer]

No. No. But around the same time that he was guest starring on the Office, he also had a role in a movie written by my now husband, Lee Kirk. But we didn't know.

[Angela Kinsey]

Stop it.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. He was in this movie called Pants on Fire that was directed by Colin Campbell, written by my husband Lee. And so it was like he was doing this scene with me on the Office, and then he was shooting this role in Lee's movie, but Lee and.

[Angela Kinsey]

I weren't in love, were not even a thing, or knew each other on each other's radars. That is crazy.

[Jenna Fischer]

I know. Such a small world.

[Angela Kinsey]

That is so crazy. Yeah. Those are the little mind melt moments for me where your lives are crisscrossing and you don't even know it. So you and Lee had this existence, crisscrossing, and that's so wild. I love that.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, the crazy thing is, is that movie Pants on Fire, that script was sent to me as a writing sample of Lee's. I was gonna produce a movie and I needed a writer, and I got Pants on Fire as the writing sample, and I fell in love with it. And I took a meeting with Lee.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, my Lord.

[Jenna Fischer]

And then he ended up writing a film for me called the Giant Mechanical man. And that is how Lee and I fell in love.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's so cool.

[Jenna Fischer]

Was that we worked together on Giant Mechanical man, which Lee then directed.

[Angela Kinsey]

Wow. And Robert was in that movie.

[Jenna Fischer]

Robert was in Pants on Fire. Isn't that crazy?

[Angela Kinsey]

That is so crazy. I love that.

[Jenna Fischer]

All right, so anyway, I have a ton of fun information from Robert and I will sprinkle that in as we get to those scenes.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay. So what's up? What's up? What's next, lady, with your fast facts?

[Jenna Fischer]

Next. Fast fact number two. Sam, could I get a fan question?

[Angela Kinsey]

What fan question?

[Jenna Fischer]

It's a fan question, Angela. Fast Fact 2 is a fan question.

[Angela Kinsey]

I have got to get my kids recording some stuff and then I've got to send it over to Sam and I'm going to sprinkle one in next week.

[Jenna Fischer]

That was my daughter. That's my daughter.

[Angela Kinsey]

Cute. It's so.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, you know, because my son got to do the deep dive last week.

[Angela Kinsey]

So that's good. That's good.

[Jenna Fischer]

She gave me a fan question, Sting, because fast fact number two is all fan questions, starting with Ryan Apgar. Where was the convention filmed? Jennifer Berman. Was it an actual hotel? Did they have to completely rent out entire floors or the entire hotel? And Sarah Holtz wants to know, were the vendors at the convention real or fake? So many questions about this convention, Angela.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

So you know, I went to Kentopedia.

[Angela Kinsey]

Kentopedia. I know one or two of these. But Kent will have the full lowdown. So let's hear it.

[Jenna Fischer]

All right, so Kent told me that we filmed this at the Burbank Hilton Hotel, which is now a different hotel. It's not called the Burbank Hilton anymore.

[Angela Kinsey]

Right. But it's near, if memory serves, it's kind of over by the Burbank airport.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

He said they did not book the entire hotel, but they did book the largest convention room that the hotel had. And they had to book that room for the entire week because it took two full days just to set it up to look like a convention. So he said they started on Monday filling it with all the booths and all the stuff.

[Angela Kinsey]

When I got there, it looked like a full on convention. It really did.

[Jenna Fischer]

So Kent told me that he really leaned on his production staff. And when he wrote me, he said, will you please give these guys a shout out because they were instrumental in making this happen. Angela, I'm going to hit you with some names, okay? Do you remember Angie Hamilton and James Carey?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes.

[Jenna Fischer]

Who worked with Kent. I know of course.

[Angela Kinsey]

Of course I remember them.

[Jenna Fischer]

Angie was our co producer.

[Angela Kinsey]

Mm.

[Jenna Fischer]

James Carey was the office manager. He said they were tipped off a few weeks before this episode was set to film that they were gonna have to pull off a convention. So the two of them reached out to literally hundreds of corporations and businesses and asked if they wanted to be in the episode. And here was the deal. The deal was they had to bring their own convention materials. They had to set up their own booths, provide their own style staff and wardrobe to sort of populate them during the episode. And they were told that they could not promise that they would get screen time, but they could try. You know, they're like, we'll try to get everyone on camera. He said they got tons of people who wanted to participate. The show was now so popular, people were, like, delighted to participate. So all those people, he said, in the end, there were 176 total, quote unquote, extras, background performers. And one hundred and forty of them were actual employees of actual companies.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's why it looks so real, because I thought that. I thought when I looked through it, I was like, these look like real companies and their shirts matched and things like that. Like, details that I feel like would have been so hard for us to pull off, but it's because they were actual companies.

[Jenna Fischer]

I feel like this is the only way you could have done that. There's no way that Carrie Bennett, our wardrobe designer, could have painstakingly designed matching wardrobes for multiple companies.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

In two weeks time. I mean, this is the kind of stuff that movies have months of preparation for, you know, and in tv you have to pull it off in just a matter of weeks. So that's how they did it.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's amazing. You know, James was so sweet. I have such fond memories of him because, I don't know, I feel like there was always something that wasn't quite working at my house. Like, I was like, oh, James, I was supposed to print this out. My printer was out of ink and we were on set all day. So it's not like we could just run and buy printer ink or run and, you know, whatever it was we needed to do. And I would go in there so many times and he'd be like, all right, Angela, what? What do you need? And I'm like, can you print this for me? Because I told my mom I'd mail it to her and my printer. But he was just always there to help and just. They were amazing.

[Jenna Fischer]

And Angela, I found a bunch of old photos of our crew And I cried looking through them. I just. You know, it's. There's the thing that everybody sees when they're watching the show, which are the actors. But what we saw on the set were all these other faces looking back at us. And to see these pictures of our sound folks and our gaffers and our. Our lighters and our PAs, and to see all their faces again, it was just. Oh, my gosh, Angela, it was amazing.

[Angela Kinsey]

All right, all right, where are we at, Lady Fast?

[Jenna Fischer]

Fact number three. This episode almost featured a cameo by Mackenzie Crook, who played the original. Kind of Dwight. Dwight in the British office on the BBC version. Yeah. So this was a little nugget that I found on. I believe it was Dunderpedia, but I remember this. So I believe, if memory serves, Mackenzie was in town doing a big press tour for a movie. I think it might have been one of the. Oh, my God. Angela, what's the name of that movie that Johnny Depp is in where he plays the pirate? Oh, Pirates of the Caribbean.

[Angela Kinsey]

What's that Johnny Depp movie where he plays a pirate? I don't know.

[Jenna Fischer]

He kind of set in the Caribbean.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. And he's.

[Jenna Fischer]

Remember that one?

[Angela Kinsey]

He's like, you savvy? My stepson Jack was so obsessed with those movies that one year for Halloween, he wanted to be Captain Jack Sparrow. We got him the full costume, and then on Christmas Day, we were like, you guys, you want to dress up for Christmas? We bought them all, like, Christmas onesies, and Jack said, can I just dress as Captain Jack Sparrow? So we have this hilarious photo in front of the Christmas tree, and Isabelle and Kate are in Christmas onesies. They look like an elf, you know? You know, And Jack is full. Jack Sparrow.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, you know, Mackenzie Crook was in those movies.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know. Yes, yes.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. So I believe he was in town doing this press junket tour. He wanted to have him just appear at the convention in one of the booths and have a little chat with our Dwight so the two kind of Dwights would meet. That would have been so great. Wouldn't that have been amazing? But then the scheduling did not work out. He couldn't come. You know what that's like when you're doing a press junket especially. I mean, I don't know what it's like to do a press junket for a movie that size or a series that size. But he couldn't come. He wanted to. He couldn't come. He's the nicest guy. I've met him. He's awesome. But I know Almost.

[Angela Kinsey]

Almost.

[Jenna Fischer]

A meeting of the Dwights almost happened, but did not.

[Angela Kinsey]

Jenna, I am so bummed he didn't come because I'm such a fan and I love that Greg was always trying to incorporate the BBC cast, and we got to meet them several times, but that would have been really cool. Jenna, thank you so much for three fantastic fast facts. Maybe we should take a break and then we'll come back and get into this episode.

[Jenna Fischer]

I like it, lady. I like it.

[Angela Kinsey]

This show is sponsored by Better Help Lady.

[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]

We put on our sleuthing hats and confirmed. That's a whole lot of places and a whole lot of acceptance. So, yeah, sometimes it pays to be.

[Jenna Fischer]

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[Angela Kinsey]

Learn [e-mail] credit card. All right, and we are back. Pam is at her desk, and Michael enters and says, hey, did you see Oprah? Because I want to be a father. And you're like, wait, wait, what was on? What was on Oprah?

[Jenna Fischer]

Michael's big takeaway from watching Oprah is that he learns that Angelina Jolie has adopted a baby. So now he wants to adopt a baby.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

And he wants Pam to get on it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Pam, get on it.

[Jenna Fischer]

And Pam's like, I think you should Wait. Because Roy's sister looked into it, and, like, the application alone cost $1,000. And Michael's like, can't you find me a cheaper baby? And then she's like, well, also, it takes a long time. Like eight waiting period. It's like eight months. And he's like, oh, my God, I don't even know if I'm going to want a baby in eight months.

[Angela Kinsey]

Steve's. Steve's play on. That was really funny. And your reaction was so good. Your reaction to. When you say what was on Oprah.

[Jenna Fischer]

It'S like, I'm scared. So where is this going? Where is this going? Well, in the end, Pam agrees that she will have Michael's baby if neither one of them have a baby in 30 years. Because she sees like, I can't. I'm not gonna get out of this.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

But I know that's gonna come back to haunt her.

[Angela Kinsey]

So in 30 years, when you're 50, you'll have his baby.

[Jenna Fischer]

I'll have his baby.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, my gosh.

[Jenna Fischer]

Exactly. When I'm like, 56. Yeah, basically.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, there you go.

[Jenna Fischer]

But, you know, Michael's gonna go around and tell people that he and Pam have agreed to have a baby.

[Angela Kinsey]

You guys.

[Jenna Fischer]

He's gonna leave out the in 30 years part.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

No, this conversation is going to haunt her now for sure. For sure.

[Angela Kinsey]

He's gonna tell people you guys are each other's backup plan.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

So now we're in the actual episode, and Michael, you know, is packing. First trip, he has Ryan helping him. Here's his packing list, right. For this convention. Three pairs of pants, three pairs of socks, three packs of condoms, three packs fun jeans, three packs. Jenna. I shouldn't have, but I did a deep dive on how many condoms come in a pack.

[Jenna Fischer]

How many? Like, a dozen.

[Angela Kinsey]

I. I mean, I feel like there's sort of a range, but Normally it's like 36. What?

[Jenna Fischer]

36 in a pack.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's what I saw on a website that maybe that's not true. I don't know. I don't know. Do we go to Sam on this? Sam, Sam, do you want to contribute to how many packs are in.

[Jenna Fischer]

How many condoms are in a pack? While I do appreciate you guys always.

[Angela Kinsey]

Throwing to me for drugs or sexual.

[Jenna Fischer]

Deviant, I don't actually know this one.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, good answer, Sam. Good answer. Okay. Also switching gears, Michael points out that he also wants to take his fun jeans. Just so you guys know, Fun jeans apparently are white jeans.

[Jenna Fischer]

I'd like to point out he is still dry Cleaning his jeans.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes.

[Jenna Fischer]

We set that up in an earlier episode, and I love that that got called back.

[Angela Kinsey]

So Angela comes in and she needs Michael to sign for his per diem. I have two things I want to point out. Number one, Jenna, did you see how sassy my ponytail is?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes, I pointed it out later. I noticed it when you are in the break room. I actually wrote it down.

[Angela Kinsey]

Do you want to know why it looks like that?

[Jenna Fischer]

Why?

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, this was around the beginning of the whole Emmy season, award show season, and we were going to parties and things, and I had had a fancy hair blowout. When I came to work on Monday, I still had great day two hair. So Kim Ferrie, who did hair, put it up in this ponytail, and it had all this wave and texture to it. And she was like, let's just go with it. Angela has a sassy ponytail. And so then she had to match that each day after. But that's why I have a festive pony.

[Jenna Fischer]

I totally, 100% noticed it.

[Angela Kinsey]

So now Michael has a very funny talking head. But, Jenna, I have a question for you. These are these scenes that we never see that were never written that I wish had happened. Because at 2 minutes, 36 seconds, Michael refers to Josh as the poor man's Michael Scott. Or at least that's how he's known around my condo. Jenna, is he talking about Josh Porter to his neighbors in his condo unit? Like, is he like, well, you know, poor man Michael Scott. Like, how much is he just jabbering away at his neighbors about Josh Porter?

[Jenna Fischer]

It's funny, I did not even hear it like that. I heard it as maybe something Michael has muttered out loud to himself within the walls of his own condo.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, that's even sadder.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, that's how he's known around Michael's condo.

[Angela Kinsey]

In my mind, I saw him, like, you know, at the little wall where all the mailboxes are, and he's opening his mailbox, and someone walks up and he's like, ugh, poor man's Michael Scott is, I guess, friends with Jim now. And the person's like, yeah, yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay.

[Angela Kinsey]

Bye, Michael. All right. Sorry, that just tickled me.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay, so now we're going to move into the break room. Angela and Dwight, they're standing on opposite ends of the room. They are not looking at each other. Angela is upset that Dwight is going on this trip because she just really wants to spend time with him and. But Dwight is so excited to go on this trip. It's a big deal for him to be included. Assistant Regional manager. This is like a big part of his job. Angela, it's so tickles me how you guys are standing, how you guys aren't looking at each other. Your characters would do this all the time. As if people would not be confused by this if they walked in the room.

[Angela Kinsey]

Now, this is sort of a classic Dwight Angela moment within the office that I love so much. Here's a little interesting tidbit about this, and this is on the Internet, so you can read about it, but there was a different scene at the table read. I believe it was at the table read. It didn't make it into the shooting draft where I was upset with Dwight that he was going. So that was the same. And Dwight and I have this exchange in the kitchen where I'm upset with him. And then at the very end, I say, I'm late. And it's like this cliffhanger. I'm late. Yes. It's like, what? Is she pregnant?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay. That did not end up getting shot. That did not happen. Because I think Jenna, as soon as we read it out loud, everyone was like. And I think Greg was like, wait, this is. Okay, maybe this is too soon. This is too soon. Right?

[Jenna Fischer]

That would have been crazy. That would have been crazy if in this episode, Dwight and Angela are already having a baby.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know. And, you know, it would have been a weird sort of callback to that time when he asked her sort of in code, if she was. Had any prescriptions. Right.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

So anyway, needless to say, they decided to change their minds. Angela was not late. She was just upset because she wanted to spend some time with him, which I actually think is really sweet.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

You sort of get to see this softer side to her.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

And then I have to bring this up here because so it will make sense. You guys, there are other scenes that we shot that explains how Angela ultimately ends up in the hotel, but they're in the deleted scenes.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. There's a whole sort of extra plot line here where Dwight secretly gives you a ticket on the train to meet him.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, I know he gives her that before he leaves, but in the break room, I have to just share with you guys this. This setup of us back to back and me at the water cooler and him at the vending machines. We tried a few different positions, and this is the one we settled on, but we got so tickled. We laughed so hard in the scene just at how absurd it was. And then also, Ken Whittingham really let us play with how long our pause was until I said, are you still there?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

And so there were times where we left a ton of space, and we. The longer we didn't say anything to each other but stood back to back, the more tickled we got. And then at the very end, Jenna, I'm curious, because I know you have the script, but at the very end, I say, don't monkey me. You can't wait to get out of here. Arm. And I. I just, like, walk out all mad. Now I remember I improvised that.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, yeah, that's not in the script.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, when I rewatched it, I really felt like I heard my accent when I said arm.

[Jenna Fischer]

I think when you improvise, your accent comes out more.

[Angela Kinsey]

A little bit more. Yeah. So there you have it. That's our little secret break room scene. And Angela was almost gonna have Dwight's baby here.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. In an alternate universe. Okay, so now we go to your talking head, Angela. Okay. And this has one of my favorite lines, Angela. You say, in the Martin family, we like to say, looks like someone took the slow train from Philly. And you explain that that's code for, check out the slut.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, I am. And then I say, why are there flies in here?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. We have a fan question from Cody Gold about your talking head. In Angela's talking head, she swats at a fly. Was that scripted, or did another bug harass Angela like in the episode the Fire? First of all, Cody, we love that you called back the bug from the Fire episode. Angela, what is the deal?

[Angela Kinsey]

I don't know. I don't know what the deal is with me and flying bugs, seriously.

[Jenna Fischer]

But I was. Because I was wondering about this too. I have the shooting draft. I didn't see anything about a fly.

[Angela Kinsey]

All right, so, Jenna, do you remember when we were filming this episode? It was insanely hot. There was this crazy heat wave. It was in August. And as a result, there were all of these, like, flies. I don't know if you remember this.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, yeah. It was like a fly infestation. I think they were coming in to get out of the heat.

[Angela Kinsey]

I think they were too. I think we'd opened the doors.

[Jenna Fischer]

The flies were like, it's super hot out.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. The flies were like, ooh, air conditioning. I'm getting in there. So. So this talking head, we filmed it right after lunch that day. And, you know, whenever we would have lunch. Jenna. They would leave the doors open longer.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. To kind of air it out.

[Angela Kinsey]

And there were, like, five or six of these dudes buzzing around my head the whole time. I was doing this talking head. So one time I just swatted at one while staying in character. And Gene, our writer, was in the room with me. And that cracked him up. He loved it. And he was like, ang, will you swat at flies again? And I was like, okay. And so I did it again, but this time I ad libbed the line, why are there flies in here? And then we did another take, and I swatted more, and I ad libbed that. You know what? This is all Kevin's fault. He had smelly takeout, and I did this whole really mean riff on Kevin's food that attracted the flies that did not make it in, but my other improv line did.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, my God. That is amazing. But here's the thing, Angela. I'll have you know, none of your talking head that is in the script is the same as the episode. I looked it up.

[Angela Kinsey]

What? So the slow train from Philly isn't in the script?

[Jenna Fischer]

Slow train from Philly is not in the script either. Fly is not in the script. Slow train from Philly, not in the script. Here is what your talking head was supposed to be.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, my gosh. Yeah. Here, I want to hear it.

[Jenna Fischer]

Here it is. Yes. Michael and Dwight Schrute are going to a convention in Philadelphia. Personally, I find even the idea of a convention repulsive. All those people from different places. Places gathered together, breathing hot breath all over each other. It's disgusting. Did you like my attempt to read it as Angela Martin?

[Angela Kinsey]

I loved it. I loved it. I remember when we were doing this talking head, Jane and Lee handed me a page of alts. Jenna, I had a huge alt list. We called it the candy bag. You remember?

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, yeah, yeah. No, we. When we would do our talking heads, we would have the one that was in the script. But then as soon as we sat down in the chair, they would hand us pages of alternate talking heads. And. And sometimes the alternates made it in the show, and sometimes it was the scripted version.

[Angela Kinsey]

Exactly. And this is the perfect example of that. Lee and Jean, our writers from this episode, gave me a page of alts. Clearly, slow train from Philly won. Everyone loved that. I improvised the line about the flies. Cause flies were literally buzzing my head the whole time. And that's how we got this talking head.

[Jenna Fischer]

Cody, we loved your question. So now Kelly comes up to Pam's desk. Guys, she's full. Mindy. She's very excited because she has set up Pam with her neighbor Alan.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. I was gonna play my Sting, which sounds like this full Mindy.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, you gotta get your stings in, Angela. I've got a few. I know I've got a few. For this episode, you gotta get yours in.

[Angela Kinsey]

When I say play my sting, it's just me doing it. There's no button. I'm not hitting a button.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, Pam has this talking head where she explains that Alan is a cartoonist for the local paper. He likes to draw. She's kind of nervous because she has not been on a first date in nine years.

[Angela Kinsey]

And then she says, probably shouldn't broadcast that. And I don't know why, Jenna. It just tickled me that Pam would say broadcast.

[Jenna Fischer]

Like, really.

[Angela Kinsey]

I don't know why. It just seemed like such, like, an old lady term. Don't broadcast it. I don't know.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, of course, Michael is leaving now for Philadelphia, and he overhears that Pam is going on this date. And Kelly tells Pam not to sleep with Allan on the first date. But Michael tells Pam that she should unbutton her blouse a little bit.

[Angela Kinsey]

Let those guys breathe. Doesn't he say something like that?

[Jenna Fischer]

Let them breathe.

[Angela Kinsey]

He's always wanting them to breathe or set them free. He's very concerned about your tatas being confined. So people wrote in and wanted to know if the sort of, like, song and dance of Michael and Dwight as they're leaving the office, if that was scripted or if those guys just made that up. They totally made that up.

[Jenna Fischer]

They totally made that up. There is a stage direction after they give her grief for saying. And then it just says they both laugh and walk out the door.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes.

[Jenna Fischer]

So that whole. That. That whole out the door business, that was them having fun, for sure.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, one of the things I really remember about this episode, once I got to the hotel where we were filming, is those guys were like. They were like kids in the candy jar. They were having so much fun just all riffing off each other. And I think they really did. When they would get together, especially John Rain and Steve, they would just get giddy.

[Jenna Fischer]

There is so much improvisation that happens at the convention. We will get there. But. Yes, you're right. You're right. All right, so now, Angela, we have this scene in the kitchen. Creed comes up to you, and he asks you how he can get a little of that per diem money.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Right. So then Meredith makes a comment that the whole town of Philadelphia just smells like cheesesteaks. And for whatever reason, Angela, you are very offended by this.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. I say, that town is full of history. And I get up and I storm out and I leave my food.

[Jenna Fischer]

Jenna, Sam, can I get my sting.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, good God. Why is the beef. Where's the beef?

[Jenna Fischer]

Where's the beef? I'll tell you where the beef is, Angela.

[Angela Kinsey]

Beef with me.

[Jenna Fischer]

I have a beef. And I'm not the only one.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, my Lord.

[Jenna Fischer]

Megan Keller wrote in to say not a question, but in the Hot Girl podcast, Angela laughed when Pam got up and left her lunch. When Roy says if he wasn't dating Pam, he would ask Katie out. But at 4 minutes, 55 seconds, Angela walks away from her cereal. She just stormed away from her food. Sarah Donaldson says, jenna, can you please give Angela some what's for? After the hard time she gave Pam for storming off and leaving her plate of food when Angela does the same thing at 4 minutes, 55 seconds. All right, Angela.

[Angela Kinsey]

All right.

[Jenna Fischer]

I have a beast.

[Angela Kinsey]

Fine, fine. Okay, fine. I get it, I get it. Apparently, on this show, if you get ticked off enough at someone, you just get up and you leave your food. Fine. Okay, fine. I'm sorry, everybody. I am sorry. My character does it too. I apologize. I apologize.

[Jenna Fischer]

But let me just say, in the moment when you were taping that scene, did you stop and say, guys, I'm so sorry. This isn't realistic. I would never just storm away and leave my cereal here. But you actually had to leave your cereal there because Creed's going to start eating it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Creed is going to start eating it, which is hilarious. And then he has one of his all time favorite lines. He has told me this is one of his favorite lines from the whole series. That's Andrea, the office bitch. You'll get used to her.

[Jenna Fischer]

And then he introduces himself to Meredith.

[Angela Kinsey]

Exactly, exactly. And then I have to point out my character, she started being a hypocrite because earlier she's like. Well, you know, code for slut is like someone who looks like they took the slow train to Philly. So Philly is like, not a good place. But then here, she's like, it's full of history. All right, now it's 5 minutes, 10 seconds, and Dwight and Michael are on the train. They are headed to Philadelphia.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's right. Michael has his headphones on. He has Dwight's neck pillow, which he pretends he can't hear Dwight asking for. I have some fun facts about this on Denderpedia. It says that there is no passenger rail service between Scranton and Philadelphia. And maybe that was true back in the day when we shot this, but today I looked it up. Amtrak does offer two trains per day. Takes about three hours to get to Philadelphia from Scranton by train. And tickets start at $41.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, I would think that there would be a train. That makes sense.

[Jenna Fischer]

It does. So, yes. So now there is a train. I went to Kentopedia because I was fascinated by the fact that we shot on an actual Amtrak train. Because we did. That was not like some fancy, weird green screen thing happening. That was a train. So here's what Kent told me. Ange.

[Angela Kinsey]

What? I want to hear it.

[Jenna Fischer]

They let us shoot on the train for free. For free? Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

Awesome.

[Jenna Fischer]

But we had to agree that we would not disrupt their schedule in any way. So on day two of filming, while the set dressers and the production designers were setting up the hotel room at the convention, Steve and Rain and a very small crew with about five extras, they loaded into vans and they drove to the Simi Valley train station. They boarded the caboose car at 10:30am they were given the caboose car all to themselves. They got settled, the train started moving. Kent said they got their first shot off at 11:03. Then when the train arrived at the Burbank airport station at 11:27, they got off the train and there were vans waiting to pick them up and take them back to our main set. And that's how we got that train stuff. Isn't that insane?

[Angela Kinsey]

I love that. What, like, specific details that Kent, like, gave you. It's amazing. Kentopedia, you are amazing.

[Jenna Fischer]

One of the reasons why Kent and I are friends is because I so fully appreciate the detail that he has kept in a way that I'm not sure many other people would.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know you do. I'm like you do.

[Jenna Fischer]

Kent and I are of a similar mind with our spreadsheets in order. We love it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, you guys, there are some other deleted scenes from the train that are really funny. So you go to the DVD set if you have them. They're funny.

[Jenna Fischer]

All right, well, then they're going to arrive in Philly. They're going to greet Josh and Jim. They're reunited.

[Angela Kinsey]

They're reunited.

[Jenna Fischer]

Dwight and Michael and Josh and Jim.

[Angela Kinsey]

I have a little bit of a background catch.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, give it.

[Angela Kinsey]

All right, at 5 minutes, 34 seconds, Dwight is wearing his name tag. You know they have these lanyards around their neck, right?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

Dwight is wearing his. And then at 5 minutes, 59 seconds, he's putting it on, and it's got all this writing on it. Like, he's got all of his phone numbers in Sharpie. He's got his cell phone, his home, his pager. He's got his room number. Five, six on there. And he has written in a little assistant. He wrote in a little arrow. So it's like, assistant to the regional manager. He, like, changed his, like, title.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, my gosh, that is amazing. So they're all reunited now at the convention, and this was calculated. They knew that they needed to keep Jim and Pam apart by sending Jim to Stanford, but they did not want to keep Jim from interacting with Dwight and Michael. So that was kind of the reason for this whole episode, was to get Jim back in the world with these other characters, but still separate him from Pam, who is back at the office dealing with her own stuff.

[Angela Kinsey]

All right, I have two things, Jenna, that I think will be kind of fun that we clock. We like to track things, guys, at six minutes, 15 seconds. Oh, there's a good. Good example of Jim saying D. White.

[Jenna Fischer]

Ooh, there's a D. White.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. Jim has a talking head, and John says D. White. It's like, it's huge. So there you go. I love to track it when he says D. White. And then back in the office at 6 minutes, 31 seconds. Well, so some big information is revealed to Toby about Pam. Yeah, Jenna, what you are now. Pam is like the. The hot new meat in the office.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, she's back on the market. Kevin. Kevin says that if he wasn't engaged, he would quote. So hit that Kevin Gross.

[Angela Kinsey]

Guess what I wrote down. Tracking the pervasive.

[Jenna Fischer]

Tracking the Kevin perv. Tracking the Kevin perv.

[Angela Kinsey]

This is Kevin Perv. 6 minutes, 31 seconds. Kevin Perv. But the look that Paul Lieberstein does as Toby, that look is gold. Oh, my gosh. Toby has it so bad for Pam.

[Jenna Fischer]

I know, I know. And then Pam is in the kitchen, and she's reading some of Alan's cartoons. Her. Her blind date. Allen.

[Angela Kinsey]

I'm sorry, is. Is Pam prepping for her date, Jenna? Is this a little bit of Jenna and Pam? Like, oh, I have a date with this person. I'm going to deep dive.

[Jenna Fischer]

Is Pam doing a deep dive? I don't know if reading his cartoons. She's taking an interest. She hasn't been on a date in nine years. She's trying to. She's doing her due diligence. And Kelly enters, and she gushes about how sp. Smart his cartoons are that she doesn't even understand them sometimes. And then Toby walks in the kitchen, and he kind of tries to get Pam's attention. But no, she's not clocking Toby.

[Angela Kinsey]

It just when I watched him try to. He tries to wave. She doesn't Notice. And then he goes in the bathroom. The track that I could hear was.

[Jenna Fischer]

Totally.

[Angela Kinsey]

It's like totally like the sad scene from Like, Peanuts.

[Jenna Fischer]

All right, well, then we go back to the convention, and Michael and Dwight are setting up their hotel room. They've got a mini dartboard, they've got some booze. And Michael has strategically asked for and chosen a room close to the elevator because he thinks that he'll get more foot traffic that way. Yeah, he thought about it and he. He knows.

[Angela Kinsey]

Hopefully it wasn't by the service elevator.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, this is true.

[Angela Kinsey]

Who wants the room by the elevator? Michael. But he's ready for, you know, he's ready to party, Jenna.

[Jenna Fischer]

Because there ain't no party like a Scranton party. Because Scranton party don't stop. What?

[Angela Kinsey]

What? Ain't nobody like a Scranton party? Because Scranton party don't stop. What? What? You know it.

[Jenna Fischer]

Jim and Josh come by and they think that they should get to their meeting with Jan. Yeah, right?

[Angela Kinsey]

I mean, they are here to work.

[Jenna Fischer]

They're here to work. But Michael's like, come on, you've got time for shots. And then Jim and Josh have an inside joke.

[Angela Kinsey]

A shot of Midori. Jim and Josh have this inside joke, and they start cracking up. And then Michael and Dwight so desperately want to be a part of this. They start laughing really hard. Like, too hard.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

They have no idea what they're laughing at. And it's so embarrassing when Jim's like, no, actually, it was an inside joke.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, you would not actually laugh at that.

[Angela Kinsey]

You don't know what we're talking about.

[Jenna Fischer]

And then Michael has that sad, sad line that he loves inside jokes, and he's always wanted to be a part of one.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, I wish I was. I love inside jokes. I'd love to be a part of one someday.

[Jenna Fischer]

Now, I want to point something out here.

[Angela Kinsey]

What?

[Jenna Fischer]

Michael and Dwight are wearing matching gray Dunder Mifflin shirts. And then Jim and Josh are wearing kind of matching light colored shirts.

[Angela Kinsey]

They're wearing white button downs.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, one of them has, like a slight pink hue to it. And I feel like John's has a slight yellow hue to it. Maybe that's just my computer monitor. Because I watched this on my computer.

[Angela Kinsey]

I didn't see that they were not.

[Jenna Fischer]

Exactly matching to me, which actually I felt like made it even cooler because they're like, you know what? Just any light colored button down will do. Just make it a light color cream off. White. White, light pink, light yellow, anything. They're. They are strategically unbuttoned at the Exact same place. Maybe that's just where all men unbutton their shirts. But I found it a little odd. I don't know. Check it out. But I want to say something about those gray Dunder Mifflin shirts that Dwight and Michael are wearing. Okay, after this episode, I went to Carrie Bennett and I asked if she had any extras, and she gave me one, and I sent it to my dad.

[Angela Kinsey]

Aw.

[Jenna Fischer]

Now, this was before you could buy them. This was before Dunder Mifflin merchandise was out there. And he used to wear it around. He was an engineer, a plastics engineer, and he went on the road a lot. And he would have to visit factories to help them with troubleshooting issues with their production line. Okay, so he traveled a lot, and he would wear it when he traveled to these factories. And people would say, oh, Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. What? What is that? And he would just. He would smile and he would just say, oh, that's. That's the company. My. Where my daughter works.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, look at your dad being coy. But so proud.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's so proud. But then some people would put it together and then he would be so excited and he would be like, oh, well, my daughter gave it to me. Oh, your daughter gave it to you? Where did she get it? Oh, she has an inn. She's the receptionist there. And they would be like, wait, what? Yeah. He was so proud. My dad.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's so cute. My dad was the same way. He would any photo from anything I was in. I mean, anything. He would either screen grab it or find a way to print it or get a copy of it, but he would always make the photo so big, and he'd hang it on the wall, and I would go home and there'd be a photo like Jenna of you and I at some, you know, event. It'd be just like some little thing you and I were doing. There were photos with you. I don't know that I've ever shared this with you, but there are photos of you in my parents home that my dad printed up. Jenna, you're like 8 by 8 by 12, 11 by 14. They're humongous photos of us on the wall.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, my God, I love that. But you get it, right? Could you imagine if one of the your kids was on a TV show? I feel like I would do the same thing.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

I would collect everything. I would save everything. Parents are the best. Call your parents. Okay, so nine minutes, 13 seconds. Michael and Dwight are at the convention. There's some really great shots now of all the vendors, and you really get a sense of how big this room was. Michael is going around to all the booths and guys, he is really into swag. He's really into the freebies.

[Angela Kinsey]

He's got, like, a foam finger.

[Jenna Fischer]

He's.

[Angela Kinsey]

I don't know, some shirts, a lanyard or two, some sunglasses. He's got all kinds of stuff.

[Jenna Fischer]

I want to say this talking head is not in the script.

[Angela Kinsey]

Also, Jenna, at 9 minutes, 12 seconds, we get to see a really fun cameo. It's Jerome Bettis.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

The bus. The Bus.

[Jenna Fischer]

This was huge. Guys. To give you some context on Jerome Bettis, in case you don't know, Jerome Bettis is a former NFL halfback who played for the Rams when they were both in St. Louis and in Los Angeles, and he also played for the Pittsburgh Steelers. We shot this episode in August 2006. That February, the Pittsburgh Steelers won the Super Bowl. Jerome Bettis retired after that game. Like, literally at the game they won the super bowl, he gave an interview and was like, and now I'm retiring. So here's how this went down. I asked Kentopedia. Jerome Bettis had just been hired by NBC Sports as a commentator. And Angela, do you remember our NBC rep, Vernon Sanders?

[Angela Kinsey]

Of course. I love Vernon.

[Jenna Fischer]

Love Vernon. Vernon called Greg and Kent and said, what do you think about a little crossover thing here where Jerome Bettis does a cameo at the convention? Greg loved the idea and got together. They wrote a scene like on the fly, and then they shot it on day four of the shoot.

[Angela Kinsey]

It's so perfect, too. It's so perfect that Michael would invite him to his party and then want him to commit to coming. Can I tell people?

[Jenna Fischer]

Can I tell people you're coming?

[Angela Kinsey]

So good. All right, so, Jenna, I have a question for you since you have the script. As Dwight and Michael are walking away from Jerome, Dwight says, why do they call him the Bus? And I swear I heard Michael say, because he doesn't like to fly.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, that was scripted.

[Angela Kinsey]

That was scripted.

[Jenna Fischer]

That exchange was scripted. Yeah. His nickname was the Bus.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

And the reason his nickname was the Bus was because he had this ability to keep running down the field while carrying other players on his back through people.

[Angela Kinsey]

Basically. Like, if you grabbed onto him, he could keep on going.

[Jenna Fischer]

He just kept going. Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

But Michael. Michael thinks it's because he doesn't like to fly.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes, exactly. Well, I just want to round this out by telling you guys a few things. When I was deep diving on Jerome Bettis, he seems like a super great guy. He was inducted into the Pro Football hall of fame in 2015. And he has the Jerome Bettis Bus Stop Here foundation, which is dedicated to improving the overall quality of life for troubled and underprivileged inner city youth. And he has delivered over 1000 pairs of cleats to children in the Detroit school system. So he's a good guy.

[Angela Kinsey]

Jerome, just so you know, if you ever hear this, we tried to figure out how to contact you, but we couldn't figure it out. We wanted. I did, you know, to give you a little love and ask you a few questions, but. But we couldn't figure it out. So if Jenna slid into your DMs, no red flags. She was just wanting to talk to.

[Jenna Fischer]

You about this episode. Oh. The number of DMs I've slid into for this show, Angela, it's a lot. It's a lot.

[Angela Kinsey]

So now you're gonna just see some wide shots of the convention and Michael walking around. And he goes up to a BlackBerry phone mascot, right?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

He does someone in a BlackBerry costume and he just starts messing with them. And he even invites them to the party.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. Well, we had a fan question from Rebecca Spector and Lauren Wood. They both want to know who was in the cell phone mascot costume.

[Angela Kinsey]

I want to know that, too.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. So there is some lore, there is some office lore that it was Phil Shay.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, that's what I thought.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. I reached out to Phil. He said he was not in the BlackBerry costume. He said he had a contact at RAM Technology, which are the people who make BlackBerry, and he got them to send over someone from their company with the BlackBerry costume, and that's who it was.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, well, it was an official. An official BlackBerry.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

It wasn't us pretending to be the mascot person. It was.

[Jenna Fischer]

We got the official mass deal. That's right. Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay.

[Jenna Fischer]

There you go. So should we go back to Dunder Mifflin and see Pam and Toby again? Should we visit Pam and Toby? Toby's awkward attempt to ask Pam out.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, it's so sad. He walks up to her desk and she gets a phone call. And he waits and waits.

[Angela Kinsey]

And he loses his nerve. And he loses his nerve. Now while he's losing his nerve, did you notice that Paul drums his fingers on the reception desk? And remember when I told you guys that Paul would do this? He was a drummer.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

So here he does it. He drums at reception while he's waiting for Pam. It's just something that Paul does naturally. So I don't even know that he really realized he was doing it. I know he was showing that Toby was nervous and anxious, but that movement that you see his hands do, he used to do all the time.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, we had a couple of fans write in with a catch at 10 minutes, 35 seconds. What Bailey Aspenson said. Why are there the times and names of TV shows on a post it note at reception? Oh, yeah, and Claudia Cano said there are two post it notes on Pam's desk. One says 7 to 8pm Big Brother, CBS, 8 to 9pm Animal Planet. Jane Goodall returns a e first 48 hours. And then there's a second post it note which reads, facts, Jan, David and Connie. So she wrote, my two questions are, are those a list of TV shows that Pam watches? And my second question is, who is Connie? So I looked at these. These are both in my handwriting. I don't know. I don't know who Connie is. I clearly just threw that in there as a little bit of, I don't know, spice. And guys, that was a list of the shows I was planning to watch that night. That. That's just a note to myself, apparently. I remember being very much into Big Brother and I guess I really wanted to make sure I didn't forget to watch this Animal Planet special on Jane Goodall. And then if I had time, I was going to watch some 48 hours.

[Angela Kinsey]

But you guys, just to know Jenna, she of course would write that down and write down the time and everything. It wouldn't just be like, oh, I think I'm going to check these out tonight. I will make a schedule of my evening. Here will be my viewing schedule for tonight.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, I think this just tells you everything you need to know about me. I want a little trash tv. Yeah, I love animals. And then I do like a good mystery.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, it really does say everything you need to know about you.

[Jenna Fischer]

I think that's a great night of TV personally.

[Angela Kinsey]

All right, lady. Well, why don't we take a break here and when we come back, let's join Michael and Jim at the buffet.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, let's join them at the buffet. Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

You know, I love a buffet.

[Jenna Fischer]

We need a sting for that. 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.

[Jenna Fischer]

Like love, love. 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] Imagine your dream bedding. You know, something really soft, but also cool and cozy, but gentle. Well, if your dream sounds similar to mine, we'd like to introduce you to Buffy.

[Jenna Fischer]

They have sheets and pillowcases and a duvet. All with like, special temperature adapting properties.

[Angela Kinsey]

This bedding has been awarded. Literally. It's won awards from Good Housekeeping to Architectural Digest to Consumer Reports and beyond. They just won House Beautiful Editor's Choice for luxury sheets.

[Jenna Fischer]

Listen, you had me at cooling. I know, okay? Like, I don't even care what color it is. Although I did get a beautiful rust colored duvet cover.

[Angela Kinsey]

With a continuous commitment to quality, every Buffy item comes with a complimentary three year warranty. Most brands stop at one. While Buffy protects you against rips, stains or defects for three full years, no questions asked.

[Jenna Fischer]

Get 20% off your first Buffy order using Code Officeladies at Buffy CO. That's 20% off.

[Angela Kinsey]

When you use Code Officeladies at Buffy.

[Jenna Fischer]

Co. Buffy Code Officeladies.

[Angela Kinsey]

You know how it goes. Getting super into something that can lead to watching it, listening to it, reading about it, maybe even picking up something to go with it. That's where prime comes in.

[Jenna Fischer]

Amazon prime isn't just fast free delivery, though to be honest, that's a lifesaver. It's also prime video, Amazon music, and so much more.

[Angela Kinsey]

Whatever the interest, it's on Prime.

[Jenna Fischer]

Lately there's been a dive into new recipes, catching up on lifestyle documentaries and building the perfect playlist to match. And prime has been part of it all.

[Angela Kinsey]

It's like a one stop shop for any passion, whether it's fast fashion, food, family, or discovering the next favorite show.

[Jenna Fischer]

So for anyone always exploring something new or rediscovering something meaningful, prime is right there.

[Angela Kinsey]

Whatever you're into, it's on Prime.

[Jenna Fischer]

From streaming to shopping, it's on Prime.

[Angela Kinsey]

Visit Amazon.comprime to get more out of whatever you're into.

[Jenna Fischer]

Amazon.comprime.

[Angela Kinsey]

All right, we are back. Jenna, I have a question for you.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay.

[Angela Kinsey]

Who left the ham out?

[Jenna Fischer]

What?

[Angela Kinsey]

And why would you want a sandwich when you went to bed? Huh? Elle McPherson. Huh?

[Jenna Fischer]

What are you talking about right now?

[Angela Kinsey]

I'm going to keep going. I'm going to wait to see when you get it. Oh, leaving the ham out for the bear was a joke. Oh. It's his birthday. Oh, surprise. What a bunch of assholes. Are you with me yet?

[Jenna Fischer]

No. Elle macpherson left a ham out.

[Angela Kinsey]

Elle macpherson is in bed and says, you know, I'd really like a sandwich. And then. Oh, my.

[Jenna Fischer]

Wait, no, you did not.

[Angela Kinsey]

I watched the Edge. You didn't. Oh, I could cry. What did you think? I watched the Edge. These were my comments right out of the gate.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay.

[Angela Kinsey]

Right away, as I start watching the movie, I'm not getting on that plane. Who's getting on that plane?

[Jenna Fischer]

What do you mean getting it?

[Angela Kinsey]

That did not look safe. Already? Already I'm anxious. Jenna. They're on this plane, and now they're going to the middle of nowhere. And then they say, don't leave a hand. Don't leave food out. Then he's got to get up and make her a sandwich, and she left a. Someone left a ham out, and there's a bear. And then they're like, surprise. And I'm like, they scared the crap out of me. And then I said, what a bunch of dicks. Those aren't good friends. I know the quote you love is, what one man can do.

[Jenna Fischer]

What one man has done, another can do.

[Angela Kinsey]

Do you know the one I love from this movie?

[Jenna Fischer]

What is it?

[Angela Kinsey]

There goes a guy with a plane.

[Jenna Fischer]

I have to say, I don't remember that. Come on. You did not.

[Angela Kinsey]

Robert says that a lot. And then what did Elle McPherson. What did her character have, like, etched on his watch for all the nights?

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay, listen. You didn't love the mental fortitude and gymnastics that it took for these two people who are kind of at odds to have to work together to survive the wilderness and a bear that was actively hunting them, tracking them.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay. I like the part when Anthony Hopkins, his character Charles, as you know, because Alec Baldwin, who plays Robert, will say Charles 300 times.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

When Charles is like, repeat after me. This bear is not gonna kill us. The bear is not gonna kill us.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. It's so good. It's so good. Angela, this is Written by David Mamet, one of the all time great American playwrights.

[Angela Kinsey]

I got that.

[Jenna Fischer]

A masterful work.

[Angela Kinsey]

I got it. I got it. I think it would be maybe better on the stage is what I'm gonna say.

[Jenna Fischer]

How do you do this on the stage?

[Angela Kinsey]

I don't know.

[Jenna Fischer]

You have a person in a bear costume.

[Angela Kinsey]

I don't know. It's just the way his cadence is, charles, Charles, Charles. Anyway, I about pooped myself. When? Several times in this movie. It was so stressful.

[Jenna Fischer]

But you loved it. You loved the movie though, right?

[Angela Kinsey]

I didn't love it. I didn't love it. But I watched. I watched it for you. I don't ever need to watch it again.

[Jenna Fischer]

Also, you're not gonna watch it annually.

[Angela Kinsey]

Stupid things. Like, they would finally get a gun. They could shoot the. And then one of them would, like, throw it in the pit or like get the bullets out of it, or they would. They were just like.

[Jenna Fischer]

None of those. None of these things that you're saying happen. Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

At the end. At the end. I don't want to ruin it if anyone hasn't seen it. And I know we're going off on a long tangent now.

[Jenna Fischer]

The bear is already dead at that point, Angela.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, but now there's a man pointing a gun at you. And then when he falls in the pit, you, like, are like, eh, I don't need the gun. And then he's just going to keep trying to kill you, buddy. Okay, so anyway. Okay.

[Jenna Fischer]

I don't. I don't know what to say.

[Angela Kinsey]

Anyway, anyway, listen, here's the thing. I watched it for you because you're my bff. I now get it. I get it. I am fascinated that this is a movie that you choose to watch every year. It makes me really fascinated by you. Like, I've always thought you were an interesting person. You even more complex to me now. I might have to rewatch it one more time with you so I can trash talk it. And if you want to do the same with me, if you want to pick a Game of Thrones episode and trash talk it with me, that's fine.

[Jenna Fischer]

You know I wouldn't do that to you.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes, you would.

[Jenna Fischer]

I wouldn't do that to you because you love it. And I wouldn't do. I wouldn't trash talk something that you love.

[Angela Kinsey]

You would. Maybe.

[Jenna Fischer]

I just don't think I would.

[Angela Kinsey]

I think you would make some grunting noises and eye rolls. There'd be something.

[Jenna Fischer]

No, I would just. I would just mock you to others behind your back.

[Angela Kinsey]

Vicious.

[Jenna Fischer]

I was Kidding. You know, Angela, sweetheart, you know I would mock you to your face. That's the kind of friendship we have.

[Angela Kinsey]

Sweetheart. I, I was trying to figure out how to bring up the Edge to you and that. I had watched it. I. I watched it three weeks ago and I've been trying to figure out where to bring it up. And then.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh my God.

[Angela Kinsey]

And then when all of a sudden Michael was at the buffet, I was like, buffet, ham. And here, here's my end. I'm gonna say, who left the ham out? She'll get it right away. But it's so random. I get it. It's so random. Anyway, lady, I watched the Edge for you. I think we're even for a bit.

[Jenna Fischer]

You watched one 90 minute movie. I watched three seasons of a television show.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay, maybe. Okay, fine. Okay. I'm gonna start Fleabag. Okay. Okay. Yes.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay. Watch Fleabag.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay. Anyway, so.

[Jenna Fischer]

And we'll discuss. All right, back to the episode.

[Angela Kinsey]

Back to the episode. Jim, he is desperately wanting to ask Michael about Pam.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

But he just can't even bring himself to ask about her.

[Jenna Fischer]

Mm, mm. No. He asked about Toby.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. And Michael's like, toby is everything that's wrong with the paper business. Is that why you left? And all of a sudden, Jenna, it all becomes clear to you that this whole time Michael really took it personally that Jim left and he's been trying to figure out why he thought it was because of him. And he needs to know why Jim left his friend. Why would he leave me?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

And then there's a little couplet of lines here that made me laugh so hard. Jim, they're talking about Ryan. And Jim says, tell him I said hi. And Michael, with all seriousness, says, I will call him later with that message. And I just picture, I just picture that Michael just keeps calling Ryan.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

And then they all start to sit down to eat lunch. And Michael, he just wants to impress everyone. He whips out that hundred dollar bill per diem is like, here's the tip.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. And the busboy is so excited. The busboy is like, that's amazing, right? Yes. And Jan is not impressed, though, because she's just sort of like, you know, Michael, we're here for work. We're going to be in and out of meetings all day. You seem to think this is a party, so there's a little bit of tension here. I have a fun fact. I just wanted to point out that hundred dollar bill that Michael pays with today. I looked it up. That would be worth $126, $0.03.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, Jenna.

[Jenna Fischer]

I just wanted to know the value of a hundred dollar bill then. Now I just wanted to know.

[Angela Kinsey]

I'm gonna have to.

[Jenna Fischer]

And I could have let it go. I could have kept it to myself.

[Angela Kinsey]

You could have. But you couldn't.

[Jenna Fischer]

But I couldn't.

[Angela Kinsey]

You couldn't.

[Jenna Fischer]

So there it is.

[Angela Kinsey]

There it is. Well, then Jan says, I can't stay on top of you 24 7. And Michael has a small nosebleed looking camera he so desperately wants to say, that's what she said.

[Jenna Fischer]

But then, Angela Scandal, who's in the big sunglasses? What is your character having all of these, like, weird incognito disguise hats and glasses in her closet. You're hilarious. You draw more attention to yourself than not.

[Angela Kinsey]

She's got a closet of hats and wigs and glasses. She's like, on the Americans.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

She's got her rendezvous. And she's like, and of course, why did they use Jane Doe? That's so creepy. A key for Jane Doe.

[Jenna Fischer]

She narrowly avoids Michael, but she gets her key. She's checking in.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh. Oh, Jenna, we have to talk about. This is the one moment in the whole episode that Jim and Pam hear each other. Jim and Pam, it's as close as they'll get to being together. And it's when Pam calls Michael and Jim overhears and he's like, hey, I'm with Jim. And Dwight and Josh say hi. And Pam's like, hi. And that's it. That's their only moment. But not only that, this is a layered moment, because in this moment, not only did they hear each other's voices, but in this moment, Jim knows that now that Pam is single. And Pam now knows that Jim knows because Michael wishes her good luck on your first date.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

So Pam, Pam knows Jim knows I'm single. You know, she was hoping he would find out somehow.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, now he knows. He doesn't call, does he?

[Angela Kinsey]

He does not call. He doesn't.

[Jenna Fischer]

She doesn't call him either. Why aren't they calling each other?

[Angela Kinsey]

I don't know. It's.

[Jenna Fischer]

Call each other.

[Angela Kinsey]

It's like the Age of Innocence, I guess. That book made me crazy. I'm like, just be together already.

[Jenna Fischer]

All right, well, then Michael has a talking head where he's kind of going off on Jim. He says, jim and I, we have different definitions of friendship. Apparently, Jim thinks friendship is moving to Stanford, so he's not going to talk to Jim anymore. He's had enough.

[Angela Kinsey]

He's like a jilted lover. He looks so heartbroken.

[Jenna Fischer]

He Is Angela. We had a really great fan catch. You'll like it. It's from Claudia Cano. She said there is a Rubber Ducky in two shots. There's one at 14 minutes, 56 seconds, which is in the background of this talking head. And then again at 19 minutes, 47 seconds. Did Michael travel with the rubber ducky or get it at the convention? Oh, that was a convention giveaway for sure.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's swag, baby.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's the swag.

[Angela Kinsey]

Pretty underneath. Like on the duck's belly. You can't see it. It probably says a paper company name for sure. We're not quacking around. We're number one in colored paper. Exactly. The duck stops here.

[Jenna Fischer]

Angela, you are really good at these. Give me more. If you think of more, shout them out.

[Angela Kinsey]

No, I won't.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay, well, my favorite part of this talking head, Angela, is that we widen to reveal that Michael is actually having a drink with the Hammermill rep.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know.

[Jenna Fischer]

This whole talking head has been delivered with another person in the room. I have a fun fact about the Hammermill rep.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay.

[Jenna Fischer]

That was played by actor Matt Price. Angela, Matt Price screen tested for the role of Dwight. No, I screen tested with him. He was one of the people that I was paired with at the final audition.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, my God.

[Jenna Fischer]

They loved him. And Greg wanted a way to bring him back. And by the way, as we go through the series, a lot of the people who had final screen tests for main roles are brought back as guest stars throughout the show because Greg just loved them so much.

[Angela Kinsey]

I love that about Greg.

[Jenna Fischer]

I know he doesn't forget people.

[Angela Kinsey]

He does not.

[Jenna Fischer]

If you impress him, he'll find a place for you.

[Angela Kinsey]

All right, so at 15 minutes, 42 seconds, Jim is now going to prank Dwight. It's like old times, right? He got a key to his room, and he is going to go in there and do something. All right, I. I have some stories about this day.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes, because what happens when he opens the door, Angela?

[Angela Kinsey]

What?

[Jenna Fischer]

Does Jim find a lady on the bed?

[Angela Kinsey]

He finds someone who he thinks is a hooker, but it's actually Angela.

[Jenna Fischer]

All right, well, Angela, fan question from Iva Earle. Angela, is that really your leg that we see in Dwight's hotel room?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes, it's really my leg. And of course, they had a whole outfit picked out for me. I had to have a wardrobe fitting for it. Even though you don't really see much. It was conservative. Sorry to disappoint. But it was a pink pajama top, long sleeve. And then I had these black Polka dot pants, like pajama pants, but they were kind of satiny.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, that's. That's the sexy part.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. And so you could see my. You could see my calf when I raised my leg. And I had painted my toenails red, so there's that. But I had talked about this scene in an interview because I don't ever get any scenes with Jim. Jim and Angela rarely interact if you watch the whole show.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

So John and I, as friends in real life, we were giddy. We were so excited to finally be in the scene together. And what you guys didn't see was when he opens the door, there's a mirror on the wall, and he sees my legs and he freaks out. But I could see his whole expression in the mirror. I could see everything. And his face when he saw my legs. Every time John did the scene, he would do this range of reaction of, like, horror and just, like, shock. And it was so funny. We were laughing so hard, trying not to ruin the takes. And then, of course, my character's like, D. And they. They were debating on how much of me they were going to see.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

Just my legs to really sell it. Like, how much did Jim see of. Of me. Right.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

So we sort of played around with that a little bit. And then Jenna, I think this is the first time my character calls Dwight D. And we established that nickname.

[Jenna Fischer]

I think it is.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

I don't know. We'll track it, guys. We'll track it. But I can track the first time.

[Jenna Fischer]

I call him D. Angela, I think we need to go on a double date now with Ryan, Kelly, Pam, and Alan.

[Angela Kinsey]

So cringy. Jenna, that scene was so awkward to watch.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. Kelly is force feeding Ryan some French fries with ketchup. She insists that he loves it. He loves ketchup.

[Angela Kinsey]

He loves it. And then Alan. I mean, Alan is just kind of cheesy, Jenna. He's just.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, my gosh. Yes. Well, Robert told me that his favorite Allen line is, people always say don't be edgy, but I don't know any other way. He was like. It was so pretentious. It said it was such great comic writing. He also told me that he still gets recognized as the freedom fries guy. And he's very.

[Angela Kinsey]

People call him. Do people call him the freedom fries guy?

[Jenna Fischer]

Freedom fries guy? Hey, you're the freedom fries guy from the office. And he also told me this really sweet story. He said after we were done shooting, Mindy walked him out and just went on and on about how grateful she was to him for being on the show. And then she told him that while Allison was putting people on tape, because that's what she would do, Alison would hold auditions for parts and put people on tape. They had this idea that they might want to cast an SNL cast member in this role, and I'm not going to say who, but Mindy said, we watched the tapes that Allison sent over, and you were so funny that we ended up giving you the role instead of offering it to this SNL cast member. And Robert said, it is still to this day. He wears that as, like, a badge of honor.

[Angela Kinsey]

A badge of honor?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. He was like, I can brag that I beat out an SNL cast member for a part on the Office. So he just. He was so sweet and so humble and so grateful and so excited to talk about this. Such a nice guy. He's great.

[Angela Kinsey]

All right, well, speaking of our lives crisscrossing with these guest stars at 16 minutes, 37 seconds, Jenna, Michael gets the first guest to his party who doesn't stick around because no one's there. And he's, like, awkward. But it's played by Steve Little.

[Jenna Fischer]

I noticed.

[Angela Kinsey]

I love Steve Little. You guys know he played Uncle Jim in the show I did on Netflix called Haters Back Off. It's based off Miranda Sings based off that character with Colleen Ballinger and Eric Stockland and Francesca Reale and Steve Little and I have maybe one of the most awkward romances. Even more awkward than Dwight and Angela. You guys. I mean, we have a date in a bathtub.

[Jenna Fischer]

No. You think that a romance can't get weirder than Dwight and Angela until you watch Haters Back off and see you and Steve little. For sure. 100%.

[Angela Kinsey]

That man could read the phone book, and I'd be cracking up. I'd be laughing so hard. He can. He is so funny. Just everything that comes out of his mouth made me laugh. And we got to improvise a lot together and really create this creepy relationship. And I just. I just love him.

[Jenna Fischer]

I am a huge, huge Steve Little fan.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, I worked with him on Haters Back Off. But a lot of people knew him from Eastbound and Down as well as many other things. He's just a really great comedic actor. Well, so, you know, Pam's date did not go great. She says Alan was a bit of a dud, right?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. It was not a love connection, she says. She says she'll know it when she likes someone again because she already likes that person.

[Angela Kinsey]

She does.

[Jenna Fischer]

Then Jim gets off the elevator and Discovers Michael is alone in his room with a strobe light and some dance music.

[Angela Kinsey]

Loud music. Like, loud. I couldn't believe no one called and complained on him. The music was so loud. I know I'm a hundred, but I was like, that's very loud.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, Michael is really grouchy. We don't see Michael like this a lot. He's being super passive aggressive. It's Michael Sasse.

[Angela Kinsey]

It's Michael Sass. But I have a little bit of backstory. Guys, if you watch the deleted scenes, remember how we said there's some of the Dwight, Angela stuff that plays out? That got cut?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

So you actually see Dwight is checking his watch. He's got to get to Angela in the room, and he makes up a lame excuse, and he leaves Michael alone in this hotel room. And Michael's grumpy about that. He's grumpy because he feels like Jim has ditched him for Josh Porter. So there's a lot happening here. Michael feels kind of like his friends have abandoned him.

[Jenna Fischer]

This is also where Jim finally tells Michael, I did not leave because of you, Michael. You were a great boss. I left because of Pam. And Michael's kind of like you did. That's crazy, because Pam's single now. You can come back.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, I also think. I think he wants Jim to know that, but he's also instantly relieved that it wasn't because of him and that his friend is still his friend.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

And Jim. Jim, once again, is sharing something incredibly personal with Michael.

[Jenna Fischer]

I know because Jim says, listen, man, I put it on the line for Pam twice, and I got rejected twice. I'm just. I'm not gonna. I'm not going to call her. I don't know, Like. And I think he has a good point. Like, he made his feelings clear. He smooched her in the office. She knows how he feels.

[Angela Kinsey]

He's not calling him. Yeah. He said, I love you.

[Jenna Fischer]

The ball is in her court 100%. I totally get how he's like, if she called off the wedding and she didn't phone me, what am I supposed to do with that? I'm going to go be like, hey, did you call off the wedding? Now can I have a chance? No. Jim's playing this right, in my opinion. So then at the end, the Hammermill reps show up for the party. This is so exciting. They have two guests, and Michael tells them that he and Jim are best friends. Best friends.

[Angela Kinsey]

Best friends. So it ends up being a win for Michael because he gets his friend back. He Makes a huge, like, sale with Hammermill. Right. Jan ultimately is impressed with Michael as a salesman.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

He's not number two behind Josh Porter. No. Michael has a nice ending here.

[Jenna Fischer]

He does. He goes through a lot at this convention, but in the end, he wins. And we've got a very funny tag at the end of this episode. Michael and Dwight are in the hotel room. They turn off the lights because they're gonna turn on a black light because it's a party for their party.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. And there are just these splatters all over the room. And Dwight says, well, it's either blood, urine, or semen. And I love Michael's line. He says, God, I hope it's urine.

[Angela Kinsey]

I hope it's urine.

[Jenna Fischer]

When do you ever hope it's urine? I think in that situation, this was.

[Angela Kinsey]

A really fun episode. I had such a great time doing it. It was so fun to rewatch it again. I just remember laughing a lot, and that was a real joy for me this week. I hope you guys enjoyed it.

[Jenna Fischer]

I want to give a big shout out and a big thanks to Kent Sabornak for his kentopedia facts and also to Robert Bagnell for all his fun stories. You guys, you can follow Robert Bagnell on his Instagram @BobbyBagstagram. It's like Instagram, but it's Bagstagram. Or you can find him on YouTube. He's got this amazing travel show called Travel Bags. He spent, like, the last five years traveling mostly through Southeast Asia, and he's been documenting his travels. He's turned them into these very watchable, fun, very addictive videos. I highly recommend. Anyway, big thanks to those guys, and we'll see you next week for the. 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 Basil.

[Jenna Fischer]

Our theme song is Rubber Tree by Creed Bratton.