The Paper Ep 4: TTT vs The Blogger

Summary

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Office Ladies Podcast Summary

Episode: The Paper Ep 4: TTT vs The Blogger
Release Date: January 21, 2026
Hosts: Jenna Fischer & Angela Kinsey
Theme: An in-depth and hilarious breakdown of “The Paper” Season 1, Episode 4 ("TTT vs The Blogger"), with trademark Office Ladies banter, behind-the-scenes tidbits, and a treasure trove of pop culture sidebars.

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Main Theme

Jenna and Angela dive into episode 4 of the “The Paper,” focusing on high school journalism students shaking up the Truth Teller offices, the threat of a teen blogger, the investigation of a retiring music teacher's legacy, and awkward office romance. The conversation blends scene-by-scene analysis with personal anecdotes, Office callbacks, industry gossip, and genuine friendship chemistry.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Listener Q&A: Dream Projects

Timecode: 06:04 – 12:14

• Question from Nat, Baldwin, MO: “If you had unlimited creative freedom and an endless budget, what story would you want to produce?”
  • Jenna: Ideas aren’t limited by money or freedom, but by time and energy. Wants more bandwidth to create projects like “Mom Detectives.”
  • Angela: Dreams of stories about real women cowgirls and also loves “Mom Detectives” (detailed fantasy casting: Steve Little, Tone Bell as husbands; Bobby Lee, Rachel Dratch as neighbors; Jim Gaffigan and Jason Antoun as the local cops).
  • Jenna’s dream biopic: Ruth Fertel (Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse) starring Julia Garner.
  • Both reminisce about pilots and scripts that never got made (“National Parker,” “Holiday,” “Shebangs”), and discuss the realities of sweat equity, bandwidth, and balancing creative life with family.

“To develop something like that, it’s so much sweat equity. You don’t get paid for it.” – Jenna, [11:13]

Episode Recap: The Paper S1E4 – Major Plotlines & Breakdowns

Timecode: 15:31 – 69:47

1. High Schoolers Shake Up the Truth Teller

Timecode: 16:26 – 24:52

• Cold Open: Darisburg High journalism students visit the newsroom and ask pointed questions about anonymous sources and the newspaper’s budget.
• Guest Star: Julia Butters plays Davey, a sharp student journalist.
• The students are notably more experienced than expected—setting up a comical juxtaposition.

“Future of journalism, meet present of journalism.” – Ned (recited by Jenna), [17:01]

• Wardrobe Talk: Jenna analyzes parallels in style between Truth Teller reporters and students—surprisingly casual, with a special focus on Mare’s cardigan (which Jenna and a listener both compare to Kurt Cobain’s style).

2. The Blogger Rivalry: Ned vs. Wesley

Timecode: 24:52 – 42:13

• Wesley’s Blog: The local high school blogger commands 300,000 subscribers, more than the Truth Teller—a clear threat.
• Feud Escalates: Ned nitpicks Wesley’s grammar, comments on his blog, and is promptly roasted and lampooned online.
• Team Attempts Apology: Ned, former student Esmeralda (editor), and Ken try (awkwardly) to apologize over FaceTime—leading to further comedic disaster.
• Easter Egg: Jenna points out that Aiden Lapret, who plays Wesley, went viral as a child ukulele prodigy (they play a snippet!).

3. Mr. K’s Music Department Scandal

Timecode: 44:24 – 65:40

• Side Plot: Mare and Oscar investigate beloved but possibly corrupt music director Mr. K (played by Michael Hitchcock), who is putting on a “Mean Boys” play.
• Mare’s Grudge: She suspects Mr. K’s casting process favors kids whose families advertise in the program—ultimately finds evidence but decides not to publish a take-down article.
• Behind-the-Scenes: Paul Lieberstein’s real-life wife Jeanine Pariba appears as a teacher informant (Peacock extended version).
• Oscar’s talking head: Unwilling to speak beyond Arts & Leisure, echoing Office’s Finer Things Club.

4. Nicole & Detrick: Office Romance

Timecode: 30:08 – 43:14 & 62:30 – 69:44

• Detrick’s Gift: Detrick whittles a bird for Nicole (callback/Easter egg to The Office—Stanley and Phyllis’s bird).
• Greg Daniels Easter eggs: Bird stories run deep in “The Office” lore.
• Relationship Dynamics: After Nicole is put off by the overture, Detrick ices her out (Travis’s ill-advised advice). It culminates in a tagged scene of them making out—leaving listeners guessing about the true timing of their romance.

5. Esmeralda’s Tape Facelift

Timecode: 58:05 – 62:14

• Hilarious Bit: Esmeralda is seen using scotch tape for a “facelift.” Angela and Jenna try to recreate it in the studio, referencing Marlene Dietrich, Loretta Young, and Hollywood’s old tape-and-string tricks.

“I have tape. I’m gonna try it. I watched a video last night…” – Angela, as she applies tape, [58:43]

Pop Culture Deep Dives & Sidebars

• Wardrobe Analysis: Cardigans, the history of flammable/inflammable, the economics of running a newspaper (New York Times: $2.3 billion annual operating costs, [21:46]).
• Legendary Mean Theater Teachers: Jenna shares an anecdote of a cruel LA theater director ("Stalin") she worked under and stood up to—inspired by Mr. K’s character.
• Revenge Stories: Angela recounts the viral “United Breaks Guitars” song, a true story of viral musical revenge after an airline mishap ([52:28]).

“He ended up writing three hit songs about his broken guitar and probably ended up making, I don’t know, I’m assuming, more money than if they had fixed the guitar.” – Angela, [55:34]

Office Callbacks & Listener Letters

Timecode: 31:42 – 34:44, 41:44 – 43:29

• What Office prop would you Easter egg in “The Paper”? Jenna would bring in her pink mug, her Lucite thing, and her giraffe pen; Angela would bring her cat paperclip holder, grandma photo, and pelican figurine.
• On Instagram Stories vs The Feed: Lighthearted banter about what makes it onto their Instagram stories or the elusive main “feed.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On creative bandwidth:
  “It’s a full-time job. And we have a full-time job, which is this podcast.” – Jenna, [11:22]

• On generational lingo:
  “You should come work for me on TTT Online. It’s… sexy. It has riz. It’s not sus. At all.” – Esmerelda (paraphrased by Jenna), [40:44]

• On office prop nostalgia:
  “I would have the cat with the chipped ear paperclip holder that was on my desk and now is on my home desk… and also, just in the midst of little cat figurine, all of a sudden, there was a pelican. And that’s a deep cut.” – Angela, [33:00]

• On tape facelifts (Angela experimenting live):
  “You look ridiculous… you have tape on your face, lady.” – Jenna, [61:04]

• On bad theater directors:
  “He told me I would never work in this town. He literally did the old, classic, ‘You’ll never work a day in this town as long as I’m here, lady.’” – Jenna, [49:06]

• Cliffhanger Kiss Analysis:
  “That kiss was a very… not the first time you kiss someone, kiss, in my opinion.” – Angela, [69:18]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 06:04 Listener Q&A: Dream projects
• 16:26 High school journalism students visit Truth Teller
• 24:52 Blogger rivalry heats up; Ned’s snarky comment
• 31:42 Office props & Easter eggs in “The Paper”
• 44:24 Meeting Mr. K, theater investigation
• 52:28 Viral revenge via “United Breaks Guitars” story/song
• 58:05 Esmeralda’s tape facelift & hosts’ live experiment
• 62:30 Nicole & Detrick’s relationship arc resolved (or is it?)
• 68:24 Travis’s drone reveals Nicole/Detrick makeout – cliffhanger ending

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Tone, Style, and Format

• Casual, self-deprecating, and full of humor.
• Jenna and Angela’s BFF energy shines, with honest confessions and deep-cut pop culture trivia.
• Structure weaves show breakdowns with personal stories, audience interaction, and industry insight.
• Frequent callbacks to The Office, on-set life, and show runner Greg Daniels’s quirks (birds and roofs!).
• Warm, inviting, and supportive of listener participation (“Thanks Nat!” “Great question, Sarah!”).

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Final Thoughts

This “Office Ladies” episode is a laughter-filled, detail-rich breakdown of “The Paper” S1E4, providing fans with plot analysis, industry anecdotes, and a sense of being in the writers’ room. It’s essential listening for fans of The Office, “The Paper,” or anyone who loves a mix of comedy, pop culture commentary, and genuine friendship.

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Transcript

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I'm Jenna Fisher.

[B]

And I'm Angela Kinsey.

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

[B]

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

[A]

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

[B]

Well, hi there, Jenna.

[A]

How are you doing?

[B]

You know I'm good.

[A]

Is that it? You're just good? Now, is this one of those times when, like, you know, when someone says, how are you doing?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And you're like, I can't get into it. And so you say, I'm good.

[B]

Well, here's the thing. And I think you know this about me. I really have a hard time, like, just saying whatever the, like, normal response is.

[A]

This is kind of true.

[B]

Yeah. So, like, if people say, how are you? I might just say, well, you know, today, like, everything feels a little. But I'm out there. I'm living. I'm putting one foot in front of the other. And then if you say that, though, people are like, okay, but, lady, this.

[A]

Is why I love you. This is very Midwest of you. I notice this every time I go home to St. Louis. Like, I go to the grocery store line and I'm checking out or something, and the person says, how are you? And I say, fine. I give the Los Angeles response, and I say, how about you? And then they say something like, deeply personal.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

They're like, well, my sister was arrested last night. I'm like, oh, she what? And they're like, yep. I mean, she's been in trouble before, but I don't know. It's okay. I think we've got a lawyer. And I'm like, oh, my gosh. I mean, it happens all the time. And so I think that's how you remind me of home. I love it. I don't mind it at all.

[B]

It is true. Because my family does this. Like, I'll be like, you know, how's it going? They're like, well, the cattle guard's not getting fixed. Cause, you know, Tommy went blind again. He's got that plate in his head. Moves around every once in a while. Yeah, that's a real statement. My mom said to me.

[A]

Yeah, I know. Yeah, I like it.

[B]

All right.

[A]

Makes you more interesting, personally. Although I have been in your position and I have received blank stares from people when I share in the same way. Like, it just happened at a school event. Someone asked me how I was, and I just. Honestly, I didn't get a lot of sleep last night. It's not always a complaint, either. Like, I say, good news, too, but sounds like it's always a gripe, but it's not.

[B]

I will like someone, like, how's it going? Great. I just found a pair of jeans I thought I had lost for a long time. And they're like, really my favorite.

[A]

They're like a lucky brand.

[B]

They don't make them anymore. You know, like the low waisted ones. Everything's now is like up at your belly button. Who needs that crap? And I might say that.

[A]

I know, but isn't that interesting? That makes for an interesting moment in a day. If you answer a question with like weird specificity or it clears the room. It does. Okay, what should we do? Oh, we should do our chit chat suggestion now.

[B]

It felt like a lot of chit chat. Let's do it.

[A]

This one is coming in from N.A.T. s in Baldwin, Missouri. That's my hometown. Literally. Baldwin, Missouri is my hometown.

[B]

You're kidding. Baldwin?

[A]

Yeah, it's a suburb of St. St. Louis.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

All right, let's listen.

[B]

Hi ladies, this is Nat from Missouri.

[A]

If you had unlimited creative freedom and an endless budget, tell us all about the story you'd want to produce either together or separately. It could be a movie or a TV show. Chat about potential casting and plot lines. Or maybe even chat about what kinds of stories you wish you saw more.

[B]

Of in today's world.

[A]

Thanks for picking my question.

[B]

You ladies are so groovy.

[A]

Love you lots. And keep it up.

[B]

I mean, that's a big question, Nat.

[A]

I'm going to say there are so many stories I would love to bring to life. So many parts I would love to play myself. And I don't think it's a matter of endless creative freedom or endless budget. Although that would help for. For me it would be. I need endless bandwidth and time, I feel like. Or to clone myself. I feel like there's so many things. I mean, the first one coming to mind is Mom Detectives, which I can't do because I just don't have the time to bring that into the world.

[B]

The way we would wanna do it.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

I mean, I agree. I mean, I do love this question. Cause it let me daydream a little. Like, Nat for one, there's a lot of great stories that haven't been told about women who were cowgirls. Like real working cowgirls. And there's some great stories and I've read a few and I'm like, gosh, that would make an amazing movie. Just highlight one of them that rode horseback and worked the land just like hardcore.

[A]

I would love that movie. Like that would be something I would want to see.

[B]

Yeah. So that's a story I always thought would be cool to tell. Like the women of the west, you know?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And then for me also, Mom Detectives. And I'll tell you why Jenna and I, we don't do anything Half ass. If we were to do this, we would do it, and we don't have time to do it. But I even fantasize about the cast, because that's where I have the most fun when I think about projects is like, seeing who I would want. So Nat and Jenna, this is my daydream cast for Mom Detectives.

[A]

Oh, I can't wait to hear it.

[B]

Okay. Husbands. Steve Little and Tone Bell. Amazing, amazing neighbors that we drive crazy with our mom detectiveness. Bobby Lee, Rachel Dratch, Timberly Hill, who is hilarious. Then I also want the two guys across the street that host the Fourth of July barbecue every year. This is also in my neighborhood. They're very serious about their meet. You're gonna have to go over there. It's like a big deal.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

They're very intense. I want local cops that we butt heads with because we're mom detectives. I want them to be Jim Gaffigan and Jason Antoun.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

I mean, I just think that would be a blast.

[A]

That would be such a blast.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Can't you just see us, like, getting in a scuttlebutt with Jim Gaff again? And Jason Antoun was in a pilot I did called the 46 percenters. He's in NCIS Hawaii. He's so funny. And Steve Little. My God, Tone Bell. We did Bad Judge together with Kate Walsh, and I couldn't even make eye contact with him for half his lines. Cause I would just bust up.

[A]

I want us to have a revolving door of directors we love, like Denny Gordon.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Ken Kwapas, Paul Feig.

[B]

Mm. Yeah.

[A]

See, we need the endless bandwidth.

[B]

We do. And we do need funds, because that's a big cast.

[A]

It is. Well, I have also always wanted to do a biopic on Ruth Fertel. She's the founder of Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.

[B]

Oh, yeah, you love her. You've talked about her on here before.

[A]

I did. I gave a whole deep dive on her badassery and how she put her name on that steakhouse. And I think it would make an amazing movie. And I think that Julia Garner should play her. This would be my dream casting. I love her. I just. I saw her in Weapons, and there's this scene in Weapons in the bar, and she's just so good. I would love to also work with Julia Garner. You know, another thing that I would really like, if we're just putting out.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

I wish I could go back and have all the shows that I've developed and pitched get made. Like, there was this one. I Did called National Parker. It was written by my friend Alex Henriksen and Corinne Marshall. It was so funny. It was about like a kind of like, socialite woman, young woman from New York who decides to give up everything and become a park ranger. She's having just sort of like a midlife crisis at 22. Basically. She's like, who am I? What am I? And then imagine like a young Goldie Hawn type and then she goes into the forest with all of these park rangers. And it was so funny. And we developed it for so long. It was bought, it was developed, we wrote a pilot. It didn't get picked up. And I just. I would love to see those out in the world. There's so many.

[B]

Yeah, I would love that too. I would love the pilot that I developed and sold and wrote for TBS Holiday.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

About my hometown of Archer City.

[A]

I read it. It's so funny. And what about shebangs?

[B]

Oh, shebangs. Oh, you guys, we have the funniest movie script that Jenna's husband Lee wrote.

[A]

We did the story.

[B]

We did the story. We would sit down at your kitchen table. It was so fun. We were laughing so hard. We were crying. Like, just kind of like brainstorming scenes and these characters. And Lee would just be taking notes and then he wrote the funniest script.

[A]

I know there's so many things, but to develop something like that, it's so much sweat equity. You don't get paid for it.

[B]

It's a full time job.

[A]

It's a full time job. And we have a full time job, which is this podcast. And also, so when you get immersed in that sort of thing, it really takes away from your family. And I want to be really present to my family. So that's why I don't do all the extras. I can do, like one extra project a year and still have the home life I want.

[B]

Yeah, we can do little mini things right now. And they're so creatively fulfilling and I'm so thankful for them, but gosh, it's hard to beat the amazing creative freedom we have right here.

[A]

Yeah, I love it.

[B]

I know.

[A]

Well, Nat, thank you. Yeah, I think if we had to pick, we'd want to do something we can do together like shebangs or mom detectives. Unlimited money, unlimited creative freedom, and unlimited bandwidth.

[B]

And then maybe if we had all the bandwidth in the world, we'd produce all these other kick ass things that we're not even in.

[A]

Exactly. All right, well, listen, why don't we take a break and then when we come Back. We are gonna break down season one, episode four of the Paper. All right.

[B]

So I was driving from Manhattan to the airport, you know, to jfk. Yeah. And we were going through all the different boroughs of New York, you know that drive to get to the airport.

[A]

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[B]

We're talking today about episode four, TTT versus the Blogger. Yeah, and it's a really fun episode. I do Wanna say one thing before we dig in, which is, guys, we have not forgot about around the Town.

[A]

Yes. Around the Town.

[B]

We're so excited. You have written in some great stuff, and I can't wait for us to share it. We just need a minute. We're having some transitions and.

[A]

Yeah, we just need a minute.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yes. We're transitioning between our producers. It's the new year. But we have a goal that we're gonna have around the Town in the next episode.

[B]

Yeah. But they're fantastic, and I can't thank you enough. All right. This episode was written by Amanda Rosenberg and directed by Paul Lieberstein.

[A]

Yes, it was. Here is your summary. A visit from high school journalism students stokes competition between Ned, Esmeralda, and a local high school news blogger. Mayer and Oscar investigate a retiring music teacher with a questionable past. Meanwhile, Detrick comes on too strong with Nicole.

[B]

I mean, he whittled a bird.

[A]

He sure did.

[B]

I did go down a rabbit hole of watching people make birds out ofWood on YouTube. You did.

[A]

Will you give us some details when we get to it?

[B]

The only detail I want you to know is that I became fascinated. That's it. People have a lot of amazing skills out there, and they're sharing them. Okay, let's get to this episode.

[A]

All right. This episode opens in the bullpen with a group of high school journalism students from Darisburg High. And they are going to come into the truth teller offices to observe a real working newspaper. They start asking questions about journalistic practices.

[B]

Oh, lady, I thought this was so. And I thought Travis was being. Classic Travis. I actually pulled a clip. Oh. Because two of the high schoolers throw shade right out of the gate. I love Travis's reaction. I just want you to hear a snippet of this. Cold open.

[A]

Everyone give a warm welcome to the students of Deresburg High School. Future of journalism, meet present of journalism. You can ask them anything you want. Don't be shy, guys. You do not need to be intimidated by us. We are here to help you. All right. No question is too stupid.

[B]

Do you think an over reliance on anonymous sources damages public trust?

[A]

That's an amazing question, and it's very curious. Who wants to take this one?

[C]

I feel like I'm monopolizing the conversation.

[B]

So this cracked me up because it's one of my favorite things to do. Like, if I'm with someone I know really well, like Josh or you or whatever, and we're in, like, some kind of, like, party atmosphere, and I get asked something and I don't really have a great answer. I'm like, you know what, Josh? I think you should go. Cause you have so many thoughts on this.

[A]

Well, isn't that, like, that's such a joke between comedians where you set someone up by saying, like, oh, my gosh, they have the funniest story. Take it away. And it's just, like, so hard to live up to that.

[B]

But I loved it. Travis. Did that classic pass the buck. Uh, and then we go on to find out that the students have more experience writing articles for their school newspaper than the journalists at ttt.

[A]

Yes. I need to talk about the wardrobe in this scene.

[B]

Oh, okay.

[A]

I really zeroed in on it.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Did you notice how the students and the reporters were all dressed basically the same, with the exception of Detrick, who is in a, like, a suit coat and a tie. And Ned has on a tie, but he also has on, like, a suede jacket. But everyone is dressed really casually, and I thought that was really interesting. Also, none of the women are wearing skirts. Oh, none.

[B]

Times have changed. Mm.

[A]

Remember how you, me, Phyllis, Kate, Mindy, we all had to wear skirts?

[B]

Our dresses? Yeah.

[A]

In every episode, there was not a skirt to be found. Also, did you notice Mare's cardigan? It was this slouchy striped cardigan. It was really giving, like, Freddy Krueger vibes. Was it?

[B]

I didn't think of Freddy Krueger.

[A]

It looked very Freddy Krueger to me. But I'm not the only person who notices Mare's cardigans. Oh, we got a letter from Natalie M. In Portland who said, for many of the episodes, I would always think that maer reminded me of someone. And then it hit me. Kurt Cobain. No, Mare looks like a Kurt Cobain impersonator. With the hair, the slouchy cardigans, the t shirts, the dull tones, the mix match patterns. Is this only me?

[B]

Did you do a side by side?

[A]

You know I did, lady. You know I love any chance for a side by side.

[B]

Did you send it to Chelsea?

[A]

No. I should. Here it is.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

It's amazing.

[B]

That's pretty great.

[A]

Natalie, you are 100% correct.

[B]

I see the vibe. I see it.

[A]

Right?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Incidentally, the slouchy sweater that Kurt Cobain is wearing in this side by side picture is very famous. It is considered one of the most famous sweaters in music history, and it sold at auction for $334,000.

[B]

Oh, wow.

[A]

Yeah, you can put that in stories, lady.

[B]

I will put your side by side.

[A]

Yay. My side by side made the stories?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

That's sort of like. Is that like, the also news, or is it the stories?

[B]

Is the also news? I didn't make the feed. Our Instagram stories. I like our stories.

[A]

Me too. I think they're better than the also news. I aspire to one day make the feed.

[B]

The feed. All right, where are we? Oh, it's opening credits.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

Ned is meeting with one student in particular, and she asks him, what does it cost to run the Truth Teller every year? And Ned sort of flippantly says, I don't know. The monthly budget is about half a million dollars. And the student's like, whoa. And he's like, pretty cool, right? And she says, how do you expect you can survive with so much waste?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Well, this did get me curious about what. I mean, how much money does it cost to put a newspaper out? And there's a website that you and Dr. Thibodeau would love. It's called Macro Trends, and they run all this data, and according to them, the New York Times, for example, their operating expenses for the 12 months ending September 30, 2025, were about $2.3 billion.

[A]

To put out the New York Times for a year.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I mean, they have a lot of reporters in really obscure places around the globe.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Whereas the Truth Teller does not. How's people who have never written articles?

[B]

Well, the student that Ned's talking to, Davey, asks him, does he feel threatened by TTT's real competition, which is a high school run blog called so Wesley, We Learn. It's by a student named Wesley, and it's the most popular blog in Lucas county with 300,000 subscribers. Yeah.

[A]

He's like, did you say 300 or 3,000? And she's like, 300,000. I've got a guest star breakdown for you on Davey.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

It's Julia Butters, and she's actually 16 years old. She was on the show American Housewife, and she was also in Quentin Tarantino's movie Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Lady.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Did you see Zach woods takedown of Quentin Tarantino last year? Did you see it? I did go just to the comments. The comments are amazing. You know, what happened is that for whatever reason, Quentin Tarantino decided to go off on, like, Paul Dano in an.

[B]

Interview, and Paul Dano's just living his life.

[A]

Paul Dano's like, what the did I do?

[B]

What the hell just happened?

[A]

Why am I in this conversation? And so Zach woods decided to come to the defense of Paul Dano in, like, a Hilarious. Hilarious monologue on his Instagram. Zach Woods Instagram is so funny because he's so smart.

[B]

He's so.

[A]

His brain is so fast.

[B]

Yeah. And he can do a thing like that. That is hilarious, but also scathing.

[A]

Yes, we need him on Office Ladies. Burn it to the ground. Oh, we need him.

[B]

He needs to sit in the room for the whole thing.

[A]

Yes, 100%.

[B]

And just do commentary.

[A]

Yes. Well, Mare is now talking to the students, and she finds out that the high school music teacher, Mr. K, a very long time beloved teacher, is retiring. He's directing one last show. It's a gender swapped production of Mean Girls titled Mean Boys.

[B]

Yeah. And Mar definitely gets a look across her face when Mr. K's name is brought up. And she's like, oh, yeah, I remember him. I remember all my teachers. But, you know, something's laying underneath the surface there.

[A]

So Mare asks if she and Oscar can go to the high school. Mayor's gonna write a feature on Mr. K. And Oscar is going to review the play. Ned says, that sounds great.

[B]

Ned is a tad distracted, though. He's pretty rattled by this so Wesley guy.

[A]

He is.

[B]

And he goes online and looks him up, and he starts reading one of Wesley's articles, and he thinks he's found an error. Wesley has used Inflammable. When Ned thinks he should have said fl. Flammable, right?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

So he leaves a snarky comment. He writes, ever heard of proofreading? Maybe you should have been in the journalism class at the Truth Teller this morning. Winky face. Mm. Lady, would you leave a comment?

[A]

Well, I like to read comments. It's very hard for me sometimes to leave a comment. I like to have a more observational relationship with the news and with social media. Sometimes I know I should comment and I have to kind of like, make myself leave a comment.

[B]

Well, you are half of America. Half of us don't leave comments.

[A]

But, like, for a friend's birthday, I should comment, and so I'll comment, but other than that, you're not gonna hear from me in the comments.

[B]

I think it's okay.

[A]

Okay, good.

[B]

Well, you are gonna hear from Ned, and that's gonna blow up.

[A]

Yes. All of a sudden, Ned is in his office and he overhears Esmeralda laughing. He goes over to her office to see what's going on. Guess what? So Wesley has written a blog about Ned's comment.

[B]

So Wesley says, in a pathetic attempt to claw back relevancy, Ned Sampson, editor in chief and supposed grown man, decided to verbally assault me in the comments of this blog. But what's worse is he used this emoji, and then he has the winky face.

[A]

Ken enters and he says, you have to apologize. You have to apologize. He has a lot of influence around town.

[B]

More than you, Ned.

[A]

And Ned is like, I'm not gonna do it. I'm not gonna apologize.

[B]

One thing we need to mention, too, that we didn't mention a minute ago, is that there is an Oscar talking head where Oscar lets the documentary crew know that he is going to the high school for his article, not to be part of the documentary. He's still not interested in being part of the documentary, so don't think that's happening.

[A]

Make no mistake.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

He will only speak to the documentary crew if it is about the newspaper and, like, his newspaper job, which is.

[B]

He says he's just here to promote art and leisure. That's it.

[A]

It's very Finer Things club event.

[B]

It very much so is.

[A]

I need to talk about Esmerelda's desk for a second. And I know you did a big breakdown of her desk in the first episode, but I don't believe that these two items were on her desk in the first episode. Correct me if I'm wrong, but they're very prominent in this episode. She has two mirrors facing her.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Have they always been there? She's always been there and just noticed them.

[B]

Yeah. She's had the mirrors and all the lamps and all the stars. Yes.

[A]

Okay, so when she's sitting at her desk.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

She has two mirrors and she can look at herself. I would never. They're also kind of like, at a low angle. That is. I do not want to see that all day long.

[B]

I told you about that house we rented for Josh's mom's 70th birthday. No. Why? Oh, my gosh. Okay, so it's her 70th birthday, and we all decide we're going to meet up somewhere warm because they had this cold winter in Colorado, and we're gonna go somewhere warm for her birthday. So we rent this house for the whole family. We all chip in, and we rent this big house in Palm Springs, and we divide up the bedrooms, and Josh and I ended up getting this bedroom of this house, and we walk in it and we're like, oh, such a nice room. And then Josh, he goes in the bathroom to put the stuff down, and he goes, oh, God. I'm like, what is. Is wall to wall mirrors in the bathroom, lady?

[A]

Like 360. Like a 360 mirror view.

[B]

Oh, I'M sorry. One wall had a window. One wall didn't have the mirrors.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

But the whole entire wall on the side of the toilet and behind it had mirrors.

[A]

So, like, when you're sitting on the toilet, you can see your skull every single.

[B]

It is horrifying.

[A]

Oh, my gosh.

[B]

It is the most horrifying thing.

[A]

Who would do that?

[B]

Who would do that? I told Josh, I said I have to turn the lights off when I go in the bathroom because this is horrible.

[A]

That is seeing way too much of yourself too often in ways you never.

[B]

Want to see yourself. Oh, my gosh. And you can't look away. It's everywhere. Where am I looking?

[A]

But also, it sounds like there were probably like 12 of you. Were you getting, like, reflection upon reflection?

[B]

Yes. It's just row after row after row of you taking a crap. It's just like this.

[A]

This house needs to be on, like, Zillow Gone Wild or something.

[B]

I went to see if you could still rent it. Cause I have a friend who's turning 50 and it's no longer.

[A]

Were you gonna recommend it?

[B]

I was like, well, it was a nice house. Warning, the mirrors in the one bedroom. But whatever.

[A]

If you go back, you need to, like, tape up, like, just bring a roll of wrapping paper and just tape up some wrapping paper over those mirrors.

[B]

I mean, you gotta do something.

[A]

Wow. I did not know that by bringing up Esmeralda's mirrors, I was gonna get that gem. But I sure am glad I did.

[B]

Sorry. Sorry for that visual.

[A]

All right, well, next up, we're gonna cut over to Nicole, who is at her desk and she finds a box with a wooden carved bird inside.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Guess who it's from?

[B]

It's from Detric.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

He spent hours. He watched a two hour YouTube video, ordered special knives to make this bird for her. Yeah. And he even stained it the color of a bag she likes to use. He says it's just his way of saying, hey, what's up?

[A]

Do you know what my first thought was when I saw this bird?

[B]

Stanley carved a wooden bird for Phyllis. That was my first thought.

[A]

I wondered, is this little nod, little Easter egg, Was this on purpose? I texted Greg.

[B]

What did he say?

[A]

He said in the pilot of the paper, there was originally this whole sequence with Nicole bringing her pet bird to work.

[B]

Yes, Prop Master Scott told us about that.

[A]

Yes. He said they later replaced this because they found out that the Australian version of the Office had something similar with someone bringing a bird into the office. So this wooden bird carving was a callback to A former scene from the pilot. He said it still worked in this episode because they do briefly discuss her pet bird in the Two Truths and a Lie episode. So, long story short, it was not intentional, but this made me realize something.

[B]

What?

[A]

The lost episode of the Office is Pet Day. Oh. And it is also about someone bringing their bird to work. I think Greg really wants someone to bring a bird to work. Clearly. You know, we had an episode with a bird funeral.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

What is it with Greg and birds?

[B]

I hope it sees the light of day someday.

[A]

I know there's something in him that he needs to get out.

[B]

He has a bird story he needs to tell.

[A]

He does. So while this was not an intentional callback, we have been spotting things that are callbacks, like Oscar's gift from Michael the Clacky Balls. And we got this question from Sarah L. In Ohio, who said it was so fun seeing all the office Easter eggs in the paper. What Easter egg would you plant as a nod to your office character or your favorite office character in the world of the paper? So I guess if we were to show up as our characters on the paper, what Easter egg would we plant?

[B]

I mean, can I guess what yours is?

[A]

Sure.

[B]

Is it your pink mug?

[A]

Yeah, I would love that. I would put that pink mug back on my desk. Or maybe that crazy thing, that, like, Lucite bobble thing. Yeah. That does nothing. It's just decor.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

That I still have. And I would also put. I had this giraffe pen. It was like a blue wooden pen. I have it on my desk at home. And then it has this spring on the top where the eraser would be. And then there's like, a little yellow giraffe. It doesn't work. I think it never worked, but it was always in my cup holder. So those are the three things that I would put on my desk.

[B]

I would have the cat with the chipped ear paperclip holder that was on my desk and now is on my home desk. Right. I would have the little frame that, when we personalized our area, that I brought in the picture of me and my grandmother, where my eyes are closed and it's in a frame that says I heart Grandma. So I would have those two. And then I had a bunch of little cat figurines that lined the top of my cubicle. Yep. And also just in the midst of little cat figurine. Cat figurine. All of a sudden, there was a pelican. And that's a deep cut. So I think I would bring back the pelican.

[A]

Well, Greg would like that.

[B]

Yeah. Oh, yes, he would.

[A]

Well, that was a fun question. Thanks, Sarah.

[B]

Well, Nicole is now talking to Mare. They're in some type of break room. There's a shelf with a lot of baskets I want to point out.

[A]

Oh, did you love that?

[B]

I love that. I counted four that I could see. One I think has some Cheetos in it. There's also a big green water jug. Anyway, Nicole is saying to Mare that it's too much what Detrick's done. He went overboard. It's, like, freaking her out.

[A]

Yeah. And then Detric is talking to Travis, and he's noting that Nicole doesn't seem to be responding to his gift. So he's like, oh, no, Did I use the wrong kind of wood? Travis is like, dude, it's not the wrong kind of wood. I mean, it's like you carved her an engagement ring. You're freaking everyone out. It was too much.

[B]

Travis has. I guess this is gonna be classic Travis relationship advice. He's like, just start icing her out. Like, that's what he's doing to his stepdad, and it's working. Yeah. Like, ignore her.

[A]

I loved the scene, but I like these two actors a lot.

[B]

Me too. Yeah.

[A]

So this was one of my favorite exchanges in the episode was this Detrick Travis scene.

[B]

I know. They're really funny together. Like, if I was writing a sales call episode, I'd want the two of them to go out more. Cause I loved it when they went and ran into Travis. Ex girlfriend. Exact.

[A]

Exactly. This is a good pair.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Well, listen, why don't we take a break, and when we come back, Ned is gonna call. So, Wesley, it's gonna go as well as you think. It might go worse than you think.

[B]

He doesn't just call. We'll get to it. He facetimes him.

[A]

So many mistakes.

[B]

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[A]

Grow therapy is covered by insurance, and your care can start in as little as two days. I mean, have you ever tried to Google therapists near me and ended up more anxious than when you started? Well, growtherapy makes it way less overwhelming and way more affordable.

[B]

Yeah, because trying to find a therapist shouldn't feel like online dating, but with a high deductible.

[A]

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[B]

Visit growtherapy.com officeladies today to get started.

[A]

That's growththerapy.com officeladies growtherapy.com officeladers availability and.

[B]

Coverage vary by state and insurance plan. So you know you can simplify your nutrition with AG1. Hear me out. It's a multivitamin pre and probiotic, superfoods and antioxidants in one scoop. My husband Josh does this. He likes that. It's one drink with all the nutrients and you're done.

[A]

Yeah. So what is it? It's like you take this scoop of this stuff and you put it in a glass of water.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then you drink it.

[B]

He does it first thing in the morning and then he feels like he's done something good for his health and he started his day that way.

[A]

Well, I'm looking at this piece of paper and it says it's got lots of flavors. It has original citrus berry and Tropical.

[B]

Hmm.

[A]

Tropical.

[B]

I know.

[A]

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[B]

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[A]

Only while supplies last. That's drinkag1.com officeladies drinkag1.com officeladers lady, you know that feeling when you add just a couple of new pieces to your wardrobe, but then it ends up feeling like a whole wardrobe refresh?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Okay. That is exactly what I have found with my new Quint's purchases.

[B]

I love quints.

[A]

I love quince. I especially love quints for pants.

[B]

I branched out. Not only do I love quints for clothes, I have branched out into their perfume.

[A]

Oh no, I did not know this.

[B]

I am wearing their perfume today. It's so good. Josh loves the way it smells on me. I got a compliment at the school. It was like the winter performance, you know, for the band. And this lady gave me a hug and said, oh, you smell so good. I said, thank you. I got this perfume at Quint's and it was only perfume can be really expensive. I thought that was a great deal because it's a nice size bottle.

[A]

Refresh your wardrobe with quince. Don't wait. Go to quince.com officeladies for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada, too. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com officeladies to get free shipping and 365 day returns.

[B]

Quince.com officeladies. All right, we are back. Ned is now FaceTime calling. So, Wesley, I don't understand. Why would you FaceTime?

[A]

Why? I don't know.

[B]

No one does that.

[A]

No.

[B]

That's weird. And Ken is also there, and so is Esmerelda, and Ned is trying to apologize, and Wesley's like, I don't accept your apology. Not accepted.

[A]

And while they're on the phone, Ken does a fact check and notices that, as Wesley claims, flammable and inflammable are the same. You can use them interchangeably.

[B]

The Internet begs to differ.

[A]

Yeah, I was taking Ken's word for it, but that doesn't seem right.

[B]

This is what I read. Flammable and inflammable neither mean the same thing, nor are opposites. Flammable refers to things that can catch on fire, like wood or clothing. Inflammable refers to things that can generate fire, like compressed gas.

[A]

So neither of them mean not flammable. They both mean flammable.

[B]

Yes, but just in different ways.

[A]

The source of their flammability is a different thing.

[B]

Exactly. And because we don't know the actual sentence that Ned read, we can't say which one is appropriate.

[A]

Hmm. Okay, we'll take that. So, Wesley, in your face.

[B]

Or maybe not in your face. True. Depending on how he used it.

[A]

Take that, Ned.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

We don't know.

[B]

We don't know.

[A]

Well, now Esmerelda is gonna take the phone, and she's gonna apologize for Ned, and she's gonna try to sweet talk. So Wesley. And she's like, you should come work for me on TTT Online. It's. It's sexy. It has riz. It's not sus. At all. She's, like, trying to, like, throw out all these. She's using full terms.

[B]

Yeah. Every word that she's ever heard about, like, what young people say.

[A]

Yes. She's like, we have ice cream on Thursdays. And Ned is like, we all have ice cream on Thursdays. That's not an online thing.

[B]

And then she does this crazy shade to Ned where she's like, you know, he's just weird around kids. Cause he can't have kids. Cause he's sat on Thursday. Like, what do you sit on?

[A]

She sat on something hot.

[B]

Hot. And he's. And now he can't have kids. And he's like, no, I can't. He writes a little note, holds it to camera. I can have kids.

[A]

The whole thing is a hot mess. So Wesley seems to like Esmeralda in this phone call. Yeah, he says, sure, I'd love to intern for you. And then Ken calls this a masterclass.

[B]

In talking to kids because he loves Esmeralda. Does he love her? Is this what's happening?

[A]

Oh, is he kind of in love with her?

[B]

I think he might have a crush on her.

[A]

He's certainly dazzled by her.

[B]

He's dazzled.

[A]

Well. So Wesley was played by Aiden Lapret. He also played the character of Max in two episodes of the Pit, which we love. And they're making a second season of. And my friend Rusty is in. And I can't wait to ask her all about how they make it. But Also, according to IMDb, in addition to acting, Aiden is an award winning singer, songwriter and music producer who releases music under the name La Prette. This character of. So Wesley and Aiden have another thing in common. They both know what it's like to go viral.

[B]

What'd he go viral for?

[A]

When Aiden was 8 years old, he went viral on YouTube for playing the ukulele at the 2010 Hawaiian Ukulele Festival. He was singing hey, Soul Sister, and He got over 20 million views.

[B]

Whoa.

[A]

It's absolutely adorable.

[B]

Do we have it? I want to hear it. I don't want. Well, that is adorable.

[A]

It's so much cuteness coming at you. If you're in a bad mood one day, I highly recommend watching it because it's gonna lift your spirits.

[B]

Guess what I'm gonna do?

[A]

What?

[B]

I'm gonna put it in our stories.

[A]

Oh, there you go. I made the stories today.

[B]

It made the stories.

[A]

I'm making the stories today.

[B]

Well, technically, Aiden's making the stories.

[A]

Yeah, but who made you aware of Aiden? Me. Yeah, exactly. So I am a vessel for the stories.

[B]

You know what is becoming very clear to me?

[A]

What?

[B]

I need a feature you bore in our story. Get ready.

[A]

This did get me wondering. There's a ukulele festival. I did not know this. There is. And it is every year in Hawaii, usually in July, and it's always at Kapiolani park in Waikiki. It started back in the 1970s, and their dream when they started it, was to present a free concert to encourage local and international interest in the ukulele. To show that it could be played as a solo instrument, not just a rhythm instrument in the background, that it can be front and center.

[B]

Yeah. Well, now Mayor and Oscar are going to show up at the high school. They walk into the theater, they enter the auditorium, and they find Mr. K berating his cast. Mr. K is played by Michael Hitchcock. Jenna, he's just amazing.

[A]

Well, he's a legend. Yeah, he's a Groundlings alum. He also shows up in all the Christopher Guest movies.

[B]

He's in everything, and he always crushes it. He's just like a comedy master.

[A]

He is perfection in this role. He is yelling at these kids.

[B]

He's like, I have a clip.

[A]

Oh, great.

[B]

I was like, we have to hear him.

[A]

Let's hear him.

[B]

I don't know how I can sugarcoat this, so I won't. At this point, we don't have a show.

[A]

I repeat, we do not have a show. Pick that up.

[B]

I see some of you are getting emotional.

[A]

Do you know what would happen if we cried at Juilliard? Do I have to remind you that Defiance High School is mounting an amazing production of Bye Bye Birdie? That's gonna blow your asses off, lady. When I first moved to la, I joined this theater company, and the head of the theater company is total Mr. K vibes. Except instead of the flex that he went to Juilliard, this guy had done, like, a single big guest star role on a procedural. I can't even remember which one, but we were all very impressed. Yeah, he had experience in the world.

[B]

Of television that everyone aspired to be. He had done it.

[A]

He had done it. And everybody who was part of his theater company there was like, the core theater company of people who were in all the plays that he would mount, and those were, like, his friends. He starred in every production. He was the star. And then there was this whole other group of people who paid dues who never got cast in any shows. And we were all the new actors in town, and we didn't know any better. But one thing you did, Kit, as part of paying to be in the theater company, was you got free classes. Guess who taught them? He did.

[B]

Right? Of course.

[A]

He was so mean. He was so, so mean. And he would, like, yell at us like this. At one point, they put up this show. It was Moliere. It was Moliere show, and I got cast in it even though I was a paying member of the company. This was unheard of. So I'm in the cast now with him and all his friends. They needed a young person, and they were all older, so I get this part. He was so mean that throughout the course of the play, all three of the women who were playing lead roles in the play, including myself, we all quit before the show went on its feet.

[B]

I hope you quit right before, like, really screwed him over.

[A]

Yeah. One of the ladies who had a big part, she quit and he replaced her with his wife.

[B]

Oh.

[A]

And then another woman quit, and he replaced her with a man in drag. And then I quit, and I don't know who replaced me because I stopped going and I never followed up. I remember we had this rehearsal, and I stood up for myself and another woman. As you can guess, this guy so seem to get along with men and not women. I spoke up on behalf of me and the only other woman left in the play. And he was so pissed off, he called me at home after rehearsal, and he said, don't you ever challenge me again when I am giving direction on this play. If you ever do that again, you're fired. You can just leave the play. Do you understand me? And I thought to myself, I won't be able to go back and not challenge him again. So I said, you know what? You and your play.

[B]

Good.

[A]

And I hung up. And I never went back.

[B]

Hell, yeah.

[A]

And I don't know whatever happened with that play.

[B]

Well, it sounds like it was gonna.

[A]

Be amazing, but when I was listening to Mr. I know exactly when I was listening to Mr. K, I was like, oh, my God, he's like that guy. He's like that guy.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So a little window into my early acting career out here in la.

[B]

I like that you stood your ground.

[A]

Incidentally, this theater guy, he told me I would never work in this town. He literally did the old, like, classic.

[B]

You'Ll never work a day in this town as long as I'm here, lady. Yeah, that's how he sounds. Good luck. Well, I did DM with Michael Hitchcock because I love him.

[A]

He's so great.

[B]

And I said, we are loving Mr. K. I hope you're well. He's just a wonderful person, and I was so excited to see him in this role.

[A]

Well, if I ever make the biopic of my life, I'm gonna have Michael Hitchcock play this abusive theater company director man that I told off in my youth.

[B]

What was his name?

[A]

Well, I'll tell you his nickname. I called him Stalin.

[B]

Did it rhyme with his actual name? Please tell me it did. Okay, all right, great.

[A]

It did. I started the nickname. I'm proud of it.

[B]

I don't leave a snarky comment, but I will make a snarky nickname out of your actual name and spread it behind your back. Ha, ha.

[A]

Well, in this next scene, Ned is in his office and he's eating the popcorn out of the tin again. This popcorn is still going strong.

[B]

It's made a comeback.

[A]

Esmeralda says, come meet me in the parking lot.

[B]

Oh, yeah, something's going down. So Ned finds Esmeralda in the parking lot. She is pacing. She is freaking out. She shows him, like, something on her phone. She's like, did you see what this little brat did? And then she reads what Wesley has written about her quote, Esmeralda Grand, 51, editor of TTT Online, begged me to work for her quote, sexy website. Was she hoping to violate more child labor laws? And Ned's like, well, you're a lot of things, but you're not. And Esmeralda goes, 51. I know. It's slander.

[A]

So funny.

[B]

This sends her, like, on such a spiral. She's, like, more pissed that he said she was 51 than anything else.

[A]

She wants to get revenge.

[B]

Mm.

[A]

And Ned's like, yes, but ethical revenge.

[B]

Yeah. And Esmeralda says, okay, we cut his breaks. And then what happens after is in the hand of God.

[A]

Yes. He's like, no, no. So then there's gonna be this scene in Ned's office where they're brainstorming how to get revenge on Wesley. Esmeralda's like, why don't we convince him his father isn't real? Why don't we give him Lyme disease?

[B]

She says she thinks she has the right kind of tics. I don't even know what that's about. I don't even wanna know. Like, why does she have tics on the ready?

[A]

Ultimately, they come up with the idea that they should send Wesley a fake ticket press release, and if he publishes it, his reputation will be destroyed for not checking sources.

[B]

Ned says, yeah, how about layoffs? Potential upcoming layoffs at Corning Glass? And then Esmeralda has her fantastic classic where she compliments but gives you a dig at the same time. She goes, wow, incredible. Such a perfect level of bland. How do you do that?

[A]

And Ned's like, I don't know. It just comes naturally.

[B]

She's, like, so natural to you, lady.

[A]

This sent me down a rabbit hole about revenge and getting revenge and, like, the perfect revenge, you know? Revenge is the dish best served cold.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I came across this revenge story about a musician named Dave Carroll from the band Sons of Maxwell. He was on a United Airlines flight, and he observed something. Okay, here he is being interviewed about what happened.

[C]

Well, I was sitting on the back of the plane in Chicago on a United Airlines flight. And we were waiting to deplane to catch a connecting flight to Omaha, and a woman behind me looked out the window and she cried out, oh, my God, they're throwing guitars outside. And our bass player looked outside to see his bass guitar being thrown. And mine was thrown before that. And ultimately it was damaged.

[B]

Who's throwing the guitar?

[A]

The baggage handlers. Okay. So he goes on to explain that the guitar in question, his guitar, was worth about $3,500, but it also had sentimental value. It was damaged. He spent about $1,200 trying to fix it, but it still doesn't sound the same. He tried to file a claim with United for damages, but nothing came of it. And he just was like, this is not cool. So he wrote a song about it. Let's hear.

[C]

I flew United Air Airlines on my way to Nebraska. The plane departed Halifax connecting in Chicago's old hair. While on the ground, a passenger said from the seat behind me, my God, they're throwing guitars out there. The band did not. I exchanged a look best described as terror at the action on the tarmac and knowing whose projectiles these would be. So before I left Chicago, I alerted three employees who showed complete indifference towards me.

[B]

United.

[C]

You broke my Taylor guitar.

[B]

United.

[C]

Some big help you are. You broke it. You should fix it. Your lyel. Just admit it. I should have flown with someone else or gone by car. Cause United breaks guitars.

[B]

United Breaks Guitars. Is that the name of the song?

[A]

Yes. This song went viral. Within weeks of it being released, the United Airlines stock fell by 10%. He ended up writing two more songs about it, and they became known as the United Breaks Guitars trilogy.

[B]

Oh, my gosh.

[A]

Sweet Revenge by Dave Carroll and the Sons of Maxwell. You know what? I love a story also where someone turns something like that, like something that's just stuck in your craw that's irritating you into art.

[B]

Make some lemonade.

[A]

Yes. So he ended up writing three hit songs about his broken guitar and probably ended up making, I don't know, I'm assuming, more money than if they had fixed the guitar.

[B]

So I hope he got some kind of, like, card or something from United that was like, our apologies.

[A]

He said in the news story that since the song went viral, that they did reach out.

[B]

So I should have told you that's all it took.

[A]

But you know what? Also, we've all had that with an airline. I mean, not to dog on United or anything, but any airline, they lose your bags, someone's indifferent, they mess up your reservation you're stuck at the airport. You know, we've all experienced it, and there's something cathartic about this story, I think, for all of us. Like, he touched on something, which is why the song went viral, right?

[B]

Yeah. Yeah, for sure.

[A]

I know what song I would write.

[B]

Would it be called Oceanaut? I would. That's what I was gonna say.

[A]

I want somebody to write me a song about my Oceanaut. Watch.

[B]

Oh, my gosh. You just put a call to action out there. There's some really talented people listening to Office Ladies. I bet you get a good one.

[A]

Well, maybe we should go back to the school now, because Mayor and Oscar are sitting down with Mr. K. And Mr. K does not recall Mayor at all.

[B]

Oh, that pisses her off. Because clearly she's like, I auditioned. You didn't cast me. He doesn't even remember her. And he's like, do you even work for a real paper? And she's like, yeah, we work for the truth teller. He's like, fine, if you want the truth, here's the truth. I don't remember you because you probably weren't very good. I remember the ones that were good.

[A]

Yes, exactly. Oscar has a talking head where he's doing a classic talking head. He's like, yeah, Mayor has a grudge against Mr. Craig. Wait, no, no. He stops himself. He says, I will not speak outside of Arts and Leisure.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

He was almost drawn back in.

[B]

Almost. Almost. We didn't touch on Ken's talking head, which I think is a classic. He has a talking head that he's basically like, no, I'm not jealous of Ned and Esmeralda getting along so well. Really? I'm not. But he clearly is. And there's the classic reveal. It'd be like when Michael Scott was talking, and then you would pull back and see Dwight. I love this. I feel like it's a nod to how we shot the office. Ken is going on and on, and then it pulls back and we reveal that he's talking to Kimberly. You just see the back of her head, and she goes, you know, I really need to get back to work.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

It was so great. The next scene up is Esmeralda and Ned. They are, you know, working on this fake press release, and Ned notices that Esmeralda is putting tape on her face.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

She's trying to give herself a tape facelift.

[A]

Well, Paul Lieberstein shared with us that this tape idea was a pitch from Sabrina.

[B]

Yes. How great is that? Paul said Sabrina asked if she could tape her skin Back. She said, everyone's doing it. And I guess Paul was a little skeptical, but she said she'd show him what it looked. And then she came back with Scotch tape all over her face and hair. And Paul said she's definitely in tune to her inner clown.

[A]

I have a confession.

[B]

Oh, yeah? Have you done this? Oh, my God. What for? I have tape. I'm gonna try it. I watched a video last night.

[A]

What?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You have Scotch tape right now in your hand. I can't. You're not doing this. You watched a video on how to do a Scotch tape. Oh, my God.

[B]

There's so many. And then I found this crazy article. Well, it's fascinating. About Marlene Dietrich.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And how she made this tape facelift famous. It was called the Crodon, if I'm saying that right. Crodon facelift. And she used surgical tape to pull her face upward. And then she'd wear really high ponytails.

[A]

Lady. This is how all of the ladies in Hollywood, the grand dams of Hollywood, this is what they would do loose their ball. Yes, yes, yes. All of them. You're doing it. Well, but here's.

[B]

I mean, you have to tuck it in your hair, though. And that is what. I don't know how to do.

[A]

Is that what the thing said on the.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

All it looks like is that you have tape on your face.

[B]

I know. I know. Because they would tuck it under a wig.

[A]

Yep. So let me tell you, you don't. I mean, it's really nuts that you're just putting tape on your face.

[B]

Oh.

[A]

Ow.

[B]

I haven't cut my hair.

[A]

Let me tell you what you need.

[B]

This is what you missed by us not videoing Karsha.

[A]

Yeah. Ow. It's not working. It's not working A little bit. Well, you're holding it.

[B]

Cause I can't put it in my hair.

[A]

You just have tape. You look ridiculous. You're getting more tape. Why?

[B]

Well, because now I'm doing my chin. Those are my eyes.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

My chin is what really needs it.

[A]

Let's be honest. Let me.

[B]

Hey, that works.

[A]

Oh, oh, oh, oh. Okay. But I can see the tape, though, from straight on. Just straight on. Let's say you have a photo shoot.

[B]

Take my picture.

[A]

You could tape your chin like that, lady.

[B]

For a photo shoot?

[A]

Yes. Because only don't turn your head, though.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

If you turn profile.

[B]

Oh, wait.

[A]

Then I can see the tape. Okay, but if you don't. I can't.

[B]

Okay. I'm smiling.

[A]

Well, don't smile.

[B]

Oh, don't smile.

[A]

Yeah. Oh, it doesn't look as good when you smile. Here, See what you think.

[B]

Wait, wait. Give it to me.

[A]

Our desk is big.

[B]

Wait, wait, wait. I want to do two more on my neck. Okay? There's two more I can do on my neck.

[A]

Listen, while you're taping up, let me tell you what I did. Okay. I bought the real stuff.

[B]

You did?

[A]

Yeah. So the real stuff has a string.

[B]

Oh, my God. Yes.

[A]

And it's really strong tape.

[B]

And it goes behind your ear or something.

[A]

It goes around your head.

[B]

I saw these. I saw them.

[A]

This is what the old timey Hollywood ladies would wear. And you put it, like, at your temples, in your hairline, and then it pulls it, and you have to, like, make it taut with the string and it pulls it. And then you can also do it behind your ears to pull up your wrinkly neck.

[B]

The waggle.

[A]

So I saw an Instagram video of it.

[B]

And you bought it?

[A]

I bought it because I buy everything that is fed to me on Instagram. It is a disease that I have. I don't know why, but I bought it. It was while I was in Chicago doing the play because I thought, what if I put it on for, like, a photo shoot or for a red carpet?

[B]

Did it work?

[A]

No, it didn't work at all. It was stupid. It was stupid. It didn't stick. Like, I watched a whole video where you, like, part your hair so that then you, like, the string goes under your hair.

[B]

I saw.

[A]

I saw it back in the day. The ladies would wear it under their wigs.

[B]

Yeah, wigs are.

[A]

What?

[B]

Really? Okay.

[A]

Okay. Here's the picture of you. It's from far away. I mean, you just. You have tape on your face, lady.

[B]

I know. Me and Esmeralda. I'm bringing a socks.

[A]

Yes. It's nuts.

[B]

Now I gotta take this shit off my face.

[A]

Yes, you do.

[B]

Anyway, I tried the tape thing here in front of you. Did not work.

[A]

We saved you all a lot of time. Don't buy it. Don't try it at home.

[B]

I'm not sure who did a better job with the tape, me or Esmeralda. But we both just look like ladies with tape on our faces.

[A]

Correct. So listen, now we're gonna return to this Detrick Nicole storyline. Detric is gonna play really cool. He's gonna start a conversation with Nicole, but he's gonna keep it just about work, and then he's gonna walk away.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

She's slightly confused. She's like, oh, she wasn't expecting that.

[B]

Mm.

[A]

I have a time code.

[B]

Oh, let's Hear it?

[A]

It's for this little scene. It's 20 minutes. This starts with Nicole at the coffee machine. And I saw a sticky note on the machine that says, needs more coffee. I found this confusing because there's coffee in the coffee maker. So it's not like you need to make more coffee. And sitting next to the coffee machine are three bags of coffee. So I don't think they need more coffee. However, the brand of coffee sitting next to the coffee machine is called actual coffee. That's the name of it. Actual Coffee. And guess what? They're a local Ohio brand of coffee.

[B]

Love it.

[A]

Well done.

[B]

We're in the school library now. Mare has grabbed all the programs from the musicals. She's trying to figure out if basically Mr. K has been taking money in some way. Like whoever put the ad in the program, like, kicked in some money, and then their children are. Who gets the lead in the play.

[A]

Yeah, I mean, she makes a pretty convincing argument. I mean, Oscar says, I'm not sure this is definitive proof. Like, you can't make this accusation publicly. But he sort of privately says, mayor, I think you found something, which is that the lead in every play, coincidentally, their parents took out some sort of full page ad in the program for their local businesses.

[B]

Ultimately, Mayor writes an article that does not take down Mr. K. She just decides against it. Her article's titled, Mr. Kirby celebrates 30th year at Darisburg. Mr. K is a pillar of the community. And then she gets a phone call. It's a tip about Mr. K. And then we find out that Mr. K apparently lied about going to Juilliard. There was more to this scene. It's really great. It's in the Peacock extended version. It was cut from the NBC version, but Mayor goes to the source and it's a teacher at the school played by Paul Lieberstein's real life wife, Jeanine Pariba. Yes, she's fantastic in this scene. And she gives us the dish on Mr. K. Let's hear it off the record.

[A]

Yeah. Mr. K is a character. A lot of insecurity for such a tall man.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Would you say he's also arrogant? I mean, some people can be both. He manages to drop Juilliard into every conversation. I went to Yale. I never bring it up. Is there anything else you can tell me about him? I just think it's all an act. Thank you.

[B]

Yes, it is all an act. That is so great. Can I use that as a quote?

[A]

No, absolutely not. The last teacher who spoke poorly of Mr. K got reassigned to a different school district. Like a bad priest in the night. Now, you want to quote, he's a pillar of the community.

[B]

Hmm. Yeah. This cuts to a mare talking head, and she's like, he had it coming. He had it coming. And then she's like, oh, actually, maybe. Maybe I'm not that good.

[A]

Maybe she's like, no, I'm good. I'm just rusty. Well, I thought Chelsea sounded a little sick in this episode, and when she's singing, her voice kind of cracks. Guess what?

[B]

What?

[A]

She was sick. Chelsea told me that not only was she sick, she ended up getting Oscar sick because they worked together so much. Oh, no. That week. I know. She said Oscar gave her grief about it in a joking way.

[B]

Well, wrapping up the storyline, Ned and Esmeralda's plot worked. He ran with the article. Wesley ran with the fake article about people getting laid off, and he got his ass handed to him.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Here's a headline from the actual news that says, quote, popular child's blog spreads vicious lies. Esmeralda Grand, 37, editor of TTT Online, led the investigation.

[A]

We're gonna end this episode. We're in the parking lot. Dietrich is gonna apologize to Nicole. He says, I'm sorry. I think I was a bit much.

[B]

He says, you know, I like you 3.5 out of 5. Out of 5.

[A]

Yeah, but like, casually.

[B]

Like, casually. Yeah.

[A]

I asked Kelly Cantley, where did you shoot this? This was clearly not on the studio lot. It was outside. She said that they used the Standard Oil building in downtown LA as the enervate exterior building, and they shot this in the Athena parking lot right across the street.

[B]

Oh, that was an early call. Time to shoot downtown. That was some traffic, y'.

[A]

All.

[B]

Ned is going to have this closing moment. He's back in the conference room with the students. He says, this quote, the most important part of any article is the byline. You get one reputation in this life. Protect it at all costs. The student says, who said that? He says, geraldo Rivera. Mm. And then we go to a tag.

[A]

Yeah. Travis is up on the roof. He's flying a drone.

[B]

Yeah. He says, I come up here to fly my drone. It's like therapy to me. I mean, I also go to regular therapy, but this is awesome. It's just so beautiful up here.

[A]

Can I bring something up?

[B]

Mm.

[A]

Dare I say, Greg also likes to go on roofs.

[B]

Oh, right.

[A]

Birds and roofs.

[B]

Greg Daniels, he likes the roof pov.

[A]

He does. We went on the roof all the time. And here we are. We're back up on the Roof.

[B]

Well, Travis is flying his drone and he's looking at the little sort of camera lens of like what his drone is seeing. And guess what he sees? Mm. A full on makeout between Nicole and Detric. Not just a little smooch. This is like smoochy smooch.

[A]

Yeah. They are like at an outside table at a restaurant.

[B]

Little cafe.

[A]

Guess what? It's a fakey restaurant.

[B]

I was wondering.

[A]

Kelly Cantley said that that was an empty storefront on a nearby corner by. You know where they shot all of this stuff? The parking lot. They shot this little drone bit. The art department and set decoration, they just decorated the outside of an empty storefront, made it look like a restaurant, but you can't actually go inside.

[B]

They're so good.

[A]

They're so good.

[B]

They're so good. But yeah, cliffhanger. Mm. So here's my question.

[A]

What is it?

[B]

Was this just an act all day long? Are they already into each other? But they act like they're not for the camera crew?

[A]

Oh, I didn't think of that option.

[B]

That kiss was a very. Not the first time you kiss someone. Kiss? In my opinion.

[A]

I just assumed that this like weird freeze out thing worked. I mean, her conversation with Mare, she seemed like legitimately, kind of like that was too much.

[B]

Yeah, I agree. I just didn't know if they were trying to throw everyone off.

[A]

Like, was this a Dwight Angela thing?

[B]

Yeah, to keep everyone thinking that they're not in a relationship. I just thought that kiss was a little intimate for two people who've never kissed before.

[A]

Well, I guess we'll find out next week.

[B]

I guess so.

[A]

Well, everyone, there you have it. That is your breakdown of the paper, episode four. A big thank you to Chelsea Fry, Greg Daniels, Kelly Cantley for all your.

[B]

Tidbits, and yes, Michael Hitchcock, thank you for responding to my dm. It was so nice just to chat with you briefly there.

[A]

I guess you've learned a lot in today's episode and I made the stories and I'm real excited about that.

[B]

You made the instastory lady.

[A]

I did.

[B]

Don't get cocky. Could go away. What?

[A]

Wow. Keeping me on my toes. We love you guys. We'll see you next week.

[B]

See you then.

[A]

Thank you for listening to Office Ladies.

[B]

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

[A]

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

[B]

Odyssey's executive producer is Leah Reese Dennis.

[A]

Office Ladies was mixed and Mastered by Bill Schultz.

[B]

Our theme song is Rubber Tree by Creed Bratton.