EP. 170 — Pam’s Replacement

Jenna [00:00:03] I’m Jenna Fischer. 

Angela [00:00:04] And I’m Angela Kinsey. 

Jenna [00:00:06] We were on The Office together. 

Angela [00:00:07] And we’re best friends. 

Jenna [00:00:08] And now we’re doing the ultimate Office rewatch podcast just for you. 

Angela [00:00:12] Each week, we will break down an episode of The Office and give exclusive behind the scenes stories that only two people who were there can tell you. 

Jenna [00:00:19] We’re the Office Ladies. Hello! 

Angela [00:00:25] Hi! 

Jenna [00:00:26] Hello in person. 

Angela [00:00:27] Hello in person. How wonderful is this? 

Jenna [00:00:30] I know. It’s been a long time. 

Angela [00:00:32] I’m an in-person person. 

Jenna [00:00:33] You are very much an in person person. 

Angela [00:00:35] I like to see you. I like to hug you. I want to talk to you. I want to look at your hair. I wanna check out your outfit. I want to see you. 

Jenna [00:00:43] Well, here I am! 

Angela [00:00:43] Not a little box of you. 

Jenna [00:00:45] We’ve been on Zoom for months because of my broken shoulder. And now here we are back in our little studio with Sam and Cassi out there. And it’s really nice to be all together in person. 

Angela [00:00:57] I’m very excited about it. 

Jenna [00:00:58] My shoulder’s still very broken. 

Angela [00:01:00] It’s still very broken. 

Jenna [00:01:01] It’s still healing. But I’m here!

Angela [00:01:01] You’re balanced on a pillow. You have your ice pack. 

Jenna [00:01:05] Yeah. 

[00:01:06] And we’re here! 

[00:01:07] It’s great. 

Angela [00:01:07] And this is a huge episode for your character! 

Jenna [00:01:10] It is. So I’m actually especially excited to be in person because this episode, oh my gosh, it brought back so many memories. I’ve got a lot of stories. 

Angela [00:01:19] Well, let’s get into it. 

Jenna [00:01:21] Here’s what we’re talking about today. It is Pam’s Replacement. Season eight, episode seven, written by Allison Silverman and directed by Matt Sohn. Here’s a summary: Frustrated that people are coddling her because she’s pregnant, Pam and Dwight go to great lengths to get Jim to admit that he finds Cathy, her temporary replacement, attractive. Meanwhile, Kevin and the Zits invite Robert California to join their jam session, but they are upstaged when Robert and his former bandmates take over. 

Angela [00:01:52] Why would Kevin want his band to be called Kevin and the Zits? Who thinks the word zit sounds appealing or fun? 

Jenna [00:02:00] I mean, why would Darryl and Andy want it to be called that? They’re the zits!  

Angela [00:02:04] Well, I don’t think they do. 

Jenna [00:02:08] Fast fact number one. Big guest star arc alert. Lindsay Broad as Cathy. 

[00:02:14] Yes! 

[00:02:15] We got a fan question from McKayla in Utah who said, I want to know everything about Lindsay Broad as she is introduced in this episode. Yes, Mikayla, Lindsay is Pam’s replacement. And she appears in 12 episodes this season. I slid into her DM’s and she is going to come on Office Ladies for our Tallahassee episode. 

Angela [00:02:37] Oh my gosh. That’s a big one for Cathy! 

Jenna [00:02:39] I know. 

Angela [00:02:40] That’s going to be so great. I can’t wait to talk to her all about it. 

Jenna [00:02:43] Well, I didn’t get to work with her a lot because the majority of her time was when Pam was on maternity leave. But I thought she was fantastic. I mean, she’s so good in this episode. And then I remember she’s also a very nice person. So. 

Angela [00:02:56] Well, my memory of Lindsay is that she just joined the show like, seamless. She was amazing. Cute as a button. And you know what? I mean, I have to think that if she was my replacement, I might be like, Oh, well, that’s a very adorable um beautiful gal that’s going to be sitting next to my husband. Haha. 

Jenna [00:03:14] Well, that leads me very well and fast fact number two, Angela. 

Angela [00:03:17] Okay. 

Jenna [00:03:18] This episode was written by Allison Silverman Jones. Allison was a new writer with us this season, and this was her first episode that she wrote. Allison is amazing. I absolutely loved her. And, you know, after The Office, she went on to be the executive producer of The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, At Home with Amy Sedaris, and Russian Doll. 

Angela [00:03:38] I mean, she’s a badass. 

Jenna [00:03:40] Yes. Before coming to The Office, she wrote on The Daily Show. She also wrote on Portlandia. She’s very funny. And when she was writing this episode, she was pregnant. 

Angela [00:03:52] That’s right. I was very excited because I was the first pregnant cast member. Right? And then you. And then finally we had a pregnant woman in the writers room. 

Jenna [00:04:04] Yes. She was the first female writer to then also be a parent. 

Angela [00:04:09] That’s right. 

Jenna [00:04:10] So we had a lot of dads in the writers room. 

Angela [00:04:11] Yes, we did. 

Jenna [00:04:12] This was our first mom. 

Angela [00:04:13] Mm hmm. 

Jenna [00:04:14] Well, we had a fan question from Ashley K in Missouri who said, I have been waiting for this episode to ask Jenna this question. In these episodes, Pam and Jenna are both pregnant, and I feel like some of the jokes are a little insensitive. I was super emotional when pregnant, and I’m not an actor, but did Jenna ever get her feelings hurt by some of the jokes about her pregnancy? I’ll tell you what, Ashley, I did not. I thought that this episode was so well-written and so beautifully highlighted some of those insecurities that you might have. And actually speaking honestly about them, which is really what Pam wants in this episode when everybody is just, you know, feeding her a bunch of bull, she knows it. And she’s like, No, we can just talk about me- I’m a I’m still like a person who is in reality. 

Angela [00:05:09] You know, Jenna, I saw this great comment after our rewatch of The List aired that I’d been wanting to share with you, and I thought this episode was perfect to tell you. There was the photo of Angela Martin and Pam side by side. The big pregs, little pregs, right? 

Jenna [00:05:24] Yes, right. 

Angela [00:05:24] And this woman wrote underneath it and said, You know what this is to me? It’s not big pregs, little pregs, it’s real life pregnant versus fake TV pregnant. And I thought that was great because, like you said, we’re seeing a real pregnancy shown. You know, my pregnancy was not shown. They got really creative in hiding it. But I thought this was so great to see a real woman really pregnant. 

Jenna [00:05:48] And Alison and I talked about that. You know, one of the great things about having a person who was pregnant write this episode was that we got it, you know? So talk about representation in the writers room. 

Angela [00:06:02] You’re not in that club till you’re in that club. And then you’re like, Oh, this club. 

Jenna [00:06:05] Yes. So I’ll talk a little more specifically about some of the scenes that I found especially awesome as we get to them. But overall, my feelings were not hurt by anything that was said. And I loved this episode. And now fast fact number three, we’ve got some Office Ladies business. Ange, do you want to kick it off? 

Angela [00:06:26] Yes, I will. Okay. We had such a blast breaking down the movie Speed a while back, and you all were so supportive. It got us thinking that, you know, we’re pulling into our final stretch here of Office episodes. 

Jenna [00:06:38] We are. I mean, this is… 

Angela [00:06:40] I can’t even believe it. 

Jenna [00:06:42] I know. 

Angela [00:06:43] And we love being here on Wednesdays. We love talking with you guys and hanging out. And we want to keep going after the rewatch ends. 

Jenna [00:06:51] We do. 

Angela [00:06:52] So we are brainstorming a lot of fun stuff. We’re going to see, you know, what we can sprinkle in here and there as bonus content as we make a plan for Office Ladies phase two. And Cassi’s friend and coworker, Emma Dillon, had such a great idea. We can’t wait to share it with you. We want to do an episode where we hear from you about your office life. 

Jenna [00:07:14] Yeah, Here’s the idea. We’re very excited. Do you need advice about your work life, office situations or workmates? Because, listen, we want to help you out. We are not experts by any means. 

Angela [00:07:28] Nope. Nope. 

Jenna [00:07:29] But we are two ladies who love to give our thoughts on your office predicaments. 

Angela [00:07:34] Mm hmm. We would love to chat about it. 

Jenna [00:07:36] So we have set up a folder over on our Office Ladies dot com called Dear Office Ladies, where you can send in your office work-life advice questions. And we’ll go through it and we’ll pick a few for an upcoming episode. 

Angela [00:07:47] And, you know, remember, we’re not office experts. We do have a few years of real office work and a few years of fake office work under our belt. So this will be a very fun, lighthearted episode where we just chat about what’s happening at your office. 

Jenna [00:08:01] That’s right. Angela will put a link to the Dear Office Ladies folder in our pod stories so you can check that out or go to Office Ladies dot com and you’ll find it there. 

Angela [00:08:10] Yeah. Write us! Well, that takes care of the summary and fast facts. We’ve got a lot to cover. Before we jump into this episode, I do want you to know a little piece of digital clutter. 

Jenna [00:08:21] Okay? 

Angela [00:08:22] Yes. So I went through all my emails the week we filmed this, and I had an email from you, Jenna. 

Jenna [00:08:29] What was that about? 

Angela [00:08:30] You emailed me and said, Ange, look. My nursery is done. I love it so much. 

Jenna [00:08:36] Yay! 

Angela [00:08:37] You put four photos if you’re finished nursery. You were ready! And it was so beautiful. You had a mural, you know, like, sort of like the forest animals. And that’s what we were emailing about. You were so, so happy that your nursery was done and you were ready. 

Jenna [00:08:54] It was really hard for me when we moved away from that house because of the mural. 

Angela [00:08:59] Yes. 

Jenna [00:08:59] That, you know, we had painstakingly done in the nursery. And I just oh, I loved the vibe. It was soothing. 

Angela [00:09:06] So soothing. 

Jenna [00:09:07] The color of the paint on the wall was this blue that I never- I should have saved the little. 

Angela [00:09:13] Like taken a chip of it or something. 

Jenna [00:09:14] Yeah. Because I loved it. 

Angela [00:09:16] Well, that’s what we were emailing about. 

Jenna [00:09:18] Aww. Oh, thanks for bringing that back, Ange. Well, listen, why don’t we take a break, and when we get back, we have a cringe-ola of a cold open. 

Angela [00:09:28] I want to just say something, this might be a bold statement. I think now the character that makes me sometimes the most uncomfortable is Erin. 

Jenna [00:09:39] Yeah. She’s taken over where Michael left off. 

Angela [00:09:41] Maybe so. This episode starts with Andy. He’s running up to front reception. He’s going to say, Erin, listen, in 2 minutes, I want you to pretend to call me. Say it’s an important call, but I am not going to take the call because I want this client who I’m meeting with to know how important he is. So I won’t take the important call. She’s immediately confused. 

Jenna [00:10:10] Yeah, she says, Who’s calling? 

Angela [00:10:13] He’s like there’s no one’s calling. 

Jenna [00:10:14] No one’s calling. 

Angela [00:10:15] And she goes, But you’re not going to take it. He’s like, Oh, my God. Andy, I’m like, Andy right away you should bail on this. Right away. 

Jenna [00:10:23] They spend a lot of time going back and forth until Erin gets it. 

Angela [00:10:26] Yes! 

Jenna [00:10:27] I was actually impressed that we stayed on this for so long. It made it even funnier. 

Angela [00:10:31] It’s hilarious. But if you’re Andy you’re like, how many red flags do you need before you know this is not going to work? 

Jenna [00:10:39] Well, it’s not going to work. Andy starts his meeting with the client, played by Dave Anthony. He is a comedian, podcaster and writer on the series Maron and also on Deadly Class. Erin’s going to come in. 

Angela [00:10:52] Yeah. 

Jenna [00:10:53] Andy, you have a phone call. It’s very important. 

Angela [00:10:55] He’s like, Well, I’m not going to take it. I’m with an important client. 

Jenna [00:10:58] Yeah, nothing’s more important than my client, he says. 

Angela [00:11:00] That’s right. And then she says, Well, your mom’s dead. She was hit by a bus. He’s like, She’s not really dead. Yeah. Yeah, she’s dead. 

Jenna [00:11:09] Well, that little look that Ellie gives to camera after she says your mom is dead was scripted. It’s wonderful. Andy really doesn’t know what to do. And then he gets a phone call from a state trooper who is Darryl. She has gotten Darryl in on it. She’s gotten Dwight in on it!

Angela [00:11:24] And Dwight! And then I loved when she’s like, You should take the call. And he’s like, fine. Line one. She goes, No. Line two. I don’t know why. He’s like, Of course. And then Darryl’s like, Man, this is a bad idea. What are you doing? 

Jenna [00:11:37] We had a great fan catch from Leigh B in Waterton, Wisconsin, who said, Phone related fan catches: At 41 seconds, you can see over Andy’s shoulder that the Cisco phone he’s using is not connected. The screen is blank. 

Angela [00:11:55] Oh. 

Jenna [00:11:55] If the phone was connected, even if the receiver isn’t being used, there’s always some text on the phone. And I did notice that the next time we see Andy’s phone, which is that 1 minutes and 51 seconds, the screen is lit up. 

Angela [00:12:07] Yeah, because I saw that. But I missed the first one. Good catch. So this cold open is going to end with a very cringey moment with Andy talking to the state trooper about his mother who’s been hit by a bus. 

Jenna [00:12:18] Mm hmm. 

Angela [00:12:19] And her last words to him was, Don’t- don’t let your client down? What was it? It was so cringey. 

Jenna [00:12:26] Yeah, it was. 

Angela [00:12:28] Oh my gosh. It was basically like, continue to sell paper. 

Jenna [00:12:29] I’m gone. Her dying wish was give your client a great deal.  

Angela [00:12:34] Great deal. Cringe. 

Jenna [00:12:37] Yes, very cringe. 

Angela [00:12:39] The next scene is going to introduce us to Pam’s temporary replacement, Cathy. 

Jenna [00:12:45] Mm hmm. 

Angela [00:12:46] And I have to point out something. Has nothing to do with this scene. 

Jenna [00:12:50] What is it? 

Angela [00:12:51] 2 minutes, 49 seconds, what the heck is the pink stuffed animal at front reception? 

Jenna [00:12:56] There’s a new random pink stuffed animal? 

Angela [00:12:57] There is a new random pink stuffed animal. I tried to zoom in on it. I can’t tell what it is. If anyone else spotted it, will you let me know what you think it is? 

Jenna [00:13:05] Lady, there’s a new stuffed animal at Kelly’s desk later in this episode. 

Angela [00:13:10] What happened? 

Jenna [00:13:10] It’s raining stuffed animals! 

Angela [00:13:11] I think the prop people got some new stuff, and…

Jenna [00:13:15] I spotted so many little props in this episode. I think they maybe went to Scranton and had just returned. 

Angela [00:13:21] With a bunch of stuff. 

Jenna [00:13:22] I’ve got more things to notice! 

Angela [00:13:24] Okay. 

Jenna [00:13:25] Okay. Well, Pam is going to get her chair back and it squeaks. 

Angela [00:13:29] When she sits in it. 

Jenna [00:13:30] Yes. And she’s like, Ugh, well. She’s got a great joke where she says, Listen, I make worse sounds than that. And then Dwight’s like, We know. 

Angela [00:13:39] This cracked me up because I feel like that moment, remember that movie, The Money Pit, where they’re having so much done to their house and then she goes to open the medicine cabinet, and when she does, there’s a like construction worker on the other side and he goes, You’re out of your birth control pills. 

Jenna [00:13:54] Yeah. 

Angela [00:13:55] I feel like Dwight somehow being in this clump with Pam and Jim, that he’s become really familiar with Pam’s pregnancy in a way that you normally wouldn’t. 

Jenna [00:14:06] That is such a great analogy. I love that. We had a fan question from Carrie S in Chicago, who said, I have never understood why Cathy was hired in the first place. They lasted seven years without an office administrator. How come they couldn’t survive three months without Pam? 

Angela [00:14:21] I had the same thought. 

Jenna [00:14:23] I have an answer. 

Angela [00:14:24] You do? 

Jenna [00:14:25] Yes. They survived without an office administrator because Pam was receptionist. 

Angela [00:14:30] And she covered it all. 

Jenna [00:14:31] Yes. 

Angela [00:14:31] Okay. And now, I’m sorry, but the receptionist we currently have doesn’t know how to run the fax machine. 

Jenna [00:14:39] Yes, exactly. So this is why Pam needs a replacement. 

Angela [00:14:43] Okay. 

Jenna [00:14:43] We can’t leave it to Erin. I’m sorry. We can’t. 

Angela [00:14:46] All right, I can buy that. Ryan is in rare form in this episode. I’m going to point out a few things, but let’s just start with the fact that he’s lingering at front reception, basically to check out Cathy. And he wants to know if Cathy is single. And Jim just sort of off the cuff casually says, I doubt it. And Pam zero ins on that. It’s like she’s like, Why? Why do you doubt it? Why would you say you doubt? I mean, you were like, I doubt it. And he’s like, Hey, pump the brakes. I just thought maybe we could save her from Ryan. 

Jenna [00:15:20] And Pam accepts that. 

Angela [00:15:21] Yeah. 

Jenna [00:15:22] She’s like, Okay, fine. Done. 

Angela [00:15:24] Yeah, that makes sense. 

Jenna [00:15:26] The next scene is Andy delivering Darryl his lunch from the fridge, hoping that he’ll eat at his desk so that they can play some music. 

Angela [00:15:33] Yeah. 

Jenna [00:15:34] Later. 

Angela [00:15:35] Did you see the lunch bag? 

Jenna [00:15:36] You know I did, Ange. 

Angela [00:15:37] Do you want to tell everyone what it said? 

Jenna [00:15:39] 3 minutes, 55 seconds. Garrity’s bag for Darryl’s lunch. Local grocery store in Scranton. 

Angela [00:15:44] We’ve talked all about it. We know their whole family history. I was curious what the lunch menu is there. 

Jenna [00:15:52] Well, they’ve got that amazing, like, deli buffet. 

Angela [00:15:55] I know. I went on the website and I was curious. You know, they do a dinner of the day. They also do a soup of the week. Just so you guys know, this week’s soup is meatball parmesan. So if you’re in the area. 

Jenna [00:16:06] Sounds good. 

Angela [00:16:07] I know. 

Jenna [00:16:08] We’re going to swing over to Kevin’s desk because, you know, he’s in the band. And when we do that, 4 minutes, 13 seconds, you’ve got a Wegmans soda. I’m telling you, Phil Shea went to Scranton. They’re all over the place.

Angela [00:16:17] He went to Scranton and he came back with so- or someone sent a huge box of stuff. Kevin is drumming his takeout container with the drumsticks that he’s eating. I just love that. 

Jenna [00:16:28] Mm hmm. 

Angela [00:16:29] That was so funny. The rest of the office is abuzz with chatter about Cathy. 

Jenna [00:16:35] They’re all in the break room. No one’s having lunch. Everyone is having a snack. 

Angela [00:16:40] Well, well some people have snacks. 

Jenna [00:16:42] I broke it down. 

Angela [00:16:43] Oh, you did? 

Jenna [00:16:43] I have a food breakdown, first of all. 

Angela [00:16:46] I’m sorry. Look at my paper. 

Jenna [00:16:48] Oh, look at us. Same brain. 

Angela [00:16:50] Food breakdown. 

Jenna [00:16:52] Well, first of all, did you notice all the Wegmans sodas? There’s a table of people drinking beverages, and then there’s a table of people eating. 

Angela [00:16:59] Yes. 

Jenna [00:17:00] Phyllis, Gabe, Toby and Dwight all have a snack. Everyone else has a Wegmans soda. Except for Ryan, who has a blue mug that looks exactly like our mug! 

Angela [00:17:13] That looks just like our mug! That’s what I thought too! 

Jenna [00:17:15] I saw it, too! 

Angela [00:17:16] Sorry to blow out your eardrums. I was like, Wait, that looks just like our mug. That is crazy. 

Jenna [00:17:20] Do you want to say what everyone was eating? Because I found the food odd. 

Angela [00:17:24] Sure. Phyllis is eating giant green grapes. Gabe is eating blueberries and strawberries. 

Jenna [00:17:29] Yeah, bowl of berries. 

Angela [00:17:31] Dwight has what I think is maybe some of his homemade granola. 

Jenna [00:17:34] That’s what it looks like to me. 

Angela [00:17:35] And does Toby have three packaged cookies? 

Jenna [00:17:38] Yes. Yes. There’s also one more odd thing about this scene. We got this from Brandon R in Illinois. Is there a reason why Dwight is reading an untitled blank book? Was it because you could not get the rights to show a book? I looked closer, and it is. There is no cover. There is no title. It’s blank. I asked Steve Burgess about it. He says he does not know why this was the case, but it was not scripted that Dwight would be reading a book. So it might have been a last minute idea. And to avoid any problems with clearance, Phil Shea probably gave him a book with no cover or title. 

Angela [00:18:16] Hello. Look at me right now. Look at my face. 

Jenna [00:18:19] What? 

Angela [00:18:20] What is this face saying? 

Jenna [00:18:22] You deep dived blank books? 

Angela [00:18:23] No. 

Jenna [00:18:24] I don’t know. What is it saying? 

Angela [00:18:26] This face is saying I have a theory. 

Jenna [00:18:28] Oh? 

Angela [00:18:29] Because I did so many scenes with Rainn. The minute I watched this scene, I was like, I guarantee you, Rainn was like, I need a prop. I’m telling you, the man loves a prop. He loves a prop. And I bet he was like, Phil, I should be reading something. Phil, I should be reading something. I should be doing something in the corner. And Phil probably grabbed that book. 

Jenna [00:18:47] Well, I’ll say, if you go to 5 minutes and 26 seconds, there are words in the book. Remember in Garden Party when Jim was reading from a literal blank book? 

Angela [00:18:59] Yes. 

Jenna [00:18:59] By James Trickington. 

Angela [00:19:01] Mm hmm. 

Jenna [00:19:01] Okay. This is a real book. It just doesn’t have anything on the front. 

Angela [00:19:05] I guarantee you Rainn just wanted a prop. I mean, you know, I used to call him Carrot Top. 

Jenna [00:19:09] Yes, because he loved a prop. 

Angela [00:19:11] He loved a prop. 

Jenna [00:19:11] Well, let’s talk about what’s actually being discussed in the scene now. Now that we’ve told you what everyone’s eating and reading. Everyone is talking about how great it is to have just like, a healthy, young, fit presence in the middle of the office. 

Angela [00:19:27] That’s what Toby said. It’s so random. I’m like, What is Toby saying? 

Jenna [00:19:33] Yeah. So Pam’s at the vending machine. She turns around and she says, Yeah, it’ll be really nice to have someone hot at Pam’s desk again. But she’s kidding. She’s just she really is kidding. Like, she is not at all upset about this. But then everybody starts jumping in with all this random, weird stuff. 

Angela [00:19:54] Well, they overcorrect thinking they need to make her feel better. 

Jenna [00:19:58] Right. 

Angela [00:19:58] And they’re saying things like, No, no, no, pregnant women are hot. And then, of course, Gabe is like, You know it’s a fetish, you know? And then they’re like, there’s other people that don’t get their due, not just pregnant women. And then somehow Helen Mirren’s name gets thrown out there and then pregnant Helen Mirren- this conversation. 

Jenna [00:20:14] Pregnant Helen Mirren is the sexiest thing. Could you imagine, is what they say. 

Angela [00:20:19] The conversation is going off the rails and Dwight can’t take it anymore. He snaps. He stops reading his book and he says, no. There are universal biological standards of beauty and attraction, and you are purposefully celebrating the opposite of them to mollycoddle a pregnant woman. I didn’t know what Mollycoddle was. Did you? 

Jenna [00:20:40] It sounds like just a longer version of the word coddle. 

Angela [00:20:42] Right? 

Jenna [00:20:44] Which means like to. 

Angela [00:20:46] Take care of, pamper kind of? 

Jenna [00:20:48] Yes. 

Angela [00:20:48] Well, I looked it up. 

Jenna [00:20:50] Oh, what is mollyco- molincoddle?  

Angela [00:20:54] Mollycoddle. M-O-L-L-Y-C-O-D-D-L-E. 

Jenna [00:20:57] Mollycoddle. 

Angela [00:20:58] Mollycoddle. According to Merriam-Webster, to mollycoddle someone is to treat them with an excessive or absurd degree of indulgence and attention. 

Jenna [00:21:08] Oh, well, they are definitely mollycoddling her. 

Angela [00:21:10] I think so. 

Jenna [00:21:11] It’s interesting that that was the thing that got your attention in this scene and the thing you decided to Google, because the thing I decided to Google is if having sex while pregnant is really one of the most common fetishes. 

Angela [00:21:22] Oh, I thought about Googling that, and I didn’t want to see where the internet took me. 

Jenna [00:21:26] You made the right choice. 

Angela [00:21:28] Okay. 

Jenna [00:21:28] Here’s all I’m going to say: of the 25 most common fetishes listed in an article by Men’s Health, sex while pregnant or sex with a pregnant woman was not one of them. So, Gabe, you are really mollycoddling Pam here. 

Angela [00:21:43] Well, he also thinks the way to get a girlfriend is to get her a drug dealer or something. I don’t know. Gabe, Come on. 

Jenna [00:21:49] Yeah. 

Angela [00:21:50] I was also curious if Helen Mirren’s real name was Helen Mirrenoff when she was born. And once again, Dwight was correct. 

Jenna [00:21:57] Dwight was correct. Gabe was wrong. 

Angela [00:21:59] Yes. 

Jenna [00:22:00] Well, now we’re going to go down to the warehouse, and Andy and Darryl and Kevin are just finishing up their song. Oh, they sound good! 

Angela [00:22:07] Yeah! 

Jenna [00:22:08] Val likes it. 

Angela [00:22:09] I know. 

Jenna [00:22:10] Mm hmm. 

Angela [00:22:11] Mm hmm. But Robert is walking down the stairs, and is like, Hey, can I join? 

Jenna [00:22:16] Yeah. Fakey stairs. 

Angela [00:22:17] Fakey stairs. 

Jenna [00:22:18] That door went nowhere. 

Angela [00:22:19] Door went nowhere. When he says, Can I join? Darryl, Kevin, and Andy are so excited. I think they have the giddiest talking head, maybe in The Office history? I mean, literally, Darryl is like, holding, like going with this fist, like, yoo hoo hoo! And they’re all giggly. Here’s what they say. They had given up on hanging out with Robert California, but now he wants to be in their band and bands, you know, they get bonded for life. Even if it’s tragically short. But it’s still great, right? And they’re all like, yeah, got to go sometime. They are so excited about this. 

Jenna [00:22:53] Back upstairs, meanwhile, this mollycoddling in the break room has gotten into Pam’s head. 

Angela [00:22:59] Yeah. 

Jenna [00:23:00] So Pam’s going to ask Jim, what does he think of Helen Mirren? Hmm. And does he find Cathy attractive? I mean, just objectively, does he find her objectively attractive? Not are you attracted to her? But, like, just, like, objectively. 

Angela [00:23:16] If you are Jim right now, what are you thinking? What is going through your mind? 

Jenna [00:23:21] Jim is sweating. He does a very smooth job. He’s clearly he knows his wife. 

Angela [00:23:29] Yeah. 

Jenna [00:23:30] He’s doing very well. So far. 

Angela [00:23:33] This is not his first rodeo with her in a pregnancy. 

Jenna [00:23:36] That’s right. Mm hmm. Yes, We got a lot of fan mail about Jim’s predicament and Jim’s choices. Here is just one from Sarah F in Dallas, Texas. Do y’all- she wrote y’all- 

Angela [00:23:50] I love you, Sarah. 

Jenna [00:23:51] Okay. Do y’all think Jim’s being a bit of a jerk in this episode by lying to Pam? I can’t decide whether or not I support this choice. Here’s what I’m going to say, Sarah. 

Angela [00:24:01] Do it. 

Jenna [00:24:02] I think you have to know who you’re married to. You know what I’m saying? 

Angela [00:24:06] Yeah. Every comic knows their audience. You know what bits you can do, what bits probably aren’t appropriate depending on the crowd. 

Jenna [00:24:13] And if you know them well, you know what they need. And I’m not saying lie to your person. You know, I disagree with that. I disagree with outright lying. 

Angela [00:24:25] Well, yeah. 

Jenna [00:24:26] But I guess I do support Jim’s choices here. I think that Pam doesn’t need to hear about Jim’s objective, attractive thoughts about this young woman one week before she has a baby. I like that he’s like, I guess. But like, I love you. Because he’s not lying when he says, I love you. He loves her. It doesn’t matter. That could have been something. You know what? It doesn’t matter if I walk through the world and find other people attractive because I’m with you. And that’s where I wanna be. 

Angela [00:25:00] And I chose to be with you and I want to be with you. 

Jenna [00:25:01] That might have been a better answer. 

Angela [00:25:03] That’s how I saw it. I saw it as it doesn’t matter. And she’s a week away from having our baby. And that brings with it so many feelings and emotions. And she’s fixated on this thing that she might spiral on. But in the end, I just want her to know I love her and I want to be with her and I choose you. And really nothing else matters. 

Jenna [00:25:25] I think he could have solved it right here if he had just said something more like that. If he had just said, It doesn’t matter. She’s attractive, but it doesn’t matter if she’s attractive or anyone else is attractive, because the person I want to be with is you. 

Angela [00:25:39] Yeah. 

Jenna [00:25:40] But to sort of imply that you are never going to find another person attractive is. 

Angela [00:25:45] Ludicrous. 

Jenna [00:25:45] Yes. And then that is sort of it kind of like insults your partner’s intelligence. 

Angela [00:25:51] I think so. I think so. I think, you know, in the world, there’s a lot of people that you are going to meet and think are attractive or even maybe have a chemistry with in a way. But none of it really resonates to you at all. 

Jenna [00:26:03] It doesn’t matter. 

Angela [00:26:04] When you’re with your person, it doesn’t matter. 

Jenna [00:26:06] Yeah, that’s right. That’s the right answer. Right? 

Angela [00:26:10] Yeah. 

Jenna [00:26:11] Mm hmm. I pick you. So it doesn’t matter. 

Angela [00:26:13] I pick you today and every day. 

Jenna [00:26:15] Oh, that’s what he should have said. I mean, that’s what he says at the very end, finally. 

Angela [00:26:20] I know. I know. 

Jenna [00:26:22] All right. 

Angela [00:26:23] Right now, he’s deer in headlights. He’s like, What is happening? Why is she asking me about Helen Mirren? And then doing a hard pivot to Cathy? What’s going on? 

Jenna [00:26:31] Well, Jim is going to get up and walk away. So Pam’s going to ask Dwight. And she’s going to finally get an honest answer. And this scene made me laugh so hard when we were doing it. It was so amazing. I absolutely loved this. I don’t know why. It was just like I love the Pam Dwight relationship anyway. 

Angela [00:26:54] I do, too. I do, too. 

Jenna [00:26:56] And this was just all of it. 

Angela [00:26:58] While Pam’s talking had really spoke to me as a woman who has had a baby. She said, The thing about pregnancy is people treat you differently, like you’re a kid almost. They lose all sense of boundaries. They start acting weird, telling you things that clearly aren’t true. I know it sounds nuts, but I think Dwight is the only one who’s telling me the truth. I went to the Internet because I know some of my experiences being pregnant and I was curious what were some of the most annoying things you can do to a pregnant woman according to the Internet and a bunch of surveys. 

Jenna [00:27:28] Okay. 

Angela [00:27:29] And Lady, Dunder Mifflin has done almost all of these things to Pam. 

Jenna [00:27:32] Oh, no. 

Angela [00:27:33] Ready? 

Jenna [00:27:34] Touch her tummy without asking?

Angela [00:27:36] Touch the baby bump. Question everything you do. What are you eating? Hi, when Angela Martin is like, I’m sorry, but I’ve reported you because you drank a mug with traces of caffeine on it. Criticize your chosen baby name. 

Jenna [00:27:49] Oh, boy. I think you mean Angela has done all these things. 

Angela [00:27:52] Maybe. Being told you are huge or tiny. Either one. And sharing your labor stories without being asked. 

Jenna [00:28:05] That’s amazing. All those things happened to me when I was pregnant. 

Angela [00:28:09] Me, too. 

Jenna [00:28:11] Well, Pam is going to ask Dwight, Do you think Jim is lying to me? 

Angela [00:28:15] And Dwight’s like, I know he’s lying. 

Jenna [00:28:17] And Pam’s like, Right?! He is attracted to Cathy. And she says, I’ll give you $5 if you can get him to admit it. So they’re going to team up. They’re going to go in the break room to discuss the ground rules for this mission. Did you notice it was staged like a Dwangela scene? 

Angela [00:28:35] I did. 

Jenna [00:28:36] That was not scripted. When we got in there, that was Rainn’s idea, because this is when he’s on a mission or when he’s like espionage. 

Angela [00:28:45] Incognito. Yeah. I was very curious, Jenna, about why you think Pam decided to do this with Dwight. Like, why does she want to have Jim do this test and jump through these hoops? Why does she need him to admit it? 

Jenna [00:29:00] I think because ultimately, the thing that she values the most in her relationship with Jim is honesty. And. 

Angela [00:29:07] She just wants him to admit it. 

Jenna [00:29:09] Yeah. 

Angela [00:29:10] She doewsn’t even care. She’s not threatened by Cathy. 

Jenna [00:29:12] She’s not jealous. And she doesn’t think Jim is going to cheat on her any of those things. And because of that, she needs Jim. 

Angela [00:29:19] To just admit it. 

Jenna [00:29:20] Yeah, I think that’s why. 

Angela [00:29:22] Okay. 

Jenna [00:29:23] Mm hmm. 

Angela [00:29:23] Yeah, that makes sense. 

Jenna [00:29:25] Somehow they’re going to get Kelly involved. 

Angela [00:29:27] Well, that tracks, doesn’t it? Because if anyone would have taken a gazillion, like, how to know if he’s lying tests or all of those kind of things on the Internet, it would have been Kelly. 

Jenna [00:29:38] Yeah. She suggests that they do a matchmaker test. She says, You say that you want to set Cathy up with one of his friends, and then based on who he recommends, you can see how attractive he thinks she is. 

Angela [00:29:51] That made sense to me. 

Jenna [00:29:52] It made sense to me, too. We had a really fun fan catch in this scene from Rory S in Australia. Hi, Office Ladies. My name is Rory and I’m 12 years old. I have read The Office BFFs, The Actor’s Life and Bassoon King. I’m a big fan. 

Angela [00:30:07] Rory, you’re a big fan and a reader and that is so lovely!

Jenna [00:30:12] In this episode, I noticed that Kelly decorated her Sabre water bottle with sequin gems, and I just thought it was such a terrific little detail. I love you both. And even though we’ve never met, you’re my best friends in the world. 

Angela [00:30:26] Aw, Rory I love that. And I caught her water bottle, too. It’s very bedazzled. 

Jenna [00:30:30] It’s so her. 

Angela [00:30:31] It’s so her. I actually love Kelly’s whole desk area. Her little Kelly’s Nook sign. 

Jenna [00:30:36] Mm hmm. I noticed two more things on her desk as well. This is the random stuffed animal. A stuffed fish. 

Angela [00:30:43] I know. 

Jenna [00:30:44] Has appeared by her computer monitor, and I have not noticed this before, but there’s a second nameplate behind her Kelly nameplate that says Minority Executive Trainee. Has that always been there? I feel like things got rearranged on desks this week. 

Angela [00:31:00] They did. They did. But she was so proud that she was able to do that program. It makes sense that she would now have two nameplates. 

Jenna [00:31:08] Yes. Well, lady, I could use a break. I might need to do a little ice. 

Angela [00:31:12] We’ll take a break. We have some Office Ladies belated birthday fun stuff to do. And when we get back to the episode, Kevin and the Zits are going to be jamming out with Robert and his pals. We are back. I’m going to put in Office Ladies pod stories the random gifts that we got Cassi and Sam this year. So it’s been a while since we’ve all been able to be together. Their birthdays were in April. 

Jenna [00:31:44] I know, I know. 

Angela [00:31:45] But it is never too late for a birthday. I stand by that. It’s never too late to celebrate. 

Jenna [00:31:50] I’m really glad you said that, Angela, because it is never too late to celebrate. If you see your friend six months after their birthday, you can still bring them a birthday gift. 

Angela [00:31:59] Yes. 

Jenna [00:32:00] You taught me that. 

Angela [00:32:01] Yes. 

Jenna [00:32:01] This is Angela. Angela is our birthday coordinator. President of birthdays. 

Angela [00:32:07] That’s a very kind… 

Jenna [00:32:08] She keeps track of the birthdays. She makes sure everyone gets celebrated. I think it’s a beautiful thing. And I’m glad you did it, Ange. 

Angela [00:32:16] Thank you. I really am the head of the PPC. I’m just not as grumpy as the lady that planned them on The Office. Well, Jenna, I bet you have some great guest star breakdowns for us because we’re about to meet a few musicians. 

Jenna [00:32:29] I do, and they’re really fun. Kevin in The Zits are playing with Robert California. He’s playing harmonica. 

Angela [00:32:35] Mm hmm. 

Jenna [00:32:36] First of all, Steve Burgess said that James Spader can really play harmonica. 

Angela [00:32:39] It looked like he was really playing it. 

Jenna [00:32:41] Well, that’s why they picked it for him. But he said that they were also all playing music live. This was not playback. And they did have an actual harmonica player off camera. That’s the harmonica you hear. But because James Spader can play, he was able to mimic it very, very well. Because, you know, also, Brian Baumgartner does not play drums. 

Angela [00:33:03] No. 

Jenna [00:33:04] So we had a little fakey harmonica and a little fakey drums. But James really sells it. 

Angela [00:33:11] Well, this is probably the happiest you’ll ever see Andy, Darryl and Kevin, because Robert’s just hangin with them. But it doesn’t last long because who comes through the door but Robert’s friends who are in an actual band. 

Jenna [00:33:23] Yeah and they kind of start taking over. 

Angela [00:33:25] Kinda?

Jenna [00:33:27] Here’s who we have. On keyboards and vocals we have Robin Swenson. Robin is a professional musician who toured and recorded as a member of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Air Supply, Helen Reddy and others. 

Angela [00:33:42] Yeah. 

Jenna [00:33:42] And then on electric guitar is Linda Taylor. She was a regular on Whose Line Is It Anyway? She played the guitar. 

Angela [00:33:48] I went back and watched some of her episodes. 

Jenna [00:33:50] Me too. And next up is our drummer, who was played by Steve Moore. We got a fan question from Justin H in Buffalo, New York, who said, Can you please tell us how Steve Moore ended up playing drums for Robert California’s band? He’s a wild drummer, and I want to know if you had any interactions with him. Well, as you’re going to see in the tag of this episode, he is a wild drummer. He’s got a lot of arm flare and stick flips and all of it. And that is how he got his job on The Office. He ended up in a viral video called This Drummer Is At the Wrong Gig. It has over 51 million views on YouTube. He now calls himself The Mad Drummer. Basically, it’s a video. He’s in a cover band and they’re doing Sharp Dressed Man by ZZ Top.  

Angela [00:34:42] Yeah, this was June of 2010 and a random fan shot a video of Steve Moore playing the drums at this amusement park in Pennsylvania. The band, you guys, everyone had on a gold shimmery jacket. And imagine him drumming with the flipping and everything in the gold shimmering jacket just in the background. 

Jenna [00:35:05] Well, because the rest of the band is playing it pretty straight. And so that’s why they titled this video This Drummer Is At the Wrong Gig because he is at like an arena full of metalheads or something, playing his heart out. 

Angela [00:35:19] Yeah, he is full throttle. Full throttle. And he was a viral sensation. 

Jenna [00:35:27] I watched the video. 

Angela [00:35:28] Me too. It’s so good. 

Jenna [00:35:29] It’s so great. 

Angela [00:35:31] Within weeks of this video going viral, Steve was recognized by Yahoo! Tosh.O, Drummer World, Modern Drummer, Drum Magazine, and he was the topic of nearly every drum forum on the Internet. 

Jenna [00:35:45] Well, he wrote an article for Modern Drummer magazine where he explained how he ended up on The Office. Here’s what he said: He got an email from the casting department asking if he wanted to come on the show. They needed a drummer in an episode. He said it took a little bit of fancy routing, as he put it, because he was still on tour with Rick K and the All Nighters. That was the cover band that he was discovered drumming with. And he said, still he did it. He got off the plane at 1 a.m. and had to be on set at 7:30. He said once he got to the set, he went back and forth between wardrobe and makeup and he was being introduced to people along the way. He said this: Every person I encountered seemed to be in a great mood and happy to see me. And this made all the difference as I was obviously out of my element and a nervous wreck. 

Angela [00:36:35] Aww.

Jenna [00:36:36] And I just love hearing that because that means cast and crew. 

Angela [00:36:38] Yeah. 

Jenna [00:36:38] That means everybody greeted him with warmth, which I believe. Right? So then Steve said, Next, they took me to the warehouse for a drum battle between me and Brian Baumgartner, who plays the role of Kevin Malone. That’s where he met Brian. That’s where he met Paul Lieberstein. And they started working out ideas for the drum battle. Because what Steve was going to do was not scripted. It was just have a drum battle. 

Angela [00:37:04] And you guys all know that Paul Lieberstein in real life plays the drums, longtime drum player. And so I imagine this was really fun for him to be a part of as well. 

Jenna [00:37:13] So this was the first thing he shot was this drum battle. 

Angela [00:37:16] Well, I texted Brian because I wanted to know what it was like to do this drum off. Do you call it a drum off? 

Jenna [00:37:23] Yeah. 

Angela [00:37:23] With Steve. And this is what he said. He said, Ange, he was a very big deal at the time. He had been on YouTube for doing all kinds of crazy drum solo stuff. And I remember being really intimidated filming it because as you know, I am not a drummer in real life and I was always wanting to rehearse a lot. And you know Craig and Ed are so great musically and they never needed to rehearse. And I was nervous. And he said everyone was very excited to have Steve on the set and the writers had clearly wanted him to be this part. 

Jenna [00:37:55] Well, Steve said after the drum battle, they broke for lunch, Then they went back to the warehouse to do all the other music scenes. And he said that’s when he finally got to meet James Spader. He said James Spader was very polite and very inquisitive about his drummer at the wrong gig video. James had watched it. 

Angela [00:38:15] Everyone had! Brian said everyone was so excited they knew who he was because he was a big deal. 

Jenna [00:38:21] Yes. He said James started asking him questions about his background and why he performed the way he did. He said at first he was a little intimidated because James Spader, quote, Carries a presence like a Jack Nicholson or Al Pacino. 

Angela [00:38:35] You know, what’s interesting to me is I feel like James in real life right now was doing kind of what Robert California does is when he zeroes in on someone and has a lot of questions. 

Jenna [00:38:43] And has a lot of small talk. He also noted- and this is true- that James Spader takes this job very seriously. He knows exactly what he wants. And he really enjoyed talking with him. That James is a huge jazz and big band swing fan and found him to be a very, quote, Charming fellow with an appreciation of music history and also a phenomenal actor. Steve said everything went really smoothly and they finished filming around 7 p.m.. He said his goodbyes and his driver took him to the airport and he had to get on a plane to Indiana to do another gig. And he said the day went by so fast he felt like he didn’t get a chance to really take in all of it, which we hear a lot from people we would only get one day with us. But he said it was just terrific memories. 

Angela [00:39:26] Well, if you want to see more of Steve’s videos and his drumming, you can go to his website, The Mad Drummer dot com, and I’ll put it in our stories as well. Well, now that Robert’s friends are there, they have taken over the band. Darryl is now on tambourine. Kevin’s on the wood thing with the stick. 

Jenna [00:39:43] It’s like a percussion instrument. 

Angela [00:39:45] Yes. I don’t know what it’s called. And Andy is just slapping his own body. 

Jenna [00:39:49] Yeah, he’s on torso. 

Angela [00:39:51] He’s on torso and thighs. This did make me think that, you know, this isn’t the first time this has happened to Kevin. 

Jenna [00:39:59] What do you mean? 

Angela [00:39:59] I saw a few other people talk about this online, and I had been thinking the same thing. This is the second time Kevin has been pushed out of his own band. He was in Scrantonicity! They kicked him out. He had to form Scrantonicity 2. Kevin and the Zits, he just got kicked out of. 

Jenna [00:40:16] It’s just the Zits now, I guess.  

Angela [00:40:18] It’s just the zits. I don’t know. 

Jenna [00:40:19] Well, now we’re back at front reception. 

Angela [00:40:21] Yes, we are. And Jenna, I titled this scene The Sass and the Swagger. 

Jenna [00:40:27] Ooh, I like this title. 

Angela [00:40:28] Because Ryan is in such true Ryan form in the scene. I had to rewind it a few times. I laughed so hard. He has a line and a delivery I just couldn’t get over. It’s so perfect. Pam says, I was talking to Cathy. Turns out she is single. And Jim says, Oh, I stand corrected. This is when Pam says, It might be fun to set her up with someone. Any ideas? And Jim says, You know who might be good? Mike Tibbets. Pam says, Mike Tibbets. Really? And Ryan casually, because he’s lingering by front reception now, Ryan casually says, Hey, who’s this Mike Tibbets guy? What kind of car does he drive? And Jim says, Not his mom’s car. That’s the sass. 

Jenna [00:41:12] Mm hmm. 

Angela [00:41:13] Are you ready for the swagger? 

Jenna [00:41:14] Oh, yeah. 

Angela [00:41:15] Ryan says, Yeah, because his mom’s car is probably not a Nissan Z. And then he looks to camera like, Boom. Like what? Like what? What? Jim is like touche. I looked it up. A Nissan Z is a two door sports car coupe. In 2011, the base price would start at $38k. 

Jenna [00:41:35] Pretty nice car. 

Angela [00:41:37] Pretty nice car. But why is Ryan so proud of his mom’s car that he’s driving? Incidentally, we have seen Ryan’s mom’s car and it looked like a station wagon. 

Jenna [00:41:47] Yeah, that’s right. When she would drop him off at work. Angela, you said Mike Tibbetts. 

Angela [00:41:52] Yes, I did. 

Jenna [00:41:53] That is a trigger for me. So filming the scene at Kelly’s desk where she pulls up the photo of Mike Tibbetts, I don’t know if you watched the bloopers of it. We couldn’t get through it. So first of all, none of us had seen the picture of Mike Tibbetts until the first take. 

Angela [00:42:11] I can’t believe they hadn’t shown it to you. 

Jenna [00:42:14] So it pops up. And the scripted line that Mindy is supposed to say is, Maybe he would be better if he changed his hair. But the person they picked had no hair. And this, we never came back from it. I don’t know if I’ve ever laughed so hard, like my stomach hurt. My giant pregnant stomach. 

Angela [00:42:36] Because the line did not match the picture. 

Jenna [00:42:38] No. 

Angela [00:42:39] And you guys hadn’t even seen the picture. 

Jenna [00:42:40] Also, the way he’s posing, it was perfection. So I texted Mindy. Mindy, Mike Tibbetts. And she sent in an audio clip. Here’s what she said. 

Mindy Kaling [00:42:53] Hey, Jenna and Angela, I have to say, talking about Mike Tibbetts now, all these years later is probably one of the most joyous memories. It’s one of those rare things where shooting it, it was so funny. Here is this sweet man. This sweet photo of this man who’s balding. He’s smiling. And Kelly says, He’d be okay if he changed his hair. See if you can get him to change his hair. Which is a ridiculous thing to do for someone who’s bald. Like it’s just it’s really an insane thing to do. And I just- it’s not like on the show we had that many opportunities to talk about dating or dating profiles or anything like that. And I just it’s so funny. And I actually am very dubious that there’s even a take of the scene that made it into an episode without laughing. Like this was the hardest I’ve ever laughed on the show. I’m so happy you brought this. I just got back from picketing today. I have no job. I was just really hot standing out in the sun for 4 hours. And this just like, made my day. This photo of him, listeners, you can’t see this, but just Google Mike Tibbetts The Office. Like, it’s so funny in this context. I might change it to the screensaver on my phone. Anyway, bless you both for bringing up this amazing memory. I’m so happy. 

Jenna [00:44:16] So I’m telling you, like, I don’t know how we got a take of it. Because if you watch the bloopers, I don’t know how we got to what you see, because she said the line is scripted when this picture came up. And I’m like, change it to what? Like what? I can’t- change it to what?

Angela [00:44:35] We have to hear the bloopers. We have to hear the bloopers. 

Jenna [00:44:37] Okay. You want to hear the bloopers?

Angela [00:44:38] I do. 

Jenna [00:44:39] All right, so I’ll say this. It’s scripted that Kelly is supposed to scream when she sees Mike Tibbetts’ picture. And then, you know, it goes from there. 

Kelly [00:44:50] Ew! 

Pam [00:44:50] Kelly, calm down. 

Kelly [00:44:51] I mean, I guess he would be okay if he did something with his hair. 

Jenna [00:45:00] You cannot get through it. 

Kelly [00:45:02] See if you can get him to grow his hair. Ew! I guess he would be okay if he changed his hair. 

Jenna [00:45:04] Change it to what? 

Dwight [00:45:21] Put on a wig? 

Jenna [00:45:23] Change it how? 

Kelly [00:45:25] Could you see if he could just grow his hair out? 

Jenna [00:45:26] I don’t think Jim cares about his hair. 

Kelly [00:45:28] I know, but I’m just talking about being a nice person here. 

Jenna [00:45:35] You can’t grow your hair out. Like he shaves it? 

Mindy Kaling [00:45:39] I was doing such a good job on that take. You know, maybe if we put this blank, maybe we’ll finish this scene. Maybe. 

Jenna [00:45:53] So here was the thing. The lines just didn’t match the picture. And so finally, what you see in the episode is her saying maybe see if he can get some hair plugs. Because we kept trying to say, like, maybe see if he can change his hair. See if he can grow his hair out. And every time it was just like, this is insanity. This is crazy. And all the while, this just like, sweet face is, like, smiling at you. And Kelly’s supposed to be dogging on him. I can’t believe we ever got a take. 

Angela [00:46:23] I love so much how quickly Mindy, even in her audio clip, just couldn’t keep it together. 

Jenna [00:46:28] I know, I know. Ohh. We got a fan question from April in Berlin and Nicole M in New Jersey and many others who want to know, Where did you get the picture of Mike Tibbetts? How does casting get a photo like this? And is the context and use of the photo okayed by the person in advance? Mom Detective’s moment here. We cannot figure out who Mike Tibbetts is. We thought maybe he was like a friend of the writers. 

Angela [00:46:58] Mm hmm. 

Jenna [00:46:59] But I asked Paul. I asked Mindy. They don’t know who he is. Steve Burgess thought maybe we just got a stock photo off Getty Images because he didn’t have any kind of photo shoot scheduled for this. 

Angela [00:47:12] I emailed Michael Gallenburg, and this is what he said. I didn’t take that picture, although it looks like it was taken in front of our art trailer on the ramp. Remember, it had that railing? 

Jenna [00:47:23] Yes! I thought it looked like our parking lot. 

Angela [00:47:26] Yes. He thinks it’s the art trailer ramp. And Michael said he didn’t take the photo, but he thought maybe Phil Shea quickly grabbed it or a graphics person at the time. But Michael thinks it was taken in front of our art trailer on the ramp with the little banister. 

Jenna [00:47:42] Mike Tibbets, if you are out there. 

Angela [00:47:45] Yes. 

Jenna [00:47:46] Will you please email us at office ladies pod at gmail.com? Subject line Mike Tibbetts, because I need to follow up with you. 

Angela [00:47:54] We need to find Mike Tibbetts. I also have an email out to Phil Shea to see if he can help us out here. 

Jenna [00:48:00] Okay, Mom Detectives case is marked pending. Unsolved. 

Angela [00:48:05] Unsolved. 

Jenna [00:48:06] That tracks. 

Angela [00:48:09] Have we solved one? No. That’s the whole show. Not solving crime you don’t even care about. 

Jenna [00:48:16] We still don’t know what’s in the windowless building. Although!

Angela [00:48:19] No. Do you have an update? 

Jenna [00:48:20] I have some fan theories about the windowless building. Many people wrote in to say that the cloud, you know when your stuff goes to the cloud? I guess it goes to windowless buildings that store all the computer stuff. 

Angela [00:48:33] Oh, it’s just servers. Just a bunch of servers. 

Jenna [00:48:36] So I could have a cloud in my neighborhood. And then there were other theories, too, but I can’t remember what they were. But I don’t know. I mean, I still think it’s worth a fruit basket just to get to the bottom of it. It does seem to have some sort of a lobby, and I don’t think that door is locked. But it is um you can’t see through the door. I drove by the front. The side of the building is on the street. The front, also windowless, can’t see through the front door. 

Angela [00:49:05] Well, if it’s a cloud building, maybe they’d be excited to get a fruit basket. See some people. Have someone to talk to. 

Jenna [00:49:11] Yeah, they probably don’t get a lot of visitors. So Kelly’s going to write something mean on Mike’s Facebook wall. I thought that was so Kelly. She’s definitely an online bully. 

Angela [00:49:22] Mm hmm. 

Jenna [00:49:23] And Pam is going to realize Jim’s onto me. He knew this was a test, and that’s why he picked Mike Tibbetts. He never talks about Mike Tibbetts. We had to go through, like, a gazillion friend of friend profiles to even find him. And that’s when Dwight says, Well, there’s other ways to find out if he’s attracted to her. 

Angela [00:49:41] Yeah, he said, Jim may be lying with his words, but he can’t lie with his body. Dwight goes on to say, The male reveals attraction through unconscious and involuntary physical signs; puffing of the chest, mirroring, increased blood flow to the crotch. And lady, once again, Dwight is not far off. 

Jenna [00:49:59] Yeah? 

Angela [00:50:00] Yeah. I went online. There’s many, many articles about how people behave when they’re attracted to someone. A 2018 study published in the Journal of Psychological Bulletin found that people behave in specific ways when they’re attracted to someone. Here are the top signs of unspoken mutual attraction: mimicking or mirroring. 

Jenna [00:50:22] Mirroring. Mm hmm. 

Angela [00:50:25] Wanting to be in close physical proximity, nonverbal cues such as eye contact, nodding when the other person is talking, smiling and laughing. 

Jenna [00:50:36] This is not looking good for the next scene where we see Jim and Cathy together. Like check, check, check. 

Angela [00:50:43] I know. I thought, well, once again, Dwight, you know, he says a lot of random stuff, but there’s a nugget almost every time. 

Jenna [00:50:51] Well, Dwight says, We’re going to start with the crotch. 

Angela [00:50:54] And Pam and Kelly go, With the crotch? 

Jenna [00:50:56] With the crotch. 

Angela [00:50:58] Well, I guess step one in the crotch test is that first Dwight and Pam need to observe Jim from a distance. 

Jenna [00:51:04] Yes. And they’re going to hover over by Creed’s desk. They’re going to bribe him with a Toblerone. 

Angela [00:51:11] My favorite line in this entire episode is when Creed says, How’d I get this long triangle? 

Jenna [00:51:18] I know. 

Angela [00:51:19] It was scripted. 

Jenna [00:51:20] I know. 

Angela [00:51:21] It’s so good. 

Jenna [00:51:23] Here’s the problem. This upcoming scene where Dwight is going to now. 

Angela [00:51:28] Trip and fall on to Jim’s crotch?

Jenna [00:51:30] That’s right. We couldn’t get through that. But it started with, How did I get this long triangle? So we were already goners. It was already a problem. 

Angela [00:51:39] Right. 

Jenna [00:51:40] We got so much fan mail about the crotch test scene. Sarah C from New Jersey and Sarah F from Dallas said, I want to know everything about this scene. How many takes were required? Was John wearing a cup? How hard was it to get through? No pun intended. I asked Rainn Wilson about this and he sent in an audio clip. 

Rainn Wilson [00:52:03] Feeling John’s penis scene it really is one of my favorite scenes we got to film because to me it felt like John Cleese from Fawlty Towers. It felt like a just a physical comedy scene that was a classic, classic comedy. Like when I was on the episode the other week, we talked about lazzis. Clown lazzis. And it’s it’s like a perfect clown lazzi. It’s a perfect setup. Like, the character is convinced that if he feels the penis and it has an erection or a semi erection, then he’s cheating. And so he- it’s his mission to feel the penis and surreptitiously to accidentally… And we had so much fun filming that. I remembered trying it 50 different ways. John kept laughing. I kept laughing. John was wearing a cup. I remember that. He had a nice firm athletic cup on for protection. But I just love doing physical comedy like that. And when and I would always beg them to like please write Dwight physical comedy. Please have him fall down and exert himself and try things and flail and take his shirt off and just do all that ridiculous stuff. But it was one of my favorite things from our later seasons. 

Jenna [00:53:40] Well, there are bloopers from this scene. 

Angela [00:53:43] Thank goodness John was wearing an athletic cup over his privies.  

Jenna [00:53:48] Well, I remember doing this scene. I mean, I feel like we did it all afternoon, because they tried so many different ways for Dwight to accidentally feel Jim’s penis. 

Angela [00:53:59] Right. 

Jenna [00:54:00] And some of them were like, he was, like, pawing at it. Some of them were like him walking by and kind of accidentally bumping in- his hand into it. So, like, this was like a good at least 3 hours of this. So. 

Angela [00:54:13] Oh, my God! 

Jenna [00:54:14] John needed that cup for sure. 

Angela [00:54:16] Three hours? 

Jenna [00:54:17] Like his privates would have been beaten up without it. I have to say. 

Angela [00:54:21] Oh my god. Three hours of random crotch grabs. You know, I love that Rainn shared about how much he loved physical comedy, and the minute he mentioned John Cleese in Fawlty Towers, I instantly could see this happening there. I just love that he got to do this scene and he got to really go for it. I thought it was hilarious. And John. John as Jim, his face of like, What the hell, man?!

Jenna [00:54:47] I know, I know. And I even love at the end when he’s, like, pretending to read the paper, but he’s really, like, trying to scrutinize his crotch. But if you watch the bloopers, I have to give a shout out to Lindsay, who is a real pro and does not break. No matter what, you know, you’re never see a reaction shot of Pam over in the corner watching this happen because I couldn’t keep it together. I was already a goner after the Toblerone. And then it was like there, there was no saving me. I laughed easily when I was pregnant, too. I mean, I just remember laughing a lot all the time. So, yeah. 

Angela [00:55:22] What really sticks with Pam out of this moment, though, is why is Jim making her laugh so much? 

Jenna [00:55:28] Yes. Jim doesn’t have an erection, but before they started all of that, they were giggling together. That’s her thing with Jim. 

Angela [00:55:36] Yeah. 

Jenna [00:55:37] Now she’s legitimately feeling threatened. 

Angela [00:55:40] Cathy is going to come over to Pam. She’s kind of hovering. Pam says, You know what? I’ll be there in just a second. Cathy is like, Yeah, take your time. And then she pivots to Jim and goes, Oh, that line from Zoolander? It was a deleted scene so we were both right. And then Jim laughs and goes, Told you. Oh, lady. 

Jenna [00:55:57] Oh. 

Angela [00:55:58] Oh, lady. An inside joke? Forget it. An inside joke where they both laugh? By the way, I watched the Zoolander deleted scenes. 

Jenna [00:56:08] And? 

Angela [00:56:08] I feel strongly they were deleted for a reason. 

Jenna [00:56:11] Okay. 

Angela [00:56:13] But this is that moment where Pam is like, Wow. Cathy says, Oh, do a hand in my expense reports to a particular accountant? And Pam snaps and says, Oscar, Cathy has a question! 

Jenna [00:56:25] Let me tell you something right here. This is the moment- if you observe this moment… that woman is goodbye. I felt like that went against some girl code right there. 

Angela [00:56:36] Yeah. 

Jenna [00:56:37] You don’t do that (BLEEP). 

Angela [00:56:38] Yeah. Flirty giggle inside joke. No.

Jenna [00:56:40] No, I don’t do flirty giggle inside jokes with my friend’s husbands. No, I do not. 

Angela [00:56:46] No, no, ma’am. No, ma’am. Back it up. You might have noticed that Pam quickly passes Cathy off to Oscar and not Angela. 

Jenna [00:56:55] Mm hmm. 

Angela [00:56:56] I think there was a reason. I know I’m not in this episode, really, but I want you to know, I think in this moment, somehow Pam knew that Angela had her back. 

Jenna [00:57:05] Mmmm. 

Angela [00:57:06] She’s like, You deal with it, Oscar. Because I think Angela Martin would have been like, Who’s this hussy? 

Jenna [00:57:12] Oh, for sure! 

Angela [00:57:12] Let’s take her down. Let’s take her down. 

Jenna [00:57:15] Now, I have a very faint memory of upcoming episodes, partially because I was postpartum. Does Angela Martin end up having some reactions to Cathy? Because I will say in watching this episode, I was very surprised we didn’t have any Angela side eye about this choice. 

Angela [00:57:32] Yeah, I think there would have been big side eye. 

Jenna [00:57:34] A lot of opinions. And nothing in the deleted scenes. 

Angela [00:57:37] No, no. 

Jenna [00:57:39] Missed opportunity. 

Angela [00:57:40] Missed opportunity. Pam is definitely now annoyed and she just says to Jim, Why don’t you just admit it? Just admit it. You find her attractive. And she has decided to go along with Dwight’s crazy idea of his makeshift lie detector test. 

Jenna [00:57:56] Which involves going to a pharmacy and then using a blood pressure machine. This is how he’s going to figure out if Jim is lying now. 

Angela [00:58:06] I have a bull (BLEEP) card to play. 

Jenna [00:58:08] Oh, please, what is it? 

Angela [00:58:09] I know I’ve been throwing him around lately. 

Jenna [00:58:11] Mm hmm. 

Angela [00:58:12] I fully believe that Dwight would own his own lie detector test. 

Jenna [00:58:16] Oh, you’re so right. 

Angela [00:58:17] Wouldn’t he? 

Jenna [00:58:19] But does he have time to go all the way to Schrute Farms and back? 

Angela [00:58:22] Maybe not. 

Jenna [00:58:24] I- only a time issue. 

Angela [00:58:26] All right. Maybe I rescind my bull (BLEEP) card. 

Jenna [00:58:28] Okay. I feel like if we have a plausible explanation, you have to rescind the card. Card rescinded. 

Angela [00:58:34] These are the rules of the BS card?

Jenna [00:58:36] Yeah. 

Angela [00:58:37] Okay. 

Jenna [00:58:38] We had a fan question from Haley in Oklahoma. Did they use a real drugstore to test Jim? And if so, how long did it take them to find a drugstore with a heart machine? Well, we went to DeSoto Pharmacy on Roscoe in Canoga Park. It closed in 2018, but Phil Shea brought in the blood pressure machine, and our art department made all the signs. And I wanted to point out a really great detail at 16 minutes and 48 seconds. The sign which our team designed that says, check your blood pressure here that’s on top of the machine, it’s all scuffed up and aged. And I just thought, what a great piece of detail. 

Angela [00:59:18] It really is. 

Jenna [00:59:20] An old man is going to come in the pharmacy. He’d like to use the machine. 

Angela [00:59:23] He has a new heart. 

Jenna [00:59:25] Mmhmm. 

Angela [00:59:25] He sure does, Tin Man. 

Jenna [00:59:27] He was played by Frank Burney, who has two Office connections. 

Angela [00:59:33] Oh, yeah? 

Jenna [00:59:33] He played a judge on several episodes of Boston Legal with James Spader, and he had a recurring role on Six Feet Under with Rainn Wilson. 

Angela [00:59:41] Hey! One time when I was in school, I was visiting my grandparents and I went into a little pharmacy like this with my friend. She thought it’d be funny to stick her leg in it and turn it on. 

Jenna [00:59:54] What happened? 

Angela [00:59:55] It squeezed the (BLEEP) out of her leg and she was like, Get it off me! We couldn’t figure out how to turn it off. 

Jenna [01:00:00] It was probably looking for a pulse it couldn’t find!  

Angela [01:00:04] I know! She was like, screaming. And then we got in a little bit of trouble. Not a lot of trouble, but, you know, kind of like a little talking to. 

Jenna [01:00:11] Sure. 

Angela [01:00:12] Don’t put your leg in it. 

Jenna [01:00:13] Don’t put your leg in a pressure machine, everyone. Well, they’re going to hook Jim up to the machine and ask him some baseline questions, like what is your name? And then eventually Dwight’s going to ask him if he finds Cathy attractive. And Jim says, No. And then Dwight says, You’re lying. In fact, you’re lying about everything, including your name. 

Angela [01:00:33] You’re a pathological liar. 

Jenna [01:00:35] Your blood pressure is through the roof on every question. 

Angela [01:00:39] This is when Pam was like, Wait a second, doesn’t your dad have high blood pressure? And she’s worried about Jim. She’s like, When’s the last time you saw your doctor? We need to get you in for a checkup. 

Jenna [01:00:48] Yeah. We had a fan question from Brittany B in Atlanta, Georgia, who said, Why was nothing ever done about Jim’s high blood pressure? Brittany, I hear you. We set up this possible problem for Jim, and we never resolved it for anyone. I think we just have to know that he went in, he got a physical and everything is okay. 

Angela [01:01:07] Yes, I think he’s okay. I mean, according to Dwight, you should go get your prostate checked every month, so. 

Jenna [01:01:13] Mm hmm. 

Angela [01:01:14] I’m sure they made sure he got in. 

Jenna [01:01:16] Yes, Well, Pam seemed pretty worried. 

Angela [01:01:19] I know. 

Jenna [01:01:19] But, you know, this is when things get real. All games aside, Pam is like, I need you. 

Angela [01:01:25] Yeah. What would we do without you? 

Jenna [01:01:27] Yeah. Okay. I’m done asking stupid questions about Cathy. Let’s grab a toothbrush for Cece and let’s get you looked at. 

Angela [01:01:33] I love this little line at the end, when Dwight says, Hey, Cece’s toothbrush? Jenna, it was scripted that that was your line. 

Jenna [01:01:41] Oh, yes, I remember that. We did a few takes because we’re walking past. They had set up a little toothbrush thing on the end of the aisle. 

Angela [01:01:49] Yeah. I actually love that Dwight is who ended up saying it and that Jim doesn’t even turn around. 

Jenna [01:01:54] Mm hmm. 

Angela [01:01:54] I also just love this moment because I feel like Dwight has gotten to know Jim and Pam so well and gotten to know their pregnancy, their children, because he sits in this little clump. And yes, Jim says, Oh, hey, we need a toothbrush. But it’s Dwight who remembers. 

Jenna [01:02:08] That’s right. Well, that’s a great example, too, Angela, of how nobody was precious about their scripted lines. If it worked better to have someone else say it, we would change it on the day. That’s a great example. So we already talked about the tag for this episode, which is the big drum battle between the two drummers. But prior to this, you know, Robert California and his band mates, they just completely took over the band, so much so that our guys just left. 

Angela [01:02:39] Well, Val kind of calls it out, right? 

Jenna [01:02:41] She does. She’s like, Is this your band? 

Angela [01:02:44] Yeah. But I love at the end they’re playing outside together. They’re singing Baby I Love Your Way by Peter Frampton. I love how that just was the underlying music too as Jim and Pam are leaving the pharmacy because that’s just such a sweet song. Right? 

Jenna [01:02:59] That was a great choice. That was probably Matt Sohn. 

Angela [01:03:01] There is an awesome website I wanted to share with you guys called What Song dot org.

Jenna [01:03:07] Okay. 

Angela [01:03:07] You can go there and whatever Office episode that has music, if you’re curious to know, you can go on there and they have all the seasons of The Office, episode by episode, and it will tell you if there’s any music, what the song was, who sang it, and how you can listen to it. 

Jenna [01:03:23] Oh my gosh, that would be a great Spotify playlist. 

Angela [01:03:25] Yeah. So this episode had two songs, Baby I Love Your Way and Midnight Rambler by the Rolling Stones. 

Jenna [01:03:31] I love it. Well, guys, that is Pam’s Replacement. 

Angela [01:03:36] Yeah. And next week, we have Gettysburg. 

Jenna [01:03:39] Yes, that’s right. I want to give a big thank you to Mindy Kaling, Paul Lieberstein, Rainn Wilson, Steve Burgess. 

Angela [01:03:47] Michael Gallenburg and Brian Baumgartner. 

Jenna [01:03:49] Thank you for letting us blow up your phones and ask you a bunch of questions. And Mindy and Rainn, it was really fun to go down the Mike Tibbetts memory lane. 

Angela [01:03:57] Yeah. And now whenever I see a Toblerone, all I’m going to think is, How’d I get this long triangle?  

Jenna [01:04:02]  Yeah, how did you get it?  

Angela [01:04:04] Alright. We’ll see you guys next week. Have a good one. 

Jenna [01:04:06] Bye! Thank you for listening to Office Ladies. Office Ladies is produced by Earwolf, Jenna Fischer, and Angela Kinsey. Our senior producer is Cassi Jerkins. Our in-studio engineer is Sam Kieffer. Our editing and mixing engineer is Jordan Duffy. And our associate producer is Aynsley Bubbico. 

Angela [01:04:28] Our theme song is Rubber Tree by Creed Bratton. For ad free versions of Office Ladies, go to Stitcher Premium dot com. For a free one month trial of Stitcher Premium, use code “office”.