EP. 154 — Training Day

Jenna [00:00:05] I’m Jenna Fischer. 

Angela [00:00:06] And I’m Angela Kinsey. 

Jenna [00:00:07] We were on The Office together. 

Angela [00:00:08] And we’re best friends. 

Jenna [00:00:09] And now we’re doing the ultimate Office rewatch podcast just for you. 

Angela [00:00:13] 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 [00:00:21] We’re the Office Ladies. Hello! Are you ready for season seven, episode 20, Training Day? 

Angela [00:00:32] I am so ready. I laughed so flippin hard watching this episode. 

Jenna [00:00:38] I feel like we need to give people an update on our studio situation since we did talk about it last week, Angela. 

Angela [00:00:44] Okay. 

Jenna [00:00:45] I think they have the lease on these offices for what, maybe three more days? Maybe three more hours. We’ve come in to the Earwolf offices. There is literally nothing here. 

Angela [00:00:57] It feels like three more hours. Like it really does, because there’s nothing. I thought, Oh, when I get there, maybe I’ll get a glass of water. There’s nothing. 

Jenna [00:01:05] There’s no glasses. Like Dunder-Mifflin going through a transition, we are also going through a transition of space. They’re going through a transition of manager! 

Angela [00:01:16] Look at you, girl. Look at you. Making a little metaphor. 

Jenna [00:01:20] Yeah. 

Angela [00:01:21] Yeah. 

Jenna [00:01:22] Well, listen. Training Day was written by Daniel Chun. It was directed by Paul Lieberstein. And here is your summary: The Dunder-Mifflin Scranton branch has found a replacement manager. His name is Deangelo Vickers, but Michael is having a hard time letting go, especially because the employees seem to be fawning over Deangelo. Meanwhile, Dwight is struggling with the fact that he was not even considered for the manager position. 

Angela [00:01:48] Oh, that is a blow.  

Jenna [00:01:53] Mm hmm. Fast fact number one. I mean, Deangelo Vickers was played by Will Ferrell! 

Angela [00:01:59] We were all so giddy, remember, Jenna? We just could not wait to show up on set the first day and be in scenes with him. 

Jenna [00:02:06] Yes. This began our four episode arc with Will. We had a fan question from Sierra P in Oregon. How did Will Ferrell end up with this role? Was it specifically written for him? Yes, Sierra, this role was written for Will. And here is the crazy way that he ended up on our show. Will called the producers at the beginning of the season and offered to come in at some point to do a cameo because he knew it was Steve’s last season. And our producers were like, Hey! How about a giant guest star role. 

Angela [00:02:41] Like, what? Yeah, okay. Yeah. They were so happy. 

Jenna [00:02:43] Where you show up for four episodes. And he totally agreed. When we announced Will’s arc to the press, we made our press release, Paul Lieberstein, who was the showrunner at the time, had this very funny quote. He said, “We found Steve Carell when he was nothing but a movie star, and we turned him into a television star. We are proud to continue The Office’s tradition of discovering famous talent, and we hope that one day America gets a good look at Will Ferrell. They’ll see what we see. Tremendous raw sexuality.” That was this quote to welcome Will Ferrell to the show. All right. Fast fact number two is a fan question from Bernise C in Upland, California who asks, Was it ever a possibility that Will Ferrell was going to be the permanent Scranton Dunder Mifflin manager? No. It was not a possibility. 

Angela [00:03:38] And we all knew that. We were just lucky to get him. 

Jenna [00:03:41] Yeah, totally. We actually asked Greg Daniels about Will joining the show, and here’s what he had to say. 

Greg Daniels [00:03:48] I think there was a feeling of, can the show survive without Steve? And everybody wanted it to. We all felt like there is so much vitality in the ensemble cast. There were more stories to tell. Steve did not want to kill the show with his exit. And so there was this feeling of don’t save his exit to the very, very end of the season and then have all summer for fans to be like, Well, I’m done. You know? We wanted to have him exit a little before the end of the season and then have some sort of treat for people to keep watching. And so Will Ferrell was the treat. We were all very excited to have Will Ferrell, and and he was good friends with Steve. And it seemed like, you know, something to signal to people like life would go on. There would be exciting, you know, other comedy people that we could bring in. And it also took a little pressure off probably like whoever would have been the next boss right after Steve would- it would have been very difficult, probably. It was good to have a little palate cleanser in there. 

Jenna [00:05:07] So Will was our treat and our palate cleanser. 

Angela [00:05:11] Mm hmm. 

Jenna [00:05:12] Writer Danny Chun said that it was a huge relief because everyone was so nervous about, what is that first episode going to be without Steve? And knowing that they would have Will for that episode as a bridge was such a gift for the writers. 

Angela [00:05:27] I bet. Like, no pressure. 

Jenna [00:05:29] And at this time, too, they had not picked a new manager. I remember the hubbub behind the scenes. 

Angela [00:05:36] So much hubbub. 

Jenna [00:05:38] They had so many people coming in and out and there were names being thrown around and you’d see people coming in for meetings and it would be like pst pst pst. 

Angela [00:05:46] (WHISPERS) Who’s that? Who’s that? Oh my god. That’s what we would do, guys. 

Jenna [00:05:52] It is. We wouldn’t even say words. We would just say, pst pst pst. 

Angela [00:05:55] Yeah. 

Jenna [00:05:57] Isn’t that what you do on stage if you have to do like background party atmosphere? Do you remember that in high school? We’d be like. (WHISPERS) Spaghetti, spaghetti, spaghetti, spaghetti. I’m going to get a bowl of spaghetti. 

Angela [00:06:10] Peas and carrots. 

Jenna [00:06:10] Peas and carrots. Yeah. All right. Fast fact number three, this is a fan question from Becca H in Glasgow, Scotland. What was it like to work with Will Ferrell? Was this the first time most of you were meeting him? Ange, do you want to go first? 

Angela [00:06:26] Sure. I had never met Will. I was so excited. I was such a big fan. And he was the most kind, just normal fella. Just felt like you were talking to your neighbor across, like, the hedge in your front lawn. He was just wonderful. I just remember I have such a distinct memory walking into the soundstage one afternoon, and he was just right outside. He had just been talking to his kids. And I walked up and we talked about being parents and he was just lovely. I just absolutely liked him so much as a person. And then, of course, I could not stop laughing in every scene with him. He is so funny!

Jenna [00:07:08] He is so naturally funny, too. He’ll say a sentence that is- there’s nothing about the sentence that’s funny. But when he says it it’s funny. 

Angela [00:07:16] Or just a look. 

Jenna [00:07:17] Mm hmm. 

Angela [00:07:18] Just his expressions would just kill me. 

Jenna [00:07:22] Well, I had had the chance to work with Will before on Blades of Glory, so I knew Will. But I think I’ve told this story before. For whatever reason, every time I meet Will again, or I encounter Will after all these years- and it happened here as well- I always introduce myself to him with my first and last name and remind him how he knows me. I and he’s like, Jenna, I know who you are. We’ve worked together multiple times. 

Angela [00:07:52] Stop introducing yourself. 

Jenna [00:07:53] I’m like, Hey, Will. Jenna Fischer. We worked together on Blades of Glory and then again on The Office. And he’s like, Jenna, I know you. But I don’t know, he just… He’s such a down to earth guy, but his stature and his, like just legendary status. It always makes me feel like, how many people does this guy encounter in a day? And also he talks to every single person. He’s so friendly. He’s like you, Angela. 

Angela [00:08:20] Oh, well, thank you. 

Jenna [00:08:23] I mean, 100% Will Ferrell is becoming best friends with whoever’s sitting next to him on a plane. 

Angela [00:08:28] Oh, yeah. 

Jenna [00:08:29] You have that in common. 

Angela [00:08:31] This is true. 

Jenna [00:08:34] Well, that’s all I got. All my fast facts were about Will Ferrell. I mean, this is his first episode. What can I say? 

Angela [00:08:40] I have a fun DVD tidbit. For those of you that have the DVDs, there is an awesome extended producer’s cut of this episode. If you love Will Ferrell and you love Will and Steve together, you’re gonna want to go watch the extended cut because there is so much more of D’Angelo and Michael. And I’m going to sprinkle a few scenes in throughout the episode that were just too good. I have to share. 

Jenna [00:09:03] I could watch hours of those two so this is very good news to me. Well, what do you think? Should we take a break? And then when we come back, we break down this episode? 

Angela [00:09:11] I think so, because two strangers are going to find a friendship at a bar. 

Jenna [00:09:16] Mm hmm. 

Angela [00:09:16] Mm hmm. We’re back. And can you guess what this sound is? 

Jenna [00:09:26] That’s right. That’s a Kahlua sombrero. Michael’s drink. You know we had to try it. Sam, Cassi, Angela, how do we like Michael’s drink? 

Angela [00:09:37] It is refreshing. 

Jenna [00:09:40] Oh that’s wonderful! 

Angela [00:09:41] I know. I know. I’m here for it. 

Jenna [00:09:43] Guys, what do you think? 

Sam [00:09:45] Great. 

Cassi [00:09:46] Ooh it’s really nice. 

Angela [00:09:46] It’s really nice. I was expecting a cringe, and there’s no cringe. 

Jenna [00:09:51] According to the Kahlua website, it is made with two ounces of Kahlua to three ounces of milk, and it has approximately 518 calories per glass. 

Angela [00:10:00] Oh, my gosh. 

Jenna [00:10:01] I mean. It’s it seems like a shocking amount of calories for this refreshing drink. They also, incidentally, on the Kahlua website, I noticed they had a drink called the Orange Blonde. And it really reminded me of Jim and Pam’s drink of Baileys and orange juice. 

Angela [00:10:20] Hmm. 

Jenna [00:10:20] Because the photo on the website, it’s not selling the Orange Blonde very well. It looks like that curdled drink that we drank before. But I don’t know. I didn’t bring the ingredients for that one. I don’t even know why I’m bringing it up. 

Angela [00:10:37] I’m okay. I’m okay to pass on the Orange Blonde. When you said Orange Blonde, I just thought of, like, those summers when I was lifeguarding as a teenager and we put a whole bunch of Sun-In in our hair, and we all like these orange blondes. Well, Jenna and Sam made this Kahlua Sombrero, and it’s so good. I Googled it. I didn’t even know if it was a real drink, and I looked it up. Here’s one thing I found that I thought was interesting. A lot of these types of drinks became popular during Prohibition. 

Jenna [00:11:04] Oh? 

Angela [00:11:04] According to the Internet, cocktail fans had to get creative. In this case, people that liked brandy or whiskey, they could camouflage their drinks with milk, and it was harder to detect the alcohol. 

Jenna [00:11:16] Mmm. Yeah. Lady, can I make an observation? 

Angela [00:11:20] What? 

Jenna [00:11:20] When you do your deep dives, it just tickles me each time, it’s one of my favorite things you do. 

Angela [00:11:24] What? Do I say, According to the Internet? 

Jenna [00:11:27] Yes. You credit the entire Internet. Not a specific website. Just the whole Internet says this thing and it just- every time. I love it.

Angela [00:11:36] Well, I usually look at a few different sources, so I just credit the whole shebang. 

Jenna [00:11:45] Well, Michael is going to meet a stranger who’s also having a drink at the bar. They’re going to strike up a little conversation and become fast friends. 

Angela [00:11:53] I thought this toast was one of the best toasts I’d ever heard. And since we’re drinking a Kahlua Sombrero together, we’ve got to hear Michael and Deangelo’s toast. 

Michael Scott [00:12:03] I’m leaving my company. After 19 years. 

Deangelo [00:12:07] I’ll drink to that. I’m starting at a company this week. 

Michael Scott [00:12:10] Oh, really? 

Deangelo [00:12:12] To beginnings and endings. 

Michael Scott [00:12:13] And to middles. The unsung heroes. And to moms. 

Deangelo [00:12:18] The moms of the troops. 

Jenna [00:12:20] That’s right. They are going to drink to beginnings, endings, middles. 

Angela [00:12:27] The unsung heroes. 

Jenna [00:12:28] Moms and the troops. 

Angela [00:12:31] Cheers. 

Jenna [00:12:31] They got it all. They go on to discuss the fact that Michael is moving to Colorado. You know, the Sunshine State. It’s actually the Centennial State. Florida is the Sunshine State. 

Angela [00:12:44] It would be funny if through this whole scene there was just the like (MAKES BUZZER SOUND) every time they got something wrong. 

Jenna [00:12:49] I know! Because then Deangelo says, Don’t mess with Colorado. 

Angela [00:12:52] Instead of, Don’t mess with Texas. 

Jenna [00:12:54] Yes. It’s amazing. Sonny Bobo. Michael doesn’t want to end up like him. And it turns out they both really love the Summer Olympics. 

Angela [00:13:05] I loved it when they were like, Try the luge once, you’ll never go back. 

Jenna [00:13:10] Yeah. 

Angela [00:13:11] This scene would have continued, Jenna. There’s a whole montage of them hanging out all night. I want you to hear a little bit of it. First they just- 

Jenna [00:13:18] Like they hanging out before they realize who they are? 

Angela [00:13:22] No, hanging out before they go to the office. 

Jenna [00:13:25] Oh, I see. 

Angela [00:13:26] There was a lot more hanging out and it it culminates with them going to see Dunder Mifflin. But I want to play a little bit of it. First of all, they decide to do shots. We see a little bit of that, but the scene would have continued. 

Michael Scott [00:13:39] I have heard that it is impossible to become addicted to vodka. 

Deangelo [00:13:43] That is true. That is true. Vodka is non addictive. Most of the higher spirits are undetectable. 

Michael Scott [00:13:49] It’s because of the potato. One, two, three. 

Deangelo [00:13:52] To new friends. 

Michael Scott [00:13:57] Wow. 

Deangelo [00:13:58] This is going to take hours. 

Angela [00:14:03] Neither of them could drink the whole shot. They just barely took a sip, and they were both like, blech! And then there’s a montage of them playing a video game. In the background you might have seen of this scene it looked like- I thought it was an ATM machine. There’s actually a whole scene of them playing a game called Photo Hunt on it. Then they eat hot wings and bruschetta, and then they end up at the swimming pool of the hotel. And they have a whole conversation about The Onion. The magazine The Onion. 

Jenna [00:14:32] Oh. Uh huh. 

Angela [00:14:33] And let’s hear that. 

Deangelo [00:14:35] Because one day they say that blueberries prevent cancer and the next day they say that blueberries cause cancer. 

Michael Scott [00:14:40] That’s totally true. You know what would be a great Onion headline? Cancer prevents cancer. 

Deangelo [00:14:54] That’s so Onion. 

Michael Scott [00:14:55] I know. 

Deangelo [00:14:55] It’s so you. But it’s also so Onion.

Angela [00:15:01] Are they like in a swimming pool while they’re having that conversation? I hear water.

Angela [00:15:05] Yeah, they’re sitting next to the swimming pool and they’re just kind of like flipping their hands in the water, you know? 

Jenna [00:15:11] I see. 

Angela [00:15:11] And they get so tickled by each other. That snort laugh cracked me up. I went to the script. It was totally scripted. But if you watch it, you can see them acting like laughing, and then they just the two of them just both start laughing. 

Jenna [00:15:24] Right. Well, I do want to give a shout out to our bartender, played by Casey Washington, and give you a little location alert. At the beginning of this episode, you see an exterior shot of a hotel. That is actually a shot of the Scranton Hotel. But we filmed this episode at the Universal Sheraton on Lankershim in North Hollywood, California. So, Angela, we had a fan question from Cassandra A in Victoria, British Columbia. How much of Will and Steve’s dialogue was improvised? You mentioned all that stuff by the pool was scripted. Was this pretty much scripted? 

Angela [00:15:58] I would say so. I mean, it’s kind of hard to tell because you have the extended cut and then you have the episode that aired. And then in the shooting draft, there were one or two discrepancies. So you can see where they probably went off book here or there. But it was very scripted, what you’re seeing, almost word for word, pause for pause. 

Jenna [00:16:18] Wow. Well, this is all going to lead them to Dunder Mifflin. Michael is going to show Deangelo the office late at night. 

Angela [00:16:25] Oh, yeah. 

Jenna [00:16:26] I guess Deangelo is so excited to see it. He says this will do just fine. And then Deangelo is going to have his first talking head. 

Angela [00:16:33] Yeah, he’s going to say he’s looking forward to tomorrow. And then Michael jumps up from underneath, and they’re like, Did that just happen? And they start to chase each other and they’re like, We should make a movie! You guys, they’ve had an evening of drinking. 

Jenna [00:16:45] A lot of that got cut out. So this talking head is making a lot more sense to me now that you’ve filled in the blanks, Angela. 

Angela [00:16:51] Not only that, but their first day at Dunder Mifflin would have started with Michael asleep on the couch. They literally stayed there overnight. 

Jenna [00:17:02] What? 

Angela [00:17:03] Yeah. And Deangelo comes in in the morning with some coffees. This is how the scenes at Dunder Mifflin would have started. 

Deangelo [00:17:14] Rise and shine. Coffee time. 

Michael Scott [00:17:19] Oh, do not talk to me until I have had my coffee. 

Deangelo [00:17:23] Until I’ve had my coffee, do not talk to me. 

Michael Scott [00:17:32] Mmm. Oh. Oh, I feel better. 

Deangelo [00:17:36] I feel awesome. It does not agree with me. Coffee. 

Michael Scott [00:17:42] No. 

Deangelo [00:17:42] And yet I have to have it. 

Michael Scott [00:17:44] You know what? Coffee keeps me regular. It’s. 

Deangelo [00:17:51] That’s. 

Michael Scott [00:17:51] The best time of the day in that in that regard. 

Deangelo [00:17:54] Right right right. 

Michael Scott [00:17:54] It’s the best time of the day. 

Deangelo [00:17:55] Right right right. 

Michael Scott [00:17:57] I give it about 7 minutes. 

Deangelo [00:18:00] Really? 

Michael Scott [00:18:01] Yeah. 7 minutes and then it’s beeline. 

Deangelo [00:18:05] So at 8:37… 

Angela [00:18:11] Well, this scene would have gone on to Oscar in the parking lot. And then there was another scene, Jenna. Pam and Jim are arriving to work and Pam sits down to her computer and is like, What’s this? And Michael’s like, Oh, ignore that. It’s a screenplay. And Pam reads off her computer, The Adventure Pals by Deangelo Vickers and Michael Scott. And then she scrolls and goes, Oh my. It’s 150 pages long! 

Jenna [00:18:38] They spent all night writing their screenplay? 

Angela [00:18:41] Uh huh. 

Jenna [00:18:42] Oh. I would give anything to read that. 

Angela [00:18:45] The Adventure Pals. Right after the scene of Pam discovering the adventure pals, Kevin enters wearing his toupee. It says in the shooting draft, he winks to camera. He’s feeling sassy today.

Jenna [00:18:59] Well, he picked a good day to wear his toupee. Maybe- did we all know that we were going to meet our new manager today? Was that a thing? 

Angela [00:19:06] We must have. 

Jenna [00:19:08] Because Michael is going to make an announcement. He’s standing in front of his office. The blinds are drawn. He asks everyone for a round of applause, and then he introduces Deangelo. 

Angela [00:19:21] Deangelo’s speech is so hilarious when he talks about just himself when he’s like, I’m as comfortable at a ballgame as I am at the opera. This speech would have continued. We would have learned more about him. 

Jenna [00:19:34] Yes. Angela, I had to know if there was more to this. And I also went to the script. I had to know. 

Angela [00:19:40] Would you like to hear it? Because we also shot it. 

Jenna [00:19:43] Oh, please! I’d much rather hear it than read it. 

Deangelo [00:19:47] A little bit about myself. I love the American Southwest, for starters. You may call them Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah. I call them heaven. I have a peanut allergy, something I live with. It’s a part of me. I’ve learned to cope with it. I was a nationally ranked high jumper in high school. 

Michael Scott [00:20:06] Really? 

Deangelo [00:20:07] Yeah. 

Michael Scott [00:20:07] I didn’t know that. 

Deangelo [00:20:08] I couldn’t do it in college for academic reasons. And that’s something that still bugs me. What else? I’m just as comfortable at a ballgame as I am at the opera. 

Angela [00:20:19] I just think about the writers room after a speech like that, and I think about them all just shouting out different quirks of Deangelo Vickers and how much fun it must have been as a writers room to build this character. 

Jenna [00:20:32] Well, you know, there was another line in the script that didn’t make it that was my favorite. Deangelo says, I’ve never ridden a motorcycle. I’ve had chances. It just doesn’t interest me. And I believe with hard work, we can become the greatest office in the world. I really do. I feel like the line that really gives me insight into this person, into Deangelo, is that he’s never ridden a motorcycle. But it’s not because he hasn’t had chances to ride a motorcycle. It just doesn’t interest him. So it’s like, what person shares their non-interests when giving an introductory speech about themselves? 

Angela [00:21:12] That’s very funny. That’s a great takeaway. So it’d be like, what would your non-interest be in your speech? 

Jenna [00:21:20] Let me think for a second. 

Angela [00:21:22] I have one. 

Jenna [00:21:23] Okay. What’s yours? 

Angela [00:21:24] The first thing that came to mind is like, you know what I’m not interested in? Is any kind of workout that’s like a boot camp. Like, I don’t need anyone yelling at me as I’m trying to do a push up. That’s not going to help me. It’s just going to make me mad. So I’ve had many opportunities to do those kind of gym classes, but I’m not interested. 

Jenna [00:21:43] I mean, imagine if you were introducing yourself to a new group of people and that was part of your speech. Hi, I’m Angela Kinsey. I love crafting. I love my family. I don’t like boot camps. I’m not interested in someone yelling at me. I understand that they can be effective, but it’s not for me. And I love roller skating. 

Angela [00:22:04] Yeah.  

Jenna [00:22:05] Like, could you imagine if you included that in your speech about yourself? That cracks me up. I actually think it’s a really wonderful way to introduce yourself. I think we should all- I’d love to know the things that people aren’t interested in as well as the things that they are interested in. I think it sort of deepens the relationship. 

Angela [00:22:20] Certainly makes speeches more interesting. 

Jenna [00:22:22] Exactly. I want to go to that wedding speech. 

Angela [00:22:26] Yeah, I want to hear that groomsman toast. 

Jenna [00:22:29] Listen, we had a fan catch from Tracy G in Albuquerque who said, I think I noticed the return of Meredith’s designer vest in this episode. 

Angela [00:22:38] Oh, yeah! 

Jenna [00:22:39] Yes, Tracy, you did. 

Angela [00:22:40] It’s back. 

Jenna [00:22:41] At 4 minutes, 34 seconds, Kate is wearing that like $250 designer vest that I wore once to a publicity event for NBC. 

Angela [00:22:50] And you know what? They got their money out of that vest because Meredith has worn it now so many times. 

Jenna [00:22:56] Sure has. We also had a fan question from Megan S in Troy, Ohio, who said, At 6 minutes and 43 seconds, Michael is introducing Deangelo and asks everyone to start clapping. Andy claps right away. Dwight and Phyllis join in shortly thereafter, although Dwight stops clapping once Deangelo is revealed, and eventually everyone in the scene claps except for Stanley. Was this moment choreographed, scripted, or was the cast told to just clap in character? Megan. We all just did what we thought our characters would do. But after reading your fan question, I watched the scene, and man, it’s really fun to see how everyone decided to clap. It’s so, like, it’s such a little thing, but we all did it in our character’s way. And it’s really rich and delicious. Thank you for pointing it out. 

Angela [00:23:49] Oh, I’m going to go back and rewatch it. I love moments like that. Well, everyone in the office definitely has different reactions to Deangelo being there. Dwight is devastated. All of his hopes and dreams of being the manager are gone, and he really has put the time in. 11 years. 

Jenna [00:24:06] Mm hmm. 

Angela [00:24:07] Kelly, on the other hand, sees the opportunity for romance. 

Jenna [00:24:10] Oh, my gosh. She walks in, drops her folders in front of Deangelo, takes her hair clip out. 

Angela [00:24:18] Shakes her hair all around. She does the classic hair toss. 

Jenna [00:24:23] She takes her glasses off and bites the stem of her glasses. And then she has a talking head where she says, That’s what you call a meet cute. It got me curious, Angela, about meet cutes. 

Angela [00:24:35] And? 

Jenna [00:24:37] Well, you know, a meet cute is a common scene found in romantic comedies in which the love interests meet for the first time. The term meet cute was an accidental phrase coined by a German American film director named Ernst Lubitsch. He used the phrase to describe a scene in the 1938 film Bluebeard’s Eighth Wife. That’s the name of the movie. It’s not about pirates. It’s a romantic comedy starring Claudette Colbert and Gary Cooper, and they meet in a store while shopping for pajamas. 

Angela [00:25:12] And it’s his eighth wife? 

Jenna [00:25:14] I don’t know. I don’t know if she becomes his eighth wife. I’m not sure who Bluebeard is. I really just concentrated on the meet cute. 

Angela [00:25:23] My aunt Thelma had eight husbands. 

Jenna [00:25:25] What? 

Angela [00:25:26] And my mom said to her one time, she was just kind of making a joke, she goes, (SINGS) All, my exes live in Texas. And my Aunt Thelma said, Bertie Jo, I don’t appreciate that. Every single one of my divorces felt like a death, and I’d appreciate it if you don’t joke about it. And my mom was like, eek, and I was in the car with my mom and I just had this moment- I think I was like 12- where I was like, dayum! Like that was like Aunt Thelma just shut mom down. 

Jenna [00:25:53] Did your mom go to all the weddings? What are you thinking when you’re at, like, the sixth one? 

Angela [00:25:59] I don’t know. I don’t know. Aunt Thelma was an amazing woman. She was, like, really a career headstrong gal. Maybe they couldn’t keep up with her. 

Jenna [00:26:10] It sounds like it. 

Angela [00:26:11] She also sold insurance, but she’s also had two albums that got played on the radio. 

Jenna [00:26:18] Oh, my gosh. 

Angela [00:26:19] She wrote a song called I’m An All-American Girl. Gonna tell it like it is. 

Jenna [00:26:23] Do we have an audio clip? 

Angela [00:26:25] I mean, we can get one. My Aunt Thelma’s passed away, but I love that we’re still talking about her because she was bigger than life. 

Jenna [00:26:32] Well, I’d love to hear an audio clip of her song, so we’re going to need to get that and honor her. 

Angela [00:26:37] I would love that. Let me text my Uncle Jack. 

Jenna [00:26:40] Well, while we’re waiting, I have an audio clip of the meet cute in Bluebeard’s Eighth Wife. Gary Cooper is shopping for pajamas. He only wants to purchase the top of the pajamas. 

Angela [00:26:50] Not the bottom?

Jenna [00:26:51] Doesn’t want the bottom. I don’t know why. 

Angela [00:26:54] Sam, is that a Burning Man thing? That’s a Burning Man thing. 

Sam [00:26:57] Why are you asking me this? 

Angela [00:26:58] Cuz no bottoms at Burning Man is what I’ve heard. 

Jenna [00:27:03] You can’t wear bottoms at Burning Man? 

Angela [00:27:04] You can, but I think some fellas don’t. It’s a thing. I’ve like read about it. 

Jenna [00:27:09] Like no bottoms? No bottoms. 

Angela [00:27:11] No bottoms. 

Sam [00:27:11] I regret coming in. 

Jenna [00:27:12] Nude on the bottom? 

Sam [00:27:12] Like I was- that is a thing. 

Angela [00:27:14] I knew it! I’ve heard about it. 

Jenna [00:27:16] Fully nudity on the bottom?! 

Sam [00:27:17] Yeah. 

Angela [00:27:17] Yeah, it’s got a term. They call it shirt cocking or something? 

Sam [00:27:21] Shirt cocking. They also call it Pooh Bear-ing. Like Pooh Bear. Mm hmm. 

Jenna [00:27:26] Okay. 

Angela [00:27:27] I don’t know. 

Sam [00:27:28] Also Donald Duck. 

Angela [00:27:28] I don’t know why I knew that. It’s somehow like I stumbled across an article about Burning Man, but. 

Jenna [00:27:35] Well Gary Cooper wants to Pooh Bear and only wear the top of his pajamas. And the guys in the shop will not sell the pajamas that way. So Claudette Colbert walks up and says, I’ll buy the bottoms. 

Angela [00:27:47] Ooh! 

Jenna [00:27:48] Mm hmm. She says, I could use some bottoms only. 

Angela [00:27:52] Well, hey! 

Jenna [00:27:53] So here is the audio clip. 

Salesman [00:27:55] Monsieur, the management feels that to sell a pair of pajamas without the trousers would create a precedent and the consequences might prove disastrous. Now, our president says we’ve had enough trouble in Europe as it is. And he wonders if you would be kind enough to look at the selection of straw hats. 

Gary Cooper [00:28:08] You tell your president that if I can’t buy pajamas without the trousers, I’ll. 

Claudette Colbert [00:28:12] I’ll buy the trousers. Yes, I may buy the trousers. How do you do? 

Salesman [00:28:18] How do you do, madame? How do you do? 

Gary Cooper [00:28:20] How do you do? 

Claudette Colbert [00:28:20] I am looking for pajamas for a gentleman. And for his purpose, the trousers are enough. 

Salesman [00:28:26] A very fortunate solution. 

Gary Cooper [00:28:29] Yeah. Certainly is. 

Claudette Colbert [00:28:30] Provided we can agree on the color and the pattern, of course. 

Gary Cooper [00:28:32] Well, how about this blue pair? 

Claudette Colbert [00:28:34] Oh, heavens, no. It’s too dark. I like to see something gay in the morning, don’t you? 

Gary Cooper [00:28:39] Not too darn gay. There’s not a laugh in me before breakfast. 

Claudette Colbert [00:28:42] Oh, you should try to brighten up your life. Now, let’s see. How about this one? 

Gary Cooper [00:28:48] Stripes? I hate stripes. 

Claudette Colbert [00:28:50] Oh. Oh, now, that’s funny. When I was standing at the other counter, I was watching you. 

Gary Cooper [00:28:55] You were? 

Claudette Colbert [00:28:56] Oh, I hope you don’t mind? 

Gary Cooper [00:28:57] Not a bit. 

Claudette Colbert [00:28:59] Well, I said to myself, Now, if I had to select pajamas for that gentleman, what would I choose? And let me tell you, if ever there was a stripey type, it’s you. Why don’t you try it on? 

Gary Cooper [00:29:16] What do you think? 

Claudette Colbert [00:29:17] Stunning! 

Gary Cooper [00:29:18] These things are so loud, I’d hear them in the dark. I have enough trouble getting to sleep. 

Claudette Colbert [00:29:21] Oh, you don’t look like (UNCLEAR) to insomnia. 

Gary Cooper [00:29:23] Really? It’s no joke. I don’t sleep well. 

Claudette Colbert [00:29:26] Surely you can’t blame it on the pajamas. 

Gary Cooper [00:29:28] I guess you’re right. It’s probably the climate. 

Claudette Colbert [00:29:30] Now, don’t blame it on the Riviera. I resent that. We have the best climate in the world here, and we’re very proud of it. 

Gary Cooper [00:29:35] I’m sorry. I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but I don’t sleep. 

Claudette Colbert [00:29:37] Maybe you should see a doctor. By the way, how many pillows do you use? 

Gary Cooper [00:29:41] None. 

Claudette Colbert [00:29:42] Did you ever try putting two pillows under your feet? 

Gary Cooper [00:29:44] No. 

Claudette Colbert [00:29:45] Don’t do it. It’s very bad. Oh, do you know what might help you? The method of Professor Urganzef.

Gary Cooper [00:29:51] What’s that? 

Claudette Colbert [00:29:52] Well you, you take a long word like, like Czechoslovakia, for instance, and you spell it backwards. 

Gary Cooper [00:29:58] I can’t even spell it forward. 

Claudette Colbert [00:29:59] You should try it just once. As you spell it backwards, you stretch and yawn between each letter. Oh, you drift off in no time. 

Gary Cooper [00:30:06] Sounds swell. 

Claudette Colbert [00:30:07] You’ll take the stripes? 

Gary Cooper [00:30:08] I’ll take the stripes. 

Jenna [00:30:11] I love it so much. I want to see the whole movie. 

Angela [00:30:15] Yeah, I can’t, I can’t get enough of that. 

Jenna [00:30:16] There’s so much to unpack in that audio clip. Gary Cooper is a real stick in the mud, except he wants to wear pajama tops only. 

Angela [00:30:25] Mmhmm. 

Jenna [00:30:25] But otherwise, he can’t sleep. He doesn’t use a pillow. He doesn’t like to laugh in the mornings. There’s so much. 

Angela [00:30:32] So much. I just love that she says, Whatever you do, don’t blame it on the Riviera. 

Jenna [00:30:38] I know! It’s so amazing. Also, though, the guy doesn’t want to sell him just the tops only because the guy is like, What will this start? You know what it starts? Burning Man. 

Angela [00:30:48] Apparently. 

Jenna [00:30:49] I mean, the guy was right. If we start selling pajama tops only. 

Angela [00:30:53] Pajamas separate. 

Jenna [00:30:53] We’re going to get to Burning Man. And it happened. So he was correct. After finding this clip, I felt compelled to Google best movie meet cutes ever. 

Angela [00:31:04] Oh, yeah?

Jenna [00:31:05] There are so many lists, so many articles. I went down a rabbit hole watching meet cutes. I highly recommend this if you need a boost in your mood. Just Google meet cutes. 

Angela [00:31:17] Is there like a link? Is there like a compilation on YouTube or something? 

Jenna [00:31:21] I didn’t find any compilations because I was going through the articles and I would just see the movie and then I would try to search for that meet cute. 

Angela [00:31:29] Mhm. 

Jenna [00:31:30] Some of the top ones were when Harry Met Sally. 

Angela [00:31:33] Mhm. 

Jenna [00:31:34] Moonstruck. 

Angela [00:31:35] Oh I love Moonstruck. 

Jenna [00:31:37] One of my favorites. How Stella Got Her Groove Back. Also delicious. 

Angela [00:31:42] Uh huh. 

Jenna [00:31:43] The Big Sick. There were so many. I could go on and on. But do yourself a favor. If you ever need a mood boost. Watch some meet cutes. 

Angela [00:31:52] Speaking of some uplifting stuff, here is my Aunt Thelma’s song. I found it. All-American Girl. 

Jenna [00:31:59] Yay! 

Aunt Thelma [00:32:09] I’m an all-American girl. Gonna tell it like it is. So tired of lies and alibis, for now I’m calling (UNCLEAR). Don’t care where you put me on your scale of 1 to 10. This All-American girl’s got (UNCLEAR). I’m an All-American girl, gonna tell it like it is. Don’t wait alone at home no more now that I know the score. I sat back and tried to make you look so fine and good, a good old boy who meant no harm, just doing all you could. See who comes home first tonight (UNCLEAR) This All-American girl has made up her own mind. I’m an All-American girl gotta tell it like it is…

Jenna [00:33:10] Angela, I love it so much. She has a great voice. Oh, my gosh. She wrote that herself? 

Angela [00:33:17] Yes, She wrote two songs and they actually got played on the radio. When it happened, when we heard her song, my whole family went crazy. It was so exciting. 

Jenna [00:33:25] Of course! 

Angela [00:33:26] And she would be so tickled, you know, she’s passed away, but she’d be so tickled to know that we played her song on our podcast. 

Jenna [00:33:33] I’m glad we did. 

Angela [00:33:34] Me too. 

Jenna [00:33:35] Well, Michael is now going to tell the story of his meet cute with Deangelo. It’s a hilarious story, but no one seems to find it hilarious. In fact, Angela, you have my favorite line in the whole episode, which is that story makes you sound stupid. 

Angela [00:33:53] I know. It was so fun to say. Well, we’re going to start to see a trend in the story here because now Deangelo is going to tell the story and everyone thinks it’s hilarious. They don’t think it’s stupid. Michael is not pleased. And Andy says, You know what? That’s why I always carry a few of these around. He opens up his jacket and he has name tags ready to go with his name on them. Deangelo thinks this is hilarious and goes, Hey, funny guy. Office funny guy! 

Jenna [00:34:21] Oh, that’s going to start a whole thing. 

Angela [00:34:24] It is also hilarious, though, that Andy would carry name tags around. I mean, that is hilarious. 

Jenna [00:34:29] I have to say, when I saw that, I thought it was kind of a brilliant idea. 

Angela [00:34:33] It’s a great move. That’s what you want. The first time you meet people, you want to tell them the things you’re not interested in, and then let them know that you have extra name tags. 

Jenna [00:34:42] Yeah. This is changing my whole life, this episode. Now, Michael is going to introduce Jim and Pam, and Jim and Pam are going to talk about their baby Cece, and it seems like Deangelo is really into this idea that they have a baby because he has four kids of his own. 

Angela [00:35:00] Oh yeah, They’re very excited. They see their in. 

Jenna [00:35:03] They have this Jim and Pam talking head where Jim has this line, They never talk about careers being made because of unplanned pregnancies. And I noticed an acting faux pas. 

Angela [00:35:15] What? 

Jenna [00:35:17] It’s on me. If you watch the talking head. I start-

Angela [00:35:20] Do you mouth his lines? 

Jenna [00:35:22] No, I don’t mouth his lines. I start laughing before Jim finishes his joke. 

Angela [00:35:27] Oh. 

Jenna [00:35:28] His line is, They never talk about careers that were made- and then I start giggling. But he hasn’t finished the rest of his sentence. I clearly- we had done the talking head so many times that I knew-. 

Angela [00:35:39] That you were jumping ahead. 

Jenna [00:35:41] I was jumping in with my laughter before he had finished speaking. If you watch it, it makes no sense that she would already be laughing. Anyway. Acting faux pas. 

Angela [00:35:50] Faux pas. Dwight is going to lure Michael into the stairwell. And one of my favorite lines of the whole episode is coming up. Michael says, Are you kidding? I’d come anywhere to see a turtle. Where did you find him? I mean, what the hell? He’s so excited about a turtle. 

Jenna [00:36:09] Well, there is no turtle. And now Michael’s annoyed because he’s going to have to go watch videos of turtles. 

Angela [00:36:14] Dwight’s going to ask him, Why, Michael? You know? I mean, why wasn’t I considered? You were pushing for me, right? No. Michael was not pushing for him. 

Jenna [00:36:25] Dwight doesn’t know that yet. 

Angela [00:36:27] But he he will. And it’s going to break his heart. There would have been a Jim and Pam scene here, were they’re, you know, really going to lean into this Cece bit that they’re doing with Deangelo. And it really shows how all of this starts to build. I want you to hear it. 

Jim [00:36:44] Deangelo, You will- you’ll get a kick out of this. You know those old school blocks, the wooden blocks for kids? 

Deangelo [00:36:50] Mmhmm. 

Pam [00:36:50] Oh, my gosh. Yes. Oh, yeah. The block story. This is great. Okay, go ahead. 

Jim [00:36:53] Right. So the the blocks with the letters. 

Deangelo [00:36:55] The letters. Yeah, sure, sure, sure. 

Jim [00:36:56] So we give a set of those to Cece and we turn around for like a second. 

Pam [00:37:00] A second. 

Jim [00:37:01] And we turn back and she has spelled out the word ass in the blocks. So we’re laughing. She’s grinning. 

Pam [00:37:08] It was so funny. 

Stanley [00:37:10] Kids are a riot. They really do say the darndest things. 

Angela [00:37:15] So Deangelo is just looking at you guys with, like this blank expression. And then Stanley’s like, Oh, maybe I need to chime in here on the kid thing. Maybe the kid thing is working. So he puts the button. But Deangelo is just looking at you guys like, I don’t know what to say to these people. 

Jenna [00:37:31] I remember shooting that scene, and I just want to say I’m really impressed with me and John in this episode and our giddiness over our daughter. We did not have children yet, either of us. And I thought we really seemed like parents. I feel like we’re told stories how parents do. Parents really are, like, so tickled by the little things that their kids do. And we had no experience with that yet. But I like I think we did so good. I had to remind myself that when we shot this, we were still childless in our real lives. 

Angela [00:38:01] It’s so true, though. It’s so true. I was once at a very, very fancy award show party, and I walked up to a very well-known actress and her husband. I was making conversation. Isabel was only a year old. They did not have kids yet. And you guys would all know who these people are. They’re very famous. And I was trying to make conversation, and I told a story about Isabel. And the wife sort of nodded like, Oh, yeah. And the husband looked at me and said, I have a lawyer who has a kid, and whenever I can’t sleep, I call him and I tell him to tell me something about his kid. 

Jenna [00:38:38] Oh, my gosh! 

Angela [00:38:40] Yeah. And I went- 

Jenna [00:38:42] You realize that privately, you’re going to tell me who these people are. 

Angela [00:38:44] Oh, yeah, I will. Because I went, Okay. Uh huh. And I just, like, slowly backed away and I thought, Oh, man, you’re kind of a dick. You would know who this person is. He’s very famous. I will tell you later, Jenna. And when we do our podcast called Burn it to the Ground, I’ll tell everybody. 

Jenna [00:39:03] Great. Have we established on air that we’re doing a podcast called Office Ladies: Burn it to the Ground yet? 

Angela [00:39:08] No, we haven’t, but I guess we just did. Some day. Our last episode ever, when we’re riding off into the sunset, we’ll call it Burn It to the Ground. 

Jenna [00:39:17] Lady, we’re going to do a whole podcast in our sixties. 

Angela [00:39:21] Oh, my God. 

Jenna [00:39:22] Called Office Ladies Burn it to the Ground where we just go through our list. 

Angela [00:39:27] Yeah. 

Jenna [00:39:28] And we name names. 

Angela [00:39:30] Yeah, we go through our Aria Stark list. We rattle it off. 

Jenna [00:39:35] It’s going to be so fun. Deangelo is in the break room and people are just hanging on his every word and doing everything they can to impress him. Suddenly Darryl loves the Southwest. It’s one of his favorite regions. He loves the climate. This is going to lead us to my favorite scene, which is Deangelo suggesting to Erin that she not use her name when she answers the phone. 

Angela [00:40:00] Dunder-Mifflin, this is. 

Jenna [00:40:03] She likes it. 

Angela [00:40:06] And then Michael’s like, No, no, no, you should just do it the other way or however you want to do it, but like the other way. She’s a deer in headlights. The phone rings and she just goes, I’m sorry, and hangs up. 

Jenna [00:40:18] This scene is so great. Will has that ability to, with a smile, sort of like contradict you. And I don’t know how he does it, but he’s like, I mean, I have to manage some time, right? I think we’ll change it. It’s so good.

Angela [00:40:32] Yeah.  

Jenna [00:40:34] By the way, I just wanted to say in this scene, you know, Erin says that the reason she answers the phone that way is because that’s how Pam did it and that Pam is kind of a living legend. 

Angela [00:40:44] Mm hmm. 

Jenna [00:40:45] And we share a little smile. I would like to say that I improvised, Dunder Mifflin, this is Pam on our very first shoot day, and it just kind of stuck. It was when we were doing our atmospheric work with Ken Kwapis. And I did it because that’s how I always answered the phone when I worked in administrative jobs. I would always say like Putnam Investments, this is Jenna. 

Angela [00:41:07] Mm hmm. 

Jenna [00:41:09] Or wherever I was working. Blair Television, this is Jenna. 

Angela [00:41:12] Lady, you’re the living legend, not Pam. You.

Jenna [00:41:14] I know, I started it. It was me. 

Angela [00:41:17] There was a scene after this in the extended cut. Deangelo is doing an aggressive jump rope workout in the conference room. He’s in gym clothes. He’s playing a boombox, yelling and grunting and stuff. And Michael walks in and says, I see you have found the conference room. And Deangelo says, The multipurpose room. Yes, I have. 

Jenna [00:41:38] That’s interesting, because later he’s going to call a meeting in the multipurpose room. I totally clocked it. 

Angela [00:41:44] Every little thing he does is just slightly different than the way Michael does it. 

Jenna [00:41:49] Listen, I think we should take a break before we get into my second favorite scene, the shaving scene. I have fun stuff to share. 

Angela [00:41:58] Oh, so do I. So do I. 

Jenna [00:42:01] Back in a second. 

Angela [00:42:06] All right. We are back. And you guys, I’ve got some digital clutter for you. 

Jenna [00:42:12] You’re bringing us back with digital clutter? 

Angela [00:42:14] I am. Guess what we were emailing about while we were filming this episode? 

Jenna [00:42:19] My pregnancy? 

Angela [00:42:21] No. 

Jenna [00:42:21] That I was pregnant, that I was shopping for new clothes because I couldn’t fit in my wardrobe? 

Angela [00:42:25] No, we were emailing about the Screen Actors Guild Awards that we had been to on January 30th of 2011, and we shot this episode in early February. And I guess we were exchanging photos from our evening. 

Jenna [00:42:40] Oh, my gosh, Angela, I remember what I wore. I wore this baby blue dress that was very um it was form fitted, but it had a high neck. It was a lot of coverage, but it was very tailored. I had had the dress tailored, but by the time the event happened, I had a little poochie. I had a little belly bump. And somebody wrote an article where they, oh my gosh, they hated my dress. I loved my dress. I loved it. I felt old Hollywood glam. I loved it. They hated the dress. They said that it fit me horribly, that I was like, busting out of it or something. And I was mortified, mostly because I was afraid that my pregnancy news was going to break. I did not realize how bumpy it was. And listen, it’s not really bumpy. I mean, it’s like a woman’s body in a dress. 

Angela [00:43:34] Yeah. Yeah. 

Jenna [00:43:35] But I was afraid I was revealing something to the world that I wasn’t ready to reveal. 

Angela [00:43:40] Well, let me tell you about these pictures, Jenna. To this award show you went with your husband, Lee. I took my friend Michael, and I guess we had some new app where all the photos look like a Polaroid. 

Jenna [00:43:53] I remember these. 

Angela [00:43:53] And they’re a little blurry because these are old, old iPhones, right? Jenna, none of these are in our book. I hadn’t seen them in years. I can’t even believe I found them. Do you remember how at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, we would get these giant oversize bottles of wine? 

Jenna [00:44:10] Mm hmm. They would go up to, like, your waist if you sat it on the ground. 

Angela [00:44:14] They were, like, comically big. I have a photo of Lee doing a bit with one, pretending like he’s pouring it. And then I have these really fun photos from our evening at our table. Jenna, oh, my gosh. They made me so happy. I’ll post them, but I have to show them to you right now because this photo of Lee made me laugh and brought me right back to that evening. We look beautiful. We both went for the old Hollywood glam on this one. Ready? I’m going to show them to you. 

Jenna [00:44:41] Oh, my gosh! What are these pictures? 

Angela [00:44:46] I know. I didn’t find them when we were doing our book. Who knows how many more photos I have, by the way. 

Jenna [00:44:51] Are we Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield in these pictures? Lee looks so handsome. 

Angela [00:44:57] I know. Look at this. We are very excited to applaud for someone. You have your hands- you’re like clapping high in the air. Someone got an award we were very excited about. 

Jenna [00:45:09] Oh, yes, I approve. I approve of this award. Lady, was this the one where we marched backstage to get the food? Was I so hungry because I was pregnant? 

Angela [00:45:19] Yes. Yes! This is the one where we annoyed Laurence Fishburne. It’s in our book. But these photos I only just found. Look at this one. 

Jenna [00:45:28] Oh, my gosh. Who are we? We’re children. 

Angela [00:45:33] Look at one more. One more. 

Jenna [00:45:35] I’m so sad these aren’t in our book. 

Angela [00:45:36] I know! 

Jenna [00:45:38] You tried to go through all your digital clutter. You tried. 

Angela [00:45:42] Oh, my gosh. I’m going to post these because they really made me happy. 

Jenna [00:45:47] I love them. I love them all. We look amazing. We’re having the time of our lives. 

Angela [00:45:52] That’s what we were emailing about this week were these blurry Polaroid photos. Well, back in the episode, Deangelo is going to do a real boss move. He is going to have a man come and shave him in the office. 

Jenna [00:46:05] Yes. Reggie, the barber, played by Stanley Allman, is going to come in with his shaving kit. Michael is going to see this and he is going to then bring his own shaving kit in and demand that Erin shave his face. And this leads to my second favorite scene in this episode, which is this insane scene where Michael and Deangelo are side by side in Michael’s office, both getting a midday shave, one from a professional and the other from Erin. 

Angela [00:46:37] Did you see how much shaving cream she put on his face? Like, shouldn’t he have been worried right then? 

Jenna [00:46:44] I mean, it’s so insane. I texted Ellie because I had to know, Ellie, what was it like to do this scene? She wrote me back, Angela. And here is what she said. This is a quote. “Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. That scene is up there with one of my greatest days on Earth.” She said she broke many times, but we have good editors, as you know. She said, I mostly just remember thinking how unbelievably lucky I was that I got to do that as my job. She said, As always, Steve was a total pro, but she absolutely remembers just getting the giggles repeatedly. And then she said this. She said, “What I can’t remember was, was that a real blade? It couldn’t have been, right?” She said, “I’m pretty sure I was shaking.” 

Angela [00:47:35] There’s no way it was real. No way. 

Jenna [00:47:38] There was not. No. Randy told me that Phil Shea took the blade out of the razor. But Angela, I remember watching that scene. I remember standing in the room and watching it, and it was so funny. Angela, I have a fan catch from Hannah L in California who said, Is John Krasinski totally breaking when everyone walks in on Erin shaving Michael’s face and then does Mindy clock it? Yes, Hanna.

Angela [00:48:04] 100%

Jenna [00:48:05] 100%. 

Angela [00:48:06] Yeah. 

Jenna [00:48:07] And then we had a fan question from Becca H in Glasgow, Scotland, who said, Was the line, Don’t shave my lips improvised by Steve? The delivery is so good. I laugh every time. Angela?

Angela [00:48:19] I went to the shooting draft. It’s 100% scripted. 

Jenna [00:48:24] It’s so hard to believe. 

Angela [00:48:25] It’s so perfect. I loved this couplet of dialogue when Deangelo says, You know what? Enough about your baby, okay? I’m sorry. And Jim goes, We were- I think she was just trying to- and he goes, No, no, no, I know what you’re doing. Just quit it. Just quit it. 

Jenna [00:48:44] He does not want to hear their Dada story about Cece loving a dog. 

Angela [00:48:47] Oh, my gosh. When he says, Just quit it, I laughed so hard. So right after this scene, Jim and Pam regroup. It’s in the extended cut. I wanted you to hear it. 

Jim [00:48:59] Did we just totally blow it? 

Pam [00:49:01] I don’t know. I mean, I get the talking about your kid can be annoying. You know, everybody thinks their kid is the cutest in the world. Cece really is. 

Jim [00:49:09] Right? 

Pam [00:49:11] Yeah. 

Jim [00:49:12] We just got to get her in here. 

Angela [00:49:16] That’s their solution. We just got to bring her in. 

Jenna [00:49:19] He needs to see her in person. 

Angela [00:49:20] Yeah. Mm hmm. 

Jenna [00:49:22] Well, also, during this scene, Deangelo is going to ask people, how can he be the best manager for them? Like, how could he make things even better? And Michael says, Listen, be honest. It’s fine. So Oscar suggests maybe we could have some improved communication. You know, currently every single memo is marked urgent and it’s very confusing. And then Michael says he marks them urgent because if he didn’t, then no one would read them. But that he has a special system. Urgent A, Urgent B, Urgent C. Urgent D. Everyone knows Urgent D you can just ignore. Urgent A is really urgent. Lady, his reminded me, have I ever told you about the guy I worked for who had the color coded system for his mail and other memos? We’ve been doing the podcast so long I can’t even remember if I’ve told the story before. 

Angela [00:50:16] Wait, is this the guy that made you FedEx from the airport? Is this the same guy? 

Jenna [00:50:20] Yes. Same guy. 

Angela [00:50:21] Oh, my God. I don’t think I know the folder story. Tell it. 

Jenna [00:50:24] Okay. I apologize to everyone out there if I’ve already told this story. So I worked for this guy. I was his administrative assistant. I had to go through his email, his physical mail. I received all memos, interoffice memos, and he had this color coded filing system. There were something like eight different colors. And red was urgent. And then, like, the blue folder meant like executive correspondence. And then the purple folder was to be signed. Each folder had a different designation, but there was a problem because sometimes there would be something that was like urgent, that was executive correspondence and needed to be signed. And I asked him when I started, what do I do with a piece of mail like this? Which folder do I put it in? And he said, Put it in all three. 

Angela [00:51:16] So you had to make three copies and put it in all three? 

Jenna [00:51:19] Yes. It was insanity. It was so weird and it completely reminded me of urgent ABDC. I feel like that man would have created a similar system. 

Angela [00:51:31] Yeah. You know, Jenna, you and I temped at a lot of places. We had a lot of different bosses while we were struggling actresses. And this episode, when I watched it, brought back so many memories of just those random bosses you could have. I had one who would really try to support his workers, which was great, and a few of us were doing a sketch comedy show together, and he came to our sketch comedy show. 

Jenna [00:51:51] Mm hmm. 

Angela [00:51:52] This was one of my bosses at 1- 800 Dentist. And, you know, and the sketch comedy, you play a lot of wacky characters, right? 

Jenna [00:51:58] Yeah. 

Angela [00:51:59] And I played all kinds of crazy, wacky characters. And I don’t think he knew much about me because I just kind of kept to myself. I would come, sit at my station, answer calls from people looking for a dentist, and then I’d leave. But after he came to the sketch show, it’s like he thought I was the crazy gal. The crazy, wacky gal. I was Andy. 

Jenna [00:52:19] You were Andy! 

Angela [00:52:20] Yes! And he would walk past me and he’d be like, She’s crazy! She’s going to say something crazy and funny! 

Jenna [00:52:25] Oh no! 

Angela [00:52:25] And I’d just be like- yeah- and I’d be like, uhhhh. Just like the same thing. So much so he would also say, I bet you know where the parties are!  Like, I was like, I don’t know where any parties are. I was so boring, you know? But all of a sudden he thought I was a crazy, wacky gal. 

Jenna [00:52:42] Well, it sounds like you kind of had a good relationship with him, at least. Did you? Sort of? Or did it become a burden like it is for Andy? 

Angela [00:52:49] No, it was a total burden. I would like hide from him in the hallway because he would expect me to say something wacky or crazy. And I’m like, Listen, just because I played a zany newscaster or, you know, the nervous laugh neighbor, doesn’t mean I’m going to be that when I just want to go to the bathroom. 

Jenna [00:53:06] Yeah, I get it. 

Angela [00:53:07] Please don’t expect me to be a character when I’m at the vending machine or just trying to go pee. 

Jenna [00:53:13] You know Folder guy? 

Angela [00:53:14] Mm hmm. 

Jenna [00:53:15] Who sent me to the airport FedEx that one evening? I really didn’t care for him and I did snark him out one day. 

Angela [00:53:24] You did? 

Jenna [00:53:24] And it was really liberating, as you can probably surmise, he was a very controlling personality type. 

Angela [00:53:31] Mm hmm. 

Jenna [00:53:32] And I was working at an office that was very contained. You couldn’t leave for lunch. There was nothing around. It was a very industrial area. So you had to eat in their cafeteria. And there was a little outdoor courtyard. And his office looked out over the outdoor courtyard. He had a window. He could see everybody out his window. So one day after lunch, I only got a half hour lunch, by the way, unpaid. I’d like to say that. I did not get to put that half hour on my timecard. He called me into his office and he said, Um I was watching you during lunch. 

Angela [00:54:10] Ew! 

Jenna [00:54:10] Mm hmm. He said, I noticed that you put your head down on the table. I don’t know. Maybe you were taking a little nap. And I said, I did. I was tired after I ate. I laid my head down and I closed my eyes. It’s a nice day out. I felt the sunshine. It felt really good. He said, Yeah, you know what? That’s really unprofessional. This isn’t a place to take a nap. This is a workplace. 

Angela [00:54:34] Oh, my God. What did you say? 

Jenna [00:54:36] I said, Well, since you’re not paying me for my half hour lunch, I’m going to do whatever I want. I said, If you’d like to pay me for that time, then you can give me instructions on how to behave. But otherwise, I’ll do whatever I’d like during my half hour of unpaid time here in this building that I can’t leave. And then I walked out. 

Angela [00:54:58] I love it. 

Jenna [00:54:59] Because I’d kind of had enough. I was like, I’ll make your multiple copies for your dumb colored folders and I’ll drive your last minute work that you couldn’t get around to down to the airport. But because of all that, I’m going to need to lay my head down at lunchtime because you’re a major headache in my life, and I need a second. 

Angela [00:55:22] I love that. I love it. Oh. 

Jenna [00:55:26] Here’s the thing I knew in that moment: I knew that he couldn’t fire me because I knew he didn’t want to train someone new to do all of his weird folder (BLEEP), and so I had the tiniest bit of agency and I cashed it in in that moment. And I’m glad I did because the look on his face was priceless. And I still think back to it today. He was speechless. He did not know how to respond to that. Oh, my gosh. I don’t know how this turned into stories about our early days working, but. 

Angela [00:56:04] Apparently we needed to get this out. This is therapeutic, Jenna. We’re talking about all of our old bosses. 

Jenna [00:56:09] I feel better. 

Angela [00:56:10] I do, too. 

Jenna [00:56:11] Next, we’re going to move into the break room. Deangelo is having… lunch? Did you look at his plate? Can we talk about it for a second? 

Angela [00:56:24] What was on his plate? 

Jenna [00:56:25] Here. I took a picture of it. He has a Tupperware container that looks like it has broccoli. 

Angela [00:56:30] Mm hmm. 

Jenna [00:56:31] But then there’s another Tupperware container that’s open that looks like it has bean sprouts. But what is on his plate? Is that a stalk of lettuce? It looks like maybe he’s chopped off the bottom of the celery and he just has the top. What is he eating? 

Angela [00:56:49] I don’t know. He’s eating a lot of nothing. 

Jenna [00:56:51] I went to the script. It doesn’t have any direction for this. I was so very confused. 

Angela [00:56:59] Jenna, I know why he’s eating all of that, but I’m not going to tell you yet. 

Jenna [00:57:03] What?! 

Angela [00:57:04] I’m not going to tell you. It’s in the extended cut. It comes later in the episode. The explanation. I’m going to save it. 

Jenna [00:57:11] Well, I was very confused when the scene opened, so I’m excited that I’m going to get some answers. 

Angela [00:57:17] Mmhmm. Okay. Well, Andy thinks he’s written the perfect joke. He’s going to tell Deangelo since he’s the office funny guy. Deangelo doesn’t even think he’s telling a joke. He thinks he’s getting political, and he’s like, You know what? Just stick, stick to being the funny guy, all right? You’re the funny guy. No politics. Just be the funny guy. Poor Andy. Andy’s like, okay. And he starts to back out of the room and he legitimately trips and kind of falls on this table and it all tips over. And Deangelo is like, Yes! Funny guy! 

Jenna [00:57:48] We had a fan catch from Shannon M in Clinton Township, Michigan, who said, At 14 minutes and 50 seconds, when Andy trips and falls and pulls the table down, as the table is going down, I noticed a blue square under the table and thought it might be a sticky note telling production what set this table belongs to and what position it goes in which room. Am I right? Yes, Shannon, you are right. Remember when we saw that sticky tape under Pam’s desk that said Pam’s desk? 

Angela [00:58:18] Yeah. 

Jenna [00:58:18] They had little pieces of tape on all of the furniture saying what it was and where it went. 

Angela [00:58:24] One of the things that just delights me is that everyone is becoming so good at background catches, and I can’t wait to see what people catch each week. Deangelo is going to get a huge box. Erin’s like, Your stuff is here. Everyone gathers around. It’s a lot of southwest decor. 

Jenna [00:58:41] It reminded me of the stuff in our trailers. Remember, our trailers had a southwest decor. 

Angela [00:58:48] Yeah. Michael has a talking head where he says, You know, Deangelo is a great guy. He loves the guy. He’s not sure if he’s the right fit for the office. Also, I’m not sure if I love the guy. 

Jenna [00:58:57] Yeah, people are going to keep trying to suck up to Deangelo. Darryl’s sister is going to swing by the office and drop off some cowboy boots and a cowboy hat that Darryl is now going to wear. 

Angela [00:59:09] Yeah, he had a talking head, it’s in the extended cut, that explains his new love of the Southwest. Let’s hear it. 

Darryl [00:59:17] No, no. I’ve always love the Southwest. I got a lot of this stuff at home. You know, turquoise and rocks. I need this job, man. 

Angela [00:59:31] He just looks very. 

Jenna [00:59:32] He gets right to the point. 

Angela [00:59:32] Yeah. He starts, like, going off. And then he’s like, Who am I kidding? Look, I just need this job. Okay? Poor Andy is now going to walk past Deangelo on his way to the bathroom. And once again, he’s got to be office funny guy. I so related to him in this moment. This would be like me just wanting to go to the bathroom. But now my boss is like, Hey, sketch comedy girl, be funny, do a sketch, do an accent! And I’m like, I’m just getting the key to go pee. Thanks. 

Jenna [00:59:58] So in this scene, Andy is first going to kind of do, like some funny miming. 

Angela [01:00:04] Yeah, like he’s pulling a rope. 

Jenna [01:00:06] Yeah, but Deangelo is not liking it until it escalates. He’s going to pour hot coffee on his crotch, which really makes Deangelo laugh. And then Deangelo says, Drink this hand soap. And Andy starts pumping the hand soap into his mouth. 

Angela [01:00:22] Yeah. This is after he’s stuck his hand in a toaster, tossed teabags and cheese puffs all over himself. 

Jenna [01:00:29] I had to look in the script about this. I wanted to know. 

Angela [01:00:34] What was written and what was improvised? 

Jenna [01:00:36] Yes, because I felt like I could see a glimmer in Will’s eyes when he said, Drink this hand soap. And I felt like I saw Ed kind of laugh at the idea as Ed, but then do it. It is not scripted. 

Angela [01:00:53] Oh, no! 

Jenna [01:00:55] I texted Ed and Ed said it was an improv by Will and he gave it a big ol yes and. 

Angela [01:01:01] What did he squirt in his mouth? Did he-. 

Jenna [01:01:05] Soap! Soap!

Angela [01:01:05] Oh, my gosh. 

Jenna [01:01:06] It was just sitting there. He just did it. And I feel like Will was joking when he said, Do the hand soap. Because the scene was over. The scene was supposed to end with the hot coffee. And I think Will was kidding because you can even see I feel like I, knowing Will, he’s like, Do the hand soap, like as a bit, as a joke. But Ed was like, Okay, I’m up for it. And you can kind of see in the scene, Ed’s pumping it, but it’s really just hitting his lips. It’s not going all the way in his mouth. But yeah, that was a fun text exchange with Ed. He enjoyed remembering that moment. 

Angela [01:01:42] It’s going to cut to an Andy talking head where he’s like, I guess this is my life now. So after this Andy talking head, Jenna, we would have found out a little backstory about Deangelo that might have explained his lunch choice. 

Jenna [01:01:57] Oh, I’m getting my answer?

Angela [01:01:59] Yep. 

Jenna [01:02:00] All right. 

Angela [01:02:01] There is a huge scene. It’s in the extended cut. I’m not going to play it because it’s so big. That’s what she said.

Jenna [01:02:07] Yes. 

Angela [01:02:09] Basically, Dwight wants to try to sabotage Deangelo, and he finds an old photo of him where Deangelo is very, very overweight. He takes this picture and he shows it to Michael. And Michael also now wants to sabotage Deangelo, right? Because everyone likes him. So he brings it out into the bullpen and shows it to everyone. 

Jenna [01:02:33] Like sort of thinking that they’re going to shame Deangelo or embarrass him in some way? 

Angela [01:02:37] That’s right. But Deangelo walks in the room and he sees the picture being passed around and he’s like, You know what? Yeah. That was my life, you know? And it’s taken me a long journey to get where I am. And he ends up giving this very inspirational speech and tells everyone in the bullpen that he believes in them, that they’re going to be the best they can be at Dunder Mifflin, because he could believe in himself. And it ends in this rousing applause. The whole team is now more behind him than ever, and Michael is so annoyed. It completely backfired on Michael and Dwight. 

Jenna [01:03:11] Well, Michael’s going to have to find a new way to sabotage Deangelo. So he walks in on Deangelo talking to all of us about whale watching. And Michael has brought in peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, even though Deangelo has a serious peanut allergy. 

Angela [01:03:25] His allergy is so serious, we find out it makes him itchy for a few days. 

Jenna [01:03:30] Mm hmm. Yes. I got curious about whale watching because Deangelo is saying the best whale watching is on the West Coast. Not the East Coast. 

Angela [01:03:41] Well, he loves the West. 

Jenna [01:03:43] He sure does. According to an article in Local Adventurer, called The 15 Best Places to Whale Watch in the U.S., the best whale watching is in Glacier Bay, Alaska, in June through August. You can see humpbacks, orcas and blue whales. Juneau, Alaska, from April to November is another great spot. And Kodiak Island in Alaska is a great place to see gray whales. In fact, Angela, every April, Kodiak, Alaska, has a ten day festival celebrating the return of the Eastern Pacific gray whale to the area. What do you think? 

Angela [01:04:19] Sign me up. 

Jenna [01:04:21] I think we need to go to this festival. 

Angela [01:04:23] I think that’s a yes. 

Jenna [01:04:24] Anyone out there ever been to the festival? What tips can you give us? What can you tell us about it? Ten days, the festival. 

Angela [01:04:31] That’s a big festival. 

Jenna [01:04:32] It is. The next top spots are all in California. Big Sur, Monterey Bay, San Diego, and Santa Barbara. Also on the West Coast, you’ve got Hawaii and San Juan Island, Washington, and Depot Bay in Oregon. But there were a few East Coast spots on the list, Deangelo, I’m sorry to say you’re wrong about the East Coast. If you go to Jacksonville, Florida, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Long Island, New York, or Virginia Beach, Virginia, there is great whale watching. So there you have it. 

Angela [01:05:03] Well, I just like that Deangelo brought up whale watching to begin with. I just like that he got the conversation going. 

Jenna [01:05:08] Mm hmm. He has a lot of interests. 

Angela [01:05:10] He does. Did anyone catch the fact that Brian as Kevin caught a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in his mouth? 

Jenna [01:05:18] I noticed it and I went to the script because I wanted to know if that was a scripted bit. Here’s what the script said. The script says, Kevin tries to catch the sandwich in his mouth. So it was just that he was supposed to try. It was not required that he catch it. And I, I have a memory of us all being very delighted that he actually caught it. 

Angela [01:05:40]  Once again, Michael’s plan does not work. People are really annoyed with him that he’s trying to sabotage Deangelo. And Deangelo is going to call a meeting in the multipurpose room. 

Jenna [01:05:49] He sure is. 

Angela [01:05:50] And everyone’s going to go, leaving Michael outside. 

Jenna [01:05:53] But Deangelo is going to come out of the conference room before the meeting starts, and he’s going to ask Michael for some advice. He said, How do you typically start these meetings? Michael says he starts with a little chit chat and a couple of jokes. He tells Deangelo, You might want to develop a couple of characters. 

Angela [01:06:11] They end up hugging it out in a really kind of awkward, weird hug. It’s like a, I don’t even know. It’s like they’re both facing the same way hug. 

Jenna [01:06:20] Yes. 

Angela [01:06:21] And Michael’s like, Why do you have to be so damn good? 

Jenna [01:06:23] Mm hmm. They hold one another in this hug, and it seems as though everything’s going to be okay. Deangelo goes into the conference room, Michael goes into his office, and the transition of power has begun. 

Angela [01:06:38] Well, the show is going to end with Jim and Pam bringing Cece in. This is their plan, you know, to finally really win over Deangelo. 

Jenna [01:06:45] Deangelo says, That’s a cute baby. 

Angela [01:06:48] They’re so happy. They fist pump. They did it. They’re in!

Jenna [01:06:52] But the episode ends with Deangelo’s talking head, saying, That baby could be the star of a show called Babies I Don’t Care About. And that, my friends, is Training Day. I want to let you know, in case you were curious, Myles McNutt gave this episode a C plus. 

Angela [01:07:08] What?! 

Jenna [01:07:09] I know. 

Angela [01:07:10] Myles! I loved this episode! 

Jenna [01:07:12] Me too!

Angela [01:07:13] It has no Todd Packer. What’s your problem with it? 

Jenna [01:07:16] I have to tell you, I’m now obsessed with knowing what Myles thinks of every episode. It’s become a new thing for me. I want to know. 

Angela [01:07:22] I want to know. 

Jenna [01:07:23] How did he feel about it? When are we going to get an A from Myles is what I want to know? 

Angela [01:07:29] Maybe never. 

Jenna [01:07:29] What’s it going to take? Is it going to be Michael’s Last Dundee’s? Is it going to be Goodbye, Michael? I’ll let you know. 

Angela [01:07:36] We’ll see. I can’t wait to hear. 

Jenna [01:07:38] Well, a big thank you to Randy Cordray, Ellie Kemper and Ed Helms for giving us some nice little tidbits for this episode.

Angela [01:07:48] And if you have the DVD, go watch the extended cut, there’s a lot of fun stuff in there.

Jenna [01:07:56] We’ll be back next week with Michael’s Last Dundies.

Angela [01:07:57] Oh my gosh, I can’t believe it. 

Jenna [01:08:03] See you then. Thank you for listening to Office Ladies. Office Ladies is produced by Earwolf, Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey. Our show is executive produced by Codi Fischer. Our producer is Cassi Jerkins. Our sound engineer is Sam Kieffer and our associate producer is Aynsley Bubbico. 

Angela [01:08:20] Our theme song is Rubber Tree by Creed Bratton. For ad free versions of Office Ladies, go to StitcherPremium.com. For a free one month trial of Stitcher Premium, use code “office”.