EP. 201 — Lice

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 [00:00:27] Oh my goodness. I walked in to the most wonderful celebration. 

Angela [00:00:33] It was a surprise. So you guys, Jenna is turning 50 this week! 

Jenna [00:00:38] Yes. 

Angela [00:00:38] And I knew you didn’t think we had anything planned, but I arranged with Cassi. I got here early, and I made a sign that says It Is Your 50th a la Jim and Dwight. Right? 

Jenna [00:00:50] Yes. It’s amazing. 

Angela [00:00:50] I had sad streamers leftover from some Christmas craft I did. And Cassi brought some balloons. 

Jenna [00:00:57] Some partially inflated balloons. 

Angela [00:00:57] We did that. Cassi and I partially inflated them. And then Jordan hung the sign. We did the best we could, but it’s actually a little wonky and just perfect. 

Jenna [00:01:06] Here is the thing. Do not take this the wrong way, but the greatest thing about doing like The Office themed “It is your birthday” decorations is that they can be real bad. 

Angela [00:01:18] I know! 

Jenna [00:01:19] And it works! Like it is all on theme and I love it. You have very colorful balloons, which I think is right. It’s a milestone year. 

Angela [00:01:27] It is your 50th. 

Jenna [00:01:28] The 50. So I think you get colorful, sad balloons on your milestone. 

Angela [00:01:32] Gray and brown balloons, just FYI, are harder to find. 

Jenna [00:01:35] They are. Or gray or whatever compass they use. Oh my gosh. It was a surprise when I came in the door this morning. I accidentally, like, punched my knuckle into the metal door handle, and I- 

Angela [00:01:51] And we were waiting for you to arrive. I was about to yell, and then I saw you do that. And literally Jenna hit her hand and then goes, oh (BLEEP). 

Jenna [00:01:58] It was so painful. And I was so grumpy as I was coming in, I’m like, oh my gosh. I’m like, I’m, I’m here. I’m limping in. And then you guys were like, surprise! I was like, oh my goodness. I went from like this low moment to this high moment. It was so amazing. This is awesome, lady. Yes. My 50th. It’s happening this week. I mean, by the time people listen to this, it will have happened. But- and you’re wearing a Joshua Tree sweatshirt today. Was that for my birthday? Or a coincidence? 

Angela [00:02:28] I didn’t think about it. And then when you were like, I’m going to Joshua Tree for my birthday, and I realized I wore a Joshua Tree sweatshirt. 

Jenna [00:02:34] I know I feel like my celebration is starting, but yeah, my family, we’re just going as a family to Joshua Tree for my milestone birthday. 

Angela [00:02:41] Beautiful state park. Beautiful. 

Jenna [00:02:44] I’ve never been. 

Angela [00:02:44] Oh, it’s one of those places that where you feel small in the world because it’s just so beautiful and vast and you have to go stargazing. You see all the stars. There’s no light pollution. 

Jenna [00:02:55] I heard that, you know, I wanted to go someplace majestic. Some place I’ve never been. And here it is. Joshua Tree is so close. I’ve lived out in LA more than 20 years, and I’ve never gone to the desert. And Lee hired like a star expert person. 

Angela [00:03:12] A star expert person? That’s what they’re called? 

Jenna [00:03:15] Yes, that’s what’s on their business card. 

Angela [00:03:16] Wonderful. 

Jenna [00:03:17] Yeah. So one evening we’re going to go out and they’re going to tell us everything that’s in the sky. And I, that’s going to be such a special birthday. 

Angela [00:03:25] You have to send me a picture. 

Jenna [00:03:26] Oh I will, of course. Well, guys. Thank you. This was so awesome. And I can’t wait to eat the sweet treats that you brought. 

Angela [00:03:33] I know. Oh, yeah. We also got tiny desserts because Jenna loves tiny desserts. We’ll do that at break. And we also got flowers. 

Jenna [00:03:40] This is amazing and I’m excited to share my birthday with the episode today because it is one of my favorites. 

Angela [00:03:46] I think it’s one of your funniest performances. I loved it so much. There’s an episode coming up, I’m not even going to go there yet, that I think you should have won the Emmy for. I’m going to wait for that. 

Jenna [00:03:57] Oh my. 

Angela [00:03:58] But this is so funny. You and Kate Flannery are so funny. 

Jenna [00:04:03] Why are we so good in season nine, lady? You and I, we really are very, very good in this season. 

Angela [00:04:06] We shine. We’re late. We’re late bloomers. 

Jenna [00:04:11] I guess so. Well listen, today we are talking about Lice. It is season nine, episode ten, written by Niki Schwartz-Wright and directed by Rodman Flender. Here is your summary: With Jim away, Pam struggles to balance work and kids and accidentally infects the office with Cece’s lice. But she lets Meredith take the fall. Meanwhile, Val breaks up with Darryl and Jim plays basketball with his idol. Are you ready for fast fact number one? 

Angela [00:04:40] Yeah. 

Jenna [00:04:41] Fast fact number one is Meredith’s bald head. 

Angela [00:04:46] Oh, my gosh, we got a lot of mail. 

Jenna [00:04:48] So much mail. Because in this episode, Meredith shaves her head. She finds out she has lice, and she just shaves her head. I remember after the table read for this episode, we were all like… 

Angela [00:05:00] Wait, Kate can’t shave her head. 

Jenna [00:05:03] Yeah. How is that going to work? And my memory is that Greg originally wanted Kate to actually shave her head like in the episode. Like on camera. 

Angela [00:05:12] I kind of remember that too. And here’s the thing, you guys, we have been waiting for so long to talk to Kate about this episode. It’s one of her best performances. And I reached out to her and she has wonderful things to share with us. This is one of our favorite Meredith storylines, and Kate was so gracious and sent us such fun audio clips. Let’s start with the question, did Greg ask you to shave your head, Kate? 

Kate Flannery [00:05:37] Hey, it’s Kate. Yeah, I played Meredith on The Office. It’s me. Swear to God. Okay. So, Lice. Is it true that Greg Daniels asked or assumed that I would shave my head? This is the deal. Greg asked if I would shave my head. Okay. He had this vision that was from the movie Full Metal Jacket when all the soldiers are like shaving their heads, hair going everywhere. Yeah. So season one, Greg asked me to dress up like Madonna in the background of a cutaway photo of Michael Scott and Dwight dressed as Crockett and Tubbs from Miami Vice at an 80s party. And I said yes. He asked me if I would do an insert shot for the Fun Run episode, where I got hit by the car, where I actually hit the glass and roll off the top of the car and fall on the ground on a mat, but still. And I said yes. So Greg asked me if I’d shaved my head, and I said, Is there a plan B? And he said, yes. He said that plan B was a bald cap. So I said, it’s a really big decision, so I’m going to sleep on it. So I emailed him first thing in the morning and I said, I pick plan B. 

Angela [00:06:52] Um yeah, I would pick plan B too. 

Jenna [00:06:54] I’m very glad she picked plan B. I mean, she mentioned a few things, but she didn’t even mention the having a warehouse shelf fall on her. How about the bat? 

Angela [00:07:04] The bat on her head. Showing the tatas. 

Jenna [00:07:05] Numerous flashing- yes. I mean Kate has shown up for this role in so many ways. 

Angela [00:07:14] I think it’s a okay that she said, I don’t want to shave my head. 

Jenna [00:07:18] Yeah, well, Kate ended up getting the bald cap for this episode, and we asked her about what that process was like. And here is what she said. 

Kate Flannery [00:07:27] Ed French is like the greatest bald cap dude in the world. He teaches a lot of makeup artists how to do it. He did the ball cap for, Star Trek The Movie from like, is that from 1980? The bald lady who’s not really bald now. I didn’t know that. I thought she was bald. Ed did such a great job. He’s amazing. And the process for the full bald cap was every day for a week- actually, technically, it was two weeks because there was another episode where I was wearing a wig, it falls off and I have a bald underneath. So we had two full weeks of this. Maybe not. No. Maybe week and a half. Okay, I’m. It was awful. No, it was great. It was fine. It was just a lot. Three and a half hours in and two hours out. And they do this, like, thing. They literally sculpt your hair to fit your head. They just, like, swirl it around and, like, with this liquid that it just. It’s crazy. It’s like a weird glue. It comes out, but it’s like, whoa, it’s intense. And then there’s like wax and there’s. It’s he painted, like blood vessels and like, hair stubble. I mean, this guy was an artist. Like unbelievable. He’s like the king daddy. We would get there at 3:30 in the morning. You know, I was a little younger then, so whatever. Big whoop.

Angela [00:08:40] Three and a half hours. And she would get there at 330 in the morning. 

Jenna [00:08:43] And then it takes two hours to get out of it. 

Angela [00:08:45] And the glue and the wax and the, I mean, that is a that is a journey. Getting that bald cap on. 

Jenna [00:08:52] So, you know, lady, years later when I was on Splitting Up Together, I had to get a bald cap and it was the same guy, Ed French. 

Angela [00:09:01] He’s the dude. 

Jenna [00:09:02] He’s that guy! He came and did this same process to me. And I remember reaching out to Kate and being like, guess who I’m with right now? Guess what’s happening to me? And also, she was like a person who knew what I was going through because she had done it. And she’s like, doesn’t your head get so cold when you get the- it is, it’s like it’s like a glue, but it’s not glue. But they have to put this stuff on your hair that like, slicks it to your head so there’s no bulges so that you have a perfectly round bald head when they put the bald cap on. But it’s like it takes so long because you have to do that, but then you have to wait. And then you have to do the next step, and then you have to wait. And then he puts the bald cap on. And then there’s all this airbrushing and like detail makeup to make it look seamless. It was crazy. Here’s the thing. On Splitting Up Together they cut the scene. 

Angela [00:10:00] Oh, no. You went through all of that and they cut the scene? 

Jenna [00:10:03] Yeah. Can you even believe that? But anyway, I’ll give you the pictures of me bald in my Ed French baldness. 

Angela [00:10:10] Ooh I’ll do a side by side. 

Jenna [00:10:10] You can do a side by side of me and Kate and our in our Ed French bald caps. 

Angela [00:10:15] I love it. 

Jenna [00:10:16] Well, Kate, thank you so much. We’re going to hear more from Kate as we break down this episode. Moving on to fast fact number two, big guest star cameo alert! Basketball legend, Doctor Julius Erving. 

Angela [00:10:31] Doctor J in the house! 

Jenna [00:10:33] For anyone who doesn’t know, Doctor J won three NBA championships, four Most Valuable Player awards, and three scoring titles with the Virginia Squires, New York Nets, who are now the Brooklyn Nets, and the Philadelphia 76 ers. Basketball legend on our show. 

Angela [00:10:52] When you watch this episode, if you think, gosh, the character Jim is so giddy around doctor J. That is just John Krasinski. He was giddy. He was so tickled to be in those scenes. 

Jenna [00:11:05] Well, Angela, I remember that. So I reached out to John. 

Angela [00:11:08] Oh yeah, what did he say? 

Jenna [00:11:09] And I was like, John, do you have anything to say about working with Doctor J? And here’s what he said. He said, I mean, it was Doctor J. Had a poster of him on my wall as a kid. If you had told that kid that he would one day not only meet Doctor J, but pretend to have a fake business meeting with him on a television show? 

Angela [00:11:32] And get to shoot a basket with him! 

Jenna [00:11:35] Well, that poor kid just blacked out. Yeah, he was so excited. It was so cute. I don’t think he had to act at all in those scenes. 

Angela [00:11:44] Not for a second. 

Jenna [00:11:46] No. We also got a fan question from William M from “all over the United States Air Force”. How did you get Doctor J on the show? Well, William, Lauren Anderson, who was one of the executives at NBC, was our connection to Doctor J. Steve Burgess told me she helped to arrange his appearance. He was only available for one day that week. 

Angela [00:12:09] He’s busy. 

Jenna [00:12:10] Yeah, we flew him in. We arranged our whole schedule so that we could have him for that one day. Amazing. 

Angela [00:12:18] Well, Jenna, it’s time for your fast fact number three. And I’m really hoping- you haven’t told me, but I am really hoping that this is a deep dive on lice. Please tell me it is. 

Jenna [00:12:31] Lady. It is your dream come true. 

Angela [00:12:32] Do I know you? I know you. We now know how each other preps an episode. 

Jenna [00:12:37] You know it fast. Fact three is lice trivia from Laurel M in Woodstock, Georgia. 

Angela [00:12:44] Laurel, what do you have? 

Jenna [00:12:46] Laurel is our deep dive expert on lice. Because Laurel wrote us a letter that says this: I am way more excited than I should be to write in about lice. However, seeing is that my family recently dealt with an infestation and my 12 year old had to watch this episode while being lice checked, I feel it’s appropriate. Here is what Laurel had to say. Lice fast facts. One, lice like clean scalps. Clean scalps. So in this episode, we’re assuming that it was like, oh, Meredith never bathes. That’s why she has lice. No, no, no lice. Like a clean scalp. 

Angela [00:13:27] Yeah. Greasy scalp they like, slide off of or something. I mean, I don’t know. 

Jenna [00:13:32] I’m just like imagining a little lice, just, like sliding off people’s heads. Number two. Lice cannot fly or jump. You have to really be close to someone. Lice have to, like, crawl into another person’s head. Okay. Laurel said, gross. 

Angela [00:13:50] Yeah, that is gross. 

Jenna [00:13:52] Number three, they can only infest your head. They can live in bedding, a rug, clothing or fabric, but only for 24 hours. And lice cannot reproduce off the head. So if they get transferred to a hat, they can’t multiply unless they get back on a head. 

Angela [00:14:12] So gross. 

Jenna [00:14:15] Also, I guess Meredith really didn’t need to wax her pubic area for lice. 

Angela [00:14:21] She didn’t want it to travel south. 

Jenna [00:14:23] Here is lice fact number four. Have you heard of the blood rhesus factor? That’s like where your blood type can determine certain things. Like, I don’t know. I’ve heard of it loosely, but I guess it’s true that lice prefer positive blood over negative blood types. But they will feed on either. However, lice can’t, like, start on one blood type and move to another blood type. So if a louse is feeding on a person with A-positive blood, and then they end up getting transferred to a person with B-negative blood, it won’t live. 

Angela [00:15:03] That is fascinating. 

Jenna [00:15:05] Right? 

Angela [00:15:07] Laurel. Way to go, Laurel! 

Jenna [00:15:08] I know. Laurel said this proved true in my family because she said only the people with negative blood had lice. And the people with positive blood did not get lice in her family. 

Angela [00:15:20] Oh, man, this is so interesting. 

Jenna [00:15:23] Lice fact number five. You do not have to wash everything in your house like Pam did, because lice cannot actually infest your whole house. You just have to wash your bed linens, any recently worn clothing, and put any, like, hair items, like brushes, combs in the freezer. And that’s it. However, Laurel does recommend buying something called the Terminator comb, which is the only comb that will really rid your head of lice. And finally, Laurel says, As the lady was checking my 12 year old’s head and she was watching the Lice episode, Dwight has the line, I wash my hair every day with lice shampoo. And the lady looked at us and said, No, do not ever do that. Do not wash your hair with lice shampoo every day. And then Laurel says, And now you know more about lice than you ever thought you’d know. 

Angela [00:16:16] Well done, Laurel. Well done. 

Jenna [00:16:19] Laurel. This was. I don’t even know what to say. I’m speechless. You have out deep dived me. I love it. I mean, not that I’m the deep dive expert, but wow, you really covered it. 

Angela [00:16:28] You did a great job. 

Jenna [00:16:29] Yes. Finally, Angela, in our fast fact about lice, we have a fan question from Isabella S from Massachusetts. Have you or your kids ever had lice? 

Angela [00:16:39] Oh, gosh, Isabella. As Laurel was talking, I relived a whole week of my life. Okay, lice spread through third grade like wildfire when my daughter was in third grade. What is it about third grade? 

Jenna [00:16:55] You know, this is the thing. Every year, the third grade- because our kids go to the same school- they have a lice infestation in the third grade. And I’m surprised to learn that lice cannot live off the head because there’s been- 

Angela [00:17:09] I swear that classroom has it. 

Jenna [00:17:11] That’s what we’ve all been saying. All the moms are like, watch out for third grade. The class has lice. Like, before you even start school, just assume you’re going to have a lice adventure. 

Angela [00:17:20] Well, we know who Patient Zero was. I won’t say her name. And oh my gosh. So Isabel was like kind of scratching her scalp. And I was like, what’s going on? She’s like, I don’t know. I’m itchy. And I started to dig through her hair and I was like, oh gosh, I see there’s like a little thing moving! Ahh! It freaked me out. 

Jenna [00:17:39] Wow. 

Angela [00:17:40] I immediately texted the mom thread, right? And I’m like, okay, does that one girl who left school, I mean, is it because she has lice? And then someone else was like, I think so. And then we all started like finding out, where do you go? What do you do? There’s a place that everyone goes to around here- 

Jenna [00:17:57] The lice lady! 

Angela [00:17:58] The lice lady, and she uses these organic products. She goes through with that comb. She sent me home with a kit. Well, guess what? 

Jenna [00:18:06] What? 

Angela [00:18:06] I had laid with Isabel until she fell asleep that week. You know how you do. I, like, scratched her back. I fell asleep putting her to bed. 

Jenna [00:18:12] Of course. 

Angela [00:18:13] Yeah. Guess who else got lice? Me. And then Cade got it because Cade and Isabel were watching a movie together. 

Jenna [00:18:20] Wow. 

Angela [00:18:21] Jack and Josh did not get it. Me and Cade and Isabel are all positive blood types. 

Jenna [00:18:26] What?! 

Angela [00:18:26] Yes! And I didn’t know that until you just said that. 

Jenna [00:18:29] That is crazy. 

Angela [00:18:30] Yeah, it was a whole thing. I did wash everything in the house, just like Pam. I like, washed everything. And then we would braid our hair. We put the spray on it after we’d washed it. This, like, organic, like spray this lady gave us. I’ll never forget. I had to run an errand and I ran into a mom from the school. And I had my hair in that greasy, slick braid they tell you to do. The lice lady told me to do. And I knew the mom knew I had it. And I still think about it. She was like, oh, that’s an interesting way to wear your hair. That’s what she said to me. And I was like, yeah. I just thought, you know what? I don’t feel like dealing with it today. But I knew she knew. And she knew, I knew, she knew. 

Jenna [00:19:11] Oh my gosh. Well, you know, when it was time for my son to be in third grade, guess what happened? Pandemic. He never set foot in the third grade classroom. And guess what? His class never got lice. 

Angela [00:19:25] Oh, really? 

Jenna [00:19:26] And guess what? My daughter went through third grade classroom. Lice. We didn’t get it. But lice. Third grade classroom has lice right now! 

Angela [00:19:36] Are you serious? 

Jenna [00:19:37] Yes! I just got a text. 

Angela [00:19:38] What the heck? 

Jenna [00:19:39] Beware, third grade has lice. 

Angela [00:19:40] They need to get that Dwight bomb and set it off in there. 

Jenna [00:19:44] I guess so. Oh my goodness. All right, that was a long top of show, folks. But we had a lot to talk about. A lot to do. Let’s take a break, and when we get back, we will start going through this episode like a lice comb. We’ll really go through it. 

Angela [00:20:00] Let’s not go through it like a lice comb. I can find lice on your head, by the way. It’s now a skill I have. I know where to look. The lady showed me how to do it. They love, like, the back of your hairline, you know? And, like, back behind your ear. Why am I making that noise? I’m like. I’m, like, all braggy. I’ll check your head for lice. 

Jenna [00:20:19] If I ever need a lice check, I’ll just come to your place. 

Angela [00:20:22] Call me. Call me. We are back. And this time you’re the one who’s eating, lady. I’m always eating. 

Jenna [00:20:40] I got a piece of my tiny cake out there, and I love it. It’s very good. So sorry. 

Angela [00:20:47] All right. I have some call sheet tidbits for you before we break down this episode. 

Jenna [00:20:52] Ooh, I love a call sheet tidbit. 

Angela [00:20:54] We started filming this episode on Monday, November 5th, 2012. The high that day- you know I love a weather report. The high that day was 90 degrees. And by the time- 

Jenna [00:21:06] In November!? 

Angela [00:21:07] In November. Right? 

Jenna [00:21:08] Wow. 

Angela [00:21:09] And by the time we wrapped this episode on Friday, November 9th, the high was only 63 degrees. 

Jenna [00:21:16] Oh, it was that time of year. In L.A. in the winter we’re also the summer for a few days. 

Angela [00:21:22] And everyone gets a cold bug because the weather swings a big temperature. 

Jenna [00:21:25] So extreme. Yeah. 

Angela [00:21:26] Yeah. Also, on the very first day of filming, they scheduled a test of the bald cap slash shaving rig with Kate. But we did not film that scene when she shaves her head until the final day on Friday. And then, you know, they love to decorate our call sheets. And on Tuesday, the call sheets had little American flags and balloons and a bald eagle because it was Super Tuesday and everyone was voting. 

Jenna [00:21:52] Lady, it’s Super Tuesday today. 

Angela [00:21:54] I know! 

Jenna [00:21:55] We’re recording this on Super Tuesday. 

Angela [00:21:56] I know. 

Jenna [00:21:57] That’s so crazy. 

Angela [00:21:58] Isn’t that crazy? 

Jenna [00:21:59] Yeah. 

Angela [00:22:00] Are we in the matrix? 

Jenna [00:22:02] I don’t know. 

Angela [00:22:04] I’m wearing a Joshua Tree sweatshirt that I didn’t even think about. And you’re going there? What’s happening? 

Jenna [00:22:09] What’s happening? The coincidences today. Let’s hope no one gets lice. 

Angela [00:22:14] There’s a glitch in the matrix. 

Jenna [00:22:15] I don’t know. Well, listen, this episode is going to open with a little scene in the break room. It’s just Jim and Darryl and Kevin, and they’re kind of arguing about basketball, and Jim keeps biting his lip. 

Angela [00:22:28] Oh, and he does that thing that you do, you know, when you bite your lip and then it makes a bump and then you keep biting the bump. 

Jenna [00:22:35] You bite the bump. Did you notice Jim John’s baby carrots? 

Angela [00:22:39] I sure did. 

Jenna [00:22:40] I called them Jim John’s baby carrots, because it’s really John that likes to eat the baby carrots as Jim. 

Angela [00:22:46] Jim John. 

Jenna [00:22:46] Jim John’s baby carrots. Angela, we got a fan question for you from Lee M in San Jose. On the Blue Ray for this episode, there is a deleted scene for a cold open where the group discovers Creed’s map to the office. Was this shot as an alternate cold open, or was the cold open where Jim bites his lip planned for another episode? What’s going on? 

Angela [00:23:10] All right, Lee, I have all the answers for you. So Jim biting his tongue was originally the cold open for Dwight’s Christmas. Remember when- 

Jenna [00:23:23] Oh, yes. But then Dwight’s Christmas has no cold open, no credits. 

Angela [00:23:26] Right. You commented on that right away. You’re like, did you notice there’s no cold open? There was. They just didn’t include it. And yes, Lee, there’s this whole storyline about Creed and his map. It’s really funny. It was cut, but I guess you can still see it in the deleted scenes on the DVD and on the Blu ray disc. Here’s how it read in the shooting draft. And it was the cold open. Interior break room day. Darryl, Pam, Phyllis, Oscar, and Toby are gathered around a large piece of paper on the break room table. There’s a secretive vibe. The camera pushes in on the paper. It’s a hand-drawn map. The group all look at the map. Darryl says, Maybe it’s a shopping list? Phyllis says, But what? He’s buying a ham, a skeleton and a mustache? 

Jenna [00:24:10] A moostache. 

Angela [00:24:11] A moostache. Darryl says, It’s Creed. And then Pam has a talking head and she says, We found this weird drawing under Creed’s desk. She shows us the drawing. There are waves. There’s a bucket, a skeleton, a ham, straight lines separating them. It’s a very simple maze, a few X’s and some arrows. Pam goes, Bizarre, huh? She shows the diagram to camera, then looks at it and turns at 90 degrees and goes, Oh my God. Pam bursts back into the break room where the previous group are still lounging and says, It’s a map! And they all say, What? And then they all figure out who they are on the map. It’s really funny. 

Jenna [00:24:55] Ohh so it’s like a map of the office and then all the people are represented on the map. 

Angela [00:25:00] Angela is the skeleton. And Toby is the toilet. 

Jenna [00:25:05] Wow. 

Angela [00:25:06] Darryl is a cheeseburger. 

Jenna [00:25:08] Wow. 

Angela [00:25:08] I know, but it is on the DVD, so there you go, Lee. 

Jenna [00:25:12] Amazing. Great question, great answer. 

Angela [00:25:15] So this is how the episode actually starts. A person comes into the office, they’re in a coat. They have a hat kind of pulled down. They look a little ragged. And Erin says, oh good morning Meredith. And it’s Pam. 

Jenna [00:25:27] It’s Pam. Yeah. There’s a talking head where Pam reveals that Jim has been spending a few nights a week in Philly and it’s been challenging. And we see a montage of Pam sort of trying to take out the trash and things are falling everywhere. And then she shares that her current problem is that Cece has lice, and she was up all night. 

Angela [00:25:48] Yeah, she was disinfecting the entire house. And then she says, don’t tell Jim. He has a really big meeting today and he’s doing it for the family. Like she doesn’t want to stress him out with this. 

Jenna [00:25:58] Lady, we got fan mail. Very passionate fan mail from Erin S in Baltimore, Maryland. Here is what Erin had to say: Years. I have waited years to finally get up on my soapbox about this episode. 

Angela [00:26:16] Oh, wow. Let’s hear it. 

Jenna [00:26:17] I know. Erin’s coming in hot. 

Angela [00:26:19] Yeah, she’s hot to trot. 

Jenna [00:26:21] She is. Here is what she goes on to say: While I have plenty of thoughts on the entire Jim/ Philly storyline, my biggest peccadillo about the whole thing is how Pam is portrayed in this episode. Pam is a strong, independent woman, a mother of two, a professional. She is fully capable of caring for her children on her own. She did just fine while Jim was in Tallahassee. Do you like the tone I’m taking to read the letter? 

Angela [00:26:49] I do, it’s a picadillo. 

Jenna [00:26:50] It’s a picadillo. I’ll go on. Pam and Jim both work full time, so her children obviously have a well-established daycare situation going on, and her mother is staying with her to help. The idea that she would be so overwhelmed by being home alone with her children for a few days, that she would show up to work with unbrushed hair and a mis-buttoned sweater is just insulting to moms everywhere who routinely hold down the fort with grace and panache. 

Angela [00:27:19] A peccadillo and a panache! 

Jenna [00:27:21] I’m telling you, Erin- 

Angela [00:27:24] Erin. This is your soap box moment. 

Jenna [00:27:25] This is it. I’m doing my best to give it all I got too. There is more. Erin says, Sure, she would be more tired and lice throws a wrench in the gears, but I cannot imagine any mother anywhere showing up to work like that, no matter how rough their night was. After all the personal growth we’ve seen in Pam over the years, I just hated to see her presented as so helpless without her husband. And then Erin signs off by saying, “Dismounts soap box. Sets aside for Angela in a few episodes.” 

Angela [00:27:58] Oh! 

Jenna [00:27:59] So, Erin, I’ll be looking for that letter. 

Angela [00:28:01] I have a feeling I know which episode too. 

Jenna [00:28:04] We got another letter that I’m calling counterpoint. This is from Kiana R in Williams, Georgia, who said, When my husband leaves me with the kids for several days, I feel like I’m going to die. LOL. I felt you portrayed so well the exhausted desperation of a mother doing it all on her own when she normally has help. Well, Angela, I thought I’d open it up. What do we think? Are we with Erin? Are we with Kiana? Are we somewhere in the middle? Where are we? 

Angela [00:28:35] I mean, listen, I think I’m with Erin. 

Jenna [00:28:39] You’re with Erin? 

Angela [00:28:40] I’m with Erin. I mean, you know, I was a single mom for a few years, and I had to get (BLEEP) done. I might not have had the cutest hairdo when I showed up to work, but I still showed up, and I had everything done. So I guess I also do really heear Kiana too. I mean, I probably didn’t look super put together, but I was able to take out the trash without spilling it into the street. Whatever. That’s that moment was ridiculous to me. I’m like, Pam can put the trash bin on the street without tipping it over. She’s not that tired. I guess now as I talk it out, I see both sides. But I think I lean more to Erin. 

Jenna [00:29:21] It’s very interesting. I hadn’t even considered Erin’s point of view on this until I read the letter, and I saw there was a lot of value in that letter. But I will tell you, I am a Kiana. I completely fall apart when Lee leaves town. I have been Pam trying to take the trash out. Okay, I don’t take the trash out in my family. Ever. Ever. We have a running joke. When my husband goes out of town, I will send him a photo of our kitchen trash can, like overflowing. And I’ll be like, it’s broken. Usually I throw the trash and it disappears. I don’t know where it goes. It’s always ready for me to use. Like the trash can’s broken, babe. Because he is trash guy. And there’s other things he does too. I don’t know how we’ve done this division of labor almost unspoken. I mean, as far as he’s concerned, the refrigerator cleans itself. You know, I don’t think he’s ever thrown out a rotten piece of anything in the fridge. That’s me. Somehow we have these jobs, and, I don’t know, I have accidentally tried to take two cans to the curb at the same time, and one falls over. I’m a mess when Lee leaves. I am. I’m a grumpy mess. I’m overwhelmed. My balance is all off. 

Angela [00:30:29] You did call me because the lights went out in your house and Lee was out of town. He was skiing with your son, and you’re like, Ange, the power went out. And I was like, okay, well, um…. 

Jenna [00:30:39] I was like, someone needs to know! 

Angela [00:30:42] I was like, it’s all good. Do you need me to come over? 

Jenna [00:30:44] No, I’m a mess. I am a mess. So I guess I felt like Pam was me when Lee goes out of town. And I try to do what she does, where I try to be like, no, no, it’s all good here. Nothing to worry about. I’m not falling apart with trash on the street. It’s all good. 

Angela [00:31:01] So that was a very honest performance for you. 

Jenna [00:31:04] For me it was. Yes. 

Angela [00:31:05] Yeah. I think I’m more Erin. 

Jenna [00:31:07] You are more Erin. 

Angela [00:31:10] Jim is now going to have a talking head. He shares that he’s meeting his personal hero today, Doctor J, aka Julius Erving, but he can’t rub it in Pam’s face because that would be like if he was home with the kids and she was out, like go karting with, I don’t know, John Stamos. 

Jenna [00:31:26] That’s such a funny line. 

Angela [00:31:27] It’s so specific. 

Jenna [00:31:28] We got a fan question from Anne M in Florida who said, Go karting with John Stamos is one of the funniest lines in this episode. Were there any alts? I feel like if there were, I’d love to hear. 

Angela [00:31:39] There were. 

Jenna [00:31:41] Yeah, I mean, I know this was the scripted talking head, but I did not remember that there were alts. 

Angela [00:31:46] There were a few alts and I’ll share one with you. So everything is the same, except instead of John Stamos, they would just rotate in different names. So here’s one. Jim would have said, This would be like if Pam got to spend the day with Banksy. I think. He’s a person, right? 

Jenna [00:32:02] Well, I thought that this talking head was very funny because I have another Splitting Up Together story. I guess that’s what this episode is about for me. When I worked on Splitting Up Together, it was on the lot, the Warner Brothers lot. 

Angela [00:32:16] It’s a huge lot. It’s like a small city. 

Jenna [00:32:19] Very, very big. And our dressing rooms that we were assigned there are these buildings with dressing rooms. It’s very like Old Hollywood, sort of. 

Angela [00:32:27] It’s like the old studio days. 

Jenna [00:32:29] Yes. Fascinating. It was very fun to shoot there. So our building with our dressing rooms was very far away from our soundstage. And they would have to drive us around in little golf carts to get us there in a timely manner. But also there was like, a commissary, a restaurant, there was a little gift shop that my kids would go to, and I would buy them candy if they visited me. 

Angela [00:32:53] The Sony studio is the same way. When I did that show Your Family or Mine, it was- you and I had never filmed on a big studio lot. 

Jenna [00:33:00] No. 

Angela [00:33:01] So it was so interesting. There’s like a gym. 

Jenna [00:33:04] Yes. 

Angela [00:33:04] There’s like a little market store. 

Jenna [00:33:07] So I asked, could I rent a little golf cart for myself and have my own little golf cart so that I could get around and, like, go to the little coffee place or get myself to set or do these things? And they said no. Actors were prohibited from having their own golf carts or scooters. 

Angela [00:33:30] Why? 

Jenna [00:33:31] Because of John Stamos. 

Angela [00:33:32] What?!

Jenna [00:33:33] Yes. 

Angela [00:33:34] What? What’d he do? Like he got everyone banned? 

Jenna [00:33:38] Yes. 

Angela [00:33:39] All actors banned? 

Jenna [00:33:40] Yes. And I feel okay telling the story because I ran into him at a party after this and I was like, John, you are why I couldn’t have a golf cart at Warner Brothers. And he goes, I know, I’m so sorry. 

Angela [00:33:52] What? 

Jenna [00:33:54] I don’t know, I guess they shot Full House there or something, or maybe Fuller House. I’m not sure which one, but I guess he would zip around in the little golf carts or on the little scooters, and they were like, no, no no no no no no no. Somehow him zipping around got us all banned from being able to use any mode of like, self transport on the Warner Brothers lot. 

Angela [00:34:18] Lady, just the way he reacted. Like, I know. It’s not just for zipping around. 

Jenna [00:34:23] I don’t know, I don’t know. But he was like, I’m so sorry. 

Angela [00:34:27] I’m telling you- 

Jenna [00:34:27] I think there were having races. 

Angela [00:34:28] I bet he tipped one over or something. 

Jenna [00:34:30] Maybe. I don’t know. I don’t know all the details. Maybe I’ll run into him again and I’ll get a refresher. But we had a good laugh about it. 

Angela [00:34:37] John, we want the full scoop about you getting everyone banned from having golf carts. 

Jenna [00:34:41] On the Warner Brothers lot. But it made me laugh because, you know, go karting, golf karting, just the idea of zipping around with John Stamos, it holds water. There’s some reality there. He would do that. 

Angela [00:34:52] Well, this Pam and Jim phone call wraps up. They both kind of lie to each other. Like Pam’s like, I’m doing great. And Jim’s like, oh, my taxi’s here. But it’s actually a limo. And he’s really excited, but he’s downplaying that. So you’re already kind of seeing a disconnect how they’re not really sharing about what’s really going on in their lives. 

Jenna [00:35:10] Yeah, they think that they’re kind of protecting one another. In Pam’s case, she’s being supportive of him by not weighing him down with the day to day. 

Angela [00:35:19] And Jim feeling like he’s not making her feel bad about not having new things in her life. 

Jenna [00:35:25] Well now we’re going to move to the parking lot for our Darryl and Val storyline. 

Angela [00:35:30] I titled this storyline WTF Darryl? 

Jenna [00:35:34] Oh we got so much mail about it. 

Angela [00:35:35] I don’t understand. He was so excited. He liked her so much. And now there’s a job in Philly and he’s like, I don’t want to be tied down. Buh bye. 

Jenna [00:35:46] Guess who agrees with you? Jennifer P from Spanaway, Washington. 

Angela [00:35:50] Thank you Jennifer. 

Jenna [00:35:51] Jennifer says what’s up with Darryl and the sudden 180 with Val? After working so hard to form a relationship with Val, now he’s suddenly behaving as if she’s a bother? It was just a few episodes ago that he and Val posed hand in hand in a photo with Jada. 

Angela [00:36:06] Yes, Jennifer! They took basically a family photo. 

Jenna [00:36:10] Yeah. We hear you. Yeah. Darryl is doing that thing where he has an opportunity and he’s doing that thing where he thinks like his whole life is going to change or has to change because of this one new opportunity. But then all that happens is you’re going to like move to Philly and have no love in your life. Darryl, is that what you want? Think about it. 

Angela [00:36:31] I’m also confused by Val, too, because Val seems like she could either take him or leave him. I don’t know that either of them are approaching this relationship in the right way. 

Jenna [00:36:41] I feel like Val has always been a little less invested in the relationship than Darryl. I mean, he, Darryl is a step up from Brandon, but, you know… 

Angela [00:36:50] Maybe a side step. 

Jenna [00:36:51] Slightly better than a lateral move. At least, you know, I don’t know. Brandon seemed like a jerk. To other people. Maybe not to Val. 

Angela [00:36:59] Pam is going to go up to Meredith’s desk and she needs her supply request. But Meredith says, just stop nagging. Any wonder Jim left you. And then she starts scratching her head, like, really hard. And Pam’s like, oh, no, oh, no. Erin clocks all of this. 

Jenna [00:37:16] Yeah. She starts inspecting Meredith scalp. And guess what? Lice. 

Angela [00:37:22] Erin kind of brags she knows a lot about lice because she had it 22 times. 

Jenna [00:37:27] Yep. She’s an expert. 

Angela [00:37:30] Everyone immediately turns on Meredith. Angela accuses her of not signing the pledge to shower. Dwight is like, lock the doors. We’re going to be under full quarantine. Pam is like, relax, guys. It’s just lice, I mean, maybe. 

Jenna [00:37:45] Dwight says he had lice once. It was the first day of school, and he was teased for 15 years after that, no one would play with him. They called him a freak, four eyes, sci fi nerd and girl puncher all because he had lice when he was seven. 

Angela [00:37:59] Oh, Dwight. 

Jenna [00:37:59] I know. But guess what? Dwight does not have lice. Erin inspects him. He is lice free, and so he starts spraying everybody with a disinfectant. And we had a fan question from Jessica N in Rochester, New York, who wanted to know what is he spraying? It has to be water vapor, right? Yes, Jessica, it is an Evian water spray, like a mister. And we just put a different label on the can. 

Angela [00:38:26] Erin is now inspecting everyone. As she starts going through Angela’s scalp, Angela reminds Meredith that this is an office, not one of her beanbag orgies. What is a beanbag orgy? 

Jenna [00:38:37] Is it just an orgy on a bunch of bean bags? Like on a pile of beanbags? Right? 

Angela [00:38:43] Yeah, I guess. 

Jenna [00:38:45] It’s just you throw some beanbags on the floor and then there’s an orgy? 

Angela [00:38:48] And you get to it. 

Jenna [00:38:49] I didn’t Google it. 

Angela [00:38:50] I did not Google it either. 

Jenna [00:38:53] Should I? 

Angela [00:38:53] No. Don’t Google it. 

Jenna [00:38:53] Don’t do it, right? 

Angela [00:38:54] Don’t. Put your phone away. Don’t do it. Don’t do it. Pam starts to come to Meredith’s defense. She’s like, you know, we’re kind of blaming her prematurely. Oscar’s not so sure. And then it’s revealed that Angela, Stanley, Pam, and Oscar all have lice. 

Jenna [00:39:10] All have lice. Dwight is going to return in a full hazmat suit. He says if you rent it more than four times a year, it just makes sense to buy it. 

Angela [00:39:18] I did look it up. They’re not that expensive. 

Jenna [00:39:21] To buy? 

Angela [00:39:22] You can get one for like $100. 

Jenna [00:39:24] You know what? This is reminding me of my recliner, which I’ve rented several times now. 

Angela [00:39:29] I keep telling you to just buy the damn thing. 

Jenna [00:39:32] I mean, I’ve bought three recliners at this point. 

Angela [00:39:34] Just buy it. I know you said it doesn’t really fit the esthetic of your house, etc. etc. 

Jenna [00:39:39] Not only- doesn’t fit in the room barely. We have to move the bed against the wall to fit it! 

Angela [00:39:44] Have you seen the ginormous dentist’s chair that we got Josh for his lower back? Whenever we go to watch a show, just give yourself a minute, because this is what you’re going to hear. (MAKES ELECTRIC CHAIR SOUNDS) As he gets his legs in the right position. He has a little toggle that he can push forward or side to side and then God forbid he’s like, oh, I think I’m gonna make popcorn. (MORE CHAIR NOISES) As he gets out of the chair. 

Jenna [00:40:16] Listen, how about when I have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and Lee is in the bed and I’m in the recliner and at 2 a.m., Lee has to hear (ELECTRIC CHAIR NOISES) 

Angela [00:40:25] Oh my gosh, I’d go crazy. I’d go crazy. 

Jenna [00:40:29] I think I want to get an adjustable bed. Here’s what happened, I broke my shoulder. I got so used to sleeping on my back in this one way that now I need the lift. 

Angela [00:40:38] You couldn’t sleep- 

Jenna [00:40:39] I couldn’t sleep laying down. 

Angela [00:40:42] My mom. We got my mom. I mean, she’s in her 80s, but, you know, there’s no time like the present. You are turning 50. 

Jenna [00:40:48] An adjustable bed! This is what my life has become! I’m leaning into it. I couldn’t be more excited. 

Angela [00:40:54] Anyway, Dwight should have just bought the hazmat suit. He was right to do it. 

Jenna [00:40:59] That’s good. Should we talk about the folks that don’t have lice? AKA the blue group? Phyllis, Kevin and Nellie? 

Angela [00:41:05] Maybe they’re all the same blood type. 

Jenna [00:41:08] Oh, maybe they are. They’re also all wearing blue. And Darryl doesn’t have lice. 

Angela [00:41:15] And the warehouse, they’re safe. 

Jenna [00:41:17] Dwight is going to tell the no lice group, get out of here. Go down, work in the warehouse. So they’re going to gather their things. And when they get to the elevator, Darryl says, hey, guys, I have a few rules. Don’t mess with the baler and be cool in front of me and Val because we broke up. 

Angela [00:41:34] Well, Phyllis and Kevin and Nellie, they take that hard. They’re like, oh my gosh, that’s so sad. They really feel for Darryl. This is going to start a whole storyline. 

Jenna [00:41:44] They’re so nice to him. We had a fan question from Emily B in Hillsboro, North Carolina who said, What’s up with Kevin kissing so many people on the cheek in this episode? First Darryl and later Val. Was that scripted or improvised? Well, Emily, I went to the script and I found out something very interesting. 

Angela [00:42:07] Oh, let’s hear it. 

Jenna [00:42:08] So this scene was shorter in the shooting draft than what ended up in the episode. When do we ever say that? Shorter? 

Angela [00:42:16] Never. Never. 

Jenna [00:42:17] Yeah. Here’s what I found. It ended after Darryl gave them the news about the breakup. That whole second part about them trying to comfort him and Kevin giving him his chocolate bar, and Nellie saying that the singer Brandy got her through. None of that was in our shooting script. All of this was added later. There was a script rewrite page handed out on the day that we shot this, and that is where all of this extra detail came out. There was nothing about Kevin giving Darryl a kiss. I guess that was just something they came up with. However, originally Kevin was holding a bag of potato chips and he offers Darryl the potato chips. Somehow that got changed to candy bar. 

Angela [00:43:02] I wonder if Brian improvised the kiss on Darryl’s cheek. 

Jenna [00:43:05] And then maybe later to Val. Because neither of those were scripted. 

Angela [00:43:10] Well, I thought Craig’s reaction as Darryl was really funny. 

Jenna [00:43:14] Maybe because it was a surprise. 

Angela [00:43:15] Yeah. Pam now has a talking head. And Jenna you’re so good in it because you start off so defiant. You’re like, you know what? Maybe Meredith did bring lice and they’re different from the ones that Cece got. Don’t jump to conclusions. That’s how wars get started. And then when Pam just gives in and is like, fine, I’ll tell her. I’ll confess. 

Angela [00:43:38] I thought it was such a good talking head. I loved your performance. 

Jenna [00:43:41] Thank you so much. When I watched it, it reminded me of Jeramy being confronted by Laura in Love Is Blind season six. 

Angela [00:43:50] I don’t watch Love is Blind. 

Jenna [00:43:52] After he stayed out at the bar till 5 a.m.. 

Angela [00:43:54] Oh my God, so specific. 

Jenna [00:43:56] Anyone who watched that season will know what I’m talking about. But when I saw Jeramy do that moment with Laura, it also reminded me of Michael Scott and how defensive he is about burning his foot on the George Foreman Grill. This guy Jeramy, he just didn’t come home. And he’s sitting in the living room. It’s like 6 a.m. he’s got glasses on, sunglasses on, and his fiance comes in. She’s like, Are we leaving the glasses on all day? And he just takes them off. She’s super calm and he’s like, what do you want to talk about it?! She’s like, I think we should. Yeah, you didn’t come home last night. And he’s like, what do you want me to say?! I went out with my friends and then, okay, Sarah Ann showed up. What am I supposed to do? I had to talk to her. We had to get closure. And she’s like, yeah. The bar closes at 2 a.m.. Where were you from 2 to 5? He’s like, we were in a car. We were talking, okay? I sent you my location. But it’s just like super defensive, like, dude, it’s you. It’s on you, buddy. It is on you, bud. Any question that your fiancé has about your whereabouts last night are super valid. 

Angela [00:45:07] Yeah. Does he ever say, okay, fine? 

Jenna [00:45:10] No! He just sort of remains sort of like, kind of like, ugh. Fine. I’ll tell you again. We were in the car. We were talking. It’s a very Michael Scott like, I like the smell of bacon, okay? Sue me. And then she’s like, how did Sarah Ann get home? And he’s like, yes, I drove her home. It’s like, every layer’s like, it’s like getting worse. But it’s like… 

Angela [00:45:40] Why do you have bedhead? Duh. I was tired. She said I could lay on her bed. 

Jenna [00:45:46] What, do you want me to drive home tired? 

Angela [00:45:48] You want me to draw you a map? 

Jenna [00:45:50] It was so funny. 

Angela [00:45:51] Oh my gosh. 

Jenna [00:45:52] I’m so sorry, Jeramy. I’m sure you’re a nice person. And you became fodder for the internet with this scene. So many people have recreated it. 

Angela [00:46:03] I don’t know anything you’re talking about. Like, nothing. Now I’m gonna have to look it up. I’m now fascinated. 

Jenna [00:46:08] I’m tangent lady today. I apologize. Listen, where are we? We’re in a limo. Okay. Jim is downing what I think are mimosas. Is this orange juice fresh squeezed? He asks. He’s tickled. He asks if he can take some snacks, and the limo driver drops him off on the sidewalk and he’s like, wait, is this- where where am I? And he says, This is Doctor J’s private court. You’ll be meeting him here. 

Angela [00:46:38] Jim is like, you got to be kidding me. Well, I have a fun story about the limo driver in this scene. 

Jenna [00:46:46] I know this story. You called me after, and I was like, what? 

Angela [00:46:50] I know. This is- talk about random coincidence. So earlier this year, I was filming a project out of town. I can’t share about it yet, but I can’t wait to tell you guys. It was super fun. So I’m filming out of town, and the production company arranged for a car to pick me up from the airport. I get in the car and the driver was really nice, and we get to talking and he was like, gosh, you look familiar. And I was like, I know, you look familiar too. And we’re just like, huh. And then we sort of ride in silence and he’s like, wait, were you in The Office? And I said, yeah, I was. I played, you know, Angela in accounting. And he said, I was on The Office, too. And I said, what? 

Jenna [00:47:29] This is so crazy. 

Angela [00:47:30] Yeah. He said, okay, it’s season nine. And I was like, wait, I do a podcast and we just started season nine. He goes, okay, remember when Jim gets picked up in a limo to go meet Doctor J? And I was like, oh my God, that was you? And he said, yes. His name is Jeff Hatch. He is the loveliest person. And I was like, Jeff, can I interview you for my podcast? We’re driving down the 405 freeway. He’s like, sure. I’m in the back seat. So I’m kind of leaning forward and he’s kind of facing forward. The sound quality is probably not the best, but he was so lovely and this was such a fun reconnection moment. A little mini Office reunion. I want you to hear it. 

Jenna [00:48:11] I love this. 

Angela [00:48:13] Hello, Office Ladies listeners, I am in the car with Jeff Hatch. 

Jeff Hatch [00:48:18] Hi. 

Angela [00:48:19] He played the limo driver in which episode?

Jeff Hatch [00:48:22] It was the episode Lice. And John Krasinski’s character was out of the office the day they had lice because he was, meeting Doctor J. 

Angela [00:48:33] Oh, yeah. 

Jeff Hatch [00:48:34] The baasketball player, in Portland, Oregon. And I was briefly on screen as the limo driver that picked him up and took him to Doctor J’s office. 

Angela [00:48:45] And how did you get your job on The Office? 

Jeff Hatch [00:48:48] I had a class B commercial license, and I could drive stretch limos, because that was my job at the time and still is my job to to to this day. And I, I delivered the lines halfway convincingly, and I happened to have a SAG card, so that was the whole requirement. 

Angela [00:49:11] There you go. And you had three lines? 

Jeff Hatch [00:49:13] Had three lines. One of them got cut. So you get to enjoy me delivering two lines to John Krasinski. 

Angela [00:49:20] And we just met at the airport. 

Jeff Hatch [00:49:23] At the airport, doing my job as a limo driver, the actual limo driver job. Not the not the television version. 

Angela [00:49:32] Awesome, awesome. Thank you so much for being on Office Ladies. 

Jeff Hatch [00:49:35] My pleasure. 

Jenna [00:49:38] I love that so much. 

Angela [00:49:41] How random is that? I mean… 

Jenna [00:49:43] So crazy. 

Angela [00:49:44] And you guys, we weren’t in a limo. Just so you know, it was just one of those big SUVs. 

Jenna [00:49:48] Oh, yeah. Yeah. 

Angela [00:49:49] Yeah, yeah. But he was so lovely. And I’m going to give a shout out to him in stories. Jeff, thanks for talking to me about your time on The Office. 

Jenna [00:49:57] That is so cool. Well, I know that whenever we had to have someone who was actually driving a car, you had to have that- 

Angela [00:50:06] A professional driver. 

Jenna [00:50:06] Yeah, a special license and also be an actor. And so we would cast people with those criteria, and he did great! 

Angela [00:50:13] I know. 

Jenna [00:50:14] I thought it was awesome. Very believable. 

Angela [00:50:16] Very believable. So natural and just a lovely person. 

Jenna [00:50:21] Aww. Well, on that note, why don’t we take a break? I’ve been slowly eating this cake all through this last segment. I know it’s been distracting you, Angela, but you can’t give me cake and then make me wait to eat it. I’m a lady who likes cake. 

Angela [00:50:32] I know, but I was also watching you eat it and watching you try not to make noise while you eat it. So that, like, imagine someone taking a bite but they’re trying not to let their lips fully touch the fork. So it’s like, (MAKES NOISE) 

Jenna [00:50:45] It’s probably more distracting. I’m so sorry. Let’s take a break and I’m just going to eat it. 

Angela [00:50:48] Okay, we’ll be right back because Pam is going to go into the kitchen to find Meredith shaving her head. 

Jenna [00:50:54] Yeah. 

Angela [00:51:06] Well, here we are. We’re in the kitchen. Meredith is going to start to shave her head. She also is heating up some wax for down south just in case the critters migrated. 

Jenna [00:51:19] That’s right. Pam enters and she’s going to confess, but she doesn’t have time because Meredith has shaved the center of her head already. Could you imagine? 

Angela [00:51:30] No, I can’t. 

Jenna [00:51:32] Oh my goodness. We had a fan question from Rosie K from Valley, Nebraska, who said, I need to know all about the scene where Meredith is shaving her head? Obviously, she didn’t really shave her head, but it looks so real. How did they go about making this look so real? Is she wearing a cap with a wig? I must know. 

Angela [00:51:51] Well, Kate sent us in an audio clip sharing all about this, and you got to hear it. 

Kate Flannery [00:51:57] How that all works- all the scenes work- especially the one where I’m specifically shaving my head like where you actually see it, yeah, it took like 3.5 hours to get into the ball cap with a partial wig for that scene. So I look like Benjamin Franklin. And then they had me put hair in my hand. Like I actually had my hand on top of my head holding the extra hair. So you couldn’t tell. It was a pretty quick shot. And then I had the razor in my right hand and hair on top of my head with my left hand. And then I just rolled it over and just, like, let the hair drop. So a little movie magic when I said, what does it look like, I’m baking a cake? God, I think I said it funnier right just then than I did at the time. Anyway. So that was kind of cool. It’s like a cool little illusion. 

Jenna [00:52:40] And I can say that is how we did it. I remember. It was not easy though. It was very hard because she had so much business to do, you know, like she had to hold fake hair in one hand, a razor in another hand, kind of like make it all fall out. She had to do that whole illusion while acting and the timing and the microwave. 

Angela [00:52:59] I thought she did a great job, because it really looks like her hair is just cascading down. Not that she’s holding it and letting it go. 

Jenna [00:53:07] Yes. 

Angela [00:53:07] And this is what they practiced that Monday, the first day that we filmed. 

Jenna [00:53:11] Yeah. To make sure that it would look realistic. Pam has a talking head now where she says, Listen, I’m going to tell her but now is clearly not the time. I’ll buy her a wig, we’ll laugh about it later. 

Angela [00:53:25] Oh Pam. 

Jenna [00:53:26] Pam still hasn’t told her. 

Angela [00:53:27] Pam, Pam, Pam. In the conference room, Dwight is running a meeting about lice, and there’s a big, gross picture of a giant lice bug. And Erin is going to tell everyone they need mayonnaise to suffocate the lice. They’re going to need to pick a partner, and they’re going to put mayonnaise on each other’s head. 

Jenna [00:53:48] Yes. Meredith arrives to the meeting. This is when she reveals her full bald head. 

Angela [00:53:55] She says she’s the only one with the balls to show the lice who’s boss. 

Jenna [00:53:59] Yes, we had a fan question from Emeline C in Belgium who said, This episode has my favorite Angela line of the whole series. 

Angela [00:54:09] Really, Emeline? 

Jenna [00:54:10] Yes. After Meredith shaves her head, she says to the office, take a picture. It’ll last longer. And Angela replies, we don’t want it to last longer. It’s horrible. Everything about Angela’s delivery makes me laugh so hard. Was this line scripted? And if so, what did the script say exactly? Were there any candy bag alts for this scene? Please tell me everything. 

Angela [00:54:30] It was scripted. I delivered it exactly as it was written, and I really loved all of Angela’s reactions to Meredith. So, Emeline, thank you for for noting that. There’s one coming up where I’m like, are you happy, Pam? She’s a monster. 

Jenna [00:54:45] Yes, I know, I love that, too. Pam is going to offer to go and get the mayonnaise. She’s like, I’ll get it. I’ll go get the mayo. 

Angela [00:54:55] Because she’s feeling guilty. 

Jenna [00:54:56] She is. In the warehouse we’ve got Darryl, Kevin, Phyllis and Nellie all sitting around a table. They’re working. And Val says hi to Darryl, and it’s just like, oh, my gosh, look at that. Nellie is like, it’s like a car crash. 

Angela [00:55:14] So awkward. Phyllis asks Darryl what would make you feel better? And he was like, maybe chocolate cake like my grandmother used to make. And he gets up, he says, I need a minute to clear my head. Kevin thinks he could use some hugs and chocolate cake. And I loved when Phyllis gets really defensive about her chocolate muffin. She’s like, this is not- 

Jenna [00:55:33] This wouldn’t do it. 

Angela [00:55:34] No, it’s- because it’s not cake. 

Jenna [00:55:35] No, it’s just a muffin. 

Angela [00:55:37] Made me laugh. 

Jenna [00:55:39] All right. Now we’re headed over to Jim’s big meeting. He and Doctor J, they are shooting baskets? 

Angela [00:55:48] Yeah, nothing but net, Halpert. 

Jenna [00:55:50] Amazing. Pam is going to call Jim. She’s unloading a bunch of mayonnaise from the car, and it’s falling at her feet and exploding. Those were real mayonnaise jars. I really have a lot of fun doing scenes where I get to drop things and be like fumbly. 

Angela [00:56:09] Okay, good to know. Mom Detectives, you’re the klutz!

Jenna [00:56:13] I’m the klutz. Oh! When we have our own show I get to do klutzy things all the time? 

Angela [00:56:16] You’re the klutz in Mom Detectives. 

Jenna [00:56:19] Lady, remember our movie that we wrote had me falling over that fence? 

Angela [00:56:24] Yes. You’re so excited to do some stunt moment. 

Jenna [00:56:28] I love to do that bit. I don’t know why. So, I hope you liked my mayo dropping because I enjoyed doing it. 

Angela [00:56:35] I thought you did a great job. It splattered perfectly. 

Jenna [00:56:38] It did. 

Angela [00:56:38] And once again, in this Jim and Pam phone conversation, neither of them are really sharing what’s happening. Pam is not telling him that the whole entire office is about to put mayonnaise on their heads. Jim isn’t sharing that he’s drinking a fresh made smoothie and shooting baskets with Doctor J, and even Doctor J is going to give him a pair of Japanese Nike’s. 

Jenna [00:56:57] I know. You know that Nike joke is very funny because I guess maybe- I remembered this when I was watching the episode. I was like, Nike’s? Doctor J didn’t wear Nike’s. What is that? What was that? Was that meant to be like an extra joke? Because Doctor Jay wore converse. He, like, made the Converse Pro Leather famous like back in the 1970s. It was like a big thing where, like, you know, athletes are suddenly now making like, shoes or clothing, like kind of famous. I like, totally remembered that. I was very proud of myself because I don’t know a lot about sports, but I did remember that. 

Angela [00:57:31] Is that because you watched a movie and it was in the movie? 

Jenna [00:57:34] No! I didn’t watch that basketball thing. I didn’t watch it. Lee watched it, I didn’t watch that. No, I just remembered it wasn’t Nike, it was a different shoe. I don’t know. I had to look up what shoe, I confess, but I do remember it wasn’t Nike. But then the other thing, Angela, that this made me think of about like athletes and clothing and stuff is the current- oh my gosh, I feel self-conscious because I’ve had so many side stories today. I don’t know if I’m just excited because you celebrated my birthday and I’m being real chatty. 

Angela [00:58:04] And you’ve had a nice big piece of cake. 

Jenna [00:58:06] A lot of sugar. But are you following this Major League Baseball thing with the see-through pants? 

Angela [00:58:13] What? 

Jenna [00:58:14] The see-through pants? 

Angela [00:58:16] I don’t know what you’re talking about. 

Jenna [00:58:18] Oh my gosh, lady. Oh my gosh. Okay. 

Angela [00:58:20] Is this on Love is Blind? 

Jenna [00:58:21] No, this is not Love is Blind. This is a real thing with Major League Baseball this season. Okay, so… 

Angela [00:58:29] Their pants are see through? 

Jenna [00:58:30] Their pants are see-through. Let me back up. 

Angela [00:58:34] What? That seems really bad. 

Jenna [00:58:35] I know, I know. 

Angela [00:58:36] I don’t need to see a bunch of men running in see through pants. Sliding. Jumping. 

Jenna [00:58:41] I haven’t seen any sliding yet, but I’ve seen stretching. Okay, let me back up. Let me back up. Okay. The Dodgers this year. This season. They have see-through pants, but they have something else. 

Angela [00:58:54] What?! 

Jenna [00:58:54] They have the greatest baseball player of all time. I can see Cassi. She’s fist pumping right now. Shohei Ohtani, he’s from Japan. He is a hitter and a pitcher. So in his debut game with the Dodgers, he hit a home run. But he’s also the best pitcher. And he signed a deal with the Dodgers for like $700 million. It’s the biggest money deal of any athlete in any sport of all time. 

Angela [00:59:24] And the minute they got him, they gave him see through pants? 

Jenna [00:59:27] They did, lady! So here’s what I found out. 

Angela [00:59:30] What the hell? 

Jenna [00:59:31] It’s not related, but I saw this podcast, I listen to this podcast called Today Explained. 

Angela [00:59:36] You saw it. Just like my mom. Where can I watch your podcast? 

Jenna [00:59:39] Where can I watch your podcast? Today Explained did a podcast on Shohei Ohtani and I wanted to listen to it because I’m interested. This is a big deal. My son is a Dodgers fan. So we’re into this. And I was listening to this podcast and they were like, there are two big things happening a major League Baseball this season. One is Shohei Ohtani and the other are the see-through pants. Cassi, do you know about the see through pants? 

Angela [01:00:04] What? Bring in the picture! Cassi just said, I have a picture. 

Jenna [01:00:08] Okay, here’s what happened this season. 

Angela [01:00:11] How? Who who missed the memo? How do you order see through pants? 

Jenna [01:00:15] Look at it. Look at what’s happening. 

Angela [01:00:18] Putting on my glasses. Oh, no. Oh, no. 

Jenna [01:00:21] It’s so unfortunate. 

Angela [01:00:22] Oh, no. They look like they have- they- okay. So the legs part are real see through. 

Jenna [01:00:27] And and then they tuck their shirt in. 

Angela [01:00:29] And when they tuck their shirt in it looks like they’re wearing ginormous granny panties. Oh, fellas. They can’t play in these. No.

Jenna [01:00:35] Here is what happened. They have been playing in them! Yes they have. And they took all their photos and team pictures in them. 

Angela [01:00:46] No one, no one was like, um guys? No one? 

Jenna [01:00:50] I can’t I I’m obsessed with this story now. So they introduced new uniforms this season. Lighter more breathable fabric. 

Angela [01:00:59] That’s good. 

Jenna [01:01:00] Because, you know, those baseball uniforms are so heavy. I’ve always wondered, why do they want to play in that? 

Angela [01:01:05] They’re hot. They don’t breathe. 

Jenna [01:01:06] They don’t breathe. They breathe now. 

Angela [01:01:08] Yeah. They’re sheer. 

Jenna [01:01:09] They’re like sheer. And the problem is any team with white pants, when they tuck in their top shirt, it looks like they have, like, a diaper on. 

Angela [01:01:20] Granny panty diaper. 

Jenna [01:01:21] But then when they, like, bend and stretch. 

Angela [01:01:24] No no, no! 

Jenna [01:01:27] It’s airy. A lot. 

Angela [01:01:27] Are there photos of them stretching? 

Jenna [01:01:29] Yes. 

Angela [01:01:30] Oh, no. 

Jenna [01:01:31] Yes. Because it’s awful. What are they going to do about it? Are they doing anything about it? 

Angela [01:01:36] Can you see like jock strap? 

Jenna [01:01:38] And more, lady. You see a lot. 

Angela [01:01:41] Jingle jangles and stuff? 

Jenna [01:01:42] It’s very a lot. And are they doing anything about it? This. I can’t find out. Are they changing the bottoms? 

Cassi [01:01:50] I haven’t heard anything, but I’ve heard jokes that they think more women are going to watch baseball now. 

Jenna [01:01:56] I mean, I’m telling you, it’s bonkers. 

Angela [01:02:00] This. Of all the things I thought we were going to talk about today for this Lice episode, it was not that you can see all the bits of the baseball players. 

Jenna [01:02:10] And they’re all wearing them. They’re- nobody- and if you go like online there’s all these- it’s very funny that like people have put like Saran wrap on their legs like I got a pair of the new pants. Like you know because they are very sheer. What’s going to happen when someone slides? Are they durable but sheer? We don’t know. 

Cassi [01:02:33] We don’t know yet. 

Angela [01:02:33] They gotta be durable. 

Jenna [01:02:34] None of them want to slide. None of the white pants teams. Nobody wants to slide. It’s going to be what’s going to happen? Oh, wait. Jordan has an update. 

Jordan [01:02:45] Yeah. So this is from Sports Illustrated.com. And the MLB said in a statement, The uniform pants have the same material and thickness as uniform pants used last season. There were changes to the fabric of the jersey, not to the pants. 

Jenna [01:03:00] No, there’s no way. The pants did not look like this last year. That cannot be possible. 

Angela [01:03:08] This is a cover up story. 

Jenna [01:03:10] Mom Detectives! 

Angela [01:03:12] We’re on it! 

Jenna [01:03:12] The case of the see through pants! 

Angela [01:03:13] I guess we have to go to Dodger Stadium now. 

Jenna [01:03:16] We do! 

Angela [01:03:17] Oh, my gosh, I don’t even know where we are. 

Jenna [01:03:19] I’m so sorry for that crazy tangent. 

Angela [01:03:22] Oh, because we were talking about Doctor J’s shoes. 

Jenna [01:03:26] Doctor J and his shoes. I’m tangent lady today. 

Angela [01:03:28] Well, I’ll take us back to the conference room. Mayonnaise is being distributed, y’all. Okay. 

Jenna [01:03:35] They’re going to split up into pairs. 

Angela [01:03:36] Yeah. And while Dwight is sort of talking to everyone about this, he cuts his own hazmat suit with his scissors. He freaks out. He runs out of the room. 

Jenna [01:03:47] Yes. Fan question from Claudia S in Sydney, Australia, I never heard of killing lice with mayonnaise. Does that actually work? Well, fan question from Ava F in Hattiesburg, Mississippi says, Yes. You can put mayo on your hair and it will suffocate the lice, but you need to leave it on for 6 to 8 hours, not just four hours. And then 7 to 8 days later you have to do it again. You can also use olive oil. 

Angela [01:04:15] I feel like this is all stuff my grandmother knew. Like we would get a bug bite and she’d be like, go get clear nail polish. I’m gonna put a little- 

Jenna [01:04:22] That works. 

Angela [01:04:22] Yes, it suffocates the little bug. 

Jenna [01:04:25] Yeah. You’re right. I forgot about that trick. So I guess, yes, you can use mayo. I think I would just use, like, a lice shampoo, though. 

Angela [01:04:35] Why are you whispering it? Are you just telling me? Or are you whispering to everybody? 

Jenna [01:04:39] I mean. I guess everyone’s going to know, but I would just go with the- I don’t think I would do mayo. 

Angela [01:04:45] You know what? Sometimes you got to work with what you got. 

Jenna [01:04:48] Well, that’s true. 

Angela [01:04:48] If you got mayo and it’s bad, use the mayo I guess. 

Jenna [01:04:51] If I was out in the woods, I would just use mayo or olive oil. 

Angela [01:04:56] Here is who all got paired up together: Angela and Oscar. Erin and Pete. Creed and Pam. Creed goes, great. I got stuck with the weirdo. Angela is going to really slap that mayonnaise onto Oscar’s head. Angela says, You don’t want bugs because who knows where those bugs will end up. She’s clearly still very angry at Oscar and is going to really enjoy putting this mayonnaise on his head. 

Jenna [01:05:18] We have a very cute mayo application montage with Pete and Erin. 

Angela [01:05:25] Oh yeah. 

Jenna [01:05:27] I went to the script and here is what it said. “Erin and Pete, both with their heads lathered in mayo, ad lib flirting. Some suggested areas. Erin pushes all his hair into a mohawk. Erin arranges her hair in a Martha Washington. Have fun on set! Budget 30 minutes.” This is very funny. I’ve never seen that before in a script. 

Angela [01:05:51] I know, that’s very cute. Well, I thought that scene was adorable. And I feel like when Ellie as Erin says, Eiffel Tower! That that was Jake’s real laugh. 

Jenna [01:06:01] Me too. Me too. We got a fan mail flurry. People wanted to know if it was real mayonnaise and if not, what was used and did it smell? And how long did it take to wash out of our hair afterwards? My memory is that we used a thick hair conditioner and that my hair was very, very, very conditioned and soft. 

Angela [01:06:21] Yes, that’s exactly what it was. That’s my memory as well. And it looked like mayonnaise, but actually smelled pretty good. It was just a hair conditioner. I took my camera to set that day and I have some great pictures. I put them in our book, The Office BFFs, but the only photo I have of myself and Jake Lacey, just the two of us, from his whole time on the show, is the two of us with this mayonnaise on our heads. 

Jenna [01:06:45] That’s very funny. You know, we also had a fan question from Melissa S in Statesville, North Carolina, who said, How long on average did you have to keep that on your hair? I know sometimes 1 or 2 scenes can take multiple hours. Well, I remembered that we grouped these mayonnaise scenes together, and Steve Burgess confirmed that. He said we did a full day and a half day of mayo hair. I also remember my head being cold because the- it was like we had a hair mask on. It was very like damp. 

Angela [01:07:21] And it sort of took the temperature of the room and our set was really cold. Meredith applies Mayo to Stanley, and Pam does the mayo on Creed’s scalp, but then Creed doesn’t want to do Pam’s. So now Pam is left trying to do her own. 

Jenna [01:07:36] I know. 

Angela [01:07:37] Well, in this sort of really messy process of her putting mayo on her own hair, her phone rings and she can’t answer it because she’s got the mayonnaise all over her fingers. So with her elbow, she kind of hits the speakerphone button and it’s her mom. And her mom announces to the whole bullpen that Cece’s school says she still has lice, and Pam might have it, too. Pam rushes to hang up the phone, but that’s it. Everyone has locked in on this. They can’t believe it. And Jenna, I remember this moment at the table read. When we read the script, the whole room erupted into laughter and I wanted to read how it was in the script. Pam finally manages to hang up, but it’s too late. Everybody stares at her, completely aware that Pam is actually Patient Zero, not Meredith. Angela says, oh my God. Off Pam’s horror, Meredith says, shave her head, shave her head! And Kate crushed it. It’s so funny. 

Jenna [01:08:42] I remember that. This was a really, really fun scene to shoot. I loved all the mayo falling off my fingers. Klutzy. Klutzy acting, again. 

Angela [01:08:53] I know. Save it for Mom Detectives, lady. Well, everyone starts to yell at Pam. She’s apologizing. She said it’s been so hectic with Jim being gone, and she really does apologize to Meredith. And that’s when Angela’s like, lot of good that does now. She’s a monster. 

Jenna [01:09:09] Yes. 

Angela [01:09:10] Then I just loved this next Meredith talking head. 

Jenna [01:09:14] I loved it. 

Angela [01:09:15] Kate was so phenomenal in it. I thought we should hear it. 

Meredith [01:09:19] Who’s the one that didn’t bring lice into the office? Meredith. Sure. I gave everybody pinkeye once, and my ex keyed a few of their cars. And, yeah, I BM’ed in the shredder on New Year’s. But I didn’t bring the lice in. That was all Pam. 

Jenna [01:09:36] I love it so much. 

Angela [01:09:37] Perfection. 

Jenna [01:09:38] So good. 

Angela [01:09:38] We learned so much information. 

Jenna [01:09:40] Yes. 

Angela [01:09:41] Apparently, Meredith did give everyone pinkeye. Once. 

Jenna [01:09:45] And everybody’s cars got keyed! 

Angela [01:09:48] And she took a poop in the shredder. Down in the warehouse, Val enters her office to find Phyllis, Kevin, and Nellie. They say, look, we heard you broke up with Darryl, and they really want her to take him back. And Val’s like, you know what? I’m going to need you to leave my office. Is that all? And Nellie’s like, no, that’s not all. And then she has this huge speech. 

Jenna [01:10:12] Yeah, we got a fan question about it from Nikita C in Sydney, Australia who said, Can we talk about Catherine Tate’s strange but incredible performance in convincing Val to get back with Darryl? I agree with you, Nikita. We can talk about it. I noticed, though, I went to the script because I was curious- that the script is different from what ended up in the episode. 

Angela [01:10:35] Only by two lines. 

Jenna [01:10:37] Really? 

Angela [01:10:38] Only by two lines. 

Jenna [01:10:39] Oh, Angela, I was hoping that you would tell me what was up. 

Angela [01:10:42] Okay, so there were no candy bag alts for this. And Catherine really nailed it. She delivered it exactly as it was written, except for one part. And I don’t know if Catherine just forgot in the moment and left out this couplet of dialog, or if they decided on the day not to include it. But as she does her whole speech, she would have also talked about her countless plastic surgeries in which she had a merry go round of elective self-abuse. 

Jenna [01:11:09] Oh my goodness. 

Angela [01:11:11] So I don’t know if they decided that that was one too many, but I thought Catherine was so great in this moment. And I’m just giving shoutouts to all of the Kates and Catherine’s on our show, because I think we need to hear it. 

Val [01:11:24] Thank you. Is that all? 

Nellie [01:11:26] No, no, that is not all. Let me tell you what real life is like. The men dry up and the nights get lonely. The only calls on your machine are from collection agencies about that pair of motorcycle boots you’ve never even worn. You stalk your old high school boyfriend online, go to his daughter’s soccer games and make a scene. You buy a diamond ring for yourself, wear it on your right hand and tell yourself you’re all you need. One day you’re alone, tired. At your feet, a dying bird. Where did it come from? Why did you kill it? Is it because in some strange way it is you? 

Jenna [01:12:01] Well, if you can believe it, that speech does not sway Val. Something else does. 

Angela [01:12:10] Shocker. 

Jenna [01:12:11] Yes, it is actually because Kevin asks her out. 

Angela [01:12:16] Yeah. 

Jenna [01:12:17] And then Val has a talking head that’s just wonderful. 

Angela [01:12:20] Ameenah is so good in this moment. I think we should hear it! 

Jenna [01:12:24] Okay. 

Val [01:12:26] Yeah, Kevin asked me out. I was kind of feeling good about reentering the dating pool and then Kevin asked me out. Thought I might trade up to a new level of men. Then Kevin asked me out. 

Jenna [01:12:39] It’s so good! 

Angela [01:12:40] Every time she’s like, and then Kevin asked me out. Ladies are crushing it in this episode. 

Jenna [01:12:48] Well, back in the bullpen, Dwight has been hiding in Andy’s office, but he’s using his megaphone to shout at everyone. And he says you have 60 seconds to evacuate because I’m going to detonate this bug bomb fogger thing to disinfect the office. But then he accidentally… 

Angela [01:13:08] Drops it. 

Jenna [01:13:09] He fumbles it. He has a klutz moment and it explodes. 

Angela [01:13:14] I think Dwight might be the clumsiest person at Dunder Mifflin. 

Jenna [01:13:17] Yeah, it’s kind of true. He’s already stabbed himself with the scissors. Now he’s dropped the bug bomb. 

Angela [01:13:23] But, yeah, as you watch the show again, I think Dwight is the clumsiest. 

Jenna [01:13:27] He might be. We had a fan question from Lindsey P in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, who said, I laugh hysterically every time I see Dwight drop the lice bomb in Andy’s office and then in his car at the end of the episode. Please tell us everything about how this was done. And Maggie F from Burlington, Vermont, said the cloud of insecticide smoke when Dwight drops it is so funny. Please walk us through the logistics. Well, Steve Burgess said most of this was done in post-production. 

Angela [01:13:58] Oh, really? Because the timing is so perfect. 

Jenna [01:14:01] So perfect. 

Angela [01:14:01] And it’s instant. 

Jenna [01:14:02] Yes, we were there, Angela, but I did not remember how we did this. So thank goodness we have Steve Burgess as a resource. He said that what they would do is have Rainn freeze, and then they would jump in and they would put smoke and then a little powder residue on him, and then he would unfreeze and continue the scene. But Steve said the big pop and the cloud of smoke was added later in post. So good. 

Angela [01:14:28] Really well done. Angela is now washing Oscar’s hair. 

Jenna [01:14:33] Lady, when you hit him in the head with the- what is that? Was that a sound effect? 

Angela [01:14:38] No. 

Jenna [01:14:38] Lady. 

Angela [01:14:40] They told me to clunk him in the head with the glass pot. 

Jenna [01:14:43] My gosh! 

Angela [01:14:44] They might have pumped up the sound a little bit. 

Jenna [01:14:46] But I know that wasn’t a fakey pot. 

Angela [01:14:48] No, it was a real glass pot. But they said you kind of bonk them in the head. And I was like, Oscar! And he goes, just do it. I was like, okay, so I bonked him in the head. 

Jenna [01:14:58] And then you pour water all over his face? 

Angela [01:15:01] I know. They told me to do that too. That was scripted. Listen, you guys, it says now she pours water up his nose and in his face. 

Jenna [01:15:08] Were you guys laughing? How did you get through that? Thank God it was Oscar. If you were doing that to me, we would have been laughing and we would have never finished. 

Angela [01:15:15] I was trying not to laugh because when I did bonk him with the coffee pot, his reaction was so honest. 

Jenna [01:15:21] Oh no. 

Angela [01:15:22] But when I was rewatching these scenes, one of the things I remembered so vividly, and I thought it when I watched Erin and Pete’s scene as well, that’s coming up where she washes his hair, is that sink was not real. 

Jenna [01:15:36] Oh that’s right. 

Angela [01:15:37] Right. And so when you turned water, they just had sort of like a bucket with water with like a hose. 

Jenna [01:15:43] That was like a pump? 

Angela [01:15:44] Like a pump. So the pressure was like a dribble. So I just remember that it was hard to make it look like there was enough water. And there’s no way you could wash someone’s hair in that sink. 

Jenna [01:15:57] No. That’s right. And the drain, it just came up and fell into a bucket. 

Angela [01:16:01] Yes. It like went out one bucket in a hose into another. 

Jenna [01:16:05] That’s true. Well, speaking of the scene where Pete is gonna take off his shirt. 

Angela [01:16:12] I know! And he’s all muscly! 

Jenna [01:16:13] Hello! I know, what is going on? And he’s got still his little Elvis mayo hair. 

Angela [01:16:20] And Erin’s, like, trying not to look at his biceps and then starts washing his hair. This is a very intimate scene. 

Jenna [01:16:27] I love getting my hair washed. 

Angela [01:16:29] I know it feels so good, doesn’t it? 

Jenna [01:16:31] Yeah. So we know what Pete is feeling right now. 

Angela [01:16:34] Well, anyone that’s had their hair washed. 

Jenna [01:16:36] I know, that’s what I mean. Anyone, I guess- listen, when you get your hair colored, they wash your hair out for you. 

Angela [01:16:42] It’s wonderful. 

Jenna [01:16:44] It’s so great. 

Angela [01:16:44] Unless you get the one person that digs their nails in your scalp too hard and you’re like, hey, hey, hey, hey. That happens. Sometimes the person’s in a rush. 

Jenna [01:16:53] Speaking of nails on your head, but going another direction, Debbie on our show, our hairdresser Debbie, she had those wonderful nails. 

Angela [01:17:04] Oh, yeah. Her nails were long. 

Jenna [01:17:05] And when she would touch up your hair, it was like the greatest. I told her she needed to open up a studio called Debbie’s touch ups. And all you would do, like middle of your day, your hair’s getting crazy, you go in to Debbie’s touch ups and she’ll just touch up your hair, and she’ll just put her nails in your hair and then, like, kind of spray the flyaways and then you go on with your day. Wouldn’t you pay for that? 

Angela [01:17:32] If Debbie was doing it. 

Jenna [01:17:33]  It’s only Debbie’s touch ups. Listen to me, I cannot stay on course today. 

Angela [01:17:39] You can’t. 

Jenna [01:17:40] I literally can’t. That. I mean. 

Angela [01:17:42] You can’t. You know what? I’m just going to say it was the cake. You had a big piece of cake. 

Jenna [01:17:46] I did. I’m chatty.

Angela [01:17:47] It got you all like sugared up. Well, Kevin, of course, is now putting all the bubble wrap he can find into the baler, even though Darryl said, do not mess with the baler. 

Jenna [01:17:58] And it’s going to break. Kevin. And then Val is going to approach Darryl. And guess what? She’s going to give him another shot. 

Angela [01:18:06] Yeah, she kisses him. She’s like, you know what? I believe in us. And then Darryl is like, I’m back with Val. Yay. 

Jenna [01:18:14] Darryl. 

Angela [01:18:15] Darryl. 

Jenna [01:18:16] You’re so lucky. 

Angela [01:18:17] Darryl. Darryl. 

Jenna [01:18:19] She’s a catch. 

Angela [01:18:20] She’s a catch. 

Jenna [01:18:21] Come on. This is when Dwight is going to go to his car and set off another lice bomb. 

Angela [01:18:28] He drops it again. 

Jenna [01:18:29] Again. Pete is leaving the office, and he’s wondering if Erin’s already gone home for the day. That intimate hair wash moment has caused Erin to hide in the hallway. It was too much for her. Brought up too many feels. 

Angela [01:18:43] Yeah. Jim and Doctor J are still playing basketball, and Pam calls and he doesn’t hear it. She leaves a message. It’s kind of a sad sack message. She just says she hopes his day got better. And Meredith watches all of this and she is softening towards Pam. But there was even another moment that would have come right before this that really started to turn Meredith around. Pam is coming out of the women’s room, drying her hair with a paper towel, and Angela is super mean to her, and Meredith overhears it. I want to play it for you. 

Angela Martin [01:19:20] Oh, look who it is, typhoid Mary. 

Pam [01:19:23] Angela… 

Angela Martin [01:19:23] Don’t, Pam. You brought lice into the office. Who’s to say what else do you have? Disgusting. 

Angela [01:19:31] So mean. And Meredith overhears all of this. And then Pam tries to call Jim, and Meredith hears that phone conversation, and she’s like, you know what? Let’s go grab a beer. 

Jenna [01:19:44] And Pam says, yes. We got a fan mail flurry about my curly hair in this episode when I’m doing that phone call. People noticed it and said, your hair is super curly. Is that your real hair or did you style it like that? If it is your real hair, you should wear like that more often because it looks super cute. And Greta V from Wisconsin said, I want to pop in and say, Jenna, I love your natural curls. As a natural curly girl, I love seeing natural curls on TV. Well everyone, thank you. Yes, that is what my hair looks like when it air dries naturally and you scrunch it a little bit. And Kim Ferry and I discussed this. And this is also how Pam used to do her hair in early seasons. We would scrunch it and then do the half up, half down. But I also like you, Greta loved seeing my natural hair on TV. The problem with it is this: it doesn’t hold for a second day. Like the second day after I sleep on it like that, it looks like it’s just tangled, like a tangled mess. So I actually have to wash my hair more often if I want to do the natural look, but if I kind of straighten it and add curl to it, then it can hold for a few days. So that’s why I don’t wear it natural more often, because number one, it has to air dry, which takes forever. And then number two, it’s a one day thing. 

Angela [01:21:05] And then it’s tangled. Yeah. Well I love your hair naturally curly. I love it whenever you send me a picture if you are anywhere where there’s like an ocean air. 

Jenna [01:21:15] Oh, yeah. I don’t straighten it. If I’m near any humidity or water. 

Angela [01:21:19] Your hair takes on a whole new life. Like I need to see your hair in Louisiana in the summer. 

Jenna [01:21:25] My gosh, that’s like Saint Louis in the summer. 

Angela [01:21:27] I need to see it. One of the other things I loved about this episode was we did get to see everyone with wet hair. And it was just such a fun thing to see everybody like that. 

Jenna [01:21:36] It kind of was, I agree. 

Angela [01:21:39] Well, the ladies are now going to share a picture at The Bog. I loved that establishing shot. Those of you who are from Scranton know that The Bog is a real bar and we’ve all been there. 

Jenna [01:21:50] Yeah, it’s a real bar in Scranton. And Angela, you guys went there when you were in Scranton for the 2007 Office convention. I wasn’t there, though. 

Angela [01:21:57] Well, I go further back. 

Jenna [01:22:00] What? 

Angela [01:22:01] Yes. In May of 2007, Brian and I went to Scranton on our own. 

Jenna [01:22:07] Before the convention? 

Angela [01:22:08] Yeah, the convention was in October. And Brian and I went in May on our own. I actually left New York. I said goodbye to you. You had broken your back, and I’d been hanging out with you. And I got in a car with Brian, and we drove up to Scranton, and we got to tour Poor Richard’s Pub and Cooper’s Seafood, Farley’s and The Bog. And here’s the thing. When we ended up at The Bog, it was the last place of the night that we went to, and a crowd had slowly started following us around. Like word was out that we were in town. And so the whole crowd ended up at The Bog. It’s not a super huge bar, as you know. It’s that great neighborhood bar that you love and it’s tiny. So they put Brian and I behind the bar to sort of like, give us some space. And somehow we ended up pouring people’s drinks and I. I’m sorry to everyone I served because I know my pours were real sloppy, but it was so much fun. There was a local band playing and it was just such a wonderful night. And Brian and I still talk about how special it was. I want to give a shout out to the Scranton mayor at the time, Chris Doherty. He was awesome and the whole town made us feel so welcome. 

Jenna [01:23:50] That is so cool. Well, unfortunately, we didn’t get to go to the real Bog to shoot. We shot at Tony’s Saloon on seventh Street in the Los Angeles Arts District, which is near downtown. It’s still there. You can still go. But our producers called the co-owner of The Bog. His name is Brian Craig, and they told him that Greg would like permission to feature The Bog on the show, asked him to film some footage, which he did on his iPhone. We tried to make it match and I believe we used that footage for that exterior shot. That’s a real exterior. And speaking of pouring drinks, Angela. Fan question from Emily P in Nashua, New Hampshire said this. I hope there is a fan mail flurry about the way Pam pours beer, because it makes me so mad. If she did that to me, I would ask her to buy me a new beer that isn’t poured into foam land. Did you notice this? I noticed it. 

Angela [01:25:25] Can you read what I printed in blue? Read out loud. Read out loud what I wrote in my document. 

Jenna [01:25:33] You wrote, Pam does not know how to pour beer. You guys, I don’t drink beer. Is it obvious? 

Angela [01:25:41] Yes. No one wants all that foam. You have to tilt the glass. Tilt the pitcher. 

Jenna [01:25:46] I know. I mean I don’t know. 

Angela [01:25:46] No you don’t know. 

Jenna [01:25:48] We were drinking Phil’s special nonalcoholic beer. It foams up just like real beer. And I clearly did not know what I was doing. Well, Pam and Meredith are really bonding. I just loved doing these scenes with Kate. We got to spend a whole evening together, just the two of us. You know, Pam says she has a newfound respect for Meredith’s life as a single mother. Pam also compliments Meredith’s new bald head. Says, you know, you’re really rocking it. You look good. You’re pulling it off. And Meredith says, oh, yeah, I already got the bartender’s number. 

Angela [01:26:22] Yeah, things are gonna happen later. 

Jenna [01:26:24] Yeah. She’s going to take him to Bone Town. 

Angela [01:26:26] That’s right. The scene was longer in the shooting draft, and I loved it so much. Meredith is going to try to give Pam some words of wisdom about solo parenting. 

Jenna [01:26:37] I remember this so well. 

Angela [01:26:39] I have to share it. 

Jenna [01:26:40] Please do. 

Angela [01:26:40] This is how it read in the shooting draft. Meredith: Here’s a tip. Screw around all you want, but don’t bring a guy into your child’s home. In a pinch, use the garage or do him on the porch. 

Jenna [01:26:53] The porch. 

Angela [01:26:55] Meredith says, what I’m saying is, be a good mom to your kids first. Pam says, well, of course I would never screw around. And Meredith goes, I don’t judge. Life is to be enjoyed. Have a Crisco party. Get it on with a priest. Pam goes, I would not do that. Meredith says, but the kids come first. That’s sacred. You know what I’m talking about? Pam says, I get the gist of it. Meredith says, dress up like a jockey and do the Penn State lacrosse team. I don’t care, but first, the kids. Pam takes a swig of beer and burps. Meredith says, there you go. And they clink glasses. The kids come first. 

Jenna [01:27:39] I remember that runner because I remember there were some alts that she she would just throw out, like one ridiculous escapade after another, but then be like, but the kids come first! Yes. 

Angela [01:27:51] Well, this scene ends with a fantastic karaoke moment with Pam and Meredith. They’re going to sing Girls Just Want to Have Fun. I absolutely loved it. 

Jenna [01:28:01] Oh my goodness. We got a fan letter from Martha B in Malta who said, The karaoke to Girls Just Want to Have Fun is peak girlhood and a really nice way to end this episode. Question: is the part where Meredith starts early- was that scripted or did it actually happen? Well, Martha, we asked Kate about doing this scene and she actually answered your question. Here’s what she had to say. 

Kate Flannery [01:28:27] That was like one of my most favorite scenes ever. I got to sing karaoke. And I actually sing, but I was told Meredith doesn’t sing. So when I sang, whenever Meredith sang, she wasn’t supposed to be good. So it was really fun just to get to sing. And we sang Girls Just Want to Have Fun. And I just remember we had this improvised moment where I literally started too soon. And Pam looks at Meredith and is like, not yet. Like it was just it was so perfectly timed, her cutting me off. It was so funny. It was totally improvised moment. They kept it in. Yeah. Way to go, Jenna. 

Angela [01:28:59] That was perfect. I didn’t realize that was improvised. 

Jenna [01:29:02] Yeah, yeah, it was so fun. 

Angela [01:29:04] Not yet. 

Jenna [01:29:04] And I didn’t want to stop singing. We were like, can we do one more? We think we should do one more. And they were like, we got it, we got it. We’re like, no, no, no, we could do one more. 

Angela [01:29:13] It reminds me of that moment when Steve and Tim Meadows were improvising that baby back baby back and Steve’s like, No, no, no. It’s the same idea. It was great. 

Jenna [01:29:22] Totally. Well, everyone, that was Lice. Thanks for joining us on the podcast today, everyone. A huge thank you to Steve Burgess and to Kate Flannery. 

Angela [01:32:11] Yes, and to Jeff Hatch, the limo driver, for sharing with us their behind the scenes moments of this episode. Big thank you to you all for writing in your questions and your comments. You know we love them. 

Jenna [01:32:22] Thank you Cassi, Jordan and Angela for my wonderful birthday celebration. And thank you to everybody out there for listening to all my tangents today. I heard from Codi that there is a stack of birthday cards waiting for me at Sirius XM. They’re going to get them to me. Thank you so much! Oh my gosh, you guys really know how to celebrate a person. 

Angela [01:32:44] Y’all are the best. And I really feel like we have to go out on Girls Just Want to Have Fun by Pam and Meredith. 

Jenna [01:32:51] Yeah! For sure. We’ll see you next week, everyone. 

Pam [01:32:57] This one’s for all you ladies out there. Not yet. 

Pam and Meredith [01:33:12] (SINGING GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN) 

Jenna [01:33:29] Thank you for listening to Office Ladies. 

Angela [01:33:31] Office ladies is produced by Earwolf, Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey. 

Jenna [01:33:35] Our senior producer is Cassi Jerkins. Our audio engineer is Jordan Duffy, and our associate producer is Aynsley Bubbico. 

Angela [01:33:43] Our theme song is Rubber Tree by Creed Bratton.