EP. 178 — Tallahassee

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 [00:00:24] Hi there! 

Jenna [00:00:26] Today we’re talking about Tallahassee. Not the city, but the episode. 

Angela [00:00:30] The episode. And maybe we’ll also talk about the city. 

Jenna [00:00:33] Maybe we will. 

Angela [00:00:34] Mm hmm. 

Jenna [00:00:35] You have a look on your face like you’re planning to talk about the city. 

Angela [00:00:39] I looked up Tallahassee. 

Jenna [00:00:40] Okay! Well, this was season eight, episode 15, written by Danny Chun and directed by Matt Sohn. Here is your summary: The Dunder Mifflin Scranton Special Projects Team has arrived in Florida and are introduced to Nellie Bertram, president of Special Projects. 

Angela [00:00:58] Dunder Mifflin 

Both [00:00:59] Scranton Special Projects Team. 

Angela [00:01:03] That’s not easy to say. 

Jenna [00:01:05] It’s not. 

Angela [00:01:06] Put it on a hat. 

Jenna [00:01:07] It’s going to barely fit. 

Angela [00:01:09] I know. 

Jenna [00:01:10] Dwight is determined to take over as leader of the Special Projects group. Or at least vice president. And not even appendicitis is going to stop him. In a cringey upsetting way for me as we know that I don’t like it when people do not attend to their injuries. 

Angela [00:01:28] And you also don’t like it when people get reinjured in like an open wound. 

Jenna [00:01:31] No, I do not. 

Angela [00:01:32] Yeah. 

Jenna [00:01:33] So this was difficult for me. 

Angela [00:01:35] Not that I enjoy it. I just know it’s something that really, you know, makes you go, ewww. 

Jenna [00:01:40] Yeah. It’s a soft spot for me. But also in this episode, Jim is going to take a page from Stanley’s book, and he’s going to try to teach himself how to lean into fun mode. He’s really seeing Stanley as a bit of a mentor here in Tallahassee. 

Angela [00:01:56] Who knew? 

Jenna [00:01:57] And finally, Andy is surprised by how much he loves sitting in for Erin at reception. 

Angela [00:02:02] Andy is a very good receptionist. 

Jenna [00:02:05] Talk about the Peter Principle. 

Angela [00:02:06] Exactly. 

Jenna [00:02:08] He should have maybe just stayed right there. Well, fast fact number one, we shot this episode after a two week Thanksgiving hiatus. So if I look like I’m moving more comfortably, that’s because I was. I had this nice two week break. However, I was thinking back to this Thanksgiving, Angela. Over this Thanksgiving with my eight week old son after coming off of being back at work and my C-section, I hosted my husband’s family for Thanksgiving and insisted on making a pie from scratch. Like a homemade pie crust. My first homemade pie crust. Why? Why do we do this to ourselves? Why are we crazy?

Angela [00:02:47] I’m sorry. You lost me at hosted Thanksgiving. 

Jenna [00:02:50] I know. 

Angela [00:02:50] With a newborn! 

Jenna [00:02:52] With an eight week old. But it was my mother in law, Ginger’s, opportunity to come visit the baby. So we kind of bundled it. And, you know, I wasn’t working for this two weeks, so it made it a little easier. 

Angela [00:03:01] Those were all the things you said to yourself at the time. But then here you are with a newborn trying to make a pie crust, and you have a bunch of people coming over. 

Jenna [00:03:09] And then when my son was 12 weeks old, we had my whole family in for Christmas. 

Angela [00:03:13] At your house, you hosted again? 

Jenna [00:03:15] Yes! 

Angela [00:03:15] Oh, my gosh. 

Jenna [00:03:17] But listen, you know, people pitched in. My husband’s sister made a bunch of dishes for Thanksgiving. My mom and sister made a bunch of stuff for Christmas, and it felt easier than packing up the baby and going on the road. 

Angela [00:03:28] Well, there’s that. 

Jenna [00:03:29] Yeah. But I remembered this when I was watching the episode and I went back and I looked at a bunch of pictures. And then I googled, What did you do over this Thanksgiving? Which I don’t know why. 

Angela [00:03:40] I know. You e-mailed me that you Googled. 

Jenna [00:03:43] Thanksgiving 2011. 

Angela [00:03:44] Yeah. And then put in my name. And what came up was this interview I did on Conan O’Brien. 

Jenna [00:03:49] Which was so good. And Angela, you had the most amazing hair. You had an incredible center part. I never see you do center part. 

Angela [00:03:57] I know. I was trying to do Elisabeth Shue. Remember? Like Elisabeth Shue, like cocktail era. 

Jenna [00:04:04] Do it more. It becomes you. 

Angela [00:04:06] No, no. 

Jenna [00:04:07] It was- yes! It was so good. And you talked about your Thanksgiving with your family. 

Angela [00:04:12] I did. And you guys, I have a little clip, and it just made me smile so big because I had forgotten this. I mean, obviously, you know, when I heard it, I remembered. But my mom and dad had come out to visit and my mom and dad and I took Isabel to the Santa Barbara Zoo and I talked about it. And then I found all these pictures of us at the zoo. And anyway, it just was a wonderful trip down memory lane. I’m so glad you Googled Angela at Thanksgiving. Here’s a little bit from the interview. 

Conan O’Brien [00:04:42] Tell me about your Thanksgiving. You have a nice Thanksgiving? 

Angela [00:04:44] I did. My mom and dad, Bill and Bertie Kinsey of Archer City, Texas. Nothing. They came out and we took my daughter to the Santa Barbara Zoo. It’s like, so nice up there. 

Conan O’Brien [00:04:56] Great zoo. 

Angela [00:04:57] It’s a great zoo. Right? And this is this happened. So a helicopter goes over and my dad is like, he’s the guy that informs people. So a helicopter goes over, my dad goes, We got a chopper! And I’m like, okay. And my mom, just like, throws this away, goes, Probably Angelina Jolie going somewhere. But they do that. They think like if there’s any traffic anywhere, we are, she’s like, Probably Brad Pitt and those kids. 

Conan O’Brien [00:05:23] Any time they see a helicopter, they assume it’s Brad and Angelina going somewhere? 

Angela [00:05:27] Yes! I’m like, Mom, I don’t think their lines are that fancy. I don’t know. 

Conan O’Brien [00:05:31] No, they probably are. It’s them. 

Angela [00:05:32] Yeah, it’s probably her. It’s probably her. 

Conan O’Brien [00:05:33] They’ve often taunted me from the helicopter. Looks Irish! 

Angela [00:05:38] Stuck in traffic? 

Conan O’Brien [00:05:38] Yeah, exactly. 

Angela [00:05:39] Yeah, totally. But…

Jenna [00:05:41] Oh, I love that you have that, like, memory now, and it’s preserved. 

Angela [00:05:46] I know. You know, I actually showed my daughter the clip, and she was like, Mom! And she also commented on the middle part. 

Jenna [00:05:52] Because it looks so good. 

Angela [00:05:54] And it’s it’s also very in fashion now, the middle part. And she’s like, Mom, I never knew you did a middle part. And I was like, well, once or twice. 

Jenna [00:06:03] Isn’t there a whole like Gen Z millennial thing where it’s like side part means one thing and then like middle part is something else? 

Angela [00:06:11] That you’re younger, basically. 

Jenna [00:06:12] Oh, it is? The millennials are center part and Gen Z are side part? Or Gen X are side part? What are we? We’re Gen X.

Angela [00:06:17] I forget what we are, but we’re we’re a side part. We’re side part people. 

Jenna [00:06:22] We’re side part. Wait, Cassi, do you have a middle part? 

Cassi [00:06:25] I always switch it, but Gen Z’s say if you don’t do a middle part, you’re old. 

Jenna [00:06:31] Oh, see? 

Angela [00:06:32] So we’re old. 

Jenna [00:06:33] So middle part is where it- but what happens if you are old and you do a center part? Are you trying too hard? 

Cassi [00:06:39] I mean, I think Gen Z wants you to do a middle part, but maybe… 

Angela [00:06:44] To mock us?

Jenna [00:06:46] That’s what I’m afraid of. 

Angela [00:06:48] Well, I rocked a middle part, and maybe I’ll try it again. 

Jenna [00:06:52] I think you should. Are you ready for fast fact number two? Because it’s all about one of our favorite people, Catherine Tate as Nellie Bertram! 

Angela [00:07:00] Catherine Tate, one of the funniest women I’ve ever been in a room with. 

Jenna [00:07:04] I love her so much. 

Angela [00:07:04] And she’s kind and nice. Okay, go. 

Jenna [00:07:08] Here is what everyone needs to know. Catherine Tate is a superstar. She was on Doctor Who. She was on the Catherine Tate Show in England, but she was relatively unknown in the United States when she came to do The Office. But you have to imagine if, like Carol Burnett went to England and then was on like England’s most popular show, that was Catherine Tate coming on our show. The writers absolutely fell in love with her cameo during Search Party, and they wanted her to join the cast at the beginning of season eight, but she was doing a play in the West End, so she wasn’t able to join us until midseason. And we got a fan question from Leonard S in Amsterdam, Netherlands, who asked, Was it confirmed that Catherine Tate would become a series regular before filming the Tallahassee episode? Well, Steve Burgess said, all we knew at this point was that we were going to have her for the rest of season eight. We had her contracted for ten episodes, but we really hoped that it would be more. From the beginning, we wanted her. 

Angela [00:08:04] Right. Everyone wanted her. 

Jenna [00:08:06] Now I was reading a lot about what the writers had to say about her coming in and her character in Andy Greene’s book about The Office, and basically all the writers kind of apologized for not using her enough as her arc went on. I’ll be very curious to watch that because in this episode she is absolutely fantastic. And I want to track her arc. But that was the general consensus was we got an absolute comedic superstar in this woman. And in the end, they felt like they didn’t write to her enough, that they didn’t give her storyline enough of the spotlight. So we’ll see. I can’t remember. 

Angela [00:08:43] You know, I ran into Catherine a few years ago. Total coincidence. We saw each other, we got to talking, and it was just so great catching up with her. And I really want to have her on the podcast. 

Jenna [00:08:53] Oh, for sure. I think she gets her whole own episode. 

Angela [00:08:55] Oh, yes! 

Jenna [00:08:56] Right? All right. Moving on now to fast fact number three. Angela, you told me you have a share. And you know I love it when you take over fast fact number three. So I can’t wait. 

Angela [00:09:07] Yes. Did you know, Jenna, that there is a really big The Office mural being painted in Scranton? 

Jenna [00:09:15] Right now? 

Angela [00:09:16] Right now! 

Jenna [00:09:17] Oh! 

Angela [00:09:17] Yes. According to the news station WNEP- listen to this title, Ain’t No Mural Like An Office Mural. 

Jenna [00:09:25] What is on the Office mural. 

Angela [00:09:28] It says, Everyone stay calm. The new mural coming to Lackawanna Avenue will feature some fan favorite characters and in parentheses, And also Toby. 

Jenna [00:09:40] That’s clever. 

Angela [00:09:41] Scranton is well known for being the setting of the popular television show The Office. And that’s why a new mural is coming to Lackawanna Avenue. When it’s finished, it will be 86 feet wide. 

Jenna [00:09:52] That seems large. 

Angela [00:09:53] I know. And 27 feet tall. The mural will feature portraits of your favorite Dunder Mifflin employees, local landmarks referenced in the series, and famous quotes from the show. 

Jenna [00:10:03] And famous quotes. 

Angela [00:10:05] Yes. 

Jenna [00:10:06] Wow. That’s a lot of stuff. But I mean, it’s a large billboard. It sounds like it’ll fit. 

Angela [00:10:10] A formal dedication of the mural is set for October 6th. 

Jenna [00:10:14] That’s like next week! 

Angela [00:10:15] I know. We’ve got to go. I mean, I know we can’t- 

Jenna [00:10:19] How are we gonna get there? We have plans next week! 

Angela [00:10:21] I know, I know we can’t up and go right now. But I’m just saying, lady, when we go to Scranton, we got to go to the mural. 

Jenna [00:10:28] Well, of course, I’m taking a picture of myself in front of this mural. 

Angela [00:10:32] In front of yourself on a mural. 

Jenna [00:10:33] On a mural. I want to imagine that Pam painted it. Just going to pretend she did. 

Angela [00:10:39] Ohhh, I like that. Pam painted it. Angela looked on, judging. But anyway, we’re super excited to check out this mural in Scranton, Pennsylvania. And, oh, my goodness, how wonderful the city of Scranton has been to us as a cast. 

Jenna [00:10:53] So true. 

Angela [00:10:54] We love you guys. 

Jenna [00:10:56] Well, before we head to break, just a quick reminder that we will be in Toronto next Thursday, September 21st as part of the Just For Laughs Festival. There are still tickets available and we would love to see you there. 

Angela [00:11:07] Yes, you can find tickets at Toronto dot hahaha dot com. That’s H-A-H-A-H-A dot com and we hope you can join us. 

Jenna [00:11:17] It’s a really fun night of friendship and embarrassing stories. 

Angela [00:11:23] Yeah. Lots of those. Bring your best friend. Go with your mom, Go with your dad. Go with your partner in life. We can’t wait to see you. 

Jenna [00:11:31] Well, that’s all I got. Should we take a break and then come back and we can discuss how Dwight wakes people up in the morning? 

Angela [00:11:38] It’s not pleasant. 

Jenna [00:11:39] No, it’s not. 

Angela [00:11:50] You better wake up because Dwight is coming around. 

Jenna [00:11:53] Yes, he goes one by one and he wakes up everybody in different ways. 

Angela [00:11:59] He’s got it perfectly timed out. It’s all starting at 5:10 in the morning. 

Jenna [00:12:03] Well, yeah, He gives a breakdown of how long it’s going to take to get everyone moving in the morning. 

Angela [00:12:08] As he has this monologue where he breaks down how he has to wake everyone up at different times, did you notice how Dwight gets dressed? Please tell me there was a fan mail flurry. 

Jenna [00:12:18] No. 

Angela [00:12:19] What?! 

Jenna [00:12:20] How he gets dressed? 

Angela [00:12:22] He is getting dressed as he does this monologue. He puts his shirt and blazer on at the same time. He has his shirt tucked into his blazer. 

Jenna [00:12:31] I didn’t notice any of this. 

Angela [00:12:31] So when he puts one arm in, he’s actually putting his arm through two items of clothing. Then his socks are perfectly laid out in his shoe so that when he puts his foot in his sock, it automatically goes in his shoe. 

Jenna [00:12:46] What was I doing during this talking head that, by the way, I watched three times, because I watched this episode three times to prep and I never noticed this. 

Angela [00:12:55] I was mesmerized. I thought, Oh, my gosh. Dwight is efficient. Everything he puts on is attached to something else. 

Jenna [00:13:04] Wow. I can’t believe I missed it. 

Angela [00:13:06] I thought it was brilliant. I loved this little piece of detail. Well, Dwight’s going to wake up Cathy by yelling in her ear and scaring her. Then he tries to do the same thing to Erin, but Erin is sleeping with her feet on her pillow and whacks him in the head. Then they try to wake up Stanley, because now Erin’s helping him, but Stanley won’t wake up, so Dwight basically holds his nose and closes his mouth. That is terrifying. Can you imagine waking up like that? 

Jenna [00:13:30] I cannot. 

Angela [00:13:31] Then they go in to wake up Ryan and Erin kind of is like, Hey, want to wake up? Ryan is so excited. Apparently, he went to her door twice the night before. Then he realizes it’s just Dwight trying to wake him up, and he’s, like, Not cool! Last person they go to wake up is Jim. But Jim’s been up for a long time. He’s on a two kids sleep schedule. 

Jenna [00:13:53] I would like to play a bullshit card real quick. 

Angela [00:13:57] Okay. 

Jenna [00:13:57] In Dwight’s talking head, he says that Jim takes 50 minutes to style his hair. 

Angela [00:14:04] Uh huh. 

Jenna [00:14:05] Shouldn’t he have woken Jim up first? According to his talking head, Jim needs the most time in the morning. Why is he the last room they go to? Dwight? 

Angela [00:14:14] I accept your bullshit card.

Jenna [00:14:16] Thank you. 

Angela [00:14:17] I was curious about this scene. You know, Jim’s elaborate prank of how he’s trying to fake his own death, and they walk into the room? 

Jenna [00:14:24] Yes. And frame Dwight for it. 

Angela [00:14:26] Exactly. I was curious how it was described in the script. This is what it said: The camera turns to reveal that Jim has set up the room to look like an insane crime scene. There’s an open briefcase with money spilling out of it, a blood soaked towel in the corner, the mattress mattresses overturned. The TV is set to static. The balcony door is open. There are sheets tied into a rope going over the balcony’s edge. 

Jenna [00:14:52] Now, here’s something that I found really interesting about this scene, which is that in reality, when Dwight and Erin walk into the room, they would have taken in all of these details probably at the same time. For example, the sign on the wall that says, Dwight did it. They might have seen that first. But they wait to react until the camera has panned around the room and ends on Dwight did it, and then they react to it, which I just thought was really interesting because we are assuming that they saw the room the way the camera saw the room. But really, if you walk in a room, you see it all at once, right? I just thought that was interesting storytelling maneuver. 

Angela [00:15:40] Mmhmm. I feel like you’re calling bullshit on a few things today. You’re like, I call bullshit on the camera work. 

Jenna [00:15:47] No, it’s just I guess that would be like on the delayed reaction of Dwight and Erin. I feel like they would have reacted much sooner, but they had to wait for the camera to get to the sign.

Angela [00:15:59] Exactly. 

Jenna [00:16:00] Well, this whole cold open, Angela, took me down a road that is very random. I got curious about how early do you need to wake up in the morning before you can walk out the door? How long does the average person need in the morning? And I actually found an article that was on Glamour magazine’s website, and it broke down the average amount of time that both men and women need for grooming in the morning. 

Angela [00:16:28] Oh, let’s hear it. 

Jenna [00:16:28] Does this interest you? 

Angela [00:16:29] It does, because just this morning, I sort of shared that I am done maintaining the back of my head. 

Jenna [00:16:38] Okay. 

Angela [00:16:39] I’m done. 

Jenna [00:16:39] How much time will this save you? 

Angela [00:16:41] I’m hoping quite a bit, because I have a cowlick in the back of my head and I have to back comb and I have to Hairspray. I have to, like, do things so the Red Sea doesn’t part back there every day. 

Jenna [00:16:53] Right. 

Angela [00:16:53] And I’m done. I’m done. You know what? If you see me out and about and you see the back of my head looking like a hot mess, just know that I’m done. It’s intentional. I’m done. 

Jenna [00:17:03] Okay. Good to know. The back of my head looks quite wonky lately because of my shoulder. So we’re quite a pair. 

Angela [00:17:10] That would be our paparazzi photo. Like, no one’s taking pictures of us. Like, who cares? But what I’d love to see out there is a photo of the back of our heads just looking horrible.

Jenna [00:17:22] Ha. One can dream. Well, according to this article by Glamour magazine, the average time that a woman spends on grooming in the morning is 22.5 minutes. And men average 20 minutes. However, they pointed to a study that said that the longer someone spends getting ready in the morning, the more likely they are to feel negative about their appearance. 

Angela [00:17:45] Oh? 

Jenna [00:17:46] But the less time you spend grooming in the morning, the more positively they view their appearance. And I was thinking about that. I’m like, you know what I have to say, it kind of makes sense to me because the more time I spend scrutinizing in front of a mirror, the less confident I feel. So I do kind of like to just get that morning routine over with. 

Angela [00:18:07] I think for me, it changed as I aged, you know? Because here I am, 52, and I’m like, I’m done taking care of the back of my head. When I was younger, I spent more time trying to look nice. 

Jenna [00:18:19] Mm hmm. Same. 

Angela [00:18:20] And now I spend less time. 

Jenna [00:18:20] We’ve given up. I don’t know. Well, I think for me, in terms of grooming, I need 12 minutes to pull myself together. 20 if I’m trying hard. But in general, as I get older, I like a real long runway in the morning. I like to ease into my day slowly. So Dwight would need to wake me up like a good 90 minutes before he wants me to be, like, participating in a workday, I think. 

Angela [00:18:48] Yeah. Dwight doesn’t want to come wake me up. 

Jenna [00:18:53] He doesn’t? 

Angela [00:18:54] No. 

Jenna [00:18:54] Oh boy. 

Angela [00:18:56] Don’t come at me, Dwight. Not in the morning. I do want to say the way that John as Jim fell out of the closet I thought was so good. 

Jenna [00:19:04] We got a fan question about that. Olga in Spain said, Was it really John or was it a doll? Like he- it was John. 

Angela [00:19:13] It was John! 

Jenna [00:19:13] But he fell so convincingly. 

Angela [00:19:17] It looked like it hurt. It looked perfect. He went noodle. 

Jenna [00:19:20] He did. 

Jenna [00:19:21] It was very well done. It was John. 

Angela [00:19:25] Yeah. The episode is going to start now with Jim. He’s in the lobby gift shop, it looks like, of the hotel. 

Jenna [00:19:32] He is. 

Angela [00:19:32] And Dwight’s trying to get everyone, you know, out the door into the van. The scene was much longer. It’s in the deleted scenes. Erin actually goes up to Jim and it’s like, Well, what do you like better- stuffed animals or puppets? And Erin has strong opinions about this Jim was not ready for. 

Jenna [00:19:49] Oh! Is it puppets? 

Angela [00:19:50] She said puppets because they’re stuffed animals that can actually do something. I was curious about this Tallahassee gift shop at the hotel. I love a gift shop. 

Jenna [00:20:01] I know. 

Angela [00:20:01] I love it. I’m going to bring you back something. If I go somewhere, I’m bringing you back something. This gift shop had mostly alligators, parrot puppets, lollipops and flip flops. 

Jenna [00:20:12] Okay. 

Angela [00:20:13] This made me very curious about what Tallahassee has to offer. 

Jenna [00:20:17] Should I settle in for a Tallahassee breakdown? 

Angela [00:20:20] I found so many interesting things about Tallahassee that I’m actually going to sprinkle them throughout the episode. 

Jenna [00:20:26] Okay. 

Angela [00:20:27] But first up, Tallahassee is the state capital of Florida. It has two L’s, two S’s and two E’s, which also got me curious about what other double letter U.S. state capitals there are. Can you name any? Sam, Cassi? Feel free to jump in. 

Jenna [00:20:42] Well, I mean, I just thought of Mississippi, but that is a state. 

Angela [00:20:47] State capital double letters. 

Jenna [00:20:50] Buffalo has two F’s in it. Is that the state capital of New York? 

Angela [00:20:57] State capital. No. 

Cassi [00:20:57] No, Albany is. 

Angela [00:20:58] No. 

Sam [00:20:58] I would say Little Rock? 

Angela [00:20:59] Yes, Sam! 

Jenna [00:21:01] Very good. 

Angela [00:21:03] Ready? 

Jenna [00:21:04] What? Are you going to say more or do I have to keep showing off my lack of geographic knowledge? 

Angela [00:21:11] I’ll just read what the internet said. Nashville. Little Rock. Harrisburg. Annapolis. Cheyenne. Pierre. And Jefferson City. 

Jenna [00:21:22] Oh, my gosh. I’m ashamed. Jefferson City is the capital of Missouri. 

Angela [00:21:26] Oh, lady. 

Jenna [00:21:27] I mean, I knew that, but I wasn’t thinking of the double F. 

Angela [00:21:31] Double letters. I know. Also, did you know that the distance from Tallahassee to the Georgia state line is about 17 miles? 

Jenna [00:21:39] I didn’t. 

Angela [00:21:40] And 58 miles from the Alabama state line. 

Jenna [00:21:43] Well, those are very good facts, Angela. 

Angela [00:21:45] There’s more to come. 

Jenna [00:21:46] Oh, good. I will wait for them. Just so everyone knows, we did not film this in Tallahassee. We filmed in Valencia, California. Steve Burgess said we shot in the lobby, interior hotel rooms and exterior valet all at the Hyatt Regency in Valencia. It is still there. We also took over basically the whole second floor of the hotel, and that’s where we shot the hotel rooms. But our crew members also had hotel rooms for their stuff. So like craft service was in room 258. So if you wanted a snack, that’s where you went. The sound department had 246. Hair and makeup and wardrobe was in room 239. There was also a cast green room. All of the cast trailers were out in the parking lot. But once you got to the quote unquote set, which was this hotel, this is where the departments would kind of hang in between and keep their stuff. However, the conference room that you’re going to see later, that was not at the hotel. We built that on our stages. 

Angela [00:22:56] I remember that conference room. 

Jenna [00:22:58] You do? 

Angela [00:22:59] I do, because I always love to go see what they were building. You know, I’d do my walks with Oscar, and then we would just go kind of pop in. 

Jenna [00:23:07] Oh, yeah. 

Angela [00:23:08] Dwight has a talking head where he shares that first impressions can last forever. So he really needs Nellie to see him as a leader. 

Jenna [00:23:16] Yes. This is where he says that the first day he met Pam, I guess she did something that rubbed him the wrong way. And even though she has been nothing but wonderful ever since, he hates her. 

Angela [00:23:26] Yeah, but he also was like, you know, I work with her, I like her, but I also hate her. 

Jenna [00:23:31] Yeah. Because of this one thing that happened on the first day. 

Angela [00:23:34] There was a must shoot alt for this Dwight talking head, and I want to share it with you. 

Jenna [00:23:39] Okay. 

Angela [00:23:40] The first day is when group dynamics are set. I had a bad first day of kindergarten, and for the next 13 years I was seen as some weird outcast. So if I don’t show Nellie today that I’m the natural leader, I might as well stick my penis in the finger paints. 

Jenna [00:23:57] Oh, my goodness. Okay, obviously, we cannot use that talking head. Obviously, I am sure they had fun writing it. 

Angela [00:24:06] I know. 

Jenna [00:24:08] That is not going on the air. That is ridiculous. 

Angela [00:24:14] It made me laugh, though, because everything was normal about it till the last few words. And then I was like, What? 

Jenna [00:24:20] I know. Well, Dwight’s going to head to the gift shop. He needs to pick up some antacids and he wants to buy a gift for baby Philip. And he’s going to have a chat with Heather, the gift shop worker who was played by Trish Suhr. Now, Trish is one of the co-hosts of the show Clean House, where every week a team of people comes and de-clutter a house. 

Angela [00:24:41] Oh, I need them. 

Jenna [00:24:42] She was the yard sale diva. She won a Daytime Emmy for the show. 

Angela [00:24:48] Wow. 

Jenna [00:24:49] And she was really good in this episode, too. But yes, Dwight is really taking his paternity of Philip very seriously. 

Angela [00:24:56] Next up is a very funny beat where Ryan is having Erin take pictures of him for Facebook. There was more to this. It’s in deleted scenes, where he does poses around the parking lot. It’s really funny. Dwight starts chowing down antacid tablets. And then Stanley rolls up in a shiny red convertible. He invites Jim to ride with him and says, Jim, you can control the iPod. Old tech alert! 

Jenna [00:25:22] Yep. 

Angela [00:25:23] And Stanley requests Kenny Loggins. This is one of my favorite couplets of dialog in the whole entire episode because it is so subtle and I loved it. Stanley says, You’re a nice guy, Jim, but you have no idea how to vacation. Find some Kenny Loggins. Jim says, Loggins and Messina. Stanley says, Did I say Messina? And he peels out! 

Jenna [00:25:44] Okay, I didn’t get it because I don’t know what Loggins and Messina is. What is it?

Angela [00:25:49] Okay. Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina were a singer songwriter duo. They had tons of hits. You probably know. I mean, I know you know them. The song Danny’s Song. Oh, my gosh, I’m horrible singer. But it’s like, Even though we… 

Both [00:26:04] Ain’t got money. I’m so in love with you, honey. 

Jenna [00:26:08] Oh, I love that song. 

Angela [00:26:09] Okay, that one. 

Jenna [00:26:10] That’s Loggins and Messina? 

Angela [00:26:12] That’s Loggins and Messina. Also, Your mama don’t dance…

Both [00:26:14] And your daddy don’t rock and roll. That’s Loggins and Messina! 

Angela [00:26:18] They had so many hits. 

Jenna [00:26:18] Oh, I love them. 

Angela [00:26:20] But clearly, Stanley does not want Loggins and Messina. He wants just straight up solo Loggins. You know, Kenny Loggins. He did a bunch of songs. I mean- 

Jenna [00:26:29] What’s solo Loggins? 

Angela [00:26:30] Oh, you know what? Top Gun. What’s the Top Gun song? Riding into the Danger Zone. I probably would have picked Loggins and Messina. 

Jenna [00:26:41] I think I’m Loggins and Messina. 

Angela [00:26:42] I am too! 

Jenna [00:26:43] And I didn’t even know it. I didn’t even know who this Messina fellow was. 

Angela [00:26:47] It just cracked me up, like, I don’t know which writer in the writers room pitched this very small, subtle joke that Stanley would not like Messina and only want solo Loggins. But it really cracked me up. You guys, I’m a total dork for little tiny jokes like that. 

Jenna [00:27:04] Well, I noticed something about this scene, which is that it was very windy outside. Did you see the wind? So windy.

Angela [00:27:12] No, I think I was so fixated on that couplet of dialog. 

Jenna [00:27:16] Well, I noticed it because that’s kind of unusual for L.A., but I thought it really sold it as Florida. 

Angela [00:27:22] Oh, yeah. Made it look very tropical. Yeah. 

Jenna [00:27:25] Well, these guys are all going to head to their meeting. And in the meantime, we’re going to head to Scranton. Andy’s going to walk out of his office and notice how incredibly quiet it is. 

Angela [00:27:34] Yeah, Creed likes it. He’s already written 12 plays. Can we please, please have an episode somewhere where we just watch one of Creed’s plays? Why didn’t that exist? 

Jenna [00:27:46] Because it would be utter nonsense. 

Angela [00:27:48] I know. 

Jenna [00:27:49] It would make no sense. Pam wonders, Wait, why is it so quiet? She realizes that it’s because no one took the phone off voicemail. The phone hasn’t been ringing. And as soon as she takes the phone off voicemail, it rings immediately. And now who’s going to answer it? 

Angela [00:28:06] All of a sudden, there’s this front reception standoff between Andy and Pam. And Kelly is freaking out. She’s like, Someone just answer it. Neither of them want to budge. There was a Pam deleted talking head that would have gone here. And I want to read it to you. 

Jenna [00:28:20] Please. I remember it. 

Angela [00:28:22] Here’s what Pam said. I just got back from maternity leave. I can’t let them make me the receptionist. I’ve worked way too hard for way too long to get to this place of them thinking I’m the office administrator. 

Jenna [00:28:34] Yes. We got a piece of mail about the scene from Charlotte E in Canada, but who is living in the UK. Charlotte said, I just want to say how much I appreciate the scene where Pam does not pick up the phone in the end, because that’s not her job anymore. There’s so much underlying expectations sometimes in an office environment. And as someone who moved from a support team role to a non support team role in my current job, you’ve got to stand your ground and kindly redirect people to the right person when they look to you to buy milk or find a power cord. Those were very specific examples, Charlotte. Anyway, Charlotte goes on to say, It’s not about not being a team player, but about the subtle implication that their time is more important than my time. Just because you once took care of those housekeeping things. Anyway, I was just willing Pam not to pick up the phone and I’m so glad when she didn’t. Well, Charlotte, I also like that Pam stood her ground for all these reasons. However, it does feel like reception is maybe part of Pam’s quote unquote, department. And with both the temp and the receptionist gone, it feels like she’s the last person left in that department and maybe probably, maybe should have answered the phone. 

Angela [00:29:51] I mean… Yes. Yes, I think so. I support Pam stance of not answering the phones because it will set a precedent. But yeah, it is her department. 

Jenna [00:30:05] And if she’s not going to answer the phone, I believe she’s responsible for finding someone to answer the phone. 

Angela [00:30:10] There it is. 

Jenna [00:30:11] Right? 

Angela [00:30:11] Yes. 

Jenna [00:30:12] Next up, Jim tells Cathy that Stanley drives fast. And Stanley explains that life is short and one of his mottos is Drive fast, leave a sexy corpse. We had a fan question from Charlotte M in Washington, DC, who said, I have been waiting for so long to send in this question. This is my top Stanley line in the whole series. Were there any candy bag alts? 

Angela [00:30:35] I went to the candy bag. 

Jenna [00:30:37] I did, too. 

Angela [00:30:38] I didn’t see any. 

Jenna [00:30:39] No alts. 

Angela [00:30:40] And this line was scripted exactly the way he said it. 

Jenna [00:30:43] Yes. But it did make me want to know if Stanley had any other mottos. I wish that there was like just a writers pitch sheet of Stanley mottos. 

Angela [00:30:54] I’m sure it exists somewhere. I was actually going to ask you about the show Bible if it said anything in the show Bible. 

Jenna [00:31:00] If there was a page called Stanley’s Mottos? I believe there is not. I wish there was. Guess who else is at this conference? 

Angela [00:31:09] The Pack Man is back. Jim and Dwight tried to get him fired, but he landed on his feet in Florida. 

Jenna [00:31:14] Yeah, he’s got nine lives in a nine inch… 

Angela [00:31:17] Nine inches of other things. 

Jenna [00:31:18] Yeah. 

Angela [00:31:19] Mm hmm. 

Jenna [00:31:20] Now we get to introduce Nellie Bertram. One of my favorite introductions ever. 

Angela [00:31:27] I love how she just selects Ryan and starts whispering to him. And also, Ryan doesn’t question it. He just starts saying what she’s telling him to say. 

Jenna [00:31:35] Yes. What does she get Ryan to say? 

Angela [00:31:38] She says, Psst. Say, So who’s leading this thing anyway? Psst. Say, I can’t wait to meet him. 

Jenna [00:31:47] Yes. 

Angela [00:31:48] And then she stands up and says, Him, you say? Don’t think a woman could be a leader? You poor, simple boy. 

Jenna [00:31:55] Yes. And then she launches into a speech. And I want to ask you, Angela, if I’m ever asked to do like a commencement speech at my college or a college, can I start my speech like this? Can I do this? Expected a man, did you? Strong, powerful, huge, whopping penis? Well, sorry to disappoint, but my huge whopping penis is right here- and I point to my brain- and I’m not afraid to use it. So stop looking at my breasts and start looking at my penis. Can I start it that way? Will people get it? 

Angela [00:32:33] Oh, that would be amazing. 

Jenna [00:32:35] Can I? I really want to know. 

Angela [00:32:37] I want you to do it. 

Jenna [00:32:39] There is going to be an event, and I’m going to start it that way. And we’ll see how it goes. 

Angela [00:32:45] There’s going to be a whole ton of people that don’t get it and think you’ve lost it. 

Jenna [00:32:50] I know. 

Angela [00:32:50] And then there’ll be like a few people in the corner that are like, Woo hoo! Season eight! Tallahassee! So Nellie, yes, is now running the meeting. She’s going to explain the origin of this project, which is that she interviewed to be the potential branch manager in Scranton. She points right at Jim and says, But I didn’t get the job. And apparently she got really upset about this and went on a shopping spree. She bought 13 pianos. 

Jenna [00:33:18] So all of this, when she’s explaining her break down and how she bought the pianos and then how she had this epiphany about selling things, and she went and talk to Jo, and then she got this job, it was so well done that I went to the script because I wanted to know, like how much of it was scripted and maybe did Catherine improvise? It was scripted word for word. That is how good she is. 

Angela [00:33:43] Yeah. 

Jenna [00:33:43] I thought she was literally coming up with half that stuff on the fly. That just shows, I feel like when we have good writing and then a great performer, how just magic. 

Angela [00:33:54] Watching Catherine in this scene, I totally lost where I was. And if I had been in that conference room, I would have forgotten to act because I was just so enthralled with her performance. 

Jenna [00:34:05] I wish it would have gone on another 5 minutes. Like I could have watched even more of that. Well, lady, I think we should take a break before we get too deep into Dwight’s appendicitis and Andy’s obsession with reception. 

Angela [00:34:19] Mm hmm. 

Jenna [00:34:19] And when we come back, I actually have some interesting details on how this episode was received by fans and critics. There was a lot of hubbub. 

Angela [00:34:29] Did Myles McNutt write about it? 

Jenna [00:34:31] He did. And I’m going to tell you what he said. 

Angela [00:34:33] Okay. 

Jenna [00:34:44] All right. We are back. And before we keep breaking down this episode, I thought maybe you might be interested to know how this episode, Tallahassee, was received. 

Angela [00:34:54] I am so interested. 

Jenna [00:34:56] All right. It was very mixed. 

Angela [00:34:58] Hmm. 

Jenna [00:34:59] But it was sort of everybody versus Myles McNutt. 

Angela [00:35:04] Oh, yeah? 

Jenna [00:35:05] Okay. So TV Equals did a review of this episode and said it was one of the best episodes of the season and maybe even of the last couple of seasons. 

Angela [00:35:15] Wow. 

Jenna [00:35:16] Among Office Tally fans, Tallahassee was ranked number one for season eight, the number one episode. Most favorite. 

Angela [00:35:24] Wow. 

Jenna [00:35:25] Among fans on Office Tally. 

Angela [00:35:27] Of all of season eight?

Jenna [00:35:28] Of all of season eight. However, Myles McNutt, not a fan. Gave it a C minus. 

Angela [00:35:37] Hmm. 

Jenna [00:35:38] Here’s a quote. While I left last week’s episode with a sense of hope, Tallahassee has lived up to none of that potential. 

Angela [00:35:50] Oh gosh. 

Jenna [00:35:50] And you can imagine the rest of the review from there. 

Angela [00:35:52] Yeah. 

Jenna [00:35:53] Well, he got some pushback. A fan named Steve B wrote on the comment board, quote, I think you need to recuse yourself from reviewing this show. Each week you find a new reason to hate a particular episode. When the show gives you what you want, you find another reason. For the last two seasons, you’ve been hitting the drumbeat of character based comedy pretty hard. Yet here we have an episode that hinges largely on Dwight’s characterization, his belligerence, ambition, paranoia and contempt for the common man. And it was a funny episode. Well, guess what? 

Angela [00:36:29] What? 

Jenna [00:36:30] In his review for After Hours, which is next week’s episode, Myles McNutt said this… 

Angela [00:36:36] Did he address Steve B? 

Jenna [00:36:39] Well, sort of. Myles said, quote, Last week’s episode probably should have been above a C-minus. 

Angela [00:36:48] Oh. 

Jenna [00:36:48] But I went with my gut and I have to stand by that decision. 

Angela [00:36:52] Go, Myles. I support him standing by his first reaction. 

Jenna [00:36:56] Yes, that was his first reaction. I’ll tell you, among fans generally, they loved this episode, but the cold open was hotly debated. There was a huge love or hate of the cold open. We got a letter from Dennis D in Tallahassee, Florida, who said, My favorite prank in the show is this episode’s cold open. But the message boards regarding this cold open, when the show aired, one person said they deleted the episode from their DVR after watching the cold open because they hated it so much. 

Angela [00:37:30] Wow. 

Jenna [00:37:31] But then other people said it was the funniest cold open in a long time. They agreed with Dennis. 

Angela [00:37:35] You can’t make everybody happy. 

Jenna [00:37:37] You can’t. You especially can’t make Myles McNutt happy very easily. 

Angela [00:37:41] I have to wonder, and I’m sure it’s not, is Steve B Steve Burgess? 

Jenna [00:37:48] Wait, wait. That is so funny. Did Steve Burgess go on Myles McNutt’s review? 

Angela [00:37:55] I’m sure he didn’t because he’s busy and he would probably never have done that- 

Jenna [00:37:58] He’s running our show. 

Angela [00:37:59] But it is kind of funny that it’s Steve B. 

Jenna [00:38:03] I didn’t even think of that, Angela. I kind of want to ask Steve. 

Angela [00:38:06] I know. I do too. 

Jenna [00:38:08] Did you ever. 

Angela [00:38:09] Write on Myles McNutt’s comment board? 

Jenna [00:38:12] Oh, I love that so much. 

Angela [00:38:13] And ask him to recuse himself. Oh, well, I want to point out this next scene, because, you know, Dwight is really poppin the antacids now. He’s in major pain. 

Jenna [00:38:26] He is. 

Angela [00:38:27] And Nellie is going to ask someone to help with the projection screen to pull it down. She points out that Ryan couldn’t reach it. 

Jenna [00:38:33] It would be so funny if he tried. 

Angela [00:38:35] My balloon! And it’s in this moment that Dwight’s like, I must appear like a strong, tall leader. Especially because she asked Jim to do it, right? I have to say, Rainn Wilson completely crushed it. The way he sold his pain as he reaches up for that screen to pull it down, I thought he was brilliant in this whole episode. The way he portrayed his pain escalating, I honestly- Rainn, oh, my God. You were so great in this episode. I thought you should have won an Emmy for playing Dwight. He was nominated three times. You and John were nominated, Steve. None of you guys won an Emmy. You all should have won Emmys. 

Jenna [00:39:18] Wow. This has taken a turn. This speech. It’s turned into a We Deserve Emmys speech because of the pulling down of the screen. I love it! 

Angela [00:39:26] But there are so many other moments! And you know, you were sitting right by me when Steve didn’t win and it was his last time nominated. And I couldn’t control myself. And I said a curse word- 

Jenna [00:39:34] You did. 

Angela [00:39:35] With the camera right by me. 

Jenna [00:39:36] Yeah. 

Angela [00:39:38] I just thought Rainn… Rainn should have won an Emmy. 

Jenna [00:39:40] Well, you know, who agrees with you is Kelly M from Woodbridge, Virginia. Kellyanne wrote in and said, I have been waiting for so long to submit this to you ladies. I thought I would save you some time on a deep dive. I am a pediatric R.N. in Minnesota, and I work with kids with appendicitis nearly every shift. I have also had my own appendix removed. 

Angela [00:40:02] Oh, wow. 

Jenna [00:40:03] The most distinct symptom is when we as medical personnel push slightly on someone’s abdomen, and the most pain is actually when we release the pressure, not when we apply the pressure. We call this rebound tenderness. Appendicitis is a serious medical issue, and there were a few moments that stuck out to me in this episode that shows how well Rainn Wilson performed. First is the way he walks and stands through the whole episode. As soon as he walked out of the hotel, I saw the antacids and the hunched over walk and I had a feeling it was appendicitis. When he reached for the projector screen, it was so uncomfortable but also so funny because I knew exactly how that felt, because standing up straight hurts so bad when you have appendicitis. And then, of course, he goes on to show more symptoms and more severe pain. I have to give huge props to Rainn Wilson for his spot on performance. It was just so believable. His gradual progression of symptoms throughout the episode is perfect and I loved every minute of it. Also, applause to Daniel Chun and the writing staff for doing their research to make this so realistic. 

Angela [00:41:09] Kellyanne, thank you for writing in. You’re clearly an expert on appendicitis, and I’m so glad we did a good portrayal of this. 

Jenna [00:41:16] Me, too. From the Writing to Rainn’s performance, which deserved an Emmy. 

Angela [00:41:21] Yes. Dwight has finally had enough with the pain and he has called, I guess, 911? 

Jenna [00:41:27] I don’t know who he’s called. 

Angela [00:41:29] He’s called someone in the medical profession and he’s saying he has symptoms that might mimic being poisoned or appendicitis. Jim’s like, Dwight, I didn’t poison you. And that’s when Dwight’s like, get me an ambulance right away. 

Jenna [00:41:42] Until he discovers that Nellie needs someone in the position of vice president of special projects. And then he gets off the phone. 

Angela [00:41:50] Yeah. Dwight has a phrase I am now going to adopt into my life, and I’m going to say it whenever I want, especially if I’m agitated. 

Jenna [00:41:58] What is it? 

Angela [00:41:59] Send it to the frickin moon, Idiot. 

Jenna [00:42:02] Okay. Oh, my goodness. 

Angela [00:42:04] That’s how he cancels the ambulance. They say, where should I send the ambulance? And he says, Set it to the frickin moon, Idiot. That’s what I’m going to say now. That’s going to be my new phrase. 

Jenna [00:42:14] After canceling the ambulance, he’s going to saddle up to Nellie, who’s having a conversation with Todd Packer about hunting. And this is when Dwight is going to explain that he is a master hunter, but only a decent baiter. 

Angela [00:42:28] Yes, because Todd Packer’s trying to mess with him. He says, Did you say masturbator? And he goes, No, I’m a decent baiter. But my cousin Mose, that’s a master baiter. 

Jenna [00:42:37] Mm hmm. Next up, for some reason, Nellie is going to suggest everyone make a human pyramid. 

Angela [00:42:43] This is very Michael Scott. 

Jenna [00:42:45] It is. But guess what? Florida Stanley is up for it, which means then Jim is up for it. Erin’s like, Sure, I’ll do it. Steve Burgess said that our stunt coordinator, Brett Jones, had to plan this whole pyramid, and we interviewed background actors specifically to be in the pyramid. So, like, you knew from day one, eventually you’re going to get in a human pyramid. They also rigged a safety line for Rainn. 

Angela [00:43:12] For him to crawl up to the top? 

Jenna [00:43:14] Yes, but they can take out in post, you know? And I don’t know if you noticed, but Leslie is not on the bottom of that pyramid. We had a stunt person dressed as Stanley, who stood in. 

Angela [00:43:27] Hmm. Well, the scene was actually bigger. There was a moment where Erin makes some small talk with a woman named Stacy, who is from Tallahassee, who’s at this meeting. And Stacy says to Erin, Wow, you’re moving here for good. Erin says, Yeah, I’ve never lived in a state capital before. It seems super exciting. Stacy says, Well, Tallahassee’s glad to have you. So what are your main priorities in a place? Cheap rent? Artsy neighborhood? Big yard? Erin says, I’d like to be close enough to the zoo that I can stand on my roof and throw a banana and watch a monkey catch it in its mouth. 

Jenna [00:44:05] I am speechless. 

Angela [00:44:06] I’m speechless. This is her hope for Tallahassee?

Jenna [00:44:10] Well, this is her criteria for living anywhere. 

Angela [00:44:14] I guess so. Living in a state capital. So I was curious. Does Tallahassee have a zoo? Erin is out of luck, but it does have 17 museums. You can go to which museum dot com. W-H-I-C-H museum dot com to learn more about all the museums in Tallahassee. Also, Jenna, I did find there is a Tallahassee museum that has animal exhibits, a ropes course, and zip lining. It’s not a zoo, but maybe that’s where Erin would have landed. 

Jenna [00:44:45] Maybe so. I’m a big museum person. 

Angela [00:44:47] I know. 

Jenna [00:44:48] When I go to cities, I love a museum. One of my favorite places in the United States is Santa Fe, New Mexico. They have so much history stuff. We were just there. We went to Bandelier National Monument. I highly recommend a trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico. It’s a hidden gem of the United States. And if I ever go to Florida, I’m going to check out these museums. 

Angela [00:45:09] I mean, I feel like Tallahassee has a lot of cool things to see. 

Jenna [00:45:13] I think Erin’s going to do well there if she can give up the weird monkey banana dream. 

Angela [00:45:17] Yeah. Because that she’s not going to find that. 

Jenna [00:45:19] She’s not going to get that. Well, back to the episode. This human pyramid is not going to go well for Dwight. He’s going to end up on a stretcher. It’s an emergency. He needs his appendix out. 

Angela [00:45:28] Back at Dunder Mifflin, Scranton, Andy is really leveling up his reception game. He’s made mini pizzas. 

Jenna [00:45:35] Mm hmm. They’re very popular. 

Angela [00:45:38] And he’s faxing up a storm. 

Jenna [00:45:41] He’s shredding and faxing at the same time. 

Angela [00:45:43] Yeah, he says, Darryl, awesome news. Your fax went through. And Darryl says, Aw F-yeah. I had to know. I had to know if this was scripted, and it was. Verbatim. 

Jenna [00:45:55] Wow. 

Angela [00:45:56] This also brings me to the question, why is getting a fax through such a big deal? Has Erin not been able to get faxes through? 

Jenna [00:46:04] I feel like we have learned that she has trouble with the fax machine. That is a thing.

Angela [00:46:09] It is. And did you catch the pen display at Andy’s reception area? 

Jenna [00:46:14] Yeah. 

Angela [00:46:14] A tier of pens all layered, a row of green pens, blue, yellow and one red one at the top. There was an extended scene. It’s in the deleted scenes, of Andy making this. 

Jenna [00:46:26] Really? 

Angela [00:46:26] Yes. 

Jenna [00:46:27] We watch him make the pen tower?

Angela [00:46:29] Yes. 

Jenna [00:46:31] Wow. Back in Tallahassee, Dwight has called Erin, I guess, from the hospital,s post-surgery, and he wants to know what’s going on. And she says, we’re giving presentations. 

Angela [00:46:44] Let me tell you, the last person you want to give you information about anything is Erin. 

Jenna [00:46:48] I mean, she doesn’t do a bad job here. She she tells him what he needs to know, I guess. 

Angela [00:46:54] But then she goes, Let me see. What else have you missed? Ryan switched his name tag to his pants. So now it’s like if you wear yours on your shirt, your total dip. But if you switch, you’re a copycat. But I think I figured out a solution. What else? My shoes are- and he’s just like, click. 

Jenna [00:47:05] Where do you wear your name tag when you put a name tag on? Do you put it on your chest? 

Angela [00:47:10] Yeah. 

Jenna [00:47:11] Every time? 

Angela [00:47:12] Yeah. Where do you put yours? 

Jenna [00:47:15] If it says my name. 

Angela [00:47:17] Mm hmm. 

Jenna [00:47:17] I put it on my chest. But if it’s, like some weird, like, pass in order to get into a building or, like, a meeting or something- 

Angela [00:47:25] Like a museum, yeah.

Jenna [00:47:27] I put it down low. I put it maybe on my hip or on the lower part of my shirt. 

Angela [00:47:33] What is your thinking there? 

Jenna [00:47:36] I mean I think I’m annoyed that I have to wear it and I don’t want it. 

Angela [00:47:41] Is this your protest? 

Jenna [00:47:41] I don’t know. I don’t want it up. If I’m wearing it because I’m part of a group setting and it’s like, Hello, my name is, I’ll put it up high so you can read it. But if it’s just a pass, I don’t know. It’s funny because I go to physical therapy a couple of times a week and in order to go to physical therapy, I have to stop at the visitors desk of a hospital and I say, Hi, I’m here for physical therapy. And then they give me a little sticker that is like my pass. 

Angela [00:48:06] Yeah. 

Jenna [00:48:06] I don’t put it up high. I put it down low. 

Angela [00:48:09] This is such a wild piece of information to learn about you! 

Jenna [00:48:13] And like, when I go to, for example, the Natural History Museum in New York. They give you a little-

Angela [00:48:17] You put it on your pants? 

Jenna [00:48:18] I put it down low. I put it down low. 

Angela [00:48:21] Oh my god. 

Jenna [00:48:21] What is that? 

Angela [00:48:22] I don’t know. It’s a it’s a weird act of rebellion against the system! 

Jenna [00:48:27] Is it? 

Angela [00:48:28] You’re not going to tell me I’m allowed to come in here. I’ll show you. 

Jenna [00:48:32] Is that what it is? 

Angela [00:48:33] I don’t know. 

Jenna [00:48:34] Why won’t I display it up high? 

Angela [00:48:36] That’s hilarious. 

Jenna [00:48:36] I’m like, You’re messing up my outfit. An outfit that I’ve spent no time putting together. It’s not like I’m a fashionista or something. But I’m like, I don’t want you to, like, ruin my look with this sticker. I don’t know. I thought it was- when this whole thing came up, I was like, Oh, my gosh, I- 

Angela [00:48:52] You’re Ryan. 

Jenna [00:48:53] Sometimes. Sometimes. 

Angela [00:48:56] Well, Dwight is going to find out that Packer is giving a presentation, and that’s it. He leaves the hospital. 

Jenna [00:49:01] And he walks into the conference room with his IV drip, and this is where I start to unravel. I really hate it in movies when people leave the hospital too soon. 

Angela [00:49:12] Too early. 

Jenna [00:49:12] And I really bothers me when they drag their IV drip with them. I don’t like it. 

Angela [00:49:16] I know. Rainn is so good in this scene. He’s in so much pain and he’s doing such a shitty job at giving this presentation. He’s getting everything wrong. And he has Erin whispering him the details. Like the three pillars of retail. Erin says, Convenience. Dwight goes, Ingredients! Erin says, Service. Dwight says, Burgers. Erin says, Building loyalty He goes, Killing royalty! And then it spirals from there. 

Jenna [00:49:46] Well one of the things that happens in that speech is that the team had a slide where they were going to talk about consumer habits. But of course, he doesn’t know what they planned to say, so he says something about how women shop more when they’re on their periods because they’re depressed that they didn’t procreate. I wanted to know, is there any correlation? Is- remember how we’re always like, sometimes Dwight is right? 

Angela [00:50:08] Yeah. I mean. 

Jenna [00:50:09] Where like sometimes he says some crazy thing and then he ends up right. 

Angela [00:50:13] You’re absolutely right. He’s done it many times. He had that whole thing about pheromones. 

Jenna [00:50:18] So what do you think? Is Dwight right about women spending more or shopping more during their periods? Is this just a purely sexist rant or is there any science behind it? 

Angela [00:50:30] I don’t feel like shopping when I’m on my period. I don’t know. I’m like- 

Jenna [00:50:39] You’re like, I don’t want to leave the house. 

Angela [00:50:40] Exactly. 

Jenna [00:50:41] I want to be on the couch with like a hot pad on my stomach. 

Angela [00:50:46] I want to take it easy. 

Jenna [00:50:48] Well, Glamour magazine published an article- Glamour magazine again- on the subject of shopping and women’s menstrual cycles. They cited a study that claimed women do exhibit less control over their spending habits, but not during their period; during the ten days leading up to their period known as the luteal phase. 

Angela [00:51:11] This was happens in the luteal phase?

Jenna [00:51:13] Well, the luteal phase happens in the second part of your menstrual cycle. It starts around day 15, and then it ends when you get your period. The luteal phase is what is preparing your uterus for pregnancy by thickening your utal lining. 

Angela [00:51:32] That’s what I was going to say. Is this sort of like when you’re like, let’s make a baby?

Jenna [00:51:35] Yes, it is the phase that happens right after ovulation. So right after your ovary releases the egg, you go into the luteal phase. 

Angela [00:51:44] That’s when you want to spend money. You want to prepare. It’s like this natural instinct, you’re like, I’ve released an egg. Anything can happen. I better buy stuff and get ready. 

Jenna [00:51:54] Well. This recently published study, it examined 443 women. It was conducted by a woman, Professor Karen Pine, in the UK, and they found that women in the luteal phase were two thirds more likely to do impulse buying during this phase. And that 57% said that they often overspent. And I guess Professor Karen Pine decided that the spending behavior tends to be a reaction to the intense emotions that flood in during this phase of our menstrual cycles. Karen also said during this time women can feel very stressed or depressed and are more likely to go shopping to cheer themselves up or to regulate their emotions because it is a more socially sanctioned way to deal with emotional overload compared to drinking or drugs. This was Karen’s study. So I guess… There could be some spending habits linked to the menstrual cycle. 

Angela [00:53:02] Yeah. 

Jenna [00:53:03] In which case, Dwight is a little bit right. But Dwight is actually wrong. Dwight says that you overspend while having your period. No, we’re done spending when the period hits. 

Angela [00:53:15] We’re done. 

Jenna [00:53:16] We’re done. 

Angela [00:53:18] But he always has something in this sort of topic about women and their bodies. Like it’s like Dwight is very attuned some way to like what, what makes a woman function? In his own way. 

Jenna [00:53:30] Yes. And I don’t know how I feel about this study. I have to say, like, part of me is like, do we need more of these stereotypes about women and their emotions and the way they deal with them during their periods? Or is it comforting because you’re maybe going through these ups and downs and you’re like, Oh, good, I’m not the only person experiencing these intense highs and lows?

Angela [00:53:56] I think it’s a combo platter. 

Jenna [00:53:57] It’s a combo platter. 

Angela [00:53:58] Yeah. Well, Dwight ultimately wins Nellie over with his presentation, and Jim points out he’s bleeding through his shirt. 

Jenna [00:54:07] And then- I can’t even talk about it. 

Angela [00:54:11] Nellie asks to see Dwight’s wound. 

Jenna [00:54:13] And then Todd Packer… 

Angela [00:54:15] Tries to poke it! 

Jenna [00:54:18] Ahh! That was- 

Angela [00:54:18] So gross. 

Jenna [00:54:19] And then, you know, Dwight swats his finger away. But just the- just the suggestion that his wound was going to be poked. 

Angela [00:54:27] I didn’t even think about the pain of having an open wound poked. All I could think about was- 

Jenna [00:54:32] I can’t. It’s making me feel queasy as we talk about it. I don’t feel good.

Angela [00:54:33] Okay, okay. I have to say this. I have to say this. All I could think about in the moment was how dirty Todd Packer’s hands are. 

Jenna [00:54:44] God, lady! 

Angela [00:54:45] That’s all I could think about. I don’t want Todd Packer’s nasty finger. 

Jenna [00:54:50] Lady. I can’t. I can’t. 

Angela [00:54:54] Jenna is doubled over. Oh, God. 

Jenna [00:54:58] I don’t think- it’s making me feel- (UNCLEAR) 

Angela [00:55:00] Okay. Okay. I’m switching the subject. I’m switching subjects. Ready? This is a perfect timing for my last Tallahassee tidbit. Did you know that Tallahassee has a nickname? 

Jenna [00:55:15] What is it? 

Angela [00:55:16] It is a Trail-ahassee. 

Jenna [00:55:18] What? 

Angela [00:55:18] That’s right. Because Tallahassee has 700 miles of trails winding through its rolling hills, towering pines and crystal clear rivers and springs. It is a nature lovers paradise for birdwatching. You can hike, you can kayak, you can go fishing, but there’s lots of hiking. So it’s got a nickname, Trail-ahassee. 

Jenna [00:55:40] I have to say something. Tallahassee sounds awesome. 

Angela [00:55:43] I know. 

Jenna [00:55:44] I mean, the museums, the hiking. It’s probably good weather. 

Angela [00:55:49] I did not look up the weather. 

Jenna [00:55:51] Well, there was the person who wrote in the other week about how, like, it has nice weather. 

Angela [00:55:56] Oh, yeah. 

Jenna [00:55:56] Should we go there? 

Angela [00:55:58] I mean. 

Jenna [00:55:59] I’m really interested after all of these facts you’ve told me today. 

Angela [00:56:04] Listen, you had me at birdwatching. 

Jenna [00:56:07] Okay. I want to go to Tallahassee. 

Angela [00:56:09] Did I pivot enough for you? 

Jenna [00:56:11] Yeah, I’m coming. I’m getting back. 

Angela [00:56:12] IAre you coming out of it?

Jenna [00:56:14] Yeah. 

Angela [00:56:14] Okay. Let’s go back to Dunder Mifflin. 

Jenna [00:56:17] Let’s do. Fan catch from Brandon R in Illinois. I’m sure everyone will point this out, but it’s the mail cart! Andy is pushing around the mail cart. The thing that we said never moved. 

Angela [00:56:29] Never moves. 

Jenna [00:56:31] But when he’s passing out the mail, lady, can I ask this question? Why are Oscar’s taxes coming to his workplace? 

Angela [00:56:39] I don’t know. 

Jenna [00:56:41] What is that? He doesn’t want to get his taxes at home? It’s weird. 

Angela [00:56:46] That is a weird detail that was missed on me. 

Jenna [00:56:49] Next up is a scene that I found odd, and I have a question for you about it. 

Angela [00:56:55] Okay. 

Jenna [00:56:55] Pam and Darryl approach Andy at reception, and they’re like, trying to talk Andy out of being the receptionist. And it didn’t really make sense to me because, you know, he’s doing a really, really good job. 

Angela [00:57:09] Right? 

Jenna [00:57:09] And Pam didn’t want to do the job anyway. So I actually went to the script and I saw that there was originally this storyline where Andy is not doing a good job. He’s kind of ignoring his job as manager because he gets so distracted by reception and people are really frustrated, particularly Kelly. And that’s why Pam and Darryl have this scene where they’re like, Andy, it’s time to give up reception. 

Angela [00:57:35] Yeah. 

Jenna [00:57:35] Is that in deleted scenes at all? Did we shoot it?

Angela [00:57:38] A little bit. Basically, there’s a storyline with Kelly and Creed where Kelly said she was promised a raise. And Andy goes, I never promised you a raise. And she said, The manager before you did. And Creed goes, That’s right. I promised her a raise. 

Jenna [00:57:52] Yeah, that’s right. He also promised himself a raise. 

Angela [00:57:54] That’s right. And Andy’s like, We don’t have any money for raises, guys. We don’t have any money. And then Phyllis goes, Does that mean I’m not getting my raise? And he’s like, Phyllis, I told you not to say anything about that. So he had given Phyllis a raise, but isn’t going to honor Creed’s raises. And Kelly is pissed off the whole entire episode, demanding that Andy answer for this. The whole episode. 

Jenna [00:58:20] And he’s kind of hiding out at reception so he doesn’t have to deal with. 

Angela [00:58:25] That’s right. There are scenes where Kelly and Creed go up to talk to him, and he’s like, I’m sorry, I got to take this call. Oh, I got to do this fax. And he just keeps punting this conversation with Kelly and Creed. 

Jenna [00:58:34] Okay. Got it. 

Angela [00:58:36] So Andy, I guess, does reflect and think, okay, maybe I shouldn’t be the receptionist. But I do want to point out that there’s a month of no one answering phones now. 

Jenna [00:58:45] I guess so. What’s going to happen next week? I’m so curious. Who’s going to answer the phone?

Angela [00:58:49] I don’t know. He does take a call from a client who misses Erin and he realizes he misses her, too. 

Jenna [00:58:56] Mm hmm. I’m sorry. I like him with Jessica. 

Angela [00:58:58] I know you do. I, listen, I’m rooting for Jessica as well. Back in Tallahassee, Dwight has a talking head. He said he had two goals today; to make himself a clear candidate for vice president, which he believes he achieved, and to find a memorable souvenir for Philip, which he achieved thanks to his appendix. 

Jenna [00:59:18] Yes. We had a fan question from Olivia O in Ireland who said, I was wondering when Dwight holds up his appendix as a souvenir to give Philip, what was used as the fake appendix? It looks so realistically gross, and it made me think of who had to put that together. 

Angela [00:59:34] You know Phil Shea did. 

Jenna [00:59:36] He did. And I actually was very curious what was in the bag. Like, what happens when Phil Shea reads a script and he realizes that he has to come up with an appendix in a baggie? So, lady, I reached out and asked him. 

Angela [00:59:51] Poor Phil Shea. These are the things we text him about. 

Jenna [00:59:55] He said that he rented this fake appendix from a make up and body parts special effects company called Matthew Mungle. 

Angela [01:00:03] Hold up. 

Jenna [01:00:04] Yep. 

Angela [01:00:05] You can rent a fake appendix? 

Jenna [01:00:07] You can rent all kinds of fake body parts from Matthew Mungle. 

Angela [01:00:11] Oh, my Lord. 

Jenna [01:00:12] Yeah. But it gets better. Phil said they actually had a few appendix to choose from, so he presented them- probably on a silver tray- to our writer Danny and director Matt Sohn, and they picked the one they liked. 

Angela [01:00:28] Oh, my gosh. 

Jenna [01:00:29] Phil said that when he reads a script, he breaks it down into categories. The categories are rentals, purchases, and design. He said also, he looks for any promo opportunities. Is there any way to get a company to give them money if it helps- 

Angela [01:00:44] Product placement. 

Jenna [01:00:45] Yeah. Also, he said if something does need to be designed, he has subcategories. Is it something they can make in-house or something they have to source elsewhere? And he only ever has a week to get it all done. 

Angela [01:00:59] That’s just fascinating to me that he pulls that off every week. 

Jenna [01:01:03] I know. 

Angela [01:01:03] It’s just amazing. 

Jenna [01:01:04] Amazing. So thank you, Phil, for giving me the lowdown on how you got a fake appendix. 

Angela [01:01:10] This episode is going to end with a very special guest. Nellie brings in Wally Amos of Famous Amos cookies. As he starts his speech, all anyone can think about is, are there cookies? Can I eat them now? Can we open the cookies? 

Jenna [01:01:25] They do not want his motivational speech. 

Angela [01:01:27] No. 

Jenna [01:01:27] They just want the cookies. Everyone, this was the real Wally Amos of Famous Amos cookies. He was the first and only person ever scripted for this bit at the end of the episode. He is originally from Florida. Steve Burgess says that Allison Jones contacted his reps and he was interested. So we got to make it happen. It is a little complicated, though, because he is no longer associated with Famous Amos cookies, the cookie that he invented. His story is fascinating. It has a lot of ups and downs. I’m going to tell it to you. 

Angela [01:02:01] He no longer has Famous Amos cookies and he’s… 

Jenna [01:02:05] Famous Amos. 

Angela [01:02:07] Okay. 

Jenna [01:02:07] Yes. 

Angela [01:02:08] What happened? 

Jenna [01:02:09] So first of all, he was born in Florida. He eventually moved to Los Angeles and got a job in the mailroom at the William Morris Talent Agency. He worked his way up from the mailroom to become the first black talent agent in the industry. He was the head of the Rock and roll department. He signed Simon and Garfunkel. He worked with people like Diana Ross, Sam Cooke and Dionne Warwick. 

Angela [01:02:31] Wow. 

Jenna [01:02:32] But while he was working there, he was just getting sort of disillusioned with show business. And so to relieve stress, he started baking in his free time. And he would make his aunt’s cookie recipes and bring them to meetings. And people loved them. Like people started saying, will you bring cookies to the meeting? So in 1975, he opened a cookie store on Sunset Boulevard and he only sold three kinds of cookies; chocolate chip peanut butter, chocolate chip with pecan, and butterscotch chip with pecan. They were a zero preservative cookie. Basically the first craft cookie. The first, like gourmet cookie shop. It was a huge hit. He quit being a talent agent. By 1982, he was making like $12 million in revenue and he became famous as famous Amos Cookies. 

Angela [01:03:22] Wow. 

Jenna [01:03:23] He started appearing on television shows as himself. But eventually, I guess there started to be some trouble financially with the company. And he sold it. And then it was resold and resold. And eventually the owners of the company started adding shelf stable ingredients to it and they started mass producing them and putting them in grocery stores. And they were a huge success. But Amos was not cashing in on any of this because when he sold the cookie, he sold his name. He sold everything. He sold all the rights to it. So he tried to launch a new hazelnut cookie as Wally Amos Presents. And that company that owned Famous Amos sued him because he had put the name Wally Amos on his new cookies. And they won. He was told he could never put his name on another cookie again. 

Angela [01:04:20] That’s horrible! 

Jenna [01:04:22] Horrible. So he launched another cookie called Uncle Nonamé. Like no name. Nonamé. 

Angela [01:04:31] Is it pronounced no Nonamé? 

Jenna [01:04:33] Well, it’s spelled Noname and the E has a little, like, you know, thing on it. Like the French do. 

Angela [01:04:41] Okay. 

Jenna [01:04:41] So I assume it’s called Nonamé. 

Angela [01:04:43] Okay. 

Jenna [01:04:43] It’s called no name. 

Angela [01:04:45] Well, I didn’t know the spelling. Okay, so now we have Uncle Nonamé. 

Jenna [01:04:49] Cookies. Those did not work out. Finally, in 1999, he signed on to be a spokesperson for the Famous Amos cookie. The cookie he invented. But like, he was just like, imagine if you invented Verizon Wireless, but all you could do was be the spokesperson for Verizon. You were just like the guy on the commercial. So still he was getting no, like, revenue. He was just like, you know, the commercial guy. Anyway, eventually he moved to Hawaii. He started a company selling muffins. He wrote multiple books about his experiences and he is a motivational speaker. And his signature shirt and hat are on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of History. And we flew him in from Hawaii to do this episode. And Famous Amos agreed to let us feature the cookies on the show, but only if we bought real Famous Amos cookies. We couldn’t have any props. 

Angela [01:05:49] Wow. 

Jenna [01:05:50] Isn’t that like it’s fascinating. 

Angela [01:05:51] Yeah. I hate that he lost the rights to his own name. 

Jenna [01:05:56] His own name. Yes. And I watched a bunch of videos of him as a motivational speaker because we got this fan question from Roz F in Washington, DC, who said, I’ve always felt bad that Wally Amos didn’t get to deliver a motivational speech because I’ve heard him speak and he’s quite inspirational. And Roz is correct. So, yeah, what a story. 

Angela [01:06:18] What a story. I’m so glad to have learned all of that. 

Jenna [01:06:21] Yeah, I know. 

Angela [01:06:22] I want to say something, but I don’t want to get sued by Famous Amos people. 

Jenna [01:06:26] What do you want to say? 

Angela [01:06:28] Well, there’s only one Famous Amos, and that’s Wally Amos. 

Jenna [01:06:32] I think you can say that. 

Angela [01:06:34] Well, that was Tallahassee, everybody. I had a lot of fun revisiting this episode. 

Jenna [01:06:38] Yes, A big thank you to Steve Burgess and Phil Shea, who help me fill in some blanks for this episode. We won’t be here next week because we’ll be in Toronto. But when we come back, we have a lot to talk about. It’s After Hours. 

Angela [01:06:52] Mmhmm. And a lot happens in After Hours. 

Jenna [01:06:53] It sure does. We really get into it. 

Angela [01:06:56] Have a great week, everyone! 

Jenna [01:06:58] See you later! Thank you for listening to Office Ladies. 

Angela [01:07:03] Office Ladies is produced by Earwolf, Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey. 

Jenna [01:07:07] Our senior producer is Cassi Jerkins. Our in-studio engineer is Sam Kieffer. Our editing and mixing engineer is Jordan Duffy. And our associate producer is Aynsley Bubbico. 

Angela [01:07:17] Our theme song is Rubber Tree by Creed Bratton.