Key Takeaways
- The episode
- Product Recall
- addresses a Dunder Mifflin crisis involving paper with an obscene watermark.
- The iconic
- Bears, Beets, Battlestar Galactica
- cold open featuring Jim's Dwight impersonation is explored.
- Behind-the-scenes insights include writing processes, deleted scenes, and actors' on-set experiences.
- Damage control efforts by Michael Scott and Creed Bratton highlight their contrasting approaches.
- Guest actress Shira Scott Astrof shared her experience playing Andy Bernard's high school girlfriend.
Deep Dive
- The
- Bears, Beets, Battlestar Galactica
- cold open was influenced by a
- group mind
- among writer Lee Eisenberg and the writing staff.
- Fan questions prompted a deep dive into this scene.
- Mike Shore is credited with pitching the specific line
- Bears, Beets, Battlestar Galactica
- .
- Discussion included cut scenes and alternate
- candy bag
- lines for
- Product Recall
- .
- An initial conflict between Kelly and Angela was explored within these deleted scenes.
- Kevin's
- candy bag
- alternate lines revealed his resentment towards Angela for past interactions.
- The cold open features Jim impersonating Dwight, including iconic lines
- Bears, Beets, Battlestar Galactica
- and
- Identity theft is not a joke, Jim
- .
- Gene and Lee developed the Jim-as-Dwight concept.
- Subtle set details observed during the cold open included a new, struggling plant at reception and Jim wearing a calculator watch.
- Angela shared a historical deep dive into watermarks, explaining their origin in Fabriano, Italy, in 1282.
- The invention of watermarks was deliberate.
- The prop department created the obscene watermark for the show, with one writer framing a prop sheet as a keepsake.
- Michael instructs Jim to visit a high school client regarding prom invitations printed on the faulty paper.
- He insists Andy accompany Jim, leading to a
- that's what she said
- joke.
- John Krasinski (Jim) struggled to maintain composure during the conference room scene when Steve Carell (Michael) put his foot on the table and leaned into his crotch.
- Andy's girlfriend, Jamie, is revealed to be a high school student in a deleted scene.
- Actress Shira Scott Astrof, 27 at the time of filming and younger than John Krasinski, auditioned for the role without watching
- The Office
- .
- Astrof was a contestant on
- The Bachelor
- season 16 and initially thought she was playing Michael Scott's girlfriend. Her upcoming projects include the film
- Half Brothers
- and the Amazon pilot
- On the Spectrum
- , and she founded the Animal Rescue Mission, saving 70 dogs in Tijuana.
- Dwight Schrute prepares for a press conference for Chad Light, a reporter from The Scranton Times.
- A deleted scene reveals Chad Light (actor Anthony Russell) recognized Creed Bratton from
- The Grass Roots
- and mentioned writing Creed's obituary.
- Russell is a multi-instrumentalist who sang in a show band in Las Vegas. Angela Kinsey played the trombone in her high school marching band.
- Michael Scott attempts a public apology to long-time customer Mrs. Allen for the product recall issue.
- He offers her a novelty check, which she rejects.
- Lisa Darr played Mrs. Allen, an actress noted for playing different characters in multiple episodes of shows like
- Murder She Wrote
- and
- CSI
- .
- Filming Michael Scott's apology video involved challenges for Jenna Fischer (Pam Beesly), including maintaining eye contact with the camera and numerous deleted scenes.
- Jenna and Angela discussed avoiding laughter and using cue cards during the cold open.
- Michael's altered apology video in deleted scenes revealed his financial struggles and insecurities. Fan questions were addressed regarding discrepancies between Michael's dialogue and cue cards, attributed to trimmed content.