There are few network comedies quite as beloved as NBC's The Office. The workplace comedy mockumentary provided both laughs and tears during its long tenure on the air, and perhaps no episode is as emotional as Michael Scott's last day at Dundler Mifflin. We watched him shoot hoops with the warehouse guys and leave both Erin and Dwight emotional, but it was his goodbye to former receptionist Pam (Jenna Fischer) that was the true gut punch of the episode. Michael hands over his microphone to the documentarian and says goodbye, before Pam catches up with him in the airport. We can't hear their conversation during the goodbye, and Fischer finally revealed what she said during that heartbreaking scene. She said,
That was me talking to Steve. I told him all the ways I was going to miss him when he left our show. Those were real tears and a real goodbye. That was a really emotional scene.
Well, that's one way to get an honest performance. Because the interaction was without dialogue and therefore not scripted, Jenna Fisher was able to truly express her love and affection for co-star Steve Carell in this moment. You can see how it emotionally affects the comedian, and the scene itself is classic mushy Office sweetness.
Jenna Fischer explained this tidbit of trivia through her recent Instagram story. Many celebs have taken to this medium to directly communicate with their followers, therefore allowing fans to feel a bit closer to their favorite actor/actress. Fischer no doubt wants to amp up excitement for her new show Splitting Up Together, and is happy to give all the Office binge watchers a little extra love in the process.
As a reminder of the scene in question, you can watch the heartbreaker from the Season 7 episode "Goodbye, Michael".
It's been years, but that one still gets me to well up. While The Office is full of ridiculous moments, the more emotional scenes are always handled expertly as well.
Steve Carrell left The Office after nearly 150 episodes, and the show would end up running for two more seasons without its protagonist. Narratively they did this by having Michael Scott finally getting what he always wanted: a family. He moved to Colorado to be with Holly, and the series finale revealed they also had kids. He got his happy ending after all.
The Office is currently available to watch on Netflix and Splitting Up Together airs Tuesdays on ABC. In the meantime, check out our midseason premiere list to plan your next binge watch. Plus our superhero premiere list and Amazon premiere list to ensure you don't miss a single episode.
