.gif)
Grief Counseling (The Office)
Encyclopedia
"Grief Counseling" is the fourth episode of the third season of the American comedy
television series
The Office, and the show's 32nd episode overall. Written by Jennifer Celotta
and directed by Roger Nygard
, the episode first aired in the United States on October 12, 2006 on NBC
.
Michael is overcome with grief when he learns about the death of his former boss Ed Truck. Michael spends the rest of the day attempting grief counseling for the mostly grief-lacking office. In Stamford, Jim and Karen embark on a quest for a particular brand of potato chips.
(Steve Carell
) is informed by Jan Levenson (Melora Hardin
) that his former boss Ed Truck has died. Kelly Kapoor
(Mindy Kaling
) and Phyllis Lapin
(Phyllis Smith) console Michael after he breaks the news to a mostly unmoved staff. Later, Michael learns from Creed Bratton
(played by the actor of the same name
) that Truck, heavily inebriated, was decapitated in a truck accident. Michael summons the staff to a primitive grief counseling session involving a collapsible Hoberman sphere
ball, in which Michael tells members of the staff to give stories of deceased love ones. This leads to the staff telling stories about losing loved ones based on death scenes in movies (Million Dollar Baby
, The Lion King
, and Weekend at Bernie's
) with Ryan Howard
(B. J. Novak
) saying he would elaborate more on his story, but it would take about an hour and a half to do it. Toby Flenderson
(Paul Lieberstein
) tells Michael death is a part of life, and uses an example of a bird that flew into a first-floor window that morning. Michael charges outside, picks up the deceased animal and tries in vain to revive it. Michael schedules a parking lot funeral for the bird. Pam Beesly
(Jenna Fischer
) fashions a makeshift coffin and reads a prepared speech that comforts Michael. Pam then proceeds to sing "On the Wings of Love" as Dwight Schrute
(Rainn Wilson
) accompanies her on his recorder. The coffin is placed in a box of shredded paper and set afire.
Meanwhile, in Stamford, Connecticut
, Jim Halpert
(John Krasinski
) gains authority over Karen Filippelli
's (Rashida Jones
) schedule for the day. When Karen mentions her favorite kind of Herr's potato chips
is missing from the vending machine, Jim tells Karen that they cannot work until they find her chips. The duo spends the rest of the day searching stores and vending machines around town in a vain attempt to find the chips. But at the end of the day, Karen finds a bag of Herr's on her desk. Jim tells the documentary crew that he traced the chips from the manufacturer to the distributor to the vending machine company to an adjacent office building. This devotion to getting the right chips mirrors Jim's actions with Pam in a previous episode, The Fight.
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
television series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
The Office, and the show's 32nd episode overall. Written by Jennifer Celotta
Jennifer Celotta
Jennifer Ann Celotta is an American television producer and writer. Among her credits are Home Improvement, Malcolm in the Middle, Greg the Bunny, Andy Richter Controls The Universe and The Office...
and directed by Roger Nygard
Roger Nygard
Roger Nygard is an American film and television director, editor, writer, and producer. His films include Trekkies, Trekkies 2, and The Nature of Existence.-Early life and work:...
, the episode first aired in the United States on October 12, 2006 on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
.
Michael is overcome with grief when he learns about the death of his former boss Ed Truck. Michael spends the rest of the day attempting grief counseling for the mostly grief-lacking office. In Stamford, Jim and Karen embark on a quest for a particular brand of potato chips.
Plot
Michael ScottMichael Scott (The Office)
Michael Gary Scott is a fictional character on NBC's The Office, portrayed by Steve Carell, and based on David Brent from the original British version. Michael, the central character of the series, was the manager of the Scranton branch of paper and printer distribution company Dunder Mifflin Inc...
(Steve Carell
Steve Carell
Steven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
) is informed by Jan Levenson (Melora Hardin
Melora Hardin
Melora Diane Hardin is an American actress, best known for her roles as Jan Levinson on NBC's The Office and Trudy Monk on USA's Monk.-Early life:...
) that his former boss Ed Truck has died. Kelly Kapoor
Kelly Kapoor
Kelly Rajnigandha Kapoor , is a fictional character from the US television series, The Office. She is played by Mindy Kaling, who is also a writer and producer for the show....
(Mindy Kaling
Mindy Kaling
Vera Mindy Chokalingam , better known as Mindy Kaling, is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer who plays Kelly Kapoor on the NBC sitcom The Office. Kaling is also a co-executive producer and writer of several of the show's episodes.-Early life:Kaling was born Vera Chokalingam in...
) and Phyllis Lapin
Phyllis Lapin
Phyllis Margaret Vance is a fictional character from the US television series The Office. She is played by Phyllis Smith.-Biography:...
(Phyllis Smith) console Michael after he breaks the news to a mostly unmoved staff. Later, Michael learns from Creed Bratton
Creed Bratton (character)
Creed Rowland Bratton a.k.a. "William Charles Schneider" is a fictional character from the U.S. television series The Office. Confusion may arise from the fact that the character is played by and partially based on the musician of the same name, Creed Bratton...
(played by the actor of the same name
Creed Bratton
Creed Bratton is an American actor and musician, a former member of The Grass Roots...
) that Truck, heavily inebriated, was decapitated in a truck accident. Michael summons the staff to a primitive grief counseling session involving a collapsible Hoberman sphere
Hoberman sphere
A Hoberman sphere is a structure invented by Chuck Hoberman that resembles a geodesic dome, but is capable of folding down to a fraction of its normal size by the scissor-like action of its joints...
ball, in which Michael tells members of the staff to give stories of deceased love ones. This leads to the staff telling stories about losing loved ones based on death scenes in movies (Million Dollar Baby
Million Dollar Baby
Million Dollar Baby is a 2004 American sports drama film directed, co-produced, and scored by Clint Eastwood and starring Eastwood, Hilary Swank, and Morgan Freeman...
, The Lion King
The Lion King
The Lion King is a 1994 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series...
, and Weekend at Bernie's
Weekend at Bernie's
Weekend at Bernie's is a 1989 American comedy film directed by Ted Kotcheff. A comedy starring Andrew McCarthy and Jonathan Silverman features the two as a couple of young insurance agency employees who discover their boss is deceased...
) with Ryan Howard
Ryan Howard (The Office)
Ryan Bailey Howard , played by B. J. Novak, is a fictional character on the US television sitcom The Office. He is based upon Ricky Howard from the original version of The Office , but his role is significantly expanded and he is a main character.-Character profile:Little is known about Ryan's...
(B. J. Novak
B. J. Novak
Benjamin Joseph Manaly “B. J.” Novak is an American actor, stand-up comedian, screenwriter, and director. He is best known for being a writer and co-executive producer for and playing the role of Ryan Howard on the US version of The Office, as well as appearing in Inglourious Basterds...
) saying he would elaborate more on his story, but it would take about an hour and a half to do it. Toby Flenderson
Toby Flenderson
Toby Wyatt Flenderson, M.S.W. born 1971 is a character from the US television series The Office. He is played by Paul Lieberstein. He is an original character and has no equivalent in the British version of the show, The Office.-Overview:...
(Paul Lieberstein
Paul Lieberstein
Paul Bevan Lieberstein is an American screenwriter, actor and television producer. An Emmy Award winner, he is most widely known as a writer, producer, and as supporting cast member Toby Flenderson on the U.S...
) tells Michael death is a part of life, and uses an example of a bird that flew into a first-floor window that morning. Michael charges outside, picks up the deceased animal and tries in vain to revive it. Michael schedules a parking lot funeral for the bird. Pam Beesly
Pam Beesly
Pamela Morgan "Pam" Halpert is a fictional character on the U.S. television sitcom The Office, played by Jenna Fischer. Her counterpart in the original UK series of The Office is Dawn Tinsley....
(Jenna Fischer
Jenna Fischer
Regina Marie "Jenna" Fischer is an American actress and director. She is most widely known for her Emmy-nominated portrayal of Pam Halpert on the NBC situation comedy and mockumentary The Office, and has also appeared in several films, including Blades of Glory, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story,...
) fashions a makeshift coffin and reads a prepared speech that comforts Michael. Pam then proceeds to sing "On the Wings of Love" as Dwight Schrute
Dwight Schrute
Dwight Kurt Schrute III is a character on NBC's The Office portrayed by Rainn Wilson. He originally exactly resembled Gareth Keenan from the original UK version of The Office. Dwight is the top salesman and former acting manager for the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company and has won numerous awards for...
(Rainn Wilson
Rainn Wilson
Rainn Dietrich Wilson is an American actor and comedian. He is primarily known for his role as the egomaniacal Dwight Schrute on the American version of the television comedy The Office...
) accompanies her on his recorder. The coffin is placed in a box of shredded paper and set afire.
Meanwhile, in Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
, Jim Halpert
Jim Halpert
James Duncan "Jim" Halpert is a fictional character in the United States version of the television sitcom The Office, played by John Krasinski. The character is based on Tim Canterbury from the original version of The Office...
(John Krasinski
John Krasinski
John Burke Krasinski is an American actor, film director, and writer. He is most widely known for playing Jim Halpert on the NBC sitcom The Office...
) gains authority over Karen Filippelli
Karen Filippelli
Karen Filippelli is a fictional character from the U.S. television series The Office. She is played by Rashida Jones. She is loosely based on the character of Rachel from the original UK version of the show, in that she transferred during the merger of the two branches, and became romantically...
's (Rashida Jones
Rashida Jones
Rashida Leah Jones is an American film and television actress, comic book author, screenwriter and occasional singer. She played Louisa Fenn on Boston Public and Karen Filippelli on The Office as well as roles in the films I Love You, Man and The Social Network...
) schedule for the day. When Karen mentions her favorite kind of Herr's potato chips
Herr's Snacks
Herr's is a Nottingham, Pennsylvania-based brand of snack foods, most notably potato chips. While their products are sold throughout the Eastern United States and Canada, their stronghold is the Mid-Atlantic region. -History:...
is missing from the vending machine, Jim tells Karen that they cannot work until they find her chips. The duo spends the rest of the day searching stores and vending machines around town in a vain attempt to find the chips. But at the end of the day, Karen finds a bag of Herr's on her desk. Jim tells the documentary crew that he traced the chips from the manufacturer to the distributor to the vending machine company to an adjacent office building. This devotion to getting the right chips mirrors Jim's actions with Pam in a previous episode, The Fight.
External links
- "Grief Counseling" at NBC.com