‘The Office’: Jenna Fischer Said This Sad Season 1 Quote ‘Sums Up Pam’s Entire Relationship With Michael’
Michael Scott had a lot of iconic quotes on The Office over the years, but Jenna Fischer said there was one sad season 1 quote she felt was representative of Pam and Michael’s relationship. Fun fact: she would even write the line on her headshots when she signed autographs.
Jenna Fischer called a season 1 episode ‘one of the best’ of the series
During a November 2019 episode of the Office Ladies podcast, Fischer and her co-host Angela Kinsey explored the season 1 episode “Basketball” that involved the office workers and warehouse workers facing off in a basketball game.
Fischer is a fan of the episode, saying that, in her opinion, “‘Basketball’ is one of the best episodes we ever did.” There are a lot of solid episodes of The Office but she said there are some details in the episode that were standouts for her.
“I absolutely love it. I think it is so good,” Fischer explained. “One of my favorite scenes in this episode is the one where Dwight follows Michael into his office and tries to convince him that he should be part of the basketball team. And they get in this exchange that is so wonderful.”
“Michael says ‘No. Not after what happened at that pickup game.’ And then Dwight is like, ‘I apologized for that.’ He’s like, ‘I vouched for you. I vouched for you in front of Todd Packer,'” she noted.
“Now, here’s the amazing thing about this show is that we’ve never met Todd Packer,” Fischer explained, pointing out that the character was only heard on speakerphone in the pilot.
Kinsey agreed, sharing how the writers didn’t give any backstory information. “We just jumped in the middle of these people’s lives, you know, we don’t tell backstory and the audience just has to catch up. And I love that,” she said.
Jenna Fischer said 1 quote summed up Pam’s relationship with Michael
In the episode, Michael crumples up a piece of paper and throws it at Pam and the line she says — which is often quoted — is pretty representative of the characters’ relationship.
Fischer said it was such a popular line at the time, she signed it on headshots she autographed: “Please don’t throw garbage at me.”
“I love it,” she explained. “I feel like it sums up Pam’s entire relationship with Michael. The fact that she has to say the words ‘Please don’t throw garbage at me’ to her boss, just… It says it all.”
“Everything she’s had to endure is all in that one line. She’s been working there for probably three, four years now. Three or four years of garbage thrown at her head,” Fischer added.
Pam and Michael shared touching moments too
Of course, Michael wasn’t all bad and he and Pam shared some touching moments as well. In the season 3 episode “Business School,” Michael comes to Pam’s art show and gives her support when she needs it most.
Michael asks her the cost of her drawing of their office building and she’s surprised he would want to buy it.
“Well, yeah. Yeah, we have to have it for the office,” Michael tells Pam. “I mean, there’s my window. And there’s my car! Is that your car? That is our building. And we sell paper. I am really proud of you.”
