3 behind-the-scenes revelations from the ‘Grief Counseling’ episode of ‘The Office’

Everyone deals with grief in different ways. On The Office, for instance, processing grief can mean anything from throwing a ball around with co-workers to holding a bird funeral in a parking lot.

On the latest episode of the , former co-stars Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey reminisced about filming Season 3, Episode 4 of the show, “Grief Counseling,” and revealed a bunch of behind-the-scenes tidbits from the episode.

For those who need a refresher, a lot happens in this episode. After Michael learns that his former boss Ed Truck died by decapitation, he makes the office take part in grief counseling exercises. The Scranton branch later bids an elaborate farewell to a dead bird, and in Stamford, Jim is made Karen’s supervisor for the day. (They spend hours trying to track down Karen’s favorite salt & vinegar chips.)

Now that you know what happened on screen, it’s time for a look at what was happening on set. 

1. Mindy Kaling and Greg Daniels’ biggest fight

As fans of Mindy Kaling may already know, she and showrunner Greg Daniels had one of their biggest blowouts during “Grief Counseling.” In Kaling’s first book, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), The Office actress and writer revealed that she and Daniels disagreed quite frequently. But they really hit a breaking point while writing this episode.

“I will tell you about the worst fight we ever had. In a particularly heated rewrite session for the season-three episode ‘Grief Counseling,’ I was arguing with Greg so much, he finally said, in front of all twelve writers, ‘If you’re going to resist what I’m doing here, you can just go home, Mindy,'” Kaling said in a clip from her audio book, which was played on the podcast.

“Greg never sends anyone home, or even hints at it. I was so embarrassed and angry I got up, stomped out the room, stole a twenty-four-pack of bottled water from the production office, kicked the bumper of Greg’s car, and left the studio,” Kaling continued.

I consulted Kaling’s book on my shelf for more info. She goes on to explain that after leaving work she drove to a nail salon with every intention of getting a manicure. But after the nail technician asked Kaling if she’d been fired from her job, she got worried, raced back to the office, re-entered the writer’s room, and told everyone she’d been in the bathroom the whole time. (She kept the stolen water bottles, though.)

“I can get a little theatrical,” Kaling admitted earlier in the book and revealed that another one of her big disagreements with Daniels was over a fan-favorite cold open. “If we do that cold open where Kevin dumps a tureen of chili on himself, I will quit this show,” Kaling recalled saying. “We did that cold open by the way, and it was a hit, and I’m still working at the show,” she wrote.

2. The truth about Ed Truck’s death

Among the many fan theories about The Office, one argues that the circumstances behind Ed Truck’s death still remain a mystery. In “Grief Counseling,” Creed reveals that Michael’s former boss was decapitated as a result of a drunk driving accident. But because the news came from such an infamously untrustworthy source, many cast doubt on the explanation.

“There is a very very big debate online as to whether Creed the character is making it up that Ed was decapitated or whether it’s the truth,” Fischer acknowledged. “You know, Creed tells some crazy stories both on camera and off camera. So I can see where this sort of like controversy, if you will, around Creed’s retelling of this. Is it true? Is it not?” Kinsey questioned.

“We decided hey, let’s go to the source, let’s ask Jen Celotta [writer of “Grief Counseling] was this story made up by Creed the character or was it truth in the scope of the show?” Kinsey said. She then played an audio message from Celotta. 

“Sadly for Ed Truck, he did really get decapitated,” Celotta said. “It sounds like a Creed story, but it actually was a true story in the world of our show.”

“I think it was Greg that came up with the decapitation. I can’t quite remember, and Greg can’t remember, but I remember spending a lot of time talking about the way Michael’s former boss would die, and how it had to be something very sudden and jarring so that it could be a shock to Michael Scott’s system,” Celotta explained. “But yeah, the decapitation was real for Ed Truck. Sorry, Ed.”

3. Pam wasn’t always going to end up with Jim

While Jim’s in Stamford with Karen, fans see Pam and Roy hang out quite a bit after breaking off their engagement. Turns out, there was a real possibility that Pam and Roy would get back together. And not only that, but there was also a chance that Jim and Pam were never going to end up together on the show.

“There was talk in the writer’s room that maybe Roy could win Pam back,” Fischer recalled. “I also remember it was said that maybe in the series of The Office — maybe Jim and Pam would not end up together in the end, but would instead lead one another to their actual true loves.”

“It had not been decided right now that Jim and Pam were one another’s true loves,” Fischer revealed, to which Kinsey replied, “When you just said that I got angry.”

“I think that’s maybe why the writing of their characters felt so authentic,” Fischer said. “Because the writers were figuring out the relationship at the same time as Jim and Pam were.”

Be sure to listen to the full recap of “Grief Counseling” to learn about an alternate cold open, how that giant table gets out of the conference room, the story behind Dwight’s absorbed twin, which lines were improvised, the fake bird, and more.

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