The Office ‘Two Weeks’ Q&A with Aaron Shure

Aaron Shure joined The Office this season as a co-executive producer and writer. He was also an Emmy-winning producer and writer for the CBS comedy, Everybody Loves Raymond.

As with all other writers who have contributed OfficeTally Q&As, Aaron didn’t hesitate for a second to answer your questions about last week’s episode, Two Weeks. And almost as entertaining as his answers are his non-answers. ;)

Thank you, Aaron!

Q: Was there any inspiration from the beginning of the movie Jerry Maguire? I loved that scene from the movie, and while watching Michael and Pam walk out of the parking lot, I felt those same feelings of “us against the world” again. | AronorA

Aaron: We weren’t inspired by that iconic scene as much as painfully aware of the inevitable comparison. The scene in the movie was just so great. Nonetheless, we wanted Michael to start his own business and, true to his character, try to recruit people from the office in a dramatic way. And we knew we wanted Pam to go with him.

So there was a lot of discussion about whether or not we should call out the similarities. Should we, for instance, have Michael refer to the movie in a talking head? In the end, time constraints decided it for us. We had to go for the best version of our own scene in our own way.

Q: The Graduate reference at the end of the episode was great, and I’m guessing the Jerry Maguire situation was a reference too… Were there others? What’d I miss? | Lauren_in_Chicago

Aaron: Those are the only two I know about, except for….

Q: I was wondering if the quote from Oscar was taken from anything: It was something like, “just like that, as mysteriously as he appeared, he was gone”. It sounds like it’s from a movie or book? | Shoshana

Aaron: Mindy wrote that line. She said she was going for a little bit of that Keyser Söze feel.

Q: I was shocked by Pam’s leaving. What was the thought process behind the writers making this decision? | Aims

Aaron: Well, there was a lot of thought process behind that decision. Greg Daniels and now Jen and Paul encourage debate in the writers’ room, and it can get pretty heated, which, as Jen says, is the price you pay for having writers who care. I think we are doing our job as long as our arguments end up being the same ones you guys have.

So, yes, Pam made an impulsive decision to go with Michael. That’s why I had her say “oh, no” right before she says “I’m going.” But her decision was about more than just the hollow victory with the copier. It’s about trying to figure out what she wants in life. Jim is a huge part of that, of course, but he can’t be everything, right?

Q: Considering the economic climate, I found it hard to believe Jim just letting Pam walk out of the office without even trying to talk to her about it for a second. Was there a missing deleted scene or do the writers want the audience to assume all of Jim and Pam’s discussion of this issue has taken place off-camera? | Lisa

Aaron: At one point, we had more of an exchange between the two of them (Pam was even going to bring up the time Jim bought a house without consulting her), but that scene was a circuitous route to get where we all know they would end up.

Q: Why was Jim so cool with Pam leaving her job to follow Michael? I mean, Jim swore that if Dunder Mifflin were ever his career he would “throw himself in front of a train” and in the last episode, he called this job his career, which I assume is only because of the fact that he now has a mortgage to pay, which Pam is obviously assisting with. They are now down an income AND Jim will be left alone with the mean Charles. | Samantha

We know Jim to be a supportive partner, and I think it’s cool that once he saw that she’d made her decision, he decided to back her up. That’s the bonus track to his easy-going, sometimes flip personality — he can roll with Pam’s impulses.

True, it’s not a good time in their relationship or the economy to be taking such risks, but that will make it more exciting to see how it turns out. And, btw, they still have their after-hours life together, even if the cameras aren’t there to catch it.

29 comments

  1. Great answers, Aaron! Thank you for your awesome dedication to all things Office, Tanster :)

    I love love love “Two Weeks” and can’t wait to see how this season ends!

  2. Thanks for answering! That was great. But one thing, many people actually want to *see* Jim and Pam together, not just *imagine* what their after-hours life is like. It is sad that we are losing that, because it used to be the heart of the show.

  3. I wanted to say how much I appreciate the time and effort the writers take in answering questions on this site. It adds so much. Feeling “connected” is one of the unique aspects of this special show. Thanks for letting us in.

  4. These are always so enjoyable and interesting to read. Loved “for instance, I can’t figure out how to delete your question.”

  5. Great Q&A – thanks Tanster and Aaron! I can’t believe the amazing questions everyone comes up with! I don’t believe his answer about Jim taking over as RM…I think there is more to that. Can’t wait to see what happens with Dwight and Charles!

  6. #3- I definitely agree with you. While I don’t need to see *every* conversation Jim and Pam have, we have had to read between the lines a lot this season. I miss hearing their normal joking around or even pulling pranks together. And now Pam will be out of the office so there probably won’t be a lot of interaction.

    Also, I wish Jim could do something–like become the RM. Pam has gotten to “grow” a lot this season. I hope/want Jim to grow too!

  7. Jim was getting that promotion before Josh quit.
    Jan just told him it would be in Scranton instead, she told him of the job in the meeting where Josh says he’s going to Staples or whatever.

  8. Thanks to Aaron and OT for this informative interview. I always enjoy reading about the writers’ choices and look forward to this new story line. (More Jim & Pam interaction is always welcome.)

  9. 11, D.Lee-man-

    You’re right, I forgot that bit. Still, it could be argued that Jan was grooming Jim for a possible Regional Manager position in the future and wanted him to learn directly under Josh (TWSS). Maybe getting him to move back to Scranton and assume the role under Michael required a monetary incentive. Who knows.

    Nice screenname. Cubs fan?

  10. Jim got the promotion when he went to Stamford. Talking head and name plate, before the merger.

  11. haha “splotch.” and steve carell is such an awesome guy… he’s obviously a huge star, but still so humble and dedicated. lots of other actors need to follow his example.

  12. Thanks so much for the great Q&A. This was a terrific episode and it’s so much fun to find out even more about the process of making it!

  13. I went to a bar this weekend and tried to order a scotch and splenda. the bartender stopped, leaned in closer and asked, “I’m sorry…did you say splenda?” to which I responded “absolutely I did.” He then said that most bars don’t carry splenda, but i could bring in an outside packet if I wanted to.

  14. I love when my question gets answered. And he made fun of it too! I love this website.

  15. Hi All,

    Thanks Aaron and tanster for giving us the interview.

    I haven’t seen the Graduate, but could anyone please explain what seen in the movie was reminiscent of an incident in this episode?

    Thanks

  16. Is there still a writer’s question and answer session floating around that we were supposed to get but haven’t yet?

    [from tanster: yes, there is. we are still waiting for Paul’s ‘Stress Relief’ Q&A.]

  17. congrats on a great episode, aaron! i think it’s great to have such an unexpected plot twist. i was just getting over the fact that michael actually quit when i learned that he wanted to start a new company…btw kelly and angela work so well with each other, they’re total opposites which makes it funnier lol.

  18. Sweet, my question got answered, & cherry on top when he added that an exit interview would’ve made for a funny scene, yay! Thank you Aaron Shure & props to you tanster for setting up these Q&A’s! They’re always fun to read, & I don’t know of other shows where cast & crew interact w/the fans like this.

    Oh, & I really like Aaron’s response “I can’t figure out how to delete your question.” LOL!

    [from tanster: this is an amazingly awesome show, no question about it.]

  19. I can’t put my finger on it (that’s what she said) but after reading this Q&A my faith is restored in my favorite show. And not just because one of my questions was answered (thank you Aaron!!) but because of the awesome answers to some of the more clever questions. Plus – SPOILERS about Dwight? BRING IT!

  20. La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo, you are my new favorite person.

    Seriously, that’s too much awesome for my mind…and my mind is pretty damn awesome.

  21. AAAAHHHHH! My question got answered. That is so amazingly wonderful. Thanks to Aaron Shure for answering and to tanster! #17… you are my new role-model.

  22. In response to the question about Charles coming toward Michael as if he was going to attack…It is illegal for another person in your office to come at you in any way suggesting that they might attack (plus he threatened him, which is probably against company policy) and perfectly legal for someone to press charges against them, which it would be funny to see Michael do!

  23. That is so super cool that my question got answered! I really love this writer/fan interaction. Thanks Tanster and Aaron!!!

  24. That “I can’t figure out how to delete your question” remark was kinda snarky, but great responses overall. Welcome to the team of writers and we are sure to benefit. Terrific episode. Pam’s leaving caught me totally off guard.

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