The Secret

"The Secret"
The Office episode
Jim's lunchbreak gift in "The Secret"
Episode no.	Season 2 Episode 13
Written by	Lee Eisenberg & Gene Stupnitsky
Directed by	Dennie Gordon
Production no.	02014
Original airdate	January 19, 2006
Season 2 episodes
"The Dundies" "Sexual Harassment" "Office Olympics" "The Fire" "Halloween" "The Fight" "The Client" "Performance Review" "E-mail Surveillance" "Christmas Party" "Booze Cruise" "The Injury" "The Secret" "The Carpet" "Boys and Girls" "Valentine's Day" "Dwight's Speech" "Take Your Daughter to Work Day" "Michael's Birthday" "Drug Testing" "Conflict Resolution" "Casino Night"
List of The Office (U.S. TV series) episodes

"The Secret" is the 13th episode of the second season of The Office (U.S. version). It was written by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky and directed by Dennie Gordon. It first aired on January 19, 2006.

Synopsis

Out of fear that Michael will tell the others he has feelings for Pam, Jim allows Michael to believe that they are best friends, which leads to an awkward lunch at Hooters paid for with a corporate credit card. Michael ultimately reveals Jim's secret to everyone, forcing Jim to confess his crush to Pam himself, although he tells her that he got over it three years ago. However, Michael makes a comment to Pam that leads her to doubt that the crush is actually over.

Meanwhile, Dwight "investigates" Oscar's absence from work, and stumbles across (but fails to recognize) evidence of Oscar's homosexuality.

Deleted scenes

The Season Two DVD contains a number of deleted scenes from this episode. Notable cut scenes include:

• Michael plays with his new putting toy.
• Dwight expounds on dust bunnies.
• Michael surveys his worker bees.
• Ryan finds an unfinished TV Guide crossword puzzle in Michael's office.
• Michael describes his college fraternity experience.
• Michael buys Jim a Hooters t-shirt.

Notes

Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (December 2007)

• As of this episode, the rest of the office employee cast were credited as regulars.
• Oscar Nuñez was surprised when he heard that his character was going to be homosexual, explaining: "Greg Daniels came up and said, 'Is it all right if we make your character gay?' I said, 'Well...the script's already done—so yes.'"^[1]
• According to the DVD commentary: Jenna Fischer began crying after the scene where Jim tells Pam that he no longer has a crush on her. John Krasinski pointed this out to Angela Kinsey, who calmed Fischer down enough that they could continue filming.
• This was one of six episodes submitted to Emmy voters for Best Comedy consideration, which the series went on to win. The other five were "The Dundies", "Booze Cruise", "Christmas Party", "The Injury", and "Valentine's Day".
• Michael sings part of a verse from The Go-Go's song "Our Lips Are Sealed", although he incorrectly states that it was sung by The Bangles.
• Jim's reaction to the Hooters waitresses' birthday wishes is genuine—John Krasinski was not informed of the plan.^[2]

References

1. ^ Wolk, Josh. "The Drudge Report: A Visit With 7 More 'Office' Mates." Entertainment Weekly 24 February 2006: Page 25.
2. ^ Krasinski, John (Actor). 2006. "The Secret" [Commentary track], The Office Season Two (U.S./NBC Version) [DVD], Los Angeles, CA: Universal.

External links

• "The Secret" at NorthernAttack.com