'The Office' showrunner Greg Daniels explains Jim and Pam's romantic 'Booze Cruise' scene
Few characters in the history of television have had as much romantic tension as Jim and Pam did in Season 2 of The Office.
The co-workers and close friends have their fair share of fun (and at times borderline risky) flirtations over the years, but one of their most memorable exchanges takes place on a boat in the Season 2, Episode 11, titled "Booze Cruise."
On the latest episode of the Office Ladies podcast, former co-stars Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey were joined by showrunner and "Booze Cruise" writer Greg Daniels, who shared some insight into that meaningful scene Jim and Pam shared on the deck of the ship.
You May Also Like
In "Booze Cruise," Michael takes the Scranton branch on an alcohol-filled cruise in hopes of motivating them and imparting some sage lessons in leadership.
When it came time to decide if the cast would shoot the episode on a real boat or not, it was a no-brainer for Daniels. He wanted the actors to have a genuine experience of being onboard a ship when filming, but he also felt the cruise was essential for that big Jim and Pam scene.
"Lorne Michaels has a thing he says sometimes where he will get in-character underwear for the actors, and people will say 'Why? Who cares, it’s not going to be on camera,' and he says, 'Yes, but the actors will know,'" Daniels told Fischer and Kinsey. "We certainly believed in that and got this real boat in Long Beach Harbor... To me, the key of it was that romantic scene on the top deck between Pam and Jim."
Daniels said that he wanted the real twinkling harbor lights to show up in the background of the scene, but "when it came down to it, it didn't really look that impressive." Still, shooting on the deck of that actual boat in the cold December weather certainly added a flair of authenticity to the scene, which has become one of the most significant in Jim and Pam's relationship.
"Pam really gives him an opening on the top of the boat there," Daniels explained. "That to me, the Jim thing of it, was that she's engaged and he wants to be a good person and respect the fact that she’s engaged, but there's also all these clues coming in that there could be something... He doesn’t go for it and it’s very frustrating to watch."
The scene is so powerful, but fans will recall that few words were exchanged between Jim and Pam. After Pam says to Jim, "Sometimes I just don’t get Roy," the two stand side-by-side and let a strikingly long silence sit between them.
"This is the first time we’ve seen her complain about Roy to Jim to disparage her relationship I'm pretty sure, and then it's 27 seconds of silence," Fischer recalled.
"There was a lot of urge to trim that up. That’s an awful long time to not have people talk," Daniels added. "There’s a lot going on in those 27 seconds. Just cause people aren't talking doesn't mean there’s nothing going on. I mean you just look at [Jim's] face and you can see him trying out different things and thinking... and then also on your face there's also like this disappointment that he’s not doing anything."
A lot went into establishing and keeping that crucial moment of silence in the scene, but Daniels says "that was part of what made the show so special and so different from what was on TV. Moments of behavior were more important than jokes, or setups, or punchlines lines, and stuff."
The episode was full of other important Jim and Pam moments, including some heartfelt advice from Michael and a breakup between Jim and Katy (Amy Adams). Daniels, Kinsey, and Fischer go on to discuss everything from "Booze Cruise" guest stars and fake vomit, to almost losing key cast members at sea and Fischer's episode vlog. You don't want to miss it.
You can stream episodes of The Office on Netflix and follow along with the podcast every week on Earwolf, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher.
Topics The Office
Nicole is a Senior Editor at Mashable. She primarily covers entertainment and digital culture trends, and in her free time she can be found watching TV, sending voice notes, or going viral on Twitter for admiring knitwear. You can follow her on Twitter @nicolemichele5.
