Grief Counseling (The Office)

The series depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company.

In the episode, Michael Scott (Steve Carell) is overcome with grief when he learns about the death of his former boss Ed Truck.

Meanwhile, in Stamford Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) and Karen Filippelli (Rashida Jones) embark on a quest for a particular brand of potato chips.

The episode was viewed favorably by most television critics; Pam's pranks and the bird funeral were a particular source of praise, as was Michael's monologue on the five stages of grief.

The duo spends the rest of the day searching stores and vending machines around town in a vain attempt to find the chips.

Jim tells the documentary crew that he traced the chips from the manufacturer to the distributor to the vending machine company to an adjacent office building.

"Grief Counseling" was written by co-executive producer Jennifer Celotta, and was directed by Roger Nygard, his only episode of The Office to date.

Actress Kate Flannery commented in a weekly blog she wrote for TV Guide that "we suffered while shooting the outdoor scenes... We had to act like it was cold when it was warm.

Writing that the opening sequence "excellently set" the tone of the episode, he found a "ton of great moments", such as Michael's "totally awkward speeches on Ed Truck's death" and his conversation with Dwight over a robot statue.

"[8] AOL TV's Michael Sciannamea also lauded Pam and her pranks, especially highlighting her actions during the opening sequence and her song during the bird funeral.

"[9] Entertainment Weekly's Abby West expressed praise for an episode that "restored balance and order to our favorite paper-pushers while still nicely forwarding the storylines of TV's plainest super-non-couple.

"[10] West was also pleased "to have Michael back to his usual insanity", and wrote that Pam "was priceless tonight, from the spot-on reaction shots to the movie-plotlines-as-my-pain gag she started to the almost-believably tender eulogy she delivered for the singing, er, impressionist bird, complete with the most tricked-out pencil-case coffin you've ever seen.