The Secret (The Office)

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

The main characters change depending on the episode, however typically include Jim, Pam, Or Michael Scott, the boss of this particular branch; of which there were nine at the time.

The title for the episode is vague for a reason, referring to Jim's hidden feelings for Pam, Dwight and Angela's relationship, and Oscar's homosexuality.

Jim Halpert realizes that Michael Scott mistakenly assumed he was making his feelings for Pam Beesly known to everyone.

Michael concludes from this that he and Jim are friends, which leads to an awkward lunch at Hooters paid for with a corporate credit card.

However, Michael later tells her that he learned of the crush during the recent "booze cruise", leading her to suspect Jim is still infatuated.

Dwight presents Oscar with this information, saying he owes him a favor in return for not revealing his unauthorized leave-taking.

The idea to make the entry the "spring cleaning episode" was "throw[n] in at the last minute" because the writers were "desperate".

The subplot was inspired by a friend of Eisenberg's, who suggested the story after he was forced to undergo spring cleaning at his office.

During the commentary, the cast revealed that there are actually three "secrets" in the episode: Jim's hidden feelings for Pam,[6] Dwight and Angela's relationship,[7] and Oscar's homosexuality.

[3] The original cold opening for the episode featured Michael playing golf in his office, but it was cut.

[6] The sequence featuring Michael and Jim talking in the break room was made of two composition shots, because Krasinski was laughing "the entire" time.

The audience is drawn in with the idea of learning "the secret," being shown that this show might have more to offer than simply following the everyday lives of some office workers.

[11] Brendan Babish of DVD Verdict gave the episode a moderately positive review and awarded the entry a "B".