Michael Scott learns that his old boss, Ed Truck, has died. To help his employees cope, he holds a grief counseling session. This page contains the full script and every line from The Office Season 3 Episode 4, "Grief Counseling."
Michael Scott:Hey Ryan, can I get you a pencil from the warehouse?
Ryan Howard:Uh, no thanks, I'm good.
Michael Scott:Oh, it's okay, I'm going down.
Ryan Howard:Um... Yeah, absolutely.
Michael Scott:All right, I'll be right back. (goes down pretend stairs)
Dwight Schrute:(laughs uproariously and applauds) Whoo!
Michael Scott:(hands Ryan pencil) There you go.
Dwight Schrute:Awesome!
Ryan Howard:Thank you.
Michael Scott:You're welcome.
Dwight Schrute:Michael, can you get me a pen from down in the warehouse?
Michael Scott:Don't mind if I do. See you in a minute. (goes back down pretend stairs and grabs pen from Stanley's desk)
Dwight Schrute:Okay. (continues to laugh) Whoo!
Michael Scott:There you go, fresh from the warehouse.
Pam Beesly:Hey Michael, would you get me some coffee from the warehouse?
Michael Scott:There's coffee in the kitchen, Pam.
Pam Beesly:But the warehouse coffee tastes SO much better.
Ryan & others:Yeah. Yes, it's better. It's great.
Michael Scott:(breathless) All right. Okay. (goes back down pretend stairs, crawls on belly to the kitchen for the coffee)
Michael Scott:I am like Bette Midler in For the Boys. Gotta keep the troops entertained.
Pam Beesly:(after Michael returns with coffee) With cream and sugar?
Michael Scott:(sighs) All right.
Jan Levinson:(on speakerphone) So, I wanted to let you know that we lost Ed Truck.
Michael Scott:Oookay. Let me see if I have his cell. Is this the only reason you are calling, Jan? Or does somebody miss me?
Jan Levinson:Michael, Ed died over the weekend.
Michael Scott:Oh, wow.
Michael Scott:Attention, everybody. I just received a call from corporate with some news they felt that I should know first. My old boss Ed Truck has died.
Kelly Kapoor:Oh, Michael, that's such terrible news! You must feel so sad.
Michael Scott:Yes, I am. It's very sad. Because he was my boss.
Phyllis Vance:That's a shame. Ed was a good guy.
Michael Scott:That's right, you worked with him. So did Creed. Well, I'll be in my office in case anybody wants to drop by. Cheer me up.
Michael Scott:So did you hear the news?
Pam Beesly:The news that you just announced? That Ed died?
Michael Scott:Yeah.
Pam Beesly:Is there anything I can do?
Michael Scott:Oh, gosh, what can anybody do, really? It's... pssssh... . He was almost 70. Circle of life.
Pam Beesly:Yeah.
Michael Scott:(holds out arms to Pam)
Pam Beesly:Oh. Okay.
Michael Scott:Yeah. Mmmmmm.
Pam Beesly:(extricating herself) Okay.
Josh:What's going on with Fairfield County schools? Karen, did you generate that price list?
Karen Filippelli:Um, shoot. Uh, I will. Sorry.
Josh:Okay, just get it done. Jim, will you make sure?
Jim Halpert:Oh yeah, definitely.
Andy Bernard:(coughing out his words) Suck up! Josh, did you hear what I said?
Josh:Thank you, everyone.
Karen Filippelli:(at vending machine) Dammit.
Jim Halpert:What's up?
Karen Filippelli:Uh, nothing. They're just out of Herr's chips.
Jim Halpert:Oh.
Karen Filippelli:But don't worry about it. My snack food doesn't fall under the umbrella of your authority.
Jim Halpert:Mmm, that's where you're wrong. I'm your project supervisor today, and I have just decided that we're not doing anything until you get the chips that you require. So, I think we should go get some. Now, please.
Creed Bratton:It's a real shame about Ed, huh?
Michael Scott:Yeah. Must really have you thinkin'.
Creed Bratton:About what?
Michael Scott:The older you get, the bigger the chance is you're gonna die. You knew that.
Creed Bratton:Ed was decapitated.
Michael Scott:What?
Dwight Schrute:Really?
Creed Bratton:He was drunk as a skunk, he was flying down Route 6. He slides under an 18 wheeler. Pop. It snaps right off.
Michael Scott:Oh my God.
Dwight Schrute:That is the way to go. Instant death. Very smart.
Creed Bratton:You know a human can go on living for several hours after being decapitated.
Dwight Schrute:You're thinking of a chicken.
Creed Bratton:What did I say?
Michael Scott:That is just not the way a Dunder Mifflin manager should go, I'm sorry. Alone, out of the blue, and not even have his own head to comfort him.
Michael Scott:(clears throat) So, I'm not exactly sure how to say this...
Dwight Schrute:Ed was decapitated.
Michael Scott:What are you doing?
Dwight Schrute:You said you didn't know how to say it.
Michael Scott:I didn't... he was driving on the road and he went under a truck. And that's when his head was separated from the rest of him. And I will let you know more as soon as I find out.
Dwight Schrute:Hey.
Angela Martin:Hi.
Dwight Schrute:If my head ever comes off, I would like you to put it on ice.
Angela Martin:I do not wanna talk about this.
Dwight Schrute:When I die, I wanna be frozen. And if they have to freeze me in pieces, so be it. I will wake up stronger than ever because I will have used that time to figure out exactly why I died and what moves I could have used to defend myself better now that I know what hold he had me in.
Michael Scott:I don't understand. We have a day honoring Martin Luther King, but he didn't even work here.
Jan Levinson:(on speakerphone) I understand how you feel, Michael. I really do. So, would it be helpful to give everyone the day off?
Michael Scott:You really don't get it, do you? You don't understand these people. That is the last thing that they would want is a day off.
Jan Levinson:Well, what would you suggest?
Michael Scott:(thoughtfully) A statue.
Jan Levinson:Of Ed?
Michael Scott:Yeah.
Jan Levinson:(scoffs) I'm not sure that's realistic.
Michael Scott:Well, I think it would be very realistic, it would look just like him.
Jan Levinson:No, that's not---
Michael Scott:We could have his eyes light up, we could have his arms move...
Dwight Schrute:That is not a statue, that is a robot.
Michael Scott:I think that is a great way to honor Ed.
Dwight Schrute:And how big do you want this robot?
Michael Scott:Life-size.
Dwight Schrute:Mm, no. Better make it two-thirds. Easier to stop if it turns on us.
Jan Levinson:What the hell are you two talking about?
Michael Scott:Well, we are talking about how to properly honor a man who gave his life as regional manager of this company, Jan.
Jan Levinson:You know what, Michael? I've really tried with you today...
Michael Scott:Mm hm.
Jan Levinson:...and I have to get back to work.
Michael Scott:Oh do you? You know who wished they could get back to work is Ed Truck.
Jan Levinson:So call me when you feel like having a real conversation.
Michael Scott:But Ed truck can't because he is---
Jan Levinson:Goodbye. (hangs up)
Michael Scott:DEAD.
Dwight Schrute:Look (holding up sketch) I gave him a six foot extension cord so he can't chase us.
Michael Scott:That's perfect.
Jim Halpert:Okay, that is a "no" on the on the West Side Market.
Karen Filippelli:Okay, great. I think that's enough. Can I get back to work now?
Jim Halpert:Wow. Never pegged you for a quitter.
Karen Filippelli:I am NOT a quitter. I will do this all day if you want.
Jim Halpert:Really?
Karen Filippelli:Yeah, all day.
Andy Bernard:Hey. What are we doing? What's the game? I want in.
Jim Halpert:Oh, there's no game. We're just trying to get these chips for Karen.
Andy Bernard:Did you check the vending machine?
Karen Filippelli:Oh, the vending machines! How did we miss that?
Jim Halpert:I have no idea. We went right for the copier.
Karen Filippelli:Mm.
Jim Halpert:And then we checked the fax machine.
Karen Filippelli:Yeah, nothing there.
Andy Bernard:Did you check your... butt?
Michael Scott:Oohh... can you imagine how much blood there was? If it happened right here, it would reach all the way to reception. Probably get on Pam.
Phyllis Vance:Okay that's enough.
Michael Scott:What?
Stanley Hudson:We do not wanna hear about this.
Michael Scott:Well, you know what? I didn't wanna hear about it either, Stanley, but I did and now I can't stop picturing it. He leaves work, he's on his way home... wham! His cappa is detated from his head!
Stanley Hudson:You have just spit on my face.
Michael Scott:Well, you know what? There's something wrong with you. There is something wrong with everybody in here. Because we have lost a member of our family and you don't wanna talk about it, you don't wanna think about it, you just wanna get back to work!
Michael Scott:There are five stages to grief, which are (glancing at computer screen) denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. And right now, out there, they're all denying the fact that they're sad. And that's hard. And it's making them all angry. And it is my job to try to get them all the way through to acceptance. And if not acceptance, then just depression. If I can get them depressed, then I'll have done my job.
Michael Scott:I am going to throw you this ball. When you catch the ball, I want you to say the name of a person very important to you, somebody really special who died, and then I want you to say how they died, and you may cry if you like, that is encouraged. Let me just start. Let me show you how this works. I catch the ball. I lost Ed Truck. And... it feels like somebody took my heart and dropped it into a bucket of boiling tears... and at the same time, somebody else is hitting my soul in the crotch with a frozen sledgehammer... and then a third guy walks in and starts punching me in the grief bone... and I'm crying, and nobody can hear me, because I am terribly, terribly... terribly alone.
Roy Anderson:Excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt, uh, I need to see Pam. There seems to be, like, something wrong with the radiator in her car.
Michael Scott:Okay, fine. Hurry back.
Roy Anderson:(as they leave) There's nothing wrong with your car. I just thought you might like a break from the "grief counseling" session.
Pam Beesly:Oh. I would like a break.
Roy Anderson:How are you likin' the new car?
Pam Beesly:Great.
Roy Anderson:Yeah? Sure is small. Got airbags?
Pam Beesly:I think so. I don't know, I was mainly focused on the cup holders.
Roy Anderson:(laughs) Well, you're not still driving so fast, are you? Yeah.
Jim Halpert:(on phone) Hi, yeah. This is Mike from the West Side Market. Well, we get a shipment of Herr's salt and vinegar chips, and we ordered that about three weeks ago and haven't ... . yeah. You have 'em in the warehouse. Great. What is my store number... six. Wait, no. I'll call you back. (quickly hangs up) Shut up (to Karen).
Karen Filippelli:(laughing) Six?
Michael Scott:(as Pam returns to conference room) Okay, we can start. Um...
Pam Beesly:You waited for me?
Michael Scott:Yeah. Pam, you're a member of this family. So we will wait for our family members. Phyllis, you wanna give it a shot?
Dwight Schrute:(grabbing ball) I got it. When my mother was pregnant with me, they did an ultrasound and found she was having twins. When they did another ultrasound a few weeks later, they discovered, that I had resorbed the other fetus. Do I regret this? No. I believe his tissue has made me stronger. I now have the strength of a grown man and a little baby.
Michael Scott:Okay, why don't you throw the ball to somebody else.
Stanley Hudson:(throwing ball back) Nope.
Michael Scott:(returning ball to Stanley) Oh, yes Stanley. Come on. Your turn, you have to go.
Stanley Hudson:I will NOT. (throws ball back)
Michael Scott:Okay... I'm going to toss the ball to Pam.
Pam Beesly:Let's see. I had an aunt that I was really close to. She was this amazing female boxer. Um, anyway, she was injured in a fight, and she was paralyzed. So, you can imagine how upset I was when I found out that she asked her manager to remove her breathing tube so she could die.
Michael Scott:Wow. If you wanna cry, that's okay.
Ryan Howard:(catching ball) Thanks. Um, a few years ago, my family was on a safari in Africa and, um, my cousin, Mufasa was um, he was trampled to death by a pack of wildebeests and, um, we all... took it really hard. All of us kind of in the audience of what happened.
Michael Scott:Do you want to talk about it anymore?
Ryan Howard:Oh, it would probably take me like an hour and a half to tell that whole story.
Kevin Malone:Me, me, me, me, me me. (catches ball) Yes. Okay, um. I was trying to throw this party once. And everyone was over for the weekend. And then my uncle Bernie died, and so me and my best friend, we had to pretend like he was alive, so...
Michael Scott:Wait a second. That's Weekend at Bernie's. (upset) Do you think that this is a game?
Phyllis Vance:Well, there is a ball.
Michael Scott:All right, we're starting over.
Stanley Hudson:No, I'm done.
Michael Scott:You are not leaving. No! We are not done.
Angela Martin:We really have a lot of work to do right now.
Michael Scott:Yeah. Well, you know what? The guy who had my job has died. And nobody cares! And he sat at my desk. (breaking down)
Toby Flenderson:Michael, look. I know this is hard for you, but death's just a part of life. I mean, just this morning I saw a little bird fly into the glass doors downstairs and die. And I had to keep going.
Michael Scott:How do you know?
Toby Flenderson:What?
Michael Scott:That that bird was dead? Did you check its breathing?
Toby Flenderson:It was obvious...
Michael Scott:Was its heart beating, Toby? Did you check it? No, of course you didn't. You're not a veterinarian. You don't know ANYTHING! (runs out of conference room crying)
Dwight Schrute:Michael! (following Michael downstairs) Michael. Michael ...
Michael Scott:(seeing bird) Oh, God!
Dwight Schrute:(in disgust) Oh...
Michael Scott:Oh my God! Oh my God, come on ...
Dwight Schrute:Poor little fella.
Michael Scott:Oh shhhh--oot!
Dwight Schrute:He is a goner.
Michael Scott:No, he's not.
Dwight Schrute:Yeah.
Michael Scott:No, he's not. (cradling bird next to face)
Dwight Schrute:Michael, get him away from your head! He is covered in germs and bacteria!
Michael Scott:Well, you can't get diseases from a bird!
Angela Martin:A dead bird should not be in the kitchen!
Michael Scott:We don't know if it's dead.
Kelly Kapoor:Ugh, no that thing is dead.
Dwight Schrute:You want me to flush him?
Michael Scott:Attention everybody. This will only take a second of your time. Today at 4 p.m. we will be meeting in the parking lot to have a funeral service for this bird.
Meredith Palmer:I have a lot of work to do.
Michael Scott:Well, I'm sorry to inconvenience you, Meredith. But that is what you do when things die. You honor them. Toby killed this bird. And now we are going to honor it.
Angela Martin:But...
Michael Scott:No, no, no! That's enough! You know what? This bird is dead. He died alone. The least you can do is be there for him now. (to Dwight) Find a box for him.
Karen Filippelli:I'm calling a supermarket in Montreal.
Jim Halpert:Nice!
Karen Filippelli:(on phone) Bonjour. Je cherche des tchips de la marque Herr's. Non? Ah... merci quand meme. Au revoir.
Jim Halpert:Sounded good.
Karen Filippelli:Thanks.
Kelly Kapoor:(crying)
Michael Scott:It's okay. It's okay. (pats Kelly on shoulder) Shh... yes, I know, I know. It's been a tough day, but it's good to let it show.
Kelly Kapoor:I mean, how many times to I have to confirm with Ryan (Michael walks away disgusted) for him to know that we have a date tonight?
Dwight Schrute:(trying to shove bird into a can) Argh... gah!
Michael Scott:What are... What are you doing?
Dwight Schrute:What? No, this is about the right size.
Michael Scott:No, God, no it's not! What is the matter with you? Is that the beak!?
Dwight Schrute:I'm sorry, I grew up on a farm. We slaughtered a pig whenever we wanted bacon. My grandfather was reburied in an old oil drum. (pause) It would have fit if he had given me another minute.
Dwight Schrute:I need a box. I need a box. A small box... not too confining.
Pam Beesly:Is it for the bird?
Dwight Schrute:Yeah.
Pam Beesly:I have it covered. (hands Dwight a decorated box)
Dwight Schrute:Oh, thank you.
Pam Beesly:If you wanna do something for the funeral...
Dwight Schrute:Yes, please.
Pam Beesly:Maybe you could play a song on your recorder.
Dwight Schrute:Excellent.
Pam Beesly:Do you have it with you?
Dwight Schrute:Always. (runs off)
Pam Beesly:Did I wake up this morning thinking I'd be throwing together a bird funeral? You never can tell what your day here is gonna turn into.
Karen Filippelli:(spotting Herr's chips on her desk) Where'd you find them?
Jim Halpert:Where'd I find what?
Jim Halpert:I called the manufacturer, who referred me to distributor, who referred me to the vending machine company, who told me that they sell them in the machines in the building next door.
Michael Scott:Glad you could all make it.
Kelly Kapoor:You told us we had to.
Michael Scott:Dwight, do you have the box?
Pam Beesly:Actually, I have it.
Michael Scott:You made this? Wow. (impressed) That's... that's very nice.
Ryan Howard:When I was five my mom told me that my fish went to the hospital in the toilet and it never came back so we had a funeral for it. And I remember thinking "I'm a little too old for this." And I was five.
Pam Beesly:I'd also like to say a few words if that's okay.
Michael Scott:Yes.
Pam Beesly:What do we know about this bird? You might think, "Not much. It's just a bird." But we do know some things. We know it was a local bird. Maybe it's that same bird that surprised Oscar that one morning with a special present from above.
Kevin Malone:Oh, I remember that. That was SO funny.
Pam Beesly:And we know how he died. Flying into the glass doors. But you know what? I don't think he was being stupid. I think he just really, really wanted to come inside our building to spread his cheer and lift our spirits with a song.
Dwight Schrute:He's not a songbird.
Michael Scott:Shhh.
Pam Beesly:An impression, then. Lastly, we can't help but notice that he was by himself when he died, but of course, we all know that doesn't mean he was alone. Because I'm sure that there were lots of other birds out there who cared for him very much. He will not be forgotten.
Angela Martin:(quickly) Amen.
Dwight Schrute:(begins playing recorder)
Pam Beesly:(singing) Just smile for me and let the day begin. You are the sunshine that lights my heart within... on the wings of love ...
Michael Scott:Society teaches us that having feelings and crying is bad and wrong. Well, that's baloney, because grief isn't wrong. There is such a thing as good grief. Just ask Charlie Brown.
Dwight Schrute:Let's get back to work.
The Office episode 4 season 3, "Grief Counseling" is such a great episode (like every episode of The Office), remember you can click the camera button next to any quote to generate an image of the quote to share on social media. This episode starts with Michael learning about the death of his old boss, Ed Truck. He tells the office, but nobody seems to care. Michael tries to force his staff through the five stages of grief. He wants them to mourn Ed. He has them share stories of loss. Pam makes up a story about a relative. Jim says his cousin Mufasa died, referencing The Lion King. Andy claims his story is from Weekend at Bernie's.
Michael sees a dead bird outside. He decides to hold a funeral for it. He thinks it will help people grieve. Dwight tries to put the bird in a can. Pam gives him a decorated box instead. Michael gives a speech at the bird's funeral. He says the bird just wanted to spread cheer. Dwight plays a song on his recorder. Michael tells everyone that grief is okay. He says it is good to have feelings.
Meanwhile, Jim and Karen search for her favorite chips. They are Herr's salt and vinegar chips. They check the vending machines and the copier. Jim calls many places to find them. He finally gets them from the building next door. This is a fan-favorite side plot. It shows Jim's playful side. It also shows how he cares for Karen. The main story is about dealing with loss. The bird funeral is a funny way to show this.
