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Office Ladies

SNAFU with Ed Helms

04 Feb 2026

Transcription

Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?

4.199 - 13.394 Jenna Fischer

I'm Jenna Fisher. And I'm Angela Kinsey. We were on The Office together. And we're best friends. And now we're doing the ultimate Office Lovers podcast just for you.

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13.794 - 36.578 Angela Kinsey

Each week, we will dive deeper into the world of The Office with exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes details, and lots of BFF stories. We're the Office Lady 6.0. Hey there, you guys. We wanted to take a break in our The Paper Rewatch to share something really fun with you. We had a great time talking with Ed Helms on his podcast, Snafu.

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36.598 - 48.718 Jenna Fischer

Yes, Ed has a podcast and it's a lot of fun. Like Ange said, it's called Snafu and we were his guests last year, but in case you missed it, we wanted to bring it to our feet today.

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48.698 - 65.391 Angela Kinsey

And let me tell you, if you love deep dives, you are going to love snafu. Here's what happens. On each episode, Ed does a deep dive of a snafu moment from history. So we discuss that. But then, of course, we also talk a lot about our time on The Office together.

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65.371 - 79.654 Jenna Fischer

You know, it was very funny to me that the snafu moment that Ed picked to share with us takes place on a boat. And Angela, I can't believe that we did not bring up the fact that his character on The Office, Andy, loves boats. I know.

79.794 - 88.408 Angela Kinsey

I mean, what a missed opportunity. Andy Bernard loves boats. But he also had several snafu moments on his family boat, the old 43-foot tartan sloop.

88.388 - 105.171 Jenna Fischer

And we're going to talk about things falling in the ocean. Andy had a snafu. Was it his phone or his laptop? Remember that it just slides into the ocean? Yes. Well, listen, it was really fun to catch up with Ed. So we hope you enjoy listening to us on his podcast.

105.572 - 112.101 Angela Kinsey

And next week, we'll be back for an all new episode of Office Lady 6.0 as we continue our The Paper Breakdown.

113.11 - 123.488 Jenna Fischer

Now I know why they call it broken arrows, because when you say, you know what, we have 32 broken arrows, you're like, oh, if you say we have 32 lost nuclear weapons, you're like, wait, stop?

Chapter 2: What is a broken arrow incident and why is it significant?

226.266 - 229.171 Jenna Fischer

Ed, I just miss, I miss being silly with you.

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229.191 - 237.145 Angela Kinsey

Like we would get so silly. Like I would walk past you and we would just make up a new noise.

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237.125 - 261.934 Ed Helms

Oh, my God. It's like all the stuff off camera, the life experience of that whole time period, which was just had this kind of larger umbrella feeling of like, wow, we're all part of something really great. And that's like super special. But then we're also having these really mundane, lovely moments on the set, just talking about each other's lives and families and stuff.

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261.914 - 283.45 Ed Helms

Like, I don't know, just the little those little quiet moments are sitting at our trailers, like waiting for a camera set up or it's like that. That's I think something that like fans don't always understand is that like our experience of making the show is actually this whole tapestry of mundane, small moments of just experiencing each other.

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283.868 - 309.015 Jenna Fischer

I mean, it's an intimacy, you know, of togetherness, of constant togetherness. And I think if I could go back and relive a moment, like if, you know, I got a genie in a bottle and I could use a wish, it would be to go back and shoot a conference room scene all day. Because when we would see those on the script or on the call sheet and we would be like, oh, God.

308.995 - 317.829 Jenna Fischer

We got to be in the conference room all day. All day. But those were the days that created the moments you're talking about, Ed.

318.029 - 318.49 Unknown

Totally.

318.87 - 323.057 Jenna Fischer

Those little laughs, the shares, the sweatiness together, all of it.

323.577 - 345.628 Angela Kinsey

I also think because we weren't on a huge lot. You know, there was no distraction. You know, people didn't walk off to a commissary. We were just all in this little bubble, this tiny space where we got to be creative together. It kind of reminded me a little bit of that energy you have in your early days with your improv group or your one-act play because there was no one else.

Chapter 3: How did the USS Ticonderoga incident unfold?

413.771 - 417.876 Ed Helms

That's like some of the just most human hangout.

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418.042 - 439.942 Jenna Fischer

Ed, you had a really unique experience joining the show because you actually joined in Stanford. So you didn't start off in the Dunder Mifflin bullpen of the Scranton Dunder Mifflin bullpen. And then you came over. What was that like for you to kind of like... soft launch into the show. Like you worked with John, you worked with Rashida, you worked with Chip.

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440.283 - 445.411 Unknown

Yeah. Well, sorry, Jenna, I'll be asking the questions today.

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445.431 - 448.676 Jenna Fischer

I forgot whose podcast we were doing.

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449.718 - 482.451 Ed Helms

No, I love the question. I always tell people like that was such a gentle entry for us because of exactly what you're saying. Like, you know, Rashida and I started at a time when the show was hot. It was season three and you guys had already just kind of like created this incredible thing. And so we were intimidated, but also felt kind of so warmly welcomed both by the writers and all of you.

482.471 - 498.589 Ed Helms

Everyone's energy was so lovely. That's so sweet. It really could have gone the other way. I'm sure a lot of other shows, there's like more, it's more cutthroat or it feels more like, ah, the new people, like, let's not, let's let them, they have to prove themselves. But I just felt so...

498.569 - 512.186 Ed Helms

Like all of my butterflies and anxiety just washed out so quickly because everyone, all of you were so lovely right out of the gate. And which is a testament to all of you and the vibe that got created.

512.626 - 514.949 Jenna Fischer

It was collaborative. It was not competitive.

514.969 - 515.37 Ed Helms

Totally.

Chapter 4: What were the consequences of losing a nuclear weapon?

551.831 - 560.487 Ed Helms

Is there a moment in your own life, a mishap, a misunderstanding, a full-blown meltdown that would qualify as a snafu?

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561.445 - 592.735 Angela Kinsey

I mean, I have one that immediately comes to mind. What is it, lady? I had just moved from Indonesia to Dallas, Texas in the 80s. Okay, 1984. I had lived in Jakarta for 12 years. I didn't know what the heck an American high school vibe was. And I was also a grade ahead in half my subjects. So I would go to the junior high for the first four classes. Then my mom would pick me up. I'd

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592.715 - 616.321 Angela Kinsey

eat lunch in the car, driving to the high school. And I was like this tiny little thing in this big high school. I was such an outsider. And I really wanted to fit in. And I'm a freshman. Who's moved from Indonesia, who doesn't know, like, I'm supposed to get a perm and wear a bunch of eyeliner. I don't know that yet.

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616.582 - 622.59 Ed Helms

Yeah. Texas has a real, real specific high school vibe, especially in the 80s. Yeah.

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622.83 - 654.936 Angela Kinsey

80s Dallas. That's a vibe. Okay. First class of the day, English class, super hot dude behind me, like athletic dude. And I'm at my desk and my pencil on the desk rolls off to the right on the ground. I lean over to get it. I don't calibrate my weight versus the wraparound desk weight. Oh, no. The whole thing flipped over on me, pinned me to the ground with my feet akimbo.

654.976 - 663.731 Angela Kinsey

And the hottie dude behind me is like, oh, my gosh, to pick me up. And they were like, your arm. And I'm like, I'm fine. I'm fine.

664.091 - 678.362 Jenna Fischer

I'm fine. And my arm, I thought I broke my arm. Does this story end with the hottie asking you out? Because you've also just described like every meet cute in a teen movie from the 80s. I'm going to tell you right now, those meet cutes are a lie.

678.462 - 680.547 Ed Helms

All right.

Chapter 5: How did the U.S. Navy respond to the incident?

680.707 - 681.97 Ed Helms

You got a quick one, Jenna?

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682.085 - 711.245 Jenna Fischer

I do. So it's not a school snafu, but it's a teenage snafu. I had a big crush on one of the guys who lived in my neighborhood, and I kind of wanted to like just – impress him, you know, like in that way where you want to peacock a little, maybe catch their eye. So I had gotten this like new Esprit top. Do you remember? Oh yeah, of course. Very proud of it.

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711.385 - 735.285 Jenna Fischer

And I had like this special, like matching ribbon for my hair. So I put this on and my, my idea was that I'd go out and get the mail. So it would be a reason for me to like walk out. So I timed it out. I like sat and like watched him arrive home. And I proudly walked out in my spree top and I went, I looked in the mailbox and like, oh, there's nothing there.

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735.405 - 757.815 Jenna Fischer

But, you know, I'm really looking as if, you know, it's okay. And he is, he is watching me. Right. Like it's. I caught his eye. I get inside. My mom says, what are you doing? And I said, oh, nothing. I was just going to get the mail. And she said, sweetie, you're not wearing any pants. Shut up. Oh, no. That's right. What? That's right. I forgot.

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758.415 - 765.705 Jenna Fischer

I was so into my esprit top that I forgot to put on the bottoms of the outfit, y'all.

765.725 - 769.871 Unknown

Like any bottoms? I mean, I had on like undies.

769.891 - 780.74 Jenna Fischer

You had undies. But I didn't have on pants. So I had on this like long, it was kind of like an Oxford shirt, you know, so it hung down even past my underwear.

780.76 - 781.981 Ed Helms

Oh, this is very 80s.

782.722 - 794.612 Jenna Fischer

No, I was like, I was like Tom Cruise in Risky Business, just walking out in my big Oxford with no pants on. And then I hid in my house for the next four years and never spoke to him again.

Chapter 6: What role did Greenpeace play in revealing the truth?

794.712 - 796.013 Jenna Fischer

Oh boy. I was so embarrassed.

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796.033 - 805.011 Ed Helms

Those are some major snafus, you guys. That's a... Yeah, that's big stuff. This one might be bigger.

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805.612 - 806.937 Jenna Fischer

I hope so.

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806.957 - 812.734 Ed Helms

Angela and Jenna, are you ready to dive into today's snafu?

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813.102 - 817.851 Angela Kinsey

I'm so excited. So excited. I'm having a sip of my iced tea. I'm settling in.

817.871 - 820.095 Ed Helms

Get ready to get your popcorn.

820.115 - 831.837 Jenna Fischer

I love a snafu. I love you. I love this pod. So three of my favorite things are about to happen all at once. And I love Angela, my BFF. So four things. This is just an abundance of riches right here. It is.

835.85 - 864.719 Ed Helms

Today's snafu takes us aboard the USS Ticonderoga, a massive aircraft carrier stationed off the coast of Japan in 1965. This thing was built like it was auditioning for a Cold War action movie. Tough exterior, fighter jets everywhere, total mid-century badass. Picture if Don Draper and Maverick from Top Gun had a baby and the baby was a boat. And it like chain smoked all the time.

864.839 - 884.911 Ed Helms

Like that's what this aircraft carrier was like. Pure American military swagger. Unfortunately, that swagger was about to trip into a colossal face plant. So what happened was what is known in military circles as a broken arrow incident. Do either of you know what that term means?

Chapter 7: How do personal anecdotes relate to the main topic?

909.411 - 910.032 Ed Helms

Which has happened.

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910.052 - 916.259 Angela Kinsey

I think the nuclear device was on the train. Yeah. OK, yeah. OK, whatever. Let go. Let it go, Angela.

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916.279 - 935.061 Ed Helms

I feel like John Travolta was in that movie. I can't remember anything else about it. But anyway, the term broken arrow, that refers to any time we lose a nuclear missile or a bomb or device of some sort. And it happens. It has happened throughout history. Numerous like way more than you want to know.

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935.733 - 938.436 Angela Kinsey

I mean, enough times they had to have a code name for it.

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938.556 - 959.819 Ed Helms

Well, losing a nuclear weapon sounds completely insane, and it is. But part of why I wanted to bring this story to you guys in particular is that it has kind of a familiar flavor. Clashing personalities, baffling miscommunication, questionable leadership choices. Basically, this is a classic workplace comedy.

960.159 - 962.141 Angela Kinsey

This is if Michael Scott was in charge.

962.262 - 969.491 Ed Helms

Yeah. Yeah. And instead of cubicles, we're on a thousand foot warship in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Instead of paper jams, we're dealing with hydrogen bombs.

971.453 - 983.408 Angela Kinsey

This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. Sometimes it can feel like everyone else has it all together. Their love life, even whether they're married or dating or single, like they've got it figured out. But the truth is, I think we're all still figuring it out.

983.641 - 996.385 Angela Kinsey

No matter where you are in your romantic journey, therapy is kind of great because you have someone to talk it out with, get advice from, kind of help you determine what you want and take some of that pressure off yourself.

Chapter 8: What lessons can we learn from this historical snafu?

1045.336 - 1049.261 Unknown

And I'm Michael Arsenault, author of the New York Times bestseller, I Can't Date Jesus.

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1049.882 - 1056.79 Candice Dillard-Bassett

On our podcast, Undomesticated, we don't just say the quiet parts out loud. We're putting it all on the kitchen table and inviting you into the chaos.

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1057.231 - 1060.815 Unknown

If you're ready for bold takes, real talk, and a little fun, come join us.

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1061.356 - 1066.602 Candice Dillard-Bassett

Listen to and follow Undomesticated, an Odyssey podcast available wherever you get your podcasts.

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1071.188 - 1096.566 Ed Helms

On December 5th, 1965, just off the coast of Japan's Ryukyu Islands, U.S. naval officers were running through a routine training exercise called the crew cut on the USS Ticonderoga. An A-4E Skyhawk, an attack fighter jet, was being wheeled into the elevator to be taken up to the flight deck. So quick pause. Are you guys nervous flyers? I am not.

1096.867 - 1119.891 Ed Helms

But I will say that for some reason the idea of landing or taking off on an aircraft carrier scares the bejesus out of me. It's like – I don't know if it's the tiny runway or just the fact that it's surrounded by water or that it's constantly moving or that there's like 30 people on deck just casually waving around glow sticks like it's a rave for fighter jets. This is very unchill vibes for me.

1119.951 - 1121.513 Ed Helms

Also –

1121.493 - 1132.347 Angela Kinsey

Like with the short runway, don't they have like a cable that catches the plane and jerks it back? I mean, if you need a cable to catch your plane on a landing, I don't know.

1132.407 - 1133.368 Ed Helms

What if you miss the cable?

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