How Pam's Delivery Episode Of The Office Was Almost Very Different

Life threw Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) and Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) a curveball in the Season 5 finale of "The Office," when an injured ankle at Dunder Mifflin's company picnic led to the discovery of an unplanned pregnancy. For much of Season 6, the couple deals with the usual challenges of expectant parents, though they also managed to add the stress of a Niagara Falls wedding, Jim's promotion, and Michael (Steve Carell) dating Pam's mother. But, in the end, a happy and healthy Cecelia Halpert entered "The Office" universe in a two-part episode aptly titled "The Delivery."

Fans of the show likely recall Pam's refusal to go to the hospital once her labor begins in "The Delivery: Part 1." Admittedly, she and Jim did have a plan to wait until the last minute in order to score an extra day of insurance coverage while in the hospital. Jim, however, abandoned that plan when it was clear the baby was not going to wait. In the episode that aired, Pam's refusal to go and Jim's panic created amazing comedy onscreen. However, this scene from "The Office" was almost different — until Carell and Krasinski's inability to keep a straight face changed it entirely.

In the first part of the episode, Pam seeks her colleagues' help in delaying labor, which spurs Michael to call a meeting in the conference room. Unfortunately, the gang doesn't have the best suggestions (Kevin's suggestion of a spicy food suppository is, surprisingly and sadly, one of the more logical things he's said on the show). Frustrated by Pam's stubbornness and the office's willingness to indulge her, Jim heads out for some air, leaving Michael in charge of timing Pam's contractions.

Even though Jim leaves Michael with specific instructions to alert him when Pam's contractions are five minutes apart, Michael essentially drops the ball. When Jim next sees Pam, her contractions are two minutes apart, which means she either leaves for the hospital immediately or she gives birth in the office. In the end, Pam, who was refusing to go to the hospital because she felt overwhelmed by the idea of finally giving birth, ultimately comes to her senses and goes to the hospital.

When the father-to-be finds out about the very close contractions, he, Michael, and Pam are in the break room. In the cut that was aired, Jim repeatedly asks why Michael waited so long and tells him that two minutes won't be enough time. However, as revealed in a Season 6 blooper reel (via Comedy Bites YouTube), the scene had a slightly different feel. At one point during Jim's freakout, Michael grabs Jim's arms, presses him against the door frame, and says, "You gotta hold it together right now!" 

Carell delivers the line with an intense rasp while the two men are nearly nose-to-nose, causing Krasinski to break character every time his scene partner says it. While the line and its delivery would have gotten audiences laughing, it never made the cut because Carell and Krasinski were both too tickled to get through the scene. The blooper reel shows two takes of the scene, and both times the men crack just as Carell finishes the last word of the line. There's no telling how many more takes they did before someone decided it was a lost cause. But, eventually, the decision was made to cut the line and move on. While the line would not have changed the plot, it's fun to watch two talented comedic actors laugh themselves into such hysterics that a line had to be dropped from the episode.