COMMENTARY
Pergament: No clues to 'Office' wedding at Falls
I hope all the local fans of NBC’s “The Office” aren’t upset about not being invited to the wedding of Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) and Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) in Niagara Falls.
I supposedly had an “in” and wasn’t invited, either, because the scenes here are being done on a “closed set,” which means it is a private wedding.
The wedding plans are so secret that NBC officials won’t even say when the scenes will be filmed here for fear too many fans will show up if they know the time and place.
A few weeks ago, Fischer told reporters on the show’s set in Van Nuys, Calif., that the wedding is probably going to happen in the season’s fourth episode. Since the season premiere is Sept. 17, that would mean the wedding episode cowritten by executive producer Greg Daniels and Mindy Kaling (who plays Kelly Kapoor) will be on NBC on Oct. 8.
Doing the math, I expect the local scenes will be shot some time late next week when I wouldn’t be able to attend anyway.
You see, my own bright and beautiful daughter, Katie, is getting married next weekend and it means I’ll be busy doing all the important things that fathers do on the wedding week.
You know, playing golf, playing tennis, trying on a nice suit and finding time to write a short toast.
My primary goal in the speech about Katie and her thoughtful future husband, Jason, is not to be as awkward or as clueless as Michael Scott (Steve Carell) often is when he talks to the troops at the fictional Dunder Mifflin paper company in Scranton, Pa.
In other words, I just don’t want to make a complete fool of myself.
I suspect Katie’s wedding will be classier than Pam and Jim’s. That’s because Daniels told me on the set in Van Nuys that Niagara Falls was a perfect place for the “The Office” wedding.
“It felt to me that it was in kind of the same spirit of Scranton and the Buffalo branch [of Dunder Mifflin] and the Rust Belt,” said Daniels. “And it has an impressive component to it. It is a little bit undervalued and it worked with our kind of theme—that they decided to go with a kind of kitschy wedding.”
“Kitschy” is a fancy way of saying it will be a “low-brow” affair. Daniels’ remark a few weeks ago had me thinking about what he really meant and what sites in Niagara Falls will be highlighted.
My guess is the kitschy moments will be at the reception, which primarily will be filmed in Los Angeles and feature all the eccentric characters who work at the fictional paper company and some of Pam and Jim’s family members.
Fischer and Krasinski are the only actors coming to Western New York, presumably to be in shots that will establish they are at the Falls. After all, those spectacular views can’t be duplicated on the show’s landlocked stage in Van Nuys.
The most obvious place to highlight the Falls is The Maid of the Mist, a boat ride that would give the episode some romantic possibilities. I’d also guess that the show might visit the Niagara Falls State Park and perhaps a local restaurant that can be easily duplicated on a set in Los Angeles for the reception.
I warn potential wedding crashers that security— paid for by the production company—is expected to be extremely tight during filming here.
In other words, you’d have to be sillier than Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) to attempt to get close enough to see more than a glimpse of the stars.
The smart thing to do is wait until October or November to see how the Falls looks on TV and hear Michael Scott’s toast to Pam and Jim.
I’m guessing Michael’s toast is bound to be one of the highlights of the wedding. I just hope my toast is half as funny as Michael’s—and much more meaningful.
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