Throughout The Office‘s nine seasons, there are many moments that feel especially important to the core of the show. Many of these moments involve Pam, from Michael buying her piece at her art show to the moment that she and Jim get engaged. Jim and Pam’s wedding is another similarly crucial moment, and one of the things that makes it especially special is how it shows the love of not only Jim and Pam but also all their friends at Dunder Mifflin.
The Office‘s episode “Niagara” is full of classic moments, and everyone dancing down the aisle at Jim and Pam’s wedding is one of the most heartwarming scenes in The Office. Everyone from Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch cares about each other a lot, and the dance is one of The Office‘s sweetest friendship scenes. However, “Niagara” almost included a completely different subplot during the wedding scene, which would have instead served as a reminder of Pam’s past relationship and how much she and Jim have grown together.
Roy Was Supposed To Ride Into The Church On Horseback
This Would Have Led To Dwight Riding The Horse
In the “Niagara” episode of the Office Ladies podcast, Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey explain that the episode was originally supposed to include a scene where Roy arrives to try to win Pam back. Roy would have arrived during the wedding vows, sitting on a horse wearing a suit, led into the church because he didn’t actually know how to ride the horse. The handler of the horse would have tried to keep Roy facing Pam during his confession to her, but it would have kept trying to face a different direction, hitting Stanley in the face.
The co-writer of “Niagara” and The Office‘s showrunner, Greg Daniels, explained on Office Ladies that they thought it would be funny to have a scene with a classic romantic comedy trope, make everyone root against it working, and then have to watch Roy awkwardly shuffling out.
After Roy left, Dwight would have realized the horse was “a powerful looking horse” and gotten the idea to ride it over Niagara Falls. At the last moment, Dwight would have backed out, causing the horse to go over the falls alone. This would have been seen in the background when Jim and Pam are on the boat together.
The Horse Plot Was Cut Due To Budget Only A Week Before Shooting
David Denman Was Also Busy Filming A Movie
The “Niagara” episode of Office Ladies explains that the horse subplot was planned for the episode until only about a week before shooting started. The production of the subplot would have been difficult, as it was considered a stunt. As most horses are uncomfortable moving where they can’t see their feet, they would have needed a specially trained stunt horse to make the gag work.
Fischer and Kinsey went into depth about all the different special effects that would have been necessary for this stunt, as Rainn Wilson would have also needed a stunt double, and they would have needed to shoot 360 degrees around the horse while it was suspended. The horse would have needed to be trained to feel comfortable being lifted in the air in order for them to create the visual effect of it tumbling down Niagara Falls.
There were multiple problems with this plan that caused the subplot to eventually get scrapped. It turned out that the episode would have been a million dollars more expensive than usual if they included the horse subplot, and NBC could only give them an extra $500,000. In addition, David Denman, who plays Roy, was filming a movie at the time, so they had to fight with the movie company to see if it would be possible to borrow him for a day.
Because this stayed in the plan for so long, the existence of the horse subplot did have an impact on the final episode. The church that Jim and Pam get married in was selected specifically because it had a large enough door for Roy to fit through on horseback. Even though we might not have gotten the horse scene, what we actually got might have been even better. It also might have been better for Roy’s character, because it’s possible that Roy’s off-screen redemption later in The Office might not have happened if he appeared to beg Pam to take him back.
Dancing Down The Aisle Was A Last-Minute Addition
The Dance Down The Aisle Was Based On A YouTube Trend
The spontaneous dance at Jim and Pam’s wedding was added after the horse subplot was cut, and it was based on a viral YouTube video. The writers thought it would be the type of thing that Michael might see and decide they should replicate, which was something that many other weddings were doing in real life at the time.
The couple from the original video had no idea The Office was going to use their video until they saw it on TV. The couple, Jill and Kevin, were sent a big signed pH๏τograph of the dance scene from The Office, signed by the cast. They also had no idea that anyone outside their friends and family would see their video when it was first posted.
From the video going viral to the cancellation of the horse subplot, the sequence of events that led to the dance in The Office was completely accidental, but it created one of The Office‘s best scenes to rewatch. Jim and Pam’s family and coworkers dancing down the aisle really shows the heart of The Office, and while the Roy scene and Dwight’s borrowing of the horse would have been a hilarious subplot, the simpler (and cheaper) dance scene made the episode a lot more meaningful.
One Element Of This Story Was Reused Later In The Office
Ryan Is Led In On A Horse To Beg Kelly To Take Him Back
Though the subplot wasn’t used in “Niagara,” a part of the horse gag was brought back two seasons later. In the episode “Angry Andy,” Ryan, dressed in a type of traditional Indian dress, tries to win Kelly back on top of a horse that is similarly dressed up. As would have happened with Roy, he is led in by a horse trainer, and the horse refuses to turn to face in the right direction as he tries to profess his love to her, creating a hilarious and cringeworthy moment for Ryan and Kelly in The Office.
The idea is hilarious, and it works a lot better in the context of Ryan and Kelly, because taking place at a less pivotal moment gives it more chance to stand on its own.
As Mindy Kaling was one of the writers for “Niagara,” it’s only fitting that her character was the one who got to be the recipient of this gag. The idea is hilarious, and it works a lot better in the context of Ryan and Kelly, because taking place at a less pivotal moment gives it more chance to stand on its own. While it would still have been funny with Roy in “Niagara,” its placement in a later episode meant the best of both worlds for The Office, giving the audience both the heartwarming dance scene and a hilarious moment involving a horse.
Source: Office Ladies
