first time with genuine concern and compassion for Kevin. Gifts are passed out to Kevin and Michael. Pam says in an interview that Michael's birthday "was a good day", and appears to struggle to come up with an explanation for why it was good. The documentary crew suggestively intercuts this with footage of her shopping with Jim. Production This episode was the second episode of the series directed by Ken Whittingham. Whittingham had previously directed the first season episode "Health Care". "Michael's Birthday" was written by Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg. The two had previously written the episodes "The Fight" and "The Secret". The ice skating scenes were shot in an actual rink. According to Jenna Fischer, Steve Carell used to play hockey, and the writers had been looking for a reason to use Carell's ice skating skills in an episode. Fischer had also learned to skate in preparation for the movie Blades of Glory, but the writers decided that there was no reason for Pam to be a good skater, so they had Pam lean on Jim. Saturday Night Live alumna Nancy Carell, who played Carol Stills, is actually Steve Carell's wife. At the rink, Michael tells Pam to be wary of breast cancer. This is the third joke that Stupnitsky and Eisenberg had aimed at Pam's breasts, after one each in "The Fight" and "The Secret". Fischer later jokingly said that "my breasts play a central role in one of tonight's scenes." Fischer also noted that, due to the slight emphasis her breasts were receiving, many fans on the internet were arguing that Fischer had breast implants. Fischer denied the rumors, but stated that she was "flattered". The Season Two DVD contains a number of deleted scenes from this episode. Notable cut scenes include Jim describing Michael's typical birthday, Dwight explaining his duties on Michael's birthday, Michael being upset when Ryan does not get him a present, Michael telling several variations of his worst birthday, and Michael making Ryan research skin cancer. Cultural references The cold opening features Michael trying to get various members of the office involved in a pyramid scheme, which is a non-sustainable business model that involves promising participants payment or services, primarily for enrolling other people into the scheme, rather than supplying any real investment or sale of products or services to the public. The scheme is generally considered one of various internet scams.