Warning: This article contains spoilers for the Season 1 finale of The Paper.
It took Jim Halpert and Pam Beesly two full seasons in The Office to finally share a kiss. But Ned Sampson and Mare Pritti didn’t wait that long. Season 1 of The Paper — Peacock’s spin-off of NBC’s beloved sitcom The Office — ended with a dramatic kiss-and-don’t-tell cliffhanger between Domhnall Gleeson’s editor-in-chief of the Toledo Truth Teller and his star reporter, played by Chelsea Frei.
The romantic tension between the pair had been building across ten episodes, ultimately erupting at the Ohio Journalism Awards, where Ned received the Outstanding Print Coverage award. After sneaking out for some not-so-subtle flirting, Ned later visited Mare’s hotel room under the pretense of rehearsing his speech. But soon it was clear that talking wasn’t their priority.
The parallels with Jim and Pam’s iconic love story from The Office are impossible to ignore. Their journey from friends to partners to family life defined much of the nine-season run, leaving high expectations for Ned and Mare’s story. The added complication: Ned is Mare’s boss, a dynamic both characters openly acknowledged before their kiss.
“There’s chemistry there,” Frei explains in an interview with Gold Derby. Gleeson agrees but warns that pursuing their attraction could be their biggest mistake — or the most life-changing choice of their lives. From a dramatic perspective, that uncertainty is exactly what fuels the tension.
Fortunately for fans, this isn’t the end. NBCUniversal renewed The Paper for Season 2 even before Season 1’s release on September 4, showing confidence in creators Greg Daniels and Michael Koman.
See More ...
As for how the pivotal scene came together, Daniels credits Paul Lieberstein — a veteran Office writer and actor — for scripting the original version. But during filming, Daniels, Koman, Gleeson, Frei, and director Jeffrey Blitz collaborated to refine it. Their group effort ensured the moment felt genuine.
“We shot the scene in many different ways,” Frei recalls. “The version we chose felt the most truthful to both of us.” Gleeson adds that the most powerful moments were the silences: the eye contact, the shared passion for journalism, and the unspoken recognition of feelings deeper than work.
The finale of The Paper didn’t just close the season — it opened the door to a complicated romance that could either strengthen or break the newsroom. Season 2 promises to explore the fallout of that unforgettable kiss.
