When The Paper hit Peacock subscribers’ streaming doorsteps last year, to put it mildly, they had big shoes to fill. After all, the mockumentary comedy serves as the first follow-up and spinoff to The Office, arguably the most popular comedy of this century. And, while a few totems reminded us of the days of Dunder-Mifflin (including an entire character in Oscar Martinez’s return), it wasn’t long before we were wrapped in the life and times of the upstart Toledo Truth Teller paper. And, to tell the truth, after that Season 1 ending, its return can’t come soon enough.
Before The Paper Season 2 premieres on Sept. 9, here’s everything you need to remember about the first season and how it came to a close.
🎬 SIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬
The Paper Season 1 recap
The Truth Teller goes from irrelevant to invaluable
John P. Fleenor/PEACOCK
When we first met the staff of the Truth Teller in the pilot, to say things were in dire straits would be an understatement. Ned Sampson (Domhnall Gleeson) is essentially tasked with a journalistic extreme home makeover, trying to bring repute and real news to a publication that had devolved into a site coasting on clickbait and myriad ads. To do so, the new Editor-in-Chief recruited the staff of both the paper and the adjoining Softees toilet paper company as volunteer reporters, despite their massive lack of experience.
It, of course, starts in abject disaster (seriously, two of them actually tried to run a story about a fake fad where teenagers act like dogs). As the season goes along, however, our plucky heroes seem to get more used to the beat, actually breaking several important pieces of news in the process. Their rise is so meteoric, in fact, that they find out that they have been nominated for a handful of distinctions at the Ohio Journalism Awards, a ceremony in which they’ve gone home empty-handed over the past half-century.
This year, however, the evening is quite a handful. The Truth Teller takes home three major awards: For the paper itself, as well as individual honors for Mare (Chelsea Frei) and Oscar (Martinez). Of course, not wanting the resuscitation of the publication to take the full spotlight, Esmerelda (Sabrina Impacciatore) tries to steal the show, pretending to faint during Ned’s speech. The staggering resurgence of The Truth Teller is a representation of the work Ned and company were able to do over the course of Season 1, bringing the paper much closer to capturing its former glory.
Related: Jenna Fischer Reveals What Really Led to the End of ‘The Office’
Ned and Mare take the next step
John P. Fleenor/PEACOCK
When Ned first joins The Truth Teller, he has very few allies, with most of its staff disinterested or disillusioned. One person, however, was more than happy to go into battle with him: Former Army correspondent Mare. To her, his journalistic joie de vivre helped her reconnect with what made her pursue a career in media in the first place, especially when she gets the opportunity to become a reporter again. The two immediately bond over their shared obsession for a scoop. But it soon becomes clear the yearning may extend beyond the headlines.
As quickly as in the third episode, The Paper begins to highlight the growing feelings Ned has for Mare. In one of her many efforts to sabotage The Truth Teller, Esmerelda lies to him that Mare is asexual, dousing his feelings for a little while. But once the fake news gets cleared up, the fire starts to kindle again. The story is not without its complications, however. In the last two episodes particularly, we see the two become combative when Mare tells Ned he’s too obsessed with being seen as the paper’s head honcho. Even on the night of the Journalism Awards, she brings a date to make Ned jealous, which ultimately proves successful.
While Mare came with someone else for the evening, it definitely was not who she’d be leaving with. Despite their tension, the two ditch the awards ceremony briefly to crash a wedding, where they’re able to squash their beef through some dancing and good old-fashioned flirting. At Oscar’s suggestion, Ned finds Mare outside her hotel room, and the two finally admit their feelings for one another. Not wanting to interfere with their day-to-day, they agree to get a kiss out of the way before happily resuming their relationship as coworkers and friends. Something that was meant to simplify, however, only complicates things more, as the one peck turns into something much more passionate.
Arguably the heart of the first few seasons of The Office was the relationship between Jim and Pam. The two were consistently circling one another, entertaining a series of partners before finally sharing their first kiss in the Season 2 finale. Much like the success of The Truth Teller, The Paper has also decided to jumpstart its main romantic tension record time. The Office chose to follow up their romantic cliffhanger by shipping Jim off to Stamford for half a season, with the two finally going on a date at the end of Season 3. We’ll see if The Paper pursues a similar path, or if this “will they/won’t they” is firmly stuck in the “will” position.
Related: Ellie Kemper Finally Breaks Her Silence on a Possible ‘The Paper’ Cameo
Second fold stories
John P. Fleenor/PEACOCK
Much like The Office, The Paper brands itself as a true ensemble comedy. So, while the success of The Truth Teller and Ned/Mare’s makeout session are far and away the biggest headlines coming out of the finale, here’s where we left off with some of the rest of our beloved cast.
While not nearly as front-and-center as Mare and Ned, another season-long complicated relationship involved Detrick (Melvin Gregg) and Nicole (Ramona Young). When the series starts, Detrick makes his feelings for Nicole all too clear — to both her and anyone in proximity. After he calms down, she seems to show signs of reciprocating, as the two share a kiss. However, Nicole is not eager to commit, telling Detrick she views her relationship as strictly casual.
Her feelings towards him, however, are far from it, especially when she finds out he hasn’t been seeing other people as she assumed. At the end of the season, Detrick officially breaks off their relationship, wanting it to be something more, as she brusquely claims they didn’t have anything to begin with. But as we see Nicole weeping after the awards, it becomes clear she feels the same way as him.
John P. Fleenor/PEACOCK
Two of Ned’s biggest antagonists throughout Season 1 were Esmerelda and Ken Davies (Tim Key), the corporate strategist of Enervate (the holding company for both The Truth Teller and Softees). In the beginning, the two were co-conspirators against the new man in charge, trying to impugn him every chance they got to CEO Marv (Allan Havey). When that doesn’t seem to go anywhere, they go so far as to try to get Marv removed from Enervate, a plan that goes belly-up once they realize a janitor has overheard the whole thing (and the fact, you know, that an entire documentary crew is recording everything they say).
At the Journalism Awards, Esmerelda and Ken’s worst nightmare has seemingly come true. After finding out they’re not sitting at the same table as Marv, the two go into overdrive to try to save their jobs. As mentioned before, Esmerelda takes to the stage, hijacking not only Ned’s acceptance speech, but also penning an impromptu accompaniment to the “In Memoriam” segment. Ken, meanwhile, tries to go the heroic route, purposely making Marv choke so he can save his life. Unfortunately, it’s yet another scheme that goes awry, and Oscar winds up being the hero for both Marv and his brother.
Considering Impacciatore and Key are both in the main cast for Season 2, it’s safe to say they have not lost their jobs as they feared. But if their shenanigans continue to blow up in their faces, they may have to hit the job listings of The Truth Teller sooner rather than later.
Related: I Watch TV for a Living—These Are the 21 New and Returning Shows I Can’t Wait to See This Fall