‘The Paper’ Episode 5 Delivers A Josh Holloway Cameo And A Hilarious Showcase For Sabrina Impacciatore’s Talents

Each episode of The Paper, Greg Daniels and Michael Koman’s new mockumentary set in The Office universe, features lovable performances, hilarious writing, and comforting nostalgia. But thanks to a focus on Sabrina Impacciatore’s Esmeralda and an unexpected guest star, Episode 5, “Scam Alert!,” is a serious Season 1 standout.

Spoilers for The Paper Episode 5 ahead.

Written by Mo Welch (Softees employee Kimberly) and directed by Tazbah Chavez, “Scam Alert!” shows Ned (Domhnall Gleeson) and The Truth Teller‘s staffers investigating a serial dating app scammer who’s catfishing women. As Ned explains, the scammer poses as a service member on a dating app called Latch, reveals he’s stationed in Germany, then woos his “pathetic, lonely” marks into financially supporting him. As Ned divulges details about the case, Esmeralda’s face grows concerned, and when she frantically races to her office mid-meeting, Nicole (Ramona Young) realizes her boss was one of the scammer’s victims.

The 28-minute installment is a spectacular showcase for Sabrina Impacciatore’s comedic talents that features some of Esmeralda’s most iconic lines of the series and numerous laugh-out-loud moments — not to mention, one of TV’s most creative celebrity guest star inclusions. Just when you think the episode hit its peak, The Paper one-ups itself with reveal after reveal, dialing up the humor until the very end.

Unable to admit that she fell for a “dangerous internet catman,” Esmeralda initially tells the camera crew she’s concerned for a friend of hers who’s like “a beautiful twin sister.” As she spirals in her office, waiting for her mystery man to message her back, Ned fantasizes about The Truth Teller writing an award-worthy six-part series featuring her original point of view. After playing off her strong reaction to the scammer story (“I react strongly to everything. Life is strong, and I am a strong woman!”) Esmeralda gets Ned to blow on the part of her hair (LOL) and finally dishes on her boyfriend: Jarson.

Since first watching this episode, the sheer thought of “Jarson” — a perfectly crafted name for the ridiculous circumstances at hand — is enough to get me giggling. Esmeralda explains that it’s a common American name; a combination of Jason and Jared. Duh! But the more she says it, the faker (and funnier) it sounds.

As her colleagues download Latch profiles in hopes of exposing Jarson, Esmeralda remains in denial and tries to convince the “chattering chickens” Jarson is real by showing them a photo. There’s just one problem: Her photo of Jarson is clearly a photo of LOST star Josh Holloway. It’s an absolutely iconic reveal that fully takes viewers by surprise, and the fact that everyone except Esmeralda recognizes the actor makes the story even more hilarious. Just when you think nothing can top the Josh Holloway/Jarson reveal, The Paper gives Esmeralda more seemingly irrefutable evidence that her man is who he says he is. “Hey darlin, this is Jarson,” actor Josh Holloway says in a clearly edited video seen on Esmeralda’s laptop screen. “To let you know just how adored you really are, Esmeralda. Now, I hope this proves to your office friends that Jarson is real, Jarson is not scamming you, and Jarson loves you.”

The scammer used a combo of AI and Cameo, a platform where people can pay for custom videos from celebrities, to send The Truth Teller‘s managing editor a message straight from Jarson, aka, Josh Holloway — or John Halloween, as she so perfectly calls him. While Nicole spend a chunk of “Scam Alert!” reveling in Esmeralda’s distress, the Cameo con is simply too depressing to bear, so Nicole whips out her wallet and pays $35 for another Cameo video from Josh Holloway, in which he set the record straight.

“Hello, Esmeralda. It’s me, Josh Holloway, from LOST, Yellowstone, and that under-seen show Colony. Anyway, your coworker Nicole bought this from you on Cameo, so you can hear it from me. I’m not Jarson. I’m Josh Holloway! I’m not your boyfriend. I don’t know how our wires get crossed. I just say what they tell me to on here. But we’re not in love. I’m in love with my wife, Yessica. I’m sorry. Mahalo!” the real Josh Holloway, an amazing sport, says in Cameo #2.

On its own, Holloway’s unexpected appearance on The Paper is a hoot, and all the LOST references in the episode bring an added nostalgia to the series, as LOST aired alongside The Office from 2005 to 2010. Holloway flexes his own comedic chops in The Paper while proving he’s a good sport who game for a small, very specific guest star role. “I know Josh, and he was just so nice to do it. I mean, that was one of those things where you feel like, we can ask, and the worst we can hear is, ‘No.’ But he was so friendly, and up for it. That was very lucky,” co-creator Michael Koman told Decider.

As someone who’s had a longtime fascination with Cameo, I also have to praise Welch and The Paper writers for using it as a clever vehicle for a guest appearance and effortlessly tying it into the scammer story. Because this is one of The Paper‘s best episodes, naturally, the cackles don’t stop with Josh Holloway’s second Cameo video. After a heartbroken, embarrassed Esmeralda flees the office, Ned finds her on the roof, watching a Season 3 episode of LOST and cursing out Jars— er, Josh as his character gets injured. “If it helps, I think he’s dead for the whole show,” Ned says, comforting Esmeralda and re-awakening the heated LOST finale debate. In return, Esmeralda hugs him, and though it seems she may never get over the pain of Jarson’s scam, the episode ends with her busting a move at Macaroni Bar in a leather jumpsuit. Our resilient queen.

Tragically/thankfully, because his requests would be blowing up, Josh Holloway isn’t currently on Cameo in real life. (Though several other LOST and Yellowstone stars are if you’re feeling inspired!) But you can watch Holloway on dozens of movies and series, now including The Paper!

The Paper Season 1 is now streaming on Peacock.